บท 40: CHAPTER 38
They returned home without much fanfare and immediately crashed on their beds, too bereft of energy to do anything else, not even take a bath.
It only took a few moments before they embraced Morpheus and passed the night to his domain.
…
Unfortunately for them, and all involved, school continued as normal the next day. Though the Sheriff department had immediately investigated the cause of the loud howl from Beacon Hills High PA systems due to the outrageous number of phone calls they got during the night, they didn't find anything conclusive which made them think that it was just normal high school students having fun at the expense of half the county.
As for the parties involved; apart from the elusive Alpha, the Argents were in a constant state of caution as they realized just how far into danger Allison was. On Derek's part, the grumpy werewolf was currently laying low until the next full moon passed. Stiles spent the night at Scott's passed out, while the duo of Tristan and Malia just enjoyed a night's sleep as the adrenaline wore off.
Like usual, Tristan was the first one who got up and went to make breakfast; a chicken and mushroom risotto.
Turning the rice into the chicken-mushroom broth, he mused over his thoughts and decided to call Elias. Seeing the Alpha yesterday, the thought of there being different types of Alphas crossed his mind, and if so, he wanted to know if there was any meaning of such a mutated change than the one he was used to.
The highest change he's ever seen in Satomi was her eyes glowing red, nothing more. She's never fully shifted to his knowledge for as long as he's known her and even betas like Brett, Lori and Jiang even said they've never seen a full shift in Satomi.
He covered the pot after filtering in the rice and waited as the phone rang. Lodging the phone between his ears and shoulders, he started chopping and bringing out the spices and condiments he wanted the rice to go with.
"Hello, little Tristan." Elias' grumpy old voice echoed out of the speakers.
"Good morning, Elias. Did I wake you up?" He asked.
"No, no. What's up for calling this early anyway? Was it about the howl some people are saying they heard?" Of course such a loud howl would alert any werewolves around since any wolf would know that that was a call for attention. Even if Tristan wasn't a wolf, he was still part of a werewolf pack and he knew what most of their animalistic behaviors meant.
"Yeah, about that…" Tristan winced at the reminder, "We kind of answered the call. We, as in me and Malia, answered a betas call for their Alpha."
The silence that followed was unbearable for Tristan and somehow made his nerves grow taut from the tension.
Sigh.
All the tension flowed out of his nerves like water through a pipe as he heard Elias' sigh. "And? Why did you call?"
Tristan gave silent thanks as he saw Elias ignore their blunder. "Yeah, about that.. I was wondering if Alphas have their own type of shift."
"I don't understand." Elias' confused voice came back.
"The Alpha, we saw him but he was different from anything I've seen." Tristan said.
"… How different?"
Tristan glanced at the simmering pot and uncovered it, letting a very rich flavorful aroma waft into his nose. He returned his attention to the ongoing call as he threw in the diced chicken, mushrooms and sesame.
"Well for starters, it was more beastly. Not a wolf, at least not what a normal wolf looks like. And also he was very huge. Honestly, he should be referred to as a monster more than anything else." He explained how the Alpha looked to Elias who remained silent over the line as he listened to everything Tristan remembered of the Alpha.
"… Wait a moment, Satomi-san is calling. I'll link us up." Elias suddenly said and Tristan was put on hold for a second before another voice came through the speakers.
"Tristan. How have you been doing since we last spoke, little one?" Satomi's accented voice asked with a soft tone to it.
"Grandma, I've been okay so far." A small smile unconsciously made its way to his lips as he answered Satomi. Satomi was more than old enough to be considered the mother and grandmother of everyone in her pack, even Elias, which was why Tristan called her grandma.
"Elias mentioned you had something to ask me about Alphas?"
"Yes." He then repeated what he said to Elias to Satomi. The reason he didn't just call Satomi was because most times she was usually in dead zones with no one knowing where she was and how to reach her. There were times she was around and times she was not.
"Hmm. Though rare, it is not something new, especially to werewolves. It's the same reason why you're not a werewolf despite receiving the bite from me." Satomi said, surprising Tristan with her response.
The only thing he knew about himself was that Satomi's bite had mutated him to something else. Like she said, though rare, it was something that happened from time to time. A werewolf's bite was not always guaranteed to sire a werewolf. Sometimes it is something entirely different like a werecoyote, a werehyena, or even a werelion. On some of these occasions, the bite might even end up siring a creature of an entirely different origin.
"And how exactly does that compare to Alphas?" He tentatively listened to Satomi's explanation and memorized everything she said.
"A werewolf's evolution to an Alpha is not always as simple as gaining a new pair of red eyes. It's something deeper than that." Tristan and Elias, who had fallen silent, noted each of her words since they both knew that things like this was not something that was widely known, mostly among betas.
