A/N: Please note that this chapter contains smut. If that's not your thing, please skip Liam's second POV.
A/N: Suggested song pairing: Hunger by Ross Copperman
Four Years Later
Theo
Ducking beneath the slashing claws, Theo leapt back and kept his arms raised defensively as the feral girl advanced. Her fangs were bared and her claws whistled through the warm afternoon air.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said calmly over her snarling. "I'm here to help."
Another slash.
"Samantha, just breathe," Theo coaxed. At her name, the girl hesitated, and her wild, shining yellow eyes fixated on his face.
"How do you know my name?!" she hissed.
"I'm Theo, a private investigator, and your parents sent me," he said patiently even though he'd already told her this when he first found her ten minutes ago hiding behind a dumpster. "They're really worried about you."
Samantha's chest heaved. Her hair was tangled and lopped short on one side almost like she'd tried to chop it with her claws. Dirt and grime stained her skin and the too-large T-shirt hung from her thin frame. From her scent alone, he knew the girl hadn't seen a shower in the month since she'd run away from home. Probably hadn't had a decent meal, either.
"And it looks like you could use some help."
"You don't know anything about me!" she screamed.
"Your favorite animal is the red panda, you're failing math even though it's your favorite subject, and you love mountain climbing. A few months ago, you snuck out with your friends to drink in the woods, but that night, you were bitten."
She shook her head fiercely, and Theo admired her instinct to deny being bitten. That was the kind of instinct that would keep her alive—probably had over the past few weeks. As soon as Theo called on his chimera eyes, shining in the shadowy alley way, her protests faded.
Fire still brimmed behind her glowing eyes, but Theo knew he had her.
"I might not know you, but a few years ago, I was exactly where you are now," he said gently. Her hands fell to her sides. "Will you let me help you?"
The girl nodded. "How do I...?" she motioned to her claws.
"Take a couple deep breaths for me, all right?" he said. She closed her eyes and obeyed, inhaling unsteadily. "You remind me of someone I love very deeply. They get angry when they're scared, too."
"I'm not scared!" she demanded, her eyes flashing open.
Theo chuckled and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I hear you," he said. "I know your senses are probably overwhelmed with everything you can hear and smell and see, but I want you to pick one thing and focus in on that, all right?"
Her nose scrunched as she tried, but her next exhale was exasperated. "Like what?"
Theo pointed to his chest. "Can you focus on the sound of my heart beating? Hear its steady rhythm?" Samantha focused and a minute later, her eyes faded and her fangs and claws retracted.
Relief was visible on her features, and she slumped against the brick wall in the alley.
"What now?"
"Now, I take you back to your parents," Theo told her.
Her heartrate skyrocketed. "No! You can't!"
"Listen to me, kid," Theo said, crouching down in front of her. "I know you think you can survive out here on your own, but you can't. You need your family. Your friends. Trust me, you don't want to be an omega."
It was a term that had all but become extinct since Derek and Scott had melded their packs four years ago. No werewolf went without a pack unless they wanted to anymore. Not under their watch.
"What if I hurt them?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper, and her bottom lip trembled as she fought not to cry.
"You won't," Theo assured her. "My alpha, Derek Hale? He's going to help you, all right? He'll make sure you don't hurt anyone."
She brightened at that, swiping the building tears with her wrist. "Promise?"
"Promise. Now, will you let me take you home?" Samantha nodded, and he gently guided her out of the alley toward his blue truck. He knew he should sell it, get something with better gas mileage, but it held too many memories that he wasn't sure he'd ever be ready to let go of. "Good, because I've got somewhere to be."
"Where?" Samantha asked as she climbed into the truck.
Theo flashed her a grin. "A wedding."
Liam
The forest behind the safe house had been transformed. Long wooden benches and white chairs formed rows around two separate aisle ways that converged into one. At the end of it was a small raised platform that Isaac had spent days building and something that Mason had informed him was called an arbor. Basically, a super fancy archway with vines and flowers weaving around the lattice work.
Even though they wouldn't turn them on until later, large hanging light bulbs were strung between branches and from the main house all the way down to the end of the aisle.
