Derek did not believe in easing someone into a fight, and Thea learned that within seconds of stepping back into position, her body still adjusting from the last exchange as she rolled her shoulders and tried to steady her breathing, only for him to move again with a speed that blurred the line between human and something far more dangerous.
This time, however, she saw it coming, not because she was faster, not yet, but because something inside her had started to recognize the rhythm of movement, the subtle shift in weight that came just before an attack, the way his shoulders angled a fraction of a second before he committed.
Her body reacted before her thoughts could fully form, her stance shifting as she ducked under the arc of his arm, feeling the rush of air graze the back of her neck as his strike missed by inches instead of connecting solidly, and she pivoted instinctively, claws sliding free as she turned to counter toward his side.
She didn't make it.
Derek caught her wrist mid-motion, his grip firm and unyielding as he twisted just enough to throw her balance off without causing real harm, forcing her back a step before releasing her with a controlled shove.
"You're thinking too much," he said, his voice even but edged with expectation rather than criticism.
Thea staggered slightly but stayed upright, her boots digging into the dirt as she steadied herself, her breathing sharp but not spiraling the way it might have days ago.
"I'm working on it," she shot back, rolling her shoulder as she reset her stance.
Derek gave her no time to recover.
He dropped low, sweeping toward her legs in a motion designed to take her completely off her feet, but this time she reacted faster, her muscles coiling as she jumped just high enough to clear the sweep, landing unevenly and stumbling a step before catching herself.
Not clean.
Not graceful.
But progress.
At the edge of the clearing, Isaac watched with quiet focus, his arms folded across his chest as he tracked the exchange with practiced attention.
"She's improving," he said, more observation than praise.
Aiden let out a quiet scoff. "Yeah, she didn't eat dirt that time."
Ethan elbowed him lightly without looking away. "Shut up."
Thea barely had a second to reset before the energy in the clearing shifted again, sharper this time, more unpredictable, and she turned just in time to see Malia already moving toward her with that wild, instinct-driven speed that made her feel less like a trained fighter and more like something that had learned how to hunt before it ever learned restraint.
Malia didn't warn her, didn't signal, didn't slow down.
She simply attacked.
Thea brought her arms up just in time to block, their limbs colliding with a sharp crack that sent a jolt up her arms, forcing her to plant her feet harder to keep from being pushed back immediately.
"Better," Malia said with a grin that was all teeth and satisfaction, before shoving her hard enough to send her sliding several feet across the dirt.
Thea's boots carved shallow grooves as she fought to stay upright, her balance wavering before she caught herself again, her breathing picking up as something deeper stirred beneath the surface of her control.
Her eyes flared amber.
Her claws snapped out fully.
The growl that built in her chest was lower now, heavier, less reaction and more presence.
Malia tilted her head, clearly pleased. "There it is."
She lunged again, faster this time, but instead of retreating, Thea stepped forward to meet her, forcing herself to remember the rhythm Nova had drilled into her.
Alpha. Beta. Omega.
Instead of resisting the force of the attack outright, she shifted with it, turning her body just enough to redirect Malia's momentum rather than collide head-on, her grip tightening around Malia's arm as she used the movement to throw her slightly off balance.
It wasn't perfect, and Malia recovered quickly, rolling with the motion and springing back to her feet with a grin that had only widened.
"Okay," she said, clearly entertained now. "I like her."
Across the clearing, Nova sat between Lydia and Laurel with Stiles sitting on the side, but her attention never left Thea for even a second, her posture tense in a way that made it obvious she was holding herself back from intervening, her hands clasped together tightly as she tracked every movement.
Lydia noticed immediately, her gaze flicking briefly from the fight to Nova.
"You're going to wear a hole into the ground if you keep bouncing your leg like that," she said calmly.
"She's fine," Nova replied automatically, though her tone lacked conviction.
Laurel raised a brow slightly, glancing between Nova and the clearing. "That didn't sound convincing."
Nova exhaled slowly, her eyes still fixed on Thea. "She's learning. Derek won't let anything happen."
"That's not what you're worried about," Lydia said quietly.
Nova didn't answer, because she didn't need to.
Laurel studied her for a moment before speaking again, her tone measured. "You're not worried about Derek."
A pause.
