A/N: Thank you all for your continued support for this fic! After the rewrites ended, I was fully expecting to be done, but these boys just have more to say. Developing their relationship and this mystery around the white wolf has been SO much fun. The white wolf plot was fully flushed out with the help of my best friend irl. Also, huge shout out as always to my wonderful beta reader Aathmanr, and also to ChayaConnelly for reading some of this ahead of time and encouraging me to not just throw out this chapter!
A/N: WARNINGS: This chapter contains smut, so if that's not your thing, please skip Liam's first POV.
Theo
Theo sifted through a mountain of texts at the safe house. Mason's legs were outstretched out in his lap, and Theo was in charge of shaking his ankles every time he nearly fell asleep. Corey had fallen asleep on the couch about an hour before retiring to his room.
The safe house now had enough bedrooms that they could stay over whenever they didn't have the energy to drive home at the end of the day. About fifteen minutes ago, after Liam's fiftieth yawn in a row, he'd kissed Theo on the cheek and gone to bed after making him promise to join him soon.
Even though Theo had promised, time had slipped away from him—he'd gotten halfway through another text before his eyes had started to blur.
With construction on the safe house and the new dorms complete, Derek had asked Theo to digitize all of the Hale family records. At least, all of them that had been protected from the fire in one of their many vaults. Argent also had a sizable collection of supernatural materials that he'd handed over, and Deaton was coming by tomorrow with even more. Part of the reason it was taking so damn long to find any information on the significance of a white wolf was because they had to sift through texts and notebooks. And only a few of them were in English, which wasn't helping matters. When Theo was done, they'd have a supernatural version of google at their fingertips whenever they needed to do research.
Which was how Theo ended up scanning texts at 11:50 on a Friday night. Only pausing when an old version of Derek's tattoo, a triskelion, had caught his eye. He still hadn't nailed down the tattoo he wanted. Liam had agreed to get a matching one of whatever he decided, so Theo was determined to make this first one meaningful.
"How're we doing, boys?" Derek called as he joined them in the library.
Mason responded with a groan, tugging his feet off Theo's lap and stretching. Theo merely rubbed his eyes, but only managed to grunt a reply.
"Still coming up short?"
"I can't believe how much stuff we've been through," Mason said, "and how much more there is left."
Derek a bag of sour patch kids on the table. Theo would've preferred coffee, but he supposed the sugar would help keep him awake, too. He popped a few of them into his mouth, enjoying the zinging along his jaw.
"You're doing great," the older werewolf praised, dropping a hand to Theo's shoulder. "Don't stay up too late, all right?"
Theo mumbled a vague affirmative.
"What've you got there?" Derek asked, peaking at the book Theo had been studying.
Theo slid the book so that he had a better view of it and ran a hand through his hair, hating the greasy feel of it and wishing he'd made time for a shower tonight.
"I'm still struggling to come up with a tattoo idea for me and Liam. I love the meaning behind the triskelion, but I also don't want to steal your family's symbol."
Derek shrugged. "I wouldn't mind if you did. I know you're technically in Scott's pack, but I think you as my beta, Theo."
Theo gaped at the sincerity in Derek's voice. He'd never once stopped to consider that Derek might genuinely appreciate having him around. Theo had just figured that Derek thought of him as a burden, another kid he had to put up with. Hearing those words from Derek soothed a jagged edge of his soul left by the absence of his parents.
Even if Derek wasn't an actual alpha, he had taken on the monumental task of finding new werewolves and giving them a safe landing spot. He was a leader in his own right.
"But if you'd rather a symbol of your own, I think I have something that might help." He sifted through the table and eventually moved to the bookshelf along the wall before returning with a thin book of runes. "Since the very beginning, supernaturals have been using the runic alphabet to create meaningful symbols. I bet you could find a few in there that you like."
"I wanna see," Mason said, coming around the table and hovering over Theo's shoulder as he flipped through the book. As much as he'd grown to like Mason over the past year, he still felt claustrophobic with Mason and Derek crowding him. "That's so cool."
Immediately, Theo's eyes were drawn to two geometric symbols that represented eternal love and lasting partnership. Either of those would be perfect for him and Liam.
