CHAPTER ONE.                  Wolf Moon

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DEAR DIARY ,

Sometimes I look back on the past 16 years of my life, and I wonder what I did to deserve such weird friends. I mean, after kissing Scott on the cheek in 4th grade, it's like I signed my soul to two idiots who seemingly can't get enough of my amazing personality. But now I'm starting to wonder if what I've done, if it could ruin it forever.

I don't regret many things. In fact, I think regrets are stupid. But what I did last night? There is a solid 90% chance I'm going to regret this.

Kennedy slams her diary shut, shoving it under her bed as she looks over. Stiles Stilinski snores loudly, his head resting on one of her many pillows. Rolling her eyes, Kennedy springs out of bed, stepping over tossed around clothes, and wanders into the hallway. Her long brown hair swishes back and forth, knotted and tangled from the night before. She couldn't help but hum as she turned on the shower, now wondering if what happened was a mistake.

Stiles looks down at her, his arms resting on either side of her head. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asks her, gazing down at her shirt which had been unbuttoned by him moments ago.

"Are you sure Scott's going to be okay?" Kennedy asks him. Stiles had just wandered into her bedroom, explaining that he and Scott were looking for a dead body but got split up and Stiles found his and Kennedy's dads instead. When Deputy Stallard explained to Sheriff Stilinski that instead of driving home, Stiles could go to the Stallard home, the Sheriff agreed. However, the evening had taken a turn that nobody had really expected.

Stiles thinks for a moment, nodding urgently, "Yeah I think he'll be fine," He said before leaning down, pressing his lips on hers. Kennedy's arms link around his neck, their bodies pushing closer together in every way they could, closing any space between them. His hands tugged on her shirt, the two of them sitting up for just a moment as Stiles completely pulls her flannel off her arms, leaving her in the lacy black bra. His hands grazed her sides as they finally gripped her hips. Their kiss was heated and filled with lust as she slowly moves her lips down to his neck.

Kennedy shakes her head at the thought, running the shampoo through her hair. Stiles had been her best friend since the fourth grade, and the two of them made a deal that by the time Kennedy turned 16 that if they were both still virgins, they'd be each other's firsts. Of course, it was expected Stiles would remain a  virgin, but he was shocked to hear that she had never slept with her ex-boyfriend, Jackson Whittemore. Kennedy and Jackson were the usual freshman couple, except they had technically started dating in middle school. Everything was going well until early summer when he broke up with her, and nearly two weeks later Kennedy had discovered he was now with Lydia, Kennedy's former friend.

So, by the time she had turned 16 only a week ago, the pair of long-term friends had realized what it meant for the two of them. It's hard to say who was more nervous, but it was more likely than not Stiles, who was constantly mentally panicking as Kennedy at least had some experience, whilst he had none.

The teenage girl quickly finishes her shower, brushing her teeth and putting in contacts before rushing back to her room. She mentally prayed Stiles was still sleeping when she walked into her room wearing nothing but a towel, but she was definitely mistaken as Stiles is quickly putting on jeans, looking over at her. "Oh, hey-" He turns his head, suddenly stuttering awkwardly as he struggles to put his foot through a pant leg. Before he can say anything else, Stiles trips over his own feet, falling on his face. Kennedy gasps slightly, before busting out into giggles.

     "Ow, holy god, ow,"

     Stiles remains on the floor for a moment as he watches Kennedy walk by. He remembers the night before, and the events that occurred in the bed beside him. He wondered if things had changed. Why would they have? The two have known each other for 6 years, they have seen each other naked on accident at least three times. Why was this so different?

     Stiles knew exactly why it was so different. Their other best friend, Scott McCall, has had a crush on Kennedy for the past 2 years, and well, Stiles just slept with her.

     Kennedy hums to herself once again as she grabs clothing for the day. "Do we need to stop by your house so you can get new clothes?" She asks him, not bothering to look up from her shelf of shoes.

     Stiles looks over, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, that would be really smart, actually," Stiles swiftly jumps back onto the bed, watching as Kennedy walks around the room in only her towel. "What are you looking for?" He asks, watching her open up her closet.

     "Just my dress," She shortly answers, she frowns, looking at her chest, making sure Stiles didn't leave any marks the dress couldn't cover. Deciding it was fine, Kennedy slowly exited her room, back to her bathroom to finish getting ready.

     Stiles looks down at his hands, fiddling with them nervously. Was this going to change things? Did this stupid bet they made in middle school ruin their friendship? Did he just ruin his friendship with Scott? He couldn't help but feel guilty, not only because he betrayed Scott, but because he enjoyed it.

     Kennedy lays on Stiles's chest. He focuses on the white ceiling above, recollecting everything that just happened. Kennedy traced shapes on his arm as they sat in pure comfortable silence.

     Clicking his tongue, Stiles looks down at his best friend, running his hand through her long hair. "So, uh, how, how was it?" He mumbles. A smile grows on Kennedy's face, one he can't see from where he's laying. "Was, was, did you," His cheeks begin to redden as he tries to find the right words to say. "Did you like it?"

     Kennedy turns her body slightly, resting her arms on his chest, while she rests her head on her arms. A warm soft smile is traced on her lips as she looks up at him. "It was perfect, Stiles," She whispers softly.

     The door swings open, and he glances up to see Kennedy fully dressed. Her long brown hair was now dry and smooth, but she was reaching for the curling iron on the desk. "My dads not back yet, so we can leave now," She points to her right, which was Stiles's left as she gestures to downstairs.

     "Yeah," Stiles stammers, springing to his feet. "Let me find my keys," He mutters to himself, looking around the girls floor. He quickly grabs them, smiling with victory as he holds them in the girl's face. Kennedy rolls her eyes playfully, walking towards her stairs. Relief flowed over the two as they walk towards the blue Jeep in her driveway. It wasn't awkward, it was normal. Though neither of them knew if the other wanted to talk about what they did, they still were glad it wasn't an awkward anxious silence.