"You're worried about what happens if she loses control."
Nova's jaw tightened slightly, her gaze never wavering. "...Yeah. Plus I will be pissed if Derek uses this as an excuse to beat up the girl who knocked up his sister."
Back in the clearing, Isaac stepped forward, and the energy shifted again, calmer this time, more controlled, his movements deliberate rather than explosive as he approached Thea.
"Don't react to me," he said evenly. "Read me."
Thea nodded, forcing her breathing to steady as she focused on him, trying to pick up on the subtle cues Nova had mentioned, the small shifts that preceded movement.
Isaac tested her with a feint first, dipping his shoulder as if he were going to strike high, and when she didn't take the bait, he moved for real, his speed increasing as his arm shot toward her side.
This time, she blocked cleanly, her forearm meeting his with solid force as she held her ground, her muscles tightening but not locking as they had before.
Isaac's eyes flicked to hers briefly, acknowledging the improvement, before he shifted his stance, attempting to throw her off balance with a quick change in footing.
She adjusted, lowering her center of gravity just enough to compensate, her stance widening slightly as she maintained control.
Her breathing hitched, but she forced it back under control.
"...Alpha. Beta. Omega..." she murmured under her breath.
Isaac heard it and gave a faint, approving nod. "Yeah. Keep doing that. If that one doesn't work then use the sun, the moon, the truth."
He pushed her harder after that, increasing speed and pressure, forcing her to react faster, to hold onto that thread of control even as instinct tried to take over.
This time, when she moved, it wasn't purely reactive.
She struck first.
It wasn't perfect, but it was intentional, her movement guided by thought as much as instinct.
Isaac blocked, but just barely, his brows lifting slightly. "Okay. That's new."
At the edge of the clearing, Nova leaned forward without realizing it, her entire focus locked on Thea as she tracked every movement, every flicker of control, every moment where things could tip too far.
Thea was improving.
Quickly.
And that didn't make it easier to watch.
Scott had been standing apart from the group, silent, observing without participating, but his attention shifted gradually from the fight to Nova, his gaze lingering on her longer than it should have, carrying something unspoken and unresolved.
Malia noticed immediately, her head tilting slightly as her eyes narrowed, tracking the look with instinctive suspicion.
Isaac caught it too, his expression tightening just slightly, while Laurel's gaze flicked in that direction, sharp and assessing.
Nova didn't notice.
She was too focused on Thea.
Scott exhaled slowly before stepping forward, moving toward Nova without interrupting the training, stopping a few feet away as Lydia and Laurel both registered his approach.
"We need to talk," he said quietly.
Nova didn't look surprised, though there was a brief hesitation before she nodded. "...Yeah."
She stood, her eyes flicking once more toward Thea, still fighting, still holding on, before turning back to Scott.
"Okay."
Scott didn't wait, turning and walking further into the trees, putting distance between them and the rest of the group.
Nova followed.
Laurel watched them go, thoughtful.
Lydia's gaze lingered, listening in her own way.
Malia didn't move, but her eyes stayed locked on Scott's back, her posture tightening slightly as distrust settled in.
She didn't trust him.
Not right now.
Back in the clearing, Thea didn't notice any of it.
Because Derek stepped in again.
And this time—
He didn't hold back.
"Again," he said.
And Thea stepped forward to meet him.
══════════ ➤ ══════════
Scott didn't stop walking until the sounds of the clearing faded into the background, the sharp cracks of impact and shifting feet dissolving into something distant enough that it no longer felt immediate, no longer felt like something he had to respond to.
Nova followed him the entire way, her steps measured, her posture controlled, but there was tension building under her skin now, something tight and restless that had nothing to do with Thea's training and everything to do with the way Scott hadn't looked at her properly in days.
When he finally stopped, it wasn't in another clearing, just a quieter stretch of woods where the trees stood closer together and the light filtered through in uneven patches, leaving more shadow than sun.
He didn't turn right away.
That alone told her everything.
Nova crossed her arms loosely, more to keep herself steady than anything else, her voice calm when she spoke.
"Say it."
Scott let out a slow breath, his shoulders rising and falling before he finally turned to face her, and there was something in his expression that hadn't been there in a long time.
Not anger.
Not exactly.
Something heavier.
"You shouldn't have done it."
