# Episode 2: A Mother's Warning
Stiles knew he was dreaming.
He stood in the kitchen of his childhood home, but everything was exactly as it had been years ago.
The faded curtains were still hanging over the window. His school drawings covered the refrigerator, and a half-finished cup of coffee rested beside the sink.
A woman stood with her back to him.
Stiles stopped breathing.
"Mom?"
Claudia Stilinski turned around.
She looked healthy. Her face was not pale from the illness, and confusion no longer clouded her eyes. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders while the smile Stiles had spent years trying to remember appeared on her face.
"My sweet boy."
Stiles crossed the kitchen before he could think.
He pulled her into his arms.
Claudia held him tightly, resting one hand against the back of his head.
Stiles closed his eyes.
"You're not real," he whispered.
"I was real."
"That isn't what I meant."
"I know."
Stiles pulled away just far enough to see her face.
"Am I dead?"
"No."
"Is this another one of my new abilities?"
"In a way."
"What's happening to me?"
Claudia's smile disappeared.
She touched his cheek.
"I tried so hard to protect you from this life."
Stiles looked at her. "You knew?"
"I knew what slept inside you because the same blood lived inside me."
"You were an Incubus?"
"The word used for a woman is Succubus, but the difference is only a name. We are the same kind."
Stiles stepped back.
"You had these abilities?"
"Yes."
"You could read minds and influence people?"
"When I was your age, I could barely walk through a crowded room without hearing every thought inside it."
"You entered dreams?"
Claudia nodded.
"That is how you are seeing me now. I placed a piece of myself inside the seal that protected you. It was supposed to appear if the seal ever broke."
"What seal?"
"The one I created when you were born."
The kitchen changed around them.
Stiles saw a hospital room. Claudia lay in bed holding a newborn child while Noah Stilinski sat beside her.
Golden energy moved from Claudia's hand and entered the baby's chest.
"I bound your hunger," Claudia explained. "I hid your aura, your strength, and every ability that would have drawn the supernatural world to you. I wanted you to have a human life."
The image vanished.
Stiles stared at his mother. "Why did it break?"
"The Alpha's roar."
"The werewolf?"
"You were close when it bit Scott. Its power moved through the preserve and struck everything supernatural within it. Scott's body changed because of the bite. Your body remembered what it had always been."
Stiles lowered his eyes.
"The hunger is getting worse."
"I know."
"A kiss helped."
"Temporarily."
"Strong emotions seem to make it stop."
Claudia shook her head gently. "Emotion can shield you from the worst of it, my sweet boy. Love, desire, and genuine affection can quiet the ache. A kiss shared with someone who truly wants you can give a small amount of energy."
"But it isn't enough."
"No."
Stiles looked away from her.
Claudia took his hands.
"Your body ultimately needs the life-force released through consensual sexual intimacy. Not affection alone. Not a kiss. Those things can delay the hunger, but they cannot nourish you completely."
Stiles pulled his hands away.
"I'm supposed to have sex or die?"
The pain in Claudia's expression answered him before she spoke.
"If you remain completely unfed, your strength will fail first. Then your abilities. After that, your body will begin shutting down."
"And then I die."
"Yes."
"How long do I have?"
"That depends on how much power you use. If you resist your abilities and accept temporary nourishment, you may have time. If you continue healing, influencing minds, entering dreams, or manipulating energy, the hunger will consume what remains much faster."
Stiles began pacing.
"There has to be another way."
"There are ways to make feeding safe."
"That isn't what I said."
"I know."
"What happens to the other person?"
"That depends on you. With control, you can take only what they willingly offer. A strong source can sustain you for days or weeks without suffering more than temporary exhaustion."
"And without control?"
Claudia became quiet.
Stiles stopped pacing.
"What happens?"
"You can drain someone until their body fails."
His face lost its color.
"I won't do that."
"I know."
"You don't know. I almost fed from Hope without realizing it."
"But you stopped."
"When she told me to."
"That is why you must never use influence or hypnosis to obtain nourishment. Never feed from a mind you have altered. Ask clearly, accept the answer you are given, and stop the moment consent is withdrawn."
"What if I lose control?"
"Then leave. Restrain yourself. Ask someone strong enough to help you. But do not decide that dying is more honorable than learning."
Stiles looked at her.
Claudia's eyes filled with tears.
"Please, my son. Do not let shame take your life."
