season one, episode one

- wolf moon -

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It was still early in the evening before Lydia's party. Aurora paced back and forth, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. She could already hear Lydia's voice in her head insisting that Aurora had to be at the party tonight. Lydia had been planning it for weeks, and backing out now felt impossible.

Aurora unlocked her phone and scrolled to Lydia's name. The moment she hit "Call," she regretted it, but it was too late. The line rang once before Lydia picked up.

"Rory!" Lydia's voice was bright and excited. "Tell me you're on your way to pick out a dress."

Aurora winced. She could almost picture Lydia twirling in front of her mirror, effortlessly beautiful as always. "Hey, Lyds." She started. "About tonight-"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "What about tonight?" Lydia asked.

Aurora closed her eyes, her free hand fidgeting with the hem of her hoodie. "I don't think I can make it."

"What?!" Lydia's voice rose. "What do you mean, you can't make it? You've known about this party for weeks!"

"I know, I know." Aurora said quickly, trying to calm her down. "It's just something came up."

"What could possibly come up that's more important than this party? And don't say homework because I'll lose my mind, Rory."

Aurora bit her lip, her heart pounding. She couldn't tell Lydia the truth—that tonight was her first full moon and she had no idea what was going to happen. How could she explain that? Lydia would either think she was insane or... actually, there was no second option. She'd just think she was insane.

"It's family stuff." Aurora said finally, cringing at how lame it sounded.

"Family stuff?" Lydia repeated, her tone shifting slightly. "Well, is everything okay?"

Aurora froze for a second. Lydia's genuine concern caught her off guard, and guilt twisted in her chest. "Yeah, it's fine," she said quickly. "Just, you know... stuff I can't really get out of. It's nothing bad, I promise." Aurora lied, forcing a lightness into her voice that she didn't feel. "Just one of those annoying family obligations."

"Okay." Lydia said finally, though her tone was laced with skepticism. "But if this is some excuse to get out of wearing the dress I picked for you, I'll be seriously offended."

Aurora managed a weak laugh, the knot in her stomach loosening just a little. "It's not that. I swear."

"Fine." Lydia said with a sigh.

"Thanks, Lydia. I'm really sorry about tonight."

"Yeah, yeah." Lydia replied, her usual tone returning. "You're lucky you're my best friend."

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"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Aurora asked when Stiles led her into an abandoned building. She had told him she didn't want to be anywhere near her house, or Lydia's party, in case something would make her snap and allow her to hurt her dad or her friend or literally anyone. Aurora hesitated at the threshold, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

Stiles led the way, holding a flashlight he barely needed. "Kill you? No, Aurora. What kind of psycho do you think I am?"

"I don't know." She said, her voice tinged with unease as her eyes darted around the dark space. "You dragged me to a creepy abandoned building. Feels very serial killer-ish."

Stiles turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Seriously? You're turning into a werewolf tonight, and I'm the scary one?"

Aurora managed a weak laugh, but it didn't reach her eyes. She stepped inside, the weight of the night pressing down on her. "I can't risk being anywhere near my house—or Lydia's party. If I hurt someone..."

"You're not going to hurt anyone." Stiles interrupted, his voice firm, but reassuring.

"How do you even know your way in here? The building looks like nobody has entered for years?" 

Stiles waved his flashlight across the dusty, crumbling walls of the abandoned factory. "Me and Scott used to come here as kids. It was our unofficial 'no parents allowed' zone."

"Cute." Aurora smiled at him. "So, what was the plan here?" Aurora asked, trying to distract herself from the feeling building in her chest. "You just... chain me up and hope I don't hulk out?"

Stiles stopped and dropped his backpack onto the ground. "Pretty much. I mean, it's either this or we let you roam the streets, and no offense, Aurora, but I think this is the safer option."

"I know." Aurora nodded. "So, what's in the bag?" 

Stiles crouched down and unzipped the bag. "The essentials. Got them from my dad's work. I should probably bring them back tomorrow before anyone notices that they're gone." He said.

Aurora raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she looked inside. "Handcuffs. This is gonna be a great night." She spoke with sarcasm as she took a step back and slid down the wall. "How much time do we have left till the party starts?"

