Noel is first seen at school walking down the hall with Scott and Stiles. He listens to them talk and, as usual, doesn't contribute much. Even after all they've been through, he still feels like he is intruding on their friendship even though the two of them seem to always drag him into things nowadays (including their friendship) instead of him putting himself in.

He is getting things out of his locker next to Stiles as the two discuss how good things are between Scott and Allison, laughing when appropriate. When the chain falls out of Stiles' locker, Noel has to cover his mouth to keep from laughing too hard. Noel watches as the coach walks over and then walks away, helping Stiles gather up the chain as Scott's eyes start to glow.

When Scott says there's another werewolf in the locker room, Noel tenses. He already knows about Isaac, and is under specific orders from Derek not to mention it to Scott and Stiles yet. He tries to act as nonchalant as possible.

—

Noel sits on the bench with Scott and Stiles and looks around, pretending he has no idea who the werewolf on the team is. When Stiles gets up and walks away, Noel says "Are there any specific scents you're picking up on him? Something like a cologne, or shampoo, maybe paints if he's artsy or chemicals if he likes science? Anything we can use to help us place him?" Scott shakes his head, saying "It just sort of jumped out at me. I'm not catching much of it now, but it's here. Pretty distinct werewolf smell."

Stiles is then shown crossing in front of Matt and Jackson and they have their conversation.

Noel is just as confused as Scott when Stiles tells him he'll be playing goalie at practice that day, and when Stiles says that's his plan, he finally catches on. He stands in the lineup behind Isaac, and when the boy's breathing becomes labored, Noel puts a hand on his shoulder. This causes Isaac's growling to quiet, but not stop. Stiles notices Noel's hand before he notices Isaac panting, and looks confused until he recognizes why Isaac is panting like that in the first place.

Noel stands there in total silence as Scott and Stiles discuss putting Isaac in the holding cell in police custody on the full moon. As he watches them take Isaac away and Isaac looks back, he shoots him a sympathetic yet encouraging smile.

—

In chemistry, Noel is not sitting with Scott and Stiles. He actually isn't in class at all. Scott asks "Why would Derek choose Isaac?" to which Stiles replies "Better question, why would Derek choose Isaac, tell Noel, and then Noel doesn't tell us."

"What makes you think Noel knew?" Scott asks, and Stiles explains, "On the field, before Isaac did his drill with you, he was breathing hard. I could basically hear him growling, it wasn't subtle at all, so Noel had to have heard it too. The proper response to a werewolf growling is to shy away, but Noel put his freaking hand on Isaac's shoulder. He was trying to calm him down."

"So? He realized Isaac was the one. I would have done the same thing," Scott said, trying to defend Noel. Stiles sighs and says "That's not the point. You would have done it because it's part of some werewolf code. Noel's human, he could have gotten hurt." Stiles pauses before continuing "Plus... It worked. He didn't stop growling, but he shut up a bit when Noel touched him. Must have something to do with the fact that Noel's dating Isaac's alpha. Point is, they knew each other. Noel knew he was the werewolf, and he didn't tell us."

"How about we stop accusing Noel of treason and focus on Isaac, and why Derek bit him in the first place," Scott says, not wanting to throw his friend under the bus that easily. Stiles then says "Well, Noel told me that Peter said if the bite doesn't turn you it can kill you. Maybe teenagers have a better chance of surviving."

"Doesn't being a teenager mean your dad can't hold him?" Scott asks, and Stiles replies "Not unless they have solid evidence. Or a witness. Wait..." He then turns around to look for Jackson, and when he doesn't see him, Stiles asks Danny where he is.
"He's in the principal's office with Noel, talking to your dad," Danny replies. When Stiles asks him why, Danny says in an irritated and patronizing tone "Maybe because they live across the street from Isaac?"

Stiles turns back to Scott, who says "Explains why Noel felt comfortable enough to try and calm Isaac down on the field."

"That's not important anymore, what's important is that we have an even closer witness than we thought. We have to get to the principal's office," Stiles says as Harris tells them to open their textbooks. Stiles or Scott throws the paper at Harris's head, and they both get sent to the principal. They sit outside and eavesdrop as Noel, Jackson, and the sheriff have their talk.

—

"So you're telling me you two knew Isaac's father was hitting him?" the sheriff asks them, and before Noel can say that he didn't (which was the truth until the night Isaac was bitten) Jackson says his line.

"Hitting him? He was kicking the crap out of him." The sheriff looks at Noel, who looks just as shocked as the sheriff at Jackson's revelation that he knew.

"Did you ever say anything to anyone? A teacher, parents, anyone?" the sheriff asks, Jackson pretending to think about it before shaking his head. "Nope. It's not my problem."

