Stiles was driving the Jeep toward Jacob's mansion with Jacob, Lydia, and Scott inside.
Jacob leaned back in his seat and said. "So, Stiles, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Stiles tightened his grip on the wheel. "Derek told us what Harris confessed after he and Peter interrogated him."
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?"
Stiles glanced at him in the mirror. "Harris said that six years ago, he met a woman at a bar. She asked him all kinds of questions about chemistry—how to melt locks, dissolve bodies… start fires and get away with arson."
Lydia's eyes darkened. "And that idiot actually answered her questions?"
Scott nodded grimly. "Yes, he did. And a week later… the Hale house burned down."
Jacob asked. "And what does all of this have to do with me?"
Scott hesitated, then said. "The woman wore a pendant. A wolf pendant—the same one Allison wears."
Lydia scoffed. "So what? Do you really think Allison was the woman who talked to Harris six years ago? She was only ten back then."
Stiles shook his head. "Not Allison. Her mom… or her aunt."
Jacob stated flatly. "It was her aunt. She's the one who gave Allison that pendant."
Scott asked. "So what are we going to do?"
Jacob shrugged. "Nothing. I'll tell Allison the truth and that's it. I'm not going to save Kate, and I'm not going to help Peter or Derek kill her either."
Stiles argued. "But Kate's a murderer!"
Jacob said. "Sure, Kate is a murderer, but I'm not the law, Stiles. The Hale family has nothing to do with me, so I'm not going to interfere. And even if I did, it would be to help Allison if she wants to save her aunt."
Stiles stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? You'd help her? She killed children, Jacob!"
Jacob sighed. "I don't like what she did either. But I'm not some hero, Stiles. My only concern is how Allison is going to feel about all of this. Whether she decides to help Kate or let her die, I will stand by her side."
Scott frowned. "But saving Kate isn't fair to Derek, is it? He lost his entire family because of her."
Jacob smirked coldly. "I don't really care. People die every day, Scott—should I go around saving them all too? Even if Kate is evil, Allison considers her a sister. So, as long as Kate doesn't get on my bad side, I won't go after her."
Stiles muttered. "You're really cold-blooded, you know that?"
Jacob chuckled. "As long as Allison and Lydia are happy and safe, I don't give a damn about the rest of the world. Well… except you two idiots, of course. If you ever need my help, I'll be there."
Lydia smiled, hugged Jacob's arm, and rested her head on his shoulder.
Stiles pressed further. "And if you could save people who have nothing to do with you, would you do it or not?"
Jacob shrugged. "If I can, I will. I'm not completely heartless. But I suggest you two stay out of the fight between Kate and Peter. You saw what Derek did tonight—he had the chance to take revenge for his sister when Peter couldn't even fight, but he didn't."
Scott frowned. "I don't know what he was thinking. That was his chance."
Jacob's eyes narrowed. "Peter and Derek have been part of the supernatural world their whole lives. They're schemers, both of them. They'll use each other as long as it benefits them. And when one becomes useless, the other won't hesitate to kill him. So be careful around them. Don't end up being their pawns."
"Alright, we'll be careful." Stiles said. He then looked at Lydia in the rearview mirror; she was leaning on Jacob's shoulder with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips. "Now… what happened to Lydia? How did she turn into a ghost, and how can she use those powerful sound attacks and teleport?"
Jacob smirked. "Lydia's a banshee. She awakened her powers tonight. Do you know the Silver Banshee from DC comics?"
Stiles' eyes widened. "Yes, I do! Why?"
Jacob said. "Well… Lydia has the same powers as her."
Stiles gawked. "No way. Some versions of Silver Banshee are insanely powerful! What's next—you're gonna tell us you're Superman?"
Jacob chuckled. "I'm not Superman, Stiles. I'm something better."
Stiles said. "I don't know if you're better than Superman or not, but I have to admit, you were cool when you were controlling fire earlier."
Jacob smirked wider. "Thanks. I already know I'm cool, but it's nice to hear it from others."
Stiles groaned. "Damn it. I should've kept my mouth shut. I forgot you're a narcissist."
Scott chimed in, changing the subject. "By the way, Jacob—since you and Lydia were in the woods, do you know what that strange storm was?"
Jacob leaned back, completely straight-faced. "Ah, that. No idea. I was training with Lydia, then suddenly this dark cloud showed up and started chasing us. Rain, lightning bolts, the whole deal. Personally, I think the clouds got jealous of how handsome I am and tried to kill me."
Stiles and Scott both shook their heads in unison, saying nothing.
Lydia, however, snorted, opened her eyes, and shot Jacob a death glare.
Jacob scratched the back of his head sheepishly, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Hey, you said you already forgave me."
Stiles' jaw dropped. "Wait… so you caused that storm, didn't you?"