If Liam was being honest, it was a bit more than he'd bargained for, but between Mason, Lydia, and his mom, his creative direction had been limited from the start. He watched from the window of the safehouse as Mason ran around directing people, speaking hurriedly into a headset, and as Corey trailed after him, begging him to drink a bottle of water.
With a smile, Liam returned his attention to his cuff links at his wrist, but couldn't quite seem to get them one handed.
A soft knock came at the door.
"Come on in," Liam called to Scott. He recognized his alpha's scent the second he'd stepped foot in the safe house.
"How's it going, Li?" Scott asked, drawing him into a warm hug. One of the best things about being nearby at UCLA was that he'd gotten to see a lot of Scott and Isaac. After he'd graduated, his alpha had returned to Beacon Hills with the intention of opening up a clinic similar to Deaton's, except that he was planning on working with Corey and Lydia to expand the medical facilities for supernatural creatures, too. Deaton had surprised him by handing him the keys to his clinic when he left—he'd fallen in love on a summer trip to the East Coast and wanted to protect her from the supernatural world, so they'd decided to move away from the Nemeton, the hub for all supernatural creatures.
Liam would never forget Deaton's words to Scott that day, "I found my happiness. Don't be afraid to find your own."
"Want some help?" Scott asked.
"Sure," Liam said and held out his wrist. "How's Isaac doing? I haven't seen him since this morning."
He hadn't seen Theo, either, for that matter.
Scott made a point of securing Liam's cuff link before answering. "Isaac had to, uh, run to the store for something."
"Uh, huh," Liam said, but didn't push it. Only because he could hear Isaac in the hallway now chatting with Stiles and Derek.
"Did you get ahold of the prick?" Stiles asked.
"Well, I—" Isaac cut off abruptly.
Scott cleared his throat, and Liam had a feeling that his alpha had mentally warned Isaac to shut the hell up. "So, you nervous?"
Liam shook his head. "Not in the slightest." He'd been looking forward to today for months.
Yet, worry took root in the back of his mind because when Theo was on assignment, he often became so fully engrossed in the process that he lost track of time. After graduating with an associate's degree in criminal justice two years ago, he'd been a PI ever since. Theo had come alive doing it. Something about tracking down kids that were scared and alone, returning them to their parents or bringing them to Derek, was probably healing for him. Liam's heart ached to think that Theo had become the adult that kid-Theo had needed the most.
Liam might have worried for his safety too except that he'd limited the cases, only accepting the lower profile, less dangerous cases until after the wedding. He'd been hired on a few sketchy assignments last year, but Liam and Isaac had insisted on joining him to make sure that he came home in one piece. He was pretty sure this 15-year-old girl who'd run away a few weeks ago didn't pose a legit threat.
"He'll be here," Scott said softly. "If he isn't, I swear I'll—"
"Don't you think it's time to put the jokes about sending him back to hell to rest?" Liam asked, a smile playing at his lips.
Scott raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, this is just me keeping an old promise."
Liam narrowed his gaze at his alpha. "What promise?"
"When you two first started dating, I told him that if he hurt you, I'd make his life a living hell," Scott said, but joy glimmered in his eyes. "Can't tell you how glad I am that I haven't had to make good on that threat."
"You won't have to," he assured him. "Just, tell the boys to stall for time if we have to. If he's not here yet, I'm sure he has a damn good reason."
"He better," Scott muttered, but nodded.
Liam knew he did. After all, this had been his idea.
While they were home visiting Liam's parents over Christmas, Sheriff Stilinski asked for his help on a case. A family of Wendigos moved into the outskirts of Beacon Hills and kidnapped an entire bus full of middle schoolers on their way back from a field trip.
Theo called in Scott and Isaac as reinforcements, and even though he'd begged Liam to stay out of it, he was determined to help. The leader of the Wendigos nearly ripped into the throat of a little boy—would have if Liam hadn't snatched him up and put himself at risk all at the same time. Theo had yanked both of them out of harm's way just as the Wendigos' razor-sharp teeth snapped shut where Liam's neck had been seconds before.
"Thank you for saving me," Liam said with a little laugh. "Again."
