warning; y'all will either hate me or love me this chapter. i have no regrets.

also, isaac was technically still in the hospital this episode, but i don't care he's fine now.

chapter forty-five
❝ you didn't mean to say, "i love you" ❞
the fox and the wolf

━━━━༺❀༻━━━━

Isaac paced Kennedy's room back and forth, waiting for the female werewolf to come back from meeting up with Scott. It had been a few days since Stiles turned Void, and Kennedy had came back from Eichen House. Ever since, Peter's had her at home in case Void came back around for seconds. And now that Isaac was (mostly) healed, Isaac had barely left her side, spending every minute with her.

That is, until she forced him to go away.

When her bedroom door opened, Isaac turned to watch Kennedy walk in. She smiled slightly, and Isaac returned it. Her long hair was straight instead of wavy. He always admired her hair. Back when Scott got bit by Peter, her hair only was a few inches shorter than it is now. These days it was nearly past her chest. His thoughts stopped when Kennedy placed her things on the vanity.

"How are you?" Isaac asked, sitting on her vanity chair as she sat on her bed.

Kennedy sighed, "Nobody's seen or heard from Stiles," She told him. Isaac nods, tapping his foot on the ground. Kennedy laid on her stomach, fiddling with her blanket. "What about you?"

Isaac looks up. "What about me?"

"Well, you've been locking yourself in a sixteen year old girls room all week, so I assume you have to be falling apart right now." Kennedy joked. Isaac didn't really seem all that impressed. Kennedy pouted, grabbing a pillow and putting it in her lap. "Okay, why are you upset?" She finally asked.

Isaac shook his head, "What?" He rubbed his hands together nervously. His mind had been everywhere this entire month, and this wasn't helping him at all.

Kennedy shrugged. "First of all, you're acting weird," She deadpanned, causing Isaac to avert his eyes away. "Second of all, you smell funny."

"I smell funny?"

"Like your scent," Kennedy told him, "Something about it is different." Isaac swallowed nervously. Of course it was different. Kennedy was hurt by her boyfriend, so he was mad. He had been in love with Kennedy, so he was jealous. Kennedy was single, he was happy. And, lastly, Kennedy was beautiful, so he was flustered. Luckily, all of those mixed up plus Kennedy's pent up emotions caused her to struggle picking out what exactly he felt. An idea had sparked into Isaac's mind. Could it backfire? Of course. But at this point, Isaac didn't know if he cared.

Isaac disregarded her comment. "Do you want to do something?" He asked her. The last few days, Kennedy had been crying over Stiles and healing. Today, she was still forbidden from most of the action, but the two of them could still do something fun.

Kennedy quirked a brow, "Like what?" She asked, holding back a smile. She was grateful Isaac was there for her. It felt like the last few months Isaac was one of the only people who was always there. He seemed to put her first. Kennedy enjoyed being first, as usually she put herself last.

Isaac stood up from the chair, tapping his chin. "We could go bowling. Or, we could go golfing." Kennedy stood up, crossing her arms as she watched him circle the room. "We could go to the zoo." He chirped, walking around Kennedy. "Or we could get ice cream." Kennedy squealed loudly as Isaac tickled her from behind. She spun around, slapping his chest as he laughed.

"You are evil!" She hissed playfully. Isaac laughed maniacally, watching Kennedy grab her purse on the table. "Just for that, you're paying for the ice cream."

I would've anyway, Isaac thought to himself. He didn't say it out loud. Instead, he playfully rolled his eyes, chasing the brunette girl down the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door of her apartment.

༺❀༻

"So then I said, sorry, i'm an insomniac." Kennedy told Isaac, giggling wildly as she licked her ice cream cone. The two of them sat at a small shop, their table in a small corner of the diner.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Isaac complains in fake annoyance.

Kennedy rolled her eyes. "I'm Kennedy Hale, what I say doesn't have to make sense because I'm the one saying it." She states in a duh tone. Isaac scoffs, licking his ice cream. "Don't you think Scott will be mad you're eating ice cream with me instead of looking for Stiles?" Kennedy inquired.

Isaac tilted his head in thought. "Wont Scott be mad you're eating ice cream with me instead of resting?" He shot back. Kennedy held her hand to her chest, dramatically acting like she had been shot.

"That was uncalled for," She gasps. The two laughed again.

A waitress walked by, placing down a milkshake with two straws. "On the house," She said kindly. Kennedy looked at the glass in confusion, still holding on to her ice cream.

"Oh, we're not-" Kennedy couldn't even get her sentence out before the waitress walked away. Isaac finished his cone, wiping his hands with a napkin as he stares at the milkshake. "That was weird."

