Olivia's POV:

Stilinski sighs, breaking the silence in the air as the three of us awkwardly stood in the elevator as it went up. "You know what, I don't know how you guys do it."

I fiddle with my fingers. "Four words. I bottled it up."

"I'm serious. You're all so strong. You're fearless." He continued and Allison tucked a couple of strands of her hair behind her ear as she looked down at her feet. "I mean, you even manage to keep your grades up."

"I am...failing econ." Allison mutter and I notice the uncomfortable expression on her face.

"That and History too." I mumble and look back to Stilinski.

"Is that Coach's class?" He asked and Allison nods. "Well, I'll have a talk with him and Mr. Yukimura."

I smile lightly at the gesture, but it doesn't last very long once I hear Allison let out a shaky breath. Her eyes were beginning to brim with tears and it instantly broke my heart at the sight.

"Allison?" I whispered and place my hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong?"

I feel the elevator stop moving, but I figured Sheriff must have flipped the emergency switch so I didn't bother to turn.

She shook her head, not meeting my eyes as she still stared at the ground. "I'm not...fearless. I'm terrified. I'm always—I'm always terrified. I-I act like I know what I'm doing, but I don't." She weeped as she held her hands out, visibly shaking as she talked. She looks up to meet my eyes. "When I saw you unconscious at the clinic, I completely lost it. All that pain Scott told me, the feelings you kept to yourself about the people who died, it broke me. I could've been there more for you somehow just so you wouldn't have had to suffer."

I was about to cut in, but I knew that it would've made things worse. Who knows how long she was keeping this inside?

"I don't know what my dad is thinking. I didn't know if you were still mad at me about Isaac. I didn't know if you were going to be okay. I don't know...I don't know anything!" Her voice cracked, but I simply pull her in my arms, trying to soothe her so the sobs that escaped her lips would lessen.

"Alli, you're the most caring and strongest girl I've ever met. With the pain I kept to myself, you had no control over that so don't you dare blame yourself. It was my fault for not telling you sooner. I should've communicated better." I stated and rubbed circles around her back. "You've done all that you could to be there for me and I'm grateful for all of it."

"I don't know how you did it, Liv." I feel her pull away from the hug and see the tears that fell. "I can't bottle up everything like you can."

"It's definitely not easy...or healthy." I softly chuckle, wiping her tears with my thumb and brush across her cheek with a sad smile. "But as long as I have you, I know we're gonna be okay. You're my anchor."

Allison gives a weak smile. "You're my anchor too."

"You know, Allison," Stilinski spoke up, breaking our stares away from each other. "you sound just like a cop." This earns a chuckle to escape from her lips and I wrap an arm around her waist, pressing a small kiss on her head.

Stilinski comfortingly places his hands on Allison and I, giving a small smile. "You're both gonna be okay."

His phone starts to buzz in his pocket which causes him to pull his hands away.

"What's that?" Allison asks, seeing the security notification on his phone.

"Someone's breaking into my house. After Stiles started sleepwalking, I had some security precautions put in." he says and shows us his phone. "Motion sensors, cameras." He listed off.

As soon as he clicks on Stiles' room, my eyes widen at the sight of Stiles staring right at the camera as if he knew we were watching him.

"I-Is that happening right now?" I nervously ask, chills running down my spine as the nogitsune practically stared into my soul.

He didn't have to answer my question because the fox forces Stiles to wave each finger slowly.

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"What is all this?" Argent asked, gesturing to the chess table in Stiles' room.

"Yeah, why are there sticky notes?" I add, seeing my name was one of the pawns next to Allison and Peter's.

"This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about all of...you." Stilinski replied.

Allison brushed her hair back away from her face. "Cool, maybe it's a message from Stiles. The real Stiles."

I pick up one of the pieces knocked off of the board, reading the label that happened to say Isaac.

"Do you think there's any reason my name's on the king?" Derek asks and Stilinski shrugs.

"Well, you're heavily guarded. Though I guess the alarming detail is that you're one move from being a checkmate."

Argent shook his head. "It's not a message from Stiles. It's a threat from the nogitsune."

"It would make sense that he would be at the loft if Derek is...about to be checkmate." I hesitantly say.

Allison nods in agreement. "Exactly. That's what he's trying to tell us."

"And he wants us to come there."

"Night's falling." Derek pointed out.

"That couldn't sound any more like a trap." Argent added, but Stilinski shook his head.

"I don't think it is."

"With all due respect, Mr. Stilinski, he might be your son but right now we're facing the nogitsune. We could be at risk whether or not it's a trap." I try to explain without sounding rude.

"What we're dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason, right? Our enemy is not a killer. It's a trickster. The killing is just a by-product."

"If you're trying to say it won't kill us, I'm not feeling too confident about that." Derek crossed his arms.

"It won't. It wants irony. It wants to play a trick. It wants a joke. All we need to do is come up with a new punch line."

"The sun is setting, Sheriff. What do you have in mind?" Argent asks him.

As Stilinski explained his whole plan to everyone else, I couldn't help but trail my eyes back at the chessboard where Derek's king was.

