Chapter Text
I knew this wasn’t a good idea. None of Stiles’ ideas ever were but he had been so sure of himself. He had done his research, of course he had. The coven of witches were hiding deep in the forest surrounding Beacon Hills and Stiles had read some google articles saying that pelting a witch with fennel would weaken it. Scott agreed with his best friend like he always did and Isaac followed Scott’s lead so Erica and Boyd agreed with him. Allison convinced Lydia and Jackson that, while Stiles’ plan wasn’t well thought out, having a half baked plan was better than no plan at all. Then they all stared at me until, with a sigh, I half-shrugged grabbing my leather jacket off the back of the couch and leading the pack outside.
The run was short, ten minutes at most, before the scent of vinegar and rotting rabbits completely saturated the air. I slowed and strained my pointed ears, trying to pick up the heart beats of the coven. Silence met me, the only sounds I could hear were those made by the pack. Huffing out a breath, I crossed my arms harshly across my chest before turning to glare darkly at Stiles who was peeking out from behind Boyd’s broad shoulders. At my expression, Boyd took a large slow step to the left, leaving Stiles unguarded.
“Stiles,” I growled, taking deliberate steps toward the teen, who was trying to drag Boyd between us. Boyd didn’t flinch, just raised his eyebrow and stared down at the human. With one last step, I had closed the distance between us, my feet bumping against Stiles’. “You said they’d be here.”
“They should be! I swear! I mean, google said that coven’s usually like to hang out deep in the woods and that they make sacrifices to strengthen their powers, usually small animals,” Stiles stuttered, arms flailing around, referring to the thick scent of dead bunnies that was surrounding the pack. I snarled in frustration, this coven had been in Beacon Hills for nearly two weeks now and we still didn’t know why. The pack had only interacted with them a few times. Erica had run into one of the youngest witches at school, apparently they had signed them up for classes. Stiles had seen one at the grocery store and said that she had been buying rhubarb and other veggies. And I had spotted a few lurking in the trees by my apartment. They were obviously planning something, but what?! I turned on Stiles, about to ask him where the next most likely place the witches would be hiding was when Scott caught my arm. I turned toward him sharply and started to snarl but his pale face stopped me.
“I think I just saw something,” he said, pointing into the deep foliage. I turned, scanning the surroundings and saw a girl peeking out from behind a tree, her lips moving quickly as her body began to glow pale blue.
My eyes widened and I whirled around toward the teens but it was already too late.
Jackson and Scott had already collapsed, their breathing heavy and even. Erica and Isaac soon followed, dropping to their knees before passing out in the dirt. My mind was also beginning to get hazy and I staggered slightly as Boyd slumped to his knees.
The entire pack was fading except for me, Lydia, Allison, and… STILES!
I rushed over to Boyd and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him roughly, “Where’s Stiles?!”
Boyd shrugged sluggishly,”Said sumthin… ‘bout seein’ sumthin… over there…”
A thick muscled arm waved vaguely into the trees before Boyd toppled over, already starting to snore. My eyelids felt heavy and my legs shook but I thought about Stiles, the fucking idiot, stumbling through the trees with only his stupid baseball bat to defend himself.
I turned toward the girls who were both looking at me expectantly, Allison gripping her bow tightly and Lydia trying to look nonchalant but one hand clutching the mountain ash infused blade strapped to her upper thigh.
“Try and wake them up! Don’t leave their sides!” my voice was gravelly from anger.
With a growl, I felt the shift running through my veins, the wolf scratching at my skull and I charged at the tree where the witch was hiding. My body slammed against the rough bark and I stayed for a second, trying to steady myself. The witch stared at me in surprise before rustling through her pockets furiously. She couldn’t be much older than the pack, maybe 16 or 17 years old. I snarled at her threateningly before sprinting past, trying to catch the smell of cinnamon and freshly ground coffee that always led me to Stiles.
Stupid human! Stupid defenseless cocky human! The wolf stalked around my brain snarling and growling about Stiles furiously. I took a deep breath through my nose and tried to fight past the stifling smell of death and dirt. Finally, I caught a whiff of the spicy cinnamon scent and took off in the direction of it. My brain was slowly processing a few other faint smells, though my senses were still dulled. My legs were burning and my eyes darted from tree to tree, both looking for Stiles and scanning for enemies.
Stiles’ scent grew progressively stronger and I picked up the harsh sting of fresh blood, causing my body to move impossibly faster. Finally I found him, surrounded by five members of the coven. The eldest, a tall regal looking woman with straight salt and pepper hair, was muttering something in Latin, staring unblinkingly at Stiles who was collapsed on the dirt floor, groaning softly with a hand to his forehead.
Without thinking, a roar ripped its way past my teeth and I charged at the witch, my vision blurred and tinted dark grey. A wave of energy slammed into my body and I flew backward, crashing to the ground a few feet behind the injured teen.
“Already tried that, Sourwolf,” Stiles chuckled with a half smile. I turned toward him, eyes still burning blood red and snarled. Now was not the time for jokes! I looked back at the eldest witch whose body was starting to glow as she raised her arms out and pointed at Stiles. The wolf shoved its way to the surface and I scrambled back toward the human, trying to reach him before the spell did. The magic hit Stiles square between the eyes and a scream ripped through the clearing as the human convulsed briefly before collapsing. I stared at the lifeless form before rushing the remaining distance between my body and his, pulling his head into my lap, brushing my hand over a clammy forehead. The wolf slammed against my skull, roaring and shrieking.
Hurt. Kill. Avenge.
Unable to completely suppress my instincts, a savage howl rumbled in my chest and I raised my head to the sky, trying to relieve some of the aching in my lungs.
The roar cut off with a choked whine as I looked back down at Stiles and raked my fingers through the stiff gel in his hair. Torn between rushing the witches and ripping out their throats and staying close to my injured pack mate, my wolf settled for snarling furiously at the five woman.
One of the younger witches, a girl in her early teens with shiny black hair stared back at me in surprise before glancing back at the eldest, who I was guessing was the leader. She, too, seemed shocked but her expression hardened and she began to mouth ancient words, this time staring at me. I could hear groans in the distance of the pack waking up. I steeled myself as the witch began to glow again, arms raising toward me and the hair on my arms lifted from the energy in the air. I caught the sound of feet pounding against the ground but knew that the pack would be too late. Narrowing my eyes I moved Stiles’ limp body behind mine just as the blast of energy hit me in the chest. Magic surged through my body, feeling like an electric shock on steroids and another pained howl ripped from my twitching body.
The last thing I registered were Lydia’s wide green eyes staring at me as Boyd’s firm hands tucked into the crook of my knees and behind my shoulders.