Chapter 18 — The Breaking Point
The clearing exploded into motion.
Nova slammed into Scott hard enough to send him skidding backward through dirt and leaves, both of them breathing rough now, bleeding, bruised, completely past the point of restraint.
Scott swung, Nova ducked under it with a snarl, claws flashing as she drove her shoulder into his chest again, forcing him back toward the tree line.
And that was the moment Derek moved.
Fast.
Violent.
Done watching.
Derek hit Scott from the side like a freight train, one hand grabbing a fistful of his shirt while the other slammed into his chest hard enough to throw him backward into the dirt.
Scott barely had time to react before Derek was on him.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Derek snarled as he slammed Scott backward into the dirt.
Scott growled immediately, trying to shove him off, but Derek caught him by the throat and slammed him back down again hard enough to shake the ground beneath them.
Not enough to seriously injure him.
Enough to make a point.
Isaac got there a second later.
Unlike Derek—
Isaac didn't look controlled at all.
He grabbed Scott by the arm and yanked him up hard before immediately driving him back against a tree trunk with enough force to crack bark behind him.
"You just couldn't fucking stop, could you?!" Isaac snapped as he shoved Scott harder against the tree.
Scott shoved back angrily.
"Get off me!" Scott growled.
Isaac slammed him harder against the trunk.
"No!" Isaac barked back.
Scott's eyes flashed red again, anger still bleeding through him, but Derek stepped in immediately, gripping the back of Scott's neck with bruising force.
"You're done." Derek said coldly.
Scott struggled again.
Derek tightened his grip.
Hard.
Painfully hard.
And for the first time since the fight started, Scott hesitated.
Not because he wanted to.
Because Derek and Isaac looked genuinely ready to beat the absolute shit out of him if he pushed another inch.
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Across the clearing—
Nova staggered backward as the adrenaline finally started crashing unevenly through her system, her breathing ragged, claws still half out, eyes flashing violently between red and green.
She looked feral.
Cornered.
Like she didn't fully know where the fight ended.
Thea reached her first.
"Nova."
Nova flinched violently at the sound of her name, spinning halfway toward her on instinct, claws twitching—
Then freezing the second she recognized her.
Thea didn't hesitate.
She closed the distance immediately, both hands moving carefully to Nova's face despite the blood, despite the claws, despite the danger.
"Hey. Hey, it's me." Thea said softly.
Nova's chest heaved sharply.
Malia moved in beside them, posture low and calm in a way that was surprisingly gentle for her.
Protective.
Pack.
"Breathe." Malia said quietly.
Nova shook her head hard once like she physically couldn't.
Her hands trembled violently at her sides.
Blood dripped steadily from her split lip.
There were bruises already darkening along her jaw and ribs.
Thea's expression cracked the second she saw them.
"Oh my God..."
Nova swallowed hard, her control flickering again as her eyes flashed red.
"I—I didn't—"
Her voice broke.
Not from rage this time.
From emotion.
From the sheer overwhelming weight of it finally hitting her all at once.
Thea immediately pulled her closer.
"Hey, hey, no, you're okay."
Nova shook her head again harder this time.
"He said—"
Her breathing hitched sharply.
Malia stepped closer immediately, placing a steady hand against Nova's shoulder.
Grounding her.
Keeping her anchored.
"We know."
Nova's eyes squeezed shut.
That somehow made it worse.
Because now she knew they all knew.
Everything Scott said.
Everything he threw at her.
The guilt.
The Allison wound.
The accusations.
Thea carefully wiped blood away from the corner of Nova's mouth with her thumb, her touch impossibly soft compared to the violence surrounding them.
"You don't get to blame yourself for him being an asshole." Thea murmured gently.
Nova let out a rough laugh that sounded dangerously close to a sob.
"I almost lost control."
"You did lose control."
Thea shot Malia a look.
Malia blinked once.
Then added more quietly:
"But because he kept hurting you."
Nova's breathing stuttered again.
"He... Scott... said I couldn't protect Allison, that I wouldn't protect you or Allie." Nova stuttered out, her voice cracking apart under the weight of it. "I... did I really make the wrong decision to turn you? I never wanted to hurt you or put you or Allie in harm's way."
Thea's expression immediately softened again, all the anger draining out of her face the second she realized where Nova's mind had gone.
She moved both hands to Nova's face again, forcing Nova to look at her.