Nova didn't flinch.
Didn't look away.
"Done what?"
Scott's jaw tightened.
"You know what."
A beat passed, thick with everything neither of them had said yet.
Nova tilted her head slightly, her voice still controlled, still even.
"No. I want to hear you say it."
Scott took a step closer.
Not aggressive.
But not soft either.
"You shouldn't have turned her."
There it was.
Nova held his gaze.
Unmoving.
"It wasn't your decision to make."
Scott scoffed under his breath, the sound sharp, bitter.
"That's the problem, Nova. You always think that."
Something in her expression shifted then, subtle but real.
"Think what?"
"That you get to decide who lives like this."
That hit.
Not because it was true, but because it wasn't entirely wrong either.
Nova's jaw tightened slightly, but her voice didn't rise.
"She asked me to."
Scott shook his head immediately.
"That doesn't make it okay."
"It makes it her choice."
His expression hardened.
"She didn't understand what she was asking."
Nova took a step forward now, closing the space between them just enough to make it clear she wasn't backing down.
"Don't do that."
Scott frowned.
"Do what?"
Her eyes sharpened.
"Don't act like she's stupid."
A beat.
"She knew exactly what she was risking."
Scott let out a harsh breath, running a hand through his hair as frustration bled through now, cracking the control he'd been holding onto.
"Yeah? Just like Allison did?"
Silence.
Immediate.
Heavy.
Nova didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Because that, that was the line.
Scott realized it the second it left his mouth.
But he didn't take it back.
Didn't soften it.
If anything, he leaned into it.
"You remember how that turned out?"
Nova's eyes flickered.
Red, just for a second.
Gone just as fast.
Her voice dropped.
Dangerously quiet.
"Don't."
Scott stepped closer again, his own control slipping now, years of grief and unresolved feelings bleeding through in ways he had never fully dealt with.
"We both loved her."
Nova's hands clenched at her sides.
"I know that."
"Do you?" Scott shot back. "Because it didn't feel like it when she chose you."
That one landed differently.
Sharper.
Personal.
Nova's breath hitched once.
Then steadied.
"That's not what this is about."
Scott laughed, but there was no humor in it.
"Isn't it?"
A beat.
"You got her. You got the life with her."
His voice cracked slightly, just enough to show the truth underneath.
"And then she died anyway."
Something in Nova snapped, not outwardly, not all at once, but in the way her control started to slip through her fingers like something she couldn't quite hold onto anymore.
Her eyes flickered.
Green.
Then red.
Then back again.
Unstable.
"I never turned her."
Her voice cut through the space between them, sharper now, edged with something raw and rising.
Scott blinked, thrown for half a second.
Nova stepped forward, her breathing uneven as her control wavered again, her eyes flashing,
Red.
Green.
Red.
"I respected her choice," she continued, her voice tightening as emotion pushed through. "She didn't want the bite, and I never forced it on her. Not once."
Scott's jaw clenched.
But Nova didn't stop.
Couldn't stop.
"We both knew how you felt about her," she added, her voice rising slightly now, agitation bleeding through as her hands curled into fists at her sides. "You weren't subtle, Scott."
Her eyes flashed red again, longer this time before slipping back.
"But Allison made her choice."
A step closer.
Too close now.
"And it wasn't you."
Scott flinched.
Subtle.
But real.
Nova's breath hitched, her control slipping further as everything she had buried for so long started pushing to the surface.
"She was super, super gay," Nova added, the words coming out sharper than intended, almost biting. "You weren't even on her radar like that. She wasn't into you, Scott. Not like that. Not ever."
Scott's expression hardened instantly.
But Nova wasn't done.
Her voice dropped, rough now, shaking under the weight of it.
"She chose me."
Her eyes burned red fully for a second.
Then flickered again.
Unsteady.
Dangerously close to losing it.
"And I lost her anyway."
That last part came quieter.
But it hit harder than anything else.
Scott's voice cracked slightly, just enough to show the truth underneath.
"She is dead. Allison is dead because of you."
Nova's eyes flashed red again.
This time she didn't hide it.
"That wasn't my fault."
Scott's expression twisted.
"You were supposed to protect her."
That did it.
Nova stepped forward fast enough that the space between them disappeared completely, her control snapping tight but fragile now, her voice no longer calm.
