CHAPTER 172: CHAPTER 172: THE DESERT WOLF

A few days before school was set to start again, the new houses on the ranch were finally finished. Melissa and Deaton had already moved into their new home, while Derek and Peter were still busy buying furniture for their new houses.

Allison and Scott were helping Victoria and Chris settle into their house, and Stiles and Malia were helping Noah and Agisa unpack into theirs.

Once everyone was moved in, the pack threw a party and celebrated together.

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Stiles’ POV

The day after the moving-in party, Stiles and Malia were out on a date. They’d just left the movie theater, still laughing about the film, and were driving back to the ranch under the quiet night sky.

While driving back to the ranch on an empty road near the woods, someone suddenly appeared in their headlights, blocking the road.

Stiles hit the brakes and both of them got out to see who it was. In front of them stood a biker—helmet on, sitting on a sleek motorcycle.

Before either of them could speak, the biker hopped off the bike, pulled out a submachine gun, and opened fire.

Malia easily dodged to the side in a blur of speed, while Stiles, who was standing in front of his car, didn’t dodge and was hit a few times.

As the person stopped shooting, Stiles fell to the ground in pain and said. "Ahh, that hurts!"

Malia rushed over, dropping to her knees beside him. She started checking his injuries, her eyes wide with panic. "Why didn’t you dodge, you idiot?!"

Stiles hissed through his teeth. "If I did, my car would’ve been hit..."

Malia ripped open his shirt. Although the bullets had pierced his skin, they hadn’t made it through his dense, enhanced muscles. One by one, the slugs popped out as his wounds closed up. Relief mixed with fury flooded her expression when she heard what he said.

Malia’s relief snapped into rage. She punched him square in the face. "You idiot! You scared me to death!"

"Ouch! That hurts, Malia. Can’t you be gentle? I’m dying here!" He whined dramatically.

She snorted, stood up, and kicked him lightly in the side. "No, you’re not. Now get your ass up. I’ll deal with you later."

Stiles stood up, checked himself, then smiled and said. "Oh, I’m not dying. But most importantly..."

His eyes darted to the Jeep. He hurried over, inspecting every inch of it. With a satisfied grin, he sighed in relief. "The Jeep is perfectly fine!"

Malia glared at him and said. "This is the last time you do something stupid like this. If you ever get yourself hurt to protect that piece of junk again, believe it or not, I’ll destroy it myself."

Stiles’ eyes widened in horror. "No! Okay, okay—I promise! Never again! Please don’t threaten the Jeep." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Besides... I kinda knew the bullets wouldn’t really hurt me. I tested it back at the ranch."

Malia’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

Seeing that look, Stiles quickly stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her. He pressed his forehead to hers and murmured. "I’m sorry. I swear, I won’t do anything that stupid again. I promise."

Before Malia could say anything, the biker removed her helmet and said. "Are you two done ignoring me?"

Stiles let go of Malia, both of them turning to face the woman and recognized her instantly.

"It’s you, bitch!" Malia growled, her voice dripping with hate. "So you finally decided to show up."

The woman smirked. "That’s rude. You should call me Mom, sweetheart."

Malia’s expression turned deadly calm. "You know, ever since I learned you were the one who murdered my adoptive family, I wished I could find you as soon as possible and tear you apart. But looking at you now, I don’t think I should kill you."

Corinne’s smirk widened mockingly. "Oh, are you planning to forgive me? So we can be a happy family? Do you want to be my daughter and call me Mom?"

Malia shook her head. "No, bitch. I already have a mother and a happy family. Killing you would be too easy. So instead, I’m going to take the one thing you care about most. Your precious powers. I’m going to take them all."

Corinne’s smile faltered, then returned in a cold sneer. "Then let’s see if you have the ability to do that, little girl."

Then Corinne loaded her gun again, and her eyes glowed blue as she was about to attack—only to hesitate when Malia’s eyes glowed bright, bloody red.

Stiles smirked. "Oh, I smell fear. For a so-called professional assassin, you really didn’t do your homework, did you? Because if you had, you’d have run to the far side of the planet and hoped Malia would never find you."

Corinne’s voice cracked slightly. "How... How are you an Alpha?"

Malia shrugged lazily. "Take a guess."

Corinne forced a cold laugh. "Doesn’t matter. Once I kill you, I’ll get my power back—and even become an Alpha myself."