"No." Thea said firmly. "You listen to me right now, Nova. You did not ruin my life. You saved it."
Nova's eyes flickered red again, guilt still clawing at her from the inside.
Thea shook her head slightly.
"I chose this. Me. Not you." she continued, her voice softer now but no less certain. "And I would choose it again. Every single time."
Nova swallowed hard.
"But Allie—"
"Is safe." Thea cut in immediately. "Because of you. Because you protect us."
Malia snorted softly from beside them, clearly unimpressed with Scott's entire existence at this point.
"Scott's a jealous dick." she said bluntly. "He's pissed because Nova became a better alpha than him and because people actually choose her."
Thea moved even closer until Nova was almost pressed against her completely now, one arm wrapping firmly around her waist.
Protective.
Possessive.
Steady.
"Look at me."
Nova did after a second.
Barely.
Thea held her gaze firmly.
"You protected me."
Nova's jaw tightened instantly.
"Scott thinks I ruined your life."
Thea's expression hardened immediately.
Cold.
Angry.
"Scott doesn't get to decide what my life is."
Behind them, Scott barked out another angry protest as Isaac shoved him back against the tree again.
Hard.
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"I was trying to help her!" Scott snapped immediately from across the clearing.
"By emotionally gutting her?!" Isaac shot back furiously.
Scott shoved at him again.
Wrong move.
Derek grabbed him immediately and slammed him chest-first into the tree trunk this time.
The impact knocked the breath from Scott hard enough to silence him for half a second.
"You brought Allison into it." Derek growled.
Scott's jaw clenched.
"Because someone had to say it!"
Isaac looked genuinely furious now.
Not annoyed.
Not irritated.
Furious.
He grabbed Scott by the front of his shirt again and nearly lifted him off the ground.
"No. You wanted to hurt her."
Scott froze slightly at that.
Isaac stepped closer.
"You don't get to hide behind concern after that."
Scott's breathing was rough now too, but unlike Nova—
His rage still looked sharp.
Focused.
Defensive.
"She turned someone without thinking about what could happen!"
"Bullshit." Derek cut in immediately.
Scott snapped his gaze toward him.
Derek stepped closer slowly, eyes cold.
Dangerously cold.
"She did exactly what you never learned how to do."
Scott frowned.
Derek's voice dropped lower.
Sharper.
"She gave Thea a choice."
That landed.
Hard.
Isaac let out a sharp, humorless laugh before shoving Scott back against the tree one more time.
"You know what your real problem is?" Isaac snapped, glaring at him. "You're jealous as hell of Nova."
Scott's expression darkened immediately.
"Isaac—"
"No." Isaac cut him off instantly. "Allison chose Nova. She fell in love with Nova, not you, and you've never gotten over it."
Scott's jaw clenched hard enough to creak.
Isaac stepped even closer.
"Because God forbid someone doesn't kiss Scott McCall's ass and act like he's always right or in charge."
Scott finally snapped.
"If Allison had chosen me over Nova—" he spat Nova's name out like poison, his voice suddenly cracking with years of buried anger and grief, "then maybe I could've actually protected her! Maybe Allison wouldn't be dead right now!"
The second the words left his mouth—
Derek lost it.
He slammed Scott back into the tree so hard the entire trunk shook violently.
"Shut the fuck up." Derek snarled.
Scott tried to shove him off again, but Derek grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shoved him back harder.
Years of rage flashed across Derek's face all at once.
Not just anger.
Pain.
Protectiveness.
The fury of an older brother watching someone rip open his sister's deepest wound over and over again.
"You think I approved of Allison dating my sister?" Derek snapped harshly. "After everything the Argents did to my family? To Nova's family?"
Scott froze slightly.
Derek stepped closer.
"I hate what Kate, Gerard, and Victoria did to us." he continued, his voice sharp and shaking with emotion now. "I hate what they turned Allison into for a while. They manipulated her into hunting people like us."
His jaw tightened hard.
"But not once, not one fucking time, did Allison stop loving Nova."
The clearing went dead silent.
Even Scott stopped fighting.
Derek's voice lowered slightly.
Not softer.
Just heavier.
"She protected Nova every chance she got."
He looked genuinely furious now.
Not just at Scott.
At the entire situation.
At the grief that still sat rotting inside all of them.
"Allison chose to fight for her friends... no, her family." Derek corrected himself sharply. "Because that's what we are, Scott. Me, Isaac, Lydia, Stiles, Ethan, Aiden, Nova, we're more than a pack."
