Jacob and the others stayed in the living room chatting until evening, when Allison got a call from her mother.
After she ended the call, she said. "That was my mom. I need to go back home. Lydia, let's go."
Lydia said. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here tonight."
"You can't stay here." Allison said.
"But I don't feel like going home." Lydia said.
"Are things still bad at home?" Allison asked gently.
"Yes." Lydia sighed. "My dad's moving out tonight, and I don't feel like hearing him and my mom fight."
"You could spend the night at my house." Allison offered.
"Maybe another time. Right now, I just… want to be with Jay." Lydia said softly.
Allison hugged her and whispered. "Alright. Just remember to keep your promise."
"I will." Lydia whispered back.
Allison let go and turned to Jacob. "I came here in Lydia's car, so you have to drive me home."
"Alright." Jacob said. Then he looked at Lydia. "I might be late tonight, so don't wait up for me. Go to sleep early. If you're hungry, there's food in the kitchen."
"Why are you going to be late?" Lydia asked.
"We're going after the Alpha, remember? So I might be a little late."
Lydia hugged him, worry on her face. "Then be careful. If you can't beat him, use Stiles and Scott to distract him and run away."
From the couch, Stiles said dryly. "We can hear you, you know."
"I know." Lydia replied. "I just don't care."
Jacob smiled and leaned in, kissing her on the lips.
Stiles watched them for a second, then looked away and sighed. 'It seems Lydia's really in love with him. Even when she was with Jackson, she was never like this. Jackson was more like her dog than her boyfriend. But with Jacob… she's gentle and genuinely concerned for his safety. It's time for me to move on, I guess.'
Jacob broke the kiss and said. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"I'm not sleeping until you come back." Lydia said firmly.
Jacob kissed her again before letting go, then headed upstairs to change clothes. When he came back down, he took Allison's hand and looked at Stiles and Scott. "Let's go."
The four of them left in Stiles' jeep, heading toward Allison's house.
Jacob and Allison sat in the back seat, hugging each other, while Stiles drove with Scott in the passenger seat.
"Jay." Allison said quietly. "Can you please take me with you? I'll do exactly as you say and stay behind you the whole time."
Jacob ran his fingers through her hair. "Sorry, I can't take you tonight. I'm still not completely sure about my strength, and I won't risk putting you in danger. But don't worry—I'll find a way to make you stronger in the future, so you can stand by my side and fight with me."
Allison's eyes lit up. "Really? You promise?"
"Yes." Jacob said with a smile. "I promise."
Allison grinned, climbed onto his lap, and they began making out.
Stiles glanced in the rearview mirror. "Hey! You two! What do you think you're doing back there?"
Jacob and Allison ignored him.
"They're kissing, can't you see?" Scott said casually.
"I can see that." Stiles grumbled. "And I don't like it. I haven't even kissed a girl in my car, and this stupid snake is not only kissing a hot girl in my car, but he's got another hot girl waiting for him at home."
He sighed heavily. "This isn't fair. I'm so depressed right now, I feel like crashing this car and killing us all."
Scott smirked. "Better not. I'd probably survive, Jacob would definitely survive and save Allison… so the only one you'd be killing is yourself."
Stiles groaned. "Now I'm even more depressed."
After a short drive, Stiles pulled up in front of the Argent house and stopped the car. He glanced at the back seat, where Jacob and Allison were still locked in a deep kiss, and said. "Hey! You two perverts, we're here!"
Jacob and Allison pulled apart. "Already?" Jacob said. "That was quick ride. Hey, Stiles, how about you take us for another fifteen minutes? No—make it thirty."
Stiles' eye twitched. "Screw you, man! Get out of my car!"
Jacob chuckled. "Fine. You could've just said no—you didn't have to yell."
He stepped out, followed by Allison, who was blushing furiously and avoiding both Stiles' and Scott's eyes. "Good night, guys." She muttered, then walked with Jacob toward her house.
As they walked, she pinched his arm. "That was embarrassing! Did you do something with your charm ability? I was so lost in kissing you I forgot Scott and Stiles were even there!"
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "What? First of all, my charm doesn't work like that—it just makes me more attractive. And second, weren't you the one who climbed onto my lap and started kissing me like there was no tomorrow? I'm not complaining—I wish the ride had been longer—but that was definitely your fault, you pervert."
Allison kicked his leg lightly. "You're the pervert! And since I said it's your fault… it's your fault."
Jacob sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you? Stop with the kicking."
They reached the front door, and Jacob suddenly pushed her gently against the wall.
"What are you doing?" Allison asked, wide-eyed.
"Since you blamed me for what happened in the car." Jacob said with a smirk. "I'm taking the initiative this time."
He leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back, and soon they were lost in each other again, forgetting everything else.
Back in the jeep, Stiles and Scott were watching.
"Those two are seriously horny." Stiles muttered. Then his eyes lit up as he spotted Chris Argent stepping out of the house. "Ooh… I think Jacob's about to get unlucky."
Scott just smiled knowingly.
Jacob was so focused on kissing Allison that he didn't hear the door open. An angry Chris walked up silently, pulled out his gun, and pressed it to the back of Jacob's head.
Jacob froze, hands going up. "Don't shoot! You can take all my money."
"Dad?!" Allison gasped, pulling away. "What are you doing?"
Chris' eyes didn't leave Jacob. "Weren't you supposed to be grounded for skipping school yesterday?"
"Mom let me go out." Allison said quickly.
"Get inside." Chris ordered, his voice sharp. "I'll deal with you later."
