The next day, Jacob woke up, had breakfast, and signed into the System. He received some food and daily necessities as his daily reward.
After getting ready, he hopped on his new bike and rode to school. Once there, he met up with his friends, and together they went through their school day as usual.
After school, they gathered outside in front of the main entrance. Lydia, who was standing with them, turned to Jacob and said. "Don't forget to come to my party tonight."
Jacob smiled. "I won't."
As Lydia walked away, Jacob turned to Allison. "Should I come pick you up from your house tonight?"
Allison nodded. "Yeah, but don't bring your bike. My dad already doesn't like you that much, if he sees you riding a bike, he definitely won't let me go with you."
Jacob frowned. "Why does your dad hate me anyway?"
Allison shrugged. "I don't know. Anyway, I've gotta go. He's here." She gave him a quick wave before walking over to her dad's car, which had just pulled up.
Jacob watched her go, then turned to Stiles. "You drive Scott to my house."
Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you take him with you? You're going there anyway."
Jacob gestured toward his bike. "I brought my bike today, and I don't feel like having a dude hugging me from behind."
Stiles rolled his eyes. "Fine." He looked at Scott. "Get your wolf butt in my car. I'll drive you to the snake's lair."
Scott chuckled and got into the Jeep.
Once the three of them arrived at Jacob's mansion, Stiles dropped Scott off and left.
Jacob turned to Scott. "I've still got a few hours before I need to pick up Allison. Let's play some video games."
The two of them headed to the gaming room and played for a couple of hours. Eventually, Jacob stood up and said. "Alright, time for me to head out. I've activated the barrier, so even if you lose control, you won't be able to leave the house. Just don't stay inside the whole time—go out and look at the moon. See if it affects you. And if you get hungry, there's food in the fridge. Eat whatever you want."
Scott nodded. "Thanks."
Jacob went upstairs, took a shower, got dressed, and then drove his car to Allison's house.
---
When he arrived, he parked in front of her home and stepped out of the car. He pulled out his phone and called her.
She answered after a few seconds. "Jay? Are you outside?"
"Yeah." Jacob replied. "You ready yet?"
"Almost. Give me like fifteen minutes."
"Alright. Hurry up." Jacob said before hanging up.
As he waited, the front door opened and Chris stepped outside. He looked straight at Jacob and called out. "Hey, kid. Come here."
Jacob sighed to himself. 'I guess I have to talk to him eventually.'
He walked up to Chris and greeted him. "Hello, Mr. Argent."
Chris looked him over. "Want to come in for a drink?"
Jacob hesitated. "There's no need..."
Chris cut him off. "I insist."
Jacob sighed and said. "Alright." Then walked into the house, following Chris to the living room where Victoria was already seated.
He greeted her politely. "Good evening, Mrs. Argent."
Victoria gave him a curt nod. "Sit."
Jacob sat down, and Victoria handed him a teacup. "Here. Have some tea."
"Thank you." Jacob replied, taking the cup. As he glanced inside, he noticed a few purple petals floating in the tea. He thought to himself. 'Wolfsbane. Clever. They're testing me to see if I'm a werewolf. Too bad for them, I'm not.'
He took a sip and said casually. "Not bad, but I could use a little more sugar."
Victoria and Chris exchanged a quick look. Then Victoria slid the sugar bowl toward him and said. "Help yourself."
Jacob began adding sugar—one cube, then a second, then a few more. Chris finally snapped, grabbing the bowl away.
"That's enough, kid. Sugar's bad for your health."
Jacob smirked. "Come on, Mr. Argent. No need to be stingy."
He stirred the tea and took another sip. "Ah, perfect."
Chris narrowed his eyes. "So, kid. Tell me, what exactly is going on between you and Allison?"
Jacob leaned back and took another sip. "We're just friends."
"Are you sure?"
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Why? You wouldn't happen to want me as your son-in-law, would you?"
Victoria raised a brow, clearly amused. Chris, on the other hand, was not.
"No. I don't like you. And I want you to stay away from my daughter."
Jacob looked confused. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"
"You look like trouble. And you're a bad influence, ever since she met you, she's changed. She never even went to parties before."
Jacob held up a finger. "Hold on a second. If anyone's the bad influence here, it's your daughter. She's the one who wanted to go to the party and dragged me into it. I just wanted to stay home and play video games, okay? She is a bad girl."
