Chapter 215: A New Threat

Chapter 215: Chapter 215: A New Threat

The credits rolled across the screen, bathing the darkened theater in soft light. Jacob stirred against Lydia’s shoulder, blinking sleep from his eyes as the theater lights came up. He stretched, his joints popping pleasantly, and yawned.

"Did you enjoy your nap?" Lydia asked dryly, though the corner of her mouth twitched with amusement.

"I enjoyed spending time with you," Jacob countered smoothly. "The movie was just... background noise."

Lydia rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she stood and gathered her things. "Come on, sleepyhead. We have dinner plans."

Outside the theater, the evening air was cool and pleasant. Jacob stretched again. "So, where should we go for dinner?"

Lydia said, "To my mom’s. She was the one who asked me to invite you for dinner, so I thought we’d go on a date before we head to her house."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?"

Lydia shrugged, though her expression was thoughtful. "Yeah. She said Noah was looking for you because of a case."

Jacob’s eyes narrowed slightly. "A case? What kind of case?"

"She didn’t say." Lydia laced her fingers through his. "We can find out after we eat. Mom made lasagna."

Jacob’s stomach growled. "Then let’s go. I’m starving."

They walked to his Camaro. Jacob opened the door for Lydia, then slid into the driver’s seat. The engine purred to life, and they drove through the familiar streets of Beacon Hills toward Natalie’s house.

---

Natalie’s House — After Dinner

The remnants of dinner—lasagna and garlic bread—still lingered in the air when they moved to the living room. The meal had been warm and comfortable, filled with easy conversation and laughter.

Jacob sat on the couch with Lydia curled against his side. Across from them, Noah leaned back in his armchair, loosening his tie with a tired sigh. Natalie sat beside him, her hand resting on his knee.

"So," Jacob said, breaking the comfortable silence, "what case do you need my help with?"

Noah let out a tired breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "People are going missing."

"Missing people? Why didn’t you tell us yesterday?" Jacob asked.

Noah shook his head. "I didn’t tell you because—well, we get reports like that all the time. Tourists wander into the Preserve. Teenagers sneak out. Spouses have fights and disappear for a night. Usually they turn up."

"Usually," Lydia repeated. "What changed?"

Noah met her eyes, and something grim settled in his expression. "We found two of the missing people dead this morning."

Jacob asked, "How did they die?"

Noah said, "They were missing their organs. Their brains and blood were gone too. The coroner said it looked like someone drained them. Surgical, almost. But not clean. There were puncture wounds on their necks—on the carotid arteries—and on their skulls."

"So a bloodthirsty supernatural creature is in town again," Jacob said flatly.

Lydia sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples. "Great. Because we haven’t had enough of those."

Noah nodded grimly. "I used the bestiary app, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it is. There are too many creatures that feed on humans and drink blood. I went through three pages of results before I gave up."

"Did you ask Cogman for help?" Jacob asked.

"No, not yet." Noah shook his head. "We don’t have any surveillance footage for him to work with. All the people who went missing disappeared in the woods and on the roads near the preserve. No cameras, no witnesses. The only thing we have is a clue from the people who found one of the victim’s car."

"What kind of clue?" Lydia leaned forward, her interest piqued.

Noah’s expression darkened. "They said they heard a scream."

Jacob frowned. "A scream? People scream in the woods all the time. Coyotes, teenagers—"

"No," Noah cut him off. "They said it was a sharp, terrifying scream that paralyzed them with fear. They fell to the ground and couldn’t move. Couldn’t control their own bodies. They said the scream echoed in all directions—they couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Once they could move again, they ran. Found the car crashed into a tree, empty, with no one inside. They didn’t stay to look around. They ran straight to town and called it in."

Lydia thought for a moment and said, "I’m eighty percent sure what that creature is. But I could be wrong."

Noah sat up straighter. "Tell me."

"I was reading the bestiary recently," Lydia said. "I was looking for creatures similar to banshees—things that scream, things that use sound as a weapon. And I came across something called a Capelobo."