Isaac cheekily shrugged, looking back at the waitress. The waitress gave him a knowing wink, which he returned. He turned back to Kennedy, who was finishing up her cone. "Yeah, totally," He lied, giving the girl a smile. He tilted his head in thought. "Kenny, you know I care about you, right?" The Hale girl nods, "Cause I wanted to ask you something, but I don't want you to be mad."

Kennedy ate the last of her cone, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "Oh, please. I lived with you for months, if I could be mad at you I would." She said before flipping her hair over her shoulder. Isaac bit the inside of his cheek, leaning his arms onto the table.

"Well, if we find a way to save Stiles," Isaac began as he flicked his eyes back to Kennedy. "Would you two get back together?"

The Hale girl sat in silence for a moment. Would they? She loved him, she couldn't stop if she wanted to. But after he dumped her after literally having sex (in the basement of an insane asylum, which she did in fact regret now), and then having to see his face in front of her as the Nogitsune almost killed her? It was hard to say. Seeing the face of someone you love try and kill you is more traumatizing than Kennedy expected, and now it's happened twice. Kennedy couldn't think of his face without seeing the evil dead eyes staring back at her.

"I don't know," Kennedy answered finally. "After all of this is over, my dad and I are going on a trip for a month. A break from all of this will be a good way to find that answer." Kennedy leaned forward, grabbing the straw of the milkshakes. Isaac nods in understanding, doing the same. Kennedy froze for a second, realizing they were both drinking out of the milkshake at the same time. Isaac gave her a goofy smile, causing her to burst out into giggles.

After their small outing, the two of them walked down the streets of Beacon together. "So after France, Dad said we're going to London, where I'm going to visit Jackson."

"I thought we all hated Jackson," Isaac said.

Kennedy linked arms with him, sighing. "Everyone else hates Jackson. I just happen to be the one person who still likes him." She explained, the two taking a corner on the street.

Isaac nods, trying to understand. "Didn't he like, cheat on you? With Lydia?" The Lahey paused in thought, "Why are you friends with Lydia?"

The Hale girl bit the inside of her cheek, trying to find the best way to answer his question. "When Jackson cheated on me, we were in a really weird spot. I was always hanging out with Scott and Stiles, he was always doing lacrosse. Sure, we were the it couple, but that didn't stop us from never seeing each other outside of parties. I guess, he and I started drifting apart and our eyes drifted too." She explained slowly, looking at Isaac.

"Are you saying you had a crush on someone while dating Jackson?" Isaac inquired, surprised. Kennedy giggled, putting her hands in her pockets.

"Yeah. I mean, in the very beginning of sophomore year, I thought Scott was cute."

Isaac's eyes go round. "No way!" He gasped in surprise, causing Kennedy to laugh. "Can you imagine what he'd say if he found out the girl he had a crush on for three years actually liked him back and he never knew?"

"Which is why we don't say anything." Kennedy pointed a finger at Isaac, causing him to hold his hands up in defense. "But, I guess it didn't hurt as bad when I found out what Jackson did because as much as we loved each other, we weren't in love. Lydia was my best friend for almost eleven years when that stuff happened. It was horrible what she did, and I still give her shit about it to this day, but back then I was definitely more forgiving than I am now."

Isaac looks at Kennedy, thinking about what she said. "That's complicated."

"Plus, it's not like Lydia and I are innocent either," Kennedy chirped. Isaac stopped walking, looking at her in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

༺❀༻

Isaac glares at Kennedy. "Are you kidding me?"

Kennedy rolled her eyes, "Isaac, come on,"

"No, Ken, that guy almost killed you." Isaac argued. The two of them stood in her living room, arguing over a phone call from Derek. Apparently, they were going to try and find Stiles, and they needed Kennedy's help. Isaac, on the other hand, didn't want her apart of this at all. "What if he tries to kill you again?"

"Then let him try!" Kennedy shouts, throwing her arms in the air. "I want to save Stiles."

Isaac scoffed, "Ken, he's gone! That thing is not Stiles anymore." He told her. Kennedy rolled her eyes. "If you die, what are we going to do!? What am I going to do!?"

"Why do you care so much!?" Kennedy shot back, turning around and walking to the front door.

"Because I love you!"

Kennedy came to a halt, the words echoing in her ears. I love you. Kennedy slowly turned around, looking at the Lahey. He stood there, his expression hard to read. Did he mean it? Of course Kennedy knew he used to like her, but she figured he stopped back when Derek literally lived in a train station. She watched Isaac walk closer.

"Isaac-"

"At the rave, when we kissed, tell me you didn't feel anything."