"Compared to betas, Alphas have more connection with the moon and is also the reason why there are a few basic differences between them, some even spiritual in nature. For one, no beta, not one, can subdue an Alpha on his own. They can never call an Alpha to submission, and without an Alpha, they cannot draw on the strengths of others."
Strength in numbers.
It was a very simple and even basic concept that worked on common sense that something is naturally stronger in tandem to their increasing quantity. One pulse one equals two, and two was a number greater than one in every way.
When it came to werewolves, this common trait was also the reason why they were one of the most feared supernatural species.
Simply put, the more members they were in a werewolf pack, the stronger the Alpha and the betas got. This very reason was why Hunters preferred going after the betas in a pack rather than the Alpha.
"In another vein, due to the evolution from beta to Alpha, the werewolf's drive at that moment of mutation is what creates his path as an Alpha, and most times, due to the intensity which are mostly negative, it ends up warping their appearance when they shift.
What you saw is probably an Alpha that ascended carrying such intense emotions. And we can clearly guess what it was that forged his path as an Alpha, right?"
"Revenge." Elias answered with a low hum.
"Exactly. Just the way there are not too many similarities between an Alpha and beta, you could also conversely say that an Alpha is the true reflection of what a beta can be."
Tristan turned off the gas and started cleaning where he used to cook as he heard Malia coming downstairs. "I understand, somewhat, the difference between the two of them, but how do we exactly reflect an Alpha. Betas can become Alphas, and Alphas can falls down back to being betas, that I know, but I don't think that's the reflection you're talking about."
"…You know why the eyes of werewolves and some were-creatures change color?" Satomi asked, even when they all knew the obvious answer. Nevertheless, Tristan respectfully answered, "Yes."
"Just the way a beta can feel severe pain to the point that their eyes lose their bright golden innocence, an Alpha can also undergo something just as traumatic or different from their nature and it sometimes ends up warping their appearance down to their soul. And it stays that way if they don't reconcile with it or embrace their new self."
Satomi's explanations were always clear cut and precise, making sure that whoever heard her understood just what she was saying with each word she spoke.
Though he might have been ignorant to the changes of a werewolf that also affected Alphas, it actually didn't matter that much since such things would hardly affect him as he was not a wolf. Not even a were-supernatural. His paranoia just wouldn't let him allow something strange as the beastly Alpha he saw sweep away from his mind.
It also didn't help that they haven't found a supernatural being like him, except from Wendigos. He didn't know why but anytime the comparison between his and a Wendigo came into discussion, he always felt irked – his innate nature showing his natural distaste of the creatures who couldn't live without feasting on human flesh.
Being a rare, or possibly near-extinct, supernatural creature was not a good thing in any way.
His thoughts were cut short as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and a head nudging his neck with a chin on his shoulders.
"I see. Thank you, grandma." He thanked Satomi and ignored Malia who melded into his back in favor of boiling a pot of water for tea. Malia woke up quite early so they could have some green tea saturated from herbal leaves before they went to school. Quite refreshing for starting the day and washing away any residual stress they were feeling.
"It's fine, my dear." Satomi waved off his thanks since she didn't see anything wrong in telling them. In this part of their world, your knowledge was very crucial to your survival. "Malia dear, I know you're there. How was your night?"
Elias had already put himself on hold since he was no longer needed in the conversation but had to come back as he heard Malia had woken up. "Hey little one."
Malia was still sleepy but not to the point where she couldn't answer them. "Grandma, Elias… good morning… We had quite a pretty intense night."
"…"
"…"
"… With the Alpha. Tristan told you?" She was roused up from her dizziness with a poke from Tristan who wanted some space so he could bend down.
"Yes." Satomi affirmed. "Why don't you guys visit? Richard and Luke will be visiting soon. How about you guys come too?" Elias suggested.
Malia took the phone from Tristan's neck and gave him the space he needed while she chatted with Elias and Satomi where Tristan got ready to dish the food.
He didn't tell Satomi about the two people he killed as he knew that was because of him giving in to his instincts as he saw unsuspecting and defenseless preys, coaxing him to attack. Luckily, he kept himself from the Hunters' views during the whole thing. This just went to show just how easily influenced he was when blood and intense emotions mix.
Malia dropped the phone on top of the counter as she was done with the call and opened the fridge. "I would've settled for blood this morning, but I think tea is also nice… Water?"
Tristan nodded and she brought a bottle of water to the table and both sat to enjoy a sustaining meal before going to school.
"Think anything will change?" She asked before pausing to let out a deep hum at the taste of the food.
"Probably more hunts. McCall finally calling his Alpha for whatever reason is bound to make him start coming out. Hopefully we're still out of his vision's range because of what happened yesterday." They both grimaced as they remembered their frankly not-so-bright actions the previous night.
Malia mulled it over and shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"… Though you're tempting Murphy, I have to agree."
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