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STILES AND KENNEDY ARE SITTING IN THE JEEP, laughing about a stupid joke Stile had just made. "I know, I'm basically a genius at this point." Stiles tells her, now in clean fresh clothes from home. Kennedy smiles softly, frowning at the buzzing in her leather jacket. Stiles looks over, noticing her reaction. She opened up her phone, seeing the 150th text from Jackson since their breakup months ago. She still hadn't relied since August.

     JACKSON WHITTLEDICK
Ken, I'm so sorry for everything happening the way it did. I hope we can talk today, or soon.

     Before the brunette can even attempt to reply, the phone is snatched from her hands. "Hey!" She snaps, reaching forwards to take it from her friend's hand.

    Stiles looks at the text, narrowing his eyes in distaste. "Yeah, no, still not happening." He mutters, turning off her phone completely. He throws the phone into the backseat, focusing back on the road. "I have not spent the first half of sophomore year eating ice cream and watching Twilight just for you to take him back."

     Kennedy rolls her eyes. "I'm not taking him back," She explains. She turns around, practically climbing into the back of the car. "I'm just trying to be civil."

     "There's no need to be civil to a dick like Jackson," Stiles argued. Kennedy doesn't reply, clearly not wanting to talk about the subject any longer. Stiles shakes his head. "Anyways, look at what Scott sent me last night."

     Kennedy slips back into the front seat, peering at the phone. She frowns. "Scott was attacked last night?" She read, looking back over at Stiles. Her hazel eyes danced with alarm.

     Stiles nods his head. "Yeah. He's all bandaged up and everything." He explained as he put his phone back in his pocket. Kennedy sinks in the chair, shaking her head with worry. The boy clears his throat, "Do we, want to talk about," He leans his head side to side, clearly referencing last night.

     The girl shrugs, "Sure, what about it?" She asks him.

     Stiles licks his lips, unsure how to say what needed to be said. "Are we okay? Should we tell Scott. Of course, we should, but are we going to? Are you okay? Did I mess everything up? Was all of it a mistake?" He rambles, looking up at his best friend.

     The only thing Kennedy knew at the moment as she looked at Stiles, is that he was her best friend. "We're fine, Stiles." She says first, before anything else. "It was a one-time thing, a bet both of us are way too stubborn to pull out of, but we can't tell Scott."

     Stiles looks at her with an incredulous look. "Why not?" He asks, confused. He didn't want to tell his best friend he slept with said best friend's crush, but it was the right thing to do. Stiles hates keeping secrets from Scott, and well, this is a big secret to keep.

     "Because, Stiles, what if he gets the wrong idea and thinks it's more than it really is?" Kennedy follows, leaning her arm on the window. "I don't want Scott to be playing matchmaker with us when I'm still trying to move on from Jackson. Imagine how awkward that would be." The Stilinski listens to her, knowing she believes she's being completely rational. If only she knew what Scott would really do if he found out what they did. The girl let out a sigh as she pressed her hands together, "So, what do you think attacked Scott in the woods?" She asked him.

     Stiles looked around the road, moving his head around in  confusion. Stiles shrugged, "I don't know. Coyotes? Mountain lions? A cannibal?" He listed off. Kennedy sent him a look, and he shrugged. "I said I don't know!"

     "Well, should we be worried? What if he got rabies or something? I am so not into the idea of getting bit by a boy unless he's a hot vampire," Kennedy retorted with a pout. Stiles snorted, rolling his eyes.

     "Then we'll kill him, obviously." He deadpanned. Kennedy glared as she threw a piece of gum at Stiles, causing him to burst out laughing.

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BEACON HILLS HIGH SCHOOL BUZZED with students as the first day of school after winter break began. Stiles and Kennedy hop out of the blue jeep, grabbing their bags out of the car. "Are you going to be at practice tonight?" Stiles asks, looking over at her.

     The two shut their doors at the same time, meeting at the front of the jeep. "Yeah, I mean, I have to be supporting my two favorite players," She smiles wide as they walk towards the building.

     "Stiles! Ken!" The pair turn around to see Scott approaching them.

     Stiles speaks first, "Hey, man, are you okay?" He asks. putting a hand on Scott's shoulder. Scott looks over at Kennedy, who gives a caring smile.

     "It hurts, but I'm fine," He grimaces, placing a hand over his side.

     "Okay, let's see this thing," Stiles says. Scott presses his lips together as he lifts his shirt up, turning to the side. The make-shift bandage of gauze and tissue and tape, bleeding in the middle. "Oh," Stiles scrunches up his nose, looking at the bloody bandage.

     Kennedy tilts her head to the side, "Ew," She grumbles, turning her head away.

     Scott puts his shirt down, "It was too dark to see much, but I'm pretty sure it was a wolf." He explains to his friends.

     Stiles tilts his head slightly, "A wolf bit you?" Scott nods in response. "No, not a chance."

     "I heard a wolf howling." Scott points out. Kennedy feels an uneasy feeling as she looks over at Scott, a feeling that something was different about him. Almost like he had a new aura. She stares at him with a strange look, before listening back into the conversation. "What do you mean, no, I didn't? How do you know what I heard?"

     "Because California doesn't have wolves, okay? Not in like 60 years." Stiles informed. Kennedy nodded, remembering doing a project on wolves when she was younger.

     Scott looks over in confusion. "Really?"

     "Yes, really. There are no wolves in California." Stiles explains, the teenage boy shoving his hands in his pocket.

     Scott looks at Kennedy, who just shrugs. "All right, well, if you don't believe me about the wolf, then you're definitely not gonna believe me about when I tell you I found the body."

     "You - are you kidding me?" Stiles tosses his hand up, smiling wide.

     Kennedy looks at Stiles like he's crazy. "No, man, I wish. I'm gonna have nightmares for a month." Scott explains, shaking his head at the memory.

