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Scott crumples to the ground as the fight finally goes out of him. Dark blood pours down his face from where his eyes are supposed to be. Stiles and Lydia’s movements are frantic, begging him to focus, to concentrate on healing, on anything. For some reason, Scott just can’t draw enough strength.
“If he doesn’t heal soon, the damage is going to be permanent,” Derek warns, crouching down to examine Scott. His hand is warm against Scott’s neck, drawing as much pain as he can without collapsing.
“Come on Scotty, you can do this, you have to do this.” Just as Scott was about to snap back at Stiles that he’s trying , Malia bounds in, Theo and Liam just behind her. They take in the sight, frozen.
Just then, Lydia seems to be struck by an idea. She takes Stiles’ hand, motioning the others over.
“He needs help, he’s not strong enough right now. Stiles, remember when you and Allison stitched him up when he couldn’t heal? Scott thinks this is his fault,” she finishes. Stiles’ eyes widen in understanding. He turns to Scott.
“Dude, we all chose to be here, okay? We knew what we were getting into when we said we’d help you. The hunters made their choices, you couldn’t save them all.” His hands cup Scott’s face, wishing Scott could see him. “It’s not your fault.”
Scott is still silent, desperately trying to heal, but he leans into the touch. Derek steps out of the way as Liam moves to take his place.
“Scott, you did good. We’re okay, we’re all okay. The plan worked,” he says, veins turning black with his alpha’s pain. Scott grits his teeth, and Liam thinks he sees a faint glow from the empty sockets. Something shifts in the room, something that starts washing over them. It’s still not enough.
They all seem to collectively hear as someone else steps into the room. Lydia turns to see.
It’s Nolan, the young hunter who helped Liam and Theo in the end. He looks nervous, so small in the hulking door frame. His eyes land on Scott.
Nobody says anything, but the pack moves to let Nolan get closer. Stiles moves, maybe to stop Nolan, maybe to say something, but they’ll never know because Lydia takes his arm, forcing him to look at her. He stops.
Nolan bends down, level with Scott. He takes in the sight of the broken alpha, seeing his labored pants, blood-stained clothes, and the start of a red glow where his eyes should be.
“I’m so sorry, Scott.” the words are barely audible, and Nolan’s voice shakes. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean for all of this to happen, I was scared and I just wanted someone to- I wanted somebody to see me, it’s my fault for letting it get this far-” Scott interrupts, shaking his head.
“Not your fault,” he rasps. “It was the monster.”
Whether he’s talking about the Anuk-Ite or Gerard, it seems to calm Nolan slightly. He turns as Theo speaks up.
“He’s right. It’s none of our faults, so just focus.” His words are sharp, but nobody misses how his hand slips onto Scott’s arm, veins black.
“Theo, you…” Scott trails off. He’s never seen Theo take pain, and it seems to shift something in him.
“Scott, you kept your pack safe,” Derek says. “Let them help you.”
With that, Scott lets himself fall back into Stiles’ chest. The pack stills, the same feeling from before becoming practically tangible. He feels all of their eyes on him, the wolves drawing at his pain, the humans wishing they could.
There’s a warmth building in Scott’s chest as he thinks of his pack. Not all of them are here, some of them are waiting to come back, some of them are dead. There’s an ache where they should be, and it may never be filled. But there’s more than grief, there is love and support and warmth.
Scott opens his eyes and sees his pack. They are bleeding and bruised and tear-stained, but they’re alive, and they are burning brightly. That’s all that matters, and Scott sees it in Lydia’s wry smile, Stiles’ teary eyes. It’s in Liam’s soft heart and Theo’s fighting spirit and Derek’s quiet pride. It’s even in Nolan’s sense of justice, no matter how late it is. It’s in their willingness to give their all for each other, because they are family. They are pack. As he lets them pull him back onto his feet, chattering relievedly, Scott is sure that as long as they have each other, they’re going to be okay.