How hard could it be? • LM / SS

Chapter 84

"The other woman."

A/N- rlly long chapter, but it sets the foundation for some things :)

"This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about all of you," Noah explained to the confused group of people that were huddled around a small table in his son's room. When Allison and him had been in the hospital, he'd gotten an alert on his phone. Stiles was in his room, the two of them able to see him on the camera that he had installed only a few weeks prior.

"Well, maybe it's a message from Stiles. The real Stiles," Allison pointed out, their parted hair falling down to cover her face, leaning forward to have a better look at the chess board.

"Is there any specific reason why my name is on the king?" Derek questioned, folding his arms as he glared down at the board. He may not be able to understand chess, but he knew what the pieces meant.

"You're heavily guarded. Though I guess the alarming detail is that you're one move from being in checkmate," Noah pointed out, goosebumps rubbing up his skin.

Jade furrowed her brows, resting an elbow on the table. She picked up the king that had a pink sticky note on it, representing a werewolf. Noah was right; Ethan, Aiden, Max and Lilith were all in front of the piece that represented Derek, showing that he had people willing to defend him.

"It's not a message from Stiles. It's a threat from the nogitsune," Chris shook his head, not liking the direction that this was going on. "He's at the loft."

"It's a trap," Lilith stated, for once in their life agreeing with her uncle. The second the group had left to look for Stiles, she had jumped into a taxi, refusing to be left behind. Staying at home all on their own was the most boring thing in the world.

Besides, they wanted her own back on the nogitsune for leaving her to die a few days ago. They hated feeling weak. When she'd been hurt in Deaton's, that was all they could feel. Weak. Helpless. But she wouldn't allow herself to feel like that again.

"Hear me out," Noah disagreed, trying to argue his point. "What we're dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason, right? Our enemy isn't a killer. It's a trickster. The killing is just a byproduct. It wants irony, a trick, a joke. All we need to do is come up with a new punch line."

Jade blocked out what the others were saying, her brows still furrowed as she picked up another item. A piece with a blue sticky note. Her piece. The queen, apparently the most powerful piece on the board. But she didn't feel powerful when she put it back to it's original place. Instead, she felt a pit form in her stomach. The board was perfectly set up for her to be sacrificed, if she wished to do so.

The nogitsune was threatening her; trying to get in her head. Playing mind games. She couldn't beat him. But she might be able to out fox it. What was the saying? If you couldn't beat them, join them?

~

Allison stood in the middle of the loft, raising their taser, a mixture of pity and guilt visible in her eyes, before letting go of the trigger. They were in Derek's loft, but the nogitsune had broken out of the handcuffs, fully possessing him now. This was the only option. And it wouldn't hurt him, not for long, anyway. Their hands shook slightly when Stiles caught the wire, twisting the electricity in his hands. The weapon flew to the side of the room, lying there uselessly.

Lilith tucked away their own taser, not wanting it to end up in the same fate as her cousins'. Derek growled, his claws out as he charged forward, not even giving anyone time to stop him. Stiles twisted his arm, a sound of a bone breaking before the werewolf was thrown into a wall.