After watching Bartek die, Jacob turned to face Allison and the others. His mouth still dripped with glowing magma. He winked at Kate, who immediately took several steps back and hid behind Victoria. He then looked at Stiles and Scott. "So," He said casually. "have you ever seen a man drink magma before?"
Scott, whose eyes were wide and fixed on Bartek's still-smoldering body, turned away and vomited violently. Stiles, on the other hand, ran up to Jacob, his face alight with excitement. "That was awesome! Can you use magma?"
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just see me use it?"
"Yes! And you were so cool! And awesome! And handsome! And strong!"
Jacob smiled, and patted Stiles on the shoulder. "Yes, I am the most handsome man in the world."
Stiles nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, you are the most handsome man alive!"
Jacob laughed and gave Stiles a hard pat on the back. "Go on, praise me more!"
Stiles's mouth twitched. Then, a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes, and he switched to a high-pitched, girly voice. "You are so hot! If I was a girl, I woul..."
Jacob smacked him on the back of the head. "Stop! I told you to never use that voice again when talking to me!"
Stiles laughed, but a moment later, a kick sent him crashing to the ground. He looked back to see Lydia glaring down at him, and he said. "What was that for?!"
"Stay away from Jay." Lydia commanded. "It's bad enough I have to share him with other girls; I don't want to share him with boys, too."
Stiles stood up, dusting himself off. "I was just joking! I'm straight!"
Lydia said. "If you say so."
Jacob crossed his arms. "Usually when I start talking about how good-looking I am, you and Scott either ignore me or try to attack me and get your asses kicked. So, tell me what you really want, Stiles."
Stiles grinned sheepishly. "I want you to tell Cogman to let me borrow his lightsaber. Please."
"Oh, so that's what you want, huh?" Jacob said. "Then ask him yourself."
"I did, but he said no! Please, it's my childhood dream to play with a lightsaber!"
Jacob looked at Cogman.
"It's too dangerous, sir." Cogman stated. "And I don't like Stiles. Every time I see him, I feel like beating him. But... if he lets me break a few of his bones, I might consider letting him borrow it."
Jacob smiled. "You heard him, Stiles."
Stiles looked pleadingly at Cogman. "Come on, man! Just let me borrow it for a few minutes!"
"I told you what you need to do if you really want my sword." Cogman replied flatly.
Stiles sighed in deep disappointment, his shoulders slumping. Seeing this, Jacob smiled and pulled a lightsaber hilt from his pocket dimension. "Alright, stop looking like your dog just died. Here." He tossed it to Stiles. "It's a defective one. It can only cut walls and rocks, but it's still a lightsaber."
Stiles caught it happily. "Wait, if it can cut walls and rocks, why can't it cut other things?"
"It has a magical restriction on it." Jacob explained.
Stiles's eyes shone. "When should I return it to you?"
"Whenever you want."
Stiles ignited the blue energy blade and shouted in excitement. "Yes!" He was about to run over to Scott but stopped and turned back to Jacob. "You wouldn't happen to have a Jedi robe that I can borrow, would you?"
Jacob kicked him lightly. "Get lost."
Stiles laughed and ran to Scott and began enthusiastically demonstrating his new toy by slicing nearby rocks like a maniac.
Jacob smiled, then waved a hand, summoning flames that quickly consumed all the bodies of the hunters, leaving no trace. He turned to Cogman. "Gather their swords."
Cogman collected the Bogatyrs' swords and handed them to Jacob, who stored them in his pocket dimension. "Did you make sure no one will trace this back to you when they realize these bastards have disappeared?" Jacob asked.
"Yes, sir. I took care of it." Cogman confirmed.
"Good. I don't care if the rest of the Zima family comes after you; you'll be fine. But I don't want them going after Stiles and Scott."
Scott smiled, touched that Jacob seemed worried about him. But then he heard Jacob continue. "I don't really care about those two idiots, but Melissa would be in danger, and I don't want that."
"Damn it." Scott muttered, his smile vanishing.
Jacob grinned. "Alright, let's get out of here."
The group began walking back toward Jacob's mansion.
As they walked, Stiles fell into step beside Allison. "Hey, Allison, you didn't tell us you had supernatural powers!"
