Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Testing Scott
Scott had just said goodbye to Allison and was about to leave when the door opened abruptly. Victoria stood in the doorway, her posture sharp as usual, but with a more welcoming expression than he'd seen before.
"Scott, thank you for bringing Allison home." she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Although, it's a bit late."
"Sorry about that, Mrs. Argent." Scott replied with a polite smile.
"Well, as long as you two are safe, it doesn't matter." Victoria said, her voice softening a little. "Why don't you come in, Scott?"
Scott hesitated, glancing at Allison, who looked a little uncomfortable. "No, Mrs. Argent, I have to head back home."
But Victoria wasn't having it. She insisted. "But I insist. We didn't talk much last time."
Allison, clearly upset, interjected, "Mom…" But Scott quickly stepped in, sensing the shift in mood.
"It's okay, Allison." Scott said reassuringly. "I don't mind talking to your parents for a while."
With a smile, he stepped inside, but the moment his foot crossed the threshold, he noticed something strange. The surprise on Victoria's face was unmistakable. He looked down at the floor and saw the unmistakable signs of mountain ash scattered around the doorframe.
Scott couldn't help himself. He grinned. "Oh, Mrs. Argent, it seems there's some black dirt at the front of your door."
Victoria's face shifted in a mix of surprise and irritation, but before she could respond, Scott looked up and turned to Chris, who had appeared behind his wife. "Uncle Chris." Scott said with a chuckle. "As the man of the house, you should help out more. Clean the front door from time to time. Don't let Mrs. Argent do all the work; she's only one person."
Chris glared at him, his expression turning stern. "Mind your own business, you punk."
Scott smirked, unfazed, and walked past them into the living room. He made himself comfortable, and shortly after, Victoria and Chris followed him in, with Victoria holding four cups of tea. She handed one to Scott with a knowing smile.
Scott took a sip, eyeing the delicate purple flowers floating in the cup. He raised an eyebrow. "Mrs. Argent, what is this?"
"Oh, just some fancy tea I bought in France." she said, her tone light, as though nothing was unusual.
Scott took another sip and then pulled a flower from his mouth. "I don't know who sold you this, Mrs. Argent, but this flower isn't tea. It's monkshood—a poisonous plant. Don't drink it anymore, and get rid of it."
Allison, who had been about to take a sip herself, froze. "What?" she asked, her voice full of disbelief. "What do you mean, monkshood?"
Scott turned to her and explained, "Monkshood, also known as wolfsbane, is a toxic plant. It contains aconite. Aconite works by blocking sodium channels in excitable tissues—like the heart, muscles, and nerves. It's dangerous."
Chris shot him a suspicious glance. "How do you know all that, Scott?"
Scott smiled easily. "I work with a veterinarian, remember? He taught me about it after we had to deal with a dog that was poisoned with it."
Allison's face turned hard as she stood up. "What does this mean, Mom?"
Victoria's tone shifted, and she tried to remain calm. "Sweetheart—"
Allison's anger flared. "Don't 'sweetheart' me, Mom! You know exactly what wolfsbane is, and you know what it does. So, tell me what's going on here?"
Chris stood up abruptly, his hand reaching for the gun holstered at his side. "We just want to make sure you're safe, Allison. That's what parents do."
But Allison wasn't buying it. "You want to make sure I'm safe, or do you just want to control me?"
"Allison." Victoria said sharply. "Watch your tone."
But the words didn't hold back Allison's frustration. "You know what, Mom?" she snapped. "Even if Scott is a werewolf, I will still date him. I won't break up with him."
Victoria's face hardened. "I will not allow that, Allison. We are hunters."
Allison's voice grew colder, her eyes flashing with anger. "And what are you going to do about it? Slap me again like yesterday? Or imprison me for the rest of my life?"
Just as the words left her mouth, a crossbow arrow suddenly shot from behind a wall, aimed directly at Scott's leg. But with a speed that took everyone by surprise, Scott caught the arrow mid-flight.
Kate emerged from her hiding place, a smirk spreading across her face as she stepped into view. "Since Allison already hates me." she said with venom. "I'll play the bad guy. Let's see if little Scott here will show us his true face. And although he passed the mountain ash barrier, we now know he isn't normal. No normal person could catch my arrow like that."
Chris and Victoria immediately tensed, Chris pulling his gun out of its holster and aiming it at Scott, while Victoria drew a dagger from her belt, her posture defensive.
"Scott." Chris barked. "What are you?"
Allison turned her gaze from Kate to Scott, but it was the expression on his face that truly unnerved her. The warm smile she had come to know was now gone, replaced by an eerie, almost chilling calm.
Before anyone could react, Scott moved with lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, he had Kate by the throat, lifting her effortlessly off the ground. His voice was low and dangerous as he spoke to her, each word dripping with cold fury.
"You seem to have forgotten something, bitch." Scott growled. "What did you think would happen after you shot your arrow at me? I can tolerate Chris and Victoria—they're Allison's parents, and I can feel their genuine care for her. But you? I don't like you. In fact, I hate you for what you did to the Hale family. And if you weren't Allison's aunt, I would've killed you for shooting at me."
Chris and Victoria stood frozen in shock, their guns and weapons lowered in disbelief at Scott's speed and strength. They hadn't even been able to react before he had Kate in his grasp.
Victoria's voice trembled as she processed what Scott had just said. "So you're related to the Hale pack?"
Scott let out a harsh laugh. "No, Victoria, I'm not."
Chris took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. "Then why are you angry because Kate killed them?"
Scott held Kate up with one hand like she weighed nothing, his grip tightening. "Let's not talk about the fact that Kate here killed innocent people—including children—when she set that fire. But do you know who Talia Hale was, Chris?"
Kate, struggling to breathe, managed to choke out a response. "Talia Hale was an alpha werewolf. She was dangerous. She deserved to die."
Scott's eyes flashed with fury, and before anyone could stop him, he slapped Kate hard across the face. "Shut up, bitch." he spat. "No one asked you to talk."
Allison couldn't bear to look at Kate like that any longer. She rushed to Scott's side. "Scott, release her, please." she said. "And I promise you, if she tries to attack you again, I won't interfere. You can do whatever you want with her."
Scott looked down at Allison, his expression softening slightly. "Fine." he said with a resigned sigh. He dropped Kate to the floor, letting her crumple to the ground in a heap.
Allison, still shaken, turned to her father, who still had his gun pointed at Scott. "Dad, put the gun down. If he wants to hurt you, your stupid gun isn't going to stop him." She said, her voice firm.
Chris hesitated for a moment before reluctantly lowering the weapon. Allison then walked over to Scott and sat beside him, her hand resting on his arm.