     The girl of the trio turned towards the McCall. "Scott, are you sure-"

     "Oh, god, that is freakin' awesome. I mean, this is seriously gonna be the best thing that's happened to this town since," Stiles pauses from cutting Kennedy off, "Since the birth of Lydia Martin." Kennedy's smile slowly fell from her face as her hazel eyes slowly narrowed in distaste. The she-devil strawberry blond walks by as Stiles turned, "Hey, Lydia! You look," The Martin continued to walk right past, causing Kennedy to snort, "Like you're gonna ignore me." He mumbles. Stiles turns towards Scott. "You're the cause of this, you know."

     Scott raises a brow, "Uh-huh?" He chuckles.

     Stiles nods, "Draggin' me down to your nerd depths. I'm a nerd by association. I've been scarlet - nerded by you." He rambled as he pointed, "My only chance at popularity is Kennedy!"

     Kennedy sighed, adjusting her bag on her shoulder, "Well, scarlet nerds, I'm gonna head to class, see you in English?" She pats Scott's shoulder, turning and heading up the stairs. Scott watches her disappear in the crowd of people with a dreamy look in his eyes. Stiles couldn't help but feel guilty about the entire thing, only hours ago he had woken up in the brunette's bed.

     "Scott, I, uh, have to tell you something," Stiles mumbles. He knew Kennedy would be pissed if he tells Scott, but he deserved to know. Stiles knew that it wasn't fair to his best friend. So, he turns to his best friend, opening his mouth.

     "I'm gonna tell her,"

     Stiles's jaw drops open for a moment. He blinks a few times, staring at Scott with a shocked look. Opening and closing his mouth, Stiles shoves his hand in his pocket. "What?" He chokes out.

     A smile spreads on Scott's face. "I'm gonna tell her that I like her." He repeats. Scott walks past Stiles, heading towards his locker. Stiles stands there with wide eyes, now regretting everything that he's done the last 7 hours. He turns on his heel quickly, rushing after his best friend.

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"AS YOU ALL KNOW, THERE INDEED WAS a body found in the woods last night." Scott turns his head to look at Kennedy and Stiles, who both send knowing smirks to their friend. Scott had decided he'd tell Kennedy tonight at her house, where they were planning on hanging out after practice. Stiles, on the other hand, was now worried about if he should tell Scott what he did. "And I am sure your eager little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios as to what happened." Their teacher continues to write on the board, "But I am here to tell you that the police have a suspect in custody," Scott and Kennedy look at Stiles, who shrugs in confusion. "Which means you can give your undivided attention to the syllabus which is on your desk outlining this semester."

     Kennedy sighed as she leaned back in her seat, reading over the syllabus. Scott stole a look from her until his thoughts were cut off by the sound of a phone ringing. Too busy listening to that, he failed to notice Kennedy opening her phone to read another text from Jackson.

     JACKSON WHITTLEDICK
Talk after practice?

     The girl sighs, looking around the room before looking back at her phone. She hadn't answered a single text from Jackson since they broke up. She was over him, theres no doubt about that, but she doesn't know if she's ready to relive everything he put her through. Kennedy remembers what her dad always says, Everyone deserves a chance to clean up their mistakes. Sighing, she begins to type away.

     KENNEDY STALLARD
Fine. I'll see you there.

     Kennedy quickly shoves her phone in her pocket as the classroom door opens. She looks up to see their Vice Principal walking in with a girl. She had long brown hair and pale features. She was pretty, anyone could see that. Kennedy glanced over at Scott, who suddenly looked at her with a soft gaze.

     "Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do your best to make her feel welcome" The Stallard girl couldn't help but feel slightly jealous as the girl sits behind Scott. Then, Kennedy was confused when almost right away Scott turns around, handing Allison a pencil. Kennedy frowned, her forehead creasing as she thought about how strange the encounter was. However, that was Scott.

     Strange.

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     Kennedy approached Stiles and Scott after school. Harley, who was at her locker next to hers chimed in, "Can someone tell me how New Girl is here all of five minutes, and she's already hanging out with Lydia's clique?" She asks them.

     "Because she's hot. Beautiful people herd together," Stiles explains, "That's why Kennedy was Lydia's best friend until-" Stiles cuts himself off, looking over at Kennedy. The girl was looking at Jackson with mixed emotions. Pain, probably. Jackson and Lydia are all giggly and happy, but Jackson looks up at the Stallard for just a moment. Pursing her lips and turning the almost sad look into one of annoyance, Kennedy turned her head, looking over at Scott and Stiles.

     Scott continues to look at Allison in a way Kennedy recognized. Her eyes widened as she slapped his chest. "Scott McCall, you sly dog!" She gasps, smiling wide. Stiles looks over, confused.

     "What? What's going on?" He asks, worried Scott told Kennedy the truth.

     "I think Scott is developing a crush on the new girl," Kennedy smirks, elbowing Scott. Stiles rose a brow as he looked between the pair.

     The McCall looks up, "What?" He asks, "Allison? She's just new,"

     "And pretty," Kennedy follows.

     Stiles looks at Scott with a confused look. "Yeah, really pretty," Scott says slowly, before snapping out of his googly eye state. Stiles couldn't help but feel confused. Scott always looked at Kennedy with those same googly eyes, but now that this Allison girl walked into the school, it was like Scott shifted his focus immediately. However, maybe it's a good thing, Stiles realized. If Scott didn't have feelings for Kennedy anymore, then he won't be mad when Stiles tells him the truth.

     So, instead of asking him what the hell is going through the McCall's head, he leaves it alone completely.

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Lydia Martin and Allison Argent begin to walk over to their spots on the bench. "Well, if it isn't Kennedy Stallard," Lydia hums with a fake smile.

Kennedy looks over, "Hi, Lydia," She mutters, waving.

"Ken here was my best friend last year," Lydia explains. Kennedy sucks in a heavy breath, looking away as she tries to ignore her. "But after she did something horrible to me, I dropped her."

"You slept with my boyfriend." Kennedy hisses, looking back at her as she sends a glare. "Excuse me for being upset."

Lydia scoffs. "Ex-boyfriend." Lydia corrected, pushing her hair over her shoulder. "No reason to dump a slushie on my designer jacket." She snaps back. Allison looks between them, confused. "I'll be right back," Lydia excuses herself, walking off the bleachers.

