"This is where you lived?" Eli asked, following Malia to a cave deep in the woods. His eyes looked around as his voice echoed. "Echo!"

"Eli." Malia turned to give him a look.

"Sorry." he gave a quick smile. "Has anyone come here before?"

"No." she said back, kneeling down to grab a small doll. Eli gave her space, tugging his collar slightly when it felt like it was pulling on his neck. The Super Moon had put him more on edge then usual, but being with Malia helped a lot more then before. His nose twitched, a smell of another animal hit scenes. Malia caught it as well, standing up as the pair looked toward the opening of the cave.

A wolf stood before the pair, its eyes staring them down before slowly transforming into a human boy. That human boy being Theo as he stood in the shadows. It took them both off guard. "How'd you do that?"

"Do we all have actual wolf forms?" Eli gapped, suddenly wanting to know what he looked like.

"You wanna learn?" Theo asked, keeping his distance from the pair. "I can show you."

"You're showing me plenty right now." Malia said back, hinting at Theos nudity facing them.

Eli had to agree. "I admire how confident you are Theo."

He walked closer toward the pair, Eli looking over Malias shoulder in shock at his odd, and complete confidence. "I've got nothing to hide."

"And I do?" Malia questioned him.

"I definitely do." Eli mumbled, eyes looking around the cave rather then the tension building up in the air.

"Did you tell Scott you're planning to kill your mother?" Theo asked her with a frown of his eyebrows. "Did you tell Eli?"

"She tells me everything." Eli said back to him. "If I wasn't here, and she told me you walked into her cave naked, i'd be a little alarmed."

Theo laughed slightly. "You'll get use to it if you learn."

"It's not any of your business about if I want to kill my mom." Malia cut in with a serious look toward Theo. "Eli and I are doing fine on our own."

"I'm not judging. I want to help you." Theo reassured her, eyes glancing in Eli's direction. "Both of you, now."

"Why?" Malia shot his way.

"Because I know Scott won't." Theo said honestly, because they all knew Scott was extremely against killing if they could help it. "I'm trying to help all of you. And if Scott can't do it, then someone else needs to take the lead."

"You're not taking the lead." Eli stopped him quickly. "You can help, that's fine. But, you know, get off your high horse a little."

"Fair enough." Theo rose his hands a little. "You know they're moving Hayden to the hospital, right?"

"The hospital?" the Foxx boy looked in disbelief.

"But Hayden's still a Chimera and there's two more we haven't found yet and they're still dangerous. They need help. Not to mention whatever the hell is going on with you." Theo nodded his way, looking at Malia. "Why doesn't he smell like a werewolf but has every other werewolf trait? Why was he a chimera but is functioning like an actual werewolf? Why are those plates in his back collect all the mercury in his body so the Dread Doctors won't come after him?"

Malia looked back at Eli, the pair holding eye contact. Theo spoke up again. "The chimeras, they need the both of you."

"Is the moon affecting you?" Malia asked as her and Eli walked through a dim lit hallway, blood on the floor, broken locks.

"A little bit, like i'm getting annoyed really quickly. That's why it's better for me to just be with one person." he nodded his head, their hands brushing as they walked. "Do you feel it?"

"Yeah, but it's not gonna affect me as much as it would a new werewolf." she said back, eyeing him slightly. "Or whatever you are."

"Something really confusing." he agreed, watching his step was they paused, falling silent at the sight of a boy slurping up the blood from a blood bag. He sensed them, pulling the plastic back to stare them down. He began to snarl loudly, starting out slow toward them, his pace picking up. Malia shoved Eli back, roaring loudly as her eyes turned blue.

Before either of them could do anything, a gunshot hit the boy as he ran off. Looking over, the two gapped at Braeden standing there. Eli sighed in relief. "Thank god."

"I don't know what's going on around here but i'm guessing thing are bad again." she said in return as they headed outside together.

"Very." Malia agreed.

"Then this is gonna sound worse." Braeden said in return with a serious look. "Your plan-"

"She knows." Malia breathed out.

"Yeah. And she's coming." the woman said in return.

Eli grasped Malias hand tightly. "Can we fight her?"

"We can fight her, don't know if we'll win." Braeden answered him as Malia held Eli's hand tighter. "The Desert Wolf knows you're alive. And she's coming back to Beacon Hills."

The news about Theo hit quickly, and it slapped Eli right in the face.

It made sense now that he knew who he really was. Theo was the one to save him from the Dread Doctors, but why. Stiles had his own personal theories, meeting up with Scott, who was struggling to heal after the attack Theo did on him. "Clearly, he wants Eli go join him, doesn't he? He wanted him alive, but not for us."

"If he can save me, does that mean he can kill me just as easily?" Eli asked, jumping over the small wall as they followed. "I mean, can he take these plates from my back?"

"We're not gonna let him." Scott promised the worried boy. "From now on, you don't go anywhere alone."

"He's gonna come for me, I know he will." Eli said back as he took a breath, heart racing.

"Then I will kill him." Malia looked back at the boy as she stopped so he'd walk by her side.

