Notes: Thank you all so much for over 1,000 views! I'm blown away by the support this fic has received, and I'm so grateful!
I apologize in advance that I originally intended for this chapter to have spice, but I've fully flushed out the plot for this post season-6 era of the fic, and I needed to include some more pressing plot things first. Spice is coming soon!
TW: violence and very, very light spice.
Theo
Today was the literal worst. Nothing had gone horribly wrong, but he'd spent the entire day in a funk that he couldn't shake. After school, he'd driven to the safehouse and nearly gotten his truck stuck in the mud on the way there. The sky had opened up at lunch, and everything was soaked, but at least it was warm enough that at least the roads weren't freezing over.
Derek and Isaac had left him all alone to finish up at the safe house for the day, which meant he got stuck putting all the tools away and locking everything up. Even with the hood over his head, the few seconds he spent locking the door and running to his truck had him soaked.
His phone chimed with a quick text:
Little Wolf
Drive safe in the rain. See you soon 😘
Theo grinned and started up his truck. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.
Except a light on his dashboard lit up, letting him know he had 10 miles to E. And the only station for miles was in the opposite direction of Beacon Hills. He had to go just outside of the county line if he wanted to get a few gallons of fuel.
Theo turned onto the paved road. The rain roared down around him, muffling his music, and mud flung from the tires up against the mud flaps. Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the trees in the distance and the "You're Leaving Beacon Hills" sign. The gas station was only a mile away now. One glance at his phone told him what he already suspected—he didn't have cell service—so if he ran out of gas here, he'd probably have to run home in wolf form and hope no hunters were around.
Isaac had been spending more time away, which was great because it gave Theo and Liam more alone time, but when Theo finally asked him about it last week, he confessed that he'd been helping Scott. Apparently the hunters had been turning their attention to the true alpha now that he was at college all by himself.
Theo didn't trust it like the rest of them did. The hunters might be avoiding Beacon Hills for now, but they wouldn't forever.
The gas station appeared in the distance as his truck flashed "5 miles to E." Breathing a sigh of relief, Theo ran inside to pay for a few gallons of gas in cash. The attendant was handing him his change when, he caught a noise through the rain pounding on the aluminum roof coming from outside the station—three heartbeats.
Listening closer, he heard voices. "Technically we're outside Beacon Hills," one of them hissed. "He's fair game."
Hunters.
Theo clenched his jaw and accepted the change. "Is there a back exit?" he asked.
The attendant nodded toward a door beside the bathrooms. "Everything okay? Do I need to call someone?"
Theo tried for a smile. "No, nothing like that. Just a friendly prank." The attendant eyed him but returned to her work. The back exit lead straight into the forest, and Theo called on his wolf senses. He didn't quite shift, but he borrowed some of his wolf abilities to help him travel through the dense forest with the deadly silence of a predator.
As he circled behind the hunters, lightning flashed again, revealing three cloaked figures. The light glinted off their shining weapons. Two huddled together against the cold rain, leaving the third wide open. They were still focused on the gas station, but it wouldn't be long before they realized he'd probably found another exit.
Theo launched himself forward, but one of the hunters whirled as he did. He slashed out, blood spraying. A shot fired, and Theo used the body of the second hunter as a shield before slamming the heads of the first two hunters together a resounding crack. They crumbled to the ground.
Another shot fired, but Theo was ready this time. He tucked and rolled to his feet in a crouch. With a roar, he tore the gun from the hunter's grasp and slammed the butt of it into their nose.
Rain dripped down Theo's hair and into his eyes, but he swiped it away and hauled the hunter up. Their hood fell away as a bolt of lightning struck nearby. It was the girl from the woods—the girl from the night that Liam first shifted. Her short, dark red hair reminded him of the color of blood, and the corner of her lips twisted into a smile.
"You," Theo snarled. "You followed us."
Red tinted his vision, and Theo fought to keep his rage in check.
"I didn't follow anyone," she whispered, her voice muffled from the blood pouring down her small nose and coating her teeth. "It's public knowledge that Scott's beta lives in Beacon Hills."
Theo was five seconds away from ripping her throat out when he realized that this hunter held valuable information. If she'd known where to find them, maybe she knew more.
