Noah, Parrish, and Braeden were having headaches these days—three fire incidents in two days. First a pizza shop, then a chanic’s garage, and now an antique shop.
Noah stood outside the charred remains of a small antique shop in downtown Beacon Hills. Ash drifted through the air as firefighters doused the last of the smoldering debris. Parrish knelt beside a blackened windowsill, sniffing the air.
"Sa scent as the other two locations." Parrish muttered grimly.
Braeden stood nearby, arms crossed, eyes scanning the periter. "That’s three fires in two days. All local businesses. We’re dealing with a supernatural serial arsonist."
Noah rubbed his temple. "Why these places? What’s the motive? Is this personal revenge, or is this insurance fraud"
Parrish shrugged. "Could be either. Could also be random."
Noah exhaled. "Let’s head back to the station and run background checks on all three locations—owners, employees, anyone recently fired. Hopefully we get lucky."
---
Back at the sheriff’s station, the three got to work. It didn’t take long to find a common link: one man, mid-twenties, had worked at all three locations—and had been fired from each.
Noah leaned back. "Well, that makes it personal. Parrish, put out an APB on the guy. But tell the deputies not to engage the suspect. I don’t want them facing a shapeshifter or whatever that man is and getting themselves killed."
Parrish nodded. "Yes, sir."
---
By nightfall, Noah got the call: the suspect had been spotted near a small family-owned Italian restaurant on the edge of town.
The trio arrived quickly. The street was eerily quiet—too quiet for a Saturday night. Then Parrish’s nose twitched.
"He’s here." He said. "I caught his scent. And sothing else... panic and fear."
Braeden tensed. "He must have hostages."
Noah said. "Let’s go in quickly before he succeeds in whatever he’s trying to do."
They circled to the back and found the kitchen door slightly open. Inside, muffled cries echoed. They sneaked in and went toward the voices.
In the dining area, a young man stood near the bar, hands glowing with flas, staring at several terrified staff mbers tied to chairs.
"All I did was co in late a few tis." The man said in anger. "But you fired and you even beat up with your sons, humiliated ... treated like garbage."
The restaurant owner, still tied up, shouted. "Son, you were late every day! You were careless and rude. When I paid you and asked you not to co back, you smashed dishes and tried to attack . My sons had no choice but to defend and use force to get you out of the restaurant.!"
The arsonist’s eyes flared. "It doesn’t matter! You should’ve never fired . Now I’ll burn you and your whole family—just like I said I would."
He raised his hands, fire swirling at his fingertips, but just then Noah stepped forward.
"Beacon County Sheriff’s Departnt! Put your hands where I can see them!"
The man spun, eyes glowing orange.
Parrish frowned. "A Chira..."
"Sheriff, don’t co any closer." The arsonist barked. "Or I’ll burn them all to ash!"
Noah stayed calm. "Parrish."
Parrish moved like lightning—grabbing the Chira by the throat, slamming him against the wall, then headbutting him hard. The flas on the arsonist’s hands went out instantly as he fell unconscious.
Braeden quickly cut the ropes binding the hostages. Noah placed his hand on the restaurant owner’s shoulder and locked eyes with him, whispering softly. "Forget what you saw. You never saw anything strange tonight." Noah’s eyes glowed red. The man blinked, nodded, and sat down, dazed but calm.
Noah did the sa for the rest of the hostages, erasing their mories of what they’d witnessed.
Then he turned to Parrish. "Let’s take him to the ranch."
---
At the ranch, the pack gathered in front of the pack house as Parrish carried the unconscious Chira and dropped him in front of them.
Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Another Chira?"
"Yes." Noah confird. "He burned down three businesses in two days. We caught him just as he was about to torch a restaurant—with people still inside. Turns out he worked at all the places he targeted. Got fired from each one. Now that he’s got powers, he decided to get revenge."
Scott asked. "Did anyone read his mories yet?"
Braeden shook her head. "Not yet."
Stiles stepped forward. "Then let ."
He knelt beside the unconscious Chira and inserted his claws into the back of the man’s neck. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and focused as he dove into the man’s chaotic mories. The pack waited in silence, watching every flicker of emotion across his face.
