When the group of detained students finally arrived at the library, Mr. Adrian Harris was already waiting for them, leaning against one of the bookshelves with an indescribable exhaustion on his face. One by one, everyone slinked into their seats.
Sean pulled out a chair, practically threw himself onto it with complete indifference, and nonchalantly propped his legs up on the empty chair across from him. Without sparing anyone a second glance, he covered his face with his thick textbook, completely shutting out the light, and closed his eyes.
Mr. Harris stared at him in silence for a long, quiet moment. He opened his mouth as if to reprimand him, but after remembering the absolute disaster that had just occurred in the locker room, he decided it wasn't worth the headache. He simply let out a deep sigh and turned his attention back to his paperwork.
After a few minutes in the suffocating silence of the library, Scott and Stiles quietly stood up and moved to a dim, secluded table in the back of the room.
"I'm going to kill him," Scott muttered through his teeth, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and leftover fear. "If Sean hadn't been there... I don't even want to think about what would have happened to Allison."
"You're right," Stiles whispered, leaning in closer to the table. "But for now, our priority has to be finding out who holds his leash. Besides, weren't you the one constantly defending him? Saying he helped us defeat the Alpha?"
Scott stared blankly at Jackson, who was sitting a few tables away. "I don't know anymore, Stiles... Honestly, I think we should just put him down."
Stiles placed his hand over his face, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Hey, what about Matt? Wasn't he the one who 'coincidentally' discovered that two-hour gap in the security camera footage? What if he's the one behind all of this?"
Scott looked over at Matt, who was currently hovering around Allison's table, trying to strike up a conversation, then frowned. "You just don't like him, do you?"
"I mean, yeah, that's for sure, but... there's just something seriously off about him," Stiles insisted.
Before Scott could reply, Jackson suddenly groaned in pain, clutching his stomach. His face drained of all color, looking violently ill. Without a word of explanation, he grabbed his bag and practically fled from the library.
The moment the heavy library door shut behind Jackson, Scott and Stiles quickly headed over to the table where Erica was sitting. Sean, on the other hand, was on the adjacent table with the book covering his face, completely detached from the world, continuing to sleep.
As the two boys approached, Erica looked up from her laptop screen.
Scott got straight to the point: "I heard you know something about the death of Jackson's parents."
Erica closed the book in front of her and leaned back. "It was a car accident. My dad was the insurance investigator on that case. Whenever he sees Jackson with that Porsche, the guy always mutters about the massive inheritance he'll get the second he turns eighteen."
Stiles' eyes widened in shock as the pieces in his mind began to connect. "So Jackson isn't actually rich right now... but he will inherit an incredible fortune when he comes of age. There's definitely a connection here."
Erica pulled her laptop closer. "Maybe I can try hacking into my dad's old company emails. Let's see what else I find."
Right at that moment, a loud crackle from the school speakers pierced the silence of the library like a knife.
"Sean McCall and Scott McCall, please report to the principal's office immediately."
Scott and Stiles exchanged a nervous look.
The sound of a chair scraping loudly came from the adjacent table. The textbook slid off Sean's face as he sat up.
"Can't I get a single second of peace in this godforsaken school? Again?!" Sean's voice was filled with pure venom and annoyance.
He stood up and glared down at Scott. "Let's go, little brother. Let's see what nonsense they have this time."
Sean began to lead the way with heavy, angry steps. Scott quickly grabbed his backpack and caught up with him.
The two brothers walked down the quiet hallway and were surprised when they arrived in front of the principal's office. Because the person waiting for them inside wasn't the principal. Mrs. Victoria Argent was standing on the threshold, locking her cold, calculating eyes onto them the moment they arrived.
"Mrs. Victoria," Scott began nervously. "The principal summoned us..."
"No, I summoned you," Victoria interrupted, her voice chillingly calm. She took a step inside, gesturing for them to follow. "Today's detention deeply concerns me. What exactly was Allison doing in that locker room with you, Sean, and Mr. Stilinski?"