"Why are the hunters avoiding Beacon Hills," Theo demanded.
She cocked a brow. "Already bored with the peace and quiet?"
The girl's eyes went wide then, and the scent of fear only fed the adrenaline coursing through him all the more. "Monroe declared Beacon Hills off limits to all hunters."
"Why—"
"She didn't say," the girl said. "Just that anyone who's caught near the white wolf will be terminated."
The blood in Theo's veins turned to ice.
"What does he have to do with anything? Why does it matter that he's a white wolf?" Theo snarled, his control already slipping. He squeezed tighter, and the girl cried out, writhing beneath his grip. She pounded her fists against this torso, but he didn't even feel it.
"I'm not even sure Monroe knows that," she panted. Theo listened carefully, but her heartbeat remained steady. She was telling the truth, and it stole the breath from his lungs. If Monroe didn't know then—
"Who's calling the shots?" Theo growled.
"Why do you think I'd be trusted with that information?" the girl said through gasps.
"I should kill you," Theo whispered. "You've been watching us, haven't you? Reporting back to Monroe?"
The girl tried to shake her head, but yelped when he increased the pressure along her spine. "Every month, she sends a scout to observe the beta."
Theo's mind whirled. He promised Liam that he wouldn't kill anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. He promised that he'd been trying to be a better person, but the bloodlust was overpowering every cell in his body, screaming at him to rip her spine out of her body. In another flash of lightning, Theo could've sworn he saw a figure—the outline of his sister.
The first person he'd killed, and she'd haunt him for the rest of eternity, he had no doubt.
Even if gave in, it wouldn't matter. Monroe already had all of the information, and Theo couldn't be entirely sure that his eyes wouldn't turn blue. He couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk breaking Liam's trust.
Theo released the girl, and she clutched her throat, gasping for air.
"Coward," she shouted hoarsely. Theo shrugged and dove for her, his claws finding their path along her palms and severing the tendons in her fingers. Her scream was drowned out in a boom of thunder.
"Good luck firing a gun now," Theo snarled before making his way to his truck.
Liam
"Where is he?" Mason asked.
They'd all been mingling in the dark with little more than a few strings of light for the better part of fifteen minutes.
"He'll be here soon," Liam said, turning to Isaac, Derek, and Scott gathered near the foot of the stairs. Scott had surprised Liam by showing up with Isaac about an hour ago to help them set up. Of course, his alpha had been invited, but he and Theo hadn't really talked since the incident.
"How's Malia?" Derek was asking Scott.
His alpha shrugged. "She's decided to keep traveling indefinitely. Actually, we sort of broke up," Scott said, shoving his hands in his pockets and flicking a nervous glance at Isaac. Liam's curiosity piqued at the way Scott and Isaac were standing so close. "Both of us decided it's the best thing for now."
"She'll come around," Derek said. "Just give her some time."
Liam approached them, then, hoping it didn't seem like he'd been eavesdropping. "How much work did you two leave Theo with, anyway?"
"Not much. He'll be here," Derek said. Isaac was grinning like a kid in a candy store. Other than Liam, he'd been the most excited about planning tonight.
"Are you sure a surprise party is the best thing?" Scott asked.
Liam bit his lip because he'd been worried that the surprise party, which was the brain child of Isaac, Corey, and Mason, wasn't a good idea. They'd assured him that it was a rite of passage everyone had to go through at least once in their life. Derek had muttered, "your funerals," before butting out of it.
"Yeah," Liam said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. "It'll be great."
After checking his phone for the hundredth time, he finally opened up their shared location app that he and Theo got right after the war ended and they spent the summer traveling together. It was mostly a precaution, and Liam had only had to use it one other time, but with images of a truck sliding off the road or crashing in a ditch slamming through his mind, Liam had to make sure Theo was at least on his way.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a little dot traveling down the road close to the house.
"Everyone get down," Liam called. "He'll be here in a minute."
They unplugged the lights, crouched down, and waited. Over the noise of the rain, Liam heard the crunching of boots along gravel and the creak of wood as he made his way up the front steps. There was a pause, and Liam immediately knew he'd fucked up.
