Scott and Allison drove through the night to the Yukimura house. When they arrived, Kira opened the door, greeting them warmly before leading them into the living room.
After exchanging pleasantries, Noshiko and Ken welcomed them to the dinner table.
Scott glanced at the dishes in front of him, then at Ken and Noshiko, and said. "You know, just because I'm a wolf, that doesn't mean I like raw meat."
Noshiko shot her husband a look, and Ken cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I thought I'd try something..."
Before he could finish, Scott cut in with a grin. "I'm just joking."
Noshiko smiled. "Is this your first time eating sushi, Scott?"
Scott sighed. "Yeah. My mom wouldn't even let me eat rare or medium-rare steak growing up. She's really mean about it."
Noshiko chuckled and turned to Allison. "What about you, Allison?"
Allison nodded. "I've had sushi before. I like it."
Kira gave her father an exasperated look. "I told you to just make something normal."
Ken sighed. "I can whip up some pasta or something quick."
Scott shook his head. "Don't worry, Mr. Yukimura. I'm willing to try something new."
As they started eating, Scott struggled with the chopsticks, fumbling awkwardly. Allison and Kira couldn't hold back their laughter. Eventually, Scott sighed, setting them down, and turned to Kira. "How about you just get me a fork?"
Kira grinned. "Okay."
Once dinner was finished, Ken cleared the table and took the dishes to the kitchen.
When they all sat back down, Noshiko looked at Scott seriously. "Kira told me that if she wants to join your pack, she has to take the Bite from you. Is that true?"
Scott nodded. "Yes."
Noshiko asked. "Why is that?"
Scott leaned forward slightly. "You've seen how mountain ash barriers don't work on me or my pack. I have other abilities too, like perfect control over my wolf side. Everyone I've bitten also retains that control. To pass my abilities to someone, they have to take the Bite from me."
Noshiko nodded thoughtfully. "I see. I've never heard of a shapeshifter like you before. And I assume you and your pack can absorb powers from other supernatural beings, like that kid, Stiles. He absorbed the Nogitsune's power, didn't he?"
Scott confirmed. "Yeah, that's one of my abilities."
Noshiko looked at Kira. "And if she joins your pack, she'll have all those abilities?"
Scott nodded again. "As long as she takes the Bite from me and stays in my pack, she'll have abilities like mine."
Noshiko's eyes narrowed slightly. "And what if she leaves your pack?"
Scott said. "If she leaves or betrays me and my pack, she'll lose all the abilities she gained from me."
Ken furrowed his brows. "How does that even work?"
Scott explained. "The moment someone loses their connection to me, they lose my abilities and revert to a normal shapeshifter."
Noshiko sighed. "I see. The real question now is—will Kira even survive your Bite? Wolves and foxes don't get along, and an Alpha werewolf's Bite is poisonous to a Kitsune."
Scott was confident. "She'll survive. She'll just become something... different. You were there when I bit the Nogitsune. The Nogitsune was expelled from Chris's body, and he became a werewolf."
Kira turned to her mother, her voice pleading. "Mom, you told me that if I ever lost control of the Kitsune spirit inside me, it could take over my body, or even kill me. Let me take the Bite and join Scott's pack. Please."
Allison chimed in. "You know, one of our pack members was possessed by a Hellhound spirit. After we killed the spirit and Scott gave him the Bite, he still turned into a Hellhound. I think Kira will still be a Kitsune or at least a fox shapeshifter, even after the Kitsune spirit leaves her body."
Noshiko glanced at Ken. "What do you think?"
Ken sighed, deep in thought. "If the Bite can help Kira stay in control, and if it means we won't have to worry about her losing herself to the Kitsune spirit one day, then I think she should take it."
Noshiko hesitated for a moment before turning to Scott. "Alright. Go ahead and give her the Bite."
Scott nodded, then turned to Kira. "Give me your arm."
Without hesitation, Kira extended her arm, and Scott sank his fangs into her skin.
A few moments later, Kira clutched her head, letting out a scream before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
Allison's eyes widened. "Scott, what's wrong with her?"