"You can create your own ruins from the runic alphabet," Derek explained. "Just superimpose each letter on top of each other to create the symbol."
Theo was so intrigued that he spent the better part of an hour creating his own symbols and playing with the ancient language while Mason and Derek chatted. The clock chimed 1 in the morning, the sound echoing through the expanse of the library and sending a jolt through Theo's body that reverberated through his bones.
He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been to let himself get distracted. He needed to focus on Liam and on figuring out whatever the hell was going on so that he could protect Liam. The tattoo didn't matter when his boyfriend's life hung in the balance. He shoved the runic alphabet away and reached for another text, flipping through the index for anything remotely helpful.
"Theo, what're you doing?" Mason asked after stifling a yawn. He was leaning heavily against an armchair like he was too tired to stand up straight.
"Let's reconvene in the morning," Derek suggested. "I think we could all use some rest, and we can figure out the rest in the morning."
That was easy for them to say. Everything good in Theo's life hinged on him solving this goddamn mystery. Even if he went to bed now, it wouldn't be restful.
But he couldn't say that, so he scoffed. "Some of us actually care if Liam lives or dies."
In his periphery, Theo noticed Mason flinch and push off the armchair.
"I'm his best friend. Of course I fucking care. You think I'd sit up in this library with you until all hours of the night if I didn't?"
Derek cleared his throat in an attempt to dissipate the tension that had thickened the air. "If you're right about the ring of fire eclipse, then we still have a month, and this will still be here when we wake up tomorrow."
Theo reached for another sour candy and popped it in his mouth.
"Enjoy your beauty sleep," he said, letting venom seep into his words.
"Theo, you need rest," Derek insisted. "You can start fresh tomorrow."
"I'll rest when I know what's coming," he snapped and studied the book in front of him, only distantly aware when Derek and Mason left him alone in the library.
Liam
Liam lurched from sleep, nearly tumbling straight out of bed, when a knock came at his door. He wiped the drool from his face and glanced at the clock. It was just past 1 am and Theo still hadn't come to bed. Worry wrenched Liam's gut as he stumbled to the door and yanked it open, but it wasn't Theo on the other side.
"Your boyfriend is seriously fucking unhinged," Mason blurted out.
Liam squinted at his best friend. "Mase, do you know what time it is?"
"Yup. I do, and I also know Theo is gonna sit in the library until the sun comes up unless you go get him," Mason said. "Just be careful. He's in one hell of a mood."
The worry in his gut only grew at that. Theo hadn't been sleeping, that much he knew, and Liam had made a point in them working out together during the day so that he was tired and not as inclined to exhaust himself at 4 am with long distance runs and lifting weights. Even then, it wasn't much of a fix.
"Is he okay?" Liam asked.
"If you consider someone who's okay being the world's biggest asshole—"
He squeezed Mason's hand. "Thanks, Mase. I'll take it from here. Go get some sleep."
The hallways of the safe house were eerily quiet. Out here in the middle of the woods, no traffic noise reached them. The only sound Liam heard was the occasional snore coming from a few different bedrooms, and the regular turning of a page.
Liam mentally kicked himself for not dragging Theo to bed with him earlier. He understood that Theo hadn't meant to break his promise. He'd just gotten caught up in the work.
Under the dim light of a solitary lamp, Theo had one hand buried in his hair and the other scribbling furious notes on a sheet of paper. His shoulders were hunched as he worked. Anyone else might have thought the way he held himself was normal, but Liam spotted the tension rippling through his back and his arms.
The white board was filled with notes now. Except for the lack of string, it reminded Liam of the stories Scott had told him about Stiles cracking investigations in his room. Except that Stiles had, for all intents and purposes, actually gone temporarily insane.
The worry that had settled in his gut rose to his heart, clenching painfully at Theo's adamant dedication. Cracks had begun to form in Theo's carefully curated control because, until they knew more, Theo couldn't act or form a plan. He was entirely at the mercy of whatever faceless villain they were up against, and Liam ached to think that the last time Theo had felt that helpless, he'd probably been in hell.
Loudly enough not to surprise him, but quietly enough not to disrupt him, Liam wrapped his arms around Theo's chest from behind and nuzzled into his neck.