She walked over to the desk and picked up the heavy, metal pencil sharpener on it. She inserted a wooden pencil, the grinding noise echoing loudly in the tense silence of the room.
"There is a massive dent in the locker room wall and severe damage to the lockers," Victoria continued, blowing the dust off the sharpened tip as she locked her eyes onto Scott. "You are very lucky that I am here to explain this situation to the school board. You realize that, don't you, Scott?"
Scott swallowed hard, his shoulders tensing. "Yes... we realize."
Beside him, Sean, who had been leaning against the wall until then, finally moved. With a dark, sadistic smile on his lips, he took slow, defiant steps toward the desk.
"If you wanted to talk to my brother, why did you drag me in here?" Sean asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Are you going to demand money for the wall I broke while protecting your daughter? Or maybe..."
Before Victoria could answer, Sean reached out and picked up the freshly sharpened pencil from the desk.
In an instant, the air in the room grew heavy. Wisps of dark, smoky shadow began to coil around Sean's fingers, wrapping around the wooden frame. Under Victoria's stunned gaze, the pencil began to rot, crack, and decay in his grasp, eventually turning entirely into grey ash. Sean slowly opened his hand, letting the ashes pour back onto her mahogany desk.
"Are you trying to threaten us?!" Sean leaned in close to her, a wild predatory intensity flashing in his eyes.
Mrs. Victoria's eyes widened slightly in genuine shock, her breath catching for a fraction of a second. However, she quickly masked her surprise, turning her gaze back to Scott as if Sean hadn't just performed that terrifying display of power.
"I am not threatening you," Victoria said, her voice tighter now. "Actually, I brought you in here to ask your brother if he was sleeping with my daughter."
Scott felt the temperature in the room plummet to absolute zero. He froze on the spot, his face turning bright red. "N-No! No, I'm not."
Victoria stared into Scott's eyes for a moment before turning back to the files on her desk. "You may leave."
The moment they stepped out and the door clicked shut behind them, Sean turned to Scott with a mockingly wide grin. "Wow. I didn't think you could be such a coward."
Scott nudged Sean's shoulder, his face still red. "Oh, shut up. What did you expect me to do? How was I supposed to look her in the eye and say that?"
The brothers shared a rare, genuine laugh as the heavy tension between them dissipated for a brief moment.
"I'm going to the restroom," Sean said, waving a hand. "Go on ahead."
Scott nodded and headed back to the library, where Allison and Stiles were already huddled together, speaking in hushed tones about Jackson.
Ten minutes passed.
Suddenly, a wild sensation rushed over Scott. He snapped his head toward the center of the library just as a deafening crash shook the entire room. Bookshelves toppled like dominoes, sending heavy wooden planks and hundreds of books flying through the air.
Scott quickly shifted into his beta form, his yellow eyes glowing as he scanned the chaos through the dust. He saw Matt lying on the floor, groaning in pain.
"Erica!!" Scott roared.
Almost simultaneously, two more roars echoed through the library. Scott and Erica fully shifted, scanning the area for the attacker.
Right at that moment, another massive bookshelf splintered near Allison and Stiles. In a split-second reaction, Stiles lunged forward, throwing his body over Allison and pulling her out of the way just as the heavy wood crashed down.
But Erica wasn't as lucky. The Kanima lunged from the shadows, its razor-sharp claws slashing across her throat. Erica gasped, her body seizing as the paralyzing venom flooded her system. She collapsed onto the floor, completely helpless.
As Scott desperately tried to run toward Allison and Stiles, a terrifying, bone-chilling roar tore through the library entrance.
"RRRRRRWWWWAAARRRGGGGGHHHH-HAAAAR'AAARRRKKK!!!"
The monstrous shriek vibrated through the library floorboards like an earthquake, shattering the remaining glass windows.
Every head in the room snapped toward the entrance in horror.
Sean stood at the doorway.
Scott and Erica's yellow eyes flickered, their wolves instinctively whimpering and backing down in submission. The thin red lines that usually swirled in Sean's eyes merged, flaring into a brilliant, pure crimson light. Under the flickering, dim lights of the library, his half-shifted face was framed by his wild, black-and-white hair.
