Stiles, Scott, and Jacob drove to Stiles' house. When they arrived, they parked their cars, and Stiles invited them inside.
Scott asked. "So, what's going on, Stiles? What do you want to tell us? Is it another one of your conspiracy theories again?"
Stiles replied. "Let's go to my room first."
As they entered Stiles' room, Jacob looked around. Books and papers were scattered all over the floor. He walked over to Stiles' desk, picked up a black-and-white printed photo, raised an eyebrow, and said. "Stiles… I didn't know you were into necrophilia."
"What?! No, I'm not!" Stiles snapped.
Jacob held up the photo of Laura's dead, naked body and said. "Then why do you have a picture of a dead naked girl? And it's not even a full body."
Stiles snatched the picture back. "I stole it from my dad's office. You and Scott saw her in the woods—I had to see it too. And I don't have any weird hobbies! Scott, back me up here."
Scott shrugged. "I don't know, man… Growing up, you did show me a lot of dead body pictures. Some of those gave me nightmares."
Stiles groaned. "Anyway! I don't have any weird hobbies. I just like helping my dad with his cases."
Jacob sat down on the bed and said silently in his mind:
'System, sign in.'
[Location sign-in successful. Rewards obtained:
– Bestiary: An encyclopedia of all the supernatural creatures in the Teen Wolf world.
– The Joker's Laughing Bomb (20 bombs): A gas bomb that causes anyone who inhales it to laugh maniacally for 30 seconds.(Batman)
– 10 Senzu Beans (Expired): Heals all injuries and removes poison, but causes uncontrollable farting for 10 minutes. (Dragon Ball)]
Jacob saw the rewards and thought. 'The Bestiary's going to be useful. The bombs are fun, but the last reward is hilarious. Now, who should I give one of those expired beans to...? Oh, I remember—Derek got shot by Kate. Then it's decided—it's him.'
The mental image of Derek farting uncontrollably for ten straight minutes made Jacob burst out laughing, startling both Stiles and Scott.
Stiles stared at him. "What's wrong with you, bastard? You scared us!"
Wiping tears from his eyes, Jacob said. "Nothing! Allison just sent me a funny text. So, uh... Stiles, what were you saying?"
Stiles narrowed his eyes at Jacob, clearly suspicious, but shook his head and continued. "I was saying I want to talk about the body you guys saw in the woods."
Scott asked. "Did they find out who did it?"
Stiles shook his head. "No, they're still questioning people. Even Derek Hale."
Scott blinked. "The guy we saw in the woods the other day?"
"Yeah, him. But that's not the point, okay?"
"Then what is?"
"Remember that joke I made the other day?" Stiles said. "Well… it's not a joke anymore."
Scott said. "Stiles, you tell a lot of jokes. You're gonna have to be more specific."
Stiles took a breath. "The wolf. The bite in the woods."
Jacob raised his hand. "Hold up—what wolf? What bite are you talking about?"
Scott hesitated. "That night in the woods… the thing you thought was a bear? It bit me. But I'm fine now."
"No, you're not." Stiles said seriously. "Do you even know why wolves howl?"
Scott frowned. "Am I supposed to?"
"It's to signal. When a wolf is alone, it howls to tell the pack where it is. So if you heard one howl... that means a whole pack might be out there."
Jacob watched silently as the tension grew.
Scott asked. "A pack of wolves?"
Stiles hesitated before replying. "No. A pack of werewolves."
Scott stared. "Is this a joke, Stiles? Because it's not funny."
"This isn't a joke!" Stiles said quickly. "I saw you on the field today. You were incredible. The way you moved, your reflexes—and like I said before, you don't even need your inhaler anymore. And don't tell me it's puberty, because..."
Scott cut him off, suddenly angry. He stood up. "You're wasting my time, Stiles. Just when things are finally going right for me—when I'm finally good at something—you're trying to ruin it."
"I'm trying to help..." Stiles said.
"Do I look like I need help to you, Stiles? Or are you just jealous?"
Jacob, who had been quietly watching the argument, finally stood up and said. "Scott, that's enough. Calm down and think about what you just said. I don't know you guys that well, but I heard you and Stiles say you've grown up together. So tell me, Scott—do you really think Stiles would be jealous of you?"
Scott, who had been on the verge of losing control, paused. He took a deep breath, thought about it for a moment, then sat back down. He looked at Stiles and said. "I'm sorry, man. It's just… I'm finally good at something, and it felt like you were trying to take that away from me."
Stiles sighed and replied. "That's not what I'm trying to do, Scott. Like I said, I'm trying to help. Tomorrow is a full moo..."
Scott cut him off. "Are you still going on about werewolves?"
Jacob stepped in. "Well… I hate to say it, but Stiles is right."
Scott turned his glare to Jacob. "You too? You said that thing in the woods was a bear."
