True Beta

4. Orange

The next day, Derek called Scott and Stiles over to his flat again. 

"I found out more about the true beta." He told them, pulling out an old book from his desk. "I found a journal my family kept with all of the old legends and stories recorded in it. The legend of the true alpha is in there, followed by a short anecdote on the true beta. Like I said yesterday, true alphas are rare enough, but they exist. And, to add to their power, like a normal alpha, they need to build a pack. But, unlike normal alphas, they have the opportunity to find their true beta, their right hand man. Some don't have true betas, and they'll go on normally. Those who don't find them," He looked to Scott, pointing at the open page in the book, "Steadily grow less and less powerful until they're fully human and lose their powers completely. Apparently, this process doesn't happen unless the opportunity presents itself for the alpha to meet their beta. It could be just you walking down the street, you walk by a stranger who happens to be your beta, and you start losing your powers because you didn't bond with them." He shook his head dejectedly."It's all completely by chance."

"So why did I start losing my powers a couple weeks ago?" Scott asked, almost overwhelmed by all of this information. Stiles sat silent, reading over the text in the book.

"Probably because that's when the other alpha rolled into town." Derek answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Since there was an active alpha to give Stiles the bite, the opportunity arose."

Scott and Derek looked over at Stiles, who frowned up at them. "Come on, guys. It can't be me." He stood up. "I'm not a werewolf! If I was going to be one, it would have happened when Peter offered to turn me last year."

Everyone grew silent, thinking. Stiles crossed his arms, then jumpily pointed to the book again. "Okay, in here it says the eyes are a different color. Orange. An orange-eyed werewolf. So wouldn't that be relatively easy to find?"

Derek shook his head. "No, the eyes only look orange once they bond with their alpha. The alpha's eyes will turn orange as well, although they still keep some of the reddish look."

Scott and Stiles jumped at the same time. "The omega!"

"What about it?" Derek asked slowly, alarmed by their sudden movement.

"The omega Scott got saved by the other night!" Stiles told him.

"Their eyes were orange!" Scott finished. "When we made eye contact, their eyes turned orange, and when they stopped looking at me, they went back to normal."

"Well did you recognize them?" Derek asked quickly. "Who was it? Guy or girl?"

"I don't know, I couldn't see them."

"What about their scent?"

"I couldn't smell them either!" Scott shouted, exasperated. "None of my abilities were working, remember?"

Derek growled and turned around, sitting angrily. He paused for a minute, thinking, and finally sighing. "I don't know what to do yet. I'll look more into this and get back to you."

Scott sighed and nodded. "Fine. Alright. Stiles, come on. We gotta go meet Jessica anyways." Scott turned and began walking away, Stiles following slowly. Derek looked after the, confused. He didn't know anyone by the name of Jessica.

They exited, both silent and thinking. Scott's face scrunched up as he tried to remember any details about that night. There was nothing. It was almost as if the werewolf who saved him didn't want to be recognized. They were wearing a hoodie that created a dark shadow on their face. Whoever they were, they were smaller than he was. He struggled to remember any clothes--just a dark hoodie, worn-in jeans and some ratty old sneakers, he thought. He'd never be able to figure this out.

"Are we picking her up?" Stiles asked, breaking Scott's train of thought. 

"What? Oh, no." Scott looked upwards as he walked. "She said she'd meet us there."

Stiles nodded, continuing walking along. They got in his jeep, still quiet. The entire drive to Scott's house was spent in silence, neither making eye contact with the other. Scott was struggling to remember any other details, but all he could think about was how Allison had been ignoring him the past two days. What was up with her?

Stiles was thinking of Jessica again, and about her smile. She had become friends with them so easily, with a simple conversation about her jeep. Afterwards, it was all downhill: She got along with them, Scott's mom when she had come home that night, and Stiles' dad when they went to his house to grab his chemistry book. All of their lame jokes had been funny to her, and she had teased him whenever he made a bad pun. All of the stories she told him made him laugh, and every moment spent laughing he had found himself falling harder, falling faster, and falling more for her with every playful punch accompanied by, "Shut up, Stiles."

"What's with the long faces?" Jessica asked when they pulled up to Scott's house. Both of them looked up at her, and then to each other.

"Uh, long day." Scott offered, shrugging it off.

"It's one in the afternoon, on a Saturday…" Jessica replied, furrowing her brows at them. 

Stiles smirked. "What, did you just wake up? We've been up for hours!" He walked past her, playfully pushing her as he walked by. "Lazy bones, we had work to do. We were productive citizens this morning!"

Jessica laughed. "So? Sleeping is productive! Restoring the brain and all."

"Technically not true." Stiles argued, raising his brows when he looked at her. "At least, not according to the latest researchers."

Jessica rolled her eyes, stepping into Scott's house after him. "Sorry I haven't read my latest issue of Nerds Magazine."

Scott laughed at them, following behind into his own house and shutting the door. They were in for an interesting night.