His eyes burned.
"And Allison knew the risks. Fuck, we all did."
Nova visibly flinched from across the clearing.
Thea immediately tightened her hold on her.
Derek noticed.
And somehow that only made him angrier.
"Allison died protecting all of us." Derek continued, his voice rough now. "And there was nothing any of us could've done to stop it."
Scott's expression cracked slightly.
Derek didn't stop.
"She died in my sister's arms professing her love for my idiot sister."
Nova sucked in a shaky breath.
Stiles looked down.
Lydia's eyes softened painfully.
Even Isaac's anger dimmed slightly beneath the grief.
Derek stepped even closer to Scott.
"And all you do is shove that memory in Nova's face every chance you get." he growled. "You accuse her of not doing enough when she already blames herself every single day for something that wasn't even her fault."
Scott swallowed hard.
Derek's voice dropped lower.
More dangerous.
"The Nogitsune controlled the Oni that killed Allison. Not Nova."
A beat.
Then Derek finally snapped completely.
"So stop punishing my sister because Allison loved her and not you, she never loved you."
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Off to the side—
Stiles finally exhaled shakily, hands on his hips as he watched the disaster unfolding in front of them.
"Cool. Great. Awesome. We've officially reached the 'everyone beats the shit out of Scott' stage of the evening." Stiles muttered.
Lydia didn't smile.
Her eyes stayed fixed on Nova.
Watching carefully.
Measuring.
"She's barely holding herself together." Lydia said quietly.
Laurel stood beside them silently, her jaw tight as she watched Thea holding Nova together piece by piece.
And honestly?
It told Laurel everything she needed to know.
Not just about Nova.
But about Scott too.
Because there was a difference between concern, and cruelty.
And what Scott did tonight had crossed that line a long time ago.
Nearby, Ethan and Aiden stayed tense, ready to move if things exploded again, but neither twin looked particularly interested in helping Scott right now.
Aiden folded his arms tightly.
"If Derek lets go, Scott's getting hit again."
Ethan snorted quietly.
"Probably by Isaac."
Stiles snorted once before nodding toward Scott.
"Honestly? At this point I think literally everyone here wants a turn."
Isaac didn't even deny it.
Derek looked like he was actively restraining himself from throwing Scott through another tree.
Lydia crossed her arms tightly before glancing toward Stiles.
"Where's your bat?" she asked calmly.
Stiles blinked.
Then pointed toward her.
"See? This is why we're friends."
Despite the tension suffocating the clearing, Aiden barked out a short laugh.
Even Ethan smirked slightly.
Thea looked up briefly from where she was still holding Nova together piece by piece.
And honestly?
She absolutely looked like she wanted to beat the shit out of Scott too.
But Nova was shaking in her arms.
So Thea stayed where she was.
Comforting her.
Grounding her.
Malia, however, Malia looked over at Nova.
At Thea.
Saw that Thea had her under control.
Saw Nova slowly calming in Thea's arms.
Then Malia turned her head toward Scott.
Slowly.
Her expression went flat.
Predatory.
And before anyone could stop her, she walked straight across the clearing.
Scott barely had time to look up.
Malia punched him directly in the face.
Hard.
The crack of Scott's nose breaking echoed through the clearing instantly.
Scott staggered backward with a shout of pain, blood immediately pouring down over his mouth and chin.
Malia shook her hand out once casually.
"That was for making Nova cry." she said bluntly.
Scott groaned, one hand flying to his now very broken nose as blood poured between his fingers.
Malia didn't look remotely sorry.
If anything, she looked satisfied.
She stared at Scott for another second like she was debating hitting him again.
Then she turned around and calmly walked back across the clearing.
Right back to Nova and Thea.
Like punching Scott in the face had simply been another task she needed to complete.
The second she reached them again, Malia immediately shifted her attention back to Nova.
Protective.
Pack.
"Feel a little better now," she announced casually.
Despite everything—
The corner of Nova's mouth twitched slightly for the first time since the fight started.
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Back near the center of the clearing—
Nova finally sagged slightly against Thea, exhaustion and emotional burnout beginning to overpower the adrenaline.
Thea tightened her hold on her instantly.
Careful.
Gentle.
Like Nova might break apart if she let go.
Malia stayed close on Nova's other side, eyes still flicking toward Scott every few seconds with obvious hostility.
