Noah, Parrish, and Braeden were having headaches these days—three fire incidents in two days. First a pizza shop, then a mechanic's garage, and now an antique shop.
Noah stood outside the charred remains of a small antique shop in downtown Beacon Hills. Ash drifted through the air as firefighters doused the last of the smoldering debris. Parrish knelt beside a blackened windowsill, sniffing the air.
"Same scent as the other two locations." Parrish muttered grimly.
Braeden stood nearby, arms crossed, eyes scanning the perimeter. "That's three fires in two days. All local businesses. We're dealing with a supernatural serial arsonist."
Noah rubbed his temple. "Why these places? What's the motive? Is this personal revenge, or is this insurance fraud"
Parrish shrugged. "Could be either. Could also be random."
Noah exhaled. "Let's head back to the station and run background checks on all three locations—owners, employees, anyone recently fired. Hopefully we get lucky."
---
Back at the sheriff's station, the three got to work. It didn't take long to find a common link: one man, mid-twenties, had worked at all three locations—and had been fired from each.
Noah leaned back. "Well, that makes it personal. Parrish, put out an APB on the guy. But tell the deputies not to engage the suspect. I don't want them facing a shapeshifter or whatever that man is and getting themselves killed."
Parrish nodded. "Yes, sir."
---
By nightfall, Noah got the call: the suspect had been spotted near a small family-owned Italian restaurant on the edge of town.
The trio arrived quickly. The street was eerily quiet—too quiet for a Saturday night. Then Parrish's nose twitched.
"He's here." He said. "I caught his scent. And something else... panic and fear."
Braeden tensed. "He must have hostages."
Noah said. "Let's go in quickly before he succeeds in whatever he's trying to do."
They circled to the back and found the kitchen door slightly open. Inside, muffled cries echoed. They sneaked in and went toward the voices.
In the dining area, a young man stood near the bar, hands glowing with flames, staring at several terrified staff members tied to chairs.
"All I did was come in late a few times." The man said in anger. "But you fired me and you even beat me up with your sons, humiliated me… treated me like garbage."
The restaurant owner, still tied up, shouted. "Son, you were late every day! You were careless and rude. When I paid you and asked you not to come back, you smashed dishes and tried to attack me. My sons had no choice but to defend me and use force to get you out of the restaurant.!"
The arsonist's eyes flared. "It doesn't matter! You should've never fired me. Now I'll burn you and your whole family—just like I said I would."
He raised his hands, fire swirling at his fingertips, but just then Noah stepped forward.
"Beacon County Sheriff's Department! Put your hands where I can see them!"
The man spun, eyes glowing orange.
Parrish frowned. "A Chimera…"
"Sheriff, don't come any closer." The arsonist barked. "Or I'll burn them all to ash!"
Noah stayed calm. "Parrish."
Parrish moved like lightning—grabbing the Chimera by the throat, slamming him against the wall, then headbutting him hard. The flames on the arsonist's hands went out instantly as he fell unconscious.
Braeden quickly cut the ropes binding the hostages. Noah placed his hand on the restaurant owner's shoulder and locked eyes with him, whispering softly. "Forget what you saw. You never saw anything strange tonight." Noah's eyes glowed red. The man blinked, nodded, and sat down, dazed but calm.
Noah did the same for the rest of the hostages, erasing their memories of what they'd witnessed.
Then he turned to Parrish. "Let's take him to the ranch."
---
At the ranch, the pack gathered in front of the pack house as Parrish carried the unconscious Chimera and dropped him in front of them.
Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Another Chimera?"
"Yes." Noah confirmed. "He burned down three businesses in two days. We caught him just as he was about to torch a restaurant—with people still inside. Turns out he worked at all the places he targeted. Got fired from each one. Now that he's got powers, he decided to get revenge."
Scott asked. "Did anyone read his memories yet?"
Braeden shook her head. "Not yet."
Stiles stepped forward. "Then let me."
He knelt beside the unconscious Chimera and inserted his claws into the back of the man's neck. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and focused as he dove into the man's chaotic memories. The pack waited in silence, watching every flicker of emotion across his face.
