After school, Scott and his pack drove to the ranch, where they found Derek and Melissa waiting for them with Parrish.
Derek narrowed his eyes at Aiden, who had come along with Scott and the others. "What is he doing here?" He asked.
Scott turned to Cora. "Cora, explain to your brother."
Then, shifting his focus, Scott looked at Parrish. "You're Parrish?"
Parrish nodded. "Yeah, I am."
Scott asked. "You know you're possessed by a Hellhound, right?"
Parrish let out a sigh. "Yeah, they told me."
Scott said. "I don't know exactly what will happen if that thing stays inside you, but I do know it won't end well for you."
Parrish frowned. "So how am I supposed to get rid of it?"
Scott sighed. "To be honest, I don't know for sure. But we can try to absorb the Hellhound's powers and see what happens."
Parrish raised an eyebrow. "And how are you going to do that?"
Scott smirked. "That's the easy part."
Parrish asked. "And what's the hard part?"
Scott's expression turned serious. "I don't know what will happen to you once the Hellhound's powers are gone."
Parrish hesitated for a moment before exhaling deeply. "Go ahead and absorb it. I don't want to live like this, knowing that one day, the thing inside me might hurt or kill innocent people."
Scott nodded. "Alright. Stiles, come here."
Then, looking back at Parrish, Scott asked. "Are you ready?"
Parrish gave a firm nod.
Scott ignited a fire in his hand before throwing it at Parrish. The flames burned Parrish's clothes, and soon, the Hellhound inside him took over. Fire ignited across Parrish's body, then suddenly extinguished. His entire body darkened, glowing orange cracks forming across his skin like molten lava. His eyes burned a fiery orange.
The Hellhound took a step back, a flicker of fear crossing his face as he stared at Scott. "Who… what are you? Something as strong as you shouldn't exist."
Scott ignored him and turned to Stiles. "Go. He's yours."
Stiles stepped forward, his eyes glowing red as he started shifting. Fur sprouted along his cheeks, his fangs and claws extended, and his ears became pointed. He grinned. "Should we fight, or are you going to let me take what's mine peacefully?"
The Hellhound scowled. "What are you talking about?"
Stiles chuckled. "Oh, I'm talking about that fire ability you've been keeping safe for me."
Melissa suddenly spoke up. "Scott, help Stiles hold Parrish down. Don't hurt him, once he loses the Hellhound's power, he won't be able to heal. He might die."
Scott nodded. "Alright."
In a blur of speed, Scott moved behind the Hellhound, gripping his arms and restraining him. "Stiles, absorb his powers."
Stiles huffed. "What? I thought I was going to fight him!"
Scott shot him a look. "You heard what Mom said, we can't hurt Parrish."
Stiles sighed but nodded. He stepped forward, pressing his claws into the Hellhound's abdomen. As he began absorbing his power, the Hellhound struggled fiercely, but Scott held him in place with ease. The creature's flames flared in an attempt to burn Scott, but they had no effect.
Though Stiles winced as the fire burned him, he gritted his teeth and kept going.
Slowly, the Hellhound's struggles weakened. His flames began to die down, his glowing cracks faded, and he let out a final, agonized scream. "NOOO!"
Then, he was gone.
Stiles withdrew his claws, the burns on his body already healing. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again. Then, with a grin, he summoned a flame in his palm. "YES! I finally have a cool ability!"
Scott gently lowered Parrish's unconscious body to the ground. Then, realizing his clothes had been completely burned away, he turned into shadow and disappeared, reappearing at the lake house to grab something to wear.
Isaac coughed. "Stiles, I hate to interrupt your celebration, but… you're naked."
Stiles glanced down at himself, eyes widening. "Oops." Without another word, he bolted to his room in the pack house to grab some clothes.
By the time Scott returned, he found Melissa kneeling beside Parrish, checking his condition.
"How is he, Mom?" Scott asked.
Melissa sighed, her expression grim. "I think he's dying."
Scott knelt beside Parrish, placing a hand on him and trying to absorb his pain but nothing happened. He stood up and said. "Yeah… he's dying."
Melissa looked up at him. "What are we going to do?"