"How did you do it?"
"What?"
"How did you survive? How did you feed?"
Claudia's expression softened.
"Your father."
Stiles stared at her.
"No details," he said immediately. "I do not need details."
Despite everything, Claudia laughed.
"Your father knew what I was. I told him before we were married. He was frightened, but he listened."
"He knew?"
"He knew enough. He chose me, and whenever I needed nourishment, he gave it willingly. I never compelled him. I never took more than he could safely offer, and when I was strong enough, I returned energy to him."
Stiles looked around the old kitchen.
"Did feeding hurt him?"
"Not when I controlled it. Most of the time, he only needed rest."
"Then why did you die?"
Claudia's smile faded.
"The illness was real, Stiles. It damaged my mind and weakened my control. Near the end, I became afraid I would hurt your father, so I stopped feeding."
"You starved yourself?"
"I thought I was protecting him."
"Did that make the illness worse?"
"Yes."
Stiles turned away as tears gathered in his eyes.
"You told me not to choose death, but that's exactly what you did."
"I know."
His voice broke. "You left us."
"I am sorry."
"You left Dad alone. You left me alone."
Claudia approached him.
Stiles wanted to move away, but when she opened her arms, he collapsed into them.
"I was frightened," she whispered. "I made the wrong choice because I believed it was the only one. That is why I am telling you not to repeat it."
Stiles held her as tightly as he could.
"I miss you."
"I know, my sweet boy."
"I don't know how to do this."
"You will learn."
"What if no one wants this life with me?"
Claudia pulled back and wiped the tears from his face.
"You have already met someone who may."
Stiles went still.
His mother looked beyond him.
Hope stood at the far end of the kitchen.
She wore a white dress, and a silver band rested around her finger.
Stiles stared at it.
"Mom?"
Claudia's smile returned.
"Do not leave your wife alone because you are ashamed to live."
"My wife?"
"Not yet."
Hope disappeared.
Stiles looked back at his mother. "You're saying Hope becomes my wife?"
"I have seen a future in which you choose each other."
"Is that definite?"
"No future built on love can be forced. She is not yours because I showed her to you. If she becomes your wife, it will be because both of you choose that life freely."
Stiles struggled to process her words.
"I met her four days ago."
"And yet she entered the darkness when she heard you were in danger."
"She does that for everyone."
"Not in the same way."
The kitchen began fading.
Stiles reached for his mother. "Wait."
"My time is ending."
"No. I still have questions."
"You will see me again in dreams, but this memory cannot remain much longer."
"Mom."
Claudia held his face between her hands.
"I am sorry I hid the truth from you. I am sorry I left you and your father. Most of all, I am sorry that my fear became your burden."
The room continued disappearing.
"Please don't go," Stiles begged.
"I love you, Mieczysław."
Only his mother had ever spoken his real name with such tenderness.
Stiles closed his eyes.
When he opened them, she was gone.
***
Stiles awoke screaming.
His bedroom door flew open.
Hope rushed inside with one hand raised, prepared to defend herself. Sheriff Stilinski followed with his weapon drawn.
"Stiles!" his father exclaimed.
Stiles sat upright.
Tears covered his face.
The sheriff lowered his weapon. "What happened?"
"Nightmare."
Hope studied Stiles.
His eyes had turned black and gold.
Sheriff Stilinski could not see them in the darkness, but Hope could.
"About what?" his father asked.
"Mom."
The sheriff stopped.
Stiles wiped his face. "I saw Mom."
His father sat on the edge of the bed.
For several minutes, he did not ask questions. He simply pulled Stiles into a hug.
Hope quietly stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind her.
***
"His mother was one of them," Caroline whispered.
Bonnie nodded. "And she sealed his nature when he was born."
Freya looked toward the ceiling. "Was that truly Claudia?"
"A dream imprint," the Author answered. "A fragment of her mind, memories, and love placed inside the seal."
Klaus appeared less interested in the explanation.
"Wife?"
Hayley glanced at him. "Of everything she said, that is the part you heard?"
"She showed Hope wearing a wedding ring."
Rebekah smiled. "Our niece looked beautiful."
"She is not marrying that boy."
Kol leaned back in his seat. "You may wish to tell the future."
"It has listened to me before."
"No, it hasn't," Elijah said.
Landon stared at the place where Hope had appeared in Stiles's dream.
"She said it was only one future."