"Didn't I?" She replied innocently. "I thought you already knew."
"No, I didn't! Your eyes were glowing green! So, what are you?"
"A fairy." Allison said. "I'm a wind fairy."
Stiles blinked. "What? Can you, like, become tiny?"
"Tiny? No, Stiles." She said with a laugh. "I'm a real fairy, not like the ones from Disney."
Cogman, walking just behind them, chimed in with a scholarly tone. "The Fair Folk, or Sidhe, are human-sized. The small, cute version you're referring to is a literary invention that became popular starting in the Victorian era."
They continued walking and talking, and just as they were about to exit the woods, they ran into a new group: Peter, Derek, and two other men in their forties, and both of them were werewolves.
Peter's gaze swept over Jacob's group, but his eyes locked onto Kate, glowing a furious red. He stared at her for a long, tense moment before turning his attention to Jacob. "Why is someone like you walking and laughing with hunters?" He demanded, his voice a low growl.
Jacob raised a brow, then offered a deceptively mild smile. "They're my in-laws. And, Peter..."
Peter saw that smile and instinctively took a step back. "W-what?"
"Are you telling me who I should and shouldn't talk to?" Jacob asked, his tone light but carrying an unmistakable edge.
"No, no! You can talk to whoev... No, you can do whatever you want! That's not what I meant! I can't tell you what to do... I'm sorry." Peter backtracked, his bravado evaporating. "I just saw Kate Argent, and anger clouded my mind. Please understand, she killed my family and almost killed me, too."
One of the unfamiliar werewolves beside Peter scoffed. "Peter, why are you scared of a kid? From his scent, I can tell he's just a human. Is there an Alpha protecting him or something? We can just kill him and everyone with him and get rid of the bodies. That way, no one will know we were the ones who did it."
Peter looked at the man with sheer terror. "Shut up!"
The man raised a brow, confused by his Alpha's fear. "Why are you scared? I can smell your fear. Where is the Alpha who beat me and forced me to join his pack? I can see they have a werewolf and a werecoyote with them. But we have an Alpha and three Betas on our side. We can take them even if they have hunters with them."
Then, the man's eyes glowed blue as he ogled Allison, Lydia, and Kate. "But we won't kill those three. I want to..."
Before he could finish his vile suggestion, Peter spun and punched him with all his Alpha strength, sending the Beta crashing to the ground. "Are you trying to get us all killed?!" Peter roared.
He then turned back to Jacob. "I have nothing to do with this bastard."
Stiles piped up. "But he just said he's your Beta!"
"He was." Peter stated firmly. "I just kicked him out of my pack."
Jacob smiled. "Is that so?"
"Yes, yes!" Peter said quickly. "He is all yours. I can even kill him for you if you want."
Jacob ignored the offer. "Where did you find him, anyway?"
"He was just passing through town, and I asked him to join my pack." Peter explained.
The disowned Beta got up from the ground, now fully shifted into his werewolf form. Fur bristled on his cheeks, and his claws were extended. He growled at Peter but knew he couldn't beat an Alpha. Instead, he turned his rage on Jacob and charged.
"Dumbass." Derek muttered, shaking his head with a sigh.
Jacob didn't even move from his spot. He simply slapped the charging werewolf across the face with enough force to knock several fangs out of his mouth and send him flying sideways. "Scott, Stiles." Jacob said casually. "Which one of you wants to fight him?"
"I'll fight! I'll fight!" Stiles shouted. "But I won't kill him." He handed the lightsaber to Scott. "Hold this, and watch the debut of Super Stiles!"
The werewolf stood up, his fangs already regrown. It seemed the humiliation had pushed him over the edge into a mindless fury. He ignored everyone else and charged Jacob again. This time, Stiles moved with his own supernatural speed, intercepting him with a powerful kick to the stomach that made the werewolf howl in pain.
Enraged, the werewolf swiped at Stiles with his claws. Stiles dodged and countered with a sharp punch to the nose, breaking it with a sickening crunch. "Aahh, that hurts!" Stiles yelped, shaking his hand.