"What're you doing up so late?" Liam whispered.
"Can't sleep," Theo answered, sounding forced and flat.
Liam kept a hand on Theo's shoulder and leaned against the table, studying him thoughtfully. "I thought you said you haven't been dreaming about Tara lately."
Theo's gaze was fixed on the table so intently that he might as well have been burning a hole through it.
"I haven't."
"Then what?" Liam asked. When Theo didn't answer, didn't so much as breathe, Liam shut the book in front of him and slid between Theo and the table. He gripped Theo's chin with enough force that his green eyes finally snapped to him. They were cold and distant, and dark circles brewed beneath them. "Tell me."
Theo loosed a shuddering breath. "I can't, Li. I don't want to think about it."
Liam hated seeing him like this, but he knew it wouldn't end well if he pushed him on it. The stress from finals, decoding the white wolf mystery, and not sleeping were eating at him. Theo couldn't keep this up much longer.
Liam thought back to all the times that Theo had known what he'd needed, seen his building rage with unyielding clarity, and given him a safe space to release his anger without hurting anyone. An idea formed in his mind.
"I know exactly what you need," Liam said carefully.
"I need to get back to working on this," Theo said, gesturing vaguely to the texts that Liam had shoved out of the way.
Liam positioned his legs on either side of Theo's and then sank into his lap, straddling him. Theo's eyes widened as his hands reflexively came up to grip Liam's hips.
"No, you need a distraction," Liam said more firmly this time.
Theo swallowed, and Liam traced the movement in his neck with the tip of his nose. He pressed kisses to the hard line of his jaw and just below his ear before sucking his ear between his teeth.
A gasp escaped Theo, and Liam reveled in it. Liam ground against him and brought their lips together—Theo kissed him like a starved man and gripped Liam's ass firmly enough that he'd probably bruise before he healed. As good as it felt, and as much as Liam wanted to lose himself in that sensation, tonight was about Theo.
Liam reached between them, pleasantly surprised at how worked up Theo already was, and gripped him tightly. A string of curse words followed his movements.
"Liam," Theo breathed. "Please..."
"Please what?" Liam asked, loving the way Theo's body reacted to his touch.
"Please let me fuck you?"
Liam sank his teeth into the sensitive skin at the base of Theo's throat. "No," he whispered and Theo stilled beneath him in surprise. "Because I'm going to take you apart inch by inch."
Theo's breath hitched, searching Liam's face for answers. To make his intentions clear, Liam rolled his hips. The sensations sent electricity coursing through his veins, and he let it sear away the worry he'd felt earlier. He had no room for worry. Not with what he was about to do.
Slowly, Theo nodded.
Liam squeezed even tighter, eliciting a moan that was music to his ears, before releasing him and wrapping his fingers around Theo's wrist. He tugged him to his feet and lead him down the hall toward their room.
Suddenly the eerily quiet hallways he'd walked minutes before were a blessing. With everyone else asleep, they might as well have been the only two people in the world. Liam wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
As soon as they were inside, Liam clicked the lock shut on the door, double checking it before turning to find Theo perched on the edge of the bed. His green eyes flickered with a simmering heat.
Every instinct in Liam's body screamed at him to rip both of their clothes off and dive in teeth first, but he couldn't—that was what he craved, but not what Theo needed. This was far more intimate than just helping each other find pleasure. Tonight, he needed Theo to feel safe and loved above all else.
The urge to be close to Theo, to be inside his skin, his mind, was overwhelming. In a half-trance, Liam ran the tips of his fingers up Theo's thighs, parting them so that they framed his own as he stood between them, their chests a breath apart.
Liam gripped the hem of Theo's T-shirt and tugged it up over his head. Theo raised his arms, compliant, and when the shirt was gone, Liam trailed the hard muscles in his arms down to the delicious curve of the chiseled abs.
When Theo lowered his arms, fisting them in Liam's own shirt, Liam spoke through that cracked open door in his mind—the one that he'd had to work to keep open without losing control of his wolf—and whispered, You're so fucking beautiful.
