Dark Side of the World // S.S. [Book Two]

Chapter 20

We head back to Scott's and when Stiles sees his best friend, he asks, "Hey, is Kira okay? Scott?"

Scott ignores Stiles and rushes up the stairs. I immediately follow and see Scott insert his claws in the back of Corey's neck. Something is going on with both my friends. Stiles is hiding something and Scott is acting without thinking. He's like me rushing into battle; not thinking and acting reckless.

Everyone joins and Lydia warns, "Don't get too close."

"What is he doing?" Theo asks curiously.

"Tapping into Corey's memories. It's usually something only alphas do."

I catch a suspicious glint in Theo's eye. "Is it as dangerous as it looks?"

Stiles flicks his eyes to Theo. "Probably more."

"Does anyone know if it's working?" Mason asks.

Corey repeats the word no over and over and Scott falls backward moments later. I rush up to him to help steady him and Scott gives a nod of thanks.

Corey places a hand on the back of his neck. "What the hell did you to to me?"

"You'll be alright." Scott says.

"There's blood."

"You'll heal."

"Scott..." I warn.

Scott turns to me and glares. "He'll be fine!" I meet his gaze with my "wolf stare". Scott's eyes immediately soften. "I'm sorry. Listen...I think it worked. I saw something." He grabs a notepad and begins sketching an image. "There were tunnels. Pipes along the wall. There were these huge plue popes at the entrance. Two on both sides."

Stiles leans in closer. "Wait a second. I know this. I've seen this before. That's one of the tunnels I used to skateboard in. Remember my dad caught me one time and told me to never go back?"

Lydia's eyes widen. "It's the water treatment plan. That's where they are. That's where we'll find them."

Scott and I race down the stairs, followed by Stiles. "Scott...Meg. Scott, slow down. Just think for a second, okay?"

I glance to Mason and see him following. "Mason, I think you should stay here."

He frowns at me. "Liam's my best friend. I'm going."

Stiles scoffs softly. "Oh, did you suddenly get super wolf powers? I wasn't aware of that development."

Scott ignores his best friend's words and says to Mason, "Well, if you're not going, I could use the help."

Stiles gives a nod. "No, I'm coming, just as soon as I talk to my dad. They're moving the body and he wants to make sure that this time, no one steals it."

"How is he going to manage that?" I question.

Stiles meets my eye. "I don't know. But whoever took the last one was strong enough to flip my Jeep."

"We can bring Theo." Malia says.

Theo shakes his head. "Maybe I better stay here. You know, in case the Doctors decide to make a house call for Corey."

Lydia steps closer to the boys. "Scott, Stiles is right. We need to slow down and think. Meg, that goes for you too."

Scott narrows his eyes. "I am thinking...about how Liam and Hayden could already be dead."

I glare at Scott's words as Lydia glances back at Corey and says, "You could have hurt him, Scott. Really hurt him."

Scott just keeps walking, followed by me, Malia, and Corey. "I have to find Liam."

I feel a hand take mine and Stiles looks at me with soft eyes. "Hey, text me. For anything."

I nod, giving him a light smile. "Of course."

"For anything, okay?" Stiles replies in a more desperate tone.

"Stiles, I promise, okay?"

He nods, satisfied with my answer, and presses a kiss to my cheek.

When we arrive at the water treatment plant, we start walking down the corridors, pipes on either side of us. The boys are a couple feet ahead of me and Malia. "Liam!" We call.

"Can you catch a scent?" Malia asks after a moment.

Scott shakes his head. "There's too many chemicals."

"Then this might take awhile."

A soft sigh escapes my lips as we continue walking down the hallway. We continue calling out their names and Scott turns to us and says in a breathless voice, "Okay, we need to make sure that we're not covering the same area."

"Scott, do you need your inhaler?" I ask.

"Quiet." He says. "I think I hear something."

Malia seems to hear the same noise. "It's the lights, isn't it?"

Scott motions for us to follow him. "Come on. This way."

Mason lets out an annoyed sigh. "I'm telling you guys, we've been down this one before."

Scott stops and stares towards the end of the tunnel. "What the hell are we doing? We're running up and down this place. Up and down the tunnels. And there's no way..." He takes a moment to catch his breath. "There's no way that we're gonna find..." He continues struggling for air.

"Scott, you need your inhaler." Malia states. "Scott, use it. Use your inhaler."

His wheezing intensifies and he pulls out his inhaler. He takes a puff and his breath returns back to normal. "This is all my fault. We're never going to find them. It's all my fault."

"Scott." Mason says, offering a hand, to which Scott accepts. "We should keep looking. We should keep trying."

Scott looks to me and Malia for confirmation and we nod.

We continue searching, and get informed that Liam and Hayden have been found. I don't even notice the dust and grime covering my skin and clothes.

When we get back to Scott's, Liam and Hayden are cuddling on the couch. I immediately rush over to them and give them a gentle hug. "Are the two of you okay?"

Liam nods. "We are now."

I smile softly. "Get some rest. It's been a long night for you guys. If you need me, I'll be here, okay?"

Hayden smiles. "Thank you, Megara."

As I walk towards the kitchen, I hear voices. Theo and Stiles. I duck behind a corner and listen silently. "I know what you're doing."

"What are you talking about?" Stiles asks angrily.

"Scott and Megara. How are they going to feel when they find out what you've been hiding? How will your precious Meg react?"

Stiles voice betrays him with a slight crack. "Stop it. You don't know how they'll react. How she'll react."

"Well, Scott's a True Alpha, which means he got his power by sheer will and not killing anyone. What would happen if he actually did kill someone? Would he lose his alpha status? What about Megara? Rumor has it she's got a temper. What if something were to make her mad enough to hurt one of her friends? Demigods have this thing called fatal flaws, right? That's if I remember correctly. What is hers? Will she still want you after she knows what you did?"

"You really think I'd tell you?" Stiles retorts. "Just leave us alone!"

"I think they deserve to know. And if a pack member is keeping something from his alpha, I think Scott should know."

What was Theo on about and why does he think I won't want Stiles? Whatever Stiles is hiding, I'm sure he has good reason. Silena for example. She thought she was helping and until I know otherwise, I'm going to assume Stiles is protecting us.