Jacob tossed the Yeti's head and body aside, deactivated his Fire Domain, and extinguished the flames wreathing his draconic form. With another mental command, the protective barrier around Allison and the others dissipated.
Stiles was the first to run forward. He stopped a few meters away, looking up at the six-meter-tall monster Jacob had become. "I always wondered what kind of shapeshifter you were," he said, his voice full of awe. "And honestly, when you said it was dangerous if people found out what you are, I thought you were just exaggerating."
"And what do you think now?" Jacob asked, his voice a deep, resonant rumble.
"I think you were right, if people find out you're a weredragon, they'll come to hunt your scaly ass," Stiles said. "You and everyone in this town will never have a day of peace."
"I am not a shapeshifter, Stiles," Jacob corrected, lowering his massive head slightly. "I'm a real dragon."
"What's the difference?" Stiles asked.
Jacob's crimson eyes gleamed. "A weredragon's power is constrained by their human nature. It limits their energy reserves, their elemental powers, and their physical strength. Even if they could shift into a full dragon form, their size is small. A real dragon… has no such limits. We can grow into disaster-level creatures, capable of wiping out cities in an instant."
Lydia, who had arrived with the others, put it more bluntly. "Let's put it this way: a weredragon is a cheap knock-off of a real dragon. A really bad, very cheap knock-off."
Stiles's eyes widened. "Wait, so… you're not human?"
"For now, I am." Jacob said. "But the stronger I get, the more I connect with my dragon bloodline, the less human I become. Eventually, the human part will be gone, and I'll be a dragon completely."
Stiles said. "What? Then will you turn into a monster? Never turn back to human form? Lose control and start eating people? Go live in a mountain and hoard treasure?"
Jacob let out a booming laugh that shook the ground. Lydia reached over and smacked Stiles sharply on the back of the head.
"Are you cursing him, you idiot?" She snapped.
"Ouch! I was just asking!" Stiles protested, rubbing his head.
Jacob, still chuckling, shook his massive head. "No. Even when I become a dragon completely, I'll still be me. Just… more powerful, I guess."
Stiles let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "That's good to hear. Because if you ever did lose control, I doubt there's any creature or weapon in our world that could stop you—especially since you can teleport. You'd become a living nightmare."
Scott, who had been pale and shaky, finally spoke up. "Jacob, can you please turn back to your human form and restrain your aura? I'm about to faint."
"Oh, sure…" Jacob said.
"Wait!" Stiles interrupted, holding up a hand. "Before you do that… can I get a picture?" He shoved his phone toward Lydia. "Please, take a picture of me and Jacob!"
Lydia took the phone. "Fine. But don't show the pictures to anyone, and don't lose your phone."
"I won't show anyone," Stiles promised. "And even if I lose the phone, no one can unlock it. Cogman made it, after all."
Lydia snapped a few pictures of Stiles standing and looking very small next to Jacob's colossal form. Stiles even convinced Jacob to hold him gently in one giant claw, pretending he was about to eat him for a particularly dramatic shot.
Afterward, Jacob's form shrank. In moments, he stood before them in his human form, quickly putting on fresh clothes from his pocket dimension.
Just then, Stiles's phone rang. He answered. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"
Noah's worried voice came through the speaker. "Stiles, where are you? It's 2 a.m.!"
"I'm with Scott and Jacob." Stiles said.
"Do you have any idea what those loud roars were?" Noah's voice was tense. "People all over town are panicking. And to be honest, I'm panicking, too. Those roars were… terrifying."
As Stiles began explaining about the witches and the Yeti, Scott's, Allison's, and Lydia's phones also started ringing. Their parents were all calling with the same fearful questions.
After they'd each calmed their families down—giving carefully edited versions of the truth—Stiles also called Erica's mother to assure her that Erica was safe and asleep.
He hung up and looked at Jacob. "Dad says the whole town is in a panic after hearing your roars. Did you have to roar like that?"
Jacob smirked. "I couldn't help myself…" His expression suddenly shifted. He held up a hand. "Wait. Shhh. I hear something." He turned his head, listening intently.
Allison tensed. "What is it?"
Jacob retrieved seven Venetian masks and seven black robes from his pocket dimension—old daily sign-in rewards. "Quickly, put these on. Some people are coming this way, moving fast. I think they're cops."
Stiles frowned. "It can't be my dad, right? He's at the station."
"No. They're supernatural," Jacob said, his voice low. "I can sense their energy."
"Should we leave?" Allison asked, already pulling on a robe.
"No. Just wear the masks. I want to know what kind of cops they are."
"How do you know they're cops?" Scott whispered, struggling with his mask.