"A future created by their choices," Josie agreed.
Lizzie glanced toward Klaus. "Which means threatening him every ten seconds probably won't help."
Klaus ignored her.
Bonnie remained focused on Claudia's warning.
"So Stiles requires sexual life-force to survive."
"Yes," the Author confirmed.
"And affection or kissing only postpones the danger?"
"Correct. Emotion can help him control the hunger, and limited intimacy can provide temporary energy. Neither replaces complete nourishment."
Hayley's expression became troubled. "Hope will try to save him."
"She is not obligated to sustain him," Freya stated.
"No," Hayley agreed. "But Hope rarely cares about what she is obligated to do."
***
Stiles entered the kitchen almost an hour later.
Hope sat at the table with two cups of coffee.
Sheriff Stilinski had returned to bed after making Stiles promise to wake him if the nightmares continued.
Hope pushed one of the cups across the table.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"All right."
Stiles sat across from her.
"My mother was a Succubus."
Hope nearly dropped her coffee.
"That was quick," she said.
"You were going to keep asking with your face."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
Hope lowered the cup. "Was it really her?"
"She said she was a memory placed inside the seal she used to hide what I am."
"A dream imprint."
"She told me the Alpha's roar broke it."
"That makes sense."
"It does?"
"The Alpha changed Scott through the bite. You were close enough for the same surge of power to strike you. It couldn't make you a werewolf because you were already something else."
Stiles looked down at his hands.
"She explained the feeding."
Hope became still.
"She said the kiss only bought me time."
"I assumed that."
"She said strong emotions can protect me temporarily, but they aren't enough."
"What do you need?"
Stiles looked at her.
Hope already knew the answer, but she waited for him to say it.
"Sexual intimacy," Stiles answered. "Consensual sexual intimacy. The energy released during it is what actually feeds me."
Hope nodded slowly.
"And without it?"
"My powers weaken, my body begins shutting down, and I die."
Fear appeared in Hope's eyes.
Stiles immediately noticed.
"You don't have to do anything."
"I didn't say I did."
"You thought it."
"You aren't supposed to be inside my head."
"I'm not trying to be."
Hope leaned back.
"What else did she tell you?"
"That she fed from my dad."
Hope's eyebrows rose.
"No details," Stiles said quickly.
"I wasn't asking for any."
"She said he knew and consented. They found a way to make it safe."
"That means you can too."
"She also said she stopped feeding when she became sick."
Hope understood before he continued.
"That accelerated her death."
Stiles nodded.
"She starved herself because she was afraid of hurting my dad. Then she appeared in my dream to tell me not to make the same choice."
"She was trying to stop you from blaming yourself for surviving."
"I don't feel like I'm surviving."
Hope reached across the table but stopped before touching him.
"May I?"
Stiles looked at her hand.
"Yes."
Hope covered his fingers with hers.
The hunger reacted, but Stiles closed the connection before it could take anything.
"Good," Hope said.
"I don't want every touch between us to become feeding."
"Then it won't."
"There was something else."
Hope waited.
Stiles stared at their joined hands.
"My mom saw you."
"In your dream?"
"You were wearing a white dress."
Hope's face changed.
"And a wedding ring," he added.
Silence filled the kitchen.
"She called you my wife."
Hope slowly pulled her hand away.
"I understand if you want to run."
"I'm considering throwing you out a window."
"That feels less permanent."
"You met me four days ago, Stiles."
"I told her that."
"What did she say?"
"That she saw a future where we chose each other. She also said it wasn't definite and that you weren't mine because she showed it to me."
Hope released a slow breath.
"That last part helps."
"I'm not expecting anything from you."
"I know."
"You don't have to kiss me again."
"I know."
"You definitely don't have to—"
"Stiles."
He stopped.
Hope looked directly into his eyes.
"Your mother does not decide my future. Neither does your hunger."
"I agree."
"But I'm not frightened of you."
"You should be at least a little frightened."
"I've met worse."
"That isn't comforting."
Hope's mouth curved faintly.
"If I choose you one day, it will be because I want you. Not because of a dream."
Stiles's heartbeat sped up.
Hope heard it.
"And until then?" he asked.
"Until then, we keep you alive long enough to make choices."
***
Scott arrived shortly before school.
He looked as if he had not slept.
"I think I attacked someone."
Stiles's personal crisis immediately moved aside.