Noel looks disgusted, asking "You didn't even think to tell me?"

"I don't tell you anything," is Jackson's snarky response, which makes Noel groan in frustration and lean away from his cousin.

The sheriff sighs and says "No, of course it's not your problem, Jackson." Noel looks surprised until the sheriff goes on to say "You know, it's funny that the kids getting beaten up are always the ones who least deserve it." He glances at Noel, then at Jackson with raised eyebrows, and Noel is happy that the man is both aware of his struggles with his cousin physically bullying him AND wishing Jackson could get a taste of his own medicine. Jackson, however, doesn't get the hint.

"Yeah... Wait, what?" he asks, and the sheriff says "I think we're done here."

—

When Scott runs out of the school only to find Isaac being taken away in a patrol car, Derek pulls up and tells Scott to get in the car. They have their conversation, and after Derek says "Whatever Jackson told the cops, the house is worse. A LOT worse." He then opens the car door and Scott gets in.

As Derek drives away with Scott, Noel steps out of the school and sees Derek's car speeding away, his eyebrows knitting together. He runs to his own car, getting inside and following Derek and Scott.

—

Inside Isaac's house, Noel is standing beside Derek. "You shouldn't have followed us," Derek says to him in a hushed voice, as if Scott can't hear him when he's a foot away.

"You shouldn't have decided to do an investigation like this without me," Noel counters, grabbing Derek's hand. Derek closes his eyes, an expression of slight exasperation passing over his face before he gently squeezes Noel's hand.

"Hey, lovebirds, on task please," Scott says over his shoulder at them as Noel uses his free hand to look around the house as well.

"If Isaac didn't kill his father, who did?" Scott asks, Derek replying "I don't know yet."

"Then how do we know he's telling the truth?" Noel asks, and Derek says "Because I trust my senses. And it's a combination of them, not just your sense of smell."

Noel sucks his lips in to prevent a smile, and Scott asks "You saw the lacrosse thing today?"

"Yeah," Derek replies. Scott asks "Did it look that bad?" Derek reaches up his arm that isn't holding Noel's hand, wraps it around Scott, and repeats "Yeah."

—

Back at the Lahey's house after the scene at the Argent's, Derek tells Scott as he opens the basement door "You wanna learn? Start now."

"What's he gonna find down there?" Noel asks, no longer holding Derek's hand, just standing there with his arms wrapped around himself. "Motive," Derek replies.

"What am I looking for?" Scott asks, and Derek says in return "Follow your senses."

"What happened down here?" Scott asks in what sounds like fear, Derek replying "The kind of thing that leaves an impression."

When Scott finds the lock on the freezer and Derek suddenly appears, Scott jumps. "Open it," Derek demands, Scott looking at Noel as he takes a few steps closer out of the darkness. Noel nods, knowing what the freezer had been used for.

"This is why he said yes to you," Scott says as we return to the Lahey's after Stiles and Allison's scene. "Everybody wants power," Derek says in response, Noel looking a bit uneasy.

"If we help you, you have to stop. You can't just go around turning people into werewolves," Scott says. "I can if they're willing," Derek retorts, and Noel takes a step back from the conversation.

"Did you even tell Isaac about the Argents? About being hunted?" Scott asks.

"Yes," Derek answers, "and he still asked."

"Then he's an idiot!" Scott says, Noel shrinking back even more before showing himself out of the basement.

"And you're the idiot dating Argent's daughter!" is Derek's next line, which follows Noel up the stairs and out of the house. When he's outside his phone buzzes, and he sees a text from Stiles on the screen. "Get to my place NOW" it reads, and Noel doesn't hesitate before running across the street and into his house. We go back to Scott and Derek in the basement, still discussing Isaac and the Argents.

—

While Jackson is setting up the video camera and checking himself out in the mirror, Noel knocks twice and pokes his head in the door. "Jax, have you seen my-" he cuts himself off when he sees Jackson admiring his reflection, Jackson turning and looking at him with a pissed off expression. Before Jackson can say anything, Noel says quickly "I was just wondering if you'd seen my keys. I don't remember where I left them when I got home today."

Jackson slowly struts across the room to Noel, leaning against the doorway where Noel is standing. "One, don't call me Jax. Two, don't call this your home. Three, if you're about to run off with Hale or McCall or Stilinski, don't. And four, fruit bowl in the dining room. Where you always lose them."

Noel nods and moves to walk away, but Jackson grabs his shirt collar and pulls him back to where he was. When Noel is stood in the same spot, Jackson uses a hand to grab his cousin's face and forcefully shove him out of the room just for the satisfaction.

