Getting to the end of the season now - definitely much shorter than the other parts, but I've been going for higher word counts this time around.

Thank you to those of you who are still voting as well as reading, it means a lot to me.

Let me know what you're thinking.

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Stiles' call had been to tell me that while we were at the hospital that night, he had found Parrish's badge. At first, I was confused, but then, he started putting the pieces together for me.

I had had him on speaker so that Isaac was able to hear as well. Surprisingly, Stiles didn't sound too peeved off about the fact that Isaac was sitting in my bedroom.

Apparently, the badge had scorch marks as if it had been near a fire. Stiles had recalled to us how when he and Theo were attacked at the clinic, whatever had done it looked like it was on fire.

I had then informed Stiles that Parrish had left his post at the school that same night, disappearing to who knows where. Well, apparently, he had disappeared to the Clinic.

It was all beginning to make sense, and I couldn't tell whether or not I was glad for it. As far as we knew, Parrish had no idea that he was the one stealing the bodies because he didn't even know what he was.

He was still working with Lydia on figuring it out, but they hadn't had much luck on the matter yet. That was why Stiles had run the badge by Lydia first; to see whether or not he was right about Parrish.

She had obviously agreed because for the following few days the four of us had been going out into the woods in search of the bodies. Lydia believed that Parrish was taking them to the Nemeton.

It was all well and good knowing where the bodies were, that wasn't the problem. The problem was, that the Nemeton couldn't just be found.

No, apparently this magic tree was a bit fussy, and not just anyone can find it. Even between a genius human, Banshee, werewolf and Sylph, we were yet to have any luck.

The last time we had tried to find it Stiles, Scott and Allison had had to die. Even though it worked last time, no one was really willing to give that another go. Especially since Doctor Deaton was still missing.

Scott had been trying to get into contact with him, but the man just wasn't responding. I was a bit worried. Deaton was a good man, capable of defending himself but when the Pack needed him, he was there. So the fact that he wasn't picking up the phone was worrying in itself.

Either way, we had to keep going.

And that's why Isaac, Lydia, Stiles and I were out in the woods again. We had been planning to go back to school about an hour ago but got distracted thinking that we were finally close to finding the Nemeton.

"We've been out here for hours. This is beginning to feel pointless," Isaac sighed.

"Tell you what? Next time we need some negativity, I'll ask you directly," Stiles shot at him.

He was a bit tense with the fact that if we found the tree, we were most likely going to be finding Donovan, also. I went over to him, putting my arm around him. "We have been out here a while, Stiles," I said softly, trying to get him to see things from a perspective that isn't the one freaking out about Donovan.

"It's almost like this thing doesn't want to be found," he sighed, looking around.

"Maybe it knows we're late for class. Because we've been here twice," Lydia informed us, before holding up her piece of chalk and nodding in the direction of a tree she had marked with 'X's.

Stiles walked over to the tree, running a finger across the chalk. "Crap."

The Banshee sighed, "Can we talk to Parrish now?"

"Hang on. If the Nemeton's covered in bodies, shouldn't you be able to find them?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you," Stiles reiterated. "That's what you do. You're the Banshee, you find the bodies."

I could almost feel how much Lydia had to refrain from rolling her eyes. "Well, the Banshee's having an off day, so how about we talk to Parrish?"

Stiles' eyes flitted in thought before he pointed to Isaac. "Can't you sniff it out or something."

The curly-haired boy shook his head, "We tried that yesterday, remember? It didn't work then, I doubt anything has changed since yesterday."

"Would a bit of positively kill you?" Stiles asked bitterly.

"How about we go and talk to Parrish?" Lydia asked

"We can't."

"Why not?"

I tried to stay calm, knowing that Isaac would be able to pick up on any chemosignals if I began to worry. Stiles' eyes widening slightly and the way he was avoiding eye contact wasn't helping.

He hesitated a few times before answering, "Because one of the bodies. . . one of them. . . one of them could be. . ."

Realising he was choking, I could tell he still wasn't ready to tell anyone. Therefore, I stepped forward, "It could be a clue or something. And we won't get the time to look at it if we bring the police into it."

Lydia gave me a doubtful look, before turning to my boyfriend. "I'm leaving now. I'm going to talk to Parrish and tell him that he's the one taking the bodies. It's always better when they know."

"Well then, he should know he owes me a Jeep," Stiles called after her.

As Lydia walked away, Isaac looked between her and Stiles and me. Eventually, he pursed his lips and pointed to Lydia, "I should keep an eye on her."

