Scott's POV
The alarm went off before the sun had even finished rising.
Scott sat up slowly, his body heavy and his mind still foggy. Everything hurt… though strangely, not as much as he expected.
He lifted his shirt, expecting to find the wound.
Nothing.
His skin was clear, smooth, as if nothing had ever happened.
But he knew it had.
He got to his feet, unsteady, and walked to the mirror. His face was pale, his eyes shadowed… and yet, there was something different. He looked sharper, more focused, like the whole world was glowing in a new way.
He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.
Then he noticed it.
The smell of soap, the dust in the air, the faint wood scent of the floorboards — everything was amplified. Every creak, every breath, every tiny sound was too clear.
"What the hell is happening to me?" he muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead.
He tried to remember the night before: the half-body, the roar, the shadow… the pain.
And then, those two figures who came out of nowhere.
He couldn't recall their faces, only their voices. One calm, determined. The other firm, almost protective.
"Who were they…?" he whispered.
The phone buzzed, making him flinch.
"Scott?" Stiles's voice came fast, nervous. "Tell me you're alive."
Scott let out a weak laugh. "Yeah… sort of."
"Sort of? Dude, you vanished in the woods! My dad nearly killed me and you—" Stiles stopped, breathing hard. "What happened last night?"
Scott hesitated, staring at his reflection.
"Nothing. I found the body… and then I left."
"What about the cops?"
"They were gone."
A short silence. Stiles didn't buy it, but he didn't push either.
"You should go to the hospital."
"I'm fine."
"Scott…"
"Seriously, Stiles. It was just… a bad night."
His friend sighed through the line. "Fine, but if you grow fangs tomorrow, don't say I didn't warn you."
Scott smirked. "Yeah, sure."
He hung up and stood there, listening to the silence that suddenly felt heavier.
Something was pulsing inside him. Something new.
A heartbeat that wasn't his own.
He lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The night before had changed him — he didn't know how or why, but he could feel it.
And as his eyes slowly closed, one question lingered in his mind:
"What am I now?"
Grey and Cora's POV
Dawn painted the forest gold, the ground still damp with dew.
Grey and Cora walked among the trees, their steps light but their expressions tense.
"I didn't sleep at all," Cora admitted, rubbing her arms.
"I figured," Grey replied, eyes on the ground. "Neither did I."
The air smelled of dirt and metal. Blood still lingered faintly in the leaves.
"I keep seeing that thing in my head," she said softly. "The way it moved, the way it roared…"
"It wasn't a wolf," Grey interrupted.
Cora frowned. "What do you mean?"
"It wasn't like us. Not even like a regular Alpha. It was something else. A monster."
She lowered her gaze, thoughtful.
"And that smell…"
Grey nodded. "Yeah. I caught it too. It felt familiar somehow, but I can't place it. Like I've known it before."
They walked a few more steps until they reached a small clearing. Morning light filtered through the branches, soft but uneasy.
"Something changed that night," Grey said quietly. "I can feel it."
Cora looked at him from the corner of her eye. "You mean the creature… or the boy?"
"The boy."
Her brows furrowed. "Do you think he survived?"
"Yes," Grey said without hesitation. "But… he didn't walk out of those woods the same."
Silence fell between them, broken only by the chirping of a bird somewhere above.
"If the Alpha comes back for him?" Cora asked after a moment.
Grey exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the horizon where the sun broke through the pines.
"He will," he said finally. "He'll come back for his new beta."
Cora nodded, pressing her lips together.
For the first time in years, Beacon Hills didn't feel calm. The forest itself seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
"This is just the beginning, isn't it?" she whispered.
Grey met her eyes, a flicker of worry beneath his calm. "Yeah. And something tells me we won't be sleeping peacefully again anytime soon."
The wind rustled through the trees, carrying away the echo of dawn.
They stood there in silence, knowing that even though the sun had risen, the real darkness had only just awakened.