"Because I heard them calling each other 'agents,'" Jacob replied.
Cogman, who had been observing silently, straightened his own robe with fastidious care. "If they are truly agents, and all of them are supernatural," he said, "then they are most likely from the S.D.E.S."
"Who are the S.D.E.S.?" Jacob asked, his red eyes watching the approaching energy signatures through the trees.
"The Supernatural Defense & Enforcement Section," Cogman explained. "A U.S. government division dedicated exclusively to supernatural affairs. Most of their agents and support staff are supernatural beings themselves."
"Are they good or bad?" Allison asked, adjusting her Venetian mask.
Cogman gave a small, elegant shrug. "I cannot definitively categorize them, my lady. The S.D.E.S. enforces laws within the supernatural world and works to maintain the Masquerade—keeping the supernatural world hidden. However, they also study and weaponize supernatural beings, and conduct secretive and often unstable experiments on both humans and captured creatures."
Lydia said. "So they're an evil organization?"
"They hunt evil creatures that harm and feed on humans." Cogman clarified. "And they utilize convicted criminals, both human and supernatural, for their research and development. In my analysis, they are a necessary evil."
Allison asked. "How do you know so much about them?"
"When Sir summoned me, I conducted extensive data infiltration to understand this world's power structures," Cogman replied. "I discovered the S.D.E.S. among others. I offered to brief Sir on all organizations aware of the supernatural, but he expressed no interest at the time."
"I see." Allison murmured.
"Alright, they're here. Let's see if they're S.D.E.S. or not." Jacob said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Let me do the talking."
Seconds later, six figures in dark suits emerged from the frozen tree line. They paused, taking in the devastated clearing—a wasteland of ice, shattered trees, the frozen corpses of the witches and their victims, the massive body of the dead Yeti, and the faint, slowly shrinking glimmer of the space portal. Their eyes finally settled on Jacob's masked group.
The leader was a tall, muscular man. He stepped forward, his posture rigid and authoritative. "Identify yourselves."
Jacob smirked beneath his mask, his voice deliberately altered to sound deeper and more menacing. "Aren't you supposed to introduce yourself first?"
"I'm Agent Frank. We're with the FBI."
Jacob let out a low chuckle. "Since when does the FBI recruit shapeshifters? I can tell all of you are."
Agent Frank's frown deepened. He raised a badge. "This is my credentials. We are the FBI."
"No," Jacob stated flatly. "You're from the S.D.E.S."
The reaction was instantaneous. All six agents drew their weapons, aiming squarely at Jacob. Agent Frank's voice turned icy. "Who are you, and how do you know about the S.D.E.S.?"
'So, Cogman was right.' Jacob thought. Aloud, he said. "Lower those toys if you want to live longer." He deliberately turned his back on them, a show of utter contempt, and walked over to the Yeti's carcass. He gave its head a solid kick with his boot. "Tell me, do you know what kind of monster this is?"
Frank stared at him for a long moment, then made a subtle hand gesture. "Stand down. Holster your weapons. For now." His men reluctantly complied. Frank turned his full attention back to Jacob. "First, remove your mask and identify yourself."
"We're hunters," Jacob said, not bothering to turn around. "We were passing through this town when we felt a massive energy surge. We came to investigate and found seven witches who had murdered ten people to open that portal." He gestured with a thumb toward the shrinking rift. "They summoned this… yeti-like monster. We killed them, and we killed their monster. Now, answer my question. Do you know what it is?"
Frank approached cautiously, his eyes scanning the colossal, blue-skinned corpse. "I don't know," he admitted, a note of genuine confusion in his voice. "I've never seen anything like it before."
Jacob listened to the man's steady heartbeat. He was telling the truth. "A shame," Jacob sighed, the disappointment clear even through his distorted voice. "I was hoping you would." He began walking back toward his group.
"Wait," Frank called out. "You're claiming you and your people killed seven witches and this creature?"
"Yes."
Frank's demeanor shifted, becoming almost businesslike. "Then perhaps you'd consider working for the S.D.E.S. We could use operatives with your capabilities. The compensation is… considerable."
Jacob didn't break stride. He waved a dismissive hand. "No. We don't like taking orders."
"At least give me a contact," Frank persisted, pulling out his phone. "In case we encounter another threat like this and require your assistance."
Jacob didn't respond. He rejoined Allison and the others. "Let's leave." He said quietly.
Then, with a subtle flex of his will, he enveloped his entire group in a telekinetic field. They lifted smoothly off the ground, flying swiftly away from the agents and Beacon Hills, heading deeper into the wilderness.
