Teen Wolf :- A Wolf's Journey.

How do you fight a shadow? Fight something you can't see? It's a thing that vanishes into the dark and stalks you, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The thought gnawed at Finn as he sat in chemistry class, staring blankly at the board. Maybe it wasn't real—just rumors, exaggerations—but if it was real… if something like that was here, it could make everything a whole lot worse.

"Mr. Belmont!"

The chemistry teacher's sharp tone snapped Finn back to reality. He blinked, then realized the whole class was staring at him.

"Can you name the organic compound on the board, or are you too busy daydreaming to participate in my class?"

Finn considered apologizing, but he knew this guy. Apologies only encouraged him to humiliate you further. With a sigh, Finn rose from his seat and made his way to the board. A few students smirked, clearly hoping he'd crash and burn. Scott, sitting with his usual arrogant posture, was one of them.

But Finn disappointed them. He named the compound without hesitation, then turned back to the teacher. "Sorry for disrupting your class."

The smirks evaporated. Even the teacher looked annoyed that Finn hadn't fumbled. "Go back to your seat," the man muttered, barely looking at him. "Just because you have a head on your shoulders doesn't mean anyone else does."

Finn chuckled to himself at the backhanded compliment. On his way back to his seat, he caught Scott's disgruntled glare. It made Finn's smirk widen just a little.

At the back of the class, Erica leaned over and whispered, "What's up with you? You look like you're a thousand miles away."

Finn opened his mouth to respond, but the teacher's glare silenced him. He gestured at Erica that they'd talk later, and she nodded, flashing a quick thumbs-up.

Lunch couldn't come fast enough. Finn sat in the usual spot with Erica and Malia, the three of them tucked away from the noisier students. Malia poked at her sandwich but kept glancing at Finn with a mix of curiosity and irritation.

"You alright?" she finally asked, sitting closer to him.

"Yeah, just thinking about something."

Malia's frustration broke through. "If it's not important, then why are you dragging us into this bullshit?" she snapped, shoving her lunch aside and standing up.

"Malia, wait—" Finn started, but she threw a hand up as she walked away.

"Don't you dare follow me," she warned.

Finn sighed, watching her go before slumping back into his seat. Erica nudged him gently. "Doesn't look like 'nothing,' does it?" she said, her voice softer than Malia's had been.

Finn shook his head and gave a weak smile. "I know. I just… I can't talk about it right now."

"Maybe not with us," Erica said, "but you should talk to someone. Keeping stuff bottled up only makes it worse, trust me."

He nodded, poked at his sandwich, then shoved it back into his bag untouched.

Practice rolled around after school, but Finn hadn't seen Malia since lunch. The thought of her disappearing gnawed at him. As he geared up in the locker room, he heard familiar voices.

Scott and Stiles hovered nearby, leaning against the lockers.

"What do you want?" Finn asked without looking at them, tightening his shoulder pads.

"You said you'd talk," Stiles replied.

Finn sighed. "And I'm telling you, I don't know how I can help you."

Scott scoffed, crossing his arms. "I told you he's useless."

Finn stood, his jaw tightening. "Funny, I don't remember being useless when I dealt with Peter for you guys. How many times have I saved your sorry ass, Scott?"

Scott's face darkened, his anger barely restrained. Finn took a step closer, meeting his glare head-on. "If you've got something to say to me," Finn said coolly, "say it to my face. Pussy-ass bitch."

Scott snapped, throwing a punch. But Finn was quicker. He sidestepped the swing, caught Scott's wrist, and shoved him hard into the lockers. The crash echoed through the room as Stiles jumped back, wide-eyed.

"I was going to help you," Finn hissed, leaning in close, "but now you can go kick rocks to hell."

"What's going on in here?"

Coach stormed in, his whistle swinging around his neck. He looked between Finn and Scott, still locked in their standoff. "Knock it off, you supermodels! We've got a match coming up, and I can't afford to lose my captain!"

Finn released Scott and took a step back, brushing himself off. "It's fine, Coach. He couldn't hurt me even if he tried."

The corner of Coach's mouth twitched like he was trying not to laugh. "Get your asses to the field. Now."