"Thanks, Isaac," I nodded, before walking over to Stiles. Once Isaac was far enough away, I put a hand on Stiles's arm to get him to look at me. "Are you okay?"

"No," he sighed. "I just- I don't want them to look at me differently after they find his body."

Moving my hand down to his, I held it gently. "Stiles, I'm not looking at you any differently, and neither will they. They're your friends; they'll understand."

"Maybe," he said softly. "Come on. Let's get to school."

♧♤♢♡

When Stiles and I got to school, we headed for the library since we had a free period. Unfortunately for us, Theo was on our heels asking questions.

I think the only reason why Stiles was keeping him around was because of the things he knew, otherwise we would've ditched him already. He still gave me the creeps.

"You guys are sure that's where Parrish is taking the bodies?" Theo asked as he followed us through the doors.

Stiles nodded, "Lydia says that's what happens in his dream."

"I mean, you know if Lydia finds the Nemeton, she's also going to find Donovan. . ."

I found myself looking around to make sure that no one was listening in on our conversation. After all, Theo wasn't exactly talking quietly, and discussions of dead bodies were not something you would normally hear in the school library.

"Sorry," Theo said when he saw Stiles glaring at him.

Stiles shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he studied Theo, "She's also going to find Josh."

Theo's expression immediately softened, the boy's eyes meeting mine for a moment before turning back to my boyfriend. "You know what, maybe she should. I think things are different now for Scott."

"What are you talking about? Don't act as if you know him better than us," I said through clenched teeth.

I expected Theo to react angrily, but he appeared calm. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to overstep. But he does seem like he's changed. Especially after what he did to Corey." He then focussed on Stiles, "I don't think he's going to blame us for defending ourselves. I know he won't blame you."

Stiles turned around silently, staring at nothing. I found myself watching him in confusion. Donovan had died in here; was he staring at where it happened?

Watching his expression fall further, I couldn't take it anymore. Grabbing his hand, I began to lead him over to the door. "Come on, we're leaving."

Stiles nodded in agreement, gulping heavily. I could feel his hand trembling lightly beneath my own. He needed to tell someone soon, this was eating him alive. But I wasn't about to force him to do anything. I knew better than to do that.

The werewolf reached for us, "Riley-"

"No, Theo," I snapped in a low voice, pulling away. "You don't get to decide this for him."

♧♤♢♡

Stiles and I went to class after that, neither of us paying much attention. It was more for the attendance than anything considering that I had gone most the year catching up on my learning through textbooks at home.

"I think I'm going to tell him," Stiles said to me as we walked out of the classroom.

I looked at him, eyes slightly wide in surprise. "You're going to tell Scott?"

"Yeah."

I bit back a smile as we walked the hallway. "You know I'll be right by your side. When do you want to tell him?"

"Tonight, hopefully," he sighed.

"I'm glad," I told him honestly.

I was about to say something else when a scream echoed down the hallway. Looking for any sign of what happened, my eyes landed on Malia. Her face was blank as she moved away from where the scream had originated.

Walking up to her, I stood in front of her and got her to stop moving. "Hey, Malia, what happened? Are you okay?"

"No," she said, blinking as she looked up at me. "I hate this. I hate losing like this. I'm not like Scott. I can't deal with another body. Another failure."

Sidestepping me, she continued down the hallway without another word. I glanced at Stiles, the boy mirroring my worried expression. Malia was a creature of habit, and not being in control made her feel powerless.

Kissing Stiles on the cheek, I shifted my bag higher up on my shoulder. "I should go after her. Cover for me?" I asked, referring to our next class.

He nodded once, telling me to call him when I could. I was quick to tell him I would, before following after Malia.

Jogging, I managed to catch up with her. I slowed to a walking pace once I was beside her, the girl looking down at me before sighing.

"Riley, I'm really not in the mood," she mumbled.

"I know," I nodded. "But you're my sister, and you're struggling, so I'm not leaving you alone. So, let's watch a movie or something and just forget about the supernatural for a few hours, yeah?"

She seemed to consider my proposition for a moment before responding, "What about school?"

"We'll figure that out later."

"Charlotte is going to kill you," Malia chuckled lightly.

Rolling my eyes, I smiled a little, "She can get in line right behind the Dread Doctors."

"Okay," Malia finally said. "Let's watch a movie."

♧♤♢♡

We had ended up going back to Malia's place, just so I would have a bit longer before Charlotte found out that I had ditched school again. Plus, I didn't have my car, so it was easier to go there and have Stiles pick me up after the movie since he wanted to talk to Scott anyway.

