The Nemeton awakened at exactly 3:13 AM.
Because apparently ancient supernatural disasters enjoyed dramatic timing.
The preserve exploded with energy.
Animals fled the forest instantly.
Mountains shook.
And every supernatural being in Beacon Hills woke screaming.
Scott fell out of bed.
Isaac transformed accidentally.
Lydia's banshee cry shattered every mirror in her room.
And Drake—
Drake opened his eyes to absolute silence.
Wrong silence.
Dead silence.
Beside him Ciri sat upright immediately.
"You feel that?"
"Yes."
The air itself felt heavier.
Reality thinner.
Like something beneath the town had begun breathing again.
Then the screaming started.
Thousands of voices.
Ancient.
Inhuman.
Echoing from the preserve.
Noah burst into Drake's room seconds later holding a shotgun.
"I don't even know if this works anymore!"
"It doesn't," Drake answered honestly.
"Fantastic."
Outside the house the sky had turned crimson.
Not metaphorically.
Actually crimson.
Scott arrived moments later alongside Derek and Peter.
Everyone looked terrible.
Except Death.
Death stood calmly in the backyard staring toward the preserve.
The red sky reflected in her silver eyes.
"…It's calling him."
Everyone looked toward Drake instantly.
Drake frowned.
"…I dislike how ominous that sounded."
The ground suddenly shook violently.
Then a pulse erupted from the preserve.
Ancient energy slammed into the town.
Windows shattered.
Cars flipped.
And Drake dropped to one knee instantly.
Everyone froze.
Because Drake never struggled.
Ever.
Crimson energy exploded wildly around him.
Uncontrolled.
Violent.
The earth cracked beneath his feet.
Scott backed away instinctively.
"…Drake?"
Drake's breathing became uneven.
Pain.
Actual pain.
Death moved instantly.
One hand touched his face gently.
And the entire town went still.
The unstable energy calmed immediately beneath her touch.
Drake slowly looked up at her.
For the first time in years—
He looked afraid.
"…Something's waking up inside me."
Death's expression softened sadly.
"Yes."
Peter stared carefully.
"…Wait."
Realization hit him instantly.
"Oh no."
Derek narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
Peter looked toward Drake cautiously.
"…He's not becoming stronger."
Silence.
Then Peter finished quietly.
"He's becoming what he originally was."
Nobody liked that explanation.
Especially Drake.
The preserve groaned unnaturally as ancient energy continued spreading outward from the Nemeton.
Reality itself warped near the tree.
Time slowed inconsistently.
Shadows moved wrong.
And every supernatural creature within miles felt one thing clearly—
Fear.
Drake stood at the edge of the preserve beside Death.
Trying very hard not to crack the ground beneath him accidentally.
His power refused to stay stable now.
Crimson energy rolled off him constantly.
The sky reacted every time his emotions shifted.
That seemed unhealthy.
Scott stood several feet back nervously.
"…Is he okay?"
"No," Peter answered immediately.
"Not even slightly."
"Helpful."
Death remained beside Drake silently.
Calm.
Steady.
Like an anchor against whatever was awakening inside him.
Finally Drake spoke.
"…Tell me the truth."
Death looked toward him softly.
"You already know it."
"I want to hear you say it."
Silence lingered briefly.
Then Death sighed quietly.
"You were never truly a werewolf."
The entire pack froze.
Scott blinked.
"…I'm sorry WHAT?"
Drake stayed silent.
Because deep down—
He already knew.
Death's silver eyes remained fixed on him.
"The wolf was merely the closest mortal form your existence could take."
Derek looked horrified.
Peter looked delighted and terrified simultaneously.
Ciri just nodded slowly.
"That explains a lot actually."
Stiles pointed aggressively.
"NO IT DOESN'T."
The preserve suddenly shook again.
A massive crack split the earth near the Nemeton.
Ancient crimson light erupted from beneath the roots.
Then a voice echoed through the forest.
Not spoken.
Felt.
RETURN.
Drake staggered slightly.
Every instinct inside him screamed.
Not danger.
Recognition.
Death caught him before he fell.
And for the first time—
Her composure cracked.
"You must not answer it."
Drake's eyes glowed brighter than ever before.
Not red anymore.
Something deeper.
Older.
Cosmic.
"…What happens if I do?"