The werewolf let out a feral roar and tried to bite him. Stiles evaded to the side, and the creature pursued him relentlessly. Stiles ran, dodging behind trees. "Damn, he looks pissed!"
He began toying with the out-of-control Beta, peeking out from behind a tree and landing a solid punch to his face before ducking back into cover. The furious werewolf roared and slammed a fist into the tree, splintering it in half.
"Oops!" Stiles muttered, then sprinted toward another tree with the werewolf hot on his heels. This time, he didn't hide behind it. He ran straight up the trunk, intending to perform a backflip. He managed the flip, and the werewolf crashed into the tree below him. But Stiles had misjudged his strength; instead of one flip, he spun through three rotations and slammed face-first into the dirt.
The werewolf turned, grabbed Stiles by the leg, and lifted him, growling as drool dripped onto Stiles's jeans.
Seeing the slavering jaws about to clamp down on his leg, Stiles panicked. He kicked out wildly, his heel connecting solidly with the werewolf's mouth. The grip loosened, and Stiles wrenched himself free, scrambling to his feet.
Jacob and the others watched the fight with a mixture of confusion and amusement.
Lydia smiled. "Is this a fight or a comedy show?"
Victoria said. "Is that boy, Stiles, a werewolf too?"
"No, he's not." Allison explained. "He drank a magical strengthening potion."
Jacob shouted. "Stiles! You either fight seriously, or I'm taking the lightsaber back!"
Stiles, who was still dodging swipes from the enraged werewolf, yelled back. "Please don't take it back! I'll fight seriously!" He then turned his full attention to the beta. "Alright, mutt." He said, his voice losing all its playful edge. "Playtime's over."
He stopped running. As the werewolf lunged, Stiles didn't dodge. He met the charge head-on, catching the werewolf by his wrists. He used the Beta's own momentum to spin and hurl him into a thick oak tree. The impact shook the trunk.
The werewolf staggered up, disoriented. Stiles didn't give him a chance to recover. He closed the distance in a blur, delivering a rapid series of jabs to his ribs. When the werewolf swiped at him, he ducked under the claws, came up inside his guard, and drove an uppercut into his jaw that snapped his head back.
The werewolf stumbled, his movements becoming sluggish. Stiles pressed his advantage. He swept the werewolf's legs out from under him, and as he fell, he landed a punch with all his strength to his temple.
The werewolf hit the ground hard and stopped moving. Stiles smiled, thought he had won, and turned triumphantly toward Jacob and the others. But then he heard a low growl from behind him. He spun around to see the werewolf already back on his feet, swiping his claws at him. Stiles didn't have time to dodge and was slashed across the chest. The claws tore through his hoodie and left a deep, bleeding gash.
Scott panicked and started walking forward to help his friend, but Jacob stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Don't help him. Let him finish this fight on his own."
"But..." Scott protested.
Jacob cut him off. "Don't worry too much. That werewolf has lost control. He might look dangerous, but he's just a mindless beast now. Stiles just needs to use his brain and not let his guard down. He can win this easily."
Stiles touched the wound on his chest, which was already beginning to heal, and hissed in pain. "That hurt!" He glared at the werewolf. "You should have stayed down."
The werewolf roared and lunged again. This time, Stiles was ready. He dodged to the side and delivered a powerful kick to his knee, sending him crashing to the ground. With an evil smile, he began kicking the downed beta repeatedly with all his strength, finally hearing a sickening crunch as one of the werewolf's arms broke.
The shock of the pain seemed to jolt the werewolf back to his senses. The mindless rage faded from his eyes, replaced by fear. He began begging Stiles to stop.
Stiles ignored his pleas. He grabbed both of his legs and started slamming him from side to side against the hard ground like a ragdoll. After several brutal impacts, he dropped the dazed beta, straddled his chest, and began punching him hard in the face. He didn't stop until the werewolf shifted back into his bloody, bruised human form, barely conscious. Only then did Stiles stand up, breathing heavily.
He walked back to Jacob and the others, a triumphant look on his face. "So, what do you guys think of Super Stiles?"
Jacob smiled. "I think you're just one bad day away from having your own supervillain origin story."
Stiles smiled. "A supervillain sounds like fun, but not with you around. I don't want to die by drinking magma."
