Jacob was in the school cafeteria having lunch with Allison, Lydia, Stiles, and Scott.
Stiles leaned in, lowering his voice. "The cops found two dead bodies yesterday. I was with my dad at the crime scene and saw them… it was gruesome."
Allison frowned. "How did they die?"
"They were torn apart." Stiles said grimly. "Claw marks and bites were all over the bodies. They were both dismembered and cut in half. It was a total horror show."
Jacob raised a brow. "Was it Peter?"
Scott nodded. "Yeah. We asked Derek. He said it was him."
Stiles added. "According to Derek, after you and Lydia beat Peter up, he's in full-on rage mode. Derek said Peter seemed to have lost control yesterday; he attacked Derek and almost killed him before taking off. When Derek tracked him, he found him killing those two people."
Jacob snorted. "That bastard didn't lose control at all. He was just reminding Derek who the Alpha is. If he really lost control, it wouldn't just be two bodies—it'd be a massacre. Those two were probably targeted."
Allison nodded. "Exactly. An alpha who loses control can cause a massacre, not just two deaths. So, like Jay said, Peter was just acting like he lost control, and those two dead guys were probably connected to the Hale family fire."
"You're right." Stiles said. "I checked. Both were tied to the Hale fire."
Lydia tilted her head. "Wait, is Peter even healed yet? Jay almost burned him to death two nights ago."
Scott answered. "Derek said Peter isn't fully healed yet, but he's almost there. He should be completely healed by today."
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Huh! I thought it would take him at least a week. Maybe next time I should cook him a little longer."
"Or just burn him to ash." Stiles muttered.
"Really?" Jacob asked, studying him. "Do you want him dead?"
"He's driving my dad insane." Stiles snapped. "When I woke up this morning, I found him asleep at his desk with a bottle of booze next to him."
Jacob suggested. "Maybe it's time to tell him the truth."
Stiles shook his head. "Not yet. I don't want my dad going after Kate or an alpha werewolf. So let's wait until Peter and Kate are finished fighting and one of them dies." He glanced at Allison. "No offense, but your aunt is a psycho. I wouldn't shed a tear if she dropped dead."
Allison sighed but said nothing.
Scott quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Jackson came to me again this morning. He asked if I could help him become a werewolf… but he was polite this time."
Jacob asked. "And what did you say?"
"I told him being a werewolf isn't all that great and walked off."
Jacob shook his head. "You're an idiot."
"What? Why?" Scott asked.
Jacob smirked. "Jackson's rich, right?"
"Yeah." Stiles said. "His parents are loaded."
"Then you should ask him to pay you to turn him." Jacob said simply.
"What? I can't do that!" Scott protested.
Jacob said. "Why not? He wants to be a werewolf, so let him pay for it. You can earn some money from it, and he can get the bite—it's a win-win. Besides, even if you don't help him, he'll just go find Derek and ask him."
Scott hesitated. "But… I can't turn him."
Stiles rolled his eyes. "Are you stupid? Of course you can't, but you can introduce him to Peter!"
Scott's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh! Then... how much should I ask for?"
Jacob grinned. "Ten grand. Any more and his parents might start asking questions."
Scott stood up abruptly. "Stiles, let's go find him. If he agrees, I'll give you a thousand to fix the Jeep."
"Only a thousand?" Stiles complained, standing up as well.
Scott shrugged. "I want to buy a car! Nine thousand will barely be enough. But if there's any money left after I buy it, we'll split it."
Stiles grinned. "Deal. Now let's go get our money."
Jacob and the girls watched the two leave, amused smiles on their faces.
Lydia leaned toward Jacob. "So… where's your coyote girlfriend? Did you leave her at home?"
Jacob chuckled. "She went back to the woods, and she's not my girlfriend yet. I don't even know if she's beautiful or not. What if she's old? I mean, I don't mind a thirty-year-old, or even a beautiful forty-year-old, but what if she's like sixty or seventy? Or what if she's ugly?"
Lydia snorted. "You said you were interested in her this morning. She's probably our age. And probably beautiful too."
Jacob shrugged. "Anyway, we'll find out when she shifts back to her human form. Until then, I just hope you two treat her kindly. I don't know if she's going to be part of our family or not, but she must have gone through something traumatic to be stuck in that form. She must be so lonely, living in the woods by herself. So if she comes back, please be nice to her."
Allison nodded. "Alright, we'll be nice to her." Then she narrowed her eyes. "But about what you said regarding older women. Should I be worried about you going after Kate? Or even my mom?"
Jacob shook his head quickly. "No, no. Kate is definitely attractive, but I don't really like her. And your mom? She's way too mean for my taste. So there's nothing to worry about." Internally, he scoffed. 'Victoria isn't attractive—she's just an old, mean lady. I was just being polite when I said she was too mean for my taste.'
"You're sure?" Allison pressed.
"Positive."
"I'll keep an eye on you anyway, pervert."
Jacob just chuckled and shook his head. "By the way, girls, Cogman and I are leaving town this weekend."
"Where are you going?" Lydia asked.
Jacob's smile turned wicked. "Vegas. I have some business there."
Allison saw his smirk and quickly understood. "You're going to the auction we saw in the Harvester hunter's memories, aren't you?"
Jacob didn't deny it. "Yes. I'm going to kill them all, destroy that place, and make some money while I'm at it."
Instead of trying to talk him out of it, Allison said. "Then you're taking me with you. Don't even try to say no. I can protect myself with the energy shield, and I can fight."
Jacob studied her carefully. "Are you sure? Whoever's running that auction will have strong subordinates. It's going to be dangerous."
"All the more reason to take me with you." Allison insisted. "You won't have to protect me. I can take care of myself and I won't get in your way."