Death looked genuinely afraid.
And that terrified everyone else instantly.
"You will remember."
Silence.
Scott swallowed nervously.
"…Remember what?"
Death's voice became very quiet.
"What existed before the universe learned how to die."
Drake stopped sleeping after that.
Not because he couldn't.
Because every time he closed his eyes—
He remembered things that shouldn't exist.
Dead universes.
Black oceans beneath creation.
Stars collapsing into crimson mouths full of teeth.
And something vast walking beside Death before time had language.
Drake sat alone on the Stilinski roof staring at Beacon Hills silently.
Below him the town slept uneasily.
The preserve pulsed every few minutes now.
Like a heartbeat.
Like the Nemeton was alive again.
Ciri climbed onto the roof beside him quietly.
"You're glowing again."
Drake looked down.
Crimson fractures spread faintly beneath his skin now.
Like power physically couldn't stay contained anymore.
"…That seems concerning."
"A little."
Silence settled between them.
Then Drake spoke quietly.
"I'm scaring them."
Ciri immediately understood who he meant.
Scott.
Stiles.
Noah.
The pack.
Even Derek watched him carefully now.
Not with distrust.
With caution.
Because Drake was becoming harder to understand.
Harder to relate to.
Harder to see as human.
Ciri leaned against him softly.
"They're scared because they've never seen anything like you."
"That doesn't help."
"No," she admitted.
"It probably doesn't."
Suddenly the preserve trembled violently again.
Drake's eyes flashed instinctively.
And every light across Beacon Hills exploded simultaneously.
The entire town went dark.
Scott yelled somewhere in the distance.
"DUDE!"
Drake covered his face with one hand.
"…I did not mean to do that."
Far away.
Deep inside the preserve.
Yellow eyes opened in the darkness.
Watching.
Hungry.
The Alpha had finally returned.
The attacks began two nights later.
Exactly like the original timeline.
Except now Beacon Hills had Drake.
Which made things significantly worse for the Alpha.
A jogger disappeared near the preserve shortly after midnight.
Then another body appeared.
Half-eaten.
Violently mutilated.
Claw marks everywhere.
Sheriff Stilinski looked exhausted standing over the crime scene.
"I'm retiring."
Parrish blinked.
"You've said that twelve times this week."
"And I've meant it every time."
Nearby Derek crouched beside the corpse silently.
Scott stood beside him trying not to throw up.
Isaac looked pale.
The scent of the Alpha saturated the area.
Aggressive.
Territorial.
Ancient.
Then Drake arrived.
And everything changed.
The forest reacted instantly.
Wind died.
Animals fled.
Even the Alpha scent weakened beneath Drake's presence.
Derek noticed immediately.
"…You're suppressing it."
Drake looked mildly distracted.
"Suppressing what?"
"The Alpha aura."
Scott blinked.
"That's possible?"
Peter appeared from nowhere because apparently dramatic entrances were hereditary.
"With normal alphas? No."
Peter stared carefully at Drake.
"But he's not normal."
Drake crouched beside the body silently.
Crimson eyes studying the claw marks.
Then he frowned.
"…This isn't rage."
Scott looked confused.
"What?"
"The kills." Drake gestured calmly.
"Too controlled."
Derek narrowed his eyes.
"You think the Alpha's hunting strategically?"
"Yes."
Peter smirked slightly.
"Good."
Scott looked horrified.
"How is that GOOD?!"
Peter looked genuinely offended by the question.
"Because mindless monsters are boring."
Noah sighed deeply.
"I hate every single one of you."
Suddenly Drake froze.
Every instinct sharpened instantly.
Then slowly—
He smiled.
Not warmly.
Predatorially.
"The Alpha's watching us."
Silence hit the preserve.
Then a growl echoed through the trees.
Deep.
Powerful.
Confident.
Scott transformed instinctively.
Isaac stepped backward nervously.
Derek's claws extended.
But Drake?
Drake simply stood there.
Calm.
Interested.
The darkness between the trees shifted.
Red eyes appeared briefly.
The Alpha.
Watching.
Testing.
Then Drake took one single step forward.
The entire preserve shook.
The Alpha immediately retreated.
Fast.
Terrified.
Scott stared blankly.
"…Did you just scare the Alpha?"
Drake blinked.
"…Apparently."