I didn't sleep. I lay there staring at the ceiling, waiting for it—not hoping it wouldn't come, just waiting.
Because I already knew.
The bus driver incident was going to happen tonight.
"Yeah… no way I'm sleeping through that," I muttered, pushing myself up.
I was about to move—
A sound—not loud, not even fully audible—cut through everything.
But it wasn't something you heard with your ears.
It was something you felt.
A low, distant roar—dragging through my chest instead of the air.
I froze.
Every muscle tightened at once.
"...there it is," I whispered.
It came again.
Closer and stronger.
It wasn't a threat. It was a command.
Move.
My jaw clenched.
"Yeah… no," I muttered, forcing my breathing to stay steady. "Not happening like that."
But my body had already leaned forward.
A step.
Then another.
I stopped myself, digging my heel into the ground.
"Fuck that," I said under my breath, shaking my head once.
I wasn't being dragged into this. I am going there to protect him.
There's a difference.
I exhaled slowly, steadying myself. "Alright… let's see what you want."
Then I started walking.
It didn't guide me like a voice. It wasn't that obvious.
It was instinct.
A direction that felt right in a way I couldn't explain. Every time I hesitated, something in me adjusted, corrected, pushed forward again.
The closer I got to the school, the stronger it became.
My heartbeat picked up, not from fear—anticipation.
That alone should've been a problem.
"Yeah… that's not concerning at all," I muttered under my breath.
The school came into view, empty and quiet under flickering lights. The bus lot sat behind it, still, untouched -for now.
I slowed as I approached the fence, gripping the metal for a second before climbing over easily. Too easily.
Landing on the other side felt… light.
[Body Awareness +0.03]
I ignored it.
My focus was already ahead.
The bus.
It was parked alone.
Of course it was.
I stepped closer, senses stretching out automatically. The air felt wrong—thick, tense, like something had already passed through and left a mark.
I stopped just outside the door.
This was it.
I knew what happened here.
Or at least… I thought I did.
I reached for the door—
Then froze.
A sound.
Behind me.
Neither loud nor careless -but intentional.
I turned slowly.
And saw him.
The Alpha stood just outside the edge of the light, barely visible—but I didn't need to see clearly to know.
I felt it.
That same presence.
Heavy. Dominant. Watching. Like it already knew how this would end.
A slow grin pulled at my lips.
"So you came."
Silence.
I tilted my head slightly, stepping away from the bus instead of toward it.
"You're not here to just watch, are you?"
Still nothing.
But I felt it shift.
Closer.
Good.
That's what I wanted.
Then—
A second sound.
Different and panicked.
I turned.
The bus door rattled.
From the inside.
"Shit."
I moved instantly, yanking the door open and stepping inside.
The smell hit first.
Blood.
Fresh.
Too fresh.
"Hey!" I called out, moving down the aisle quickly. "Hey—where are you?"
A groan answered me.
Near the back.
I moved faster.
And then I saw him.
Garrison Myers.
On the floor, trying to pull himself back, his leg already torn up, blood streaked across the aisle as he struggled.
"Holy shit—hey, hey, it's okay," I said, dropping down beside him. "I got you."
He grabbed my arm immediately, grip tight, desperate.
"Help—please—help—"
"I am, I am," I said quickly, trying to steady him. "Just—stay with me, okay?"
But even as I said it—
I felt it again.
Behind me.
Closer.
My grip tightened.
"Not happening," I muttered.
I shifted, pulling Myers slightly behind me as I stood.
"Get behind me."
He didn't move.
Couldn't.
So I adjusted.
Lowered my stance.
Waited.
The Alpha stepped inside.
Slow.
Unhurried.
The moment he stepped inside— he growled at me.
It hit again.
Stronger this time.
Not a sound.
Pressure.
Like something pushing down on me from the inside.
My chest tightened, breathing hitching as my heartbeat spiked.
And then—
Everything else started to fade.
The bus.
The driver.