Natalie’s brow furrowed. "What’s a Capelobo?"

Lydia’s expression was grim. "It’s a shapeshifter from Brazilian mythology, a nocturnal predator. It hunts humans and feeds on them—specifically, it feeds on blood and brains."

Natalie’s face paled. "Brains?"

"It uses a tubular snout, like an anteater, to pierce the skull and suck out the brain matter," Lydia continued. "It also drinks blood. But that’s not the main thing." She looked at Noah. "It has a scream. A paralyzing scream. It uses it to disorient and freeze its prey before it attacks. The scream echoes in all directions so you can’t find it. That matches exactly what your witnesses described."

Noah’s jaw tightened. "So why are you not sure it’s a Capelobo?"

Lydia’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "The Capelobo feeds on brains and blood. But you said the victims are missing their organs too. Capelobos don’t harvest organs. They drink the blood, eat the brain, and leave the rest. The organ harvesting—that’s something else. That’s why I’m only eighty percent sure."

Noah’s expression darkened further. "So we might be dealing with something else. Or more than one thing."

Jacob spoke up, his voice thoughtful. "Or the Capelobo is feeding on what it needs and selling the rest."

Noah’s eyes widened. "Selling?"

"Black market organ trade is a thing in the supernatural world," Jacob said. "Human organs have value. Some creatures use human parts for rituals, potions, food, and all kinds of things."

Natalie shuddered. "That’s disgusting."

"Welcome to the supernatural world," Jacob said dryly.

Noah’s expression was grim. "Either way, we need to find whoever is responsible for hunting and feeding on people in town. We already have twelve missing, not counting the two dead victims we found this morning."

Jacob reached into his pocket dimension and pulled out Jack Sparrow’s compass. He held it in his palm, focusing his thoughts on finding the creature responsible for kidnapping and killing people in town. The needle spun wildly, refusing to settle on any direction.

He frowned. "It didn’t work."

Natalie leaned forward. "What didn’t work?"

Jacob held up the compass. "This compass shows me what I want most when I hold it. I focused on finding the creature that’s killing people, but it just keeps spinning."

Lydia’s brow furrowed. "Maybe the creature is hiding behind a supernatural barrier. Or maybe there is more than one person killing people in town. Or maybe when you want it to find a person, you need to know their name."

Jacob stored the compass back in his pocket dimension. "Then let’s do it the old-fashioned way."

He stood up. "Noah, take me to where you found the abandoned cars. And where you found the bodies. I’ll call Malia—if we can catch a scent, we can track whatever this thing is."

Noah rose as well, grabbing his jacket. "Okay, let’s go. The sooner we find that thing, the better."

Lydia was already on her feet, her hand slipping into Jacob’s. "I’m coming with you."

"Natalie—" Noah started.

"Go," she said firmly, her eyes meeting his. "Find whatever is doing this. Just come back safe. All of you."

Noah kissed her. "Alright. See you later."

The three of them left the house and climbed into Noah’s cruiser.

---

The cruiser’s headlights cut through the darkness as Noah drove them down the winding road that bordered the Beacon Hills Preserve. The trees pressed close on either side, their branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, and the only light came from the police cruiser and the occasional flash of fireflies.

Lydia stared out the window, her expression contemplative. "It’s weird," she murmured.

Jacob glanced at her. "What’s weird?"

Lydia gestured to the glowing insects dancing in the darkness. "The fireflies. They’re not supposed to glow as adults here. California fireflies aren’t bioluminescent. Only their larvae glow, and the adult flightless females of one specific species, the pink glow-worm. But these..." She trailed off, watching a particularly bright one drift past the window. "These are something else."

Jacob’s eyes narrowed. "Maybe they evolved or came from elsewhere." He paused. "Haven’t you noticed something about the supernatural energy in this town?"

Lydia’s brow furrowed. "I’ve noticed it’s getting stronger. Not just me—Allison and Malia too. Especially Melissa. She said the supernatural energy is growing stronger by the day." She paused. "But we all thought it was us—that we were just becoming more sensitive to it. Not that the energy itself was increasing."