Allison looks over at Kennedy, who was now fiddling with the hem of her dress. Pursing her lips, Allison slides over, taking a spot next to the girl. "To be fair, if she slept with your boyfriend, she deserved the slushie dump." Allison hums.

Kennedy looks over, a sad smile on her face. "Well, maybe it was a blessing in disguise. I'm not dating a douchebag like Jackson Whittemore." She hums, looking out at the field.

Allison's eyes widen, "Jackson was the boyfriend?" Kennedy silently nods. "Wow, I'm so sorry." She consoles. Kennedy shrugs, not really sure what to say to that. The two watch as someone moves to goalie. Allison recognizes him from English as he puts his helmet on. "Who is that?"

Kennedy looks up, "Him? That's my best friend, Scott." She explains, looking over. "Why?"

"He's in my English class, like you and the boy on the bleachers," Allison explains.

The Stallard girl nods, "The boy on the bleachers is Stiles, my other best friend." She explains to the new girl. Allison listens as Kennedy rambles about different boys on the team, noticing she knows every single one of them. That was something Allison admired about smaller towns, and even envied. Kennedy knew everything about everyone because she grew up with them. She knew most of these people since kidnergarten. Allison never had that luxury.

Then, to their surprise, Scott catches the ball thrown at him. And then he does it again, and again, and again. "He seems like he's pretty good," Allison says in thought.

Lydia, who finally returned from whatever she had been doing, sits down next to Allison. "Oh, very good." She replies. Stiles turns his head, looking over at Kennedy with an excited smile. She smiles back, but her smile fell when Jackson comes to the front of the line.

"Oh, god." She mutters. She watches with an almost pained look as Jackson comes full sprint, jumping into the air as he throws the ball. Kennedy's eyes widen in shock as Scott quickly moves his stick, the ball landing in the net. Stiles jumps to his feet, cheering loudly. Kennedy stands up, "That's my best friend!" She screams, jumping up and down. Scott looks over, his eyes landing on Allison for a moment, but then, he looks at Kenedy, and he can't help but smile just as she smiles.

Coach calls practice off a bit later, and Kennedy stays behind on the bleachers as people like Lydia and Allison leave for their cars. Jackson looks behind him with an angry look as Scott and Stiles walk away with the rest of the team. Stiles turns to see Jackson approaching Kennedy. "Oh hell no," Stiles mutters, attempting to jump in their direction, but to his surprise, Scott pulls him back.

"No, don't," Scott hisses, stopping in his tracks. Stiles looked at the McCall with big eyes, stuttering as he looked between the boy and the former couple across the field.

"Why are you letting Satan go talk to Ken?" Stiles asked. "I thought we agreed no Jacksons allowed."

Scott sighs, "Yeah, but they need to talk before I talk to her." He explained. Stiles frowns, confused. "Jackson was Kennedy's first boyfriend. Hell, they will probably be senior prom king and queen. But I have to make sure their story ends before mine and Kennedy's story begins," Pointed out the McCall. He sounded poetic, oddly enough. Stiles never heard something so metaphorical from his friends lips.

Stiles scrunched his nose, "Well, you never know." Stiles mutters. He looks back at Jackson and Kennedy one more time, before walking away with Scott completely.

The McCall smiles at the thought of Allison, his heart speeding up as he remembers the girl smiling at him when he caught each ball. "I don't know," He confesses, now feeling confused. "I've liked Kennedy for so long, that I can't imagine not liking her." Stiles listens to his friend, not sure what to say.

"Well, you never know," Stiles mutters. He looks back at Jackson and Kennedy one more time, before walking away with Scott completely.

Jackson approached the brunette, holding his helmet in his hand. "Hey, Kenny," He mumbles, smiling softly as he looked at the girl. "How have you been?"

Kennedy stands up from her spot on the bleacher, stepping down slowly. "I've been," She pauses, looking away from him, "I've been okay," She nods, looking back. "How are you?"

"I'm good," He replies, looking anywhere but her eyes. He remembers the night they split, how her eyes lost nearly all of their color as she stared at him. Now, they had their color again. They were the same pretty hazel he remembered, and it killed him, knowing he wasn't the reason they were so full of life. "I hate this, us completely avoiding each other,"

"That's what exes do," Kennedy replies coldly, looking straight past him.

The Whittemore sighs, "Ken, when have we ever been normal in any way?" He asks her. Kennedy looks up slowly, her eyes finally meeting his. She remembers the way her heart used to skip when they stood this close, the way she'd blush when he kissed her cheek in the halls. She remembers his arms keeping her warm when they'd watch movies at her house. She remembers crying and missing those memories. Now, she didn't feel anything towards those memories. They existed, and that's all there was left to say.

The Stallard smiles softly, realizing she was finally over Jackson Whittemore. "Fine, we can stop this stupid petty charade." She bluntly states, standing up straight as she holds out her hand. "I, Kennedy Dawn Stallard, declare you, as my friend as long as you don't pull any more bullshit moves, got it?" Jackson smirked as Kennedy stood on the bench in front of the bleachers, now she was taller than him.

"Got it," He says to her, shaking her hand. Kennedy smiles wide, feeling like weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

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"Couldn't you guys have warned me we were doing this instead of going to my house? I would've changed into something better than this." Kennedy retorts to her friends as she follows them through the woods. Scott and Stiles had explained to the brunette Scott lost his inhaler the night before, and they all needed to find it.

Stiles ignores the girls complaints, turning his head towards Scott, "So, what was that today? There's no way you had an overnight summer glow up in playing Lacrosse." He says to the McCall. Kennedy glares at him, and he shrugs in defense.

Scott jumps into the water, and Stiles follows suit, "Nope, I'm not doing it," Kennedy announces. "Not in these shoes." She retorts, glaring at them. Scott and Stiles look at each other with knowing looks. Sighing, Scott walks over, turning so his back is facing her. Kennedy smirks, before climbing on to Scotts back. He wraps his arms around her bare legs, and he walks onto the solid land before setting her down.