Theo's heart was beating erratically in his chest.
Liam opened his mouth to whisper to the others that this was a bad idea and that they should call it off, but then the door opened and the lights flipped on.
"SURPRISE!" they all screamed at the same time that a snarl ripped through the air.
Theo's fangs were bared, his claws were out, and his stance was ready for attack. Distantly, Liam heard his mom and step dad gasp in shock, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught Scott about to lunge.
Liam leapt over the back of the couch and scrambled over to Theo, grabbing him by the shoulders and spinning him so he wasn't facing the rest of the party.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay," Liam said. His wild chimera eyes settled on Liam, slowly absorbing that there was no real threat. "It's just a surprise party for your birthday."
Theo swallowed, his eyes gradually shifting back to green and his fangs and claws retracting. "Uh, thanks?"
For a long moment, the only noise was Theo dripping water in the entry way. Something about the way that Theo's shoulders were tense and his scent was tinged with another, something akin to rage, had Liam wondering if it was more than just being startled by the pack.
Quiet enough that it was meant just for Liam, Theo whispered, "I need a shower."
Liam nodded and peered over his shoulder. His parents were gaping at them. Scott's eyes were glowing, held in place only by the firm grip Isaac had on his arm. Mason and Corey had vanished, and Derek was shaking his head.
"I told you a surprise party was a bad idea," Derek muttered under his breath.
"Go ahead and start cutting the cake," Liam said, leading Theo up the stairs after he'd kicked off his muddy shoes. "We'll be right back."
"Take your time," Liam's mom said in a high-pitched voice.
As soon as the door to their room was shut, Liam whirled. "I'm so, so sorry. Isaac and Mason and Corey got it in their heads that it would be funny, and I never should've let them talk me into it—"
Theo leaned forward and captured his lips, the rest of the words dying in Liam's throat as he gripped the sides of his shirt, tugging him closer. When Theo pulled back, his eyes were crinkled with laughter. All traces of the weird tension that Liam had seen before were gone.
"Li, it's okay," he said. "I've just had a really shit day, and I dunno, the whole house was dark. I heard a bunch of heartbeats in the house with you and sort of panicked. I hope I didn't freak your parents out."
Releasing a breath that had tightened his chest, Liam nodded and ran his fingers through Theo's wet hair, desperate to ask what he'd been doing that had gotten him soaked literally to the bone. Right now, it didn't matter. They'd have plenty of time to talk after the party.
"They'll be fine," Liam said, hoping he was right.
"I'm kind of more impressed that you actually figured out my birthday," Theo said. "Who told you?"
Liam grinned. "I had to bribe Stiles to tell me."
"Bribe him? With what?"
Liam opened the bedroom door and pressed his hands to Theo's shoulder blades, marching him to the bathroom. "Let's just say it involves a movie marathon."
"A marathon?" Theo asked, purposefully leaning back against Liam's hands but still letting Liam guide him. "Please tell me it's not Star Wars."
"Oh, it's Star Wars."
Theo groaned dramatically, and then his eyes snapped to their room. "Wait, I need clothes."
"I'll grab them," Liam said, with a quick peck of a kiss.
"Can I have the red shirt with—"
"The white buttons? Yes. Blue or black jeans?"
"Black."
Theo grinned, peeling his hoodie and shirt off in one swift motion. Liam froze at the sight of his shirtless boyfriend and the way the water dripped down across his chest. A small growl built in the base of his throat at how much he wanted to lick the water off him.
Liam closed the distance between them in two quick strides and kissed him again. He briefly contemplated how much trouble he'd be in for hopping in the shower with his boyfriend when his entire family and pack were downstairs.
Theo shook his head ever so slightly. "Later?"
"Later," Liam agreed and reluctantly pulled the door shut.
Liam grabbed the red long sleeve shirt that Theo loved with three white buttons at the top, a pair of black jeans, boxers and socks. He opened the door to the bathroom, releasing a cloud of steam, and set the pile inside.
Then he padded downstairs to do damage control.
Theo
After scrubbing the hunter's scent from his skin and beneath his claws, Theo turned the water off and reached for a towel—only pausing when he spotted the pile of clothes Liam had grabbed for him. Despite the awful day, the heart in his chest swelled. Theo couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around how much he loved Liam.