Noshiko and Ken tensed, both staring at Scott anxiously.
Scott frowned. "I don't know. Let me check."
He knelt beside Kira and gently inserted his claws into the back of her neck. His vision blurred, and suddenly, he found himself inside Kira's mind.
There, he saw two identical versions of Kira. One had a fiery orange aura surrounding her, her eyes glowing like a fox's, while she strangled the other Kira.
Scott reacted instantly, moving at supernatural speed. He grabbed the Kitsune Kira by the throat and yanked her away, freeing the real Kira.
Kira gasped for air, coughing as she looked between Scott and the other version of herself in his grip. "Where are we? And… who is she?"
Scott's eyes remained locked on the struggling Kitsune spirit. "She's the Kitsune inside you. We're inside your mind."
Then, he addressed the spirit. "Why won't you leave?"
The Kitsune laughed, her fox-like eyes gleaming with malice. "I'm not leaving, wolf. If she wants to get rid of me, then I don't mind dying with her."
Scott narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
The Kitsune smirked. "Your filthy bite poisoned her body. If I don't leave, we'll both die. But I'll be reborn in a few hundred years. She won't be as lucky."
Scott sighed. "I see. If you had left peacefully, I wouldn't have killed you." His grip on her tightened. "But you brought this on yourself."
Before the Kitsune could react, Scott drove his claws into her gut and began absorbing her power.
Realizing what was happening, the Kitsune shrieked, thrashing in his grasp. "You...! Let go of me!"
Scott held firm, continuing to absorb her power.
"You know." Scott said calmly. "If you had left Kira's body and turned into a spirit, I wouldn't have been able to touch you. I don't think I can interact with spirits in the real world. But right now, I'm inside Kira's mind as a spirit myself… which means I can touch you, and I can take your power. So, thanks for giving me the opportunity to claim your thunder ability."
The Kitsune's final scream echoed before she flickered and vanished into nothingness.
Scott turned to Kira and offered her a reassuring smile. "You should be fine now. Welcome to the pack."
Kira blinked, still trying to process everything. "Thank you."
Scott pulled his claws from the back of her neck and stood up.
Allison asked. "Is she okay?"
Scott smirked. "Ask her yourself."
Right then, Kira groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of her neck where Scott had inserted his claws. "Ow… That hurt."
Scott chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't have a choice. Don't worry, you'll heal by tomorrow."
Noshiko folded her arms and looked between Scott and Kira. "Would one of you mind explaining what just happened?"
Kira sighed. "The Kitsune didn't want to leave and tried to take me down with it. Scott killed it."
Allison said. "Really?"
Scott shrugged. "Yeah. And I got a pretty cool ability out of it." He raised his hand, and blue lightning crackled around his fingers.
Allison grinned. "Stiles is going to lose his mind. He just got fire abilities like you, and now you have thunder?"
Scott smirked. "Oh, I'm definitely showing off in front of him later."
Noshiko knelt beside Kira, checking her over. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Kira smiled. "Yes, Mom. I'm fine. I can't wait to see what I'll turn into tomorrow."
Allison said. "Well, don't get too excited, Kira. You won't know for sure until the next full moon, and that's not for another twenty-seven days."
Kira groaned. "What?! That's too long!"
Allison chuckled. "Sorry, that's how it works. But tomorrow, you'll feel stronger, and if you're a shapeshifter, you'll get claws. You just won't be able to fully shift until your first full moon."
Kira sighed. "I can't wait."
Scott stretched. "Alright, it's getting late. We should head out. Thanks for dinner. It was… something."
Allison elbowed him in the ribs. "The sushi was delicious."
Noshiko looked at Scott, her expression softening. "Thank you for giving my daughter the Bite. I know how special your abilities are, and I don't think anyone would say no to having powers like yours. So… thank you."
Scott shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Kira is our friend. And now that she's part of my pack, she's family."
Allison smiled at Kira. "You should get some rest. See you tomorrow at school."
Kira grinned. "Bye, guys. And thank you."
With that, Scott and Allison headed to Scott's Camaro and drove home.
To be continued… 😊