"I tried."
The words came out sharper than she intended, edged with something raw.
"You think I don't know that?"
Scott didn't back down.
Didn't soften.
"You failed."
A beat.
His eyes flicked in the direction of the clearing.
"You turning someone you love into something that gets them killed?"
Nova's breath hitched.
Then broke.
Her control snapped.
Her eyes burned red fully now, her fangs pressing forward as her voice dropped into something more feral.
"You don't get to put that on me."
Scott's own eyes flashed gold.
"I'm trying to stop you from doing it again."
——— ✦ ———
Behind the trees, several of the pack had followed them.
Not close enough to interrupt.
But close enough to hear.
Ethan stood still, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his expression darkening with every word that came out of Scott's mouth, his jaw clenching harder the longer it went on.
A mistake? Say one more thing. I dare you.
Aiden's hands curled into fists at his sides, his posture tense, ready, like he was already deciding how far he'd let this go before stepping in.
He really just said that.
Lydia stood slightly behind them, her expression unreadable, but there was a sharpness in her eyes now, something cutting and precise as she listened, as she felt the emotional undercurrent twisting through the air.
This is spiraling. This is past talking now
Stiles dragged a hand down his face, already regretting following, already knowing exactly where this was going.
Scott, what the hell are you doing... Scott... you really messed up.
He glanced toward the clearing, knowing, knowing, that if Derek, Isaac, or Malia heard even half of this, it wouldn't end in words.
It would end in blood.
And honestly?
A part of him wasn't sure Scott didn't deserve it right now.
——— ✦ ———
Back in the clearing of trees,
Nova and Scott stood inches apart.
Both shifted now.
Both on edge.
Both breathing heavier.
"You don't get to use her against me," Nova said, her voice low and shaking with anger.
"I'm not using her," Scott snapped back. "I'm remembering her."
"No," Nova shot back immediately. "You're twisting it."
Scott took another step forward.
Too close.
"You turned Thea into something that's going to put her in danger every single day for the rest of her life."
"So I can protect her."
"You couldn't protect Allison!"
That was it.
Nova moved first.
Fast.
Violent.
Uncontrolled.
Her hand shoved into Scott's chest with enough force to send him back several steps, his feet digging into the dirt as he caught himself, his eyes flashing brighter now.
He didn't hesitate.
He came back at her.
They collided hard, the impact echoing through the trees as claws met resistance, strength meeting strength in a way that wasn't controlled anymore, wasn't training, wasn't measured.
This was personal.
Scott swung first, not clean, not controlled, and Nova blocked, but the force still drove her back a step as she retaliated immediately, her strike sharper, more precise even through the anger.
They moved fast.
Too fast for human eyes.
A blur of motion and sound, of breath and impact and raw emotion bleeding into every movement.
——— ✦ ———
Behind the trees, Stiles swore under his breath.
"Oh, this is bad. This is really bad."
Aiden took a step forward instinctively.
Ethan caught his arm.
Not stopping him.
Just holding him for a second.
Not yet.
Lydia's gaze sharpened, her head tilting slightly as she listened, not just to the fight, but to something deeper.
Something wrong.
This isn't just anger anymore.
Malia wasn't there.
And that was probably the only reason Scott was still standing.
——— ✦ ———
Back in the clearing.
Nova drove Scott back again, her breathing uneven now, her control slipping dangerously close to the edge as every word he'd said echoed in her head.
You couldn't protect Allison.
Her strike landed harder this time.
Scott staggered.
Then came back just as hard.
Because he wasn't just fighting Nova.
He was fighting everything he hadn't said.
Everything he hadn't let go.
And neither of them were holding back anymore.
Not really.
Not when it mattered.
Not when it hurt like this.
Scott's hits were heavier, driven by frustration.
Nova's were precise, but slipping.
Her eyes flickered between green and red with every movement.
Every hit.
Every breath.
He pushed.
She pushed back harder.
Because this wasn't training.
This wasn't sparring.
This was years of grief, guilt, and unresolved love crashing into each other all at once.
And neither of them were ready to let it go.
And somewhere, not far away, Thea was still training.
Completely unaware, that everything was about to explode. 🐺🔥
══════════ ➤ ══════════