The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow around the room. Gabriella stirred slightly but didn't wake, her mind still tangled in the events of the previous day. It wasn't until she felt a gentle nudge at her shoulder that her eyes finally fluttered open.

"Gabby, wake up," Lucas's voice broke through the quiet.

She groaned, burying her face into her pillow. "What time is it?" she mumbled, her voice groggy with sleep.

"It's early, but you've got to get up. My game is today, remember?" Lucas sounded far too awake for this hour. "I told you last night."

Gabriella turned her head to look at him, blinking as her vision adjusted. Lucas was standing by her bedside, fully dressed in his lacrosse gear, a grin on his face that was far too cheerful for this early in the day. She groaned again.

"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, pulling the blanket over her head. "Can't you just let me sleep in for once?"

Lucas chuckled, grabbing the edge of her blanket and tugging it down, revealing her disheveled hair. "Nope. You're coming. You promised, remember?"

Gabriella peeked out from under the blanket, her tired eyes narrowing. "I didn't promise. You just assumed."

"Same thing," Lucas said with a laugh, playfully poking her shoulder. "Besides, you could use some fresh air. It'll be good for you. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Gabriella sighed, knowing she couldn't win this one. "Fine," she grumbled, sitting up slowly. "But if I fall asleep in the stands, it's on you."

Lucas beamed. "Deal."

As she got up and started getting ready, Lucas lingered by the door, waiting for her. "You're gonna love it. I promise. You need something to take your mind off everything, and watching me score will definitely do that."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow as she pulled on a hoodie. "You're that confident, huh?"

Lucas shrugged, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Always."

As they headed out of the house, Gabriella couldn't help but feel a little lighter. Maybe this lacrosse game was exactly what she needed to distract herself from all the chaos. Lucas, with his unwavering positivity, always seemed to know how to pull her out of the darkness, even if it was just by dragging her to a game.

[...]

Gabriella slumped back into her seat, letting out a deep sigh as she surveyed the field and the stands around her.

Her crush, Erica, was seated a few rows ahead, looking completely unbothered.

Her ex, Stiles, sat on the bench with the other lacrosse players, fiddling with his gear but occasionally glancing in her direction.

And then, as if things couldn't get more complicated, she spotted her grandfather, gerard Argent, leaning against the fence with his arms crossed, eyes sharp as ever, watching the game like it was a battlefield.

"So much for taking my mind off things," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head.

It felt like the universe had gathered everyone in her life that caused her stress in one place. She pulled her hoodie tighter around her, trying to shrink into herself, but there was no escaping the mess that had been her life lately.

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the game.

The players rushed onto the field, Lucas among them, full of energy and determination.

Gabriella watched him for a moment, trying to focus on his movements, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Erica and Stiles, and the complicated web she was now caught in.

As Lucas ran across the field, Gabriella forced herself to clap along with the other spectators, though her mind was far from the game.

As she tries to focus on the game she doesn't notice a brunette boy on the sidelines snapping pictures.

Specifically pictures of her.

[...]

As the game progressed, Gabriella tried to focus on Lucas, cheering when he made a good play, but her attention kept drifting. Then, she heard the coach shout, "Stilinski! Where's Stilinski?" The coach was looking around the field, clearly frustrated, but Stiles was nowhere to be seen.

Gabriella's eyes darted around, scanning the benches and the stands. But something else caught her attention—Erica was gone too. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach, and her heart started to race.

She stood up quickly, pushing through the crowd as quietly as possible. "Where are they?" she muttered, weaving her way through the stands and heading towards the exit. Her unease grew with every step, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios.

As she looked around the school she heard sounds coming from the swimming pool.

Gabriella's heart raced as she sprinted toward the swimming pool, the echo of splashing water growing louder with each step. When she reached the entrance, the sight before her stopped her in her tracks.

Erica was unconscious on the floor

Stiles and Derek were struggling in the water, fighting against a monstrous creature that resembled a giant lizard, its scales glistening under the fluorescent lights.

"What the hell" Gabriella murmured under her breath.

"Gabriella, get back!" Stiles yelled, but his voice was barely audible over the creature's growls and the splashes of water.

The creature paused for a moment, its reptilian eyes locking onto Gabriella, and for a split second, she felt a wave of dread wash over her.

Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the monster suddenly turned and bolted out of the pool area through a window.

Gabriella's instincts kicked in as she watched the monster escape through the broken window. She couldn't just stand there. Grabbing a nearby pool float, she hurled it toward Stiles, who was still struggling to keep a paralyzed Derek afloat in the water.

"Stiles! Catch!" Gabriella shouted, her voice steady despite the chaos surrounding them.

Stiles turned just in time, his hands grasping the float as it landed in the water beside him.

He quickly maneuvered it under Derek, stabilizing him. "Can you help me get him out?"

she rushed to the edge of the pool. She crouched down, reaching for Derek pulling him put of the pool as stiles also climbs out.

Derek looked at Gabriella confused " why didn't it go after you"

Gabriella pulled Derek up to the edge of the pool, her heart racing as she helped him out of the water. The adrenaline coursing through her made her feel both alive and terrified. She glanced back toward the shattered window where the creature had vanished.

"I don't know," she replied, breathless. "Maybe it sensed something? Maybe it was just focused on you and Stiles?"

She said as she stood up to go check on Erica leaving the paralyzed Derek with Stiles

she made her way to the edge of the pool. She knelt beside Erica "Erica?" Gabriella whispered, gently shaking her shoulder.

There was no response.

Gabriella sighed before taking out her claws and digging it into Erica's arm knowing it will trigger her healing.

Erica's body jerked awake with a sharp gasp, her eyes wide and filled with confusion. "What the—Gabriella!" She winced as the pain hit her, instinctively pulling away.

"It's okay! Just breathe!" Gabriella said, her voice urgent but calming. "You passed out, and I needed to wake you up."

Erica blinked, trying to process everything. "Why did you do that?" she asked, the shock slowly fading as clarity returned.

"Because you weren't responding, and I couldn't just sit there," Gabriella replied, feeling the weight of the moment. "You scared me."

Erica looked down at her arm, the blood pooling slightly before beginning to heal rapidly. "You know this is insane, right?"

"Insane or not, it worked," Gabriella said, relieved to see Erica starting to regain her color.

Erica sighed before looking around seeing the broken glass and the paralyzed alpha " what the hell was that thing"

"It a kanima" Gabriella sighed helping Erica up

"A kanima?" stiles echoed, still processing what had just happened. "What the hell is a kanima?"

"It's a shape shifter with a reptile-like form... I don't know much about them I only know what my dad told me about them" Gabriella explained quickly, glancing over her shoulder at Stiles, who was still trying to help Derek.

"But what I do know that it's venom leaves you temporarily paralyzed...guess that's what happened to Derek"

Erica grimaced, still feeling the rush of adrenaline from the chaos. "Great, so Derek's stuck like this because of a stupid lizard monster?"

Gabriella glanced between Stiles and Derek, who was beginning to regain some strength.

"Stupid or not, it's dangerous,"