"What happened?"
Scott sat at the kitchen table.
"I don't remember everything from last night. I remember leaving the party, running into the woods, and trying to attack you. After that, it's pieces."
"You didn't attack us after Hope stopped you," Stiles said.
"What about before that?"
Hope frowned. "Why do you think you hurt someone?"
"My mom was called into the hospital. A man was found near the preserve covered in blood."
Stiles looked toward the ceiling.
His father was getting dressed upstairs.
A thought slipped into Stiles's mind.
*No identification. Animal wounds. Still unconscious.*
Stiles rubbed his temple.
"The victim is alive," he said.
Scott looked at him. "How do you know?"
"My dad knows."
"Did he tell you?"
"No."
Hope gave Stiles a warning look.
"I'm trying not to do it," he said.
Scott dragged a hand through his hair. "What if I attacked him?"
"You were at the party when the attack began," Hope stated.
"How do you know when it happened?"
"The hospital recorded the call," Stiles said. "We can check."
"We have school."
Stiles looked at Scott. "You're worried you mauled a person, but attendance is where you draw the line?"
"My mom will know if I skip."
"We go after school," Hope decided. "Until then, Scott stays away from anything that makes him angry."
Stiles glanced toward Scott. "So Jackson."
"Especially Jackson."
***
At school, Scott could barely concentrate.
Allison found him near his locker.
"You disappeared last night."
"I got sick."
"You could have called."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Allison examined him. "Are you feeling better?"
Scott smiled nervously. "Completely normal."
From several feet away, Stiles heard the lie in Scott's heartbeat.
He also heard Allison's concern and the attraction beneath it.
The hunger moved inside him.
Stiles looked away.
Hope noticed.
"How bad is it?" she asked quietly.
"Manageable."
"That isn't a number."
"Six."
"Out of ten?"
"Out of five."
Hope frowned.
"I'm joking," Stiles said. "Mostly."
A group of students passed them.
Several turned to look at Stiles.
His aura was growing stronger as his hunger increased. Attention followed him through the hallway, whether he wanted it or not.
One girl smiled and moved closer.
"Are you going to Lydia's party this weekend?"
Stiles blinked. "She had one last night."
"She'll probably have another."
Hope stepped between them.
"He's busy."
The girl's eyes moved over Hope before she walked away.
Stiles stared after her. "She has never spoken to me."
"Your aura is influencing people."
"I didn't do anything."
"You don't have to. The manuscript said an Incubus naturally draws attention when hungry."
"Wonderful. Starvation makes me irresistible."
Hope looked at him. "You seem disappointed."
"I want people to like me because I'm me."
Her expression softened.
"I do."
The hunger quieted for several seconds.
Claudia had been right.
Emotion protected him.
Temporarily.
***
During lacrosse practice, Coach Finstock placed Scott with the starting line.
Jackson was furious.
"You had one good practice," he said. "That doesn't make you better than me."
Scott's eyes briefly flashed gold.
Stiles saw it from the bench.
"Scott," he warned.
Jackson shoved Scott's shoulder.
Scott shoved him back hard enough to send him to the ground.
The team went silent.
Scott stared at his own hands.
Jackson stood and rushed toward him.
"Stop!"
Stiles's voice struck the field.
Every player froze.
Even Coach Finstock stopped moving.
Stiles's black-and-gold eyes appeared for a moment.
Hope hurried down from the bleachers.
"Release them."
"I don't know how."
"Tell them to continue."
Stiles swallowed.
"Forget I spoke. Keep practicing."
The players blinked.
Noise returned to the field.
Jackson looked confused but continued arguing with Coach instead of Scott.
Stiles collapsed against the bench.
Hope caught him before he fell.
"You used too much power."
"I know."
His skin had become cold.
Hope placed her hand against his cheek.
The hunger immediately reached for her.
Stiles pulled away.
"Don't."
"You can barely stand."
"Your emotions can hold it back."
"Temporarily."
"Temporary is enough."
Hope guided him into the empty equipment room.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Buying us time."
She shut the door.
Stiles shook his head. "You don't owe me this."
"I know."
"You aren't responsible for feeding me."
"I know."
Hope stepped closer.
"May I kiss you?" she asked.
Stiles looked into her eyes.
Her decision was clear. His aura had faded with his strength, leaving no influence between them.
"Yes."
Hope kissed him.
The connection opened more easily this time.