Then she aimed her gun at Malia, but before she could shoot, Malia turned into a blur and disappeared with a speed Corinne couldn’t follow. Before she could react, Malia was already in front of her, caught her by the throat, and lifted her off the ground.

Corinne choked, claws scrabbling at Malia’s iron grip. She tried to fire her gun, but Malia caught her wrist in her other hand and squeezed until bones cracked and the gun dropped to the road.

Malia leaned in, her voice a deadly whisper. "You’re weak."

Corinne gasped, fighting for air. "It’s... It’s because you... stole my power, you little bitch..."

Malia’s eyes glowed brighter. "You should go to sleep now. But don’t worry—when you wake up, I won’t take your powers directly. I’ll show you a good time first."

Corinne barely had time to widen her eyes in panic before Malia slammed her forehead into her skull with a sickening crunch, knocking her out cold.

Then she carried her by the neck back to the Jeep, threw her into the back seat like trash, and said to Stiles. "Let’s go home"

Stiles nodded and drove his Jeep back to the ranch. When they arrived, Malia took Corinne to an empty barn and woke her up, then said. "Now let’s fight. I’m going to break every bone in your body, over and over—until you can’t heal anymore. Then I’ll take your powers."

Then the two of them started fighting—but the so-called Desert Wolf didn’t stand a chance. It wasn’t a fight—it was a punishment.

Bone after bone snapped, healed, and snapped again. Malia’s cold, relentless rage echoed through the barn, mixing with Corinne’s muffled screams as the cycle repeated without mercy.

Meanwhile, Stiles went to the pack house and told them about the Desert Wolf.

Peter leaned back in his chair and said. "Maybe I should go help her out, too."

Stiles shook his head. "Don’t. Malia doesn’t need your help. Can’t you hear the Desert Wolf screaming in pain? And I think if you go there right now, you’re just going to get your ass beaten too. Malia is super pissed."

Peter raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet, listening to the distant, muffled cries echoing from the barn.

After a moment, Victoria pushed back her chair and stood up.

Chris frowned. "Where are you going?"

"I’m going to give that bitch a piece of my mind too." Victoria said, already heading for the door.

Chris stood too, concern flashing in his eyes. "Honey, you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t..."

Victoria cut him off with a glare. "Don’t even try to stop me. I’m going. I need to see for myself what kind of mother would want to murder her own child for power."

Chris sighed in defeat. "Fine. Allison—go with her, and make sure she doesn’t overdo it."

Allison nodded and followed her mother.

When Victoria and Allison arrived at the barn, they found Corinne sprawled on the floor, bloodied, with her arm bent at an unnatural angle. Malia stood nearby, arms crossed, calmly waiting for her to heal before the next round.

Victoria stared down at Corinne with open disgust. "I just don’t understand how a mother can be so cruel—willing to kill her own daughter for power."

Corinne just glared back, eyes full of venom but no words left in her battered throat.

Victoria stepped closer, her voice low but cold. "I’m not a good person, I know that. I’ve done terrible things—and I know I can be cruel sometimes. But I would never think of hurting my daughters. I am willing to die for them."

Then she turned to Malia, her expression softening. "Sweetheart... can I beat her too?"

Malia cracked a grin through her rage. "Be my guest."

Then Malia and Victoria took turns beating Corinne, while Allison leaned against the barn wall, shaking her head with an exasperated sigh. "Poor bitch."

When Corinne was at her limit, Malia inserted her claws in her gut and started absorbing her powers, saying. "I will take all your powers and make you as weak as a normal human. Then I will send you to Eichen House to spend the rest of your miserable life there. You will grow old and weak and finally die of old age. That will be the best punishment for you."

Victoria said. "No, we’re not sending her to Eichen House—she might escape. We’ll lock her up in the company basement. The cells there are better than any prison. She’ll never see freedom again."

Malia said. "That’s a good plan."

As Corinne’s last traces of power drained away, her body went limp. Malia pulled her claws free and stood up, then thought of her dead adopted family. She covered her face with her hands and broke down in sobs.

Victoria and Allison moved in without a word, wrapping her in a tight hug. They held her until her shaking quieted and only tired sniffles remained.

Finally, Victoria whispered. "Allison, tell Scott to take the Desert Wolf to a cell in the company basement and leave her there. I’ll take Malia home. You should come home and spend the night with us too."

Allison nodded softly. "Okay, Mom."

To be continued... 😊