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Scott reared back.
"What do you mean 'deal with me and my Pack'?" Scott demanded irately. Although Stiles thought it was more of a puppy having a tantrum.
"Almost from the moment your mom and my dad left town, you've proclaimed that you are 'in charge' of Beacon Hills," Stiles said.
"And I am!" Scott protested.
Ignoring him, Stiles went on. "From that same moment, there has been a steady stream of complaints about the McCall Pack. Some of it is minor but, as I said, you have not been protecting the town."
"Theo said..." Scott glanced at the silenced 'wolf next to him, "that if they can't pay, they shouldn't be protected."
Stiles leaned back in his chair. "The town has to pay to be protected?" he growled.
"Why not?" Scott shrugged. "We have to eat, you know."
Stiles rubbed his forehead. "That's what day jobs are for. You work a job, earn money, and protect the town. That's why there's a Pack, so the protection work gets spread around. With even a small-ish pack, you can organize things so that no one has to spend all of their spare time doing it."
"That's too hard!" Scott protested.
"That's too bad. You're the Alpha!" Stiles shot back. "Setting an example is your job!"
Scott got the mulish look that told Stiles that there was nothing that would convince Scott to change his mind.
Stiles took a sip of his tea as he coolly looked at Scott.
"It is your position that the McCall Pack is not required to protect Beacon Hills?" Stiles asked flatly.
"It's not our job!" Scott protested.
Stiles shrugged. "Okay."
Scott stared. "All of this and you just say... okay?"
"You don't want to protect the town, we can't make you," Stiles nodded. "We'll find someone else who will be willing to do it."
Scott looked confused for a moment.
"That's it? You'll find someone else?" Scott asked.
"Sweetheart, you know he doesn't understand," Peter said gently.
"Don't understand what?" Scott demanded.
"Oh. Right. If you're not responsible for protecting the town, you can no longer claim to be in charge," Stiles said.
"What? No! You can't do that!" Scott protested.
Stiles shrugged. "You won't take the responsibility, you're not entitled to the claim of being in charge."
"That's not fair!" Scott shouted.
"I never said it was fair," Stiles replied. "But it's the truth."
"You can't stop me!" Scott shouted. He looked frantically at Theo, who was still frozen in place. Then he waved a hand at the three 'wolves who were standing at the back wall. "Take him!" Scott waved at Stiles.
All three 'wolves backed against the wall, holding up their hands.
"This isn't what we agreed to," one protested. "I don't know about the others but I'm going to throw myself on the mercy of the Council."
At the defiance from members of his own Pack, Scott's control shattered. He shifted, roared, and turned to leap at Stiles. His arms were out and his claws were aimed for Stiles.
Stiles rolled his eyes and waved a hand, stopping Scott mid-leap.
"He never learns," Peter sighed.
Chris was already on the phone, calling for a team to come and pick Scott and Theo up.
"What... what will you do with them?" the same 'wolf asked.
Stiles got up and walked over to them. "Did you mean it? About throwing yourselves at the Council?"
Two nodded quickly, the third also nodded but seemed more reluctant.
Stiles reached across the ward he had put up and pointed at each of the three. "I've just tagged you. It won't make you do anything or stop you from doing stupid, but it will help me identify you when you come back. You'll be better off if you don't do stupid until we get a full team into town and can talk to what's left of the McCall Pack. Scott and Theo need some... separate discussions."
All three nodded.
"We have some other business in town," Stiles went on. "Put out the word that anyone from the McCall Pack that wants to talk to someone from the Council can be here in... two days, at four in the afternoon. If they can't come, they can leave a very polite message with Isabella and we'll make allowances for jobs and school."
"Most of us don't work, or go to school," one admitted.
Stiles resisted pointing out that was part of the problem. "We'll talk in two days," Stiles repeated.
More nodding.
"You can go," Stiles said. He wanted to laugh at how they almost fell over each other as they hustled out of the room.
Stiles moved to Scott and Theo. Scott glared at Stiles, although Theo looked more controlled. Stiles lightly touched their shoulders and they fell to the ground, unconscious.
"That should hold until someone wakes them," Stiles said to Chris.
"Cleanup team is twenty minutes out," Chris nodded.
"Let me get us some real food, while we're waiting," Peter said.
Stiles nodded. "Probably a good idea," he said as he looked at his watch. "We'll still have plenty of daylight before we go out to the Nemeton."