Kennedy knitted her brows together, "Isaac, I just-"

"Forget about Stiles for just a second." Isaac grabbed her shoulders, making her look only at him. "Tell me you didn't feel anything."

Isaac kept dancing with Kennedy, his mind going quickly. Matt started walking over, and Isaac grabbed Kennedy by her shoulders, spinning her face towards his. Matt stops in his tracks as Isaac smashes his lips on the Stallards. Kennedy pauses, shocked. Isaac grabs her hips, signaling her to play along. Kennedy quickly obliges, her eyes fluttering shut as she looped her arms around Isaac's neck. The duo danced in sync as Isaac's lips trailed down her jaw. She gasped in surprise, her blue eyes connecting with Matt's. The human boy snarled, spinning away in anger.

Isaac kissed behind her ear. "Is he gone?" He asked, his voice husky. Kennedy shuddered, not having a moment this intense since, well, Stiles.

Kennedy looked up at Isaac, not sure what to say. "What's your point? Why are you doing this?" She asked. This was unnecessary. First of all, she and Stiles broke up days ago. Second of all, they were in the middle of fighting an evil fox spirit. Third of all, it was just confusing.

"I lost you, Kennedy. And Stiles got you. He let you go when he decided you weren't strong enough to handle him losing to the Nogitsune." Isaac bitterly said. Kennedy didn't know how to react. Was he wrong? Or was she just not willing to hear it? Stiles broke up with her because he didn't want her to see him like that, but she will see him like that nonetheless. So what was the point?

The Hale girl looked at her shoes, "Isaac, I don't know what you want me to say." Her eyes flicked to his. His icy blue eyes poured into her brown ones. He stepped closer, causing Kennedy to tense up.

"Tell me you don't feel what I feel every single time I look at you." Isaac's voice was lower, huskier. A scent overwhelmed Kennedy's senses. Lust. She didn't know what she felt. Her werewolf senses heightened when it came to Isaac, it was that tension she told Lydia and Allison about. But she loved Stiles. Her heart seemed to feel itself tug in two directions. What if Isaac was right? So many thoughts crossed her mind, and they were all cut off when Isaac placed his hand on the side of her face. He slowly lifted her head, their faces close together. Isaac's breath fanned over her face. Kennedy could feel her heart speed up. The Lahey leaned down, his lips softly pressing against hers. Kennedy's tense shoulders slouched, her eyes fluttering shut.

Maybe it was the werewolf hormones, or maybe it was pent up tension from sophomore year. Maybe it was the loneliness in their hearts looking for some sort of validation from the other. Either way, Isaac emotionally cheered as he pulled Kennedy in by her waist. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Isaac pulled away, looking down at her. His eyes flashed gold, and hers turned red. He pulled her back in for another kiss, pushing her backwards. Kennedy gasped as her back hit the cold wall. The moment didn't feel right, at least not in the way it should've felt. It felt too soon, and Kennedy knew it was. But she didn't know if she cared, she just wanted to feel something other than pain.

Until the phone rang.

Kennedy suddenly pushed away, looking at Isaac in confusion. Why did she do that? Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kennedy rushed to her the kitchen counter, where her cell phone sat. "Hello?"

"Kennedy Dawn, you naughty girl," The voice crooned. Kennedy's face lost all of it's color as she realized who was on the other line. Stiles, or rather, Void Stiles.

"What do you want?" She asked coldly.

Void clicked his tongue, "Well, I was watching the camera in your living room, seeing what a fun time you and that Beta were having," Kennedy spun around, looking for a camera. "But, why not get involved?" Kennedy's eyes turned red, and she could see a small flicker in a small decor piece on a book shelf. Isaac stood there in confusion as she stormed over, grabbing the fake plant. "You're much better at this game than your friends."

Kennedy leaned into the phone. "Why the hell are you calling me?" She growled through the line. Anger rised in her chest.

"I wanted to make a truce," Void sighed, tapping his finger on the mattress of Stiles's bed. "The loft. Do you think you could pay your good ole ex boyfriend a visit? If you can stay away from your new side piece for more than ten minutes."

Isaac watched Kennedy's demeanor change completely. He had seen it before; on Peter, on Derek. She hadn't said a word to him as she grabbed her car keys, storming out of the apartment. Isaac let out a shaky breath, worried about the emotion she reaked as she left.

Vengeance

༺❀༻

Kennedy stormed up the stairs of Derek Hale's building. Anger flooded her veins in unimaginable ways. She hadn't felt this way since she got her memories back.