Theo jerked at the sudden intrusion, confirming that he too had been keeping that part of his mind open for Liam, but adjusted quickly. Liam quickly yanked his shirt off and with the hand still lingering on Theo's abs, gently pushed him onto the mattress.
Liam braced himself above Theo, exploring Theo's chest with his mouth. He licked the smooth bit of skin just beneath his collarbone before nipping with his teeth, and when he turned his attention to his nipples, circling them with the tip of his tongue, Theo's fingers dug into Liam's sides and groaned.
I'm obsessed with your body, Liam purred, lowering his mouth until he was centered right over the heat brimming beneath the zipper of Theo's jeans. Theo inhaled sharply as Liam rocked forward, using his teeth to pop the button and drag the zipper down.
Liam, came Theo's voice, close to a plea.
With nothing but the thin fabric of their boxers between them, Liam palmed Theo and claimed his mouth. When he reached a little further down and squeezed softly, Theo's lips parted, and Liam swept in, tasting the lingering remnants of sour candy.
Only when Theo's body was humming beneath him did Liam slip both of their boxers down, slinging them somewhere into the dark abyss of their room. His focus was so heavily trained on Theo, on every beat of his heart, every breath, every smooth dip of muscle splayed out before him, that a bomb could've gone off beside them and he still wouldn't have been able to tear his gaze away.
Even as Liam reached for the pocket of his overnight bag with the bottle of lube and condoms, he refused to let his gaze leave Theo's face.
If you want this to stop—
I don't, Theo assured him.
The corners of Liam's lips tipped up at his enthusiasm. If you want this to stop at any point, just say the word, okay?
Theo nodded, and Liam gathered both of his wrists above his head, pinning them there with a forceful grip. Liam was a little bit obsessed with how responsive Theo's body was to his touch. How he opened for him and only for him. How he could set aside his crumbling composure and just be the purest form of himself with Liam.
He was a writhing, begging, panting wreck by the time Liam slid the condom over himself. With his hands freed, Theo buried them in Liam's hair, his fingernails grazing the scalp and tugging softly to keep him close.
The sheer amount of trust that Theo had in him was enough that Liam's heart swelled to the point of bursting as he settled himself between Theo's legs and sank into him. The entire world narrowed to that one exquisite point of contact. Theo's eyes fluttered shut and a groan escaped Liam's lips against his will. He anchored himself to Theo's elevated heartbeat.
You take me so fucking well.
Theo's head tipped back in a moan at the praise. When Liam was fully seated in the sheer bliss that was his boyfriend, he paused to drink in every inch of Theo's flushed cheeks and heated skin. Theo dragged him by the hair until they shared a ragged, desperate kiss.
Liam chose that moment to begin to move, to roll his hips. When they broke apart, gasping for air, Theo's gaze drifted to watch where they joined, but it wasn't enough.
Look at me, Theo.
Electricity sparked between them when their eyes met. With each movement, he sank further into the undeniable truth that Theo belonged to him. He was Liam's just as much as Liam was his.
You're so good.
Theo averted his gaze, tried to anyway. Liam's next thrust was deep enough that Theo cried out his name and arched off the bed.
Don't hide from me. There was just enough authority in that mental-growl that Theo locked eyes with Liam again.
But I'm not good, Theo's voice was the barest of whispers in his mind.
So Liam did it again, this time stroking the length of him as he buried himself again.
"Fuck," Theo gasped.
You, Liam spoke the words into his mind, hoping he could meld them into his consciousness. Are. Good.
Tears gathered in the corners of Theo's green eyes, and Liam's heart stuttered from the fear that he'd taken it too far. He froze, but Theo's fingers gripped his ass with enough force that it drove Liam even deeper.
Don't stop.
A wave of ecstasy washed over Liam. The way Theo gripped him was so perfect that it nearly pushed him over the edge. Liam had to rein himself back in, force himself to focus.
You are good, Liam repeated, punctuating each word with a movement. He poured every ounce of his willpower into not losing himself in the pleasure. I need you to believe that.
"Liam—" Theo gasped. Liam knew from the shuddering quakes that Theo was close, but Liam wasn't done with him. He all but stopped moving, drawing a snarl from Theo.
"Say it."
Then, as if he couldn't bear to say the words aloud, he thought, I'm good.
