Chapter 10

The next morning they are working on anchors. Tessa describes how she doesn't have anyone she could call on to help her become an anchor.

She is frustrated and takes it out on Stiles, but he stays calm.

''AH! Fuck, get mad at me or something! I just shredded your arm!'' Tessa yells at one point. Stiles looks down at his arm, and he sees that the skin is already knitting itself back.

''No, what good does it get you if I get angry at you? I will roar, you will cower, you will get afraid at some point of me, I don't want that. We are going to be part of each other lives, no matter what's going to happen. I don't want to start that with you being afraid of me.'' He reasons, and Tessa's scent fills with shame.

''Hé, hé, none of that.'' He scolds.

''What? What do you mean?'' Tessa says, looking startled.

''I can smell that you feel ashamed.''

''You can smell that?'' She squeaks.

''Yup.'' He says while popping the 'p'.

''For fuck sakes, privacy is dead, isn't it?''

''You have no idea. When I was with my old pack, my best friend could smell when I had sex. He just high fived me each time he smelled it.'' Stiles tells her with a fond smile.

''Oh god,'' Tessa groans while putting her head in her hands.

They are interrupted when the door opens.

''Hey, pup!'' Comes the sing-song voice of the witch. Amber.

Stiles goes rigid and pushes Tessa behind him while growling at the intruder. She hides her scent and sounds with magic. That's why they didn't hear her coming down or smelled her.

''Tut-tut-tut, don't be like this,'' Amber says. Her signature red lips pulled into a pout. Her eyes flash purple, and Stiles just knows she is going to do magic.

His body goes rigid, and he stiffens under her administrations. He is thrown on the floor and tries to struggle, but it's no use. He snarls at the witch, but she only seems amused.

''Leave him alone!'' Tessa says while flashing her eyes and wolfing out.

''Awh, did you made a friend, Alpha? Your first beta, all the others died when being bitten by you. It seems that only sparks can survive your bite. Nice to know. Now shut it bitch. I'm talking to your boss.'' The witch sneers at Tessa before flicking her wrist and tossing Tessa to the wall. She lands with a crunch and whimpers from the pain.

Stiles is livid. Nobody may hurt his beta, nobody may hurt his friends, nobody may hurt his pack! His wolf breaks free, and he turns into his wolf on the spot, he lunges for Amber's throat, but the witch was to fast. Her bindings are back in place, and he is whining from the pain she is inflicting.

All the bones in his body feel like breaking, then his healing kicks in, and it starts over again. He turns back into his human form, groaning and screaming out in pain. If he would imagine the Crucio curse from Harry Potter, he thinks this is what it would feel like. Every nerve is on fire.

''I SAID LEAVE HIM ALONE!'' Tessa bellows, Stiles looks up at her, and he sees shadows forming around her, her eyes shifting between liquid silver, gold, and white. She looks terrifying.

The witch stops and seems taken aback by the power that is rolling of the beta. She frowns and flicks her wrist again, but nothing happens. A cruel smile is taking over Tessa's face.

''Looks like the wicked witch of the west is done, done, done,'' Tessa says before her eyes turn silver again, and she throws her hands outwards towards Amber.

Stiles sees Amber's eyes widen before she is blasted against the door of the chamber. The door can't hold under her weight, and the power surge that is still going.

The whole room starts to shake. Stiles quickly grabs his sweats before grabbing Tessa, who has crumbled to the floor. Her nose is bleeding, and Stiles is freaking out. But he needs to get them out!

He throws her over his shoulder before bolting into the hallway. Tessa seems out cold, but her magic wasn't done with the place by the looks of it. The whole building is shaking and groaning like it's minutes away from collapsing.

The walls are cracking in the hallway where he is running, he thinks about kicking in doors to let out more people, but a chunk of ceiling falls almost on his head when he is standing in front of one of the doors.

He feels extremely guilty but doesn't try anymore. He just starts running. His nose telling him where to go, where to find fresh air. Tessa is limp on his shoulder, and he is afraid that she was hit by debris. But he doesn't look at her now. He just keeps running. He hears howling behind him but doesn't look back. His heart is breaking, but he doesn't look back.

He hears shouts and gunshots but doesn't look back, not even when he is hit in the leg. He just groans and keeps running. After what seemed like forever, he finally finds a big door. He just feels that this is it. This is the exit. He kicks the door three times before it gives.

He takes in a deep breath and finally feels the sun on his face after eight months. He howls at the sky before bolting away. He does not know which way he should go, but he smells trees, and he thinks that there is a nearby forest. He just sprints in that direction. Everything flashes by, but he doesn't feel tired; he only feels alive.

He is free again.