"I don't know what it was," Scott admits, answering Stiles's question. "It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball. And that's not the only weird thing." The three continue through the woods, :I can hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear. Smell things."

Stiles looks up, "Smell things? Like what?" Kennedy looks over, her hair shifting side to side.

"Like the mint-mojito gum in your pocket."

The Stilinski scoffs, "I don't even have any mint-mojito," He pauses, reaching into his pocket. Kennedy turns to watch Stiles slowly pull out a piece of bright green gum from his pocket. He looks up at Scott with an impressed, slightly grossed-out face, before shoving it back in his pocket. Scott begins to walk again, the two jogging to catch up. "So all this started with a bite." Stiles begins.

Scott looks over, "What if it's like an infection, like my body's flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something?" He asked his two closest friends with a worried tone.

Stiles scratches his nose. "You know what? I actually think I've heard of this. It's a specific kind of infection."

Kennedy and Scott stop, looking at their friend, "Are you serious?" Scott asks. Kennedy shrugs at him, not sure what Stiles was going to say next.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think it's called lycanthropy."

Realization crossed Kennedy's features, and she rolls her eyes, a smile on her lips. "What's that? Is that bad?" Scott asks, clearly concerned.

"Oh, yeah, it's the worst. But only once a month."

Scott frowns, confusion drawn onto his featured. "Once a month?" He repeats.

"Like a period," Kennedy titters, crossing her arms over her chest.

Stiles places his hands on his hips. "On the night of the full moon." Scott stares blankly, and then Stiles howls. Scott looks at him with an annoyed look, hitting his shoulder before walking away. "Hey, you're the one who heard a wolf howling."

"Hey, there could be something seriously wrong with me." Scott snaps, still worried about his health.

"I know! You're a werewolf!" Kennedy looks over her shoulder, sending a warning look at Stiles. "Okay, obviously I'm kidding. But if you see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I can find, it's 'cause Friday's a full moon." He points to his friend.

Scott stops moving, seeing no sight of a dead body. "No, I, I could have sworn this was it." He says, the two others look down at the spot in front of her. "I saw the body, the deer came running. I dropped my inhaler."

The McCall kneels down, brushing through the leaves. "Maybe the killer moved the body." Stiles offers the idea.

"If he did, I hope he left my inhaler. Those things are like 80 bucks." Scott mutters, looking around the ground.

Kennedy looks to her right, her eyes widening when she sees a man she hadn't seen before. He was tall, and strongly built. He wore all black, and even a leather jacket kind of like she was. His eyes were on her for a long moment, a look of confusion and shock. "Guys?" She elbows Stiles, who looks up in surprise as he pulls Scott to his feet. The look the man once had was now gone as he walks over.

"What are you doing here?" The three teenagers are completely silent. "This is private property."

"Uh, sorry, man, we didn't know," Stiles says, shrugging awkwardly. The man stared at Kennedy the most. He seemed surprised, almost. Like he was more surprised to see a teenage girl in a dress instead of the two teenage boys.

Kennedy looks at Scott with a frown, who slightly stood in front of her protectively. "Yeah, we were just looking for something, but, uh, forget it." Suddenly, the man threw something at Scott, who caught it swiftly. Kennedy's eyebrows raise when she realizes it was Scott's inhaler. The man begins to walk away without another word. "All right, come on, I gotta get to work," Scott says, turning back.

However, Stiles hits his shoulder, "Dude, that was Derek Hale." Kennedy and Scott shrug, "You remember, right? He's only like a few years older than us."

"Remember what?"

"His family, they all burned to death in a fire, like, ten years ago," Stiles explains to them. A heavy feeling settles on Kennedy's chest as she looks back in the direction Derek had gone in.

She couldn't help but feel some type of familiarity. "It was six years ago," Kennedy corrected as she thought about the little information she knew about the Hale fire. "I wonder what he's doing back." She whispers to herself. She had never seen Derek Hale in her entire life, but this, this was something she never felt before.

"Come on." Stiles cuts her out of her thoughts, tugging her sleeve.

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"So, you're not telling her?" Stiles asks Scott as they stand in front of the Animal Clinic.

Scott shrugs, "Not right now," He explains. The McCall thinks about Allison, and remembers that she said Friday night was family night, "I actually might ask Allison to Lydia's party,"

"So, you're not telling her?" Stiles asks Scott as they stand in front of the Animal Clinic.

Scott shrugs, "Not right now," He explains. The McCall thinks about Allison, and remembers that she said Friday night was family night, "I actually might ask Allison to Lydia's party,"

Stiles narrows his eyes, "Wait, so you've had a crush on Ken forever, but the minute some new girl shows up, she's chopped liver?" He asks, confused. Scott shrugs, looking at the sleeping Kennedy in Stiles's front seat.

"I want to tell her, but what if it ruins everything?" Stiles tilts his head as Scott looks back at him. "I've been in love with her for years, but what if she doesn't feel the same way? Then I have to live with the embarrassment and losing Kennedy forever," Stiles shifts his head side to side, seeing Scott's point of view. "At least what we have now is safe, you know?"

"Right, right," Stiles murmurs, patting Scott's shoulder, "Well, I'm going to take Princess Kenny home, you sure you're alright?" Scott nods, "Alright, see you later."

It was in that moment, as Scott watched Stiles climb back into his Jeep, start the car, and drive away, that Scott realized something. He really did love Kennedy, but the repercussions of loving her terrified him.

Stiles climbs into his car, pulling out of the Animal Clinic parking lot. He looked over at Kennedy every few minutes, wondering what was going through her head. He wondered if she was going to tell anyone, even if it was someone like her dog or something.

She doesn't even have a dog.

Kennedy groans as she leans off the window. "Did Scott leave?" She asks abruptly, looking around.

Stiles nods slowly, "Uh, yeah," He stammered as he looked over. The girl hummed as she curled up in the front seat, closing her eyes again. The teenage boy with too much on his mind exhaled through his nose, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel anxiously as he looked at the road ahead.