"35 minutes." Stiles replied and she nodded. They had come out here in time so that Stiles could go back for Scott, and try to convince him not to go to Lydia's party. 

Stiles was glancing at his watch, clearly anxious to get back to Scott before he did something reckless. But Aurora could see the concern in his eyes and the way he kept checking on her to make sure she was still alright.

"Let's just get this over with, huh?" Stiles spoke as he moved over to her with the pair of handcuffs.

"Are you sure Scott's gonna listen?" Aurora asked, her voice a little shaky despite her attempts to sound casual.

Stiles hesitated for a moment, the handcuffs dangling from his fingers. "I don't know." He admitted with a shrug. "But I have to try. If he goes to that party, there's no telling what could happen. The last thing we need is for him to do something stupid." He looked at her, his eyes softening as he closed the cuffs around her wrist.

"You should go." Aurora spoke, as she looked down on his watch. "Only 31 minutes left. You need the time to get back to Scott and I'll be fine."

Stiles nodded.

Stiles looked at Aurora, his face a mix of concern and determination. "You sure?" He asked.

Aurora nodded, her jaw clenched tightly as she fought to maintain control of anger that was starting to bubble up inside of her. An anger she didn't even know the cause of. "Yeah. Go. Just... don't let him do anything stupid." Her voice trembled slightly, but she tried to sound stronger than she felt.

Stiles hesitated for a moment longer, but the urgency in her words and the ticking of the clock pushed him into action. "Okay."

"Just promise me, you'll come back in the morning?" Aurora looked up at him.

Stiles paused at the door, his hand on the handle, and turned back to look at her. The soft glow of the flashlight caught his face, revealing the mix of worry and resolve in his eyes. "I promise." He said, his voice filled with sincerity.

Aurora nodded, her throat tight as she held his gaze. "You better."

This definitely wasn't how she excepted to meet new people this year.

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Some time after Stiles left, Aurora could feel the change creeping in, like a slow-burning fire spreading under her skin. Her muscles tensed and her heart rate quickened. She clenched her hands into fists, trying to focus, but the fact that Stiles was right - about her being a werewolf - was gnawing at her. 

She could feel the weight of it, like a heavy cloak wrapping around her, suffocating her, making it harder to breathe. 

Her breath quickened, shallow and uneven, as the change pressed in, relentless. She was trying to hold on to some semblance of control, but everything around her felt distant, as if she were sinking into something deeper, darker. 

The transformation was happening too quickly, and her vision began to blur, her senses overloading with every sound, every scent. She could hear the faint hum of the city miles away, the rustling of leaves outside the factory, but it all felt muffled, distant.

Her body trembled violently, her bones creaking as they began to shift. It felt like something was tearing her apart from the inside, but she couldn't scream—could barely even breathe. Her eyes blurred, her face tightening, and her fingers curled into claws and with one swift move, she broke loose from the handcuffs, leaving two cuts on her wrist, which disappeared almost directly again.

She felt the thirst for freedom, and the need to run. Her instincts screamed at her, pulling her toward something, something deep in the woods. She didn't understand why—didn't care. All she knew was that she had to go.

Aurora staggered toward the door. The factory felt like a cage, and she needed to break free.

Before she could think any longer, she was running. Her feet barely touched the ground as she tore through the night, the wind rushing past her. She didn't notice how far she'd run until the trees opened up into a clearing. Aurora stumbled to a stop, panting heavily from the run and from anger, when she saw two other people.

 Both looked over to her. From what she could see, the unknown man looked at her with surprise, but it was more hidden because of his werewolf face, but Scott's look matched hers. Anger.

"Where is she?" Scott demanded, his voice sharp as he growled at Derek.

Derek tackled Scott. "She's safe. From you." Making them both roll down the hill with Aurora following after them.

"What did you do with her?" He screamed at Derek, who held him back, referring to Allison.

Derek held up a hand, silencing him with a single word as he pulled Aurora towards them. In return, he received a small growl from the girl. "Shh." He turned his head sharply, his eyes scanning the forest around them, but he knew. "Quiet. Too late. They're already here."

Aurora's ears perked up, even in her half-transformed state, catching the faint sound of footsteps closing in. Her heart raced, and she edged closer to Scott.

"Run." Derek ordered, his voice low but urgent as he darted into the shadows, expecting the two teenagers to follow without hesitation.

