Scott, Stiles, and Isaac arrived at the animal clinic, parked their cars, and walked inside. They found Deaton bandaging a dog's injured leg.
"Hey, Doc, how are you doing?" Scott greeted.
Deaton looked up and smiled slightly. "Scott, are you finally back to help me around here?"
Scott nodded. "Yeah, I just got back from my vacation. I'll start coming back to help and learn from you."
Stiles and Isaac greeted Deaton as well.
Scott walked over and said. "Let me finish bandaging the dog."
Deaton stepped aside, handing Scott the bandages. "Alright, go ahead."
As Scott worked, he asked. "What happened to him?"
"His owner said the dog went crazy and jumped from the second floor." Deaton explained.
Stiles frowned. "Is this like the rest of the animals in town?"
"Maybe." Deaton replied.
Stiles exchanged a glance with Scott before saying. "We think we know who's causing them to go crazy."
Deaton raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Our new English teacher." Stiles answered.
Deaton asked. "And what makes you so sure it's her?"
Scott looked at Deaton and said. "Because of the way we felt when we first met her. Something about her felt… wrong. Evil."
Stiles nodded. "And right after we met her, a flock of crows flew to our classroom and started slamming against the windows."
Scott added. "Lydia can control crows, and she said they were there because of the teacher."
Deaton exhaled slowly. "I see… do you have any idea what she might be?"
Isaac shook his head. "No. We were hoping you'd know."
Deaton thought for a moment. "Based on what you've told me, I can't say for certain."
Stiles added. "Lydia also said the feeling that teacher gives her is the opposite of what she feels around you. Like she's your evil counterpart."
Deaton's expression hardened. He thought for a moment before asking. "Scott, are you sure she isn't a shapeshifter?"
Scott nodded. "I'm sure. But she's definitely supernatural."
Deaton's face darkened. "If I'm not wrong, I think we're dealing with a Darach."
Isaac frowned. "A Darach? What's that?"
Deaton sighed. "A Darach is the evil counterpart of a druid. In Gaelic, 'druid' means 'wise oak,' but if a druid strays down the wrong path, they become a Darach—'dark oak.'"
Stiles crossed his arms. "So, Doc, what exactly are we dealing with here?"
Deaton explained. "Druids are close to nature. They try to keep the balance. But a Darach? They abuse nature. They'll do anything to make themselves stronger."
Stiles narrowed his eyes. "Like what?"
Deaton's expression turned grim. "Like sacrifices. They call it a 'sacrifice,' but it's really just killing people or animals, and let the Nemeton tree absorb their life force, and the Darach then draws power from it. The more they take, the stronger they become."
Stiles paled. "So… a lot of people are going to die?"
Deaton nodded. "Yes. We need to find the Darach as soon as possible and deal with her."
Stiles suddenly remembered something. "By the way, her name is Jennifer Blake. Do you know her?"
Deaton shook his head. "No, I've never heard of her."
---
Meanwhile
Allison, Lydia, Erica, and Malia were shopping when Lydia suddenly froze.
"Lydia?" Malia called, but she didn't respond. Malia moved to shake her, but Allison stopped her. "Wait, Malia. She's in a banshee trance."
A moment later, Lydia snapped out of it, looking urgent. "We need to go. Right now."
Allison frowned. "Lydia, what is it? Should we call Scott?"
"It's not dangerous." Lydia said. "But I feel like we need to be somewhere near the school."
Allison nodded. "Alright, let's go. I'll let Scott know."
She reached out telepathically to Scott, relaying Lydia's message and asking him to follow them.
The girls hurried into the car, and Lydia drove fast.
---
Lydia abruptly stopped the car in the woods near the school and got out. "Follow me." Then, in a blur of speed, she took off running.
The others exchanged glances before following at full speed.
After a short run, they stopped. Ahead of them, two figures were tying a girl to a tree.
The figures turned at the sound of their arrival. They were Jennifer and Kenneth.
The moment Jennifer saw them, her eyes widened in panic. "Shit! It's Scott's pack! Kenneth run!"
Jennifer didn't hesitate. She bolted toward town.
Kenneth hesitated for only a second before he, too, turned and ran deeper into the woods.
Allison acted fast. "Lydia! Check if the girl is alive. Erica, Malia, don't let that woman escape. I'm going after the man!"
Without another word, Allison sprinted after Kenneth.
Jennifer pushed herself to full speed, turning into a blur as she raced toward the town. But Erica and Malia weren't slow either. Just as they were about to catch her, Jennifer suddenly veered into a crowded area, pulling her hood up and covering her hideous face.
Malia growled. "I don't care about the crowd. We need to..."
Erica grabbed her arm, stopping her. "We can't risk exposing ourselves as shapeshifters. Worse, she might hurt people if we push her."
Malia clenched her fists. "So, we're just letting her go?! She's our teacher from yesterday, I want to kill her so badly!"
Erica exhaled, struggling with the same frustration. "I know, I have the same urge to kill her. But with all these people here… we have to let her go. For now."
Malia growled under her breath, but she knew Erica was right.
"Let's go back to Lydia." Erica said.
