Teen Wolf: Alpha Reborn Chapter 53: Lydia’s choice

The night's tension hung in the air as Scott and his group returned to his house. The events in the woods felt surreal. They piled into the living room, exhaustion etched on their faces.

Lydia broke the silence, her voice trembling but laced with incredulity. "We did just kill a woman and burned her in the woods, right?"

Scott, sprawled on the couch, shook his head. "No, Lydia. We killed a monster that was feeding on humans. Big difference."

lissa, sitting beside Allison, added grimly. "Don't forget she was feeding on babies. Poor, sweet, innocent babies."

Scott groaned, running a hand down his face. "Can we not talk about her anymore? Seriously, after going through her mories, I feel like I need a shower. Actually, scratch that—I feel like I need to pull my brain out and wash it with bleach."

lissa glared at him. " too. Why didn't you stop from reading her mories, Scott?"

"I tried, Mom, but you wouldn't listen."

lissa folded her arms. "You should've tried harder."

Scott sighed, his tone laced with playful sarcasm. "You know what? You're absolutely right, Mother. I should've tried harder. My deepest apologies for my failure as your son." He gave her a theatrical bow, earning a half-hearted smirk from lissa.

Then Scott stood, brushing his jeans off. "Okay, I need a shower. I feel disgusting. Allison, care to join and scrub my back?"

Allison rolled her eyes, tossing a pillow at him. "Go away, you pervert. I still haven't forgiven you for what you did this morning."

Stiles, leaning back in his chair, piped up. "I can scrub your back if you want, Scott."

Scott gagged, clutching his stomach. "Gross, Stiles! What is wrong with you?"

Stiles grinned. "Hey, I was just trying to help."

The room erupted into laughter at Stiles' ridiculous comnt, the tension easing just a bit. Still chuckling, Scott waved them off and headed to the bathroom. lissa said she needed a shower too, muttering sothing about needing to scrub the Lamia's filth off her soul.

Stiles, Allison, and Lydia remained in the living room. Stiles broke the silence, leaning forward. "So, Allison, I hear you've joined the furry club. You're a werewolf now, huh?"

Allison nodded. "Yeah. I don't want Scott to protect forever. I want to fight by his side. And after tonight? Watching lissa fight that Lamia... That was incredible. I want to be like her too."

"Yeah, too. Or at least fast enough to run for my life." Stiles joked, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a bite mark. "I asked Scott to turn too."

Allison raised an eyebrow. "Took you long enough."

Stiles shrugged. "I was afraid of losing control. Scott didn't tell until recently that his bite is different—that if he turns you, you won't lose control like other werewolves."

Lydia, who had been listening quietly, interjected. "So all he has to do is bite you, and you turn out like him and lissa? And there is no chance of losing control?"

Stiles nodded. "Exactly. And by the way, welco to our world."

Lydia rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What a wonderful world."

A sudden thought struck Stiles. He turned to Lydia, his expression serious. "By the way, don't tell Jackson about Allison or lissa being werewolves."

Lydia frowned. "Why? Does Jackson know about this stuff?"

"Yeah, he knows Scott's a werewolf, and he's been pestering him to turn him. But Scott won't do it. If Jackson finds out about Allison, he might tell her parents, and that'll get her in trouble. And Scott will not like that at all, although he wouldn't kill Jackson, but... let's just say Jackson might spend the rest of his life in the hospital."

Lydia looked unconvinced. "Scott would never do that. I... I hope."

Stiles smirked. "Scott's a nice guy—unless you ss with Allison or lissa. Then you're in deep trouble. Don't take that bet."

Allison leaned forward, placing a hand on Lydia's knee. "Lydia, don't worry about Jackson. Just promise you won't say anything about us, okay?"

Lydia hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. I won't tell anyone."

Allison smiled. "Good. Now, what do you think about everything you saw tonight?"

Lydia exhaled slowly. "Honestly? I'm scared. But... a part of wants to be like you guys."

Allison's eyes widened. "Do you really want to be like us?"

Lydia bit her lip, nodding slightly. "Not until I heard Stiles say you don't lose control. That... That changes things."

Allison grinned. "Then you should talk to Scott. He's the Alpha. He can decide."