Warmth moved into Stiles, and the color returned to his face.
The hunger demanded more, but he held it back.
Hope touched his shoulder once.
Stiles stopped before she needed the second signal.
She remained close.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I ate one cracker after not eating for a week."
"That bad?"
"My mother was right. It helps, but it isn't enough."
Hope touched her forehead to his.
"We'll find a safe answer."
Stiles closed his eyes.
The emotions between them quieted the hunger again.
But beneath that temporary peace, his body continued starving.
***
After practice, Scott, Stiles, and Hope went to the hospital.
Melissa was working in the emergency department. Scott distracted her while Hope and Stiles found the unidentified victim's room.
The man lay unconscious beneath several blankets.
Deep wounds crossed his chest and shoulder.
Stiles stopped at the doorway.
"What is it?" Hope asked.
"Fear."
"The victim's?"
Stiles nodded. "It's still inside his mind."
Hope looked toward the hallway. "Can you enter his dream?"
"I don't know."
"You entered mine."
"That happened by accident."
"If Scott didn't attack this man, his memories may prove it."
"And if I get trapped?"
"I'll pull you out."
"How?"
"I'll figure it out."
Stiles looked at her. "That isn't reassuring."
"It wasn't supposed to be."
He approached the bed.
The moment his fingers touched the victim's wrist, the hospital disappeared.
Stiles stood inside a darkened bus depot.
The injured man was running between empty vehicles.
Something followed him across the roofs.
Stiles moved through the memory without being seen.
The man stumbled.
A massive creature dropped in front of him.
Its eyes were red.
The Alpha struck before the victim could escape.
Stiles saw claws tear through clothing.
The creature leaned close to the man and growled.
An image entered the victim's mind.
Scott.
The Alpha wanted the man to remember Scott's face.
"No," Stiles whispered.
The creature turned toward him.
Stiles froze.
It should not have been able to see him inside another person's memory.
The Alpha smiled.
Then it charged.
Hope stood beside Stiles's body in the hospital.
His eyes had turned black and gold. Dark veins spread beneath his skin.
"Stiles, wake up."
His pulse weakened.
Hope grabbed both sides of his face.
"Come back."
Inside the memory, the Alpha struck him.
Stiles was thrown through the side of a bus.
He hit the ground and could not stand.
A golden light appeared in the darkness.
Hope's voice reached him.
"Stiles!"
He followed it.
The hospital returned around him.
Stiles fell into Hope's arms.
The heart monitor beside the victim began sounding an alarm.
Scott rushed into the room. "What happened?"
"The Alpha attacked him," Stiles gasped. "It wasn't you."
Scott's relief disappeared when he saw Stiles's face.
"What's wrong with him?"
"He used too much energy."
Nurses shouted from the hallway.
Hope wrapped one arm around Stiles and pulled Scott toward the exit.
They disappeared before hospital staff entered the room.
***
Hope's teleportation brought them to an abandoned classroom at the school.
Stiles fell to the floor.
His heartbeat was barely there.
Hope knelt beside him.
"Look at me."
He opened his eyes weakly.
"I can't keep taking from you."
"You're dying."
"A kiss won't fix it."
"It will keep you alive tonight."
"And tomorrow?"
"We handle tomorrow when it comes."
Stiles shook his head.
Hope held his face between her hands.
"This is my decision. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Do you want me to kiss you?"
Stiles hesitated.
"Yes."
Hope kissed him.
Energy entered his body, stronger than before because fear and affection had stripped away their uncertainty.
Stiles's heart steadied.
His hand rose to Hope's waist, but he did not pull her closer. He allowed her to determine the distance between them.
When Hope tapped his shoulder twice, he stopped immediately.
She remained against him while they caught their breath.
Scott sat several feet away, staring determinedly at the opposite wall.
"Can I turn around now?" he asked.
"No," Stiles and Hope answered together.
Scott covered his face. "This is going to make friendship complicated."
Stiles looked at Hope.
"You're weaker."
"I'll recover."
"This cannot continue."
"I know."
"I need complete nourishment soon."
Hope's expression became serious.
Neither of them said what that meant.
Scott finally looked toward them.
"How soon?"
Stiles remembered his mother's warning.
"If I stop using my abilities, maybe several days. If I have to do something like that again…"
He looked toward the hospital in the distance.
"Less."
Hope helped him stand.