Jacob shook his head. "No. It’s definitely getting stronger. And it might have something to do with us."

Lydia asked, "What do you mean?"

Jacob’s voice was thoughtful. "The Nemeton is a beacon of supernatural energy. It’s always been there, sleeping in the woods. We’ve been living right next to it, and we’re powerful supernatural creatures. You, me, Allison, Malia, Melissa, Scott, Derek and his pack, and Satomi and her pack—our presence feeds it. It’s like watering a plant. The more power we radiate, the more the Nemeton absorbs."

He continued, his voice growing more serious. "And when we killed that yeti-like demon in the woods, its energy didn’t just disappear. It had to go somewhere. The Nemeton probably absorbed it—drank it up like a starving animal. That surge of power made it stronger. And now it’s producing more supernatural energy than ever before."

Lydia’s eyes widened. "So the Nemeton is waking up?"

Jacob nodded. "I think so. And as it grows stronger, the supernatural energy in Beacon Hills will keep increasing. More strange things will happen. More creatures will be drawn here. More people might even develop powers."

Noah grumbled from the driver’s seat. "Great. That’s just what I need."

Jacob said, "We should go check on the Nemeton once we’re done hunting whatever is killing people in town."

His gaze drifted back to the glowing fireflies, and he thought, ’Those fireflies... if I remember correctly, they came to Beacon Hills when Jennifer and the Alpha Pack arrived.’ He smirked. ’It seems I’m going to meet Cora soon. I don’t know if the Alpha Pack has caught her yet or not, but she’ll be fine even if they do catch her. I’ll wait until Derek calls when his betas go missing. Then I’ll go rescue her.’

---

Noah pulled over near a cluster of police tape that fluttered in the night breeze. A twisted sedan sat off the road, its front end crumpled against a thick oak tree. The driver’s door hung open, revealing an empty interior.

"This is the car of one of the missing victims," Noah said, stopping the engine. "The body wasn’t in it. We found the victim about half a mile deeper in the woods."

Jacob opened his door and stepped out, the cool night air hitting his face. He inhaled deeply, letting his senses expand—and immediately regretted it.

An intensely pungent stench hit him like a physical blow. He doubled over, coughing, his eyes watering. "Disgusting," he gasped.

He moved to the side, pulling a bottle of water from his pocket dimension and rinsing his nose. Then he took a bra from his pocket dimension and put it over his face like a mask, breathing through it.

Lydia came around the cruiser and stood beside him. "Oh, I just remembered," she said. "The bestiary says the Capelobo has an overwhelmingly foul stink when they shift."

Jacob glared at her. "It’s too late to tell me that now."

Lydia wrinkled her nose apologetically. "Sorry, I forgot. But at least we know now that it’s definitely a Capelobo we’re dealing with." She looked at the bra on his face and raised an eyebrow. "That’s Melissa’s. Why do you have it, you pervert?"

Jacob took a deep breath through the fabric. The familiar scent of Melissa—petrichor, that earthy fragrance of rain on dry soil, mixed with blooming jasmine—calmed his stomach. "Because Melissa smells so good, and I’m glad I kept this with me. Otherwise, I might have lost my sense of smell just now."

Lydia smirked. "Scott would have had a stroke if he were here."

Jacob ignored her and disappeared. He returned moments later with Malia and Kitty.

"Lydia, explain to them what’s going on," he said, moving aside to continue breathing through the bra.

Lydia quickly briefed Malia and Kitty on the Capelobo, its feeding habits, and its paralyzing scream. Malia’s eyes glinted with predatory interest.

She approached the crashed car to catch the scent. Lydia called out a warning: "Be careful. It stinks."

Malia didn’t take it to heart. She took a deep breath and immediately started coughing violently. She ran to Jacob, snatched the bra from his face, and pressed it to her own. She took several deep breaths before turning to him.