The thought reverberated through him with such intensity that he nearly slipped in the tub and fell on his ass. He'd known for a long time that he really liked Liam. That he'd die for him, but he wasn't sure he'd ever be capable of loving someone. Yet, the truth had bubbled to the surface over such a tiny gesture.
Theo was in love with Liam.
Taking a deep breath, Theo quieted the loud emotions—the immeasurable joy at his realization and the devastating fear that had been grating his nerves since his encounter with the hunter. Once he was dressed, he joined the party downstairs. Music was now playing softly in the background, and the tension had started to dissipate.
All eyes turned to him though as he made it to the landing of the staircase. Liam's parents averted their eyes, and Theo mentally prepared himself to grovel. Scott, though, watched him the closest. He was shocked that the alpha had come at all considering their last encounter. Then he realized why—he wasn't here for Theo at all. Isaac brushed his thumb across the back of Scott's hand, the gesture so casual that Theo wondered what exactly they'd been doing when Isaac visited Scott at college.
"Hey, sorry about that, guys. With all the lights off and like seven heart beats, I wasn't sure what to expect," Theo said, smiling sheepishly.
Derek dropped a hand to his shoulder with a casual squeeze. "You're good, Theo," he said. "I'm not really sure what anyone else was expecting, to be honest."
Before Theo could ask if that was meant to sound like he was an unpredictable monster, Liam chimed in with, "Want some cake? It's homemade."
Theo stared at round white cake that had an outline of two animals that vaguely resembled wolves, forming a yin and yang on top. "You made this for me?"
Liam's smile was adorable. "Well, I tried, but it didn't go super well, so Corey actually made it, and my mom drew the wolf and the coyote on top in frosting."
The heart in his chest swelled even more at that. Theo slung an arm around Liam and pressed a kiss to his temple.
"No one's ever made me a birthday cake before," Theo said. Even before the Dread Doctors took him, his parents had always bought his birthday cakes. "Thank you, everyone. This is... incredible."
"Well, we figured we owed you something after scaring the hell out of you earlier," Dr. Geyer said, drawing chuckles from the rest of the pack. Even Liam's mom smiled, her shoulders loosening at that.
"We were going to cut the cake, but it felt wrong to not have you blow out the candles first," she said, sticking candles through the frosting and lighting them.
"Thanks, Jenna," Theo said, "I'll blow out the candles on one condition. David's right. You all took the piss out of me earlier, so no singing me happy birthday. You get one or the other, but not both."
They all groaned, and Theo wished he could bottle the pure joy of this moment. He honed in on it. On the friends who'd shown up for him today and the boy he loved tucked into his side.
...
Opening presents reminded Theo a lot of Christmas, where he got gifts from most of the pack, and he'd barely had enough money to scrape together one present for Liam. He hated being the only one opening presents, but he couldn't deny that they were useful.
Derek got him mats for the truck and a gas gift card. David and Jenna gave him a week's worth of groceries and a small waffle iron with Liam's favorite waffle recipe handwritten on a card. Isaac gave him a "first aid kit" that was basically just a propane torch and a pair of intense tweezers. Mason and Corey gave him tickets for bowling and a movie so they could double date—Theo sort of hated the idea of not having Liam all to himself on a date, but when Liam's face lit up at the gift, he supposed it had potential to be fun.
Scott handed him a small brown bag. "There's stuff from Stiles and Lydia in there, too."
Lydia had sent her physics notes, and Theo guessed that the half-destroyed book that had a guy with a lightsaber on the cover was a Star Wars thing.
"I had to tear apart both their rooms to find those," Scott said. "And, my present isn't exactly a thing, but whenever you're ready, Derek and I will give you your first tattoo."
Theo gaped at the alpha. "Really?" he asked. He'd been wanting one for a few months now. Not a pack symbol like the bands on Scott's arm, but the symbol he had in mind would serve as a reminder that people were capable of change.
Derek nodded. "Don't thank us yet. It'll hurt like a bitch."
Theo didn't care. He could handle the pain.