When they returned to the safe house, flickering light caught Liam's eye on the other side of the wrap around porch. He followed it, finding a blanket laid out with dozens of pillows and lit candles decorating the exact spot where they'd shared their first kiss.
Liam whirled to find Theo grinning at him.
"How—"
But Theo tugged him in by the hips, kissing him thoroughly, the rest of his thought forgotten. Even after they broke apart, Liam was rendered speechless.
"Liam," Theo said in a low voice that sent heat shuddering through his body. "You are the love of my life. I know you think I've saved you again and again, but the truth is that you saved me in the only way that really matters. My soul was damned. My heart was shattered, but you pieced me back together."
Theo lowered himself onto a single knee in front of Liam, pulling out a small black box and flipping it open to reveal a sleek obsidian band with several delicate sapphire gems woven into the center.
"You are my everything, and if you let me, I'll spend every single moment of every single day of the rest of my life trying to repay you for stitching my soul back together. You're my future, Little Wolf."
The sight of Theo down on one knee was too much.
Liam shook his head ever so slightly and pressure built behind his eyes as he knelt, too, joining his beautiful boyfriend on the frost-bitten wooden planks. Theo's face was open and vulnerable, but he caught a glimpse of anxiety, too.
"My sweet Theo," Liam whispered, brushing his hair away from his face. "I didn't stitch anything back together. I just loved you enough that you did it all on your own. You don't owe me anything. I don't want a marriage where you feel in debt to me. I want us to be equals."
A crease appeared between Theo's brows, and the scent of anxiety permeated the air.
"Is that a... no?"
Liam tipped his chin up. "Theo Raeken, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Hope eclipsed the fear in Theo's eyes then, and they shone in the candle light. "You'll marry me?"
"Yes, of course, love." Liam barely got the words out before Theo crushed their lips together. They fell back onto the blanket in a tangle of limbs, barely stopping long enough for Theo to slip the ring over Liam's finger.
The weight of it settled onto his finger with a sense of finality.
"Now I have to get you a ring," Liam whispered, kissing the bare skin just past his knuckle. "Are you more of a princess cut or—?"
Liam groaned as Theo's teeth found the delicate skin of his ear.
"Funny, that's what Mason suggested for you," he whispered, "but I opted for a more elegant touch."
"It's perfect," Liam breathed. "You're perfect."
Liam wasn't sure if the rosy tinge in Theo's cheeks was from the cold or the compliment, but he kissed each of them in turn before tracing the hollow of his throat down to the collar of his shirt. He itched to rip the fabric from his skin.
"As much as this pains me to say," Theo ground out, "we shouldn't."
A low growl built in Liam's throat.
"Mason helped me set all this up, and he's probably still hiding in the bushes with a camera. Plus, Derek, Scott, Isaac, and Corey are waiting inside to congratulate us."
Liam immediately stilled.
"You were that sure I was going to say yes?" he asked. Goosebumps formed on Theo's chest as his breath ghosted over his skin.
"I wasn't sure," Theo said, and all traces of jesting had evaporated. "I had hoped, but I didn't know for sure."
Liam brushed their lips together again with excruciating gentleness before deepening the kiss again. "Remember when I attacked that creep and you stood up to Scott for me?"
Theo's brows creased again. "Yeah?"
"That's when I knew. That's how long I've been sure about you."
Theo's entire body softened at that.
Even if Theo had gotten side tracked, his fiancé wouldn't miss this for the world.
The pack would understand if they needed a little more time before the ceremony started. It was Liam's extended family, who'd come to town exclusively for this, that he couldn't exactly explain Theo's job to. They wouldn't understand the odd pieces of the supernatural world that didn't quite translate over to normal human life.
The door flung open, and Stiles popped his head in.
"Hey, just wanted to check on you guys. How's the groom doing?"
"I'd be a lot better if everyone stopped asking me how I'm doing," Liam said flatly.
Stiles nodded. "Point taken, all right, well, do you need anything? Got the vows and everything all—"
Liam was patting his pocket when he sensed a familiar, comforting presence. A second later, Theo sprinted past as Stiles tried and failed to shut the door in time. Isaac was hot on his heels, a long garment bag trailing after him.
