"Oh my God. Took long enough. Holy cow." Stiles said from the phone, nearly making Derek jump.
"Hey, it's not my fault you forgot to send the stupid autopsy report." Derek reminded him.
"It took a while to clear it with the bosses, ok? I'm not exactly a detective, yet!" Stiles said.
"Gentlemen, please," Deaton spoke up. The two in question stopped bickering. "From what I gather from the report, Isaac's throat was slashed out, lung damage from smoke inhalation.... hmm that's odd," Deaton said puzzled.
"Did you say lung damage?" Stiles asked. "That's obviously not possible because of the wolf thing. Anything else strange?"
"Yes, ah there's signs of liver damage as well. Acquired from decades of alcohol abuse." Deaton continued eyebrows furrowed.
"That can't be possible. There's no way, it's him. It's impossible." Stiles said.
"No, it's not him. Did the blood type match Isaac's?" Derek asked.
"I'm not sure. What was Isaac's blood type? Looks like the medical examiner didn't exactly have Isaac's medical file on record."
"B positive, it was B positive," Derek said. "I went through his medical records when I considered who to change. Wanted to make sure they'd be able to handle it, strong hearts and all that.
Deaton leant down to look at the report again. "No. It says his blood type was A negative."
"Okay so either Isaac has an evil, drinking, smoking, twin who for some reason has a different blood type, or there's something super freaky going on here," Stiles said.
"You can say that again," Derek said.
"There has to be more to the story, than that," Deaton said.
-------------
Theo was walking around in the preserve with Liam and the rest of the puppy pack hot on his trail. It was impossible to be stealthy like this, Theo noted. Too many people for them to be unnoticed. He had wanted to talk to the female Alpha by himself, or maybe just Liam but the rest had volunteered and followed. Theo should be glad for the extra safety, but it just made him feel untrusted. Which, he knew that he was in fairness, but still.
"So, what's the plan?" Liam asked.
"No plan. Just want to see what kind of information I can get out of them." Theo replied.
"You're sure meeting with them is a good idea?" Corey asked.
"Probably not, but when have I ever been known for good ideas?" Theo asked rhetorically.
"And you want us just to hang back?" Alec asked.
"I would've preferred if you hadn't been here in the first place, but yeah. Hang back."
"Rude," Alec said.
"Are you sure they'll even want to speak to you?" Mason asked.
"They've been trying to get Theo to talk to them since they showed up," Liam growled.
"Yeah, and now they have a chance to do just that," Theo said.
When they made it to the Hale house, Theo was taken aback by the obvious improvements to the house. It was nowhere near perfect, but it definitely looked much better than the last time he had been there. Windows were no longer cracked, the panelling looked clean, the door had been adjusted and was no longer at an angle. The rotting floorboards of the porch seemed fixed, and it looked like it had even been painted. Overall, the werewolves residing there seemed to be fixing it up infinitesimally. Perhaps at this rate, Derek and Peter could even get a pretty penny if they sold it. The puppy pack stopped when the trees thinned out. Theo took a deep breath and started heading for the house when a hand pulled him back. He sighed and turned his head to look into Liam's beautiful crystal blue eyes.
"Yes?" he asked, trying to make himself sound agitated even though he'd secretly always enjoy having Liam's hands on him.
"I could come with you, y'know?" Liam asked softly, biting his lip. Theo tried not to let his eyesight linger there.
"I'll be fine, Liam. I've made it this long, haven't I?"
"Yeah, well you haven't been big bad chimera Theo for a while."
Theo tried not to let it show in his heartbeat how much Liam's words affected him. They meant a lot, though. He couldn't believe that this wonderful man actually cared about him at all. And sure, he'd never love Theo he hoped he would, but at least they were friendly. Well, when they weren't punching or breaking each other's noses, they were. Not that there had been much of that going on lately.
"It'll be fine. Stop worrying, Liam. Nolan's supposed to be the anxious one. You're supposed to be the angry one." He quipped.
"Yeah, yeah. Fuck you." Theo smiled at him and headed to the door. He went up the stairs, careful not to make any noise. He wasn't exactly sure how to go about this. It wasn't exactly something he'd needed to do lately, break into someone's place. Should he knock? He rolled his shoulders and realized he was just being ridiculous. He let himself in and let the door shut soundlessly behind him. He took a look around, peering over shadows as he let his eyes adjust to the dim light. The hall was empty aside from the stairs and a few mattresses and blankets. He sniffed the air, there were several of them, he hadn't encountered yet. And they all seemed to linger nearby. Naturally, he had walked into the belly of the beast.
