The Pack

Chapter 9: Bodies

Maria is dreaming. She's in the shower and hears someone say her name. She turns off the water. When she pulls back the shower curtain, she sees the SDCI Basketball Court. The crowd in the stands is cheering for her. Some of them hold signs that say "We Love You Maria." Maria walks out onto the court and she is wearing her dress from the dance last year. While most of the crowd is cheering wildly, one girl seems terrified. Luca walks out onto the field and attacks Maria, knocking her to the ground and pulling himself on top of her.

She wakes up with her bed full of dirt. Hallucination Luca is now reclining in bed next to her. He explains that he can't leave her alone yet and is not yet real. He then explains that his plan is set for the full moon in March, also known as the "Worm Moon," called this because it is the last moon of winter and the worms literally crawl out of the earth as it thaws. The next full moon is on her birthday and is the night Luca's plan will come to fruition. He then shows her three visions of her birthday party. One in which everyone is dancing and having a good time followed by one where everyone is blood spattered and dead. The final vision of the party has all the guests standing still, just staring at her. The implication being that if she doesn't follow his plan, everyone will die. He then pontificates about Maria's immunity and how her friends haven't let her in on the supernatural secrets. When she asks what it is she is immune to, he shows her a vision of himself as The Ancient One busting through her kitchen window.

Mr. Preston is cleaning his friend's werewolf bites at home. He keeps reassuring her that they are not very deep. Lockwood comes down the stairs into the basement. Mr. Preston tries to convince him that the wounds are not that bad and that they can't know for sure that she is infected. Lockwood isn't buying it. He says it is a bite from his pack and that she is already dead. He describes his friend as a "thing" a "cocoon waiting to hatch". Mr. Preston protests, thinking of RJ's feelings and the fact that they just lost Shane but Lockwood says he won't play "Poisoned King" to Mr. Preston's "Hamlet" meaning he won't be the one that forces him to do what he knows he must, as no magical being has ever survived a werewolf bite.

Marco and Dakota conclude that they can't save Katy. Marco points out that they can't seem to kill her either. Marco says he's never seen anything like the familiar and that every new moon will make her stronger. Dakota suggests they leave Katy to the shaman but Marco feels responsible for letting this go on so long and must do it himself.

RJ drops Steph off after their date. She apologizes for trying to kiss him and he tells her to forget about it. She asks about his relationship with Dakota. He says they're not really together anymore and that it's complicated. She exits the car forgetting her bag and camera inside. RJ looks through the pictures on the camera screen. There are a few of the basketball team but most of them are of him. Some of the pictures, from outside his house at night, are obviously taken with a telephoto lens. Steph returns to the car to retrieve her bag and catches him looking at the photos. He lies about what he saw and she asks him to come in to see some candid shots she has of him on her computer. He declines. She insists. He declines and drives away.

In the lair, Lockwood opens his big trunk of torture and begins removing the chains and other devices he'll use to lock up his pack during the full moon. Wong notices the triple spiral on the inside lid of the trunk. Dillan explains that it's a Triskelion. He says the spirals mean different things; past, present, future or mother, father, child. He speculates their significance to Lockwood would be Alpha, Beta and Omega. Lockwood agrees and says the spirals remind us that we can all rise to one or fall to another. Betas can become Alphas but Alphas can fall to Betas or even Omegas. Wong says Dakota is like an Omega but Lockwood says Dakota will be part of the pack soon and Marco will come back to them.

Lockwood explains that the bloodlust that takes over werewolves on the full moon is the price they pay for their power, the ability to heal balanced by the desire to kill anything they can find during a full moon. Eric makes a period joke saying he's glad his time of the month passed last week.