Alone • Liam Dunbar

Forty-Four

Night fell quickly and the moon rose in no time. 

Braeden went as quickly as she could through the plains of the desert. Peter and Malia were in front of us, and on occasion, I could see Malia's silhouette looking back. I tried not to be too unnerved by her being alone with Peter.

"How are things looking back there?" Braeden asks as we near La Iglesia.

Through the gaps in the metal grate, I see Liam covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He's doing his best to fight off his shirt but it isn't working. His claws have already grown and scrape the surface of the Triskelion as he clutches it in his hands. 

"Whatever you're gonna teach me, I think you better start," he forces out, speaking to Derek. He looks up at the man, his eyes flashing gold. 

I pull back from the grate, facing Braeden. "You want the truth?"

She sighs in response and presses her foot down on the pedal, increasing our speed. We were already traveling at a dangerously high rate so that only made the environment within the van feel even more unsteady. 

I turn around again, watching as Derek and Stiles do their best to calm Liam down.

"We have a mantra that we use. You repeat it, you focus on the words. It's like meditating. You say the words until you feel control coming back to you," Derek says and Liam listens intently, desperate to get some semblance of control.

"Okay, okay. What are the words?" he asks. 

"Look at the Triskelion, see the symbol? I have a tattoo on my back, it's the same thing. Each spiral means something." Derek's finger traces each curve of the emblem.

"Alpha, Beta, Omega," Stiles mutters, catching on. 

Derek nods before continuing. "It represents the idea that we can always rise to one and fall back to another. Betas can become Alphas-"

"Alphas can become Betas," Stiles adds.

Liam pauses. "Can Alphas become Omegas?"

Derek nods slowly, remembering not too long ago how that had been him. He began to lose everyone and everything he cared for as he craved nothing but power. He'd gotten some of it back, but there would always be a part of him missing because as he could never be reunited with what he lost. 

"All you have to do is say the three words and with each one, you tell yourself you're getting calmer, more in control," Derek instructs Liam.

"Go ahead," Derek urges him. 

"Alpha, Beta-" Liam begins. 

"Slower," Derek interrupts him.

Liam takes a deep breath, doing as he's told.

"Alpha, Beta, Omega. Alpha, Beta, Omega."

"Good. Say it again," Derek encourages him. "Remember, every time you say the words, you're getting calmer."

Liam repeats the mantra again, but this time his voice is oddly distorted. His fangs begin to grow in, making his voice sound deeper as his shift starts to take even more control of him. 

"Alpha, Beta, Omega," he grits out. 

"Say it again," Derek demands. 

Liam doesn't oblige as his breath shakes his entire body. Stiles moves away from him, probably debating whether or not to just jump out of the moving van altogether. His eyes widen as Liam's shift worsens.

"Derek, I don't think the powerful talisman of self-control is working," Stiles snaps sarcastically.

"Liam, say it again," Derek commands him heatedly.