Liam's present, though, was the best of all. A simple silver necklace. One side of the thin coin-pendant was the textured head of a wolf, the other a chimera with a moon in the background. In font so tiny that Theo had to squint to read it, were the words: to hell and back.
"Thank you, Li," Theo said, pinching his leg through his jeans to keep tears from welling. He'd always thought he hated stupid couples' gifts like this. "It's perfect."
If the whole pack and his parents hadn't been watching, Theo would've kissed him until he was breathless.
When everyone finished their cake, they dispersed into the night. Scott and Isaac hung back to help clean up and to chat with Derek. Ever since Liam had shifted, Scott and Isaac were determined to learn, too, and they'd asked Derek to teach them. It was slow going since they didn't have many opportunities to practice with Scott being so busy and berated with attacks from hunters.
Once Theo and Liam were back at the apartment, Theo bit his lip as he locked the door and checked over every dark corner, wondering how the hell he was going to explain what happened with the hunters.
"Li, listen, I have to tell you something," Theo said, stroking a thumb across Liam's cheek.
Liam grabbed his wrist, tugging him into their room and kicking the door shut with a loud bang. "Not today. I know that face, and that's not a good face, so unless it's urgent, you have to wait until tomorrow to tell me. Today is all about you."
"Liam—" Theo started, but Liam's lips were on his neck and his hands roamed in ways that had all the thoughts evaporating from his mind. Theo dragged his mouth up until they were kissing, their tongues dancing and Theo's chest cracking open with how much love he had for him.
When Theo groaned into his mouth, Liam shoved him back against the wall and dropped to his knees.
The heart in Theo's chest came to a full stop at the sight of Liam kneeling before him. His cheeks flushed, blue eyes burning with intention. Theo loved that Liam could be so shy at times and so damn confident at others. He nearly let the words slip out of him right then and there.
"What—" Theo stuttered, swallowing, and tried again. "What're you doing?"
Liam was already undoing his belt. The grin he flashed him had every bone in Theo's body melting.
"Giving you your real birthday present," he said, pausing as if he was worried that Theo didn't want this more than he wanted his next breath. "If that's okay?"
"Yes—absolutely," Theo said.
As Liam closed his mouth around him, Theo took back every horrible word he said about today. This was the best birthday he'd ever had.
Liam
A ray of sunlight streamed through the crack in the blinds and woke Liam. A leg was thrown across Theo's hips and his forehead was pressed into the crook of Theo's neck.
He peppered kisses along the bare skin of Theo's shoulder, exposed in his tank top. Liam hated waking him if he didn't have to because, even though he claimed that the nightmares of Tara had been less frequent, he'd still been waking up covered in sweat and crying out in his sleep the past few months. A few times they'd been so bad that he'd even run to the bathroom to throw up.
Liam would give anything for a glimpse into Theo's mind. He smoothed his hair away from his eyes and reveled in how peaceful his boyfriend looked. Quietly, Liam pressed a kiss to his cheek and murmured almost inaudibly, "I love you."
There hadn't been a moment that lightning had struck him and he'd suddenly known. It was more of a gradual knowledge. The building of a reflex. One day he woke up and the thought had fully formed. He loved the chimera that he used to loathe.
And Liam wouldn't change a damn thing.
He was just a little bit terrified that if he told Theo how he felt, he might freak out and try to leave. One of the things about his boyfriend that still baffled him was the fact that he still believed he didn't deserve good things. He'd been working on it. Even just accepting the presents from the pack and his parents was a huge improvement, but Liam had seen a glimpse of it the night he'd been impaled in the library and Theo had left because he was scared of what they had been becoming. They meant so much more to each other now, and Liam ached at the thought that it could drive him away again.
Theo's eyes fluttered, his long lashes batting against the curve of his cheeks before his green eyes swept over Liam.
"G'morning," Liam whispered across the small space between them.
Theo closed the gap with a sweet, thorough kiss. "Morning, Little Wolf."
A thrill went through him at his favorite of their nicknames. Liam was about to sit up when Theo tensed, his arms locking around him and holding him in place.
"Wait," Theo whispered. "Someone's here."
"Yeah, Isaac," Liam said.
