Moonlit Desires {Stiles Stilinski} (Teen Wolf)

Pack Mentality

I was already awake when Stiles called at 5 AM. Nightmares about Kate and the Hale fire had kept me up most of the night.

"Scott had a dream about attacking Allison," he blurted before I could even say hello. "Like, wolfed-out, violent dream. And now he's freaking out."

I sat up, instantly alert. "Dreams aren't usually predictive with werewolves. But..."

"But?"

"But Alpha influence can be. Where are you?"

"Picking Scott up for school early. He needs to see that Allison's okay."

I glanced at my sister's room across the hall, where I could hear her getting ready for her morning run. "I'll keep an eye on her. Just... keep him calm until we figure this out."

"That's not all," Stiles added, his voice dropping. "They found another body at the bus depot. Same claw marks as the others."

My stomach dropped. The Alpha was escalating, and now Scott was having violent dreams. Not a coincidence.

"Meet me before first period," I said. "Bring your dad's case files."

"Aww, you want to solve murders together? How romantic."

Despite everything, I smiled. "Shut up, Stilinski."

When I got to school, I found Stiles waiting by his Jeep, a folder of stolen police reports tucked under his arm. The morning fog hadn't lifted yet, giving everything an eerily appropriate atmosphere.

"So," he said as I approached, "this is technically a date, right? Coffee, murder mysteries, supernatural creatures..."

I pulled him behind the Jeep, away from prying eyes. "You have a weird definition of dating."

"Says the guy who keeps wolfsbane in his jacket pocket."

Before I could respond, we heard the commotion. Students were gathering around the bus depot, where police tape cordoned off a bloody crime scene. The sight hit differently now that I knew what we were dealing with.

Scott arrived, pale and shaken. "Guys? That bus... it looks exactly like my dream."

"That's not possible," I started, but then I saw my father's SUV pulling into the parking lot. "Get inside. Now."

As we hurried into the school, I caught Kate watching us from her car across the street. Her presence was becoming more suffocating by the day.

"Your aunt's still lurking," Stiles noted as we claimed an empty classroom to review the files.

"She knows something's up. She always does." I spread out the crime scene photos. "Look at these attack patterns. The Alpha's not just killing randomly."

"They're getting more violent," Stiles observed, standing close enough that I could feel his warmth. "More... deliberate."

Scott paced. "What if I did this? What if the Alpha made me do it?"

"You didn't," I assured him, though I shared a worried look with Stiles. "But... you might have been there."

"What?"

"Alpha influence," I explained. "They can sometimes... call their betas. Make them witness things."

"Witness things?" Stiles' hand found mine under the desk. "Or recruit them?"

Before I could answer, Allison appeared in the doorway. "Drew? Why are you hanging out in empty classrooms?"

I quickly swept the photos into Stiles' backpack. "Just helping Scott with... chemistry."

"Uh-huh." She looked at us skeptically. "Well, Kate's looking for you. Something about family dinner tonight?"

Right. Family dinner. Where Kate would undoubtedly grill me about Scott, about my new friends, about why I wasn't being a proper hunter.

"Tell her I'll be there," I said, trying to sound normal.

After Allison left, Stiles turned to me. "Family dinner with Aunt Psycho? Need backup?"

"You offering to meet the family, Stilinski?"

"Maybe someday." His smile was soft. "When they're less likely to shoot me."

Scott groaned. "Can you two flirt later? We need to figure out what happened on that bus."

He was right. We had a possible murder, an Alpha targeting Scott, and my increasingly suspicious aunt to deal with. Plus, I still hadn't told Stiles everything about what Kate had done to the Hales. About why, Derek was back in town.

"We need to go back," Scott said suddenly. "To the bus. Tonight."

"That's... not a terrible idea," Stiles agreed.

"It's a horrible idea," I argued. "The Alpha could still be watching. Not to mention my family's patrols."

"Then I guess we'll need someone who knows the patrol routes," Stiles said pointedly.

I sighed, already knowing I was going to give in. "Fine. But we do this smart. And you both follow my lead."

"Yes sir, hunter sir," Stiles mock saluted.

"I hate you both," I muttered, but my hand was still holding Stiles' under the desk.

The bell rang, and as we headed to class, I caught sight of Derek lurking by the school entrance. Our eyes met, and I knew he could smell Scott's scent on me, knew I was helping them.

My phone buzzed with a text from Kate: "We need to talk about your new friends, nephew dear."

Just another day of balancing family loyalty, protecting my sister, helping a werewolf, and falling for the sheriff's son who was too smart for his own good.

At least tonight would be interesting.