Aurora moved instinctively, her heightened senses pulling her after him, but Scott hesitated, his mind racing to make sense of the chaos.

A arrow shot through the air, the sharp hiss followed by a blinding explosion of light. Scott stumbled back, his vision filled with white. The disorientation was brief, but it was long enough for another arrow to strike—this time, piercing through his left forearm and pinning him to the trunk of a tree.

Chris Argent stepped forward, his crossbow aimed squarely at Derek. "Take him." Chris ordered, but before Argent's men could do anything, they were pulled back, tumbling backwards and the arrow was removed from Scott's arm and Aurora pulled him with her as she ran downhills.

Once they were far enough away from the hunters, they stopped.

Aurora stumbled to a stop, clutching a tree for balance. Her body still felt like it was on fire, but the intense pull of the wolf inside her was beginning to fade. She doubled over, panting, as the yellow glow in her eyes flickered one last time before dimming completely.

Scott turned to her, his arm still throbbing from where the arrow had pierced it. "Aurora, are you okay?"

She nodded weakly, pressing a trembling hand to her chest. "I—I think so." She said, her voice hoarse. And Scott nodded, before turning to Derek.

Scott froze, his eyes wide as he watched the scene unfold. "Who were they?" He asked, his voice cracking with confusion and fear as he stumbled backward, closer to Aurora.

Derek's voice was steady, even as he moved into a defensive stance. "Hunters. The kind that have been hunting us for centuries."

Scott's gaze snapped back to Derek, his anger bubbling to the surface. "Us? You mean you! You did this to us!"

Aurora flinched at Scott's outburst, her eyes darting between him and Derek. "You're the one who bit us?" The girl yelled at him.

Derek's expression remained impassive, though his eyes glinted with a hint of annoyance as he turned to face them both. "I didn't bite either of you." He said. "And besides, is it really so bad?" He looked between the two. "That you can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope? You've been given something that most people would kill for. The bite is a gift."

Scott shook his head, his voice shaking with emotion. "I don't want it."

Derek's gaze didn't waver. "You will. And you're both going to need me if you want to learn how to control it."

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It was hours after their encounter with the hunters and Derek, and the weight of the night still clung to them as Scott and Aurora walked through the quiet streets on their way back home. 

 Aurora wrapped her arms around herself, the chill of the night finally catching up to her. Her clothes were torn and smudged with dirt, a strong reminder of her first transformation. Scott walked beside her, his gaze fixed ahead of them.

The faint hum of a car engine broke the quiet, and Aurora turned her head just in time to see headlights sweeping toward them. The Jeep slowed as it approached and stopped next to them so that they could get in.

Once they were inside, Stiles glanced between them, his concern quickly turning into his usual brand of sarcastic humor. "So, bad night, I'm guessing?" He put the Jeep back in gear and started driving.

Scott finally broke the silence, his voice heavy with frustration. "You know what actually worries me the most?"

Stiles didn't miss a beat. "If you say Allison, I'm gonna punch you in the head."

Scott shot him a glare but continued, his tone softening. "She probably hates me now."

"You like Allison?" Aurora spoke up from the back of Stiles' jeep.

"Yeah, I like her." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know if she'll feel the same way anymore if she finds out about this."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Ugh. I doubt that. But you might want to come up with a pretty amazing apology. Or, you know, you could just—tell her the truth and revel in the awesomeness of the fact that you're a frickin' werewolf."

Scott shot him another look, his annoyance palpable.

Stiles backpedaled, holding up a hand. "Okay, bad idea. 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 looked at him, half in disbelief, half confused. "What?"

"I had a boa once. I could do it," Stiles said with a grin, glancing briefly at Aurora in the rearview mirror to gauge her reaction.

Aurora managed a small, tired smile despite herself. "Thanks for the mental image, Stiles."

Stiles smirked, his eyes also briefly looking into Aurora's through the rearview mirror, before locking his eyes on the road again. "Anytime."

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I watched episode 24 of season 3 a few hours ago and now I want to write season 3B so badly.

Words: 2561

Posted: December 30, 2024

Thank you so much for reading again! Be sure to comment. I love reading them and it keeps me motivated! I love you guys!!

xoxo Katherine