บท 51: Chapter 51: The Mysterious Woman

The mall was buzzing with life as Melissa, Allison, and Lydia moved through the stores, arms loaded with shopping bags. Melissa led the way. Allison and Lydia laughed and chatted as they followed her.

After hours of shopping, Melissa checked her watch and suggested they catch a movie. The girls quickly agreed, eager to wind down. As they sat in the dimly lit theater, snacking on popcorn and sipping sodas, Melissa glanced at Lydia. She noticed how the young woman seemed more relaxed.

The movie ended, and the trio strolled back to the parking lot. As they approached Melissa's car, she suddenly froze. A chill ran down her spine. Her instincts screamed at her—danger was near. Turning slowly, she spotted a tall, beautiful woman with long dark hair and piercing green eyes walking toward them.

Melissa's stomach clenched. There was something unnatural about the woman, something that made her heart race and her instincts flare. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Allison, Lydia, get behind me." she said firmly, her voice low but commanding.

The girls obeyed without question.

The woman stopped a few feet away, her lips curving into a slow, predatory smile. "Can I help you with something, miss?" Melissa asked, keeping her tone steady despite the tension radiating through her body.

The woman tilted her head, her smile widening. "No, I just thought I'd have you three for dinner."

Melissa narrowed her eyes, refusing to flinch. "No thanks. We've already had dinner, and none of us is into women. Goodbye."

Turning to Allison, Melissa said sharply. "Get Lydia in the car. Now."

Lydia opened her mouth to protest, but Allison grabbed her arm and began pulling her toward the car. "Let's go." Allison said, her tone urgent. Lydia frowned, confused, but didn't resist. What she didn't know—and Allison did—was that Melissa's entire body was tense, coiled like a spring, ready to fight.

Allison's heightened senses were buzzing. She could feel the danger rolling off the mysterious woman like waves. As she and Lydia climbed into the car, Allison kept her eyes on the woman.

Melissa climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. Glancing in the rearview mirror, her suspicions were confirmed—the woman was getting onto a sleek black motorcycle and following them.

"She's still following us." Allison said, her voice tight.

Lydia glanced behind them, puzzled. "What is going on? Why is she following us? And why are you two acting like we're in an action movie?"

"That woman is dangerous, Lydia. That's all you need to know for now." Allison said sharply.

Melissa kept her focus on the road, her grip on the steering wheel tight. "What are we going to do, Melissa? Should we call Scott?" Allison asked.

Melissa nodded her head. "Yes. Something tells me she's going to make her move once we're on the road near the woods."

"Then I'll call him and tell him to wait for us." Allison offered, pulling out her phone.

Melissa shook her head. "Don't bother. I'll tell him myself."

Allison's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, right. I forgot you can do that."

Lydia frowned. "Do what? How can she call Scott without a phone? And shouldn't we be calling the sheriff instead?"

Allison turned to Lydia, exasperated. "Lydia, you saw that thing in the video store. What do you think that was? And don't tell me it was a mountain lion because you and I both know it wasn't."

Lydia folded her arms stubbornly. "It could've been a black bear."

Allison groaned. "No, it wasn't. Remember that book I was reading, the one with the picture of the wolf standing on two legs?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lydia said, her voice defensive.

Melissa had enough. "Lydia, look at me." she ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.

When Lydia turned, she saw Melissa's eyes glowing a fierce red. Her mouth opened in a silent scream of recognition. "You… you were the one I saw in the video store! You killed that man!"

Allison smacked Lydia lightly on the head. "No, she's not the one you saw that night."

Melissa sighed. "Don't be afraid, Lydia. Allison, tell her everything before we reach the woods. She needs to be ready for what she's going to see."

Reluctantly, Allison began explaining everything—the supernatural world, werewolves, hunters, and the dangers lurking in Beacon Hills. Lydia sat frozen, her mind racing as she tried to process it all.

---

Meanwhile, Scott and Stiles were finishing up their errands. After buying their suits and dropping off dinner for Stiles' dad, they stopped at a diner for a late meal. They were halfway through their burgers when Scott suddenly froze. Melissa's voice echoed in his head: [Scott, can you feel where I am?]

Scott closed his eyes, focusing. [Yes, I can feel your location. You're driving, right?]

Her voice came again. [Hurry to the Beacon Hills Preserve. I'll meet you there. There's a woman following me and the girls, and I think she's going to attack us. I can fight her, but I need you to be there just in case.]

Scott's eyes snapped open, glowing faintly red for a moment. [Alright. I'm heading there now.] he replied.

Stiles noticed the change in Scott immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked, putting down his fries.

"Someone's going after my mom and the girls." Scott said, standing up abruptly.

Stiles was already grabbing his jacket. "Let's go." he said without hesitation.

The two hurried to Scott's car, speeding toward Beacon Hills Preserve. Scott's jaw was clenched, his mind racing. He knew the timeline of events had been altered because of his presence. He didn't know who the woman following his mom was, but it didn't matter. Whoever she was, she had made a mistake targeting his family.

