Through the years

44.

Stiles was stunned. 

Never would he have anticipated that Talia would bite him right then and there. 

What could have possibly gone through the woman's mind to do such a thing? 

"Derek will help you with your first shift." she told him with a reassuring smile but Stiles only frowned in return. 

"Why not you? You're my alpha now." he stated stubbornly. 

"Not for long, I'm afraid.." 

"Don't say that!" the brunette exclaimed. He was angry. Angry that she would say such things in front of her family. Angry that she'd even thought about the possibility that she wouldn't be saved. Angry because he could see she had accepted her fate. And he hated that. "I'm gonna get you all out of here! Did you even try to break the cage?" he asked but Connor sighed. 

"The cage was built to hold back a full grown alpha, Stiles.." the man explained and he seemed exhausted. Stiles had never seen him look so dejected before and it pained him to witness it. 

"Maybe the fire weakened it!" Stiles reasoned but when he realised they weren't going to try, the brunette moved. 

"Stiles don't!" the couple yelled at the same time but it was too late. Stiles' hand made contact with the bars just before a loud scream escaped the boy's lips. Stiles took his hands away at lightning speed, cradling his burnt hands to his chest as he winced and hissed in pain. 

"Fuck!" the brunette shouted in frustration while Talia and Connor watched him in sadness. 

"Go save them, Stiles." she told him. "We'll wait for you." she said and the brunette stared at her for a moment. 

He could see right through her. 

She had told him that they'd wait for him to save them just to appease his mind and get him away from there. But, somehow, he still felt better by the sound of it. He was lying to himself and he knew it but he didn't care anymore at this point. Stiles nodded and took a moment to look at the rest of the pack surrounding Talia.

"Don't worry guys, I'm coming back." he told them and Mia, Waylen and Asher started crying again. 

"Don't go, uncle Stiles!" Mia cried the hardest and it broke Stiles in many ways. 

"I won't be gone for long, beautiful." the brunette tried to reassure her as much as possible. He carefully put his arm in between the bars, making sure not to come in contact with it, and wiped the girl's tears from her cheeks. "Then I'll come back for you and I'll get you out of here. But before that I need to go and help your dad, aunty Laura and Cora. Alright?"

"Yes." she nodded as her crying slowly came to a stop and Stiles smiled sadly. 

"Good girl." he praised quietly before standing up and with one last look at each of them, Stiles turned around and left the room. 

His first thought was that the trio might have taken refuge upstairs. The state of the house was deplorable and it pained the brunette to see. This house had been so beautiful. Magnificent and proud. Stiles could remember the first time he had seen it in all its glory and he had been left stunned. 

But now, it was going back to ruins. 

And this time around, Stiles was here to witness it. 

Rushing to the staircase, it was with worry that Stiles took in the state of it. It looked extremely fragile and on the brink of collapsing. Stiles looked at the top of the stairs and, with a new wave of determination, he took his first step.