⠀⠀Scott sighs, a visible struggle playing out on his face as he opens and closes his mouth, searching for the right words. He shakes his head slightly, finally meeting Brietta's gaze with soft, earnest eyes, "I just wanted to make sure you were safe."
⠀⠀Brietta's heart quickens, a flutter that has nothing to do with fear this time. Her eyes soften, meeting Scott's warm gaze. She finds herself momentarily lost in the depth of his brown eyes, noticing flecks of gold she'd never seen before.
⠀⠀"Well," she begins, her voice coming out softer than intended. Clearing her throat, she tries to calm the unfamiliar sensation in her chest with a small, nervous laugh. "I don't think Peter would attack me when I'm with the daughter of a hunter."
⠀⠀Scott's face clouds over, hinting at unspoken worries. Brietta's eyebrows furrow, concern etching her features as she unconsciously leans closer to him.
⠀⠀"Is something else wrong?" she asks gently. Scott purses his lips, a frown deepening the lines of his face as he looks off into the distance. His shoulders tense, and Brietta resists the urge to reach out and comfort him.
⠀⠀"The Argents think Jackson is me—they think he's the second Beta," Scott explains, his voice low and troubled. "When they come after him, I won't be able to protect him." His eyes find Brietta's again, and the pain in them makes her heart ache. "I can't protect anyone."
⠀⠀Brietta frowns, instinctively stepping closer. "You're not a God, Scott," she says softly, her hand hovering near his arm before falling back to her side. "You can't protect everyone."
⠀⠀Scott's gaze intensifies, boring into Brietta's eyes with an emotion she can't quite name. The air seems to thicken around them, making it hard to breathe. "I want to," he whispers.
⠀⠀Brietta feels a warmth spreading through her chest, despite the fact that she knows there's still something else he's not telling her. Before she can ask him what else, she hears Lydia and Allison calling out for her.
⠀⠀"I better go before they start to worry," Brietta mutters, but she doesn't move.
⠀⠀Scott nods slowly, his eyes searching hers, "Just...be careful, okay? If anything, anything, happens, call me."
⠀⠀"I will," Brietta promises, her voice barely a whisper. The intensity of his gaze holds her captive for a moment longer before she finally tears herself away, walking back toward Lydia and Allison.
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Ellington taps his pen against his notepad, rereading the four words he's managed to crack out of the seven: You have to remember. Just getting the fourth word was hard enough; now three three-letter words stand between him and the solution.
⠀⠀"You know," Isaac's voice cuts through Ellington's focus, pulling him out of his trance. Ellington looks up to see Isaac leaning casually against a gravestone in the cemetery they're in. "You've been staring at that notepad like it owes you money for the past twenty minutes."
⠀⠀"That's because I hate it," Ellington chuckles, leaning back against the bench he's sitting on.
⠀⠀"Anything I can help with?" Isaac asks, his eyes shining with hope at the prospect of being able to help. Ellington hesitates, glancing down at the notepad and then back at Isaac with a flicker of doubt. Brietta had said she wasn't sure if this was Werewolf-related, so there's a chance it's nothing—but there's also a chance it's something. And if it is something, Ellington knows he'd be dragging Isaac into a mess neither of them fully understands.