Liam rewarded him with a thrust and a stroke that drew indelicate noises from Theo's throat.
Again.
I'm good, Theo thought, sounding more confident. The unfallen tears magnified his eyes, and Liam indulged him again.
Pride roared in Liam's chest, rivaling the bliss building in his body.
You're perfect, sweetheart, Liam thought. He revealed in the rapture etched into Theo's features even as he was coming apart at the seams. Only then did he finish Theo. And only after Theo turned his head and bit down on the blankets to keep from waking the whole building did he surrender to his own pleasure.
After cleaning themselves up, Liam drew Theo into his arms and kissed him thoroughly. Theo rested his head on Liam's shoulder and stroked his thumb across the skin above his heart.
All of the taut muscles that Liam had felt in the library were now pliable as he draped his leg across Liam's. A question bloomed on his face, and Liam knew what he was going to ask even before he spoke.
"Why?"
Liam pressed his lips to the heated skin at his temple. "Because I see you. I see how hard you're working to figure this out, but you're not alone. You don't have to solve this mystery to prove your worth to anyone."
For a long moment, Theo merely studied him. Then, he whispered across the infinitesimal distance between them, "Thank you."
The peaceful expression on his face meant more to Liam than he had words to express, so he brushed the damp, sweaty hair away from his face and whispered into his smooth skin, "My love for you knows no bounds. I'd do anything for you."
Liam didn't have to peer at him to know that he'd already slipped into sleep. He continued to caress Theo's broad shoulders as the pivotal truth of his words hung in the air between them. He would do anything to keep Theo safe, even if it was from his own damn mind.
Theo
Theo awoke slowly and gently to morning light streaming through the crack in the curtains. He couldn't quite remember the last time he'd slept until the sun had risen.
It was a rare moment of true peace, and Theo might have been able to fall back asleep except that his enhanced hearing couldn't quite block out the noises of the bustling safe house—the shutting of doors, the shuffling of chairs, the quiet conversations.
Draped across Liam's back, he scooted back a bit and tugged at his shoulders, turning him over in his arms. He pressed soft kisses to every inch of his exposed skin he could find.
Theo might have thought that last night had been a vivid dream except for the aching in tender places and the lack of anxious energy. He hadn't spoken to Liam at all about the nightmares that had plagued him or how hard he'd been on himself about not being able to solve the mystery yet, but he'd just known. He'd taken one look at Theo and read him like an open book.
After last night, something within him had shifted. He felt even closer to Liam than he had before, and the words that Liam had said to him again and again, encouraged him to breathe into existence, no longer made him want to shy away. Part of him marveled at the notion that Liam really believed he was good and loved him enough to help him believe it, too.
He'd never considered himself worthy, still didn't, but Liam had brought him that much closer.
For the past few weeks, Theo had been so caught up in the possibility of losing Liam that he hadn't stopped to appreciate that he was still right here with him. Theo clung to him a little harder, wishing that he could stop time and stay in this moment with the love of his life.
When Liam finally stirred, his blue eyes fluttering open beneath the hair that had fallen down his forehead, Theo's heart thrummed at the sight.
"Good morning, Little Wolf," Theo murmured to him.
"No," Liam groaned, shutting his eyes again and burying his face in Theo's chest. "Five more minutes."
Theo grinned. "How about two more minutes and then we can shower together?"
Liam pulled back, his eyes snapping open. "I'm awake."
A laugh bubbled out of Theo then, and he climbed out of bed in search of his boxers. He'd barely pulled them on when a knock came at the door followed by a loud thud.
"Wake up love birds," Corey called to them. "Deaton's here, and he brought some texts for us to go through."
And just like that, the tension was already settling in his shoulders again.
"Be there in a minute," Liam called before grumbling, "so much for a shower."
Theo cupped Liam's face in his hands and bent to kiss him. "After," he promised.
By the time they'd pulled their clothes on and opened the door, Isaac was waiting outside with two steaming cups of coffee. He handed one to Theo and the other to Liam.
"Fucking hell," Isaac said, his nose crinkling. "What were you two doing in there last night?"
