Derek looked down at his phone while he was watching Peter research the information he had on the Kanima and he frowned.
Peter smelled his confusion and he looked up from his research, he asked, "What is it?"
Derek showed him the phone and he replied, "It's Lydia."
Peter rolled his eyes when Derek continued to just stare at his phone and he said, "Well? are you going to answer it?"
Derek answered and he snapped, "Lydia."
Lydia sighed in relief. "Thank god. I need your help, it's Stiles."
Derek frowned and he asked, "What?"
Lydia took a deep breath and she said, "I saw some men throw Stiles into a black SVU after the Lacrosse game during the chaos when Jackson died."
Peter's head snapped up when he heard that and he made grabby hands motions for the phone. He said, "What do you mean Jackson died?"
Lydia huffed, "He died on the field at the end of the game. All the lights went out and when they came back on he was dead on the field. But that's not the point, the point is the men I saw snatch Stiles from the field. No one believes me."
Peter reassured, "We do. Are you still at the school?"
Lydia snapped, "Give me back to Derek, I trust him not to be a total creeper."
Peter rolled his eyes and he silently passed the phone back to Derek. "Lydia."
She asked, "Can you meet me at the school, I will wait by my car."
Derek agreed and he hung up. He turned to Peter and he demanded, "Bring your laptop, you can research more on the way to the school."
Peter nodded and he gathered up his laptop and the notes he had made. On the way he explained, "I think she can bring back Jackson. I also think its a trap, one designed by both Scott and Gerard. You already said you heard Scott conspiring with Gerard at the police station."
Derek nodded angrily, he was tired of Scott putting Allison and her family before everyone else. He pulled into the car park and he stalked up to Lydia with Peter behind him.
He demanded, "What happened?"
Lydia with shaking hands explained the game, how Stiles was subbed in because Scott went missing. That he scored the last two goals of the game, winning them the championship.
Derek was about to interrupt with impatience but Peter put his hand on his forearm and shook his head to stop him. He mouthed 'just wait'.
She then went through the terror of the field floodlights all going out and people running around and panicking. She saw at the end of the field where Stiles had been celebrating his goal shadows in black grab him and force him into a waiting SUV.
Derek started to growl lowly. Lydia then explained how she got distracted when she saw Jackson dead on the field with Melissa yelling at her to help give him CPR to try and restart his heart. When he was bundled into the ambulance she heard Sheriff Stilinski calling out for Stiles and she approached him with Scott and Isaac close behind her. She explained what she saw at the end of the field only for Scott to argue with her saying she must be wrong. That Beacon Hills is too small for random kidnappings of a teenager, that he likely ran off in fear like everyone else when the lights went off.
Derek snarled at this, he growled, "Scott knows better than anyone what sort of dangers hunters pose. That he is willing to ignore a report of his so-called best friend being taken makes me wonder if he knew it was going to happen."
Lydia demanded, "Look, I know there is more to this. It's Beacon Hills, nothing is ever normal here."
Derek with help from Peter gave Lydia a crash course to the last 6 years in Beacon Hills. Peter even apologized for biting Lydia, he explained that wolves avoid biting banshees as it can create a bond stronger than a normal pack bond.
Lydia frowned, "That's what I am, that's why I could resurrect you?"
Peter nodded, but before he could reply she demanded, "So why didn't I scream when Jackson died. I could feel something but…"
Peter turned and he pulled his laptop out of the Camaro and he put it on the trunk, he started to pull up the kanima research. He started saying "Shit shit shit shit. This is bad, this is very very bad."
Lydia looked over his shoulder and she started reading through some of the research. She asked, "It says there that an alpha kanima can't be beaten. Is that what Jackson is turning into?"
Derek frowned and he asked, "Where does it say that?"
Lydia pointed to the Latin under the image of the kanima standing face on.
Peter nodded, "If he evolves we are screwed." He scrolled down so she could understand why.
Lydia paled, an impressive feat, she said, "That thing has wings, according to the description impervious wings. Bullet, claw, and knife proof wings."