Theo shook his head, listening. "Four heart beats. Isaac and someone else."
"It's probably just—"
Theo slipped out of bed and flung the door open in his tank top and boxers. Liam stumbled after him.
Scott had his bare back pressed against the doorframe and Isaac towered over him, an arm braced at the top of the doorway and his face inches from Scott's. Startled at the door opening, they leapt apart. Which was how Isaac, Scott, Theo, and Liam ended up staring at each other in boxers and little else early on a Saturday morning.
"Sorry," Liam mumbled and grabbed Theo's arm, trying to yank him back inside their room. "I was trying to tell you that it was probably Scott."
"Probably?" Scott asked, eyeing Isaac. "Who else would it have been?"
"No one," Isaac said, narrowing his gaze at Theo. "You're the one who just ended things with Malia, so don't look at me like that."
"Wait, so are you two like a thing now?" Theo asked. Liam might've felt bad except that the entire pack found out about Theo and Liam the morning after they'd first kissed.
Scott studied the carpet, and Isaac scratched his head, his eyes burning a hole in the ceiling. Their denial was confirmation enough.
"I fucking knew it!" Theo declared.
Liam bit down on his lip to keep from snickering. Though, after everything that Isaac and Scott had been through, Liam was glad that Isaac got to be the person that was there for Scott when most of his friends had scattered across the globe.
"I hope it's all right that I stayed over," Scott said.
"Of course," Theo said, clapping Scott on the arm. "It's actually good that you're here. I, uh, have something I need to tell you guys."
"If it's about the surprise party," Isaac said, "I take full responsibility—"
"No," Theo said. "I mean, I will be enacting revenge when you least expect it, but this isn't about that. I'll text the rest of the pack. They should be here too."
Liam's gut wrenched, and he wondered if whatever it was that Theo had been trying to tell him last night was more pressing than he'd realized. Isaac crossed his arms over his bare chest, immediate concern etched in the creases of his forehead.
Scott pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose. "I need pants for this. Please tell me you guys keep coffee on hand?"
"Yes," Theo and Isaac answered at the same time.
"The apartment is way nicer than your dorm," Isaac muttered as he shut the door to his room.
Liam and Theo devolved into laughter, clutching each other to stay upright, and barely making it back into their room before tumbling onto the bed.
Theo
The four of them dressed and were working their way through a massive pot of coffee when Mason, Corey, and Derek showed up. They all squeezed into the living room that suddenly seemed way smaller than normal.
"This is why we do pack meetings at the safe house," Derek said under his breath, perching on the arm of the couch nearest the window.
"Do you know what this is about?" Mason whispered to Liam. "I swear, Theo, the surprise party wasn't supposed to—"
"Enough about the surprise party," Theo said, shaking his head. He studied his boyfriend, who returned his gaze with equal measures heaviness and concern. Theo cleared his throat and told them everything including all the details about how rough he'd been with the girl.
Theo kept an ear on Liam's heart rate the entire time, wincing each time he heard it skip a beat and hating that this was happening. Liam had paled as he'd spoken, and he reached over to take his hand.
"Okay," Scott said, pacing from the kitchen and back to the living room. "Okay, so Monroe isn't the one pulling the strings here?"
Theo shook his head. "I don't think she is. I think whoever's behind this is using the hunters as foot soldiers."
"It certainly explains why the hunters have been active everywhere but here," Derek said in his usual pensive tone.
"It also sounds like whoever's behind it wants to keep Liam safe," Isaac said. "That makes no sense."
"Maybe they just want to keep me safe until they can kill me themselves," Liam said so bluntly that Theo flinched.
"I'd like to see them try," Theo said, his heart curling around the knowledge that he would never let anything happen to Liam. Regardless of the promise they made to each other in the elevator last year, Theo would die before letting anyone kill Liam.
"No one's touching my beta," Scott said with a low growl. Then, as if a horrible thought had occurred to him, Scott's jaw slackened and he turned to Theo. "This can't have anything to do with stealing my alpha power can it?"
Liam was technically the only one that could steal Scott's true alpha power, so it wasn't the worst theory.
"I doubt it," Theo said. "That was true long before Liam could shift. If that's what they wanted, they would've done it sooner."
