The hospital parking lot was quieter than usual when they arrived.
Beacon Hills Memorial had never been a place anyone liked visiting, but lately it carried a different kind of tension. Too many strange injuries had passed through its doors in the last few weeks—people found in the woods, hikers dragged from trails, victims with wounds that no normal animal could have made.
And yet, officially, nothing supernatural had happened.
Scott parked the car and leaned back for a moment before turning the engine off.
"Okay," he said slowly, "before we go inside, I just want to point out something."
Stiles glanced at him from the passenger seat. "If it's about how this is a terrible idea, I already know."
Scott shook his head. "No. I mean… this is a hospital. Real people are here. We can't just start doing the whole—" he waved his hands vaguely, "—supernatural interrogation thing."
Stiles tilted his head. "That's a phrase you say like it's a regular part of your life now."
Scott sighed. "You know what I mean."
Behind them, Allison stepped out of the second car and shut the door quietly. Lydia followed, adjusting her bag over her shoulder while scanning the building with that calm, observant expression she always wore when she was thinking three steps ahead.
Aiden stepped out last.
He didn't say anything.
But the moment he looked toward the hospital entrance, something in his posture shifted slightly.
Like he could already feel the echoes of what had happened here.
Scott noticed.
"Don't tell me," he muttered. "You're sensing something again."
Aiden glanced at him. "Not here."
Scott frowned. "That's… supposed to make me feel better?"
"It should."
Scott rubbed his temples. "It doesn't."
They started walking toward the entrance together.
Inside, the hospital was exactly what it always was—bright lights, polished floors, the distant sound of monitors and quiet conversations from waiting rooms. Nurses moved quickly between desks, and a few patients sat scattered around the lobby.
Everything looked normal.
But to the people walking in now, it wasn't.
Scott approached the front desk carefully.
"Hi," he said, trying his best to sound casual. "We were wondering if we could ask about someone who came in last night."
The nurse looked up from her computer. "Are you family?"
Scott froze for half a second.
Stiles leaned forward smoothly. "Friends," he said. "Very concerned friends."
The nurse studied them briefly before sighing.
"You're talking about the hikers, right?"
Scott nodded immediately.
"There were three of them," she said. "Two were treated and released early this morning. One is still upstairs."
Scott exchanged a quick glance with the others.
"Can we see them?" he asked.
The nurse hesitated again.
"Room 214," she said finally. "But don't stay long."
Scott nodded quickly. "Thank you."
They moved toward the elevators before she could change her mind.
As soon as the doors closed, Stiles let out a breath.
"Okay, that was way easier than I expected."
Lydia crossed her arms slightly. "Hospitals deal with worse things than curious teenagers."
Scott looked at Aiden. "You still think this connects to Peter?"
Aiden nodded once.
"Yes."
Scott leaned against the elevator wall.
"How?"
Aiden didn't answer immediately.
Because explaining it properly meant putting words to something that wasn't entirely visible.
"Patterns," he said finally.
Stiles blinked. "You're really sticking with that one."
Aiden's gaze remained steady.
"Three victims. Same location. Same type of injuries."
Scott nodded slowly.
"Okay… yeah, that part we noticed."
"But not the timing," Aiden said.
That made Lydia look up.
"What about the timing?" she asked.
Aiden glanced at her briefly.
"They were attacked after sunset."
"That's normal for predators," Scott said.
"Yes," Aiden replied. "But the gap between each attack was exactly the same."
The elevator dinged as it reached the second floor.
Everyone stepped out quietly.
Lydia's eyes narrowed slightly as she processed that.
"Forty-eight hours," she murmured.
Scott turned to her. "How did you—"
"It's obvious," Lydia said. "The police reports mentioned the dates."
Aiden gave a small nod.
"Exactly."
Stiles frowned. "Okay, wait. Why would someone space attacks like that?"
Aiden's voice was calm.
"To build fear."
Scott's expression tightened.
Because that made sense.
Too much sense.
If the attacks were random, people might ignore them.
But if they kept happening—
On schedule—
Then the entire town would start to feel it.
Allison spoke quietly.
"Fear feeds power."
Everyone looked at her.
She shrugged slightly.
"Old hunter stories."
Aiden didn't disagree.
They reached room 214.
Scott knocked lightly before opening the door.
Inside, a young man sat propped up against the hospital bed, his arm wrapped in thick bandages. He looked pale but alert, flipping through something on his phone.
When he noticed them, he frowned.
"Uh… do I know you guys?"
Scott stepped forward carefully.
"No. We just wanted to ask about what happened."
The man stared at them for a moment.
"Are you reporters or something?"
Stiles immediately shook his head.
"Nope. Definitely not reporters."
The man sighed and put his phone down.
"Look, I already told the police everything."
Scott nodded. "We know. But maybe you remember something else."
The man hesitated before shrugging.
"Fine. What do you want to know?"
Scott gestured vaguely.
"What attacked you?"
The man leaned back slightly, thinking.
"I didn't see it clearly," he admitted. "It was dark."
Scott waited.
"But it was big," the man continued. "Fast. Way faster than any normal animal."
Allison stepped closer.
"Did it attack right away?"
The man shook his head.
"No… actually."
That made Aiden's attention sharpen.
"It was watching us first," the man said slowly. "We heard something moving around the trees."
Scott glanced at Aiden.
"That sounds familiar."
The man continued.
"And then suddenly it just… rushed us."
He held up his injured arm slightly.
"I barely got away."
Stiles frowned.
"Did it make any sound?"
The man nodded.
"Yeah. A growl."
Aiden stepped forward slightly.
"What kind of growl?"
The man hesitated again.
"Not like a wolf," he said. "Lower. Almost… human."
Silence settled over the room.
Because they all knew what that meant.
Scott forced a small smile.
"Thanks," he said. "That helps a lot."
The man looked confused but nodded.
"No problem."
They stepped out of the room quietly.
The hallway felt heavier now.
Scott rubbed the back of his neck.
"Okay," he said. "That confirms it."
Stiles nodded grimly.
"Werewolf attack."
Lydia looked thoughtful.
"But controlled."
Scott turned to her.
"What do you mean?"
She glanced at Aiden.
"It watched first," she said. "That's not a wild attack."
Aiden nodded.
"Exactly."
Scott exhaled slowly.
"So Peter's testing people."
"Or training someone," Aiden replied.
That possibility hung in the air like a storm cloud.
Stiles groaned softly.
"Oh great. So now we have baby killer werewolves running around."
Allison's gaze hardened.
"If that's true, we need to stop it before someone else dies."
Scott nodded immediately.
"Yeah. We do."
He looked at Aiden.
"So what's the move?"
Aiden glanced down the hallway toward the hospital exit.
Then he spoke calmly.
"We follow the next attack."
Scott blinked.
"Wait… you mean wait for it?"
"Yes."
Scott ran both hands through his hair again.
"That plan really needs improvement."
But deep down—
He knew Aiden was right.
Because the pattern had already begun.
And if they wanted to catch Peter Hale—
They needed to be there when the next move happened.