Jacob flew using his telekinesis until he reached the accident location. Sheriff Stilinski and a few of his deputies were talking with the shaken paramedics.
Jacob teleported from the sky into the nearby woods, then walked calmly toward the sheriff, calling out to him.
Noah broke away from the group and met him. "Stiles told me you were coming. Do you have any idea what—or who—did this?"
Jacob subtly sniffed the air, his enhanced senses filtering through the scents of blood, fuel, and fear. "From the smell… it's a werewolf."
Noah's face tightened. "A werewolf? Do werewolves eat humans?"
"Some of them do," Jacob said grimly. "Anyway, I'm here to track it. I've already caught its scent. See you later, Sheriff."
With that, Jacob walked back into the tree line. Once he was out of sight of the deputies, he broke into a blur of superhuman speed, following the foul, coppery trail left by the creature.
He found the omega ten minutes later. The werewolf was still enjoying his grisly meal, squatting behind a thick oak tree in the deeper forest. He was devouring the liver and heart he'd stolen from the heart attack patient.
Jacob didn't intervene. He just watched, his expression cold, for twenty minutes until the omega finished eating.
Then, he began to follow.
He moved silently, keeping a careful distance to avoid alerting the omega to his scent or sound. He trailed the creature for another twenty minutes before his own heightened senses prickled with warning.
He could feel several people lying in wait ahead. He also detected another presence following the omega, closer than he was.
Jacob stopped and looked to his right. There, behind a massive pine tree, Derek was crouched, his eyes fixed on the oblivious omega.
Jacob teleported, appearing right beside him.
Derek flinched violently, a low growl rising in his throat before he recognized who it was.
Jacob smirked. "Relax. It's just me."
Derek shot him a glare. "Can you please stop appearing next to me out of nowhere?"
"Hold that thought," Jacob said. Then he vanished.
Derek looked around, bewildered, but Jacob was already gone.
---
Jacob reappeared in the mansion's living room. "I found the organ thief."
Stiles jumped up. "What kind of creature is it?"
"A werewolf. Now, who's coming? We need to hurry, or we'll miss the show."
Everyone stood up, even Melissa.
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "So, everyone wants to go, huh? Fine. But stay quiet when we get there." He fixed a pointed glare on Stiles. "Especially you."
Stiles held up his hands. "I'll be quiet. I promise."
Jacob wrapped everyone in his telekinetic field and teleported them back to the woods, appearing right next to Derek, who was still scanning the trees for him.
Derek nearly jumped out of his skin. "Come on, man! I said stop doing that!"
Scott blinked in surprise. "Derek? What are you doing here?"
Derek's eyes flickered to Kate, who merely smirked but said nothing. He turned back to Scott. "I was following that omega. I knew about him a few days ago, but he was just stealing organs from graves. I didn't care much. But tonight he attacked a living person in an ambulance. I was planning to kill him."
Stiles frowned. "You knew about him for days and didn't deal with him?"
Jacob cut in, his voice low as he gestured ahead. "Okay, everyone. Watch that idiot. He's walking right into an ambush."
"Who's ambushing him?" Stiles whispered.
Derek peered into the darkness ahead. "Hunters. More than a dozen of them, waiting for him."
"Not just any hunters," Jacob corrected, his senses fully focused. "That's Gerard Argent. And I can feel three… powerful individuals with him. If I had to guess, they're Bogatyrs. Have you heard of them, Derek?"
Derek's jaw tightened. "Yes. Hunters with supernatural abilities. But they're only active in Europe. What are they doing here?"
Allison said, "Probably because we killed a few of them a few weeks ago. They're here for revenge."
Kate's expression turned grim. "If that's true, then there might be more than just three in town. The guy you killed, Bartek, was the brother of the head of the Zima family—Stanisław Zima. And Stanisław is an evil bastard who will do anything to exterminate his enemies."
As they spoke, Gerard and his group stepped out of the shadows, directly into the omega's path. The omega didn't hesitate. He shifted and turned to flee on all fours, only for his hands to snag in a concealed tripwire. He was yanked into the air, hanging helplessly by his wrists.
Gerard, Chris, and fifteen other hunters closed in, forming a tight circle around the dangling creature as it snarled and thrashed.
Chris stepped forward, holding a crackling taser wand. He jabbed it into the omega's side. Electricity surged, forcing him to shift back to human form.
"Who are you?" Chris demanded, his voice cold. "What are you doing here?"
The omega whimpered. "Nothing! Nothing, I swear!"
"You're not from here, are you?"
"No… I came… I came looking for the Alpha. I heard he was here, that's all. Look, I didn't do anything! I didn't hurt anyone. No one living. He wasn't alive in the ambulance. He wasn't, I swear!"
Gerard looked around at his assembled hunters, a cruel smile on his face. "Gentlemen! Take a look at a rare sight." He turned to Chris. "You want to tell them what we've caught?"
Chris's voice was flat. "An Omega."
Gerard paced before the terrified man. "Possibly kicked out of his own pack. Or the sole survivor of a pack that was hunted down. Or possibly alone by his own choice." He chuckled, a dry, unpleasant sound. "Certainly not a wise choice."
He walked over to one of his hunters, took a long, sharp sword from him, and returned to stand directly in front of the omega.
"Because, as I am about to demonstrate," Gerard said, raising the blade, "an Omega rarely survives… on his own."
He swung the sword in a brutal, horizontal arc.
The blade cut the omega cleanly in half.
The lower section of the body fell to the forest floor with a wet, sickening thud, spilling organs and blood onto the fallen leaves.
At that exact moment, a translucent system window materialized before Jacob's eyes:
[You have witnessed Gerard Argent cut the Omega Werewolf in half. Event Sign-In is now available, Host.]