Noel spins around to try and catch himself on the wall across from Jackson's room, but instead he slams into it face first, hitting a framed picture of his cousin from elementary school. He turns his head to look back at Jackson's door and reveals two small cuts on his right cheek, putting a hand over them and looking at the blood on his fingers before rushing downstairs. We then go back to Jackson, who finishes his scene as if he was never interrupted.

—

After Allison shoots her arrow and hits the hunter in the thigh, she gets a call from Stiles and Noel, who are both in the jeep.

"Did you slow him down?" Stiles asks her, and she responds "You could say that."

"Alright, well, I'm headed to the station right now with Noel," Stiles says, Allison asking "Where's Scott?"

"At Isaac's, with Derek. I was just there," Noel responds, holding a scrap of cloth up to his wounded cheek. Allison asks "Well, do they have a plan?"

"Not a good one. But we don't have time to think of a better one," he says and Stiles hangs up. The same visual effect is used as in the show, the full moon reflecting off Stiles' windshield. But the implication is made stronger by the fact that the moon sits perfectly over Noel's face, and he looks up at it with fear in his eyes before the scene cuts to Allison at the Lahey's house.

—

When the jeep pulls up to the sheriff's station, Noel has moved to the backseat of the jeep and Derek sits in the front. Stiles gives Derek and Noel a rundown on how they'll be breaking Isaac out, and Derek volunteers to distract the deputy at the front desk. Stiles and Noel both pull him back to sit down, and Noel says "No, hey, you can't go in there!"

Derek looks back at Noel, then looks down at Stiles' hand on his jacket, looking at Stiles, looking back down at Stiles' hand, and back at Stiles. Stiles sits there for a second and says "Okay, I'm taking my hand off."

"I was exonerated," Derek says, to which Stiles replies "But you're still a person of interest." Noel nods in agreement with Stiles before Derek says "An innocent person."

"You? Yeah, right!" Derek gives Stiles a look, and Stiles says after a sigh "Okay, fine, what's your plan?" Noel looks outraged, but he is ignored by Derek and Stiles.

"To distract her," Derek says, and Noel asks "Exactly how do you plan to do that?"

"Don't be an overprotective boyfriend, I'm going to talk to her," Derek says to Noel, Noel smirking. "Oh, who's using the B-word now?"

"Stop having domestic disputes in my car, oh my God," Stiles says and turns to Derek. "Give me a sample, what are you gonna open with? Punching her in the face maybe?"

Derek stays silent, Stiles sighing. "Dead silence. That should work beautifully. Any other ideas?"

"I'm thinking about punching you in the face," Derek replies, Stiles looking offended as Noel laughs.

—

As Derek strolls into the station, Noel stays back with Stiles. As Derek flirts with the deputy, Noel is very obviously jealous, but Stiles drags him through the lobby and into the back office while Noel keeps an eye on Derek.

As Stiles unlocks the box with the keys and finds them missing, Noel asks in hushed outrage "Where the hell are the keys?!" Stiles mumbles his confusion/worry and pulls Noel into the next room with him.

—

When Stiles and Noel run into the fake deputy and see the arrowhead stuck in his leg, Noel says "We should probably go."

The deputy grabs Noel and Stiles by the backs of their heads, crashing their foreheads together, knocking Noel out and leaving Stiles dazed. He drags them off down the hall, Stiles struggling to both escape and wake Noel up.

—

The hunter has dropped Stiles but is still holding Noel when the fire alarm is pulled and they discover Isaac isn't in his cell any more.

Suddenly Isaac grabs the hunter and takes Noel from him, holding him in one arm and using the other to throw the hunter against the wall. Stiles dashes to hide under the desk, his self-preservation instinct preventing him from helping Noel.

Still holding an unconscious Noel, Isaac breaks the hunter's arm and renders him unconscious as well. When Derek comes in and steps on the syringe that contains the wolfsbane, Isaac turns and looks at Derek. He then looks down at Noel in his arm before turning his attention to Stiles, and he sets Noel down by Derek's feet before moving like he's going to attack Stiles.

Before he can, Derek roars and sends Isaac cowering into the corner. The roar also wakes up Noel, who sits up and looks around, noticing how close to Derek he had ended up.

"How did you do that?" Noel asks with his eyes on Isaac as Derek helps him stand up. Derek looks over his shoulder at Stiles before looking back down at Noel, saying "I'm the alpha."

Stiles wears his same impressed expression, and Noel has one as well as he looks over at Isaac and chews his lip.

—

That as the last time he is seen in the episode, as Noel has left the station with Derek and Isaac when the sheriff walks in and sees Stiles and the hunter's unconscious body.

—

a/n : the manips in this chapter are definitely NOT my best work. hopefully next episode's are better. next episode is quite the special one after all... see you on january 31st. 🌕🐺