"Yes, it was one of my abilities." Jacob admitted. Then, with an evil smirk, he added. "I'll show it to you guys if you want to see."
Scott got a bad feeling and shivered. "Uh… no thanks. I'm good."
Jacob laughed. "Come on, it'll be fun. How about tomorrow after school?"
Stiles shook his head furiously. "Nope. I can feel it—you're up to no good. And judging by Lydia being pissed at you, that ability is probably way too dangerous."
Jacob sighed dramatically. "Your loss. Anyway—what happened to Harris? Did Peter kill him? Please tell me he killed him."
Stiles replied. "Unfortunately no, he just scared him and told him to leave town like you ordered him to do."
Jacob groaned. "Too bad."
A moment later, Stiles pulled the Jeep to a stop. "We're here."
Jacob smirked. "Alright, losers. See you tomorrow at school."
Stiles looked back at him. "What? Aren't you going to invite us in?"
Jacob waved him off. "Not tonight. Lydia, let's go."
Lydia slipped out of the Jeep, and Jacob followed. Without hesitation, he scooped her into his arms, jumped the iron gate with ease, and ran toward the mansion.
Stiles sighed as he drove. "Man, we really need to find girlfriends."
Scott sighed too. "Yeah, we do. But the problem is, every girl in school only has eyes for Jacob. Some of them even try to get close to me just so I'll introduce them to him."
Stiles groaned. "Tell me about it. Two girls came up to me this morning, laughing at my jokes, one even fixed my collar. I was so happy… until I realized they were only asking where Jacob was and why he skipped school. That was… that was really painful."
Scott chuckled. "I don't even get it. I mean, he's handsome, I admit, but not to the point that all the girls should be after him."
"Maybe it's not just his looks." Stiles said thoughtfully. "Maybe it's because of what he is—like he has some natural charm or something that attracts girls to him like a supernatural magnet."
"Then I shouldn't let him meet my mom." Scott said, his tone suddenly serious.
Stiles smirked. "Might not be the worst thing. He could protect Melissa, maybe even make her stronger. And hey, if they got married, you'd be his stepson. He'd take care of you too."
Scott's eyes glowed, and with a growl, he choked Stiles and started shaking him. violently.
"STOP, STOP! We're gonna crash!" Stiles yelled.
The Jeep swerved dangerously, nearly colliding with another car before Scott released him. Stiles jerked the wheel, heart pounding, and got the Jeep back under control. "Dude, I was joking! You almost killed us both!"
Scott's eyes faded back to normal. "Don't ever joke about that again. And Stiles…"
"What?"
"I kind of have a bad feeling. I've already had a few nightmares about Jacob and my mom getting married and even having children." His voice cracked. " And now you're telling me he has some kind of charm ability..."
"Relax! There's no need to panic." Stiles cut in. "I only said maybe he has a charm ability; I didn't say he has it for sure. Besides, he's our age. Melissa wouldn't care about him like that. And even if she felt something toward him, she'd only treat him like a son, at least until he turns eighteen."
Scott groaned. "You're not helping, Stiles."
"Fine, I'll shut up. Let's just listen to some music." Stiles turned on the radio.
The announcer's voice crackled through the speakers: "And now, let's listen to the 1970s song by Denise LaSalle, called 'Older Woman'."
The song began:
"🎶 I'm an older woman 🎶
🎶 Looking for a younger man 🎶
🎶 Don't think I can't work it..."
Scott growled, baring his teeth. "Stiles… I'm going to kill you."
Stiles, who had been dancing in his seat, quickly turned off the radio. "Alright, no music then! But I have to admit... things are not looking good for you, man. Even the songs on the radio..."
"Shut up." Scott snapped. "Don't talk. Just drive."
Stiles smirked and kept driving, quietly enjoying Scott's misery.
---
Meanwhile
Jacob kicked the mansion door shut behind him, ready to sprint upstairs, but Lydia—still in his arms—stopped him. "Hold on. Food first."
Jacob sighed but changed course, heading to the kitchen. After they ate and cleaned up, Lydia shifted back into her banshee form, her eyes glowing. "Now let's go have some fun. But we're only doing it once; that's my limit."
Jacob smirked, pulling her close. "Alright. But how about we do it here in the kitchen, my beautiful ghost?"
Lydia raised an eyebrow, then smirked back. "Sure. But what if Cogman walks in on us?"
"He's busy." Jacob assured her. "He won't come. And even if he does, I'll sense him before he gets close. We can just run upstairs. Don't worry."
He lifted her onto the counter, their lips meeting in a hungry kiss. Clothes were discarded, and soon the kitchen became their playground.
When they were done, laughing breathlessly, they headed upstairs, showered together, and finally collapsed in bed, and fall asleep in each other's arms.
To be continued… 😊