'System, sign in.'
[Event Sign-In successful. Rewards obtained:
- Sword of Gryffindor (Harry Potter): A goblin-made sword crafted from pure silver. It can absorb that which makes it stronger. It is indestructible and deals great damage to supernatural creatures. It never needs cleaning
- Cryokinesis: The ability to lower temperature, create ice, and control frozen matter. Can range from making ice cubes to flash-freezing landscapes.
- Scroll of Lightning Release: Lightning Beast (Naruto)
Effect: Teaches the A-rank technique in which the user creates a concentrated bolt of lightning and shapes it into a fast-moving, beast-like projectile that tracks its target.]
Jacob quickly read the list and was satisfied. 'Nice. The sword is a nice weapon. Cryokinesis is a good ability, but I'll give it to one of the girls. As for the Lightning Beast technique… I'll give that to everyone. That way, they'll all have a way to fight creatures that can only be hit by elemental powers.'
His attention snapped back to the hunters.
Chris walked up to Gerard, his voice low but firm. "We have a Code."
"Not when they turned my beloved daughter into a monster," Gerard snarled, his eyes burning with fury. "As a hunter, I have to kill her with my own hands now." He stabbed the bloody sword into the ground and turned to address the assembled hunters. "There is no Code. Not anymore. From now on, these things are just bodies waiting to be cut in half."
He glared directly at Chris. "Are you listening? Because I don't care if they're wounded and weak. Or seemingly harmless… begging for their life with a promise that they'll never, ever hurt anyone. Or some desperate, lost soul with no idea what they're getting into. We find them. We kill them."
He turned, sweeping his gaze across the dark forest. His eyes seemed to linger on the exact patch of shadows where Jacob and his group were hidden.
"We kill them all," he shouted into the night.
From their hiding place, Stiles looked at Allison, his voice a hushed whisper. "So… is that old man another evil member of your family?"
Allison sighed, her expression pained. "Unfortunately, yes. That's my grandfather."
Jacob glanced at Kate, who was visibly depressed, her shoulders slumped. "Alright, Kate, stop feeling sorry for yourself. You reek of desperation. Tell me, who are those hunters with Gerard?"
Kate sighed, forcing herself to focus. She studied the group. "Three of them are definitely Bogatyrs from the Zima family, but their patriarch, Stanisław, isn't among them. Six are Argent hunters. The other six… they're from the Laurent hunter family. Do you remember them?"
Jacob nodded. "I do. The ones who came to hunt me with the wizard."
"Yes," Kate confirmed. "Which means there are more of the Zima and Laurent hunters here in Beacon Hills. They're definitely here to find the person who killed their family members." She gave Jacob a pointed look. "Which means you."
Jacob didn't seem concerned. He smirked. "Well, I'll play with them. And Cogman will be so happy when he hears there are so many people he can have his… twisted fun with."
Kate sighed, rubbing her temples. "What are you going to do about Gerard?"
Jacob's smirk faded into cold neutrality. "You heard him. He wants to kill every supernatural creature in town, and that includes me and my family. So, he will die. But for Chris's sake, I won't kill him unless he tries to attack me, my family, or my friends first."
Lydia, who had been staring intently at Gerard, spoke up quietly. "He's already dying."
Allison turned to her. "Who?"
"Gerard. He's already dying from something. I can feel it."
Jacob nodded. "Yeah. He has cancer. I can smell it."
Suddenly, Jacob's posture shifted. "Everyone, quiet!" He closed his eyes, pouring all his focus into his senses, scanning the woods around them.
A moment later, his eyes snapped open, glowing a fierce red. He looked in a specific direction, then waved his hands. An invisible Quen energy shield, layered with a thicker telekinetic barrier, snapped into existence around their group.
"Lydia, create a sound barrier around us. Now," he ordered.
Lydia complied instantly, her hands moving in a subtle gesture. A bubble of absolute silence enveloped them.
"What's going on?" she said, the sound not carrying beyond her shield.
"The Black Shuck is coming for Gerard," Jacob said. "I can feel it approaching. So, everyone, don't think about killing him. I don't know how his mortal danger sense works, but let's not risk it. Maybe if we don't project intent, he won't feel threatened and will get closer. Especially you, Allison. You and I are the only ones here who can use lightning attacks, which are deadly to him."
"Okay," Allison said, taking a steadying breath. "But can you bring Dad here? I don't want him facing that thing."
Jacob didn't answer. He simply teleported.
He reappeared beside Chris, who was standing a short distance from Gerard, watching as the old man ordered hunters to cut down and burn the omega's remains. Jacob placed a hand on Chris's shoulder, and in the next instant, they were both back inside the layered barrier with the others.
Chris staggered slightly, startled, but relaxed when he saw Allison and the familiar faces. "What's going on?"
"The Black Shuck is coming for Gerard," Allison explained quickly.
"What? Why?"
Kate pointed at Lydia. "Because Gerard is dying from cancer. She can feel it."
Chris, knowing Lydia was a banshee, accepted the explanation without question. He sighed, a deep weariness in his eyes, and looked at Jacob. "Are you just using Gerard as bait, or are you going to let the Black Shuck kill him?"
Jacob shrugged, his expression unreadable. "I will not save Gerard if that's what you're asking. You heard what he said. He wants to kill all supernatural creatures in town. So, let him deal with the Black Shuck."
"He will probably survive," Chris said grimly. "I told him about the Black Shuck. That's why he brought the three Bogatyrs. They can kill it using their supernatural energy."
Just then, a long, low, and utterly creepy howl echoed through the woods—a sound that seemed to slither through the trees and curl around the bones.
Jacob's lips curved into a faint smile. "Alright," he said softly. "Let's watch the show."
To be continued… 😊