"He might come after you, but he's not gonna kill you. He needs you, I just haven't figured out why yet." Scott spoke up honestly, his voice rather weak as he struggled to keep up with the three.

"Still doesn't explain why he's different then the rest of the chimeras. Why he's more like both of you, but somehow still adopted the chimera trait to not smell like supernatural." Stiles spoke up, trying to run over every single option in his head. Malia and Scott walked a bit forward while the pair trailed quite a few feet behind. "You sure you weren't bitten?"

"I think i'd remember if I was bitten, Stiles." Eli rolled his eyes slightly. "And, I had no marks."

"Could have healed." Eli's mothers boyfriends son pointed out. "Have you talked to your mom?"

"No, did you see her?" Eli have a worried look. "She thinks i'm camping with Liam and Mason."

"Well, let's hope she doesn't see either of them. She's at the hospital with my dad, she's really upset and confused." Stiles commented with a knowing look. "You need to talk to her, seriously. And Liam."

"I know, I will." Eli sighed, looking his way. "Did you and Malia really break up?"

Stiles inhaled. "Yeah, I think so. It- it was really sudden and it's just not-"

"Don't have to explain yourself to me." Eli stopped him with a shrug. "I do think you should give her a little bit more of an explanation, don't just leave her hanging. She deserves better then that."

"I know." Stiles sighed. Eli looked forward, seeing Malia duck down to walk into a narrow opening. The duo caught up, sharing a look with Scott, ducking into the opening to go after her.

They hurried underneath, the large tunnels they stumbled into blowing air. Malia nodded. "I got it. I got his scent."

"Yeah!" Eli cheered, shaking her shoulders in joy. "Let's save my moms boyfriend!"

"Is this really weird for you?" Eli asked after the duos split up to search the tunnels, him going with Malia.

"What?" she asked oddly.

"With Stiles." he shrugged. "And that his dad is dating my mom, and you and I are close, but Stiles is your ex, but Stiles is also sorta related to me now."

"Eli, stop talking." she shhed him, making him nod. "Somethings wrong."

The pair hurried together, circling the tunnel. The boy that they found drinking blood was running. Eli growled, his eyes flashing golden as he ran forward, grasping the boy as they both fell to the ground. Malia growled loudly as she yanked Noah, holding him down next to Eli. Stiles and Scott were behind them, Scott getting the Stilinski boy to open his eyes. Noah shook in fear. "Please! Let me go, they're coming."

Eli's ears perked, hearing that locker like twist. Panic set in, meeting Scott's eye as he rose to his feet quickly. Noah went to run off, Stiles catching him and throwing him against the wall. "You're not going anywhere."

"I said I don't remember!" Noah yelled as much as he could with Stiles arm pinning his neck back.

"You don't remember anything?" the pale boy asked in disbelief.

"No." Noah struggled. "Not when it happens. Not when I change."

"You're definitely not a chimera." Scott met Eli's eye.

"You clawed my dad half to death." Stiles glared as he kept Noah pinned to the wall. "Okay, and now it's poisoning him, so you're gonna start remembering every detail right now."

"Scott, I hear them." Malia spoke anxiously as the sound of the Dread Doctors got closer.

"Yeah, I do too." Scott agreed. "Hey, Stiles! Get him out of here, go to the hospital, figure out a way to save your dad!"

"We're not gonna be able to stop them." Malia looked with wide eyes.

"They broke my arm last time." Eli agreed in panic.

"Yeah, but we can slow them down." Scott nodded to the pair, looking back to Stiles again. "Stiles, go."

The Stilinski boy looked back. Eli met his eye. "Take care of my mom."

Stiles nodded, pulling Noah off with him. Eli faced the tunnel again, taking a breath. "It could be different this time. Without Theo. Maybe he told them to come after me now that we know."

"Not gonna happen." Malia spoke. Scott winced, making them look over to see the front of his shirt had formed a blood stain in the middle. The trio of Dread Doctors walked around the tunnel corner, walking on sync, at the same pace.

"We're gonna be okay." Scott promised them.

"No, we're not." Eli spoke in pure terror.

"Scott, we're gonna die down here." Malia met Eli's panic and fear.

"No, we're not." he promised, looking back to the Dread Doctors.

"Oh, yeah? The Super Moon give me new strength to fight these things?" Eli asked him in disbelief.

"How can you be so sure?" Malia looked past Eli, focusing her question toward the McCall boy on Eli's other side.

"Because you two aren't the only one that I called." Scott said back.

"Get down!" Chris Argent called from behind them, guns risen. Malia grabbed Eli, pulling him to the side with her as she kept her arms guarding him. Chris fired at the Dread Doctors, their hands raising as a form of barrier radiated from their finger tips, causing the bullet to bounce off them. He shot again, and again, and again. "Run!"

Malia pulled Eli, grasping his hand, Scott coming to their side as they took off in a sprint down the tunnel.

•

kylie speaks

smh theo, what are we
gonna do with you? but,
hey, i don't blame him, i'd
want eli on my side too.