Chris got angry. "You little punk. You've got a death wish, don't you? How dare you say my daughter is a bad girl!"
Jacob smirked. "Don't worry, sir. I'll keep her out of trouble and stop her whenever she wants to do something reckless."
Chris's eyes flared. He reached into his coat, pulled out his gun, and placed it on the table with a loud clunk.
Jacob slowly raised his hands. "Okay, okay, I was just joking. Allison is the sweetest, most well-behaved girl I've ever met. Don't shoot me. But hey… can I hold the gun? I've never held one before."
Chris stared at him. "What do you think?"
Jacob scratched the back of his head. "I think you need to relax, sir. You look tense. You should smile more."
Chris reached for his gun again and clicked off the safety.
Jacob glanced toward the staircase and called out. "Allison! Are you done watching the show? If you don't come out now, your dad's gonna shoot me!"
Allison, who had been peeking from the top of the stairs, finally walked down.
"Dad." She said with a sigh. "You promised you wouldn't scare him away."
Chris clicked the safety back on and holstered the gun. "I was just joking with him, sweetheart."
Jacob let out a sigh. "Well, that wasn't funny. I've never been held at gunpoint before. I think I'm traumatized now—I need to see a shrink."
Allison rolled her eyes. "Alright, stop being dramatic. Let's go."
She grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the door. Just as they were about to leave, Victoria, who had been watching silently, spoke up.
"Wait, kid. Did you ever see that bear from the other night again?"
Jacob shook his head. "No. I haven't gone out at night since then. Why?"
Victoria shrugged. "Just wondering. You can go now, but make sure Allison is home by 11:30."
Jacob nodded. "Okay. Bye, Mrs. Argent. And thanks for the tea."
He glanced at Chris and added. "Bye, Mr. Ar... never mind. Allison, let's go. Your dad still looks like he really wants to shoot me."
And with that, he quickly exited.
Allison followed him. "Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad."
Chris and Victoria watched them drive away. Victoria crossed her arms.
"Well, now we know for sure the kid isn't a werewolf."
Chris sighed. "Too bad. I really wanted to shoot him."
Victoria gave him a look. "Alright, enough about the kid. We need to focus on finding that Alpha. I've never seen anything like him before. If we let him roam free, he'll build a pack and grow even stronger."
Chris nodded. "I was hoping the kid might be his Beta—we could've used him to find the Alpha. But now, we'll have to find another lead."
Victoria thought for a moment. "What about Derek Hale? You said he's back in town."
Chris said. "I don't think he knows who the Alpha is. And he's probably looking for him too. I'll keep an eye on him."
---
Meanwhile, in Jacob's car…
He was driving when Allison smirked and said. "So… I'm a bad girl, huh?"
Jacob chuckled. "Yes. You were watching the whole show and smiling while your dad pulled a gun on me. So yeah, you're a bad person and a bad friend."
Allison rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Don't act like you were scared of him."
Jacob glanced at her. "By the way, why does your dad carry a gun? Is he a cop or something?"
"No." Allison replied. "He sells weapons."
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "So… are you good with guns then?"
"I know my way around them." Allison said. "But I'm much better with a bow. I'm really good at it."
Jacob grinned. "Then you should show me sometime."
Allison smiled. "Sure. Want to go to the woods some day?"
Jacob shook his head. "Nah, just come to my place. You can show off your bow skills in my backyard. And by the way—promise me you won't go into the woods alone. Or with Lydia. Actually, just avoid the woods completely."
Allison frowned. "Why? Because of that bear? I'll bring bear spray."
Jacob shook his head more firmly. "Don't. That thing wasn't normal, Allison. Please, just don't go into the woods."
"It was just a bear." She insisted.
Jacob looked over at her. "Allison… that thing outran your mom's car. And its eyes were glowing red. Remember?"
For the first time since she had seen Peter in his werewolf form that night, Allison began thinking seriously about what that thing was. After a quiet moment, she asked. "Then what do you think that thing was, Jay?"
Jacob sighed. "I don't know. But promise me—you won't go into the woods."
Allison nodded. "Okay. I won't. Do you think… it was the thing that killed that girl in the woods?"
"Probably." Jacob replied. "Now, let's not talk about creepy stuff anymore."
He reached over and turned on the radio. "Let's sing a little instead."
And with that, they drove off toward Lydia's house—singing the whole way.
To be continued... 😊