The warehouse emptied slowly after Jax and Deucalion left.
Kali retreated first, silent for the first time since Scott had met her.
Ennis followed, shaken but pretending not to be.
Ethan and Aiden exchanged looks that said one thing:
We're not ready for him.
Derek kept watching the doorway where Jax had disappeared.
Scott kept replaying Jax's words over and over.
Isaac finally broke the silence.
"So… does anyone wanna explain what the hell just happened?"
Derek shook his head. "I don't think any of us can."
Scott felt something in his chest he couldn't name — fear, curiosity, something else entirely.
Jax Thorne wasn't like the other Alphas.
He didn't exaggerate.
He didn't posture.
He didn't show off.
He didn't need to.
And that was terrifying.
Outside the Warehouse
Jax walked along the cracked pavement like it was just another night.
Deucalion followed two steps behind, quiet for once.
"You handled that well," Deucalion said, voice respectful. "Should we expect retaliation?"
Jax shrugged lightly. "Maybe. Maybe not. Not my first rodeo with egos."
Deucalion chuckled. "They expected a monster. You gave them a leader."
"Good," Jax said. "Let 'em stew. Fear spreads faster than threats."
Deucalion nodded.
He understood the strategy.
What neither of them expected was what came next.
A soft rustle.
A faint shift in the wind.
Then—
Three silhouettes stepped out from the tree line.
Jax didn't flinch.
He didn't tense.
He just smirked.
"Took y'all long enough."
Jax's Pack Steps Forward
They emerged slowly, each one carrying the same aura of experience and danger that Jax did — not magical, not dramatic, just unmistakably lethal.
The First:
A tall man with shaved sides and shoulder-length hair tied back. His presence was pure intimidation — solid, grounded, and clearly used to violence.
The Second:
A woman with braids and sharp eyes. Silent. Observant. The kind of person who could kill ten different ways without raising her voice.
The Third:
A lean young man with a scar across his eyebrow and a lazy posture that suggested he never needed to try hard to win a fight.
Scott, Derek, and Isaac weren't there to see them.
But if they had been?
Their spines would have turned to ice.
Deucalion stepped aside out of respect — letting the three approach their Alpha.
The first man folded his arms.
"You showed yourself," he said, deep voice steady.
"Yup," Jax answered.
The woman tilted her head. "Thought we were remaining ghosts."
Jax shrugged. "Had to remind 'em who's in charge."
The scarred one grinned. "Bet they didn't like that."
Jax smirked. "Nope."
Deucalion Observes the True Hierarchy
Deucalion watched Jax's pack with an expression Scott and Derek would've never believed possible:
respect mixed with fear.
He looked almost small compared to them.
"What now?" the tall man asked. "You ready for Beacon Hills?"
Jax nodded slowly.
"We start quietly," he said. "Shadow work. Guidance where needed. Corrections where necessary."
The girl's eyes narrowed. "And the locals?"
"Scott's worth watchin'," Jax said. "Derek too. Lotta potential. Lotta flaws."
The scarred one snorted. "So… normal."
Jax smirked. "Pretty much."
Deucalion cleared his throat. "And the Alpha Pack?"
Jax didn't even look back.
"They'll stay in their lane."
"And if they don't?" Deucalion asked.
Jax's gaze dropped to the ground as he adjusted his jacket.
"Then we'll put 'em back in it."
Simple.
Cold.
Spoken like fact.
His pack nodded — satisfied.
Back at the Warehouse
Inside, Scott paced.
Derek watched him with concern.
"What are you thinking?" Derek asked.
Scott stopped.
He didn't know how to explain it, so he said the only words that made sense:
"He didn't feel like a villain."
Isaac scoffed. "Scott, he tossed Ennis like a rag doll."
"That's not what I mean."
Scott rubbed the back of his neck.
"He didn't threaten anyone. He didn't brag. He didn't act like he wanted power."
Derek nodded slowly. "He acted like he already had it."
Scott swallowed.
"Exactly."
Isaac frowned. "But why help us?"
No one answered.
Because none of them knew.
Deep in the Woods
Jax's pack moved through the trees like predators moving through familiar territory.
Nothing magical.
Just skill.
Experience.
Training.
The kind of danger that left no witnesses.
Except one.
Jax stopped.
His pack stopped behind him.
Deucalion stood quietly.
Jax looked back at the warehouse, the town beyond it, the future he already knew.
"Alright," Jax murmured. "Let's get to work."
One of his pack asked, "Where first?"
Jax's eyes flickered silver.
"Where all stories start," he answered.
"The ones nobody's prepared for."
He stepped deeper into the woods.
And Beacon Hills — without knowing it — gained the most dangerous protector it had ever seen.