Derek swallowed nervously, he asked, "Can we stop the evolution?"
Peter looked at Lydia before he scrolled down further. He explained, "You can. If he can find his sense of self before he fully evolves he will complete his change to a werewolf rather than an alpha kanima."
Lydia asked, "How can I do that."
Peter smirked, and he snarked, "To quote the great manipulator Albus Dumbledore, Love. Your love for him should be enough to pull him back. You just need to find a tangible symbol of that love."
Lydia's hand flew to her necklace where Jackson's key was hanging. She murmured, "That won't be a problem. But how do we get to him?"
Peter suggested, "Why don't you go see what Scott wants? Then start searching for Stiles. Scott keeps calling you and he won't stop until you do what he wants. My failure of a beta is like a rabid dog with a bone sometimes. I can take Lydia to the morgue and we can try and wake Jackson before Gerard calls him."
Lydia pointed at the laptop and she asked, "You have to kill him again?"
Peter read through what she found and he nodded, "Yes, but it's just as temporary as his evolution. When he wakes he will be a wolf."
Lydia turned to Derek and she implored, "You have to find him. It was dark but there were four distinct shadows that grabbed him. The SUV was fairly nondescript but it was parked right by the entrance to the field so you might be able to pick up their scents."
Derek nodded and he walked off to the locker room to meet with Scott and Isaac. He went into the meeting playing dumb about Jackson, he explained that if Jackson was dead it was because Gerard wanted him to be and but that the pair of them should prioritize searching for Stiles. As he was leaving he heard Scott receive a call from his mother about Jackson being covered in a fluid and starting to move. Scott reassured his mother he was on his way and asked her to meet himself and Isaac at the staff entrance.
Derek headed back to where Lydia saw Stiles being grabbed and he sent off a text to Peter.
To Peter: Jackson covered in fluid and moving, Scott and Isaac on their way to the hospital.
From Peter: Already here, Melissa by staff entrance so we are moving Jackson to a different floor. I will be in touch. Concentrate on finding Stiles.
Derek took a large sniff of the area and he was almost overwhelmed with the various scents. He started to parse out the usual school smells until he recognized one that unquestionably didn't belong and it smelt recent. Wolfsbane.
To Peter: Going to Argents, it looks like his goons took Stiles.
From Peter: Stay safe, keep in touch. We will head there once Jackson is awake.
Derek jumped into the Camaro and he took off to the Argent house. When he arrived he noticed that only Chris' car was in the drive, he could smell the scent of Stiles and fear and an older scent of Erica and Boyd. He stormed up to the front door and started pounding on it.
Chris opened the door surprised and he demanded, "What!"
Derek snarled, "Where is Stiles, I know he is here I can smell him."
Chris frowned and he asked, "Why do you think he is here?"
Derek explained, "During the chaos at the school four goons in black snatched him from the field. I could smell wolfsbane at the site where he was shoved into an SUV and I can smell him here." Starting to lose all patience he moved toward Chris menacingly and he demanded, "Where. Is. He?"
Chris moved back and Derek started to follow the scent into the kitchen, he saw the stairs going down and he asked, "What's down there?"
Chris shrugged, "It's just the basement, Gerard has been using it while he is here."
Derek stormed down and he saw the keypad, he turned to Chris and he demanded, "Open it!"
Chris said, "I can't, I don't have the code. Just break down the door."
Derek started punching the door until he had a hole big enough to step through, he froze when he stepped through and he saw his betas strung up to the ceiling being electrocuted and Stiles lying in a puddle of blood on the floor. He turned to Chris and he demanded, "Get them down, gently."
Chris moved to shut off the generator and he pulled their gags out of their mouths. Erica stammered, "Gerard thought he was a wolf. He was torturing us all for information on Derek. He got angry when he realized he had grabbed a 'pack pet' and stabbed him in a rage before he left.
