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STAKEOUT GONE WRONG

"SO... SHOULD WE PLAY I SPY WHILE WE WAIT?"

Emerson, Isaac, Boyd, and Derek had been holed up in the newly flooded loft for what seemed like a good chunk of time. Really, it had only been just over an hour since they each took their posts, but to the blonde alpha, it sure felt like longer.

Emerson was not a patient person, always in a sort of go-go-go mentality, so playing the waiting game was never the funnest thing to do. Unfortunately, the others seemed to be fine with the task at hand, leaving her bored out of her mind.

Though, Boyd seemed to step up to the task. "Sure," he said, body leaning forward with interest, "but you go first."

"Okay, we'll start easy," she began, looking around the room. "I spy with my little eye, something that is grumpy."

Boyd snapped his fingers before pointing to the bearded man who was wearing an unimpressed frown. "Derek's face!" he answered, not even needing to glance around the loft.

Emerson laughed in confirmation, her head thrown back at the groan that emitted from the man. "Yeah, laugh it up," Derek scowled, sharpness in his eye now directed at the smug girl a few feet in front of him. "I spy someone who's got spinach in their teeth."

Emerson gasped, hand going to her mouth with her eyes narrowed. "What?!" she yowled, haphazardly reaching for her phone to investigate the supposed spinach with the front camera. The other boys began to cackle, watching as she was unable to find said spinach. Her hand dropped once it dawned on her, "oh, you lying piece of sh—"

"Isn't the light on that supposed to be on?" Isaac interjected, pointing to the familiar security alarm box that Derek had set up a while ago.

"Yeah," was Derek's simple answer.

Isaac winced, "well what does it mean if it's not?"

"Someone cut the auxiliary power," he responded, and Emerson was quick in identifying unease in his scent. She was getting better at reading chemosignals lately, though, she was mostly getting better at reading his signals.

"But, what about the main—"

In an instant, the overheard lights above turned off as the generator powered down, submerging them in what would've been total darkness had they not been supernatural creatures. Nonetheless, it didn't stop Emerson's stomach from sinking. 

They all jumped to their feet in an instant, and Emerson watched as Derek began trudging into the water. "Derek, wait—"

"What do we do now?" Isaac questioned tensely from his place next to Emerson.

"We fight."

"Oh fuck me, dude," Emerson whined, her head falling into her hands. "Nothing can ever be easy for us, can it?"

Derek, even in his rigidness, still turned to her with his glowing crimson eyes. "What'd I say about calling me dude?"

"You're gonna lecture me now?" she asked in retaliation, going the two betas in approaching him. She felt her own eyes heat up when she got close enough, everyone setting their sights on the main door where someone began banging. "At least save it for the afterparty."

Isaac snickered. "You guys fight like a married couple sometimes."

Emerson's nose shrivelled, the alphas in the room beginning to talk over one another.

"As if—

"—not a chance in hell—"

"—I mean really? That's gross—"

"Okay, we get it," Boyd stressed with a huff as the clamouring from the other side of the door began to pick up, "we can talk about the obvious tension later."

Although the pair didn't look at each other after that, they both knew exactly what Boyd was insinuating. And really, neither would ever admit that there was something— an easiness in the air ever since they started working together.

But as Kali emerged in the doorway, barefoot and all, they also knew it wasn't the time to delve into some matters. Not when so much was on the line. 

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"Who the hell is that?"

Emerson was utterly confused by the change of events that had just played out, all starting with Kali's entrance and the arrival of the twins. The twins, who were holding some lady hostage.

"Scott's English teacher, Ms Blake," Isaac whispered in reply. "When Boyd and Cora were on the loose, Derek saved her at the school."

Ms Blake. That certainly rang a bell, as Emerson's mind reverted back to that day she saw Scott in the hospital. This was the teacher Derek had spent a decent amount of time with, to ensure she wouldn't spill the beans on the werewolves in town.

And here she was, being used as bait into getting Derek to fight Kali by themselves. It was working, based on the way the two alphas were wolfed out and going for one another's throats. Something ugly coiled in Emerson's chest, unaware of just how close they were... obviously close enough for Derek to risk his life to save hers.

The fighting persisted when Isaac's hand latched around Emerson's arm. "Move!"

She felt herself be dragged across the water toward the familiar faces of the twins and the English teacher. Isaac pushed her forward before jumping onto the platform himself, just in time for the sound of crackling electricity to fill their ears.

Boyd, Kali, and Derek fought through the electric water that they were now ankle deep in, Emerson panting as she watched the twins surge toward Derek. She went to dive forward, but a hand latched around her wrist.

It was Isaac, a pleading look in his eyes, one she tried to ignore as she tugged on her arm. When his hold released with a flicker of her own eyes, she spun around just to see Kali all but through a nearly unconscious Boyd directly into Derek's claws.

The blonde choked on a gasp, practically hearing the way his claws dug into the centre of the boy's chest. The opposing alphas let go of the pair, Boyd crumbling as Derek's eyes widened.

"I'm giving you until the next full moon Derek. Join the pack, or next time I'm killing all of you," Kali demanded aloud, sauntering toward the loft's door. Her shoulder knocked into Emerson's on her way out, though she did spare her one final glance. "Your father's not happy with you... just an FYI."

Emerson closed her eyes for a minute as the alphas exited, leaving only the sounds of Boyd groaning a few feet away. She couldn't help but look at the scene before her, a beta killed by his own alpha's claws unwillingly. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, alphas killing their own.

The alpha pack were a bunch of savages, and bile rose to her throat at the fact that her very own father was responsible for placing such a cruel mindset into these individuals to live by. He was fuelling killers, because he was one.

The minute Boyd collapsed to the wet floor was the minute she couldn't hear his heartbeat anymore. There was no steady breaths coming from him, only a stagnant fall of his chest that meant he was no longer truly there.

This was Vernon Boyd, the quiet kid who sat at the same table she and Elizabeth Miller had once occupied. He was always friendly when it mattered, a boy of few words, but loyal to a fault. Even after all was said and done, he was there to help protect Derek— and he'd paid a harsh price.

Derek's own panic set in, his hands giving a subtle shake as his composure faltered the longer he was looking at the body before him. Emerson's feet kicked into gear before anything else did, footsteps slashing against the floor as she reached him in record time.

The blonde came to a stop beside him, her hand instantly latching onto his shoulder. Black veins crawled up her arms, but she was more focused on the erratic beat of Derek's heart. She couldn't look at the body in front of them, couldn't see Boyd like that, so she focused on the pain.

The pain that didn't even seem like it was coming from the wounds Kali inflicted— no, it was all encompassing pain from what he'd been forced to do.

Other presences entered the room, one that was distinctly Hale and that ran toward the body in the water. Cora was sobbing, the noise sounding distant in Emerson's ringing eardrums.

When there was no more pain to take, she went to lift her hand away, only to have Derek's hand latch onto hers. He guided it back to his shoulder, the touch lingering before he began staring at his bloodied hands.

Deucalion had taken another life from them, and Emerson couldn't think about who was next on the chopping block. Not when this wound was so fresh— too fresh in the water before them.

⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆

[ wyn's note ]

lil bit of a shorter one but next chap will be longer!! im anticipating that this fic will have 50 chaps (maybe 45 + epilogue) but that's tbd lolol

#1 in the teenwolf tag yesterday and truly that was the best bday present anyone could've ever given me teehee TYSM my loves xx