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Derek Hale sat at the dinner table of Benjamin Stallard's home. "Don't worry, Kennedy is heading to a friends house right now," Ben explained, setting down a glass of water in front of Derek. "What can I do for you?" Ben was a kind man. Known well in the town as one of the Deputies. He had dark hair, blue eyes, and a friendly smile. He was a man of many secrets. Secrets that not even his daughter knew.

"How did she survive the fire?"

Ben visibly tenses up, gripping his mug of coffee tightly as he stands in front of the table. "I'm sorry?" He asks, his voice shaky from the anxiety. The blood which pumped through his body seemed to have ran cold. Chills raked up his spine like a snake. His eyes met Derek's who had the same emotionless, empty expression.

"How did my cousin survive the fire, and how did she end up living with you for the past six years?" Derek asks, his voice cold and harsh. He watched as the Stallard man sipped from his cup. His demeanor changed as soon as the ceramic left his lips. His happy eyes fell and his smile turned into a scowl.

Mr. Stallard cleared his throat, "I promised Kennedy's mother I would protect the girl as much as I could," He explains, sitting down across from the Hale. "When Peter saved her that night, Laura and I had found her in front of the home. Laura had erased her memories before I brought her home."

"Why wouldn't she stay with her family?" Derek asked, narrowing his eyes.

"She doesn't know, Derek," Ben said finally. Derek's head cocked to the side as he listened. "Laura found a way to keep her abilities hidden, I don't know how and I don't want to know." He explains slowly. Derek looks back on all the memories of Kennedy Dawn Hale, a sweet little girl he assumed had died that night in the fire. However, it was clear Peter had managed to save her, and Laura made sure nobody knew. "You can't tell her the truth. She's not ready for your life. Kennedy is not the same girl you knew."

Derek looks up, "Well, she will have to be ready when she finds out her friend was turned," He explains. Ben's face falls into a look of confusion, not knowing what had happened to Scott McCall.

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Kennedy and Scott both walk into Stiles's bedroom, and Kennedy couldn't help but notice Stiles's urgency as he pulls them into the room. "Get in. You gotta see this thing." Kennedy looks at the papers covering her friends floor. "I've been up all night reading websites, books. All this information." Kennedy kneels to the ground, flipping through pages of a book that Stiles had tossed onto the floor,

"How much Adderall have you had today?" Scott asks his friend.

Stiles turns, "A lot." Scott and Kennedy chuckle as Stiles continues. "Doesn't matter. Okay, just listen."

Kennedy sits on the bed, "Is this about that body you guys keep talking about? Did they find out who did it?" She asks.

"No, they're still questioning people, even Derek Hale." Stiles explains, looking at his girl friend.

Scott sits next to her, placing his hand behind her as he keep himself up that way. "Oh, the guy in the woods that we saw the other day." He recalls, looking at Kennedy.

"Yeah! Yes. But that's not it, okay?"

Kennedy frowns, looking at her friend with a confused look. "What, then?"

Stiles looks over at her for only a moment, before looking at Scott. "Remember the joke from the other day? Not a joke anymore." Scott adjusts his weight, looking at Scott with a confused look. "The wolf, the bite in the woods. I started doing all this reading." Stiles looks between them enthusiastically. "Do you even know why a wolf howls?"

"Should I?" Scott shrugs, confused.

"It's a signal." Kennedy's voice is so soft, Scott and Stiles almost don't hear her. "A wolf howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack."

Scott looks at her, furrowing his brows. "How did you know that?" Kennedy looks up, trying to find an answer. However, she didn't have one.

"I don't know," She says in realization, now more confused than before.

Scott opens his mouth, but Stiles cuts him off. "So if you heard a wolf howling, that means others could have been nearby. Maybe even a whole pack of 'em."

"A whole pack of wolves?"

" No." Stiles purses his lips, "Werewolves."

The McCall looks at his friend with an incredulous look. "Are you seriously wasting my time with this? You know I'm picking up Allison in an hour." Kennedy looks up in confusion, knowing nothing about him and Allison.

"I saw you on the field today, Scott." Stiles attempts to reason. "Okay, what you did wasn't just amazing, all right? It was impossible."

"Yeah, so I made a good shot."

Kennedy shakes her head, but Stiles keeps talking. "No, you made an incredible shot, I mean - The way you moved, your speed, your reflexes. Y'know, People can't just suddenly do that overnight." Kennedy feels a heavyweight on her chest, like she was supposed to know something, but didn't know at all. "And there's the vision and the senses, and don't even think I don't notice that you don't need your inhaler anymore."

"Okay! Dude, I can't think about this now." Scott says, grabbing his bag. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?! What? No! The full moon's tonight." Stiles rambles. "Don't you get it?"

Scott looks at the Stilinski, "What are you trying to do? I just made first line. I got a date with a girl who I can't believe wants to go out with me after finally moving past a crush I've had since we were 12, and everything in my life is somehow perfect." Kennedy frowns, not knowing about this crush. "Why are you trying to ruin it?"

"I'm trying to help," Stiles says to Scott. The boy falls into his chair, looking at Kennedy for a moment before back at his best friend. "You're cursed, Scott. You know, and it's not just the moon will cause you to physically change. It also just so happens to be when your bloodlust will be at its peak."

The McCall raises an annoyed brow. "Bloodlust?"

"It's your urge to kill," Kennedy deadpanned. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck standing up as she slowly looked up at her friends.

"I'm already starting to feel an urge to kill," Scott remarks, causing Kennedy to swallow awkwardly,

Stiles turns around. "You gotta hear this. The change can be caused by anger or anything that raises your pulse. All right? I haven't seen anyone raise your pulse like Allison does other than," Stiles pauses as Scott sends him a warning look. "You gotta cancel this date." Stiles moves past his friend, searching through the bag. "I'm gonna call her right now."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm canceling the date," Stiles remarks, opening Scott's phone.

