Chapter Text
After everything that happened, Scott was assigned to teach Malia control.
Not just shifting.
Not just anger.
But everything.
Control over instinct.
Control over impulse.
Control over the part of her that had survived eight years alone in the woods.
It wasn’t something that could be successfully taught overnight.
And it definitely wasn’t something that came with a manual.
Scott had to get used to some of her instinctual behavior.
Things that weren’t quite commonly seen in humans.
For instance, Malia’s dire need for physical closeness.
The way she appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the night, barefoot and silent, climbing into his bed without asking.
The way she curled up beside him like she had always belonged there. Like she was trying to make his bed her den.
Cuddling.
Also the way she pressed her face briefly into his shoulder or into the nape of his neck before settling, inhaling quietly.
Scenting.
She probably didn’t realize she was even doing it.
Aside from those, there were also some other stuff.
The way she left pieces of herself everywhere.
Her jacket hanging on his chair.
Her shoes kicked carelessly beside his door—if she ever decided to bring a pair and not go barefoot.
Her hair tie wrapped around his wrist at some point during the night, only for him to realize hours later that she must’ve put it there.
The way she tried to leave behind her scent everywhere in Scott’s room, as if she was marking her territory.
Not that Scott had any issues about it.
He thought he would have.
Alphas were known to be territorial.
Protective.
Possessive.
But Scott never felt that kind of aggression towards her.
If anything, he felt the opposite.
He felt calmer.
Steadier.
Or maybe it’s because he’s not a traditional alpha, with him getting his power through his own will.
He hadn’t taken his power from someone else.
He didn’t get it through dominating others.
But instead, he got it through protecting the people he cared about.
So he may be a true alpha, but all those behaviors that the other alpha’s have aren’t really in him.
Aggression.
Power hungry
Extremely territorial.
Blood lust.
At least Scott likes to think that he doesn’t have any of those in him.
But maybe he did have some in the beginning.
Or during rare times.
But years ago, he wasn’t even an alpha during that time where his aggression was at peak.
That was more like he was still trying to adjust to being a new werewolf.
And if you add in the full moon as a factor to his inconsistent behavior, it wasn’t always a hundred percent due to him.
But he could admit.
He won’t push all the blame on other things.
He understood his flaws.
He knew he was quite immature before.
There was a lot he needed to learn.
And that’s why Scott was currently looking forward to helping Malia.
He would do his best to become a better alpha.
A better leader.
A better pack member.
A better friend.
He didn’t want Malia to fear him.
He wanted her to trust him.
To feel safe.
The way he never fully had with Peter.
This time, he’ll make sure Malia will be able to adjust well in the human world.
And he would do it right.
He had a better support system around him.
And even Derek and Chris helped him with stuff often.
It was truly different to have close and reliable adults he could reach out to when he needed guidance or advice.
Going back to Malia—
She randomly appeared in his room again in the morning, without knocking.
Scott looked up from where he was sitting on his bed, mid-texting Stiles.
Malia stood in the doorway, but she was basically already inside.
Like the door had simply allowed her through without question.
She walked in, climbed onto his bed without hesitation, and sat beside him.
Then she dropped her backpack between them.
“I need help,” she said, slowly taking out a few sheets of paper and her notebook.
Scott blinked.
“With what?”
“Homework.”
“Alright,” he said. “Wait—let me just go to the bathroom for a second. You can start first and I’ll catch up in a bit.”
Malia nodded as Scott left his phone on the bed and headed over to the bathroom.
It took a few moments for him to come back.
But when he did, he stopped at the foot of the bed, observing Malia.
Malia was currently using her highlighter to scratch the surface of her scalp aggressively, frustration clearly emitting from her.
The way her nose scrunched up when she gets confused was honestly a bit adorable.
Scott’s mouth curved up slightly.
He then glanced at the papers Malia had in front of her.
He froze.
His confidence immediately vanished.
Well… Maybe he couldn’t help her.
At least not when it comes to Math.
That was way out of his abilities.
He barely passed his Chemistry class last semester.
Math was… something he doesn’t even know if he understood yet.
Lydia or Stiles would be more of help to her than that.
“Hey…” he drawled out his words as he slowly approached her, taking a seat by her side.
Malia glanced up at him earlier, her gaze following him until he was now beside her.
When Scott sat down, she immediately slid her homework towards him.
“Answer it for me,” she stated.
As if she trusted Scott wholeheartedly.
A bit of guilt escaped Scott.
He wanted to help, but…
“It’s Math,” he said.
Malia nodded.
“That’s why I need you.”
Scott stared down at it.
The numbers.
The letters.
The symbols.
Things that absolutely did not belong together.
He looked at her.
“Malia…” he started carefully. “I said I could help with anything. But… I don’t think Math is something I even have the capability to teach you about.”
He stared at her expression.
She was watching him expectantly.
Her face which had no hint of hesitation in it.
Her face that didn’t even have a flicker of doubt towards him.
As if she trusted him completely.
He swallowed.
“I can call Stiles. Or Lydia?” he suggested. “They know more about this. Lydia definitely knows this. Stiles might pretend he doesn’t, but he does. He’s smart like that—”
Malia waited.
She tilted her head as she listened.
“—but you can’t trust me with Math,” he admitted.
However, she didn’t budge one bit.
She didn’t pull the papers away from him.
Nor did she look disappointed.
Instead, she blinked.
“Then help me learn,” she said simply, as if she was just saying to learn the alphabet. “You learn it, I learn it. Let’s learn it together.”
Scott’s eyes widened.
His brain stalled.
Learn.
Together.
His mouth slightly parted.
When Malia raised an eyebrow at him in a questioning manner, he blinked.
“Uh—sure—yeah,” Scott stuttered.
He nodded immediately.
“I mean—okay, we can do that. How hard can it be, right?” he said. “We can study it together.”
Malia seemed satisfied with that answer.
She shifted closer to him without hesitation, their shoulders touching naturally.
Scott tried very hard not to notice how normal that felt.