It had taken a while to decide what we were going to watch. After Malia had taken human form once more, we started creating lists of things she had missed while being a coyote. Movies had been one of those things.

We ended up watching some of the Avengers movies, figuring we needed some stories with a bit of an optimistic ending to remind us that things would work out. If only life were like a movie.

Throughout the movies, we didn't do a lot of talking, but it didn't matter. I just wanted Malia to know that I was there when she needed someone to talk to or just someone to keep her company, and I believe I did that.

I had been true to my word, calling Stiles after we had finished watching the movies. By the time we were done and he had reached Malia's, it was quite dark.

After Stiles finally got the Jeep going, he drove in the direction of the animal clinic. Deaton was still away, but apparently, that's where Scott was at the moment.

I didn't get the full story, but the cliff notes were basically that the Dread Doctors had killed two students - one of those being Corey - and had just injected Hayden with something. Scott, Theo and Liam had taken her to the clinic, most likely hoping that its secure foundations would keep the Doctors from coming back.

However, if they already injected her, I doubt that they needed to come back. From their track record, I doubted they were about to start making mistakes now.

The rain was bucketing down as Stiles pulled over behind the clinic. We both climbed out, immediately getting soaked as we headed towards the door.

Scott was already standing there, a grave look on his face. Was Hayden already gone?

"Hey, sorry," Stiles said loud enough that he could be heard over the rain. "I had trouble starting the Jeep again. That thing's barely hanging on. I couldn't get in touch with Lydia."

"And Malia has gone to pick Isaac up," I tacked on, remembering that I had asked her to do so after we got the call about Hayden and the bodies. "But I'm not sure how long they'll be."

Scott didn't reply, just stared at Stiles. He almost looked like he was hyperventilating, and I was beginning to get worried that he was having an asthma attack.

Tilting my head, I focused in on his features to see if he was indeed having an asthma attack. "Are you okay?"

"Scott?" Stiles said when he didn't reply to me, trying to get a response from the Alpha also.

Silently, our friend reached into his jacket. He removed a wrench, holding it out so we could both see. Squinting in the minimal light provided by the bulb above the clinic door, I could see it was splattered with red and black blood. It was the wrench that Stiles had told me about -the one he had lost during his altercation with Donovan that night in the library.

"Where did you get that?" Stiles asked. I didn't have to be a werewolf to see the anxiety rolling off of him in waves.

I glanced at Scott, also curious for the answer to that question. Scott didn't even know about Donovan or anything to do with the library, so how had he gotten ahold of the wrench?

Scott held it out somewhat, eyes not leaving Stiles. "This is yours?"

I felt my stomach drop as Stiles reached forward hesitantly, taking the wrench from Scott. This wasn't looking good. I had told Stiles that Scott would forgive him; that he was his friend and he would understand. I was certain of it.

But now, seeing the expression on his face, I wasn't so sure.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Scott asked, a mixture of emotions weaving their way into his voice. He was so hard to read right now.

Stiles didn't take his eyes away from the wrench, adjusting his grip nervously. "I was going to."

To my surprise, Scott then turned to me. "And what about you? How long have you known?"

My mouth fell open, stumbling for words. I hadn't expected this confrontation, let alone any accusations being thrown at either of us. "I-"

"Leave her out of this," Stiles said, tearing his gaze away from the wrench. "Riley did nothing wrong."

Scott blinked the rain away from his eyes as he looked at Stiles. "Why didn't you tell me when it happened?"

"I couldn't."

"You killed him? You killed Donovan?"

The question landed heavily, and I felt like I could hear Stiles' heart breaking. The way Scott had said it sounded like he already thought he knew the answer, each word carrying the weight of a murder accusation

But how did he know all this? There was no way. The body had disappeared, so the police never found it, and Stiles had only told me. The only way he could know was if he was there, and I knew for a fact that Scott wasn't there that night.

But someone else was.

Stiles immediately fell into the position of defence, seeing where this was going. "Well, he was going to kill my dad. Huh? Was I supposed to just let him?"

"You weren't supposed to do this," Scott claimed. "None of us are."

Scott hellbent need to save everyone wasn't making this conversation any easier. The fact that he was just hurling accusations instead of asking Stiles for his side of the story was what caught me the most. Something was off, that was for sure.

"You think I had a choice?" Stiles asked, taken back by what Scott was insinuating.

Scott's eyes fell as he shook his head lightly, "There's always a choice."