Allison opened her mouth to argue, but Chris' glare made her stop. She glanced at Jacob and sighed. "Good night… and, uh… good luck." She stuck her tongue out at him before darting into the house.
Jacob chuckled, then turned back to Chris. "Sir, could you lower the gun? I don't like things like that pointed at my head."
"Stay away from my daughter." Chris said coldly.
"Sorry, sir." Jacob smirked. "I can't do that. So… go ahead and shoot me if you want."
"You think I wouldn't dare?" Chris said, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, I know you'd dare." Jacob said casually. Then he tilted his head toward the jeep. "But if you kill me, you'll have to kill them too."
Chris' eyes flicked to Stiles and Scott. "There will come a time when you're alone." He said.
"True." Jacob replied with a shrug. "But I'm not afraid of you, sir. Besides… if you hurt me, Allison will never forgive you. She'll hate you for the rest of her life."
Chris said coldly. "I'm her dad—she'll forgive me eventually. Besides… she won't know I was the one who hurt you."
Jacob smirked. "I'm not as easy to bully as you think, sir."
He placed his hand on the gun that was still pointing at him and, with deliberate force, pushed it downward. No matter how much Chris tried to resist, he couldn't stop Jacob from lowering it.
After demonstrating just a fraction of his strength, Jacob released Chris's hand and smiled. "Alright, I have to go now. Good night, sir—it was nice talking to you."
Without another glance, he walked back to the jeep and climbed in. Stiles drove them away.
Chris clenched his jaw, watching them go. 'I need to figure out what kind of creature he is.' He thought. 'If I can make him angry enough to shift in front of Allison, maybe she'll be afraid of him and stay away from him. And if he's dangerous… I'll kill him.'
---
Inside the Jeep
Scott glanced at Jacob in the back seat. "Aren't you worried Allison's dad might actually kill you?"
Jacob shook his head. "Not really. He was just trying to scare me. Besides, I'm not that easy to kill. Let me show you something cool."
He reached behind him and pulled out a sleek pistol—the one he'd gotten as a reward from the system—and held it up for Stiles and Scott to see.
Stiles' eyes went wide, and he pulled the jeep over. "Whoa, where did you get that?"
"From my house." Jacob said casually. "It used to belong to my parents. Anyway, watch this."
He rolled up his sleeve, aimed the gun at his own forearm, and fired.
Both Stiles and Scott yelled in panic. "What are you doing?!"
Jacob winced. "Aaahh! Damn, that hurts."
Stiles stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "Of course it hurts—you just shot yourself!"
Scott's eyes widened. "Wait... Stiles, look at his arm. The bullet didn't even go through."
Stiles leaned closer and saw it: a large red mark where the bullet had hit, but no blood. Even as he watched, the mark faded, Jacob's skin rapidly returning to its normal pale color.
"So… guns can't hurt you?" Stiles asked.
"Pretty much." Jacob said with a grin. "I've got tough skin. But it still hurts like a bitch, though."
Scott frowned. "How did you find out guns can't hurt you?"
Jacob pretended to tuck the pistol into the back of his belt but slipped it into his pocket dimension instead. "I tried it at home."
Stiles gave him a look. "So that's why you're not afraid of Allison's dad."
"Exactly." Jacob said. "Like I said, I'm not easy to kill. Now… let's go see Derek's uncle."
Just then, a screen appeared in front of Jacob's eyes.
[Available Sign-In:
-Quest Sign-In: Host can sign in after exposing Peter Hale as the Alpha.]
Jacob's eyes lit up. 'Great! I wonder what I'll get this time… hopefully something good.'
He was snapped out of his thoughts by Stiles yelling. "Hey! Did you even hear me?"
"Sorry." Jacob said. "What did you say?"
"I said, I still need to stop at my house to grab my bear spray before we head to the hospital." Stiles repeated. "And we need to call Derek and tell him to meet us there."
"Okay." Jacob said.
Stiles kept driving toward his place while Scott pulled out his phone and called Derek, telling him to meet them in front of the hospital without explaining why.
It took them only a few minutes to stop by Stiles' house, grab the bear spray, and then drive to the hospital.
When they arrived, Derek was already waiting by the entrance. He gave Jacob a small nod, then turned to Scott. "Why are we here?"
Scott glanced at Stiles. "Uh… they want to see your uncle."
Derek's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
Stiles answered quickly. "We just… want to see what the hunters did to him."
Derek listened to Stiles' heartbeat and immediately knew he was lying. Before he could call him out, Jacob stepped forward, leaned close to Derek's ear, and whispered. "We think your uncle is the Alpha. We're here to confirm it. Don't say anything—he might be listening."
Derek hesitated, suspicion still in his eyes, but eventually gave a slight nod. "Fine. Come with me. I'll show you what the hunters are really capable of."
Since visiting hours were over, they had to sneak inside. Moving quietly down the dim hallways, they eventually reached Peter's room. Derek opened the door, and they stepped in.
Peter was sitting in his wheelchair, staring blankly at the wall, completely unresponsive. But the moment they entered, he caught Jacob's scent—and for some reason, a chill ran down his spine.
'Why did Derek bring that little shit here?' Peter cursed in his mind, though outwardly he kept up the act of being unaware.
Jacob and Stiles exchanged a look, both of them smirking.
Jacob thought. 'This is going to be fun.'
Peter sniffed the air. 'Damn it! Why are both Scott and Derek nervous? And more importantly, why are the other two excited? Something is not right. Something is definitely not right.'
To be continued… 😊