Derek started to catalog the various injuries that Stiles had suffered in the few hours since he was taken. He went to pull the knife out but Chris stopped him.
Chris said, "If you pull that knife out he will bleed out in minutes." Chris dropped his head, he couldn't believe he was about to suggest the bite but he said, "Derek, you need to bite him. He won't survive otherwise."
Erica and Boyd slid in beside Stiles on the other side from Derek, they didn't care that they were getting covered in Stiles' blood from the pool on the floor. They reached out and started to take his pain.
Derek rubbed his knuckles up and down Stiles' sternum trying to elicit a pain response and wake him up. He would prefer to have Stiles' consent before biting him.
"Stiles," Derek roared into his ear, "Wake up!"
Stiles turned his head away from Derek and he mumbled, "…'m 'wake. Wha?"
Derek cupped his cheek and he turned his face so he could see Derek. He asked, "Stiles?"
He could see the recognition in Stiles' eyes, so he asked, "You know you are dying?"
Stiles with a tear falling nodded slowly, so Derek continued and he asked, "Do you want the bite?"
Stiles snarked, "Peter's gonna be pissed." He held out his wrist and he said, "Bite me, alpha."
Derek shifted into his beta shape and he bit down on the inside of Stiles' wrist. When he was done he gently interlaced their fingers and he rested Stiles arm down across his chest. Boyd unleashed his claws and he gently sliced Stiles lacrosse jersey off so they could all see when the injuries on his chest started to heal.
While waiting he turned to Chris and he asked, "What is your father planning?"
Chris shrugged, "I don't know. He's lost it and he's pulled Allison into whatever he is doing. She threatened to shoot me last night if I didn't help her bring in your betas."
Derek could hear a car pull up and he asked Chris, "My uncle and three others just arrived, can you let them down here please."
Chris returned a few minutes later with bottles of water as he led Peter, Isaac, Lydia, and Jackson down to the basement. Chris put the bottles near Stiles and he asked, "How's he looking."
While Stiles still had his eyes closed he snarked, "Like a million bucks." He was starting to sound a bit stronger. Stiles cracked an eye open when he could hear crying. He saw Lydia standing near the stairs being comforted by Jackson. Jackson commented, "Stilinski, I know you like to celebrate your birthday with a bang, but isn't this taking it a bit far."
Stiles chuckled, "I had your scaly drama to compete with, had to go big."
Everyone was looking between them wondering what was going on. Peter moved in beside Derek and inspected Stiles' injuries, he looked at Derek and he said, "You should be able to start easing the knife out now, just take it slow so the wound can heal as you go."
Stiles, however, refused to let go of Derek's hand so Peter firmly gripped the handle of the knife and he braced his other hand on Stiles' stomach at the base of the entry wound and he started to ease it out slowly.
When the knife was halfway out Stiles asked, "Has anyone called my dad?" When he saw they all had blank looks he said, "Call the station, they will patch you through. He is likely on his own so ask him to come here."
Lydia made the call, she let him know they had found Stiles and asked him to come to the Argent house.
Peter had almost finished pulling the knife out when they heard the siren of a cruiser approaching. Jackson raced up the stairs to let him in.
Peter just managed to get the knife all the way out when the Sheriff came running down the stairs, he stopped in shock at the bottom of the stairs when he saw Stiles lying in a pool of blood, clearly his own and he could see the four around him with black veins flowing up their arms where they were touching Stiles.
Stiles cleared his throat and he said, "Hey Daddio, it's not as bad as it looks."
Noah laughed, he said, "Well, it looks like you nearly died, especially if that knife and matching stab wound is anything to go by," he looked down at the hand being held by Derek and the bite mark he could see the edge of, "So you took the bite and everyone is draining your pain while they wait for the bite to take."
Stiles jaw dropped and he started to sit up. Erica moved behind him and helped him into a sitting position.
Stiles demanded, "You know?"
Noah nodded, he explained, "Talia brought me in on the secret not long after I was elected. She said it was unlikely I would need the knowledge but it was tradition to make sure the sheriff was in the know. She said it was important to know who to contact at the courthouse for supernatural cases."