"So, anybody gonna welcome me in?" he shouted. He heard footsteps coming from the right and turned the face them. A tall, dark-haired man came out from the shadows. Even in the dim lighting, Theo could tell he was good looking. He looked like a beta.
"Who are you?" the dark-haired man asked.
"Theo Raeken." He replied easily "And you are?"
"Ben White." He said, flashing gold eyes.
"Nice to meet you, I'd shake your hand but it just seems odd."
"Alright, enough small talk. It's just lame." Isaac came from behind Ben. "I think we know each other well enough by now." He said, putting a hand on Ben's shoulder. Ben visibly relaxed at the touch.
"I'm glad to hear that. Now, where's your mate? I think she'd be interested in talking to me?"
In Theo's peripherals, at that moment a figure landed in front of him. Her red eyes, shining. "Thanks for that, I was getting tired of waiting for a good opportunity to make an entrance," M said.
"Nice of you to drop in, babe," Isaac said.
"Thanks, darlin." She said, before turning her sights to Theo. "It's nice to see you again. It's also nice of you to let the backup stay outside. I appreciate that, you know how us wolves are about territory."
"Which you are in, by the way, Y'know, Scott McCall's territory?" Theo reminded them.
She shook him off. "It's only temporary. We're only here to collect what we're after."
He raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"
"You, the chimera who can full-shift, and controls his heartbeats and chemosignals." She shrugged, "And the ex-Alpha who had no problem with turning teenage kids, Derek Hale. And the deputy who's fire retardant." She shrugged.
"Why do you want us? What's so special about us?" Theo asked.
"Simple. You've got skills that we need." She shrugged. "I need a pack that can do things, others can't."
"And why is that, exactly?"
"What are you, a cop? What's up with the interrogation?" Isaac spoke up. "Can't we retain any mystery?"
"It's okay, baby." She said to him. "I trust him. I feel like I already know him."
"You do not know me." He growled. "You might have my name, but that's all you know," Theo said.
"Calm down, Theodore." She said, making him growl louder. She threw up her hands in mock surrender. "Listen, bud, I do know you. I've seen your type before. You're like a little lap dog. All bark and no bite."
"If you really knew me, you'd know that I've killed people, before. And I can do it again." He threatened.
"Hey, idle threats won't get you anywhere. Or bring your dead sister back." She said. Theo was beginning to see red, and he let out his claws and fangs. He growled again and made to jump at her before he was caught and thrown to the ground, shoulder first, by Isaac and Ben.
"Right, ok maybe that was a bit too far. What I meant to say, was that I read your file. Police reports, doctor's notes, and school documents. Very impressive rap sheet, by the way. Assault, B&E, theft. And you got really high marks in AP Biology. Good job, on that. I've been checking into you, for a while. Look, if I'm being honest, I respect you." She said, crouching over him. "But I also admire your skills. And I need them. See, I've never been a sedentary type. I hate staying in one place too long. And in case you haven't noticed, we're kind of in a war right now." She said, sitting down next to him. "So, we all need as many allies as possible. And that's exactly what I'm trying to do."
"You have a weird way, of trying to make allies." He said, spitting out blood. She made a disgusted face.
"It's hard to make friends as an adult. And do you have to spit on my floor? We've improved this place a ton over the last couple days."
"Technically, it's Derek's floor." He snarked.
"Yeah, well I've spent more time on this place in the last couple days than they have in years." She shook her head. "But that's not the point. I've only been here for a short time and I can already get a reading on everyone here."
"Oh really?" Theo asked quirking an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Like I can tell for example, that they don't really trust you. Which you know, I suppose I could understand." She paused. "But then again, I mean we are werewolves. Or chimeras, close enough. You know, you deserve a pack that can trust you. And I'm guessing, that's no longer your plan, to join their pack. For very obvious reasons. Actually, I'm guessing you're sticking around for that beta." Theo doesn't respond. "Yeah, you're right. You don't have to admit it. It's fine, I can already tell." Theo tried not to react, but evidently, she picked up on something. "No, it's not your chemosignals. It's just something in your eyes. I can tell. You're protective of him. That Liam, kid? And I know, you don't trust me. But you will in time. They always do."
"And why do you think I'd trust, you?" Theo quipped.
"Well, you did show up here, didn't you? And you made the baby pack stay outside. I'm guessing your wolf and coyote are desperate enough for a pack, that they don't really care." She stood up. "Alright, Is, Ben let him go. And straighten up his shirt so it doesn't look like we attacked him." When he was back on two feet, she turned back to Theo, "I'll be seeing you, alright." She said, not making it sound like a question but a statement and Theo had a sinking feeling in his stomach that she was right.