CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE:
SUCCUMB

     JUST AS THEY WERE ABOUT to leave, Scott opened the door to reveal Kira standing there. "What are you doing here?" He asked, stepping aside and allowing her to enter the home.

     "I want to help." Kira answered.

     "I'm not sure it's such a good idea." Scott placed his helmet down whilst Elaine jumped up onto the counter, crossing her ankles as she looked between the two.

     "Because of my mother?"

     "No." Scott denied. "I know that's not your fault."

     "Yeah, but it still feels like it is. And if I can help, shouldn't I?"

     Scott turned his head to look at Elaine who rose an eyebrow at him. "Don't look at me. You're the alpha, remember? You get to make all the fun decisions." He gave her a blank look and she gave him a sarcastic smile before he turned his head to look back towards the girl.

     "People who help us usually end up getting hurt. Badly."

     "He's not wrong." Elaine muttered.

     "Okay, but I've been practicing." She took her bag off her shoulder to pull out her sword.

     "Practicing what?" Scott frowned.

     "I've been picking this up really fast." She smiled excitedly. "Like crazy fast." She was quick to pull the katana from its sheath, almost slicing Scott in the process had he not moved backwards.

     "You sure about that?" Elaine questioned with raised eyebrows.

     "Sorry." She was quick to apologize. "Watch." And they did. She swung the katana around like a pro, fighting as if there was someone standing in front of her for her to fight.

     When she stopped, Scott nodded. "Okay. You're coming."

     "Does that mean I don't have to?" Elaine offered, jumping off the counter and smiling.

     "We need all the help we can get." Scott responded, causing her to sigh before grabbing his helmet and tossing it to him before making her way out the door. When they arrived, Elaine was standing on one of the roofs of the buildings surrounding the truck, she was crouched down, watching the truck with narrowed eyes.

She watched as Kira placed the device under the truck with a proud smile before  someone came outside causing her to quickly hide beside the truck. Parrish could be seen, gun in his hand as he carefully made his way around the truck before someone busted from the back of the truck, attacking Parrish, quickly knocking him out.

     "This was not part of the plan." Elaine breathed before jumping down and landing in front of the man, just as he had picked up the silver finger they need. His head snapped towards her and she cocked her head, smiling. "Wrong place, wrong time, buddy. Patere." She sent the man flying backwards, a smirk of satisfaction seeming to form on her lips.

     Scott appeared beside her as they watched the man stand up. "We need that finger." Allison moved to stand on Elaine's other side, aiming her bow at the man. He laughed, looking at them.

     "Why should I give it to you?"

     "There's a briefcase in there with $150,000 in it." Allison told him, her aim not wavering.

     Kincaid held up the finger. "The scroll inside this prosthetic fingers is worth three million."

     "Give me the finger." Scott fixed his stance. Kincaid cocked his head and Scott closed his eyes with a sigh. "You know what I mean." That's when Kira jumped off the top of the truck, wrapping her arm around the man's neck, but Kincaid simply threw her off of him.

    His eyes glowed blue as his fangs appeared. The man was a werewolf, a factor that had been completely thrown past Elaine. "I guess negotiations are over."

    Elaine couldn't help the smirk the curled at her lips. "Oh, my night just got better." And so, they fought him, with Allison shooting an arrow at him to which he simply ripped out of his shoulder like it was nothing. Kira ran towards him but the man placed her in a choke hold before tossing her roughly to the side, causing her head to hit the wall and knock her out. He went for Allison, knocking her to the side, and knocking her out as well, and then he turned towards Elaine.

    "Witch." He snarled.

The lights around them started to flicker as black veins started to crawl up her body until they reached her face, her eyes turning black. She smirked an evil smirk and cocked her head slightly. He lunged for her and she held up a hand and sent him flying backwards without even uttering a word. Scott glanced towards her, his mouth open in surprise at her appearance. There was something that she wasn't telling him. He watched as she held up a hand, curling it into fist and watching as Kincaid started to writhe in pain. Her smirk grew wider at this.

He decided he would ask her later and stood up, running forward causing Elaine to stop using her magic and step aside as she allowed for the two wolves to fight, Scott easily losing the battle. But he kept getting back up and fighting until he was kicked to the ground and kicked in the side, the breath knocking from his lungs.

     "Icaeus." She sent the man flying from her brother. She ran over to him, the black fading from her face as she looked down at him with worry. His eyes met hers, and he wanted to say something, but was cut off by Kincaid speaking.

     "You have the eyes of an alpha, but where's the strength?"

     Elaine's eyes started to glow again, only to stop when she looked up and saw the twins, "Up here." While the twins fought Kincaid, Lydia ran over to Allison, pulling her up. Ethan and Aiden continued beating the wolf until he landed beside of Scott. Scott pushed himself up with help of Elaine.

     "Ethan, Aiden―︎"

     They went to attack again but Lydia was quick to step in front of them. "Stop!"

     "You want him to come after us?" Aiden questioned her.

     "Scott, we've seen guys like this." Ethan told him. "Trust us. He's dangerous."

     "So are we." Scott responded as he stood up. "And he looks smart enough to remember that." Scott leaned forward and took the silver finger from Kincaid's coat pocket. He took the scroll out of it before looking towards Allison and offering her a small smile before looking back towards the twins. "We're here to save a life. Not end one." And then, he dropped the finger to the ground.

While Scott went to Deaton to get him to read the scroll, Elaine made it back home and rushed to her room, slamming the door closed before quickly ripping off her shirt and running to her bathroom and closing her eyes as a tear slipped down her cheek. The black veins had crawled all the way up to her chest, not even half an inch away from her heart.

     "Stiles succumbed, why can't you?" The voice of her reflection caused her to freeze. She looked up and saw the darker version of her self standing there. The reflection cocked her head slightly and took note of the dark veins. "I guess it doesn't really matter now. Because, if I really wanted to, I could take over right now, which is exactly what the nogitsune wants of me. But, you see, I like this little game we're playing." She laughed. "I like watching you squirm in your own skin. You see, Elaine, the difference between you and Stiles is that he had a choice. While you. . . you don't have a choice anymore. In fact, the nogitsune can be beaten, but me? I'm nothing but darkness and chaos. And that's something that no one can beat."

     "Please." Elaine whispered. "Don't do this."

     "You're too late, Elaine. You haven't told anyone. No one knows how you're falling apart by the use of your own powers." Her reflection smiled a wicked smile. "Last chance Elaine. Succumb, or be taken over." Elaine closed her eyes and another tear dripped down her cheek. Her reflection nodded. "That's my girl." And then her hand shot out of the mirror, causing Elaine to gasp, and her black eyes met Elaine's blue ones, and then everything went dark.