Lydia picked up Derek's phone from where it was sitting on the floor. She said, "You have 17 missed calls from Scott."
Derek shrugged and he said, "I know."
The phone started ringing again, Derek used his free hand to grab the phone and he snapped, "What!"
The wolves in the room could all hear Scott at the other end. "Derek! I need your help. I have Jackson and he's changing." They all turned to look at Jackson who shrugged. "Stiles' research said he needed to be killed before he changed."
Stiles shook his head and he mouthed, 'not my research'.
Derek barked, "Where are you, I will come to you once I am done patrolling."
Scott sighed in relief, "I will text you the address, see you soon."
Scott hung up and a few seconds later an address in the industrial district came through.
Stiles broke the silence, "So he's clearly a few crackers short of a full box."
Derek explained, "He's been working with Gerard, I overheard them talking after the massacre at the station."
Stiles pondered, "So clearly Gerard wants you at this warehouse and since Jackson is here he's counting on you not communicating with anyone and not knowing that Jackson is missing." Stiles looked at his dad and he asked, "Who else at the station knows?"
Noah thought about who was on shift and he answered, "Tara, Williams, Bagley, and Steele. We are also pretty sure our newbie Parrish is supernatural, Steele said he smells like flames."
Stiles asked, "Can you call them here? Also is your laptop in the cruiser?"
Noah nodded and he headed out to the cruiser to grab his laptop and he called the five deputies to the Argent house.
Stiles asked, "Does someone have a top I can wear?"
Jackson nodded, "I have some spare clothes in Lydia's car that should fit."
Chris took them all upstairs, he left everything in the basement as is. He knew the evidence of the kidnapping and attack would be gathered by the deputies. He showed Stiles to a bathroom where he could clean up. Stiles still refused to let go of Derek's hand so Derek went with him to help clean off the wounds on his back.
Stiles murmured quietly, "You know I research everything right?"
Derek nodded, not sure where Stiles was going with his question. Stiles smiled and he prodded his bite scar with his other hand. He said, "So you know I understand the significance of bite locations for the turn right?"
Derek shook his head, he whispered shamefully, "You're too young. I was waiting until you turned 18 before I approached you about it."
Stiles' expression softened, he whispered into Derek's ear, "Happy birthday to me. I turned 18 today."
He saw the disbelief on Derek's face and after what Kate put him through he understood it so he pulled out his wallet and he showed Derek his driver's license showing that he truly was 18.
Stiles cupped Derek's cheek with his hand and he whispered, "I know what it means, but I also know what you have been through and I won't push. When you are ready I will be here. Ok?"
Derek nodded and he pulled Stiles into a hug. He whispered, "I am sorry you got taken. I thought keeping my distance would keep you off his radar."
Stiles snorted, "My so-called friendship with Scott is what got me on his radar. I think Scott spilled the beans about how I was important to you. At least that's what I assume based on Gerard's demented ravings about how I was supposed to be a wolf, that pack humans are never important to the alpha and other seriously crazy thoughts. Let's go plan how to take out the betraying bastard and his cronies."
Stiles found a jersey waiting outside the door, it was Jackson's spare lacrosse jersey. He walked into the living room wearing it and he snarked, "Admit it, Jackson, this is a dream come true for you." Jackson laughed and he replied, "Yep, my worst nightmare."
Stiles was still laughing when his father handed over his laptop. Stiles logged into the sheriff department systems and he asked, "What's the address Scott wants you to go to?" Derek pulled out his phone and he read out the address of the warehouse. Stiles pulled up cameras close to the warehouse and he could see 3 SUVs, Allison's car, and Scott's dirt bike parked outside. He rewound through the last few hours and he figured out there were six hunter goons with Gerard, Allison, and Scott.
He took screenshots of each of the goons and he showed them to Chris as he asked, "Do you recognize any of them?"