Jacob threw an arm around Stiles's shoulder. "How about we both become villains? We'll take over the world and steal all the beautiful women. I'll even let you have a few. Let's say... ten? No, five. Actually, two. Two is the most I can give you."
Stiles raised an eyebrow. "All the beauties in the world, and you'll only give me two? How generous of you."
Jacob heard a loud, synchronized "Ahem!" from his side. He looked over to see Lydia and Allison glaring at him. He immediately let go of Stiles and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Don't worry, girls! I'll make you two the queens of the world! Those other women will just be our servants."
Lydia's expression shifted to a thoughtful smile. "That sounds interesting. I'm in."
Allison rolled her eyes. "Just deal with that werewolf, you pervert. And let's go back home."
Jacob smiled and turned back to the unconscious werewolf, raising a hand to incinerate him. But Cogman darted past him. "Wait, sir!"
The butler stood over the helpless man, activated his energy sword, and began stabbing the body repeatedly until all life was gone. He then walked back to Jacob, a look of profound satisfaction on his face. "Now you can burn the body."
Jacob shook his head with a smile, waved his hand, and sent a jet of flame to consume the corpse, turning it to ash in moments.
He then turned his gaze to Peter, who flinched under the attention. Jacob ignored him and looked at Peter's remaining new Beta. "You. Show me your eyes."
The man, wisely, didn't argue. He let his eyes glow a bright yellow.
"I don't know where you came from." Jacob said. "But if you kill innocent people in this town, you'll have only yourself to blame."
He then looked at Derek. "You should stop hanging out with Peter. He's going to get you killed. See you around." With that final warning, he started walking away, his group falling into step behind him.
Kate looked at Peter with a vicious smile and opened her mouth to taunt him, but Allison grabbed her arm. "Don't say a word, Kate. You might anger Jacob, and he could decide to let you fight Peter right here, right now. We both know you wouldn't survive that."
Kate turned to her niece, a smirk playing on her lips. "So, you still care about me, Princess?"
Allison ignored her, let go of her arm, and walked ahead to walk beside Lydia.
Kate's smirk widened as she followed. "How about we go shopping tomorrow? My treat."
Allison didn't even look back. "No, thank you."
Peter watched Jacob and his group leave. Only when they had completely disappeared into the darkness did he finally let out a shaky sigh of relief. "Damn, that was scary. I thought he was going to turn around and beat me to a pulp or burn me again."
His new Beta, James, spoke up, his voice uneasy. "Peter, what kind of monster was that kid? I didn't even realize he was supernatural until he used fire."
"I have no idea what he is." Peter admitted, running a hand through his hair. "All I know is that he's a monster that shouldn't be provoked. Ever. So, James, don't ever provoke him, because I can't save you. And to be perfectly honest, I might even help him deal with you if you're stupid enough to try."
James swallowed hard. "You seem... terrified of him."
"Of course I am!" Peter snapped. "He almost killed me twice. I'm only alive because he decided not to finish me off and left me half-dead."
Derek, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Are we still going after Kate?"
"Of course." Peter said, a cold, calculating glint returning to his eyes. "But we won't go after her. We'll let her find us when we're ready. We'll make sure she attacks us first. That way, Jacob can't blame me if I kill her in self-defense. We just have to make absolutely sure not to kill Chris Argent or his wife in the process."
---
Jacob and his group returned to the mansion. Stiles took a shower and borrowed a change of clothes from Jacob. Cogman prepared dinner for everyone, and they ate together before the Argents finally said their goodbyes and left. Cogman also departed to retrieve the car he had left near the hotel where the Zima family had been staying.
Later, in the living room, Stiles's expression turned serious. "Jacob, I think it's time to tell my dad what's going on. He's going crazy these days and has started drinking again. I'm really worried about him."
Jacob leaned back. "Do you need my help or something?"
Stiles nodded. "Yes, that would be great."
"Alright," Jacob agreed. "When?"
"Tomorrow night." Stiles said.
"Fine by me." Jacob replied.
With that settled, Stiles and Scott said goodnight to Jacob, and the girls, and left the mansion.
To be continued... 😊