My eyes fall to the white knight that would put Derek's king in jeopardy which causes my heart to drop.

It was Allison's.

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I clutch on the stun gun as Stilinski looks at us with assurance when he placed his hand on the door handle to the loft.

"Once you see I'm not getting through to him, that's when you guys can come in." He says and we all nod.

He slides open the door but I hid in a spot where I could still see what was happening.

Stiles slowly turned away from the window with a small smile. "Hi, Dad." Stilinski pulls out a pair of handcuffs for the nogitsune to see. "You want to handcuff me?"

"If my son is still here," Stilinski starts off as he walked down the stairs inside to go closer to his son. "if there's still a part of him standing here in front of me, then he'll put these on willingly and he'll come with me because he knows I'm here to protect him from himself and from others."

My eyes widen as Stiles hesitantly lifts his hands up, allowing Stilinski to clip the handcuffs on his wrists. Stiles stares at his hands before he finally looks up, the noticeable pure evil practically written in his expression.

Stilinski shakes his head. "You're not my son."

Stiles smirks and easily breaks the handcuffs off, flinging them to the ground.

The four of us took that as our cue and we all step out of our spots, walking further inside the loft until we stood beside Stilinski which causes Stiles to let out a small chuckle of amusement.

Allison and I quickly shoot our stun guns but he instantly catches the wires in his hand, the electricity practically flowing in his hands as he terrifyingly never broke his eye contact from us.

He yanks the wires and it causes us to drop the stun guns on the ground.

Derek wolfs out with a growl and tries to charge, but Stiles grabs his fist and his arm, the sound of his bones cracking as he jerked it back. Stiles then slammed his body on the table before he tossed Derek into the wooden post.

I attempt to swing a punch but he instantly catches it at ease. I swing with my other hand but he catches the other, causing my eyes to widen in shock.

"Stiles—" I grunt but he crushes my hands, smirking at the sound of each finger cracking under his hold.

He shoves me on the floor by Allison's feet and I painfully bring my hands close to my chest, feeling Allison crouch down to my level.

She covered my hands with hers. "Olivia."

A gun being cocked catches my attention and I turn to see Argent aiming the gun to Stiles.

Stilinski rose his hand up. "Argent, listen to me. Don't do this."

Argent didn't move his stares away from Stiles, his finger practically hovering over the trigger. "Why not? I've done it before. Werewolves, berserkers. I can easily add a nogitsune to the list."

Another click of a gun comes from Stilinski as he aimed his weapon to Argent. "You're not gonna shoot my son."

"You said it yourself, Sheriff. That's not your son." Argent turns back to Stiles. "Your son would never hurt one of his close friends."

I glance over to Stiles and see he was practically enjoying this. The tension was high. He was literally living for it.

"Put it down." Stilinski demanded to the hunter. "Put it down!"

"Dad, he's going to shoot me. He's gonna kill me, dad." Stiles weakly says.

I knew this wasn't him, but the way he said it almost felt real. It sounded like the real Stiles but it wasn't him. That's what made it worse.

"Don't listen." Argent scolds.

"Put it down." Stilinski demanded once more. "Now! Do it! Put it down!" He shouted.

The corner of Stiles' mouth perked a bit. "Pull the trigger. Come on."

"Listen to me, you put the gun down now!"

"Shoot me."

"Put the gun down now!"

"Dad!" Allison joins in.

"Shoot me!" Stiles yells louder and my eyes widen in realization. Strife. He was feeding it off of everyone.

"Put the gun down now!"

"Shoot me!"

"Argent, you put it down! Put it down!"

Once I feel my fingers snap back into place, I flick my wrists and aim both of my hands to Stiles. "Everybody shut the hell up or I'll blast him!" I scream which causes everyone to turn toward my direction. "This is what he wants! This is exactly what he wants!"

"Strife." Allison whispered in realization and I nod, nudging her arm to help me up from the ground.

Stiles tilted his head and I started to see that our surroundings were becoming darker by the minute. "Not exactly. I was kind of hoping Scott would be here." He looks over at everyone with amusement. "But I'm glad you all have your guns out, because you're not here to kill me."

He turns to face the window again and the shadows begin to form into the demonic Oni ninjas, the sound of clicking coming from them. "You're here to protect me." He takes a couple of steps back so he would be behind Argent and Stilinski who now aimed their weapons toward the Oni.

The four of the ninjas all unsheathed their sword and immediately Stilinski and Argent opened fire.

Derek, Allison, and I stood in front of Stiles and instantly two of the other ninjas appeared.

I clench my fists as the flames in my hands grew brighter and in the corner of my eye, I see Allison pull out her dagger from her boot.

I charge towards the Oni in front of me without hesitation, not bothering to wait for the others.

For Stiles.

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A/N:

Guys...we're getting closer and closer to the end 😳 i thiiiiink by next week, we'll reach the end of the book depending on how I space out the release of each chapter.

I'm excited but also sad we're nearing the end??? Idk LOL ANYWAY

I hope you have an amazing day! Bye!

~Cimbello