"Yeah, well I can't do what you can, Scott. I know you wouldn't have done it," Stiles said firmly. "You probably would've just figured something out, right?"

"I'd try," the boy responded.

This conversation was quickly becoming derailed.

"Yeah, because you're Scott McCall! You're the True Alpha!" Stiles exclaimed loudly over the rain. "Guess what? All of us can't be True Alphas. Some of us have to make mistakes. Some of us have to get our hands a little bloody sometimes. Some of us are human!"

"So, you had to kill him?" Scott threw back without missing a beat.

Stiles's face fell sadly, confused as to why his best friend wasn't hearing what he was saying. "Scott, he was going to kill my dad."

"But the way that it happened. . . there's a point when it's. . . it's not self-defence anymore!"

"What are you even talking about?" Stiles asked.

I would like to know the answer to that also. My brows furrowed as I watched the Alpha; his line of questioning gave no space for Stiles's side as if the boy already thought he knew what happened.

And only one other person could have told him what happened. Theo.

"I didn't have a choice, Scott!" Stiles almost shouted, trying to get the point through to him.

There was a moment of quiet as he waited for Scott to respond, but he got nothing in return. He shook his head slightly as he peered at the Alpha, "You don't even believe me, do you?"

"I want to," Scott replied, sounding genuine for the most part, but there was something holding him back.

"Okay, all right, so. . . so, believe me then," Stiles basically pleaded.

Scott was avoiding the boy's gaze as his eyes flickered in thought. There was something on his mind that was stopping him from accepting what Stiles was saying.

"Scott, say you believe me. Say it. Say you believe me."

The sadness in his voice chilled me more than the rain which continued to fall. How was Scott not listening?

Finally, the Alpha responded. "Stiles, we can't kill people that we're trying to save."

"Say you believe me," Stiles said once more.

I felt sick to my stomach as I noticed Scott flinch away from Stiles when the boy accidentally raised the wrench slightly as he stepped forward. Did Scott really believe that Stiles could hurt anyone? Let alone him?

Further crushing my heart, Stiles noticed the flinch also, his eyes trailing down to the wrench. He lowered it carefully, taking a step back to stand beside me once more.

"We can't kill people!" Scott said firmly, his voice rising with each word. "Do you believe that?

Stiles' lips were pursed, his breathing unsteady as he stared at the boy. "Well, what do I do about this? What do you want me to do? Okay, just be. . . Scott, just tell me how to fix this, all right? Please, just tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Scott's eyes travelled from Stiles to me, to the ground, and then back again. He was just as lost in this situation as we were.
"Don't worry about Lydia. We'll find her. I'll find out where Malia and Isaac are, too. Maybe. . . maybe you should talk to your dad."

Without another word, Scott turned around and walked into the clinic. Stiles was staring at the wrench once more, before clenching his jaw and began to head towards the Jeep.

But I had other plans.

Balling my fists, I walked in the direction of the clinic. Before I could take two steps, Stiles grabbed my arm.

The look on his face broke my heart, "Please tell me you still believe me."

I was confused for a moment before I realised that he probably thought I was abandoning him too. "Of course I do. I won't be long, wait here."

"Riley-"

"Stiles," I said more firmly, eyes glowing as I looked at him over my shoulder. "Wait here."

He didn't seem too happy to let me go, but he didn't have much of a choice either. Storming into the clinic, I went right past Scott and straight to my intended target.

Using my ability, I pinned Theo to the wall of the clinic. "I know you did this," I growled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he choked out with what little breath I left in his lungs.

"Don't test me, Theo," I warned him. "I will fucking kill you. I know what you did. I don't care if Scott believes every piece of shit lie that falls out of your mouth."

I noticed Liam in the corner, holding onto Hayden for dear life. She was alive.
At least there was one positive about tonight.

Theo was clutching his throat at this point, trying to get away from the wall, but I was stronger than him. "I didn't. . . do. . . anything."

I felt claws on my wrist suddenly, dragging my hand down and effectively breaking my grip on Theo. "Are you trying to lose control again?" Scott asked harshly.

Glancing upwards, I was met with the blood-red eyes of the True Alpha. "I'm not the one who's lost control," I bit back. "You would pick that- that stranger over Stiles and I? Over us?"

His eyes faded to their normal brown as he stared down at me. "I don't even know who you are any more. Either of you."

That was the final straw. I clenched my jaw before ripping my wrist out of his grip. "When you finally come to your senses and his claws are in your back, just know that we tried to warn you," I hissed before storming out of the clinic.