The McCall grabs his friend, "No, give it to me!" In a swift motion, Scott shoves Stiles into the wall, causing Kennedy to leap to her feet with wide eyes. His fist is up in the air, directing right at Stiles. Letting out an annoyed growl, he knocks over the chair behind him, causing Kennedy to leap out of the way. Breathing heavily, he looks around, seeing the scared look on Stiles's face. He turns slowly, seeing the concerned look on Kennedy's. "I'm sorry." He pants, "I, I gotta go get ready for that party." He walks towards the bed, Kennedy moving out of his way as he grabs his bag. He walks towards the door, glancing at his two friends. "I'm sorry."

The door shuts, and Stiles lets out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He looked at Kennedy, who was staring at nothing with a shocked look on her face. "Ken, hey," Stiles grabs the girl by her arms, pulling her to his chest. She leaned against him as she thinks about what just happened.

"I thought he was going to hurt you," She whispers, her entire body limp.

Stiles purses his lips, resting his chin on her head. "I did too." He mumbles. He looked back at his door, now wondering how Scott will react when he hears what Kennedy and Stiles have done.

Kennedy looks down, "Stiles," She pulls away, picking up his chair. Stiles's eyes widen as he looks at the three claw marks on the back of his chair. "Oh my god,"

"Our friend is a werewolf." Stiles looks up at Kennedy, the two of them clearly scared. Kennedy exhaled loudly, looking back down.

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"This is a horrible idea."

Kennedy and Stiles walk into the party, looking for their friend. "It's not horrible as long as we stay on task." He explains to her. Kennedy rolls her eyes, turning to look at her best friend.

"Then dance with me."

Stiles practically chokes on his own breath as he looks at her. "What?'

Kennedy shrugs, "I dressed nice tonight, might as well get someone to dance with me," She explains, nonchalant. Stiles couldn't help but look over her outfit. The leather pants hugged her legs tightly, and any markings he had left on her the other night had faded, or couldn't be seen. Her hand reaches out for his, and Stiles can't help but stutter as he takes it.

Derek Hale stands in the back, just out of sight of everyone at the party. His eyes land on Kennedy, confidently leading Stiles to the dance floor. Derek could hear Stiles's heartbeat going much faster than Kennedy's. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, Derek notices how Stiles's hands naturally found their way to her waist. Raising a brow, he begins to wonder how close his cousin was to the two boys. He watched as Scott danced with Allison, their movements a lot more awkward in Derek's opinion. Which was weird, as Stiles was probably the most awkward person at the party.

Kennedy smiles up at Stiles as the two dance, Stiles's heart beating so fast he thought he was going to die. The way her hands cupped his cheeks, bringing his face closer to hers, their foreheads touching. Scott turns from Allison, looking around the party. He is far more than just shocked when he sees Kennedy and Stiles dancing. A wave of emotions comes over his body. Jealousy, sadness, and anger. Scott begins to groan in pain, his head buzzing. He pulls away from Allison, grunting as he grabs both sides of his head.

"Hey, look," Stiles stops Kennedy's movements, pointing behind them. The two watch as Scott stumbles away from Allison, pushing his way inside.

The brunette girl stands next to her friend with the buzz cut. "Is this the time we follow him and risk our lives in order to save the town from our best friend who's turning into a werewolf?" She asks.

"This is that time, yeah," Stiles hissed, the two of them breaking into a run to follow Scott. Allison Argent follows Derek Hale to his car, the two friends seeing it just as they reach the entrance of Lydia Martin's house. Stiles and Kennedy share worried looks, but neither of them say a word as they run to the blue jeep at the end of the street.

The car ride is a nervous silence as Kennedy looks out her window. Stiles grips the steering wheel tightly, thinking about the last time they were alone together for this long. He notices that ever since the night before the first day of school, so much had changed in their lives, including the way they acted around one another. Not around Scott, but by themselves. It was more physical, tenser. Even now, he felt that same tension he's felt around her for days.

"We have to tell Scott." Stiles blurts. Kennedy snaps her head towards him, her brown hair stringing in her face.

"What? No!"

Stiles throws his hand in the air. "Don't argue with me about this, Ken," He rebuked. Kennedy's eyes widen in slight shock. "Ken, I can't hide something like this, not from Scott. It's eating me up inside and every time I look at him I think about me unbuttoning your flannel or you practically ripping my shirt off in your bedroom." Kennedy blushed, looking down at her lap. "He deserves to know, even if it hurts him."

The girl looks over, "Hurts him?" The Stilinski realizes what he said, gripping his steering wheel tightly. "Stiles, what do you mean?" The boy looks around, wishing he could drown and die right there. There was no turning back, he realized. After that night; Scott gets turned into a werewolf, him and Kennedy sleep together; their lives have changed. Their relationships have changed.

And things are about to get worse.

"Scott had a crush on you," Stiles mumbles, looking over at her for a split second. "For years, actually. He begged me not to tell you, and I never told him the bet." Kennedy's brows furrow as she listens, her hands falling to her lap, limp. "And he was going to tell you, the first day of school, and I had never felt so guilty in my entire life." The girl looks down, realizing the internal dilemma Stiles must have been dealing with. "I was going to tell him, but how do you tell your best friend you slept with his crush? Let alone taking her virginity." Stiles leans back in his seat, the weight on his chest lightening up slightly. "When he said he didn't want to ruin your guys's friendship, I was so happy cause it meant that when he said he was taking Allison, I didn't have to feel so bad."

Kennedy is silent as she takes in everything Stiles just said. Scott had a crush on her, and then she and Stiles slept together. Stiles must have felt so incredibly guilty, she realized. And the worst part is, she actually liked it. She groans as she puts her face in her hands, "This is really bad," She mumbles to herself. Stiles licks his lips before pursing them, looking at the road. The girl sighs as she leans back, "We can't tell him tonight. We have to wait until after the full moon, even if he hates me forever."

Stiles frowns, looking over. "You mean us, even if he hates us forever," He corrects her. He turns the jeep, now close to the McCall home.

