Grievances (Book Three Of Hale Wolves For Teen Wolf :))

Ch. 24: The Divine Move

No one was handling Allison's death well.

I stood back in the loft again, when Derek lit a lighter against Ethan's wounds, Aiden standing by the windows when Derek finished, putting the lighter away. "You should be okay in a few hours. Unless whoever shot you manages to find you again."

Aiden started to walk for the door. "Lydia's with Scott. We need to go."

"Are you gonna try to convince her to go with you?" I asked.

Aiden looked back at us, Ethan by his side. "I'm gonna try to convince her to run and hide. Like any sane person would do."

"And Danny?" Derek asked, looking at Ethan.

"Allison's dead," Ethan said. "Stiles is dying. What do you think?"

"I think Danny won't believe you. And Lydia would never run and hide."

"Because of Stiles?" Aiden asked.

"Because of Scott," Derek answered. 'You've been trying to find a way into his pack. Trying to earn his trust, trying to fight for him. You've had it wrong the whole time. You don't fight for a leader. You fight for a leader's cause."

"What cause?" Aiden asked.

"Scott's always been about one thing," I told him. "Saving his friends. He will do anything and everything to save the people he cares about. When there's no chance of winning, he keeps fighting. When all hope is lost, he finds another way. And when he's beaten down, he stands up again. You want to leave? Fine. But I'm going to fight for his cause." I walked past them to the door, turning back to face them as they all looked at me. "But if you want to earn a place in his pack? You want redemption?" I opened the door, stepped out. "Find another way to stand and fight."

I slid the door closed, going to stand and fight.

And I knew where they would be.

*

Outside of the clinic, Stiles and Kira were stepping out of his Jeep, Stiles almost falling in the process.

I caught him before he fell.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Stiles asked.

"Hi to you too, Stiles," I said, wrapping one of his arms around my shoulders as we walked inside, Kira following.

We walked into the clinic as Lydia said, "Something's happening. I had this sudden rushing feeling, like we're running out of time."

'Yeah," Stiles said, making them look toward us as I unwrapped his arm from off my shoulders. "Yeah, I kind of got that feeling too.

*

Out of the Jeep, Lydia helped Stiles to the doors of the school.

Scott was about to walk in when Stiles said, "Wait, Scott." He looked over each of us. "I know what you're all thinking. If this works, it might kill me too. But even if it does, you have to go through with it. Stick with the plan, okay?"

"The plan is to save you," Scott told him. "That's the plan I'm going with."

Scott, Kira and I walked in first with Lydia and Stiles following into a snow-filled room, snow continuing to fall around us. Very formal, with a bridge, statues and trees.

The big, thick, dark colored doors creaked closed behind us.

This compromised everything.

"Oh, this is definitely not part of the plan," I sat with a slow sigh.

*

Kira held her hand out to catch the falling snow.

Behind us, the real version of the Nogitsune, wrapped in cloth, walked closer, all of us turning as Kira pulled out her katana sword.