Peter's unexpected arrival disrupted the tenuous peace of the redwood glade. His red eyes, aglow with feral glee, swept over the party, focusing on Damien with a claimant's fierce intensity. The air was charged with unvoiced menace, the primeval calm of the woods briefly sullied by the Alpha's ill will.
"Such a quaint little meeting," Peter drawled, his voice carrying through the lofty trees. "A worried mother, a young werewolf, a bumbling lawman… and you." His eyes fastened on Damien. "The enigmatic stranger. I knew there was something. intriguing about your scent."
Coralia moved in front of Damien, her own eyes bright with a fierce resolve. "Peter. You're not welcome here."
Peter laughed, a low, threatening rumble. "Oh, but I do. This town's getting too crowded. A new player on the board? I want to know my competition." His eyes flashed to Scott, a touch of ownership in the red irises. "And you, little wolf. Still learning the ropes, I see. Maybe a true Alpha can teach you the way.
Scott, though quaking with fear, held his ground, a low growl building in his chest. The primal urge to defend himself and his new friends was starting to overcome his fear.
Sheriff Stilinski, his hand moving unconsciously to his holstered gun, gazed from Peter's threatening form to Coralia's guard position, his mind still trying to wrap itself around the reality of the supernatural battle raging before him.
Damien, raw from his own ill-fated attempt at shifting, experienced a burst of protective rage toward Scott and a burgeoning sense of what danger Peter posed. The Alpha's predatory stare was akin to a violation, a challenge to the new power rising within him.
"You're not welcome here, Peter," Damien said, his voice low but firm. Despite his lack of control, an innate authority, a shadow of his Lycan lineage, resonated in his tone.
Peter's smile disappeared, and he flashed a glimmer of irritation. "Brash words for one who can hardly grow a respectable pair of fangs." He edged forward, his claws folding out, shining in the dappled light that filtered through the heavy foliage. "But I get the feeling there's something… different about you. Something… ancient." His crimson eyes drilled into Damien. "What are you?
Before Damien could respond, Coralia acted. She rushed Peter with a speed that did not suit her age, and there was a raw snarl tearing from her throat. Her actions were smooth and fierce, and they hinted at a strength Peter never thought he'd see. The two werewolves fought, a wild maelstrom of fur and claws in the clearing.
Scott, noticing Coralia fighting the Alpha, automatically stepped in her defense, his claws and fangs also coming out, his yellow eyes burning with fear and determination. He was still outnumbered, but his loyalty and his werewolf growing strength compelled him to act.
Sheriff Stilinski, seeing the danger at hand, pulled out his gun, his mortal frailty starkly contrasted with the supernatural speed and strength present. He took aim at Peter, his hand trembling.
Damien observed the brawl-like fight take place, the humiliating feeling of uselessness over him. The ability was present, pent up under his skin, but he couldn't tap into it, couldn't harness it. He was a liability, a target.
Abruptly, a recollection blazed across his mind – not Leo's, but the flash of an image from the merge: a dark-haired, silver-streaked giant, flowing with effortless power into a massive, white-furred wolf. His father. The vision was brief but powerful, and it conjured a profound, instinctual knowledge in Damien.
He shut his eyes, keeping the image in mind, the sheer power it embodied. He felt the change start, a wrenching twist of bone and muscle, hair quivering under his skin. It was more contained this time, more concentrated.
When he opened his eyes, the world was different. Sharper. The smells assaulted him, the sounds louder. He was bigger, stronger than he had ever thought. Dark, thick fur encased his arms, his hands now huge paws with razor-sharp claws. His teeth grew into sharp fangs. But eyes were the most dramatic difference – eyes that burned with a wild, untamed gold.
Peter, briefly caught off guard by Scott's surprisingly aggressive assaults, glanced to find the metamorphosed Damien. His crimson-colored eyes went wide with shock, a flash of something like recognition, or possibly terror, passing across his face.
"What…?" Peter snarled, briefly stunned by the raw size and sheer power emanating from the newly shifted Lycan. The smell was intense now, ancient and fierce, recalling something deep in his own savage instinct.
Damien emitted a thunderous bellow, a roar that ruffled the very leaves of the trees that surrounded them, a savage challenge to the Alpha who had threatened his newly adopted brethren. The battle in the redwood glade had suddenly taken a sensational and risky twist. The specter of Damien's father, the great Lycan, had finally descended upon the here and now.