Even my own thoughts—
Blurring.
Simplifying.
Hunt.
The word didn't feel like mine.
My fingers curled slightly.
My stance shifted.
Lower and sharper.
My eyes locked onto movement—
Not the Alpha.
The driver.
No.
No.
I clenched my jaw hard enough to hurt.
"Don't—" I muttered under my breath, shaking my head once. "Not him—he's innocent."
The pressure pushed harder.
My heartbeat spiked.
Vision narrowing.
Instinct taking over.
Move. Kill.
I took a step—
Then stopped.
Forced it.
Every muscle resisting.
"Fuck you," I said, louder this time.
The words grounded me.
Not completely.
But enough.
I shifted my focus back—
Not to the prey.
To the Alpha.
"You want me to lose it?" I said, breathing heavier now. "Not happening."
For a second—
Just a second—
The pressure eased.
Not gone.
But resisted.
My stance changed again.
Not feral anymore.
I stepped forward.
Not as something being commanded—
But as myself.
Like nothing else mattered except him.
"Yeah," I said under my breath, eyes locked on him. "Come on then."
He moved.
Fast.
Too fast for a normal person—
But not for me.
Not anymore.
I saw it.
The shift in his shoulders.
The angle.
The intent.
I stepped in.
Not back.
His claw came down—
I raised my arm, deflecting just enough for it to leave a graze instead of tear through.
Pain shot up—but I ignored it.
[Reaction Speed +0.05]
[Pain Resistance +0.03]
I pushed forward, shoving him back a step.
Not enough to hurt him.
But enough to interrupt.
"Not him," I said, breath steady. "You're not touching him."
He tilted his head slightly.
Almost curious.
Then he lunged again.
This time I moved cleaner.
Step. Shift. Turn—cutting off his angle before he could follow through.
His strike missed completely.
[Movement Efficiency +0.04]
[Balance +0.03]
I grabbed Myers again, dragging him back slightly.
"Stay down," I said under my breath.
The Alpha didn't rush this time.
He circled.
Watching.
Testing.
"Yeah, I get it," I said quietly. "You're trying to see what I'll do."
He moved again.
Faster.
I reacted.
But not perfectly.
His claws hit my chest—
Not deep.
But enough.
I staggered back a step, breath catching.
And then—
Something shifted.
Not just pain.
Something else.
Heat.
Rising.
Spreading.
My vision sharpened.
Edges clearer.
Sound louder.
I stepped forward again.
This time—I didn't just react.
I charged ahead and met him halfway.
Blocked.
Turned.
Pushed.
For a second—
A real second—
I held him there.
Then he pulled back.
And smiled.
This time he hit harder, leaving a gash before I could react.
I hated that.
He stepped back.
Once.
Twice.
Then he was gone, tearing through the rear of the bus.
Just like that.
Silence crashed back into the bus.
My breathing slowed.
Gradually.
I turned immediately.
"Myers—hey—stay with me."
He was still conscious, barely, he was losing too much blood.
"Help… please…"
"I got you," I said, more firmly this time, trying to take his pain—focusing on the contact, pulling it away from him my veins darkening briefly.
And this time—
I meant it.
Later, sirens cut through the night.
Lights.
Voices.
I didn't stay.
Couldn't.
By the time they got there—
I was already gone.
The next morning, I didn't wait.
Didn't hesitate.
I found Stiles the second I stepped into school.
He barely had time to say anything before I grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.
"Dude—what—"
"I was there," I said pointing toward the torn-up bus.
That shut him up instantly.
"…what?"
"The bus," I said. "Last night. I was there."
He stared at me.
Trying to process.
"Scott… what the hell are you talking about?"
I held his gaze.
Didn't look away.
"I didn't do it."
A pause.
"…then who did?"
I exhaled slowly.
"The one who bit me," I said. "The Alpha."
Stiles blinked.
"…the what?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Because now—
This wasn't a guess anymore.
It was real.
And it had already made its move.
To be continued…