Nova swallowed thickly before finally speaking again, quieter this time.
Smaller.
"I didn't want to hurt him."
Derek looked over at that.
His expression softened—
Just slightly.
Because unlike Scott—
Nova actually sounded upset about it.
Isaac released Scott with a final rough shove backward.
"Then maybe he should've stopped pushing." Isaac snapped.
Scott stayed silent this time.
Not because he agreed.
Because for the first t e, nobody was standing with him.
Scott struggled violently against Derek and Isaac again, blood still pouring from his broken nose as rage twisted across his face.
"Fuck you, Malia!" he shouted, glaring toward her.
Malia looked entirely unimpressed.
Scott's breathing turned uneven.
Frustrated.
Desperate.
Almost hysterical.
Then his eyes snapped toward the rest of them.
"What is so special about Nova?!" he yelled. "Why does everyone always choose her? Stand up for her? Love her?!"
Silence hit the clearing.
Then Stiles stepped forward.
Calm.
Certain.
"Because she's a Stilinski." he said simply.
Scott blinked.
Stiles shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
"My dad and I were more than happy to make Nova part of our family after the Hale fire." he continued. "She's my sister, Scott."
That landed harder than Scott expected.
Lydia stepped forward next.
Her voice stayed calm.
But firm.
"Nova was always there for me." Lydia said quietly. "She was my best friend before any of this."
Her eyes flicked briefly toward Nova.
Softening.
"When everyone else liked me pretending to be dumb, shallow, and mean because it made me popular, Nova hated it." Lydia admitted. "She kept trying to convince me I didn't have to act stupid for people to like me."
Scott looked stunned.
Ethan crossed his arms.
"Nova let us join the pack after we lost our alpha spark." he said bluntly.
Aiden nodded beside him.
"Even after we were enemies."
Ethan snorted softly.
"Most people would've killed us or left us alone after that."
Aiden shrugged.
"Nova didn't."
Malia stepped slightly closer to Nova again.
Protective.
Possessive.
Pack.
"Nova's my cousin." Malia said simply. "And my best friend."
Her expression softened slightly.
"She helped me learn how to be human again after being trapped as a coyote for years."
Isaac let out a quiet breath.
Then looked directly at Scott.
"Nova was the first person who kept trying to get me to talk about what my father did to me." he admitted quietly. "She helped me when I was too scared to say anything."
Scott's expression cracked slightly more.
Derek spoke last.
And somehow his words hit the hardest.
"She's my youngest sibling." Derek said roughly.
The entire clearing quieted again.
"For years I thought Nova and Cora died in that fire."
Pain flickered openly across his face.
Raw.
Unhidden.
"I'm not losing any more family."
Scott stared at all of them.
At every single person standing with Nova.
Then something ugly crossed his face.
He scoffed bitterly.
"Life was better before the fire." Scott muttered.
That made Stiles go still.
Scott looked toward him.
"Before Nova got adopted by you guys."
Stiles' expression hardened immediately.
Scott laughed once.
Sharp.
Cruel.
"She got in the way of everything." he snapped. "My friendship with you. My relationship with your dad. Even my own mom liked her better."
Nova visibly recoiled like she'd been hit.
Thea immediately tightened her arms around her.
Scott's gaze shifted toward Thea.
And whatever restraint he had left finally disappeared.
"And you." he spat. "I know the truth."
Thea's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Scott pointed toward Nova.
"You're only with her out of pity and because you knocked her up."
The entire clearing went dead silent.
Nova stopped breathing.
Scott laughed bitterly.
"Keep the kid if you want," he continued viciously. "But cast the bitch away unless she's really just that good of a fuck."
That did it.
Thea snapped.
Not loudly.
Not explosively.
Coldly.
Dangerously.
The kind of anger that made even Derek pause.
Nova made a small broken sound beside her.
Thea immediately looked down.
And her rage somehow deepened.
Because Nova looked terrified.
Not of Scott.
Of losing her.
Scott's words had hit exactly where they were meant to.
Laurel and Lydia moved immediately toward them.
Thea looked up sharply.
"Take her back to the house." she said tightly.
Lydia frowned slightly.
"Thea—"
"Now." Thea cut in.
Her voice shook with fury.
"Get her cleaned up. Stay with her. We'll be back shortly."
Malia immediately stepped closer to Nova's other side.
