The next day after dealing with the vampires, Scott and his entire pack gathered at the ranch in the evening.
The smell of grilled meat wafted from the backyard of the pack house, filling the air with warmth and comfort.
Scott stood on the porch, watching as his friends and family moved around the ranch, laughing, talking, and enjoying the peace they fought for. Allison leaned against his shoulder, her hand entwined with his.
"Sometimes I forget how good normal feels." She whispered.
Scott smiled. "Same. It feels good to just relax and not worry about which crazy bastard we have to kill next before they murder innocent people."
Just then, Melissa called from the backyard. "Allison, Scott—food's ready!"
Scott chuckled. "Let's go."
They walked toward the large outdoor setup, where grills sizzled, chairs were spread out in a half-circle, and laughter echoed across the property like music.
The entire pack was there—Melissa, Stiles, Lydia, Isaac, Malia, Boyd, Erica, Victoria, Chris, Cora, Deaton, Rafael, Derek, Noah, Parrish, Aiden, and Kira.
Braeden, Agisa, Noshiko, and Ken had also joined them. Everyone was seated, chatting as the aroma of brisket, chicken, lamb, and roasted vegetables filled the air.
As they ate, Noshiko spoke up. "I still can't believe an ancient vampire was here. When Kira told me yesterday, I was shocked. I thought they were extinct."
Erica raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you just found out yesterday? We've known about him for weeks. I thought Kira would've told you since she was with us when Agisa told us abo..."
"Erica, shut up!" Kira blurted, eyes wide with panic.
Erica blinked. "Oops. My bad."
Noshiko turned to Kira, frowning. "Kira, why didn't you tell me?"
Kira looked down. "Because I knew you'd stop me from helping them find and fight the vampires."
Noshiko nodded. "You're right. I would have stopped you. Do you have any idea how dangerous an ancient vampire is?"
"And that's why I didn't say anything." Kira replied. "Besides, yeah, an ancient vampire is strong… but you have no idea how strong Scott and the rest of my pack are."
Melissa stepped in, her tone calm and reassuring. "Don't worry too much, Noshiko. We were never going to let anything happen to Kira. And she won't be doing any real fighting until after her first full moon. Once she goes through that, she'll be strong enough to protect herself. And we're a pack, we look after each other."
Stiles, wanting to lighten the mood, cleared his throat dramatically. "By the way, Noshiko… you're old… cough… I mean, you've seen a lot. What's the strongest supernatural creature you've ever seen or heard of?"
Noshiko gave him a sharp look before answering. "There are many powerful creatures I've encountered, especially among the yōkai. Some are shapeshifters, others are ghosts or demons. Each one has its own unique abilities. Some can control elements like fire or thunder, like the kitsune or the yuki-onna you fought before. Some can shift into animals. Others into demons. And some… some are evil spirits with no physical body at all. Physical attacks don't work on them."
Isaac said. "Then how do you defeat them?"
Noshiko replied. "You need elemental powers, one of their specific weaknesses, or a special weapon. You can trap many of them using mountain ash barriers, but some spirits are strong enough to force their way out, or burn through the barrier if they wield fire."
Scott asked. "What's the most powerful creature you have seen?"
Noshiko thought for a moment and said. "That would be a Suzaku, a flaming bird shapeshifter, similar to the phoenix. You know the myth of the phoenix, right?"
Lydia nodded. "Yeah, we know. So… is the Suzaku immortal too?"
Noshiko shook her head. "No creature is truly immortal. But the Suzaku is incredibly difficult to kill. They can heal themselves with fire, regenerate lost limbs, and even recover from being stabbed through the heart. But they can be killed by special weapons, or their weaknesses, like ice. And of course, decapitation or ripping out their heart will do it. But good luck getting close. They're incredibly strong physically, can shift into a massive bird form, and their flames are unbelievably hot. Suzaku are like phoenixes and dragons, they're considered some of the strongest supernatural beings in the world."
Stiles almost choked on his food, coughing loudly. "Wait... are dragons real?"
Noshiko replied. "I'm not sure. I've never seen one with my own eyes, but I've heard stories."
Deaton nodded. "Actually… true dragons are real. And there were many different types. But no one's heard of them in over a thousand years. They were hunted to extinction because their bodies were considered treasures. Ancient people made medicine and magical potions from their flesh and blood, and weapons from their bones."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean true dragons? Are there fake ones too?"
Deaton shook his head. "Not fake, but shapeshifters who could shift into dragons, weredragons."
Chris added. "But no one's heard of them in a long time either. They vanished just like the true dragons."
Allison turned to her father. "Dad, could the Kanima be considered a kind of weredragon? It has wings in its Alpha form."
Chris shook his head. "No. The Kanima is just a lizard with wings. Weredragons were much more powerful. They could control elemental forces—fire, thunder, earth, wind, even darkness. Some of them had poisonous abilities too."