At that mont, Scott returned, his hair still damp from the shower. "Do you guys want to eat sothing?" he asked, heading straight to the kitchen.

"Food." Allison replied quickly, following him. "I could eat."

"Sa." Stiles added. "I didn't get to finish my dinner before we went monster hunting."

Lydia stood and trailed after them.

In the kitchen, Scott took charge, rolling up his sleeves and pulling out ingredients. Lydia stood near the counter, watching with mild surprise as Scott deftly prepared a pot of pasta with shrimp.

lissa joined them just as Scott was tossing the shrimp into the pan, filling the room with the rich aroma of garlic and butter. Plates were soon set out, and everyone gathered at the table, the warmth of food offering a mont of comfort after the night's chaos.

As they started eating, lissa spoke up. "Lydia, Stiles—call your parents and let them know you're staying here tonight."

Stiles grinned. "Already ahead of you, lissa. I told my dad earlier when Scott and I dropped off dinner for him."

Lydia hesitated. "Can I spend the night here? I an, if it's not a problem."

lissa smiled warmly. "Of course, Lydia. Why not?"

Lydia nodded, pulling out her phone. She stepped into the hallway to call her mom. After a short conversation where she explained she was staying over at a friend's house with Allison, her mom simply said. "Be safe." And hung up.

Returning to the kitchen, Lydia resud her seat, looking thoughtfully at Scott as he twirled pasta onto his fork. "Scott." She said, her voice laced with hesitation. "I want to be like you. Can you give the bite?"

The room fell silent, everyone pausing mid-bite. Scott set his fork down and leaned forward, his eyes eting Lydia's. "You know what it ans to accept the bite from , right?"

Lydia shook her head.

Scott sighed, his tone becoming serious. "It's not just about becoming stronger or faster. Accepting the bite ans you'll beco part of my pack. We won't just be friends; we'll be family—but more than family. Allison and Stiles haven't felt the connection yet because they haven't gone through their first full moon. But my mom? She feels it."

lissa nodded, adding softly. "We can feel each other's emotions. It's hard to explain in words. Let's just say we are connected."

Scott picked up the explanation. "And if soone in the pack dies, it's not just like losing a loved one. It's like losing a piece of your soul. Being in the pack ans loyalty—to and to everyone else. It ans standing with us, and we will fight more monsters like that Lamia we killed tonight. This isn't a temporary thing, Lydia. It's for life. Can you handle that?"

Lydia looked down, her brow furrowed in deep thought. Finally, she lifted her head, her eyes resolute. "I can do all of that. As long as you guys don't give up on , I'll never give up on you. I won't betray you."

Scott nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Good. But I need to warn you—there's sothing already inside you, Lydia. If I give you the bite, you might not turn into a werewolf. You'll beco sothing else."

Lydia's breath hitched. "What do you an, 'sothing else'? What's inside ? Will I beco sothing evil, like that Lamia?"

Scott's voice softened. "No, you won't beco evil. I promise."

Lydia exhaled and held out her arm. "Then bite ."

Scott stood and approached her, his eyes glowing red. He leaned down, his fangs extending as he bit into Lydia's arm. She flinched but stayed still, her determination unwavering.

Scott pulled back. "It's done. Now, we should all get so sleep. Allison, you'll sleep with tonight." He smirked at her.

lissa grabbed Scott by the ear and twisted it lightly. "Allison will look after Lydia tonight and make sure she's okay. They'll stay in the guest room on this floor. As for you idiot, you will take care of Stiles in the room he usually sleeps in."

"Ow, ow! Okay, okay, stop twisting my ear!" Scott protested. "I'll babysit stupid Stiles."

lissa let him go with a satisfied nod. Scott, rubbing his ear, glared at Stiles, who was laughing at him. "Co on, let's go upstairs."

Still chuckling, Stiles followed Scott upstairs. He flopped onto the bed, falling asleep almost imdiately, his snores filling the room. Scott sat in a chair by the window.

Downstairs, lissa guided Lydia and Allison to the guest room. She checked on Lydia, making sure she was comfortable, then smiled at both girls. "Goodnight, girls."

"Goodnight, lissa." They replied in unison. And lissa headed to her own room.