Brother || Teen Wolf

Chapter 16 - False Alarms

If there was one thing Scott hated, it was disappointing people who had put their trust in him. 

The teen was late for work and worried that Alan Deaton would take it as a lack of interest in his job. Scott was already over-analyzing the situation, in his mind it was clear that being five minutes late was a clear sign of disrespect. He was not a Tate, being late actually affected him.

He secured his bike in front of the small brick building as fast as he dared and then rushed inside. The small bell attached to the door signalled his arrival. Scott almost ran to the back room, passing in front of the multiple posters showing cats and dogs that were displayed on the walls. He got inside, out of breath. He immediately looked at his boss with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

Deaton did not even raise his eyes from the box he was unpacking as he answered, "Scott you're all of two minutes late. There's no need to apologize."

"I don't want you to think I'm slacking," Scott answered while putting his bag in a corner of the room.

"Scott, I guarantee you, you're one of the least slacking kids in this town," the bald man answered kindly.

The teen's fears had been baseless, if not for his theatrical entrance his boss probably wouldn't even have noticed he was late. The man's answer made Scott smile in relief. He helped putting boxes away and storing new equipment before his eyes fell on a silhouette just on the other side of the door.

The Sheriff was there.

Convinced the man had come to arrest him for the attack on the bus driver, Scott panicked. Deaton didn't seem to notice and let the man in -- he was quickly followed by a dog. The sheriff was simply there to get treatment for the dog, this was a veterinary clinic after all. Scott scolded himself for panicking yet again, he really had to learn how to keep his emotions in check if he wanted to survive the supernatural world.

"Hey! Somebody's ready to get their stitches out," Deaton greeted the dog happily.

The sheriff stepped inside the room and took off his sunglasses in a gesture so swift, it made Scott wonder if the Sheriff had actually practiced it. The man noticed Scott standing there.

"Hey Scott, I hope you're staying out of trouble!"

One sentence. One sentence was all it took for Scott to enter panic mode again, convinced there was a darker meaning behind the man's words, one that said "I know what you did and I'll make you pay for it." So obviously, Scott froze in place. 

But Noah Stilinski wasn't paying him any mind, he was more preoccupied about the dog he wanted Deaton to look at and about the case he was trying to solve. The grey-haired man had documents in his hands, documents that he handed over to the veterinarian.

"Hey listen, while I'm here do you mind taking a look at the pictures I was telling you about? The ones from the animal attacks? Sacramento still can't determine an animal and I thought you might have some insight," the man explained.

Deaton was still busy treating the wounded dog and Scott was doing his best to act natural. He wanted to get a look at the files and learn as much as he possibly could. He desperately needed to know what had happened. The not knowing was killing him, the thought of attacking someone and not even remembering it was plaguing him. Oblivious to his protege's anxiousness, Deaton took the documents and scanned over them quickly, a hand still gently resting on the back of the injured dog.

"I"m not exactly an expert," he answered modestly. "This is the guy who was attacked on the bus?"

Scott craned his neck to get a look at the file. He quickly regretted it for he succeeded and was now confronted with a rather gruesome picture of the injuries sustained by the bus driver. Injuries he might be responsible for.

"Yeah," the sheriff answered. "We found wolf hairs on Laura Hale's body but we don't know if it was the same animal."

"Wolf?" Scott couldn't resist asking. "I mean, I think I read somewhere that California doesn't have wolves."

The two men looked at him, making him feel like a deer caught in the headlights. Deaton looked at the pictures again before answering.

"True enough, but wolves are highly migratory. They could have wandered in from another state, driven by impulse or a strong memory." He then pointed at a detail on one of the pictures, motioning for Stiles' father to take a closer look. "See this one? Those are claw marks. A wolf would have gone for the spinal cord of the throat with its teeth."

"So it's not a wolf?" Scott asked almost immediately, earning himself a look from the Sheriff. "Could it be something like a mountain lion?"

"I don't know... A wolf could have done this. They sometimes chase down their prey, hobbling it by the ankles. And then go for the throat."

The sheriff nodded before taking the files back. Scott pondered his boss' words, not knowing what to believe anymore. The only thing he was certain of was that he needed to talk to Derek. The man would have answers, he had to have answers. He had basically been tracking Scott ever since the night he got bitten, following him around and making sure he didn't shift in front of everyone. Maybe he would know something about the bus incident.

Scott tried to focus on work but it was evident he was preoccupied. Deaton being a perceptive man, he noticed something was off and allowed the teen to leave earlier than usual. Scott thanked him profusely and exited the way he had come in, rushing through the doors and almost breaking into a run.

He reached his bike in no time and raced to the Preserve, determined to go to the Hale House to confront Derek. He was growing familiar with the paths inside the woods so the trip didn't take half as long as he had thought. Having reached his destination, the teen let his bike fall to the floor and took a step closer to the house. He cocked his head to the side and focused on the sounds around him. He could hear a heartbeat inside the house. Derek was there. Scott took a deep breath and recited his monologue -- he had rehearsed it on the way.

"I know you can hear me. I know I was part of you getting arrested. I know that I practically announced you being here to the hunters. But I don't know what happened to your sister and I think I did something last night... I need your help."

Scott's little speech had caught Derek's attention. The young man stepped outside the House and stood on the front porch, towering over Scott. He managed to look menacing without even trying.

"Okay."

It was all the older werewolf answered. Taking it as an encouragement to keep going with his story, Scott resumed talking.

"I had a dream about hurting someone. But someone else got hurt," Scott admitted, casting his eyes down. "And it turns out that part of the dream might actually have happened."

"You think you attacked the driver," Derek stated, quickly understanding the situation.

"Did you see what I did last night?" Scott inquired, his voice higher than usual. He was puzzled by the complete absence of reaction from the other werewolf. He didn't look surprised, nor angry. He was just standing there with an unreadable look while Scott's emotions were written all over his face.

"No."

"Can you at least tell me the truth?" Scott asked almost timidly. "Am I going to hurt someone?"

"Yes."

"Could I kill someone?"

"Yes."

"Am I going to kill someone?"

"Probably."

It seemed hard to get the man to talk. However, before Scott could voice his irritation at the man's short responses, Derek spoke again.

"Look, I can show you how to remember. I can show you how to control the shift, even on a full moon."

Scott visibly perked up at his words, his hope of having a semi-normal life somewhat restored.

"But it's not gonna come for free."

Scott's smile vanished as soon as it had appeared. He sighed.

"What do you want?"

"You'll find out. But for now, I'm gonna give you what you want."