Victoria chimed in. "But they couldn't shift into a full dragon form, only a partial transformation, similar to the Kanima's Alpha form. And even though they were powerful, they still had weaknesses. After the true dragons went extinct, hunters went after the next best thing—weredragons. And most of those hunters were just regular humans."
Deaton spoke solemnly. "Humans are the most dangerous creatures in the world. Their superpower is their mind. Once they unite around a goal, whether out of fear or greed, they always find a way to succeed. That's how they destroyed so many things they didn't understand. Or worse, they provoked what they shouldn't have, causing the downfall of entire civilizations. That's how many kingdoms vanished from history."
Victoria nodded. "What's worse is that some humans, desperate for power, began experimenting on supernatural creatures and shapeshifters. They created unnatural monsters, some even more dangerous than true dragons."
Aiden asked. "Like what?"
Chris answered. "For example, Chimeras. They're a mix of different creatures. And even though they usually have a short lifespan, the destruction they cause in that time is massive. They don't hunt for survival, they hunt for sport. And since they aren't true supernatural creatures, some of them don't have typical weaknesses. Mountain ash barriers don't always work on them, and they can be immune to the vulnerabilities of the creatures they were made from."
Ken added. "What I've learned from studying history is that humans are truly terrible creatures. Like you said, they're the most dangerous creatures in the world."
The pack continued talking while eating, laughter and conversation blending into the peaceful night.
Before they knew it, more than two hours had passed just like that.
---
Stiles wandered over to the grill and found the last five lamb chops waiting. He quickly scooped them onto his plate just as Boyd walked up, narrowing his eyes.
"You planning to eat all that by yourself?" Boyd asked, eyeing the meat.
Stiles looked at him warily. "Why do you even care? I thought you liked chicken. There's plenty on the other grill."
Boyd raised an eyebrow. "That's racist."
Stiles scoffed. "Screw you, man. That's not racist. I just know how much you love chicken!"
Boyd smirked. "Well, you're right, I do love me some chicken. But I still want three of those lamb chops."
Stiles clutched the plate protectively. "Three? That's like… sixty percent of my loot!"
"I need the protein." Boyd said matter-of-factly.
"Chicken has protein too!" Stiles shot back. "I'll give you one. I've gotta split these with Malia!"
Boyd paused, then shrugged. "Fine. But you're not getting any chicken."
Stiles rolled his eyes. "Please. There's so much chicken left. Besides, who wants chicken when there's brisket?"
Boyd's eyes widened. "Brisket? There's still brisket?"
He sniffed the air and turned slowly, following the scent, his nose led him to a smaller grill tucked behind the main one.
"Stiles…" Boyd said, his tone suddenly serious, like he'd just uncovered buried treasure. "You can have the chicken."
Without another word, he went for the brisket.
"Damn it!" Stiles shouted, chasing after him. "Boyd! Leave some for me!"
The two ended up in a playful scuffle at the grill, trying to grab the most brisket while Erica and Lydia filmed them on their phones, laughing uncontrollably.
---
Later that night, after everyone had eaten far too much, they lounged across the grass in lawn chairs around a bonfire. Malia had shifted into her massive coyote form and was napping near the fire while Erica gently braided a few strands of her fur.
Stiles, sitting beside Scott, let out a long sigh. "I vote we do this every week. The bulls and sheep raised here are delicious."
Melissa raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning on eating all my animals, Stiles? I like some of them, they're my friends!"
Scott chuckled and said. "Yeah, friends we can eat." Then he and Stiles start laughing.
Lydia gasped. "You guys are mean! Some of the cows here are really friendly! Like the red one that comes to the pack house every morning, we named her Buttercup. I love her. And the goats? Don't even think about eating them. They're way too cute!"
"I love Buttercup too." Allison said. "I don't want to eat her!"
Scott smiled mischievously. "Wait… are you guys talking about that silly cow you play with every morning?"
"Yes." Allison replied, narrowing her eyes. "Why?"
Scott scratched the back of his head. "Well… I was too lazy to go catch a bull from the herd earlier, and poor Buttercup just walked right up to me… Long story short, we had her for dinner."
The girls all stood up in shock. "WHAT?!"
Allison walked up to Scott, looking horrified. "Scott, please tell me you're joking."
Scott, Stiles, Isaac, Aiden, and Boyd burst out laughing.
"Come on." Scott grinned. "Wasn't she delicious?"
Allison's eyes welled up. "Are you serious?!"
Realizing she was about to cry, Scott quickly stopped laughing and held up his hands. "Don't cry! I'm joking! We don't butcher the cows. Only the bulls."
"Look." Stiles said, pointing. "Isn't that stupid Buttercup over there? She's chewing on leftovers."
The girls turned and spotted the red cow at a table, happily munching on a pile of bones.
"BUTTERCUP! Don't eat that!" Allison, Lydia, and Erica screamed at the same time.
They all ran over, trying to pry the bones away from her mouth, while everyone else burst out laughing.
To be continued... 😊