"Now I know why you were wearing Melissa’s bra on your face," she said, her voice slightly muffled. "I thought it was just one of your weird habits." She took another deep breath. "By the way, I’m keeping this."

Jacob shrugged. "Keep it. I have more."

Noah cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem. Can we go now to the location where we found the body?"

"No need," Jacob said, a cold smile spreading across his face. "We already caught the scent of that disgusting thing." His eyes glittered with malice. "When we find that smelly bastard, I’m not going to kill him. I’ll call Cogman to do it."

Malia’s smile matched his. "Then let’s go hunting."

---

Meanwhile, deep in the Preserve...

Hidden in the side of a hill near a river, deep within the Beacon Hills Preserve, a cave existed where no cave should have been.

The cave smelled of wet earth and copper.

Jennifer stood near the entrance, her arms crossed, trying to keep her breathing steady. The walls around her were a strange fusion of wood and stone—roots twisted through rock as if they had grown together over centuries, though Jennifer knew this place had only existed for a few days.

At the center of the cave, a rough-made table dominated the space. It was slick with blood that dripped slowly onto the earthen floor, pooling in dark patches that glistened in the dim light cast by glowing fungi embedded in the walls.

On the table lay a man. He was still twitching.

Jennifer forced herself not to look away. She had seen death before—she had caused it herself. But this was different. This was a meal.

A woman sat at the table, her back to Jennifer. She was tall and powerfully built, with broad shoulders and a frame that suggested immense strength beneath her deceptively graceful form. Her skin was the color of rich earth, smooth and unblemished, and her long black hair fell in waves past her waist. She moved with a predatory elegance, her fingers curling around a glistening organ she had just extracted from the man’s open chest cavity.

She lifted it to her lips and took a bite. ℴℴ𝘮

The crunch was wet and obscene in the silence of the cave.

Jennifer swallowed hard. The woman chewed slowly, savoring the taste, her eyes half-closed in pleasure. Blood dripped down her chin, staining her full lips, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand in a casual gesture.

She was beautiful. Strikingly, dangerously beautiful. She looked to be in her early thirties, with high cheekbones and a face that could have belonged on a magazine cover. But there was something behind her dark eyes—something ancient and wild that had no patience for the niceties of human society.

Jennifer had made a mistake bringing her here. She knew that now.

"Rhiannon," Jennifer said carefully, testing the name like it might bite her. The woman had chosen it herself when Jennifer had asked what to call her. "We had a deal. I bring you to a place with a Nemeton, and you help me get my revenge. I’ve already fulfilled my part. So can you help me kill Deucalion and his pack now? He’s already arrived in town."

Rhiannon took another bite of the liver, chewed slowly, and swallowed before responding. "Not yet."

Jennifer’s jaw tightened. "What are we waiting for?"

"The Nemeton in this town is too powerful." Rhiannon’s voice was low and smooth. "That means whoever is guarding this town is very powerful. We can’t make a move until we know what we’re dealing with."

Jennifer stepped forward, her frustration building. "There are only two Alpha werewolves in this town—Derek Hale and Satomi. Neither of them is a threat to you and your people. And there’s a potential True Alpha, but he’s just a teenager and he’s not even an Alpha yet."

Rhiannon shook her head slowly, her dark hair swaying. "No. My intuition tells me there is something else in this town. Something dangerous."

Jennifer’s voice rose slightly. "What could possibly be more dangerous and powerful than you?"

The air in the cave changed.

Rhiannon’s eyes snapped to Jennifer, and they were no longer dark. They blazed a deep, fiery red. The temperature in the cave dropped, and the glowing fungi on the walls flickered as if caught in a sudden wind.

"That’s enough, Jennifer." Rhiannon’s voice was barely above a whisper, but it cut through the air like a blade. "You are ruining my meal."

Jennifer froze. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and she felt a cold sweat break out on her palms. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Those red eyes held her in place like a rabbit caught in a snare, and she understood with absolute clarity that she had pushed too far.

She lowered her gaze and took a step back, her mouth suddenly dry.

