Shattered Bonds

Revelations and Lies

As the hours dragged on, the pack stayed in the loft, regrouping and patching up the damage from the fight. Stiles was exhausted, but his spirit hadn't broken. He was still the same old Stiles-annoyingly resilient, even in the face of everything they'd been through. And that was something Scott was grateful for.

But the unease gnawing at the back of his mind hadn't gone away. Jackson's sudden appearance was unsettling, but it wasn't just Jackson that concerned him. It was the fact that they still didn't know who was really pulling the strings behind the kidnappings, behind all the chaos.

Lydia had been quiet for hours, her brow furrowed as she tried to piece together the fragments of what they had learned. Finally, she broke the silence.

"I've been thinking about it," she said, her voice thoughtful but filled with unease. "This wasn't just about Stiles. They were after more. They wanted to weaken us, to break us down. Jackson was just a diversion."

Scott's eyes widened. "A diversion for what?"

"I don't know yet," Lydia admitted, her fingers tapping nervously on the table. "But I think there's something bigger going on. Someone who's been playing us all from the start. We've been focusing on Jackson and the kidnappers, but there's another player in this game."

Derek stepped forward, his gaze sharp. "So who are we really up against?"

Lydia met his eyes, her voice steady. "I don't know. But I think we're about to find out."

The tension in the room was thick, and Scott could feel it crawling under his skin. The pack was stronger than ever, but they were facing an enemy they didn't fully understand. And the only thing that was clear was that no one was safe.

The next morning, things took a darker turn. The pack had barely settled into a semblance of normalcy when the news broke. The phone call came in the middle of breakfast, and Scott's stomach sank as he answered it.

It was the sheriff.

"They're going after your families," the sheriff's voice crackled over the line, his tone grim. "They're targeting your parents. I've got teams out looking, but they're everywhere. They know where you live."

Scott's heart skipped a beat. His parents. Stiles' parents. The ones who had always been there for them, the ones who had been kept in the dark about the supernatural dangers they faced. But this time, it wasn't just their world at risk. It was their families'.

"They want to hurt us where it counts," Scott said quietly, his fist clenched around the phone.

Derek's eyes narrowed. "Then we need to stop them-now."

"Agreed," Scott said, his voice hardening. "We need to protect our families. We need to end this."

But as they prepared to head out, another phone rang, and this time, it was Stiles' phone. His heart skipped a beat as he looked down at the caller ID. It was a number he didn't recognize.

"Stiles," Scott said softly, looking up at his best friend. "Who is it?"

Stiles looked at the phone for a moment, then answered it. "Hello?"

The room fell silent as Stiles listened, his face slowly paling. He looked at Scott, his eyes wide, filled with disbelief.

"I'll see you soon, Stiles," the voice on the other end said, their tone cold and mocking. "You'll wish you never found out what we've been hiding."

Stiles' hand trembled as he dropped the phone. "It's them," he whispered. "They know everything."

And just like that, the game had changed. The pack was no longer just fighting for survival-they were fighting for the truth.