Tethered // Teen Wolf // Isaac Lahey

NINETY-EIGHT

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KOREY

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"I never thought I'd have to see her again," I mumbled as I clutched the seeping hot cup of tea between my hands. "I never wanted to see her again."

"From what I remember, she wasn't exactly someone I'd want in my life either," Peter sighed before he sipped his own tea. We sat together on the couch, one of my half-knitted blankets tangled up between us.

"I always forget that you and Derek were there for Mason dying and Blake abandoning me," I snorted mirthlessly, staring down at my tea. "I hate her, I really do. I hate her brother, too. They're living in our old Sedona pack house, Blake is running things, and they have new pack members. Everything is great for them."

Peter let my words hang in the air before he murmured, "And what about for you?"

Anger bubbled up in the pit of my stomach, "Things are good for me now, but they're just never easy. Blake has it easy; they aren't being hunted by fae. They didn't have a riser torturing them. They didn't have to be put into a coma to remember their dead dad... every time I remember this shit, I remember how she said she couldn't deal with me in her pack."

"Let me tell you something, kid," Peter set his tea down on the coffee table. "You didn't summon a riser, and you didn't bring the fae here. That's got nothing to do with you. You also didn't create a Nogitsune. Yes, maybe you repressed your emotions so severely that you had to be comatose for a while, but the only person who was hurt during that was you." He met my eyes, his gaze stern, "No one has ever suffered because of you. We've only gained something by having you here."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, "So why'd she leave me?"

"Because she was stupid," Peter answered without missing a beat, "and because she's a bad alpha. You and Scott butt heads every other day. You drive each other up the wall, and some of the problems you've had with him, they are real and heavy. He never gave up on you, though, even when you did things he could never agree with. You also never forced him to accept it; you both let each other be. A good alpha knows how to lead his pack without forcing everyone to walk and talk like him. Blake doesn't know how to do that, which is why she left you."

I went to say something else, but my eyes caught sight of the lamp at the end of the room starting to flicker. "Peter, the light."

Peter whipped around, his eyes growing wide, "Shit." He bolted off the couch, his eyes scanning the room, "Korey, run."

"Where?" I gasped out, standing up as well, "There's no way to escape it. It's a shadow." My heart stuttered as I turned to him, "But I've already been in a mindscape..."

Peter's eyes began to grow blue, and he sneered, "I'd like to see them try and make me afraid." He shot towards the front door, wrenching it open just as the lights in the room cut out.

"Peter!" I ran after him as he went down the corridor, "You can't fight it! It's not a physical thing! The possessed ones aren't aware of—"

"Korey! Hurry!"

My heart stilled sharply, the air knocking out of my lungs until I felt as if I'd forgotten what breathing was. "Peter?" I hesitantly forced my legs to move, coming to the fire escape door that led to the stairs of the building.

"I'm nearly there! I can smell you, I need to tell you something, Korey!"

My heart thundered in my ears, and I leapt back from the fire escape door, shaking my head quickly. "No. No, no, no, I—I won't do this again! I can't! I won't! I won't do this again!" I grabbed at my ears, closing my eyes as I stumbled back until I hit a wall. "He's dead, he's dead, I know he's dead. Stop bringing him back, stop it. Stop! I can't do this anymore!"