Ghost | Derek Hale

FIGHTING A LOSING GAME

"We can't stay here for long."

The others looked up as Argent came back in with Melissa. They heard his statement but were more focused on what Melissa had to say.

"How bad is it?" Lydia asked.

Melissa tilted her head to indicate that it was pretty bad. They all dropped their shoulders tiredly and slumped back in their seats.

"She'll need lots of rest and time to heal."

"We don't have time," the sheriff argued, "They'll track us down with our scents wherever we go."

Argent nodded in agreement. Melissa went to sit next to Stiles to comfort the silent boy. They could all see that he was struggling to grasp the situation. In fact, everyone was.

Mason and Corey were devastated that Liam and Theo had been taken over. They worried for their safety as well as their own. Parrish and the sheriff were concerned with the safety of the town while still keeping their friends safe too.

Melissa was concerned for her son and the wolves she considered her kids too. Argent felt the same way. Even Deaton was called in, and he felt anxious about the upcoming chaos.

But Lydia and Stiles were the most upset. They couldn't even think about how much their friends were being manipulated. They didn't want to hurt them, but they knew they wouldn't be given a choice.

Melissa knew how Stiles felt so she placed a warm hand on his shoulder. He held onto it for comfort.

The only person they didn't expect to walk in was Maia. But despite her severe injuries, she joined them.

Stiles and Melissa instantly stood in concern. They rushed to her aid once they saw how she limped and leaned on the wall for support.

"You need to rest," Melissa advised.

The girl shook her head weakly. She kept walking forward until she reached the chair the sheriff sat in. He got up and helped her sit down.

"What's the plan?" she asked, directing her gaze to Argent, "I know you have one."

Melissa glared at the man at the insinuation, making him look guilty. He tried to defend himself but Lydia cut them off with more concerns.

"You can't fight if you don't heal," she stated. She sat on the armrest of the chair Maia was in.

"We can't fight if we're constantly running away," Maia argued, "We need a plan."

The others looked around in unspoken guilt and uneasiness. They gestured for someone to tell her what was on their minds.

Stiles got closer and spoke quietly, "We've lost, Maia."

She snapped her eyes to him. He flinched back a step when he recognized the raw anger emanating from them.

"We haven't lost until I'm dead!" she yelled, "You got that?"

The red in her eyes began to glow beneath the surface. There was also a surprising amount of strength behind her voice.

They numbly nodded to push back her rage.

"Roan won't stop until I'm gone and even then, he'll always want more power," she stated, "But until then, we fight. We haven't lost and we're not giving up. Understand?"

They nodded again.

She took a deep breath and faced Argent again. She repeated her previous question about a plan and began to tell them her initial thoughts on it.