Return of the Hale || Stiles Stilinski

8

"I didn't believe you were actually back when you called me," Derek said in disbelief, helping Neriah get Brett out of the back of Stiles' jeep. "You should've came and seen me earlier."

"Yep, well, life has been a mess," Neriah grumbled, throwing one of Brett's arms over her shoulder. "Just help me get him in."

"And you're still snappy," he muttered, earning a sharp look from her as Stiles followed close behind.

Deaton raised his brows as he opened the back doors to the clinic, allowing Neriah and Derek to drag Brett inside. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon," he said to Neriah.

"I didn't expect to be back so soon," she tiredly mumbled.

Brett started groaning, yellow foam dripping out of his mouth and Neriah widened her eyes with Derek, picking up their pace. Stiles and Deaton rushed around them, clearing off the metal table in the middle of the room before Brett was laid down.

"Stiles, hold his legs down," Deaton instructed him as Neriah, and Derek held down Brett's shoulders.

"Hurry up," Neriah urged when Brett started thrashing, his eyes flying open as more yellow foam frothed out of his mouth.

"What the hell is happening to this kid?" Stiles exclaimed, struggling to hold down Brett's legs.

"He's been poisoned by a rare wolfsbane," Deaton informed him, stopping beside Derek with a scalpel. "I need to make an incision and you need to hold him as still as possible."

Neriah sent her cousin a pointed look, annoyed that he was struggling to help hold Brett down. "Hey, Derek, how about a little werewolf strength?"

"Yeah, I'm not the only one here with werewolf strength," Derek muttered, sending her a pissed-off look as she nearly lost her balance when Brett threw his arm up.

"If you can't hold him still, the incision might kill him," Deaton firmly said, glancing between the three of them.

"We're trying!" Neriah gritted out, pushing down harder on Brett's right arm and shoulder.

"Guys, he's slipping!" Stiles exclaimed. "I don't think I can hold him."

Seconds later, Brett growled, kicking Stiles and Deaton away and then he shoved Derek back. Neriah's eyes widened as Brett lifted up a clawed hand, and then he slashed her chest, making her cry out as she fell down on the floor with her chest burning like wildfire.

Brett got off the table, looking around in a state of confusion as Stiles rushed over to Neriah, his eyes widening on the blood seeping through her shirt as she panted.

"This is why I don't help," Neriah grumbled, pressing a hand to her healing chest.

"What the fuck?" Stiles breathed when the two of them looked up in time to see Peter Hale punch Brett in the jaw, knocking him out.

"Are you trying to kill him?" Neriah exclaimed, standing up from the floor with help from Stiles.

Peter looked at his daughter with glowing blue eyes. "It doesn't surprise me that you came back without telling me. Just like how you left without a goodbye. You know, that deeply hurt me."

"Oh, save the sob story for someone else," she spat with a glare.

Peter raised a brow, clenching his hand into a fist in front of his face. "I guess I still have a little werewolf strength myself."

"Yeah, maybe more than a little," Derek muttered, studying him closely before looking down at his arm that was clawed and not healing.

Neriah noticed straight away, walking over to him. "That's odd," she whispered.

"Hey, Doc, I don't think he's breathing," Stiles said, crouching down beside Brett's body with Deaton.

"Of course you killed him," Neriah muttered, sending her father a look.

Deaton carefully cut down the center of Brett's chest as he opened his eyes, gasping for air. Neriah's nose scrunched up in disgust as a yellow cloud left Brett's chest.

"Is he okay?" Neriah asked, taking a step closer to Stiles' back.

"I think he'll be fine, but probably out for a while," Deaton said, glancing up at her.

"Guys, can you hear that?" Stiles asked, looking around at them. "I think he's saying something."

Neriah walked around him before crouching down beside Brett who started whispering, "The sun...The moon...The truth...The sun...The moon...The truth."

"Three things cannot long be hidden," Deaton said, and they all looked at him. "The sun, the moon, and the truth." He looked at Derek. "It's Buddhist."

Derek, Neriah, and Peter all looked at each other with a look of realization before Peter said, "Satomi."

♤♡♤♡

Neriah sat on the bench with Stiles, watching Brett carefully on the metal table as Deaton laid a blanket over him. The news of Satomi was a surprise to them all. She was the werewolf that knew Kira's mother from decades ago and the same werewolf that Neriah hadn't met but had known to visit the Hale house when she and Derek were younger.

"So, what happened between you and Isaac?" Derek asked Neriah, watching her from across the room with her father.

Neriah raised a brow, leaning back on her hands. "Why would you think something happened?"

"Because you came back to this hell and you smell like anguish," Peter deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Stop acting like you care, Peter," Neriah snapped in annoyance. "Don't think I've forgotten about you cheating on my mom."

"I apologised for—"

"No you fucking didn't," she cut him off with a laugh as Deaton and Stiles shared a look before heading out of the room. "All you tried to do was find an excuse for cheating on her. Not once did you try to apologize."

"She's got you there," Derek mumbled, stepping away from Peter as Neriah's eyes hardened on her father. "Before another Hale war breaks out, why don't we change the subject back on track?"

"Does it even matter what happened between me and Isaac?" She raised a brow.

Derek shrugged his shoulders. "I think it matters since it had to be that bad to bring you back here."

Neriah sucked on her teeth, jumping down from the bench. "I came back here for you and that's when mine and Isaac's relationship went south," she admitted. "I don't even know if we broke up. All I know is that he's ignoring me and that he moved away," she added, walking away.

Derek's face fell and he quickly reached out, grabbing her arm to stop her. "You and Isaac are fighting because you came back for me?" he whispered as she faced him. "Why would you come back for me?"

Neriah glanced at her father who was watching them before she looked back at Derek, pulling her arm out of his grip. "I came back for you because you're the only blood family I care about," she said and then left without another word.

Peter cracked his neck, sending Derek a glare as he walked past. "Be thankful she cares about you, Derek," he muttered. "She used to care about me like that once."

Derek squared his shoulders, glaring at the back of Peter's head. "And whose fault is that?" he sharply asked, and Peter halted with his back to him. "Maybe if you didn't betray her over and over again, you would still have a loving daughter."

"Perhaps," Peter drawled. "Or maybe she would still be the weak little girl you grew up with."

"She was never weak," Derek snapped in anger as he shoved Peter to the side, walking past. "You were and always have been the weak one. Not Neriah. Not Ariana. And not Leon. It's always been you as the weak one for not loving them like they deserved."