In the mansion's kitchen, Jacob was cooking dinner while Stiles sat at the table, holding an ice pack to his head where Scott had punched him earlier.
Soon, Scott walked in, freshly showered and wearing clean clothes. He sat down at the table and glanced at Stiles.
"You didn't have to hit me that hard, man." Stiles grumbled. "I don't have super healing like you."
Scott snorted. "You deserved it."
Scott kept glancing at Jacob, clearly wanting to say something, but hesitating.
Jacob noticed and sighed. "Stop looking at me like that and just say whatever's on your mind."
Scott said. "You're not really thinking about going after my mom, are you?"
Jacob burst out laughing. "No, man. Relax. I'm not interested in your mom. I've got my hands full with Allison and Lydia. Gotta figure out how to make both of them my girlfriends."
Stiles blurted. "what?! You can't go after Lydia!"
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Because she has a boyfriend? That won't last, they will break up soon."
"That's not the reason." Stiles muttered.
Jacob looked curious. "Then what is?"
Scott smirked. "Because Stiles has a crush on her."
Jacob blinked, then grinned. "Ohhh, is that so? Well, Stiles, as a friend, I'm gonna give you some honest advice: maybe find someone who'd actually be into a nerd like you. You are not Lydia's type."
"That's not for you to decide." Stiles shot back.
"You're right." Jacob said, shrugging. "And hey, I like having you around, so when I do start dating Lydia, I hope you'll still be my friend."
Stiles frowned. "I don't think Lydia's the kind of girl who'd date you while you're also dating Allison."
Jacob smirked. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just that irresistible."
Scott rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "Anyway, Jacob—am I really in control now? Or am I still gonna lose it on the full moon?"
Jacob leaned back. "I think you won't lose control anymore, but I don't really know for sure. Tomorrow is your first full moon, so just in case, you should spend the night here at my house. That way, even if you lose control, I can activate the barrier and you'll be trapped inside."
Stiles added. "Or you could just beat his ass again until he regains control."
Jacob shook his head. "Can't. Tomorrow, I'm going to Lydia's party, so I won't be able to babysit Scott."
Stiles perked up. "Wait, Lydia's party? I forgot about that. I'm definitely going!"
Scott frowned. "So while you two are out partying, I'm stuck here alone?"
Jacob grinned. "If you were a hot girl, maybe I'd stay in and keep you company. But sadly, you're not. You could ask Stiles to stay."
Stiles raised his hands. "No, thank you. We don't know if he'll lose control or not, and I'm not willing to risk my life to find out. Besides, I really want to go to Lydia's party."
Scott, upset that he couldn't go to the party, said. "Why are you even excited? It's not like she invited you on a date. She only invited us because we're Jacob's friends. Honestly, she seems pretty interested in him."
Stiles sighed. "You know what? I don't even care. Maybe I'll get lucky with some other girl. Anyway, I'm going to have fun at the party."
Jacob clapped him on the back. "That's the spirit! You better give up soon and spare yourself the heartbreak when Lydia becomes my girlfriend."
Stiles shrugged. "Maybe I'll give up when that actually happens. Until then… a man can dream."
Jacob laughed. "Yes, a man can dream."
A few minutes later, Jacob placed dinner on the table—steaks and a few simple side dishes. The three of them ate, joked, and relaxed. After they cleaned up, they moved to the living room, sipping soda on the couch.
Scott looked at Jacob seriously. "Earlier, you said the alpha who bit me might come after me, or even hurt my mom. Were you serious?"
Jacob nodded. "Yeah. I think he bit you because he's trying to build a pack. That's probably the only reason you're still alive."
Stiles looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Jacob said. "If that alpha wanted Scott dead… do you really think he'd still be here?"
Scott shook his head. "No, I couldn't have survived. I remember… he pinned me to the ground, bit me, and then just let me go."
Stiles frowned. "So that thing… it's going to come after Scott again?"
Jacob answered without hesitation. "Definitely. If it hasn't already."
Stiles turned to Scott. "Has it?"
Scott hesitated. "I… I think so. I woke up in the woods yesterday morning, and I heard him growling, and I... I saw him too."
"Then what happened?" Stiles asked.
Scott said. "I just ran and fell into a pool. Then I went back home."
"He didn't chase you?"
"No." Scott said.
"How did you end up in the woods in the first place?"
"I don't know." Scott said quietly.
Jacob chimed in. "It's the Alpha's doing. If you were awake, you might not have gone to the woods. But since you were asleep, you might have heard him howl and instinctively gone to him."