Chris nodded, "They are all very loyal to Gerard more than the code. They are the type you point at a target and they don't care if its an innocent target or not. They will resist arrest, violently."
Stiles asked coldly, "Is there anyone else who will come after us if Gerard dies tonight?"
Chris shook his head, "I got word earlier that he has been disowned by the main Argent clan in France. They have already dispatched a team to bring him in. Dead or Alive."
Stiles' eyes flashed briefly and everyone in the room except Derek and Peter all gasped. He snapped his head up and he demanded, "What?"
Lydia pulled a compact out of her purse and she held it up to Stiles' face. She said, "Flash your eyes, Stiles."
He flashed them again and he saw them shining a bright alpha red. He turned to Derek and he raised an eyebrow with a glance at his wrist. Derek nodded so Stiles shrugged and he went back to the laptop.
He pulled up a rough blueprint of the building and he used the cameras to figure out where the goons were stationed.
He looked up and he assessed everyone gathered. He looked hard at Parrish and he asked, "What are you?"
Parrish smirked and he let his eyes glow a bright orange. "Hellhound. Technically immortal, bullets don't affect me nor does wolfsbane."
Stiles asked, "Can you shadow travel?"
Parrish shook his head, "Not yet, I am still learning, I can blend into the shadows though."
Stiles looked at Derek and he asked, "Can you call Scott and say you are on your way soon you are just doing one last patrol looking for me."
Stiles pulled up the camera live views and he saw the goons shift when they heard the phone ring.
When Scott answered Derek stated, "I am heading to you soon, I am just doing one more sweep looking for Stiles."
Derek could hear Scott ask in the background, "I thought you took care of Stiles?"
Derek nearly snarled when he heard Gerard confirm that Stiles was taken care of and Allison's comment of good riddance.
Derek barked, "Scott!"
Scott snapped, "Stiles is fine, just get here, Jackson is moving around and he is close to waking up."
Derek hung up and he roared his displeasure.
Stiles' expression went even colder than anyone in the room was aware it could go and he said, "We take them all. Obviously, Scott was aware I was going to be taken and tortured tonight." He looked at his dad and he asked, "Could that be classed as conspiracy to kidnapping?"
Noah nodded. He said, "We have restraints designed to hold a werewolf, so he will be arrested with the others."
Stiles looked at Parrish and he asked, "How do you feel about knocking out the hunters that are waiting outside for our arrival," Stiles pulled up the floor plan and he pointed out the location of the hunters. "Once we have them contained in the prisoner van we can go inside and take out the other three as a group."
Peter commented, "Once inside you and Derek should be able to roar Scott into submission since he is effectively an omega."
Stiles turned to Jackson, "How do you feel about a bit of drama?"
Jackson asked, "What were you thinking?"
Stiles smirked, "You and me flanking Derek as he walks into the warehouse. All three of us in our beta shifts."
Jackson blushed and he said, "Well, how about I take it a bit further?"
Stiles raised an eyebrow in question so Jackson showed off his tail and claws all dripping in venom. Everyone jumped when Chris grabbed a tumbler from the sideboard and he demanded, "Drip as much as you can in here, I can load it into my tranq darts. We can use them to take them out once we find out what the hell is going on."
Parrish asked, "Is that the paralytic the station has been asking about?"
Chris nodded, so Parrish asked, "Can you load some in a syringe, I can use it on the hunters outside and lean them against a wall so if the others see them they will think they are fine."
Chris nodded and he moved to the garage to get the venom loaded into the darts and the syringe. He came back with three dart guns and a couple of syringes all capped and loaded with venom. He handed the venom to Parrish before he asked, "Who are the best shots?"
The deputies all pointed at the Stilinskis. Chris raised an eyebrow, so Stiles answered, "I was raised by a lawman, I know my way around guns and I spend a fair amount of time at the range with Dad. I am trained on both pistols and rifles and this year now that I am 18, dad is planning to train me how to use a sniper rifle."