As Finn left, he felt Scott's burning glare on his back.

Practice came and went, but Malia never showed. Finn waited by his car in the parking lot, glancing at the time every few minutes. The sun was already sinking below the horizon when he spotted Allison walking by.

She caught his eye and hesitated, giving him a small wave. He returned it, but neither made a move to speak. They hadn't really talked since her aunt had died. Time—and silence—had driven a wedge between them.

Just as she was about to get into her car, she stopped. "Are you waiting for someone?" she asked, her voice tentative.

"Yeah," Finn replied.

Allison nodded, lingered like she wanted to say more, but finally got into her car and drove off.

After another half hour of waiting, Finn's phone buzzed.

"Finn," his mom said when he answered, "why aren't you home yet? It's late."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I was waiting for Malia. She hasn't come out yet."

His mom's confusion was immediate. "Malia? She's already at home. Where are you?"

Finn stared at the dashboard, his frustration bubbling over. "I'll be home in a minute."

--———————————————————————————————————

Later that night, Finn climbed onto the roof, lighting a cigarette with a shaky hand. The day had been a mess, and the first drag hit like a lifeline. He leaned back, staring up at the clouded sky. No stars tonight, but even the blank expanse was calming in its own way.

"What the hell am I doing?" he muttered to himself.

The sound of footsteps on the roof made him turn. A familiar scent hit his nose just before he saw her.

"How do you always know?" Allison asked, tilting her head.

Finn smirked, pointing at his ears. "Good hearing."

She sat down next to him, both of them staring out at the night.

"Been a while since we sat here," Allison said.

"Yeah."

"It's awkward, isn't it?"

"Yup."

They both laughed softly, the tension easing just a little.

"I'm sorry," Finn said after a moment. "I should've tried harder. I was a bad friend."

Tears welled in Allison's eyes, but she smiled. "I was worse. At least you tried. I just… pushed you away."

Finn tossed his cigarette aside and pulled her into a hug. "We're both shitty friends."

She laughed, swiping at her tears. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too."

Her smirk returned. "Liar. You were too busy with your cousin. I hear you really love your cousin."

Finn groaned. "She's not my cousin. She's my mom's friend's daughter."

Allison raised an eyebrow. "You didn't deny the love part."

"You're the worst."

"And you're the most complicated person I know," Allison shot back. "What's the problem?"

Finn hesitated, then admitted, "I let her down. She asked me not to do something, and I took some time to stop. I didn't realize how much it hurt her."

Allison nodded thoughtfully. "Don't wait, Finn. Don't wait to tell the truth, to apologize, to fix things. You might not get the chance."

As she stood, brushing off her jeans, she added with a grin, "Anyway, I'm late for a date with Lydia. See you tomorrow."

Inspired by Allison's words, Finn knocked on Malia's door. Malia was in her room, headphones on, scribbling something in a notebook. She didn't even look up when Finn knocked on the door.

"Busy," she said flatly.

"I know. I just need five minutes."

She sighed loudly but got up and opened the door. "What?"

"Can I come in? I don't want Mom hearing this."

Malia stepped aside, arms crossed, and waited as Finn sat on the edge of her bed.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Her expression didn't soften. "Do you even know what you're sorry for?"

"Yes," Finn said, meeting her gaze. "It's because… I know what happens when you get dragged into someone else's mess. When I helped Scott and Stiles with Peter, he kidnapped you. I should've been smarter. Should've protected you better."

Malia's arms slowly dropped to her sides. She sat down next to him, her voice softer now. "I don't want you to get hurt. Everyone looks to you to fix things, but they don't think about what it could cost you... We live right next to a bunch of hunters."

Finn nodded. "I know."

He reached for her hand, squeezing it lightly. "That's why I told Scott to shove it. We're not getting involved this time... I promise."

A smile broke through Malia's guarded expression, and she hugged him tightly. But the moment didn't last long.

Unexpectedly she nibbled on his neck and Finn yelped and looked at her, "What was that for?"

"What were you doing with Allison?" she asked, pulling back.

Finn groaned, running a hand over his face as she looked over him with her eyes filled with mischief.