Scott looked shaken. "Wait… can he control me?"
Jacob nodded. "Yes, but not like that. If he really wanted to control you, he'd need to roar at you face to face. But if your will is strong enough, you can resist him."
Scott looked like he was starting to panic, so Jacob added calmly. "Don't worry too much. He won't hurt you, and he won't really hurt your mom or kill her because he wants you in his pack. However, he will threaten you with her safety, and the safety of your friends. He'll use them to force you to submit."
Scott clenched his fists. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
Jacob shrugged. "I don't know. But me? I'm definitely fighting him. He probably already wants to kill me anyway."
Stiles blinked. "Why would he want to kill you?"
Jacob smirked. "Because that night in the woods, when we first met him… I fought him. He was stronger than me, but I had bear spray. I hit him with it a few times and even gouged his eye. So yeah, I'm probably on his must kill list. He'll probably try to make me submit to him first, and when I refuse… he'll try to kill me."
Stiles muttered. "I'm definitely buying bear spray."
Jacob chuckled. "Good idea. But hold onto it yourself. Don't give it to Scott, just in case the Alpha controls him. Then, you can use it on both of them. Most importantly, you have to use it in a surprise attack, because an alpha werewolf can move so fast you won't even have time to blink."
Stiles nodded slowly. "Surprise attack. Got it."
Scott looked at Jacob. "What other weaknesses do werewolves have?"
"Wolfsbane." Jacob said. "There are different kinds. Some just weaken werewolves, others can kill them in minutes. High-voltage electricity works too. And mountain ash."
Stiles asked. "What about silver?"
Jacob shook his head. "Nope. Silver isn't actually a weakness for werewolves. But the family with that name is."
Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Wait, are we talking about a family of werewolf hunters with the last name Silver?"
"Not Silver." Jacob corrected. "Argent."
Scott's eyes widened. "As in… Allison Argent?"
Jacob nodded. "Yep. Her family are old-school werewolf hunters, originating from France. They're so good at it that people started thinking Argent—which means silver in French—was actually a weakness for werewolves."
Stiles blinked. "Then why are you friends with Allison? Why do you even want to date her? Aren't you scared of her family? Her dad already looks like he wants to skin you alive every time he picks her up from school."
Jacob grinned. "Because she's hot. And after getting to know her… I really like her."
Stiles rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Well, when her dad finds out you're a snake, he's going to kill your dumbass and turn your skin into a belt."
Jacob's eyes glowed gold. "Stiles, I'm not as easy to kill as you think."
Scott jumped in. "What if Allison doesn't even want to be friends with you after she finds out what you are?"
Jacob's eyes faded back to normal. "I think I'm handsome enough that she'll accept me for who I am." He chuckled. "What really scares me is what she'll do to me when I tell her I want to have a harem."
Stiles groaned. "Why are you so obsessed with having a harem, man?"
Jacob shrugged. "It's in my nature."
Stiles narrowed his eyes. "Are you some kind of lustful snake?"
Jacob smirked, sipping his soda. "Something like that."
Scott leaned forward. "By the way… what other creatures like us do you know about?"
Jacob thought for a second. "Huh… there are a lot. Where do I even start? Wait—I've got a book. Hang on."
He stood up and went upstairs. A few minutes later, he returned with a thick leather-bound book—the Bestiary, a reward from the System. He handed it to Stiles.
"Here. It's like an encyclopedia of supernatural creatures. Just a warning though—don't blame me if you have nightmares."
Scott and Stiles exchanged curious glances, then started flipping through the pages. They saw entries for terrifying beasts, cursed beings, and creatures they couldn't even pronounce.
It didn't take long for Stiles to slam the book shut and hand it back to Jacob. "Yeah, no thanks. I don't think I want to read this anymore."
Scott laughed nervously. "Honestly, I think this book's fake. What do you think, Stiles?"
Stiles nodded quickly. "Totally fake. Yep. Definitely not real."
Jacob grinned. "I hate to disappoint you guys, but..."
Stiles cut him off. "Then don't. We've decided it's fake. Let us keep believing that. You evil, cold-blooded snake."
Jacob chuckled. "As you wish."
Scott glanced at the clock. "It's getting late. I should head home before my mom starts freaking out."
"Yeah, me too." Stiles said, standing up.
After saying their goodbyes, Scott and Stiles left the mansion. Jacob wandered into his gaming room and played for a few hours before finally going to bed.
To be continued... 😊