Protective.
Ready.
But Nova suddenly grabbed weakly at Thea's shirt before anyone could move her.
A quiet whimper escaped her.
Fear.
Pain.
Abandonment.
"Please..." Nova whispered brokenly.
Thea's expression shattered instantly.
Because Scott had managed to put that fear in her head.
That maybe Thea only stayed because of the baby.
That maybe eventually she'd leave too.
Thea immediately grabbed Nova's face gently again.
"Hey. No." she said firmly. "Look at me."
Nova's eyes were glassy with panic.
Thea pressed her forehead against Nova's carefully.
"I'm not leaving you." she whispered fiercely. "Not now. Not ever."
Nova's breathing shook unevenly.
Thea kept her forehead pressed gently against hers.
"Everything Scott said is bullshit." she said firmly. "Every single word."
Nova's eyes squeezed shut tightly.
Thea carefully brushed some blood-matted hair back from Nova's face.
"I love you because you're you, Nova." she whispered softly. "Not because of the baby. Not out of pity. Because you're kind and stubborn and protective and you care about everyone before yourself even when you shouldn't."
Nova made another small broken sound.
Thea immediately tightened her hold around her waist.
"And honestly?" she added quietly, a sharper edge slipping briefly into her voice. "Scott doesn't know a damn thing about us."
Nova finally nodded weakly.
Just barely.
Thea hesitated for half a second before leaning in and pressing a soft, almost chaste kiss against Nova's lips.
Gentle.
Careful.
But full of so much quiet love it nearly hurt.
Not passion.
Not desperation.
Reassurance.
A promise.
Thea lingered there for just a moment before pulling back slightly, her forehead resting against Nova's again as if she physically couldn't stand being too far away from her.
Then finally looked toward Lydia, Laurel, and Malia.
Reluctantly.
Because letting Nova out of her arms right now felt physically wrong.
But Scott was still standing there.
And Thea was dangerously close to putting him through a tree herself.
"Laurel, Lydia, Malia... you can take her back now." Thea said quietly, her voice still tight with restrained anger.
Laurel nodded immediately.
Lydia stepped closer carefully.
Malia stayed glued protectively to Nova's side.
Together, the three of them slowly began leading Nova away from the clearing.
Back through the woods.
Across the expansive Queen estate grounds.
Toward the massive mansion waiting in the distance.
Nova looked back once.
Right at Thea.
Still scared.
Still uncertain.
Thea immediately held her gaze.
Steady.
Certain.
And mouthed:
"I love you."
Nova's expression crumpled slightly before she gave the faintest shaky nod and finally let Laurel, Lydia, and Malia guide her the rest of the way toward the mansion.
Thea stood there silently watching them go.
Watching Nova lean weakly into Lydia and Malia for support.
Watching Laurel keep a protective hand against Nova's back.
Watching the four of them disappear farther and farther across the massive Queen estate grounds.
Through the trees.
Toward the mansion lights glowing in the distance.
Thea didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't look away.
Not until she physically couldn't see Nova anymore.
And then, Thea turned around.
The soft, loving expression she'd worn for Nova was gone.
Completely.
No warmth remained.
No gentleness.
Only cold fury.
The kind carefully buried and restrained entirely for Nova's sake.
Now unleashed.
Her eyes locked directly onto Scott.
And for the first time all day, Scott actually looked nervous.
Thea stepped forward slowly.
Dangerously calm.
"Scott..." she said softly.
That tone somehow felt worse than yelling.
Passive-aggressive.
Controlled.
Absolutely lethal.
"I think we should have a little chat."
The meaning underneath the words was painfully clear.
You fucked with what's mine.
Now you're screwed.
Behind her, Derek folded his arms slowly.
Isaac stepped forward beside him immediately.
Stiles moved next.
Then Ethan.
Then Aiden.
One by one, every bit of attention in the clearing shifted fully onto Scott.
Protective.
Furious.
Scott finally seemed to realize exactly how badly he'd fucked up.
His breathing slowed.
Not from calmness.
From fear.
He looked around at all of them.
At every man standing there ready to defend Nova.
Derek.
Her brother.
Stiles.
Her brother in every way that mattered.
Isaac.
Ethan.
Aiden.
All staring at him like predators.
Scott gulped visibly.
And honestly?
He was suddenly very, very grateful Peter, Chris Argent, and Noah Stilinski weren't there too.