The Lost McCall

Intruder

- This isn't good, right? - Allison appears next to Scott a minute after the boys run out. She reaches for his hand and he leans at her touch, pressing his forehead on hers. His anchor.

- No, it's really not. - Scott admits in a shy whisper, afraid the coach might hear them. Thankfully, he's busy yelling at poor Greenberg for something and is not taking notice of Liam's disappearance.

- He'll be fine. - Allison tries to sound certain but it backfires, coming out as more of a question.

- Yeah, he will.

Scott watches his girlfriend walk back to the bleachers. The best news of the year was that they got into the same college, it felt like a dream come true. But their efforts won't mean anything if he has to return all the time to fight the monsters that insist on terrorizing this city specifically. The explanation is simple, Beacon Hills has an active Nemeton, but the solution remains complicated.

It takes a while for Corey, Liam and Mason to come back. Liam is calmer, but the other boys are on edge. Scott understands their concerns, he has grown closer to his beta in the last year, but it's not the same. Mason knows the worst side of Liam, the one that got him kicked out of his previous school, and he made sure Corey was up to speed. This side hasn't fully appeared since he was turned, but for a moment in the locker room, there was a glimpse of it. It terrifies Mason, the idea that his best friend might lose it again, but this time with enhanced strength and even less impulse control.

- Better? - The coach points at Liam once they're back in the players area. Mason and Corey nod, so he's sent to the ongoing game. Scott and Allison watch the interaction, her from the bleachers and him from the bench.

After helping other players get ready, Scott plops down next to Allison and lets out a long frustrated sigh.

- Are you sure he's ok? - The girl asks. Liam is apologizing to his teammate, which is a good sign.

- Yes, he's ok now. - Scott tries to sound more confident than he truly feels.

Liam had issues with control long before being bitten, but he'd never been this close to exposing himself before. Something is wrong, Scott feels it, but he can't explain or even make sense of it.

- Scott... - Allison's scared voice brings him back to the present. Her gaze is on the lacrosse field and there's not a drop of color on her face.

And of course, almost in a mockery of the situation, a brown wolf walks out of the woods and approaches the players. Scott and Liam can smell the blood, but anyone who gets close enough will see it. The animal is badly injured and probably minutes away from death. Scott stands up and runs towards the animal while Allison reaches for the taser in her jacket pocket. Just in case, she tells herself.

- Stay back, all of you. - Scott calmly instructs the players, most too shocked to move before this.

The alpha and the wolf stare at each other, terror and pain visible in every breath the creature takes. Once he's far enough no one can see, Scott flashes his red eyes, making the animal stop growling.

Seconds feel like hours, no one moves, some afraid that even a louder breath could make the wild animal attack them. Most players hold onto their bats like they're spears, but ultimately they'd be useless in a fight.

In even more sudden fashion, the dark-furred animal turns around and walks out, limping every step of the way to the woods he came from. Liam and Scott barely glance at each other before following, ignoring the coach's protests.

The wolf doesn't make it far, hitching a couple hundred meters before collapsing. The scene is devastating enough, but as usual, the woods surrounding Beacon Hills have something more horrifying in stock.

Not even a meter away from where the intruder died, there's a group of at least 20 wolves.

And they're all dead.