After a minute, Stiles gasped and pulled back. He shook his head, disturbed.
"Well, that was horrifying." He muttered.
Derek asked. "What did you see?"
"I saw three guys—creepy as hell—in old-fashioned gas masks. They injected him with sothing in an alley and stabbed him in the ear with this weird tool... looked like an electric drill. It was like watching so back-alley horror experint."
Scott said. "Did you see where their lab is?"
Stiles shook his head. "No. Everything happened in the alley. I know where it is, but I doubt we’ll find anything useful there now. After they injected him, he burst into flas for the first ti... and awakened his powers. That’s what those three guys said."
lissa frowned. "What exactly did they say?"
"When he was struggling and asking them what they were doing, they said they were helping him awaken."
Lydia’s brow furrowed. "Awaken? So that ans he was already a Chira... just dormant."
Victoria nodded. "Then they must’ve taken him to their lab before. He just can’t rember."
Liam added. "Like Hayden. She doesn’t even know she’s a Chira yet, which ans they will co after her."
Scott said. "Yes—but even if they do, all they’ll try to do is awaken her powers. Don’t worry about her for now."
Erica chid in. "By the way, what kind of Chira is he?"
Parrish spoke up. "He’s definitely part Hellhound. I could feel it when I grabbed him."
Scott nodded. "And part wolf. That much is clear. But there’s sothing else. I don’t know what else they mixed in."
Lydia, who had been watching the Chira closely, stepped forward. "He’s dying." She said softly. "I can feel it. Whatever those guys turned him into—it didn’t work. His body’s rejecting it. Fast. I think if he were left alone, he’d only have a few months left. Maybe less."
Scott looked down at the unconscious Chira, then back at his pack. "Then maybe the best thing we can do is make sothing useful out of this. Soone should absorb his power. His fire isn’t as strong as mine, Parrish’s, or Stiles’, but still... it’s better than nothing."
No one stepped forward.
Then Scott turned to Liam. "How about you, Liam? Do you want it?"
Liam blinked. "? Can I?"
Scott smiled. "Of course. Go ahead."
Liam stepped forward and knelt beside the Chira. He extended his claws, gently piercing the man’s chest. The energy transfer was quick. When Liam stood up, both of his hands were crackling with fire.
He grinned. "Cool. I can’t ignite my whole body like you guys, but at least I’m immune to fire now."
Just then, Lydia stepped closer, frowning. Black and silver liquid had begun to pour from the Chira’s mouth, nose, and eyes.
"Earlier I said he had a few months to live." She said grimly. "Now it’s more like a couple of weeks—maybe a couple of days."
She glanced around. "This doesn’t normally happen when we absorb a supernatural creature’s powers. Sure, the creature loses their abilities—but they live after that—unless, of course, we’re talking about a creature that relies on its powers to live, like a vampire."
Liam’s eyes widened. "Can we save him?"
Aiden scoffed. "Why bother? He’s already suffering. Maybe putting him down would be a rcy."
Scott shook his head. "Liam’s not worried about him. He’s worried about Hayden."
Then he turned to Deaton. "Doc, is there anything you can do?"
Deaton stepped forward and checked the Chira’s vitals. His expression was calm. "I’m not sure. But I can try. I’ll take him to the lab at the company building. Marin and I might be able to stabilize him—maybe even learn more about how he was created, and how to save him."
Scott nodded. "Do you want to send him there now?"
"Yes." Deaton said. "Put him in one of the reinforced holding cells in the basent. I’ll see what I can do in the morning."
Scott raised his hand, summoning a swirling vortex of shadows. A dark tunnel opened—a portal leading to the underground facility beneath Lunaris Costics. He lifted the unconscious Chira and stepped through, placing him in a reinforced cell.
A mont later, he returned alone, and the portal closed behind him.
---
After dealing with the Chira, the pack gathered around the long dining table inside the pack house. Plates were filled, stories shared, and laughter returned.
For a while, they simply laughed—letting the warmth of food and family drown out the weight of everything supernatural.
Even with unknown enemies still out there, and more Chiras likely to co, the pack found comfort in each other.
For now, that was enough.
To be continued... 😊
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