As they soared above the treetops, the full scale of the battle's aftermath became chillingly clear. For nearly two miles in every direction, the forest was a silent, glittering crypt of ice, radiating outward from the epicenter of their fight.
Stiles looked down. "Look at that… the Yeti was really strong. I don't even want to imagine the casualties if it had gotten loose in the middle of town."
Allison followed his gaze. "Lucky for everyone those witches didn't summon it there, I guess."
Then Stiles smirked, shaking off the grim thought. "Anyway, let's not talk about that anymore. I want to enjoy flying!" He spread his arms, imitating Superman. "This is fun!"
Scott was also enjoying the flight, a smile on his face. But once they were far enough from Agent Frank and his team, Jacob suddenly teleported the entire group back to the mansion.
He released his telekinetic hold on Scott, Stiles, and Cogman. The three of them dropped. Cogman reacted with inhuman speed, landing gracefully on his feet. Scott and Stiles were not so lucky, landing face first on the living room rug with a pair of synchronized thumps. As for the girls, Jacob gently lowered them onto the large couch.
Stiles and Scott sat up, pulling off their masks and rubbing their sore faces. "Warn us before you teleport!" Stiles groaned. "And I thought we had to be touching you for you to teleport us?"
Jacob removed his own mask. "That's what I thought too. But it seems as long as my psychic energy is maintaining contact, I can bring you along."
"Psychic energy?" Stiles asked, confused.
"I have telekinesis," Jacob explained. "Didn't you figure that out after you saw me control that dagger to kill a witch and make us all fly?"
Stiles flopped onto the couch. "You have so many abilities, I just turn my brain off when I'm around you. But I never thought you were actually a dr..."
Jacob cut him off sharply. "Shh! Erica and Kate are here. I don't want them knowing what I am, especially Kate."
Stiles winced. "Sorry. I forgot." He stood up. "Speaking of Erica, I'm going to check on her."
"I'll check on Kate." Allison said, heading for the guest rooms.
Jacob stretched. "Cogman, make us dinner. And make sure to cook a lot of meat—I'm starving after that fight."
"Certainly, sir." Cogman said with a slight bow before heading to the kitchen.
Jacob turned to leave the living room. Malia perked up. "Where are you going?"
"To take a shower."
Lydia, quick as a flash, grabbed Malia's arm as she tried to stand and pulled her back onto the couch. "My turn," she said with a smug smile. She stood and followed Jacob. "I'm joining you. But we should go to Serendell. I want to take a long bath with you." She threw a playful wink over her shoulder at Malia.
Jacob chuckled and wrapped an arm around her. "Sure."
Malia glared. "Lydia, you cheated!"
"You can have him after dinner," Lydia called back, just before she and Jacob vanished.
Malia snorted in frustration, then turned her glare on Scott, who was watching the exchange. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing!" Scott said quickly, jumping to his feet. "I'm, uh, going to help Cogman!" He practically sprinted toward the kitchen.
Malia smirked, watching him flee, then grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, flipping through channels for something to watch.
---
Back in the Frozen Clearing
Agent Frank had just hung up his phone. He turned to his team, his expression all business. "The Director wants the body of the yeti-like creature transported to headquarters immediately."
One of the other agents, a woman with sharp eyes, gestured toward the sky. "What about those hunters? The ones who just… flew away?"
"The Director's orders are clear," Frank said. "They don't appear to be hostile, and they eliminated a significant threat. We should not provoke them. Now, gather the hands and heads of the dead witches for identification. Use the insulated bags—don't touch them directly. Witches always have dark magic on their bodies."
The team moved with practiced efficiency, collecting the grisly identifiers. Soon, the sound of rotors echoed through the icy clearing as a large military transport helicopter descended. They loaded the massive, blue-skinned carcass of the Yeti into its bay.
Frank pointed to two agents. "Mike, Sarah. You two stay and clean up this mess. Incinerate the witches' remains. Ensure the victims' bodies are returned to their families. Make their death look like an accident—something plausible."
The agent named Sarah nodded. "Do we stay in Beacon Hills after we deal with this?"
"Negative," Frank said, climbing into the helicopter. "Once the cleanup is complete, report directly to headquarters. We came here for the wendigo case, but the Director has reassigned us. We have a new, higher-priority mission."
Mike secured the helicopter door. "What's the mission, sir?"
Frank's face was grim in the cabin's dim light. "Something in the waters off Alaska is sinking fishing boats. And now, a cargo ship. We need to find out what it is, and fast. Wrap this up and follow us."
The helicopter's engines roared to life, lifting the heavy craft into the night sky, leaving the two agents alone in the silent, glittering tomb of ice.
To be continued… 😊