Scott nodded, continuing to pace as he chewed his lip.
"Mase, were you able to find anything on the significance of the white wolf?" Theo asked.
Mason had been staring out the window, clearly in shock. "No, not with midterms coming up, I haven't.... I didn't realize—I'll start researching right away."
"Thank you," Theo said, nodding to him. "Derek, what about you? Any of this white wolf lore ringing a bell?"
Derek shook his head. "All I know off the top of my head is that they're rare."
"How rare?" Corey asked.
"Rare enough that they happen only about as often as true alphas do."
They all turned to stare at Scott. "Don't look at me. It's not like becoming a true alpha came with a damn handbook."
"I can ask Peter and Deucalion—"
"No," Theo snapped. "We're not bringing anyone else into this."
"We trust Deucalion," Scott said. "And Peter."
Theo clenched his jaw at that. Just because Peter was a Hale, Scott had been willing to overlook a lot of Peter's mistakes, but Theo wasn't willing to. For all he knew, Peter could be the one pulling Monroe's strings.
"Until we know more, no one outside of this room breaths a word about Liam being a white wolf," Theo said, unable to help the growl that came with his words.
"Last I checked, this is still my pack," Scott said. "We need help figuring this out."
His words ignited a protective wildfire within Theo's chest and had him shooting to his feet.
Liam jumped up too, keeping himself between Theo and Scott.
"Enough!" Liam said. "Both of you, cut it out. Clearly, whatever's happening here revolves around me, so I'm calling the shots."
Theo reluctantly sat back down, silently seething at Scott.
"For what it's worth, I think you're both right," Liam said. "We need to keep this a secret from as many people as possible, but I don't think Peter and Deucalion can help us. We need Deaton. Maybe between Mason and Deaton, we can figure this thing out before whatever stalemate with the hunters is lifted."
The anger in Theo's chest flickered, replaced with pride in Liam taking charge.
"And until then?" Scott asked. "What're we supposed to do? I can't just go back to campus while this is—"
"Yes," Liam insisted. "You can. The hunters haven't been here for months, and if Monroe is threatening to kill any that come near me, I'll be safe."
"And if it's a trick?" Derek asked. "To get us to lower our guard?"
Liam shrugged. "Then we handle it. Call in reinforcements if we have to, bring the recruits in if they're ready, but we don't tell them everything. Okay?" They all nodded their agreement. "The world doesn't stop turning because one of us is in danger. If it did, we'd never live our lives."
...
"Do you have a sec?" Theo asked Scott after he and Isaac had finished saying their goodbyes.
Scott nodded, and Isaac left them alone to chat, joining Derek in leaning against one of the SUVs. "What's up?"
"I'm sorry," Theo said through gritted teeth, the words bitter on his tongue.
Scott raised his brows. "Never thought I'd hear those words from Theo Raeken."
"Oh, shut it," he said. "I didn't mean for things to get so weird between us, but you can trust that I'll keep my promise."
Before Scott had left this summer, he had pulled Theo aside and made him promise to keep Liam safe. Theo was sure that he probably made Derek and Isaac promise the same thing, but they'd shaken hands on the agreement.
"I appreciate it," Scott said. "I hate that I can't be here to protect him."
"Don't forget that Liam is pretty damn good at protecting himself, too," Theo said. "I'm just the back up."
Scott scoffed at that.
"So are we good?" Theo asked.
Scott's brown eyes studied him for a second longer than he would've liked.
"Yeah, we're good," he said, and Scott tugged him into an awkward bro-hug that involved awkward back patting.
"Oh, and Scott? If you hurt my roommate," Theo said, nodding to Isaac, "I'll make your life a living hell."
The alpha rolled his eyes and laughed. "Your specialty."
Liam
When everyone had gone and Isaac had followed Derek up to the safe house to work with the recruits, Liam slipped his running shoes on. After everything that Theo had told them, he still had a lot of anxious energy that he should run off before lacrosse practice. Coach was ramping things up with the playoffs coming up soon.
"Want me to take you home?" Theo asked, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe to their room. The sight of him had Liam wanting to drop his bag and cancel his plans to stay here with him all day.