Rhiannon’s eyes lingered on her for a moment longer—a warning, clear and unmistakable—before she turned back to her meal.

Jennifer sighed in relief.

Just then, the entrance of the cave shifted. Two men ducked through the opening, their clothes damp and mud-splattered. They were both tall and broad-shouldered, with sharp features and eyes that darted nervously around the space.

Rhiannon straightened, her red eyes still glowing as she fixed them on the newcomers. "What did you two do?"

One of the men, the taller of the two, swallowed hard. "Nothing."

Rhiannon’s eyes narrowed. "I can tell that you fed outside. Don’t bother denying it." Her voice was calm, almost pleasant, which made it all the more terrifying. "Where is the body?"

The second man shifted his weight, his gaze dropping to the floor. "We left them in the woods."

A low growl rumbled from Rhiannon’s throat. In a flash, she crossed the cave, her hand closing around both men’s throats. She lifted them off their feet as if they weighed nothing, her red eyes boring into theirs.

"You damn idiots," she hissed.

She released them, and they crumpled to the ground, gasping. Rhiannon raised her hand, and from her palm sprouted two small mushrooms. They glowed with a pale, ethereal light, pulsing gently like tiny hearts. She held them out to the two men.

"Eat these," she commanded. "They will protect your minds from being read. Then go kill whoever is probably following your scent."

The taller man shook his head frantically. "No one is following us. We fed on those two people yesterday and walked around the woods. We went to town. We even swam in a river to mask our scent."

Rhiannon’s expression didn’t change. "We have to be sure." She pressed the mushrooms into their hands. "So you two idiots will stay in the woods. If someone comes looking for you, kill them or die trying. If you survive, wait for me until I find you." She gestured to the glowing fungi in their hands. "Now eat."

The two men exchanged a desperate glance, then raised the mushrooms to their lips and swallowed. Their faces contorted briefly, as if the taste was unpleasant, but they forced them down.

Rhiannon nodded, her eyes fading back to their dark, unremarkable color. "Now go far away from this place and wait to see if someone was following you."

The two men didn’t hesitate. They scrambled to their feet and disappeared through the entrance without another word.

Rhiannon turned back to the table, surveying the half-eaten corpse with something like disgust. "We’re leaving," she announced.

Jennifer blinked. "Why?"

"Someone is definitely following the scent of those two idiots." Rhiannon wiped her hands on a cloth, her movements brisk and efficient. "I don’t want anyone knowing we’re here yet. Not until we figure out who the guardian of the Nemeton is in this town. So from now on—no more hunting until I say so."

She raised her hand, and a section of the cave wall dissolved, revealing a dark tunnel. Its entrance descended into the earth before leveling into a straight horizontal passage. The walls were smooth, as if carved by water over centuries. Stone stairs formed at the entrance, leading downward.

"Everyone," Rhiannon called, her voice carrying through the cave. "Bring the livestock and follow me."

From the shadows emerged four women. They moved silently, their faces expressionless, their eyes fixed on Rhiannon with an almost reverent devotion. Behind them came several men, herding a small group of humans—the "livestock." The captives were still alive, Jennifer noted with a chill, but their eyes were glassy and unfocused, their bodies swaying as if in a trance. One of the men carried the half-eaten corpse from the table, handling it with detached efficiency.

Rhiannon descended into the tunnel without looking back. The four women followed, and then the men with their captives.

Jennifer hesitated for just a moment, staring into the darkness of the tunnel. She had started this. She had brought Rhiannon to Beacon Hills, thinking she could use her to get her revenge, thinking she could gain powers from her.

But she realized after they arrived in Beacon Hills that she had been a fool. Rhiannon was too powerful and too dangerous. She would end Jennifer’s life if she said the wrong thing.

Jennifer sighed and stepped into the tunnel. The earth closed behind her. The cave collapsed in on itself, the wood and stone melding back into the forest floor as if it had never existed.

To be continued... 😊

if you like this story and want to support me please go to:

patreon*com/Ayoub_AMZ926

40 Chapters ahead of webnovel