"Then no more entering minds."
"What if someone is in danger?"
"You call me."
"And if you're the one in danger?"
Hope did not answer.
Stiles understood.
He would use everything he had to save her, even if it killed him.
That frightened Hope because she knew she would do the same.
***
Derek was waiting outside the school.
He leaned against the Jeep with his arms crossed.
"The Alpha knows about you," he told Stiles.
Stiles stopped. "It saw me inside the victim's memory."
"That shouldn't be possible."
"Nothing about my week has respected possibility."
Scott stepped closer. "The Alpha tried to make the victim think I attacked him."
"It wants you isolated," Derek said. "Afraid people will discover what you are."
"Why?"
"Fear makes young wolves easier to control."
Hope looked toward the preserve. "And Stiles?"
Derek's gaze settled on him.
"The Alpha woke something it doesn't understand. It will either try to use him or kill him."
"Comforting," Stiles muttered.
Derek pushed away from the Jeep.
"The hunters know something new is in Beacon Hills too."
"How?" Scott asked.
"They saw his energy in the woods."
Stiles looked down at his hand, remembering the shield.
"Can they track me?"
"Not yet."
"And when they can?"
Derek's expression answered him.
They would hunt Stiles as relentlessly as any werewolf.
***
That night, Hope sat beside Stiles on the roof outside his bedroom.
The town was quiet beneath them.
Stiles held his mother's photograph in his hands.
"My dad knew," he said. "All those years, he knew what she was."
"Maybe he still does."
"How do I ask him?"
"You don't have to tonight."
"He might know how she controlled the hunger."
"He might."
Stiles looked toward Hope.
"You heard what I said at the school."
"That you need complete nourishment."
"I'm not asking you."
"I know."
"I need you to believe me."
"I do."
Hope pulled her knees closer to her chest.
Stiles turned his mother's photograph over.
"She told me not to leave my wife alone."
Hope looked at him.
"That wasn't permission to make another joke about it," she warned.
"I wasn't going to."
"What were you going to say?"
"That if it ever happens, I don't want it to be because you saved my life."
Hope remained quiet.
"I don't want our first time to happen because I'm dying and you feel trapped," Stiles continued. "That wouldn't be a choice."
"No," Hope agreed. "It wouldn't."
"If we ever do that, I want you to want me."
Hope's eyes met his.
"I already want you."
Stiles stopped breathing.
"That doesn't mean I'm ready," she added.
"Right."
"And it doesn't mean I've accepted the wife thing."
"Of course."
"And if you smile, I'll throw you off the roof."
Stiles tried desperately not to smile.
He failed.
Hope pushed his shoulder.
Stiles nearly slipped before she caught him.
Their laughter carried into the night.
For several seconds, the hunger became silent.
Then it returned.
Not violently.
Not yet.
But it remained inside him, reminding Stiles that affection could only protect him for so long.
Soon, he would need what an Incubus truly required.
And when that time came, survival would not be the only choice he and Hope would have to make.
***
The theater screen faded to black.
**END OF EPISODE TWO**
Klaus remained completely still.
That frightened Damon more than shouting would have.
Finally, Klaus spoke.
"He requires complete nourishment within days."
Hayley nodded.
"And Hope wants him," Klaus continued.
"She said she wasn't ready," Rebekah reminded him.
"She also said she wanted him."
Elijah leaned back in his seat. "Perhaps we should focus on the Alpha attempting to manipulate Scott and murder Stiles."
"I can be concerned with several threats at once."
Landon looked down.
Josie sat beside him. "Do you want to leave?"
"No."
"You don't have to watch this."
"Yes, I do," Landon replied. "This is Hope's life. Even the parts that don't include me."
On the screen, Stiles and Hope remained frozen beneath the moonlight.
Bonnie watched them carefully.
"He is trying to protect her freedom to choose."
Freya nodded. "And she is trying to protect his life."
"That balance will not remain simple," Alaric said.
"No," Hayley agreed. "But nothing involving Hope has ever been simple."
The Author's voice entered the theater.
"Claudia Stilinski died believing fear had saved the man she loved. Her final gift to her son was the truth she had learned too late."
The image changed to Claudia holding a newborn Stiles.
"Love can quiet an Incubus's hunger. Desire can delay it. Only freely given intimacy can truly sustain it."
The screen darkened.
"And Stiles Stilinski was running out of time."