Malia took one last look at Jennifer before reluctantly nodding.
Meanwhile, Allison was chasing Kenneth at full speed. Although he wasn't slow, she was gaining on him with every step.
Realizing he couldn't outrun her, Kenneth suddenly stopped and threw a handful of mountain ash into the air. The ash formed a circle around him, creating a barrier.
Allison stopped outside the circle, her red eyes glowing intensely. She said. "What kind of evil creature are you? I'm fighting the urge to kill you right now."
Kenneth remained silent. Instead, he waved his hand, and a massive, broken tree nearby suddenly flew toward Allison at high speed.
Allison simply smiled and caught the tree with ease. "That's a nice power you've got there." She said. "What's it called again? Oh, I remember, telekinesis."
Without hesitation, she hurled the tree back at him with all her strength. Kenneth quickly waved his hand again, breaking the tree in half before sending both halves flying toward her.
"Enough playing." Allison muttered.
She effortlessly dodged the flying logs and, before Kenneth could react, appeared right in front of him in a blur. She slammed her fist into his stomach, sending him rolling across the ground in pain.
Kenneth gasped, clutching his stomach. "How… did you… pass the mountain ash barrier?" He asked with difficulty.
Allison grinned. "That's a secret."
Then, without another word, she punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. Grabbing him by the leg, she turned and sprinted back to Lydia's location.
---
By the time Allison arrived, Lydia, Erica, and Malia were waiting for her.
"You didn't catch that woman?" Allison asked.
Erica shook her head. "No. She ran into a crowd of people, so we couldn't go after her."
Allison sighed. "I see. Well, at least I caught her partner." She then turned to Lydia. "How's the girl?"
Lydia looked at the unconscious girl and said. "She's alive, but she hasn't woken up yet."
Erica frowned. "By the way, that woman was definitely our teacher from yesterday, though her face was… hideous."
Just then, Scott arrived with Stiles, Isaac, and Deaton.
"So, girls. what happened here?" Scott asked.
After Allison explained everything, Deaton's expression darkened. "They were about to sacrifice that girl." He turned to Scott. "This is bad. There's more than one Darach in town, and whatever they're planning, it's going to be terrible."
Scott glanced at Kenneth's unconscious body. "Do you know him, Deaton?"
Deaton shook his head. "No."
Scott knelt beside Kenneth and drove his claws into the back of his neck, attempting to read his memories. After a few moments, he pulled back with a frustrated look.
"I can't access all of his memories. They're protected by some kind of energy. If I push further, he'll either turn into an idiot or die." Scott frowned. "But I got enough."
Allison's eyes lit up with excitement. "Then can I absorb his powers?"
Scott smirked. "You seem eager, Allison. What's his ability?"
"Telekinesis." She said with a grin.
Stiles immediately jumped in. "Wait! Allison, you already have poison abilities. Let me have this one, please!"
Allison laughed. "Nope. I caught him, so I get his ability."
Scott chuckled. "Go ahead, then."
Allison pressed her claws into Kenneth's chest, trying to absorb his abilities. But after a few moments, she pulled back, frowning. "I only absorbed a little bit of strength from him. Why?"
Deaton sighed. "Just as I thought."
Stiles asked. "What do you mean, Doc?"
"Druids and Darachs don't have natural abilities like werewolves and other shapeshifters do." Deaton explained. "Their powers are borrowed from nature. If Allison had fought him a little longer, he would have lost all the energy he absorbed from the Nemeton and become just a regular human."
Frustrated, Allison kicked Kenneth's unconscious body. "Damn it! I got excited for nothing."
Kenneth groaned as he woke up from the pain.
Scott crouched beside him. "Why are you in Beacon Hills?"
Kenneth smirked. "Go ahead and kill me. I'm not telling you anything."
Scott sighed. "As you wish."
Kenneth's smirk faltered. "Wait… aren't you going to torture me?"
Scott shook his head. "I don't do torture. Besides, I already got enough from your memories."
Kenneth's eyes widened in alarm, but before he could say another word, Scott drove his hand into Kenneth's chest, crushing his heart. Then, using his fire ability, he burned Kenneth's body to ashes.
Allison looked at Scott. "What did you get from his memories?"
Scott's face was serious. "There are five Darachs in Beacon Hills, including Jennifer and Kenneth. They want to use the blood of an Alpha to summon something. But before that, they need to kill people and feed their life force to the Nemeton to strengthen themselves." He paused. "I also know where they live. That's all I could get from him."
Stiles frowned. "Should we go after them?"
Scott nodded. "Yes. Let's check their place, though I doubt they're still there. Jennifer probably warned them, and they would've fled by now."
Allison clenched her fists. "Let's check anyway."
Scott said. "Who's going to take the girl to the hospital?"
Deaton stepped forward. "I will. You guys focus on the Darachs."
Scott nodded. "Alright. Let's move."
They got into their cars and drove to the house Kenneth's memories had shown Scott. But when they arrived, the Darachs were long gone.
Scott exhaled in frustration. "Let's go home. There's nothing we can do now."
To be continued… 😊