After a minute, Stiles gasped and pulled back. He shook his head, disturbed.
"Well, that was horrifying." He muttered.
Derek asked. "What did you see?"
"I saw three guys—creepy as hell—in old-fashioned gas masks. They injected him with something in an alley and stabbed him in the ear with this weird tool… looked like an electric drill. It was like watching some back-alley horror experiment."
Scott said. "Did you see where their lab is?"
Stiles shook his head. "No. Everything happened in the alley. I know where it is, but I doubt we'll find anything useful there now. After they injected him, he burst into flames for the first time... and awakened his powers. That's what those three guys said."
Melissa frowned. "What exactly did they say?"
"When he was struggling and asking them what they were doing, they said they were helping him awaken."
Lydia's brow furrowed. "Awaken? So that means he was already a Chimera… just dormant."
Victoria nodded. "Then they must've taken him to their lab before. He just can't remember."
Liam added. "Like Hayden. She doesn't even know she's a Chimera yet, which means they will come after her."
Scott said. "Yes—but even if they do, all they'll try to do is awaken her powers. Don't worry about her for now."
Erica chimed in. "By the way, what kind of Chimera is he?"
Parrish spoke up. "He's definitely part Hellhound. I could feel it when I grabbed him."
Scott nodded. "And part wolf. That much is clear. But there's something else. I don't know what else they mixed in."
Lydia, who had been watching the Chimera closely, stepped forward. "He's dying." She said softly. "I can feel it. Whatever those guys turned him into—it didn't work. His body's rejecting it. Fast. I think if he were left alone, he'd only have a few months left. Maybe less."
Scott looked down at the unconscious Chimera, then back at his pack. "Then maybe the best thing we can do is make something useful out of this. Someone should absorb his power. His fire isn't as strong as mine, Parrish's, or Stiles', but still... it's better than nothing."
No one stepped forward.
Then Scott turned to Liam. "How about you, Liam? Do you want it?"
Liam blinked. "Me? Can I?"
Scott smiled. "Of course. Go ahead."
Liam stepped forward and knelt beside the Chimera. He extended his claws, gently piercing the man's chest. The energy transfer was quick. When Liam stood up, both of his hands were crackling with fire.
He grinned. "Cool. I can't ignite my whole body like you guys, but at least I'm immune to fire now."
Just then, Lydia stepped closer, frowning. Black and silver liquid had begun to pour from the Chimera's mouth, nose, and eyes.
"Earlier I said he had a few months to live." She said grimly. "Now it's more like a couple of weeks—maybe a couple of days."
She glanced around. "This doesn't normally happen when we absorb a supernatural creature's powers. Sure, the creature loses their abilities—but they live after that—unless, of course, we're talking about a creature that relies on its powers to live, like a vampire."
Liam's eyes widened. "Can we save him?"
Aiden scoffed. "Why bother? He's already suffering. Maybe putting him down would be a mercy."
Scott shook his head. "Liam's not worried about him. He's worried about Hayden."
Then he turned to Deaton. "Doc, is there anything you can do?"
Deaton stepped forward and checked the Chimera's vitals. His expression was calm. "I'm not sure. But I can try. I'll take him to the lab at the company building. Marin and I might be able to stabilize him—maybe even learn more about how he was created, and how to save him."
Scott nodded. "Do you want me to send him there now?"
"Yes." Deaton said. "Put him in one of the reinforced holding cells in the basement. I'll see what I can do in the morning."
Scott raised his hand, summoning a swirling vortex of shadows. A dark tunnel opened—a portal leading to the underground facility beneath Lunaris Cosmetics. He lifted the unconscious Chimera and stepped through, placing him in a reinforced cell.
A moment later, he returned alone, and the portal closed behind him.
---
After dealing with the Chimera, the pack gathered around the long dining table inside the pack house. Plates were filled, stories shared, and laughter returned.
For a while, they simply laughed—letting the warmth of food and family drown out the weight of everything supernatural.
Even with unknown enemies still out there, and more Chimeras likely to come, the pack found comfort in each other.
For now, that was enough.
To be continued... 😊