Liam let out a low growl, and Theo's blood heated at the protective edge. Isaac held his hands up in surrender. "Forget I asked," he said. "I'm just glad I didn't stay here last night."
"Why're you here anyway?" Theo demanded. Even as he tried to say the words with malice, the pure happiness filling his chest refused to budge. He drank heartily from his cup, ignoring the curiosity in Isaac's cocked eyebrow and forcing himself not to blush.
"Derek asked me to come help with a training session later," Isaac said. "Figured I'd come and check on my two favorite betas."
Theo knew that with Scott back at college for the next few days, Derek had probably asked for Isaac's help to keep him from spiraling.
"We're fine," Theo said, slinging an arm around Liam's shoulder as they walked.
"I bet you are after last night," Isaac smirked, and if he didn't cut it out, Theo was going to shove his foot right up his—
"Morning, boys," Derek said as they crossed into the library.
Deaton was showing Corey and Mason one of the books he'd brought in. It was leather bound and looked old enough that it might crumble if it was handled too roughly.
"My family has a long, long history with the supernatural," Deaton said when he had their attention. "I expect to receive these back in the same condition that I found them. Understood?"
He looked pointedly at Theo, like he might set dare to throw them off a bridge after scanning all of this information into the online database.
Theo rolled his eyes but nodded along with the rest of them.
"How's the research going, anyway?" Deaton asked. "Did the ring of fire eclipse help narrow anything down?"
Theo shook his head, opening his notes from last night. "Not exactly. We still haven't found anything super useful other than some mention of the ring of fire amplifying werewolf powers."
Deaton clicked his tongue. "Interesting." Then his gaze settled on Theo's notes. "What are those?"
"Oh," Theo said. "Nothing. Derek showed me some runic texts, and I was playing around with a few of the symbols for tattoo inspiration."
"What does this one mean?" Deaton asked, pointing to one of them.
"That one is white and the one beside it is wolf. I also sketched out full moon and chimera," he said, flipping to the back page of his notes, "but it's just for fun."
Deaton shook his head. "No, I've seen those symbols before."
Theo's heart lurched. "You have?"
Deaton selected a text from the stack that he'd brought inside. "Here," he said and set the book open in the middle of the table. The pages were half scorched—almost as if someone had once tried to destroy it. The pages were filled with runic symbols, but sure enough, on the first few pages were the symbols for white wolf.
Theo caught the skip of Liam's heart beside him, and he threaded their fingers together.
"What book is that?" Mason asked. They all crowed in closer, trying to get a better glimpse at the text.
"It depicts the origin of many supernatural creatures and includes numerous... I'm not entirely sure what you'd call them," Deaton said. "The first ever banshee wrote a lot of predictions. Most of them were nonsense and never came to fruition, but all of them are detailed in this text."
Predictions sounded like a gentle way of saying prophecy. Was Liam part of an ancient prophecy?
Even before the thought had fully formed, Theo launched into action. They made copies of the runic alphabet and the fragile, half-burned text that Deaton had brought. Then he and Derek taught the rest of them how to translate the runes into English. Within an hour, they'd decoded most of the first two lines of runic text. Unfortunately, a good portion of those lines were too chard to read, but they could still make out the gist of it.
Mason wrote their words on the white board as they went, and soon enough, they were staring at the first tangible lead they'd had. The last rune had been the most scorched, but they had all agreed on the symbol. They all agreed that it was the correct translation.
Theo's hand shook as he set his pencil down.
Liam sat heavily and suddenly, almost as if his knees had buckled. Theo's gut clenched, and as much as he hated the words in front of him, he needed to keep his shit together for Liam. Only one of them could fall apart at a time.
We'll handle this together, Theo assured him and squeezed Liam's shoulder, needing the shared contact. Liam made no sign that he'd heard him, that he'd kept that mental door open for him, except that he covered Theo's hand with his own.
"The blood," Mason started, but his voice cracked as he attempted to read the phrase they'd deciphered. "The blood of the white wolf, harvested during a ring of fire eclipse, is a cure."
No one dared move or breathe for a long moment.
Finally, Isaac cleared his throat and voiced the question that they were all thinking.
"A cure for what?"
A/N: Thank you for reading! What do you think the cure is for?