Pretenders

THREE

    CHAPTER THREE
( THE BROTHER )

  EVERYONE MEETS UP AT ALEX AND THEO'S HOUSE. Scott and Stiles agreed to keep an eye on Alex. The group head out to the woods.
  While walking, Alex notices a mark on a tree. "Shit."
  "What happened?" Stiles asked.
  "All of you need to leave," Alex demands.
  "Not without an explanation," Stiles tells her, crossing his arms.
  Alex focuses her hearing around them. About five people. "Too late."
  A man walks into the clearing with multiple people behind him. "Why hello sister." He mumbles an incantation and vines tie down the pack.
  Alex half transforms and growls at him. Two large men restrain her with chains. The man tsks at her. "Devon," she growls out.
  "What a lucky break!" He exclaims. "Despite what you may think, I'm not here for you." He turns to Theo and grabs his neck. "I'm here for you." He throws him against a tree. "You see," he takes out a knife, "you said that once," he grabs Theo's wrist and pins his hand to the tree using the knife, Theo lets out a yelp, "you got out of the Doctors grasp," he does the same to the other hand with a separate knife, "you would kill me." Devon takes out another knife. "That hasn't happened yet."
  Theo growls. "Let me go and I will."
  Devon chuckles. He grabs Theo's chin. "Going to hell and back gave you balls." He roughly lets go. "Unfortunately for you I've been waiting a long time to do this. I missed torturing you." He takes out a third knife and slowly makes a cut across Theo's. It sizzles. Devon laughs. "Did you think I forgot the incantation I used? Did you hope? Hopes an awful thing." He rips open Theo's shirt. "This is going to be so much fun." He stabs Theo.
  Theo takes a deep breath. "I'm used to the pain."
  Devon chuckles. "I'm gonna prolong you suffering as much as I can. Remember,  I'm Picasso with a razor." That's all he says before he plunges the knife into Theo. Theo bites back a scream. Tears gather in his eyes as he gasps for air. Devon continues the torture and Theo can only hold out so long before he starts to scream. The pack struggle against the restraints, Alex mostly. Theo focuses on his right hand as he pushes, ripping his hand while pulling the knife out of the tree. He sees spots.
  Devon takes notice of this. He pushes the knife back in as he laughs at Theo's scream. "You thought you were gonna get out." He smiles brightly. "It's not gonna be that easy." He signals for his men to chain Theo up. "Now. Back to the torture. I'm gonna reopen some scars." To the pack it feels like it's been hours of hearing Theo screams.
  Alex can't take it anymore. With all her strength she breaks the chains. She grabs one of the men. She places her claws on his neck, just breaking the skin. "Devon!" He turns to her. "Leave or I kill your favorite boy toy."
  Devon chuckles. "Your bluffing."
  Alex smirks. "Try me. Your hurting my family. You don't understand what I'm capable of when it comes to family."
  "This boy," he gestures to Theo, "is not your family. I'm your family and you killed our mother! Our family!"
  "Blood does not make family," Alex spits out.
  "You still killed her!" Devon cries.
  "I don't understand why you cared so much about her. You meant nothing to her," Alex says. "She didn't even see me as a daughter. She saw me as a weapon. Which is why she never loved you." She deepens her claws into the man. "Leave or he drops dead."
  "Fine!" Devon gives in. "But first," he digs his knife into Theo then disappears with all his men, even the one Alex was holding hostage. The vines let go of the pack.
  Alex runs up to Theo and grabs his face. "Theo!" He doesn't respond. Alex huffs and gets up and breaks the chain holding Theo. The pack help unpin Theo from the tree. Alex picks him up and looks at the pack. "We need to get him to the hospital."
  "What about Deatons?" Stiles asks.
  Alex shakes her head. "No. This enchantment makes wounds heal as if he were human. We need to get him to the hospital."
  "Okay. Calm down. We could use my Jeep," Stiles offers.
  Alex, Stiles, and Liam rush to Theo to the hospital as the rest of the pack decide to meet them there.
  As Theo is in the emergency room Alex can't stop pacing. The rest of the pack come to the hospital to see Alex pacing in front of Stiles and Liam.
  It's an agonizing two hours. Scott's mom walks up. "Who's here for Theo Raeken?"
  Alex walks over quickly. "Me. How is he?"
  "We almost lost him a couple of times but he's stable," Ms. McCall informs her.
  "Can I see him?" Alex asks.
  "Of course. Though he is unconscious and he might have to stay here for a few days under observation," Melissa states.
  "Okay." With that, Alex walks into the room and sits next to the unconscious boy.
  Melissa goes up to the pack. "How much do you know about what happened when he was with the Dread Doctors?" She asks Scott.
  Scott shrugs. "Pretty much nothing, why?"
  Melissa sighs. "Because 25% of his body is covered in scar tissue." The pack is silent. "I think you guys should try to figure out what happened to him and-"
  She's cut of by screaming in Theo's room. They all rush in to Alex trying to snap Theo out of his panic.
  "Theo! Wake up! It's not real!" Alex yells. Finally Theo snaps awake, breathing heavily. The room is silent other than his erratic breathing. Alex just cradles him. "It's okay. It wasn't real."
  Theo, other than his heavy breathing, is silent.
  The pack decide to leave the room while Melissa helps Theo calm down along with Alex.
  "Woah," Stiles breathes out.
  "That was a lot," Liam comments.
  "I never imagined," Malia gets lost in her own thoughts.
  "I think we should leave them be and come back tomorrow," Lydia suggests.
  They all agree and leave with Theo fresh on their mind.