Scott, Stiles, and Allison stared at him in absolute shock. Even though Allison had seen a glimpse of his transformation before, she had been too terrified to mention it to anyone; seeing it now—fully realized, a unified, blood-red color—left her utterly breathless.
The Kanima, sensing the overwhelming, primordial danger radiating from Sean, hissed in terror. It scrambled backward, bursting through the library window and disappearing into the afternoon darkness.
As soon as the threat was gone, the crimson light in Sean's eyes began to flicker unpredictably. The red veins started to pull back, fighting to give way to his golden-yellow beta eyes, though it was glaringly obvious that the gold was on the verge of being permanently swallowed by the red.
Sean winced, grabbing his head as a wave of intense dizziness washed over him. His brain felt like it was spinning in his skull.
Stiles gasped, pointing a trembling finger at Sean as he shrieked in absolute shock: "SEAN?! DID YOU... DID YOU JUST BECOME AN ALPHA?!"
Scott was staring at his twin with the exact same look of bewilderment.
Sean glared back at them, his voice tight as he forced the pain down. "What the hell are you talking about?"
He took a step forward, but stopped when he noticed Erica on the floor, convulsing violently from the venom.
Stiles rushed to her side. "She's having a seizure!"
"We need to get her to a hospital!" Allison cried out.
Erica clawed at Stiles' sleeve, her voice barely a whisper. "No... no hospital. Derek. Take me to Derek..."
Scott turned to Allison, cupping her face in his hands. "I can't leave you alone like this."
Sean rolled his eyes, his cold voice cutting through the drama like ice. "Save your little romance for later, Scott. Stiles, you and Scott get Erica to Derek. Allison, you're with me."
Scott and Stiles nodded in agreement. Allison nodded too, quickly crossing the library debris to follow Sean.
As they walked, Sean quietly slipped a hand into his pocket, his fingers brushing against the folded piece of paper. He had swiped it from Victoria's desk right before they left her office.
They reached the school parking lot in silence. Sean climbed into the passenger seat of Allison's car. He waited for her to get in, then silently slid the folded paper across the console.
Allison took it, unfolding it. As her eyes scanned the lines, her face drained of all color. "This... what is this???"
Sean let out a slow, tired sigh, leaning his head against the headrest. "It was arranged by your grandfather, Gerard. As you can see, a group of hunters was recently dispatched with explicit orders to execute me and Scott. Your mother gave me that paper."
He turned his head to look at her. "You know your mother and father won't actively try to destroy me. But your grandfather's next target is you, Allison. He's going to try and groom you, turn you into another Kate. And by the way... don't you dare tell Scott about this."
"Why?" Allison asked, his voice trembling.
"Because he needs to learn to always stay on his guard," Sean said coldly. "I won't always be around to clean up his messes."
Sean reached for the door handle, preparing to leave, but Allison suddenly shot out and grabbed his arm.
Sean paused, looking back with a confused frown. "What?"
Allison lowered her head, a soft blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Just... thank you. For today. For saving me in the locker room."
Sean stared at her for a second, and then a small, rare smile appeared on his face. He reached over, playfully ruffling her hair and messing up her style. "Don't sweat it. You're basically my sister-in-law, even if it's not official yet. If you ever need anything, you have my number."
He opened the door and stepped out. Allison watched him walk away, a soft smile on her lips. No matter how wild, terrifying, and predatory Sean could be... she could feel that somewhere deep down, he had a good heart.
Sean walked away from the parking lot, slipping past the school boundary and disappearing into the dense tree line of the Beacon Hills preserve. The moment the trees cloaked him from view, his pace broke into a full sprint.
His eyes, reflecting the shadows of the forest, darkened with an icy, calculating light.
"Do they really think I'm going to play nice just because they threw me a little scrap of information?" Sean thought, his jaw clenching as he tore through the woods. "The friendship between us died a long time ago, Argent."
///
///