The Midnight Roar

—(Mark)—

It's the middle of the night when I'm jolted awake by a roar. This roar doesn't sound natural; it's something that came out of a speaker of some sort.

My heart pounds as I sit up, straining to listen for any other sounds.

Without wasting any time, I throw on some clothes and head to Scott's house to ask if he also heard it.

When I reach his place, I find his room empty. Panic sets in as I realize Scott must have gone after the rogue alpha. I think for a moment before it hits me—the sound came from the direction of the school.

"Dammit, Scott," I mutter, knowing he must have done something stupid to get the rogue alpha's attention.

I debate on whether I should shift now or take my truck to the school.

Deciding to shift, in case I need to quickly leave the area, I head back to my home. Once there, I shift into my werewolf form and begin making my way to the school.

As I near the area, the smell of blood assaults my senses. I find Derek on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood. I quickly check that he's still breathing before I drag him to Stiles' jeep, stuffing him inside.

"Hang in there, Derek," I say, more to myself than to him.

I make my way into the school, still shifted. I'm able to pick up the scent of the alpha and follow it. I find Scott and Stiles pushing a desk in front of a door.

"Scott! Stiles! The fuck did you two shitheads do " I call out, my voice a low growl in my werewolf form.

Both of them jump, startled. Stiles curses, "Holy shit, Mark! You scared the crap out of us! And we're got the alpha that's what!"

I shift back to my human form, and Stiles shouts, "Naked! Again?!" before covering his eyes.

I scoff, "Like you haven't seen anything I have before. Beside we both have same parts mines are just sized up." I snicker at that last bit.

"Once was enough! And low blow " he responds.

Stiles looks back at the door before taunting the alpha on the other side, "Ha You're trapped in there, and we're not!"

Before I can tell Stiles that's a terrible idea, the alpha hits the ceiling, disappearing into the crawl space above.

"Run!" I shout, shifting back to my werewolf form as I prepare to fight the alpha.

The alpha breaks back down right in front of Scott and Stiles, but I leap over their heads and tackle it down the hall.

As we tumble, the alpha launches me off, and I crash into the wall. By the time I regain my bearings, it's gone.

Cursing internally, I roam the halls, catching a glimpse of Lydia and Jackson leaving the bathroom. I shake my head and continue my search for the alpha. I see Allison in another hall. Luckily, she doesn't see me.

After about fifteen minutes of searching, I hear a phone ringing and a group of people gathering.

I decide the alpha will probably head toward Scott, who is most likely with the group of people.

I quickly make my way to the group.

That's when I hear them screaming after what sounded like ceiling tiles hitting the floor. They being to run away.

I see the alpha begin to chase them, and I'm right on its tail. They're able to make it into a room and slammed the door on its face.

They begin to barricade the room they entered, and I take the chance to wrestle the alpha away from them.

However, the alpha is stronger than me, but I manage to hold my ground. It doesn't have any interest in continuing to fight me.

It's weird; it's not acting like a normal person would. It feels like it's acting on instinct rather than thinking.

They make a break for the exit while the alpha is distracted by me.

Scott breaks off from them and heads to the gymnasium, realizing that the alpha is after him specifically and wanting to give the others the best chance of escaping. The alpha follows, and so do I.

Scott really can't fight even if he wanted to since the alpha is the one who turned him.

But before things can get started, I'm distracted by the sound of sirens, and the alpha takes the chance to run off.

I don't chase it because I also have to leave; I can't explain why I'm naked and on school property after hours.

I leave Scott behind, who's in a dazed state, and make my way home.

After I make it home, I text Scott, "We'll talk about this tomorrow." I don't bother to check if he responds.

I also send a quick text to James that we should talk.

I collapse onto my bed, muscles aching from the night's events. Just as I'm about to drift off to sleep, my phone buzzes. It's James.

"Hey, man," I answer, my voice weary. "You're up late."

"Yeah, couldn't sleep," James replies. "I got your text. Did something happened tonight?"

I take a deep breath, recounting the night's chaos. "It started with a roar that woke me up. Sounded like it came from a speaker, not natural. I went to Scott's place, but he wasn't there. Figured he went after the rogue alpha. The sound led me to the school."

"Damn, you alright?" James asks, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, just tired," I reply. "When I got there, I found Derek. He was in pretty bad shape, so I stuffed him into Stiles' jeep and went into the school. Found Scott and Stiles trying to barricade a door. The alpha was there, but it disappeared into the ceiling."

James lets out a low whistle. "Sounds like a nightmare. Did you fight it?"

"Yeah," I say, my voice growing more tired. "Managed to hold it off long enough for the others to get out. But the alpha's strong, stronger than me. We ended up in the gymnasium, but then I heard sirens, and it ran off. I couldn't chase it."

"Shit, Mark," James murmurs. "Glad you're okay. You need to rest."

"Yeah, I know," I reply, my eyes already closing. "We'll figure out the next steps tomorrow. Scott's got a lot to explain."

"Alright, man. Get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning," James says, his voice softening.

"Thanks, James. Night," I mumble, already half-asleep.

"Night, Mark."

I hang up, tossing my phone aside. The exhaustion finally pulls me under, and I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.