The Recovery

Chapter 15

Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted
Alaric's Office
Alaric's POV

"What the hell was that?" Alaric asked himself just as Dorian entered

"That...! Was...! Possibly...! Scott!" Dorian said breathlessly hands on his knees after closing the door and locking it for good measure.

"That was Scott?"

Dorian nodded

Wanting to get the answers, I gave him my unopened bottle of water and he downed it in one go.

"What's going on?" I inquired after Dorian calmed.

"Scott came to my office and asked if there were people around the southwest woods so that he could use the woods to safely do something he needed to do and that something turned out to be shape-shifting," Dorian said.

"Why the...? Wait, what? There isn't a full moon."

"Scott is a lycanthrope werewolf, he can shapeshift without the full moon like Hope."

"What is a lycanthrope werewolf?" I asked. "And how can Scott shift without the full moon?"

I knew if there was anyone who would know or have an idea about what Scott was it was Dorian and I was going to ask him later to do research for me on the kind of werewolf Scott was.

After my encounter with Miss Tig, I doubted she would share everything she knew about Lydia and Scott just as she wasn't willing to share what she knew about fairies.

"The species the werewolves we know are based on, the original werewolves, if you will, at least according to my research," Dorian replied proving my point that he was the man to see about these things. "I can't explain what I barely know, though.

I thought werewolves like Scott were werewolf legend and pop culture myth until I saw his red eyes and claws a few minutes ago."

"Red eyes and claws?"

"Red eyes and claws, like huge claws," Dorian said. "Scott was vague at first, saying that he needed to do something. I pressed for details and his eyes glowed red but he told me that he needed to shift.

I mentioned the werewolf transitioning space in the basement and he didn't like that, at all.

That's when I saw his claws when he said that he needed to shift in the woods, and since he looked ready to shift, I answered his question and permitted him to go.

After what we just heard, I'm glad I listened to him or the windows and lockers wouldn't have rattled as they did, the whole building would have shaken like hell."

I was glad too but...

"Good call but why did I have to get the werewolves to the gymnasium?"

"My best guess is that what we just heard is an Alpha roar and Emma wanted to shield the werewolves from it in case it affected them despite being different from the Alpha behind it."

"What's an Alpha roar and how does it affect werewolves?"

"It's basically a werewolf howl infused with Alpha authority and power, or you could say it's the voice of God to non-Alpha werewolves. It has multiple uses from commanding non-Alpha werewolves to encouraging and discouraging them among other things."

"And a teenager has this power?"

That was a terrifying thought.

Almost as terrifying as Hope becoming a tribrid without any influence other than her messed up family and I was desperately trying to prevent that although my efforts were fruitless so far.

"A teenager Emma vouches for has this power," Dorian responded a little defensively.

"Emma?"

"Miss Tig."

"You're on first name bases now?" I questioned curiously.

"I'm on first name bases with a lot of people, Ric, because I, unlike you, don't spend most of my free time with a bottle of bourbon and a glass in hand brooding and sparring with a werewolf-witch hybrid student," Dorian replied. "You should follow Caroline's example and take a vacation now and then, and get professional help.

And get laid. You need to get laid so you can relax a little, make new friends."

"Dorian, I have a school to run and..."

"And desperately need a break. Seriously, you're burning yourself out."

I knew that Dorian was saying it like it was and it was all true but for the life of me, I couldn't form any relationship or get a new hobby outside raising my daughters and the boarding school. Oh, and the occasional drink with Damon.

Something about the last few years of peace made me anxious and that was why I sometimes secretly went out looking for trouble and treasured some drama around the school.

I didn't like to admit it even in my mind but a part of me lived for recruitment trips, the occasional troublesome students we got and my spars with Hope despite the bruises and pain I sustained from them, or maybe the bruises and body aches were two of the reasons I insisted on continuing the spar sessions.

A knock at the door halted our conversation and I took the opportunity to get out of it and stop my thoughts from going deep and went to unlock and open the door.

"Come on in, Miss Tig," I said upon finding Miss Tig on the other side of the door and in she walked.

"Are you alright?" Dorian asked her.

"I'm fine," Miss Tig answered. "But we couldn't put up the spells in time."

"What spells?" I asked returning to my chair while she took a seat next to Dorian.

"Silencing and sealing spells," She said. "I told you Scott was killed and that his mother resurrected him but I didn't tell you about the cost and the state he came back in."

"Scott was killed?" Dorian asked surprised and I recalled that only Miss Tig, Caroline and I knew.

"Yes, on the last full moon, the super-moon," Miss Tig confirmed. "His mother managed to resurrect him using CPR a few minutes after his death but he was in bad condition, weak and, to make matters worse, not healing at all and usually his wounds completely heal extremely fast.

When he left Beacon Hills a few days ago, his accelerated healing ability was still not working and he couldn't shapeshift. I'm sure you noticed that he wasn't well."

"I didn't notice anything," I said although the last sentence was directed at Dorian who I asked. "Did you?"

"No," He replied. "Both Lydia and Scott seemed fine during our tour and we even had a short flag football crash course practice on the field. Nothing major, just the basics."

"Why?" Miss Tig inquired confused. "Lydia isn't involved in physical activities and Scott plays lacrosse, not flag football."

"I had the brilliant idea of solving an issue the students brought to my attention during the assembly this morning by making Lydia and Scott our flag football team cocaptains and leave the decision of whether we continue our losing streak or it comes to an end to them," I explained.

"Our losing streak and clean record aren't keeping eyes away from us, they're doing the opposite and the students are rightfully concerned and want a win, so I saw a solution when Lydia and Scott arrived early and walked through the doors just as I was thinking about what to do," I continued. "I obviously didn't think it through or notice that Scott is nursing the wound that killed him."

"This speaks volumes about Scott's control and pain tolerance," Dorian said impressed and worried.