Jacob hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, you can come. But you'd better be prepared mentally for what Cogman and I will do there. We will not show mercy. That auction is going to turn into a bloodbath."
Allison's expression was grim but said firmly. "Good. I hate those people too. Rapists, butchers, organ traffickers… they even sell children and babies. People like them don't deserve mercy. They don't deserve to live. I'll kill as many as I can."
Lydia hesitated before finally saying. "I… I want to go too."
Jacob shook his head. "No. You're not going. Not this time, at least."
"But..." Lydia started.
"No buts." Jacob cut her off. "You're not ready yet. You froze during the fight yesterday. Until you get used to killing, I won't take you to a dangerous place like that auction."
Lydia lowered her gaze, disappointed—not at him, but at herself. She knew he was right, and she knew he was just trying to protect her. She looked down sadly at her plate and didn't say anything.
Jacob sighed. "Alright, how about this? I'll take you with us to Vegas, but you'll stay in a hotel room while we deal with the auction. Once it's over, we can all have some fun before returning home."
Her face brightened instantly. "You're the best! And starting tomorrow, I'll train with Allison. I want to learn how to fight… and I'll need your help getting used to blood. And killing."
Jacob smirked. "That's easy. There are plenty of nasty, evil supernatural creatures out there. We'll hunt some and let you finish them off."
Allison raised a brow. "If that's the case, why not just let her come with us to the auction?"
Jacob shook his head. "The auction would be a good place for her to get used to blood and killing, for sure. But the problem is, I don't know how strong the people running that place are. I don't want to risk taking her with us. I'll be too busy to protect her, and you can barely protect yourself. As for Cogman…" He trailed off. "I don't trust that psychopath to keep her safe. He's strong, but he'll probably be too busy enjoying himself slaughtering people."
Lydia gave a small smile. "It's okay. I'm not in a hurry to kill anyone. I was just sad that I couldn't go to Vegas with you guys. But since you said I can, I'm happy to just wait in the hotel room. You guys handle the auction. I'll take charge of finding fun things to do once you're done."
Allison shook her head with a smile. "Alright then. Let's get back to class."
---
After school, Jacob and the girls said goodbye to Scott and Stiles—who were grinning like idiots after Jackson agreed to pay them in exchange for getting the Bite. Then the girls left with Cogman in the Rolls-Royce, while Jacob hopped on his bike and rode home.
When they all regrouped at the mansion, they gathered in the living room.
Jacob leaned back on the couch. "Cogman, you still haven't given me my phone."
"Ah, my apologies, sir. It quite slipped my mind." Cogman replied. "I'll fetch it for you now."
"No rush." Jacob said. "But… did you make the masks I asked for?"
"Indeed I did, sir. Do you need them now?"
"No, I was just asking. What I need right now is food." Jacob said. "The lunch in the cafeteria was too little and barely edible."
Cogman smirked and headed off to cook. Soon, they ate together in the kitchen before returning to the living room.
This time, Cogman brought out a sleek new phone. It looked like any ordinary 2025 smartphone.
Jacob took the phone, and Cogman explained. "The bestiary app is pre-installed. The device is entirely untraceable, unjammable, and can instantaneously connect to and decrypt any network. You'll have access to the internet wherever you may be. The storage capacity is ten terabytes. And the battery will last for five years. And… I've also taken the liberty of creating an AI assistant to help you navigate its features and help you operate it."
Jacob smirked. "Overkill much?"
Cogman straightened his suit. "Merely thorough, sir. And when this one feels outdated, I'll simply make you a better one."
Lydia, who had already gotten her phone with Allison earlier that morning, raised hers with a grin. "I love the camera on this thing! It takes photos and videos in ultra-high resolution."
Allison nodded. "I love the camera too. But I love the AI even more. It can talk to you like a real person and answer any question."
Jacob smiled. "Thank you, Cogman. I like it too. And here…"
He reached into his pocket dimension and pulled out something metallic and glowing—the Arc Reactor. Handing it to Cogman, he said. "This is the Arc Reactor from the MCU. I got it the same way I summoned you. See what you can do with it."
Cogman took it, his eyes gleaming. "Oh, fascinating. Although I could make something similar, I will study this and create something even better."
Allison looked at the Arc Reactor curiously. "Hey, Jay, do you have any other interesting stuff hidden in that dimension of yours?"
Jacob grinned mischievously. "Plenty. For example, I've got a lightsaber from Star Wars. Problem is, it's defective—it only cuts through walls and bricks, not people. Then there's the Neuralyzer from Men in Black. And… an Excalibur knockoff."
"Excalibur?" Allison asked curiously.
Jacob reached in and pulled out a gleaming sword, placing it on the table. "The mythical sword of King Arthur. Except mine isn't magical. The only special thing about it is that no one but me can lift it."
Allison snorted. "Oh, please." She grabbed the hilt and pulled with all her supernatural strength. Veins bulged on her forehead as she strained, but the sword didn't budge an inch. She let go, panting. "Okay… I really can't lift it."
Lydia leaned in eagerly. "What else do you have?"
Jacob smirked. "I also have an Invisibility Cl..." He froze mid-word, eyes widening. Sweat broke out on his forehead. 'Shit. I almost told them about that damn thing. The one that only works in… women's bathrooms.'
Allison narrowed her eyes immediately. "Invisibility what? And why are you sweating, you pervert?"
Jacob waved his hands quickly. "I'm not sweating! Anyway—uh—I think your parents are here. I can hear a car approaching the mansion."
He turned sharply to Cogman. "Hide the Arc Reactor. Then come with me to welcome our guests."
Then Jacob hurried out of the room before the girls could ask more about the Invisibility Cloak, thinking to himself. 'I really need to learn how to shut my mouth.'
To be continued… 😊