The loft door swung open, and she could see a figure standing a few feet away. It turned slowly, the cold dead eyes of a possessed Stiles Stilinski meeting hers. "Why, don't you look stunning?" He crooned, his eyes shamelessly raking over the Hale as she stepped down the last few steps.

"What do you want from me?" She asked coldly. Stiles clicked his tongue as he stepped forwards. Kennedy flinched as his fingers raked through her hair, studying her features.

"I see why everyone was so keen on keeping you safe," Stiles began, twirling a lock of her dark hair with his fingertip. "You reek of chaos, of pain. How is that so, Kennedy? A girl who lived a perfect life now only left with the empty void left by her dead family."

Kennedy stated up at him, "What. Do. You. Want." She seethed through her teeth.

Stiles turned away from her, walking towards the window in thought. "You know, Kennedy, being in your boyfriends head for this long, you start to learn some things." He paused, "My bad, ex boyfriend," Kennedy never took her eyes off of Stiles as he circled the room, talking as he moved his hands around. "Your boyfriend was so insecure. Did you know? Kennedy deserves better, Kennedy should leave me, Kennedy should date Scott or Isaac instead, Why did Kennedy choose me, blah blah blah,"

A aching feeling settles into the girls chest. She felt a tear roll down her cheek as she thought of the possibility of these things being true.

"And then, only days after he leaves you, youre kissing that beta! Oh, talk about a plot twist," Stiles smirked at Kennedy. She guiltily looked away. "God, how pathetic. Kissing boys left and right. First Stiles, then Scott, then Isaac. Who's next? Aiden? Maybe we'll give Jackson a call, huh?" Stiles cocked his head to the side as he saw another tear shed. He pouted, stepping closer. "Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in the Valet bloodline, huh?"

Kennedy's head snapped up. He was talking about her mother. How she had left Peter for Deucalion. Kennedy scoffed, "Is there a point to this?" She asked lowly.

Stiles snickered, walking past her again. "There is," He hummed. "You know, another one of your boyfriends biggest fears, is actually one of my greatest dreams." Kennedy frowned as Stiles turned to look at her. Stiles's smirk turned into a cold, heartless flare. "I want you to lose control."

The Hale is taken aback. Her eyes widen slightly as she steps backwards. "What?"

"Oh, come on, Kenny. You're a Hale! The heir of Peter Hale! You're made to kill! You're designed to be the monster under people's beds!" Stiles shouts as Kennedy backs away from him. "Think about how Stiles would feel, knowing you wouldn't let yourself turn into what you're meant to be, just because of him." Kennedy feels her familiar sense of anger rise, flooding every cell in her blood stream. She turned to the loft door, storming to the entrance. "How would your mother feel knowing all you are is weak!?"

Kennedy spun around, her face completely changed. She roared loudly. The walls around them shook at the intensity. It was darker, more menacing than anything Kennedy had ever created. Her werewolf face contorts for a moment, before she sprints at the Stilinski.

Outside of the building, the roar seems to echo around as Noah Stilinski, Derek Hale, ands the two Argents approach the door. "Kennedy," Derek says lowly.

Allison looks over. "Why is she here?" She asks. Nobody had called Kennedy to tell her Stiles's location yet.

"He must have brought her here," Chris says. Derek storms up the steps. "Why the rush, Derek?"

The Hale came to a halt, "That roar wasnt a normal one," He said finally. Allison furrowed her brow for a moment. "It was vengeance, and loss of control."

Noah spoke up, his hand on his belt. "What does this mean?" He asked lowly.

"That Kennedy will kill him."

Inside, Kennedy swung her claws at Void's face. Stiles ducked out of the way, slamming his fist into her side. Kennedy snarled as she kicked his leg, sending him to the ground. Stiles falls, but it doesn't last long when he jumps back up. Kennedy continues to repeatedly attempt to hit him. Stiles steps back, raising his arm to block the girls advances. Kennedy's red eyes snapped at his face, and the girl extended her arm.

Stiles grabs the girl's arms, holding them in place. Stiles cocked his head to the side, his expression changing. His eyes became glossy, and he let out a shaky breath. "Kenny, please,"

His voice echoed in the girls ears, her eyes turning brown. Stiles. Her features returned to normal as she searched his expression.

And then he hit her.

Kennedy flew backwards, landing against the loft door. She spit blood from her mouth as she looked up at him. Stiles adjusted his hands, studying his fingers as he looked back at her. Kennedy growls lowly, but she stops at the sound of commotion behind her.

The loft door swung open, Noah Stilinski walking in. Kennedy leans against the wall, watching him closely. She could sense more people outside. Allison, Chris, and Derek. Stiles looked at the Sheriff of Beacon Hills, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Hi, Dad."