Jennifer's POV
Jennifer stood before two large vans parked deep within the Beacon Hills Preserve. Inside each van lay eighteen unconscious people.
She and her fellow Darachs—Sloan, Vivian, and Nyomi—had spent weeks carefully selecting their victims, gathering them from outside Beacon Hills. Drifters, outcasts, those who wouldn't be missed. Each one chosen with purpose.
Jennifer's gaze swept over the scene with satisfaction. The thirty-six lives they had gathered would fuel the Nemeton, restoring its power beyond anything seen before. But before the ritual could begin, they needed Deucalion. His blood was essential.
Until they found him, the sacrifices had to wait. Because the moment they started killing, Scott and his pack would probably come. And Jennifer was sure they couldn't stop them.
They had scoured Beacon Hills, searching every possible hideout, but the Demon Wolf was nowhere to be found. He had vanished.
Instead, they had found the next best thing, the twins.
Ethan and Aiden had fought fiercely, but they were no match for Jennifer and her Darach allies. Now, bound and weakened by wolfsbane, they knelt before her, their strength fading. Aiden had taken the worst of it. His body convulsed as the poison coursed through his veins, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Ethan, despite his pain, lifted his head and glared at Jennifer with burning defiance.
Jennifer asked. "Where is Kali and Deucalion? Tell me or I will kill your brother."
Ethan hesitated for a brief moment before he answered. "They are dead."
Jennifer's expression darkened. "Let's not talk about Kali, But who could kill the Demon Wolf?"
"He challenged Scott." He admitted. "And we haven't seen him since."
Silence hung heavy in the air.
Jennifer's hands clenched into fists as rage boiled inside her. "Scott. Of course, it had to be him."
She unsheathed a dagger. The blade gleamed under the moonlight as she pressed it against Ethan's chest.
"I wanted to spill their blood myself." She murmured, her voice low and deadly. "But I suppose yours will have to do."
Without hesitation, she plunged the dagger deep into Ethan's heart.
A strangled gasp escaped his lips as his body jerked violently. His eyes widened in shock before the light in them faded.
"Ethan!" Aiden choked out, struggling against his restraints. His body trembled, not just from the wolfsbane but from the sheer agony of watching his brother die.
Jennifer wiped the blood off her fingers, her expression void of sympathy.
"Aiden's already as good as dead." She said coldly, turning away. "Let him feel the pain of losing his brother before he dies slowly."
Sloan watched Aiden with a smile before speaking. "But if Deucalion's dead, whose blood do we use for the ritual?"
Jennifer said. "We need an alpha's blood, and Scott's is out of the question. But I know another alpha, her name is Satomi, let's use her blood"
Vivian smirked. "That sounds like a plan."
With that, they vanished into the night, leaving Aiden bleeding and broken beside his brother's lifeless body.
Summoning the last of his strength, Aiden fumbled for his phone with trembling fingers. He barely managed to press a number before the world around him blurred.
When Morrell arrived, she found him collapsed in the dirt, his breaths shallow.
---
Scott's POV
The Next Day
As Scott and his pack prepared to leave French class, Morrell intercepted them, her usual composed expression clouded with something close to urgency.
"You need to hear this." She said in a low voice. "Jennifer is back… and she's not alone. She has three other Darachs with her."
Scott's eyes narrowed. "How do you know?"
Morrell's expression darkened. "She attacked the twins last night. Ethan is dead. I found Aiden barely alive, she poisoned him and left him to die. I managed to save him."
Stiles asked. "Why would she go after the twins?"
"Aiden said she was looking for Kali and Deucalion." Morrell folded her arms. "And I know why."
Lydia's patience was wearing thin. "Then tell us already. We don't have all day."
Morrell said. "Jennifer's real name is Julia Baccari. She was once a druid and Kali's emissary. Years ago, Deucalion ordered Kali to kill her entire pack, including Julia. Kali attacked her, left her for dead… but she survived."
Stiles frowned. "And now she has become a Darach to seek revenge?"
"Yes." Morrell nodded. "By the way, Aiden wants to meet with you."
Scott said. "Tell him to meet us at the animal clinic after school."
---
Scott and his pack gathered inside the clinic, waiting. Not long after, Aiden arrived. His face was pale, his expression grim.
Scott didn't waste time. "What do you want?"
Aiden's fists clenched at his sides. "Before she left, I heard Julia say something about using the blood of an alpha for a ritual. They wanted Deucalion's, but since he's gone… they're after Satomi."
Scott asked. "Why are you telling me this?"
Aiden's jaw tightened. "Because I want to fight her with you guys. I want to kill Julia." His voice cracked, raw with emotion. "I want to avenge Ethan. Please let me go with you."
Scott studied him carefully. After a moment, he gave a nod. "Alright. But first, we need to find them."
His gaze shifted to Lydia.
"Lydia, where can we find the Darachs?"
Lydia exhaled, frustrated. "I don't know… but we should be looking for the Nemeton. Like, right now."
Scott turned to the pack. "You heard her. Let's go."
After closing the clinic, they set off into the Beacon Hills Preserve.
---
They searched for nearly an hour, weaving through the dense forest, when Stiles suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Guys… maybe we're doing this wrong."
Scott turned to him. "What do you mean?"
Stiles gestured around. "You said the Nemeton is a beacon for the supernatural, right? Maybe we shouldn't be looking for it… maybe we need to feel it."
Scott nodded. "Good point. Let's try that."
Closing their eyes, Scott and his pack focused, letting their supernatural senses guide them.
A tense silence fell over the group.
Then, almost simultaneously, their eyes snapped open.
They all turned in the same direction.
Lydia's expression darkened. "That's it. That's where we need to go." Her voice dropped lower. "Because besides the Nemeton… I can feel death."
Scott said. "Let's move."
Without hesitation, they sprinted toward their destination.
When they arrived, a chilling sight awaited them.
Jennifer and Nyomi stood atop the massive tree, slaughtering captives one by one. Blood pooled at the roots, seeping into the earth.
Nearby, Sloan and Vivian carefully painted Celtic symbols on the ground using Satomi's blood.
Satomi herself was bound to a tree, her body weak, but she was still alive.
Jennifer turned, her eyes widening in shock when she saw Scott and his pack.
"Shit." She hissed. Her expression twisted with urgency. "Forget the sacrifices. Start the summoning."
She and Nyomi rushed toward Sloan and Vivian, hastily throwing mountain ash around themselves, sealing them inside a protective barrier.
Allison asked. "Should we stop them?"
Scott shook his head. "No. Not yet. Let's see what they're summoning."
Scott and his pack watched as the Celtic symbols began to glow, pulsating with dark energy. The air around them vibrated, thick with power.
A low, guttural sound rumbled from the portal forming inside the circle.
Something was coming through.
Something powerful.
To be continued… 😊