Kennedy shakes her head. "The bet was my idea, Stiles. In 7th-grade gym class, I literally said if neither of us had 'done the diddly do'," She quotes, "We'd do it together. If he has anyone to be mad at, it's me. I'm not going to let your guys' friendship be destroyed over me. Both of you deserve better than that." Stiles looked at the sad look on his friend's face, and now he felt guilty for making her feel guilty.

Stiles looks forward, pulling into Scott's driveway. "Let's go save our friend, okay?" Kennedy smiles softly, the two quickly climbing out of the car.

Stiles slides on the rug in the front door as he stumbles up the stairs. Kennedy is close behind him, her shoes clicking on the hardwood floors. Stiles stumbles to his friends door, banging on it. "Go away." They hear the wolf boy mumble.

"Scott, it's us," Stiles announces. He opens up the door slightly, but its quickly blocked by Scotts body. "Let us in, Scott. We can help."

"No!" Kennedy bites her bottom lips nervously, hearing Scott pant heavily. "Listen, you gotta find Allison."

Kennedy shakes her head. "She's fine, all right? We saw her get a ride from the party." She explains.

"No, I think I know who it is."

"You just let me in. We can try-"

Scott cuts the boy off. "It's Derek." Kennedy and Stiles both stop moving. "Derek Hale is the werewolf. He's the one that bit me. He's the one that killed the girl in the woods."

Kennedy looks up at her friend, "Scott," She begins, but Stiles finishes for her.

"Scott, Derek's the one who drove Allison from the party." Scott doesn't reply for a moment, and suddenly the door slams shut. Stiles shakes the handle, but its locked. Kennedy purses her lips, pushing past Stiles and rushing to the stairs. "Where are you going?" He asks.

The brunette looks back, "I'm going to go save my best friend." She replies, before running down the stairs. Stiles's eyes practically bulge out of his head as he runs down the stairs. He runs after Kennedy but is shocked when he watches her sprint, in boots, towards the woods. Stiles looks around, unsure what to do. Deciding his best decision is to find Allison, he runs to his Jeep.

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In the middle of the woods, Derek stands over the shirtless teenage boy. "Is it really so bad, Scott? That you can see better." Scott grips his arm, the wound from the hunters struggling to heal. "Hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope? You've been given something that most people would kill for." Scott looks up, "The bite is a gift."

"I don't want it."

The Hale leans closer to the McCall's face. "You will. And you're gonna need me if you want to learn how to control it. So you and me, Scott," He places his hand on Scott's shoulder. "We're brothers now." Scott doesn't say anything, but his thoughts are caught off by the sound of a voice, but not just any voice.

"Hello! Scott!" Kennedy yells, looking around the woods for what feels like the 5th time. Her breathing was heavy from running, and she couldn't help but feel angry at herself for letting him leave. "Scott? Where are you!?"

Scott pants heavily as he looks up at Derek. "That's Kennedy," He grunts. Slowly standing, Scott looks around. "Where is she?"

Derek glares at the young wolf. "Why is she out here?" He bellows. Scott looks up, not sure why Derek was so angry.

"She must have chased after me, I, I don't know." Scott groans as he stands up, turning to try and identify her location.

"Scott!" Kennedy yells again, her voice echoing in his ears. She had been looking for him for what felt like hours, now, and yet she couldn't find him. Tears brimmed her eyes as concerned thought entered her mind. What if he's hurt? What if he's dead? A sob escapes her lips as she now thinks about the concept of her best friend being gone forever. She stops walking, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tosses her hands to her side. "SCOTT!"

Her voice howls through the forest, catching the attention of the McCall. Leaving Derek behind, Scott runs in the direction he heard her voice. Derek stays behind, knowing what she did wasn't supposed to happen. He began to worry if this curse she had was breaking. Biting the inside of his cheek, Derek turns around, and walks towards his- their destroyed home.

The brunette girl cries as she runs her hand through her hair. The faint sound of leaves crunching catches her off guard. Looking to her right, she sees a sprinting figure, wearing no shirt, and muddy jeans. She lets out a laugh of relief, beginning to run towards him too. Scott is faster, and grabs onto the girl's small figure, holding her in his strong arms tightly. Kennedy cries as her arms wrap around his neck, all the worries she had finally left.

"God, I was so worried," Kennedy whispers, shoving her face in the crook of his neck.

Scott rubbed her back soothingly, "I'm okay," He whispered. Kennedy sniffled as she pulled away, looking him over. Her eyes widen in worry as she looks at the healing wound on his arm. "Werewolf hunters," He mumbled.

Kennedy sighs, "Oh, great," She mumbled to herself. She shivers, the cold air biting at her skin. Scott looked around, realizing he didn't have a jacket or a shirt for the Stallard.

"Come on, let's call Stiles," He said softly.

The pair walk side by side on the side of the road, Scott holding his injured arm until Stiles Stilinski's jeep slowly rolled up to the pair. Kennedy climbs into the backseat. Scott sighs in the front, "You know what actually worries me the most?"

Stiles speaks up first. "If you say, Allison, I'm gonna punch you in the head."

"She probably hates me now."

"I doubt that." Both boys turn to see Kennedy in the middle of the backseat, who looked at Scott through the mirror. "But you might want to come up with a pretty amazing apology." She followed, smiling softly.

"Or, you know, you could just tell her the truth and revel in the awesomeness of the fact that you're a werewolf." Stiles bluntly stated. Scott slowly looked over, an unamused expression on his face. Stiles spoke up, "Hey, we'll get through this. Come on, if I have to, I'll chain you up myself on full moon nights and feed you live mice." Scott rose a brow, "I had a boa once. I could do it."

Kennedy spoke up, "Who would trust you with a boa?" She asked.

"A really dumb person."

The three teenagers began to laugh. The blue Jeep rolled down the street as they settled. The three teens knew in silence. Kennedy leaned back as she tiredly looked out the window. Scott and Stiles shared knowing looks. Their lives had changed in different ways, and they knew it could only get worse from here.

None of them realized just how much worse.