Tonight was the night of the full moon. Nothing looked different, not really, but the air hung heavier — a silent premonition of what was coming. Trevor drew a deep breath and headed for school. This time he didn't ride with Alisson; he took the bike he'd barely touched since buying it. He went straight to Scott's locker and found him pulling out a few books.
"Morning. How are you holding up?" Trevor greeted.
"Fine," Scott answered, a little deflated.
"I need to talk to you about tonight."
"What? Don't worry, I'm okay."
Trevor just stared at him, expression flat.
"Look, I know the training's helped you keep it together, but if you seriously don't want to hurt anyone, we need to talk about tonight."
Scott, reluctant, ended up giving in.
"Fine. Same place as always?"
"Same place as always," Trevor said, clapping him on the back a couple of times.
The day might have passed without any more trouble — if not for what happened right before lacrosse practice.
Trevor was in the locker room, gearing up to hit the field. Everyone else had already gone out, but he'd gotten held up — his stick's netting had snapped, and he had to replace it. The coach had tossed him an extra net and told him to switch it out and get on the field as soon as he was done.
He'd just finished and was about to open the door when someone pushed it open from the other side. Trevor stopped. Lydia Martin stood right in front of him.
"Hey, Trevor."
"Hey, Lydia. What are you doing here?"
"I saw you were taking forever. Came to check what happened."
"I'm fine. Just a last-second problem. I should get out there before the coach kills me."
He reached for the door handle, but Lydia stopped him. Or, more accurately, Trevor let himself be stopped. She moved in — one hand blocking the door, the other landing on his shoulder and sliding slowly up to the nape of his neck.
"You know, I'm dating the lacrosse captain. Not some nobody."
Trevor stayed silent. Not because he didn't want to speak, but because he genuinely didn't know how to react.
"You've got potential. If the coach sees what you can really do, he'll drop this three-captain nonsense."
Her fingers traced along his cheek.
"And if you end up captain… well, you could earn yourself a nice reward for all that hard work."
Trevor, who up until that moment had been caught in something like a siren's trance, shook his head and pulled her hands away.
"I'll pass, thanks. You should get to the bleachers. Jackson's probably looking for you."
The blunt rejection hit Lydia like a slap. She couldn't even form a response. By the time she blinked, Trevor was already gone.
Damn teenage drama. Thought I was done with this crap, Trevor thought as he made his way onto the field.
What he didn't see was Jackson watching him walk out of the locker room — and then watching Lydia emerge seconds later, her face crestfallen. That lit a spark of suspicion deep in Jackson's chest. But he didn't go to Trevor and talk it out. Instead, he handled it the only way he knew how: with violence. During practice, Jackson tried to body-check him, going in hard and reckless. Needless to say, he got absolutely nowhere — which only made him angrier.
After school, Trevor waited in the locker room, same as always. He checked his watch, frowning. Scott was never late, but today several minutes had already slipped past their usual time. Then the door opened, and it wasn't just Scott. Stiles and Derek walked in beside him.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Derek," Trevor said.
"I didn't expect to see you either. But I came to talk to Scott about tonight. I'm not leaving him alone with a hunter on his first full moon."
From the back, Stiles chimed in: "Am I invisible now?"
Derek just glanced at him sideways, utterly unimpressed.
"I see you're as charming as ever, Derek," Trevor replied. He took a breath and went on. "Here's the deal. Full moon's tonight. We need a place to lock Scott down."
"I already said I'm fine," Scott insisted.
"Okay, but where?" Stiles asked, steamrolling over his friend for his own good.
"Could be my place," Derek said.
"Your place?" Trevor questioned.
"Yeah, my new hideout. Thanks for the tip, by the way. I went to check my old house and found signs someone had been inside."
"You're welcome. I'm guessing you've got the gear to hold him."
"I do."
"Good. Then there's not much left for me to do. My original plan was to use Scott's help to draw the alpha out, but I underestimated how hard the full moon hits you. Watch yourselves around the alpha — we still don't know what it's capable of. The hunters will be out patrolling tonight, so stay off the streets."
"Right. What about you? What are you planning to do?" Stiles asked.
"I'll sweep the area. I've got a few leads I want to follow."
"You know something and you're keeping it from us?" Derek's voice went cold. He uncrossed his arms and fixed his stare on Trevor, every line of his body radiating threat. It didn't rattle Trevor, but Stiles shifted uncomfortably beside him.
"Whoa, guys. No need to fight. Or, you know, if you're gonna fight, do it far away from the school," Stiles cut in.
"Nothing solid yet. If I have more, I'll tell you."
Derek didn't break eye contact. He sharpened his senses, tracking Trevor's heartbeat.
"Lie. I knew I couldn't trust you."
Derek's eyes flared, and his claws slid out.
"You don't want to fight me. Not tonight, with the hunters all over this town. And definitely not at school, where a whole crowd of witnesses will see you. Who do you think the cops are gonna believe — me, or you, the guy who was already a murder suspect?"
The words stopped Derek cold. If he got arrested, he'd never be able to avenge his sister. He retracted his claws, his voice thick with restrained anger.
"I don't trust you, Belmont. I know you're planning something, and I won't let you play me."
Then he turned to Scott.
"You know where to find me."
And he walked out.
"Holy shit," Stiles breathed.
Scott, still stunned, turned to Trevor with anger rising in his face.
"Is what he said true? You know something and you're hiding it?"
Trevor met Scott's furious glare and answered honestly.
"Yes. I can't say until I know more."
"You drag me into all this and now you lie to me? Derek was right about the hunters."
"First of all, you were already in the middle of this mess before I ever showed up. And if he's so right about the hunters, what about Alisson? You don't trust her either?"
Scott had no answer. The full moon was already working on his mind without him even noticing — his first shift, clouding his thoughts. Trevor knew it. He wasn't going to keep fighting a losing argument. Now it was his turn to leave. He grabbed his things and walked to the door without looking back.