"It's okay, I'm gonna run home and get a few extra miles in before practice," he said.
Theo shook his head. "No way, I'm driving you."
"No, it's fine, really," Liam said, pulling the door open, but Theo moved quickly, using his shoulder to slam the door shut hard enough that it rattled in its hinges. "Theo, what the fuck?"
"I'm not letting you out of my sight," Theo said, his green eyes unyielding.
Liam didn't understand. The situation sucked, but the only thing that had changed was the possible threat from an unknown big bad. This was nothing compared to what the pack had faced before.
"Pretty sure no hunter is gonna snatch me between here and my house," Liam said, trying to gently move Theo from barricading the door. "I've been walking here for weeks."
Theo refused to budge. "Not anymore, you're not."
Liam reminded himself that this side of Theo, the one that would do anything to keep him safe, was the part of him that had brought them together. The part that he cherished. Even if it was annoying as fuck sometimes.
Leveling his gaze at Theo, Liam ran his fingers through his boyfriend's hair and down his neck. When he found the silver chain of the necklace, he traced it down to the point just above Theo's heart and ran his finger over the raised depiction of a wolf.
"You have to trust me, babe," Liam said.
"I do," Theo said, forcing the two words out. "I trust you. I just don't think you should be going anywhere alone for a bit."
Liam sighed, irritation sparking. "Remember what I said about the world doesn't stop turning when one of us is in danger?"
Theo stepped away from his grasp, flinging his hands into the air in exasperation. "I know what you said, but I don't care. It doesn't apply to me!"
Liam was so confused. Theo wasn't making any sense. "What? Why?"
"Because!" Theo practically shouted.
Liam drew closer, desperate to know what the hell Theo was thinking.
"Because...?"
"Because I'm in love with you!" Theo yelled. His eyes widened for a brief second as if he hadn't meant to say it out loud.
The breath was stolen from Liam's lungs as Theo's words clanged through him.
"Because," Theo said, his voice faltering. He tried again, softer this time, "my world does stop turning when you're in danger because..." Theo shrugged, "you're it. You're my whole world."
Theo's green eyes were piercing, and Liam couldn't help but draw closer.
"Because I burn for your fire, your rage, and your intensity. I am overwhelmed on a daily basis by how incredible and thoughtful you are." Tears brimmed in his eyes. "Never in my life have I ever felt deserving of someone like you—someone good and kind and wonderful—but for some reason that I'll never understand, you picked me. You keep picking me, and if anything ever happened to you, it would shatter my soul, and I would never recover."
Liam framed his beautiful boyfriend's face and stroked his thumb along his cheekbones, capturing the single tear that managed to escape his green eyes.
"My sweet Theo," Liam whispered, his own voice cracking. "I'm in love with you, too."
Theo's chest hitched, and his eyes softened, his expression incredulous. "You... you are?"
Liam leaned forward then, dragging their lips together in a fiery kiss that was somehow hot and sweet all at the same time.
"Yes, you idiot," he whispered, wishing he would imprint the words in the very fabric of Theo's being. "You're my favorite person. Even when I showed you my whole self, the darkest parts of me that I've been ashamed of my whole life, you embraced every piece of me. Not only do you not judge me for my anger, but the fact that you love that part of me is more than I could have ever asked for. I never have to worry that you'll think I'm a monster or horrible person. You see me, and you understand. That means everything to me."
Theo's bottom lip trembled but he tipped forward, kissing away the tears that had spilled onto Liam's cheeks. The ghosting, precious brush of his lips and the way Theo's hand came to rest across Liam's heart had him aching to be closer to him.
"My Little Wolf," Theo whispered hoarsely, the corners of his lips tipping up in a smile. Liam felt himself grinning too. He was lighter now that he'd finally told Theo how he felt.
When they kissed again, Liam lost himself in it. For a moment, he wasn't in danger. He wasn't a rare, mythical white wolf. He was just a boy wrapped up in the arms of the person he loved with all his heart.
Notes: Thank you for reading! Comments and likes make my day.
Fun fact, I cried when writing their love confessions. If you have any theories as to where the white wolf plot point is going, I'd love to hear them!