—(Mark)—
My day started off like any other—routine and uneventful. School was dragging on as usual, and I was counting down the minutes until the final bell. But as the end of the school day approached, things took a strange turn.
I was gathering my books when I heard Scott's voice calling my name. I looked up to see him waving me over frantically. In the distance, I saw Derek stumbling in front of Stiles' car, barely able to keep himself upright. Scott was already at Derek's side, trying to help.
I hurried over. The moment I got close, I recognized the symptoms. James had described them to me once, just in case I ever encountered wolfsbane poisoning. I cursed under my breath.
"Stiles, take him home," I ordered, but Derek shook his head vehemently.
"It's not safe," Derek rasped. "I was shot by Kate Argen. Luckily, she didn't see it was me I was shifted at the time ."
Derek continued, his voice strained, "The bullet... it had wolfsbane."
I cursed again, louder this time he'd just confirmed my suspicions. Wolfsbane was hard enough to treat on its own, but if it came from a hunter, it was likely the rare, lethal kind. This was bad. Really bad.
Stiles looked at me, suggesting, "You should drive him somewhere."
I shook my head. "No way. I don't want blood in my new truck, and I definitely don't want him in my house."
Scott, ever the problem solver, said, "Stiles can take him to the vet clinic. It's closed for the day."
I nodded. "We need to get the wolfsbane straight from the source. Scott, you need to find a way into the argents house where Kate is likely staying. Try with Allison I bet you can think up of a reason to be be at the house."
Scott hesitated. "I'd feel bad using Allison like that."
I stepped closer, my voice firm. "If I could get involved, I would. But I can't. So you have to do it."
Reluctantly, Scott asked, "Can you at least come along and drop me off?"
I agreed I could atleast do that. Once everything was set, we headed to the Argent house. Chris Argent greeted us at driveaway, his expression as unreadable as ever.
"You should meet some of the other Argents," Chris said not giving me time to decline , ushering me in. "Just so they know who's giving me information about the supernatural movement around the area."
I agreed, though unease settled in my gut. Inside, Allison frowned, clearly confused. "Mark, what are you doing here?"
Before I could answer, Chris intervened, "He's here on business, Allison."
"What kind of business?" Allison pressed, looking directly at me.
I sighed internally, knowing this was going to be tricky. "I hunt over the summer and I'm looking for new equipment," I said, injecting a hint of sarcasm into my tone. "Your father sells guns."
Chris gave me a slight nod and led me to a room with his wife and sister before Allison could ask anymore questions. Leaving Scott with Allison alone, I entered the room.
Their cold glances told me all I needed to know about their feelings toward me.
Kate Argent wasted no time. "Did you attack me this morning?"
I denied it immediately, but she countered, "I shot the werewolf that attacked me."
"So?" I responded coolly. "I have no gun wounds on me, and I have nothing against you. It's not like you go after all supernatural beings, right? You have that code, after all. And I certainly haven't hunted any humans."
I added, "Anyway, I just came to drop off Scott for his study session. Since you know what I look like and I know what you look like I think this introduction is over. I need to get going." I left the room quickly, not wanting to answer more questions.
It seemed Chris hadn't told the others about Scott being a werewolf, as they treated him differently than they had me. I left Scott on his own as he was invited to stay after "studying" to have dinner with the Argent. Later, Scott managed to get the bullet, narrowly avoiding Kate.
He questioned me on why Mr.Argent as he referred to Chris gave him the death glare. To which I casually told him that he knows you're a werewolf and trying to date his soon to be hunter daughter. I emphasize the word hunter.
Once we entered the vet clinic Derek quickly took the bullet from Scott hand.
Derek extracted the wolfsbane powder from the casing and burned it. The blue smoke released was gathered, and Derek applied the ashes to his wound. He writhed in pain on the floor, but slowly, the dark veins tracking through his skin began to fade.
Once he was steady, Derek wanted to show was something and so took us to the only other living Hale family member, who resided in a care facility. There, Derek revealed he was certain the hunters had started the fire that killed his pack because only they knew about them.
Scott, always looking for the good in people at the wrong times, suggested, "Maybe they had a reason to do so."
My fists clenched at his insensitivity there isn't a good enough reason to burn people especially kids alive. Derek's gaze hardened. "Allison will become a hunter. Eventually, she'll discover that you are the very thing she's meant to hunt. You need to understand that your relationship isn't a good idea."
Silence fell over us, thick and suffocating, until a nurse kicked us out. I didn't bother saying goodbye. I got in my car and finally headed home, longing for sleep.
[A/N new schedule Monday - Wednesday - Friday (bonus on Saturday if we get to 75 stones]. Since you guys met that already you'll get a bonus this Saturday]