Stiles glanced at Scott. "So, what's the plan when we get there?"

Scott's lips curled into a smile. "Simple. My mom wants to fight her, so we just watch from the shadows and protect the girls. And if my mom couldn't beat her, I will take care of her myself."

---

Back in Melissa's car, Lydia was processing the shocking revelations. "Supernatural creatures are real? This is insane." She said, shaking her head.

Allison smiled softly. "Honestly, you're handling it better than I expected."

Lydia sighed, her voice softening. "I'm just… relieved I'm not crazy. Thank you for telling me the truth. Since that night in the video store, I've been trying to convince myself it was just a mountain lion. But every time I close my eyes, I see that mons… werewolf or the guy he killed. I haven't slept properly in days. Sleep aids are the only way I've managed."

Melissa glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "What about your parents? Did you tell them anything?"

Lydia let out a bitter laugh. "My parents? They just got divorced and are still tearing into each other. If I told my mom, she'd think I'm acting out or, worse, send me to a mental hospital."

Melissa winced. "That bad, huh? I'm sorry about that, Lydia."

Allison chuckled dryly. "Not like we're competing or anything, but my parents hunt people with powers, although they say they only hunt the evil ones, and my aunt is, well… a murderer."

Melissa couldn't help but laugh. "Thank God for me and Scott. We're just your average, happy family. What kind of mother sends her kid to a mental hospital for being scared? And Allison, let's not even start with your family issues."

Allison grinned. "Stop gloating, Melissa. Lydia and I are bonding over our misery back here!"

Melissa and Allison burst into laughter, and even Lydia managed a small smile before cutting in. "You two do remember there's a psycho chasing us right now? She said she wanted to have us for dinner, and I'm pretty sure she wasn't joking."

Allison waved her off playfully. "Don't worry. You just have to enjoy the show later."

Lydia frowned, clearly still uneasy. "Why aren't you even a little worried?"

Melissa smirked, her eyes flicking to the rearview mirror again. "Because I'm strong and dangerous. And even if I couldn't defeat her, Scott will handle it. Here's the thing: Scott doesn't like it when people mess with his mom. And this woman? She's trying to hurt not just me, but Allison too. If I don't finish her, Scott definitely will—and when he does, you might want to look away."

Lydia's jaw dropped. "Are we talking about the same Scott? He seems so… harmless!"

Melissa chuckled. "That's what I thought too—until a vampire attacked me a few days ago. Scott wouldn't let me watch what he did to him, but when he was done, the guy was unrecognizable."

Lydia stared at her. "What… what did he do?"

Melissa kept her eyes on the road. "Nothing much. He just beat the vampire until he couldn't heal anymore, then broke his spine and all four of his limbs."

Lydia paled. "That's… awful."

Allison smiled slyly. "I've seen that side of him too. He didn't beat anyone up in front of me, but when he got angry at Peter? I couldn't help thinking, 'Damn, he's so hot right now.'"

Lydia smirked. "So, you like bad boys?"

Allison's face softened. "No. I just like Scott. I mean… I love Scott."

Before Lydia could tease her further, Melissa cut in. "Alright, girls, fun time's over." She turned the car onto a dirt road and pulled into a small clearing in the forest. Shutting off the engine, she got out, motioning for the girls to follow.

"Do you see that big tree over there?" Melissa asked, pointing ahead.

Allison and Lydia both nodded.

"Go over there and watch from behind it. Don't worry too much—Scott's already here. He just doesn't want to scare our guest off by showing himself early."

Allison nodded, grabbing Lydia's hand and dragging her toward the tree. They hid behind it, peeking out cautiously as the mysterious woman arrived on her motorcycle. She stopped in front of Melissa, removing her helmet with a dramatic flourish.

From his hiding spot in the shadows with Stiles, Scott's voice sounded telepathically in Melissa's mind. [Ask her why she's targeting you three. You can fight her if you want to, but be careful.]

[Got it.] Melissa replied.

She took a step forward, her voice calm. "Who are you, and why are you following us?"

The woman smiled, her teeth glinting in the moonlight. "I already told you—I want to have you three for dinner. I haven't eaten in a long time."

Melissa narrowed her eyes. "That's not what I meant. Why us? There were plenty of people at that parking lot. Why target us specifically?"

The woman's smile twisted into something darker. Her tongue flicked out, long and forked like a snake's. "Because you three have powers. My favorite meal is creatures with supernatural abilities. How do you think I stay so youthful?"

Melissa's jaw tightened. "I see."

Just then, the woman moved—fast. Too fast. She darted toward Allison and Lydia like a blur.

But before she could reach them, a powerful kick slammed into her side. The impact sent her flying, tumbling through the air until she crashed into a tree, shattering it with the force.

The woman groaned, staggering to her feet. Her shoulder hung at an unnatural angle, but with a sickening crunch, she popped it back into place. Her body healed almost instantly, and she smirked at Melissa. "I thought you were strong, but I didn't expect this."

Melissa smirked back, her eyes glowing crimson. "No, bitch. You didn't think at all when you decided to attack us."