red riding hood | void stiles [au]

nineteen ; present

CHAPTER NINETEEN: BURNING JUST RIGHT PT. 1

CRYING OVER SOMEONE SHE had barely met was yet another thing that was new to her, but the action came about unwillingly, contorting a heartfelt night into a miserable one. Really it had been the brokenness on Scott's face that had set her off, reminding her of the day she had came face-to-face with her home and family burnt to the crisp, tears easily gliding down her cheeks. Though, they did have one significant thing in common: they both were Void's doing.

Before an ambulance had arrived along with the police, Scott and her had shown up to the scene of the crime, the preserve, where they had hoped that the message the werewolf had gotten from that blocked number was false. The cryptic, proud sound of the nogitsune's voice over the line still gave him chills, but Scott felt completely sick to his stomach when he saw her on the dirty ground, lifeless. He felt like he couldn't keep anyone safe anymore.

All the different scenarios where he stopped Malia from leaving flooded his mind tauntingly, knowing all it would have took was one sentence, one flicker of change for everything to be different. He was supposed to save people, and what did he get? What did Scott get despite all of this effort and the sleepless nights of trying to fix things? He got another cold, dead body lying right before him. Right when things were starting to look up, they spiraled out of control, and he didn't know what to do other than watch with red eyes and a broken heart while they put her in a body bag.

Neither don't really remember how they got through the questions a deputy had asked him, the sheriff too pained to ask them himself due to the fact that was his son's girlfriend and he was absolutely terrified about his boy's safety. Not even Scott could muster up any form of reassurance, wondering where he went from here or if there was anywhere to go. It seemed like he had finally lost, that there was no longer a solution to any of this.

The werewolf barely felt how Prudence carefully took his car keys from his hand because of how much shock he was in, but eventually he turned his head slightly to see what she was doing. "I'll drive."

Pru examined how he could barely allow himself to nod before slowly dragging himself to the passenger side, angry that this had to happen, that Void had to do this. If only... if only she had left him alone and let him suffer and not let the painful fact that she missed him consume her, then none of this would've happened. She was convinced all of this was her fault, and the least she could do was take a deep breath, pull herself together, and be strong for the person who had been strong for her.

She didn't hesitate to start heading for the McCall household, dried tear stains still visible on her face, but she would always glance over at the hurting alpha at least once every minute, concerned. A feeling that she could only classify as worry spread throughout her chest, the sight of the spaced-out boy probably only thinking negative thoughts practically fueling it. It was so unlike him. Scott was the kind of person who always had a hint of smile on his face and stayed hopeful... no matter how bad things were. She hoped he was going to be okay.