(Discontinued) When the Wolves Howl | Teen Wolf

Chapter 12

"A werewolf?" Iris whispered to herself. She couldn't find it in herself to deny what they-- Scott, Stiles, Allison, and Lydia-- were saying. The supernatural explanation made the fog of confusion in her head clear and the anxiety in her gut loosen its grip. Her heightened senses were because she'd been bitten by an Alpha. Somehow, it made more sense than whatever she had come up with: drugs or a trauma-induced coma where she was dreaming everything.

She drew in a slow breath through her nose then slumped backward further into the bus seat. Through all the trust she had in her friends, there was a small part that pulled at her stomach. "You guys aren't... I don't know, messing with me?"

"What?" Lydia shot her a startled look as if the idea had never even crossed her mind. "We wouldn't-"

"Iris, we understand if you don't believe us. It's a lot to take in at first," Scott gently said from behind her. They were all surrounding her, close but not intruding; Stiles sitting with her, Allison and Scott in the seat behind them, Lydia-- having shoved a freshman out of his seat, before claiming it-- in the seat beside them.

"No, I... I believe you. Somehow, I know you're right," Iris said to her knees. She refused to look any of her friends in the eye.

"Well, now that we've got that covered, it's time to brief you on everything that's happened." For the next fifteen minutes, Stiles quickly skimmed over all the events that occurred ever since Scott got bit by an Alpha named Peter Hale. The others filled in pieces that he missed. With every bit of detailed information, Iris found herself believing him more. How could anyone make up that big of a story, unless it really happened?

"What was the, uh, lizard thing that was at the sheriff's station?" She asked, not believing the words when they came out of her mouth.

"A Kanima, AKA Jackson Whittemore. He just moved to France so you don't have to worry about him." Stiles said it nonchalantly, but Iris could hear the quickening of his and Lydia's heartbeats when he talked about the kanima. Lydia seemed to tense up at Jackson's name. They must have had history together, Iris thought. Stiles continued with their story.

The more she thought about it, and the more she heard, she soon realized she'd heard these kinds of stories before.

From her father.

The realization shook her to the core.

Once they reached the most recent events-- the bird attack, when Lydia found the dead body-- Stiles said, "So, it's the sacrifices right? Everything has to do with them-"

Lydia leaned across the aisle to intently listen.

"-and someone who thinks he's, like, a dark druid of some kind." Stiles flashed his eyes over to Iris. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder, given that the bus seats were small and barely fit both of them. "A druid is like a magic priest," he explained to her, whispering out of the side of his mouth.

"Or actually is a dark druid," Lydia added. She and Stiles made eye contact across Iris, who felt as if she was intruding on something.

"A darach."

"You know, some ancient cultures... sacrificed people in preparation for battle."

Stiles raised his eyebrows at Lydia, considering what she said. Iris didn't know anything on the topic and at that moment she vowed, when she got home, to research all she could on everything supernatural. "So we got alpha werewolves against a dark druid."

Lydia, sounding defeated, sighed, "Yeah."

* * *

Iris stepped off the bus ahead of Stiles and Scott.