Chris nodded and he handed over a dart gun to each of them. He said, "I don't trust myself with Gerard or Allison, as disgusted as I am with their actions, they are still family so I will shoot Scott."
Stiles snarled, "I want Gerard. I want to see the look in his eyes when he realizes he's at my mercy."
Derek gripped him around the back of the neck, he said, "He will pay, maybe at the hands of the justice system but he will pay."
Noah remarked, "That leaves me with Allison."
Derek said, "I don't want to give them a warning, so when I step back I want you three to shoot."
They all nodded in agreement. Noah went outside with the deputies to the cruisers to get kitted up in bulletproof vests. He took Lydia with him to wear the spare vest he had just in case.
Derek looked to Jackson and Stiles and he asked, "Are you both sure you want to risk this?"
They both nodded resolutely, they were done with being abused by the old man.
Everyone moved out to the vehicles and headed to the warehouse. They all stopped a block away and with Parrish, in the lead, they moved toward the warehouse.
Parrish slowly made his way around the warehouse, sticking to the shadows as he injected each hunter with kanima venom, enough to keep them paralyzed for a few hours. Once they were all incapacitated the pack moved to handcuff them and then load them all into the cruisers. Tara stayed back with one of the spare syringes and she sent Bagley to swap out his cruiser for one of the prisoner transport vans, the one loaded with runes for transporting supernatural creatures.
The pack and the deputies all gathered at the main entry doors behind Derek, Stiles, and Jackson. Stiles checked his dart gun and he tucked it into the back of his jeans. Chris and Noah both cringed at the action but they understood it.
Noah, Chris, Parrish, Steele, and Williams spread out evenly through the pack with their weapons ready. Noah and Chris were both armed with a dart gun in one hand and a handgun in the other. Noah whispered, "We give them a few minutes alone then we all move in as a group, fan out behind those three."
Derek, Stiles, and Jackson moved in through the main doors and Derek approached the waiting group with Jackson and Stiles wolfed out at his side.
Derek said impassively, "Clearly you lied to get me here Scott. So, what do you want?"
Scott was looking at Stiles and Jackson, he was shocked to see they were both wolves. He yelled, "He threatened my mom."
Stiles rolled his eyes and lisping a little around his fangs he said, "More like he was offered Allison since Chris and Victoria refused to let them date. If he's willing to have his so-called best friend killed, he would be willing to do anything to have Allison."
Scott snarled, "At least I am not siding with the Hales. At least I am not their bitch."
Stiles snarked, "No, you're worse, you are a hunters bitch. No pack will ever touch you, Scott. Not when word spread that you betrayed the local pack and sided with hunters to kill off your friends."
Derek heard the pack moving in behind him and he roared, "Why am I here, Scott?"
Gerard chuckled, he asked, "Do you think your little show of force will stop me? I want the bite and you are going to give it to me."
Jackson tilted his head and he asked, "Why? You're a hunter and your code says you have to die if you are bitten."
Scott said, "He has cancer. I could smell it on him when he confronted me at the hospital."
Gerard smiled, "That's right Scott, stage four, terminal cancer. Modern medicine has no cure. But the supernatural does. Scott, You know what you have to do."
Before Scott could move Derek grinned and he took a step back. In one smooth move Noah, Chris, and Stiles had shot their targets and they watched them fall paralyzed to the ground. The deputies moved forward to cuff them but Stiles gestured them away from Gerard.
He crouched down and he smiled as he saw the fear in Gerard's face. Stiles cupped Gerard's face with his clawed hand and in a parody of affection he leaned forward so their foreheads were touching as he murmured, "You are going to regret the day you mistook me for a wolf as you rot in prison." He moved back and tapped his cheek a few times before letting the deputies move forward and arrest him.
Derek moved and gathered him into a hug. He kissed Stiles' temple and he murmured, "It's over. You're safe." Into Stiles' ear until Stiles stopped trembling.
As Derek looked around at ragtag group he knew there were challenges on the horizon but they would be a strong pack that would face them.