Scott sighed. "I'll give him the Bite. And all we can do is wish him luck."
Melissa nodded. "Alright, let's do that."
Scott leaned down and sank his fangs into Parrish's arm, delivering the Bite. Once it was done, he stood up and turned to Stiles, who had just come back. "Stiles, take him inside and find a room for him."
Stiles frowned. "Why me?"
Scott said. "Because I don't want to carry a naked man."
Lydia rolled her eyes. "I'll do it."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "We don't even know if he's going to survive after what we did. And if that's not bad enough, now you want to molest him, don't you, Lydia?"
Lydia scoffed. "You're overthinking things, Scott. I just feel a connection with him, and I want to look after him tonight."
Scott smirked. "If you say so."
Lydia ignored him and gently lifted Parrish, carrying him inside the house.
Derek stretched and let out a sigh. "Alright, I'm heading home. Aiden, come with me. If you want my forgiveness, you'll need to be my punching bag for a week."
Aiden groaned. "Fine… I deserve that."
Derek then turned to Cora. "Cora, are you coming?"
Cora shook her head. "No, I'm going out with Boyd. Maybe I'll stop by tomorrow."
Derek's eyes narrowed. "Wait, what? What's going on between you and Boyd?"
Cora rolled her eyes. "We're dating."
Derek's eyes immediately glowed red. "Since when?"
Cora smirked. "Tonight is our first date."
Derek growled. "Damn it. You're not allowed to date until you finish high school, no, until you graduate from college."
Cora glared at him. "Derek."
Derek sighed. "Fine. But Boyd, if you want to date my little sister, you have to fight me first."
Cora crossed her arms. "If you fight Boyd, I'm helping him kick your ass."
The pack burst into laughter.
Derek shot a glare at Aiden. "I changed my mind. Make that two weeks."
Aiden groaned. "Hey, man, I'm not the one dating your sister!"
Derek growled. "You just made it three weeks. Let's go. Or you can leave if you don't want to join the pack."
Aiden sighed and reluctantly followed Derek.
---
Meanwhile, in the Argent house, Chris and Victoria sat together in the living room. Victoria was reading a book while Chris watched TV.
Suddenly, a whisper echoed in his mind.
'Victoria is the one who killed your sister.'
Chris frowned, shaking his head as if to dispel the intrusive thought. He focused on the TV, but the voice returned, louder this time.
'Victoria is the monster who killed your sister… Kill her.'
Chris stood up abruptly, his body tense.
Victoria glanced at him. "What's wrong?"
Chris forced a smile. "Nothing, love. I'm just thirsty. I need a drink of water."
Victoria nodded. "Okay."
Chris walked toward the kitchen, but his steps became slow and unfocused. His mind clouded over as he moved past the sink, his hands reaching for something else entirely, a gun.
His fingers wrapped around the cold metal, and he turned back toward the living room.
'Kill her.'
The whisper in his mind grew more insistent. His grip on the gun tightened. Just as he was about to raise it, Victoria suddenly turned and looked straight at him.
Chris blinked, his awareness snapping back.
"What's wrong?" He asked in confusion.
Victoria frowned. "I just felt… danger."
Chris sat down. "Danger? Are you sure?"
Victoria shook her head. "Maybe I was just imagining things." Her eyes drifted to the gun in his hand. "Why are you holding that?"
Chris looked down at the weapon, stunned. "I… I don't even remember picking it up."
He set the gun on the table and tried to refocus on the TV, but a deep unease settled over him.
Victoria sighed. "You really need to stop drinking. And it's time to let go of Kate and Gerard. They were monsters, Chris. If not for Lydia, you'd be dead by now."
Chris exhaled and moved closer to her, pulling her into an embrace. "I know. I'll stop drinking. I promise."
Victoria snorted. "You should also think about getting the Bite from Scott. This town gets more dangerous every day, and I don't want anything happening to you."
Chris pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll think about it."
Deep within his mind, a shadowy figure loomed in the depths of his consciousness, its face wrapped in bandages, sharp, metallic teeth glinting in the darkness.
"That was close… That woman almost sensed me. I should lay low while she's around."
To be continued… 😊