"I lied." Jacob said simply. "I didn't think you were bitten. That thing wasn't a bear, and we both know it."
Scott stood up again, frustrated. "I'm done listening to you guys. I'm going home."
Jacob stopped him. "Scott, show me the bite."
Scott hesitated.
"It healed without even leaving a scar, didn't it?" Jacob asked.
"That doesn't mean anythi..."
"It means everything." Jacob cut him off. "You can hear things you shouldn't be able to, like how fast Stiles' heartbeat is right now. You can smell things no human can. You're stronger, faster… Don't tell me you haven't noticed."
Scott sank back down into his seat, clearly panicking. "I did notice. But if what you're saying is true… then what's going to happen to me?"
Stiles said grimly. "You're cursed, Scott. You'll turn into a mindless beast every full moon and kill anything in your path. And it's not just the full moon—if you get angry enough, it can happen..."
Jacob interrupted with a laugh. "Alright, Stiles, that's enough. Don't scare the poor wolf to death. Not everything you read on the internet is right. Do you have a box cutter?"
Stiles blinked. "Uh, yeah." He pulled one from his desk and handed it to Jacob. "What do you want it for?"
"I want to prove to Scott that he has supernatural powers."
Before Scott could react, Jacob grabbed his hand and slashed it with the box cutter, making a deep cut across the back of his hand.
"OW! What are you doing?!" Scott shouted, flinching in pain.
"Scott, look!" Stiles said, pointing.
Scott looked down and watched in shock as the wound began to heal rapidly. Within seconds, it was completely gone.
Stiles' eyes were wide. "That was… awesome."
Scott stared at Jacob. "You didn't have to do that."
Jacob shrugged. "I kind of did. Now you know for sure—you're a werewolf."
Stiles looked at Jacob curiously. "You don't seem too surprised by any of this, and it seems like you know more about werewolves than the internet. Are you a werewolf, Jacob?"
Jacob shook his head. "No, I'm not. But I'm a shapeshifter too—I just don't know what kind."
Then, his eyes glowed golden with reptilian slits. His fangs extended, and his nails turned into black and sharp claws. He growled low in his throat like a wild beast.
Stiles and Scott jumped into the corner of the room, clinging to each other in terror.
Jacob laughed. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."
Stiles, still shaken, was the first to approach him.
"Can I… see your claws?"
Jacob showed his hand to Stiles, who immediately took it and began examining the black claws with fascination. Then he looked up into Jacob's glowing eyes.
"Your eyes… they look reptilian." Stiles said.
"I know." Jacob said, pulling his hand back. "I just don't know what kind yet."
Stiles sat back on his chair and muttered. "Well, you're probably a snake. Because snakes are evil… and you're not exactly a good person."
Jacob shifted back to his normal form and smirked. "Thanks for the compliment."
Scott walked over, intrigued. "Can I do that too? The claws… the eyes… the fangs?"
Jacob looked at him seriously. "Yes, but you'll need to learn how to control yourself first."
Scott's expression turned worried. "Am I going to lose control? Hurt people?"
Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Especially on full moon nights. But don't worry—you just have to train yourself to manage the transformation."
"What if I can't?" Scott asked, his voice trembling. "What if I hurt my mom?"
"You might." Jacob said honestly. "But controlling yourself isn't as hard as you think."
Scott hesitated, then asked. "Is there a cure? Can I… be healed?"
Jacob shook his head. "No. There's no cure."
Scott, panicking and scared, suddenly froze as a thought struck him. He turned to Jacob and said. "Wait a minute… You knew what that thing in the woods was. You're like it, right? You could've saved me! Why didn't you? Now I'm a monster—I might hurt my mom, or Stiles, or kill someone! This is all your fault!"
Jacob frowned. "Are you stupid? I couldn't save you from that thing, even if I tried."
Scott's breathing grew heavy, and anger began to take over.
"Why?!" He shouted. "Was it because that thing was your friend?!"
"Scott, calm down!" Stiles said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Scott's shoulder.
But it was too late.
Scott lost control. His eyes glowed a fierce yellow, and his claws extended as he turned toward Stiles, rage in his expression. He raised his clawed hand and swung at his best friend.
Before the strike landed, Jacob moved with blinding speed. He caught Scott's arm mid-air. "That's enough." He growled.
Scott snarled and turned on Jacob, trying to get free from his grip—but Jacob was stronger. With one swift move, he twisted Scott's arm behind his back and, with his other hand, snapped one of Scott's fingers.
Scott screamed in pain. The sudden pain made his body shift back to normal, and his broken finger began to heal instantly.
Jacob released him and said. "Pain makes you human. If you ever feel like you're losing control—hurt yourself."
He then turned to Stiles. "You alright, man?"
Stiles, still pale from shock, nodded slowly. "Yeah… I thought I was dead for a second, but… I'm alright."
To be continued… 😊