Stiles scratched his head with a sheepish smile. "See? Everything's under control."
Theo
After the quickest shower of his entire life, Lydia blow dried his hair while he touched up his beard, making sure that he had clean lines and that it framed his jaw in the way he knew drove Liam wild.
"Fuck, where's my deodorant?" Theo called out, and a second later, a tube flew into the bathroom. He caught it mid-air before it could hit Lydia in the head and called thanks to Isaac as he applied at least five coats of it.
When he tried to flee the bathroom to put the rest of his suit on, Lydia gripped his arm to keep him in place. "Hang on, your hair's still soaking wet. If you put your suit on now, you'll ruin it."
Theo fidgeted, wishing it hadn't taken him all morning to track Samantha down.
"I don't have time for this," he said with an exasperated sigh. "I was supposed to be here an hour ago. The ceremony's supposed to start in like fifteen minutes—"
Breathe, love, Liam's silky voice slid into his mind. Take as long as you need.
But your aunt, and your uncle, your grandparents— Theo answered, his gut wrenching at the thought of holding today up.
Today's about us, not them. They can wait until we're ready.
"They're doing that mental talking thing again, aren't they?" Lydia asked Isaac, who merely nodded.
Theo ignored them and steadied himself on his fiancé's voice. You're right. Thank you, love. I'll be out soon, I promise. And Li? I'm sorry I'm late.
Did you find the girl? Liam answered immediately because of course he'd known exactly what he was doing without having to ask.
Yeah, she's home safe and sound.
Then don't be sorry.
Theo's heart swelled, and he held still while Lydia finished his hair and even let her break out her curling iron for the longer strands of his hair. He held tight to that calmness Liam had imparted until his hands shook and he fumbled knotting his tie.
It didn't help that he'd caught a glimpse of the number of people outside, but mostly, it was that he could count the number of times he'd had to wear a tie on one hand. On four fingers, realistically—his sister's funeral, prom with Liam, Lydia and Stiles' wedding last year, and today.
"It's okay to be nervous," Isaac said, casually taking the tie from his grasp and beginning the knot with steady hands.
Theo bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't think he was, but every nerve ending in his body seemed to be crackling with electricity.
"I'm not nervous," he snapped, harsher than he'd intended.
Isaac flipped the tie through the front bit and tightened it to the base of his throat, making sure he had more than enough room to breathe.
"Your heart beat says otherwise."
Theo gulped and glanced at his watch. He was only a few minutes past their original start time. "Doesn't matter," he said, shrugging on his jacket.
"Want me to hang onto your vows?"
Vows. Where were his vows—Theo scrambled for the pair of black jeans he'd had on earlier and dug into the pocket for a folded, half-torn, scribbled on page. He probably should've taken Mason up on his offer to type it out, but he kept thinking of new things to add.
Theo resisted the urge to open them, read them one last time in case he needed to make any last-minute adjustments, but Isaac took the paper from him and tucked them safely into his jacket pocket.
They had to be perfect. He needed the perfect words to tell Liam exactly how much he meant to him, and he had to do it in front of his entire family.
"It's gonna be all right," Isaac told him.
He shrugged. "We should go, I'm already late."
Isaac gripped both of his shoulders. "Hey, all you have to do is make it halfway down the aisle, and then you'll be with Liam the rest of the way."
Theo swallowed as Isaac straightened his jacket and led him outside and down the steps to his designated aisle. He peered through the thick grove of trees separating his aisle from Liam's, but he couldn't get more than a glimpse of him.
Gentle music wafted through the air. Derek, unshakable as always, nodded reassuringly before heading down the aisle, meeting up with Mason halfway and making their way to the top of the alter. Scott and Isaac were up next, linking arms with broad smiles in the center aisle.
The music swelled, and suddenly the moment was here.
Since Theo didn't have enough family or friends to fill an entire section just for himself, they'd decided against separating the aisle in half, but that didn't stop his heart from catching in his throat as he stared out at Liam's family.
Crowds didn't bother him when they were faceless strangers, but this was Liam's family. These people mattered, and their opinions of him mattered. Theo had to put on a show, had to make sure that these people liked him. All of his cousins and aunts and grandparents—the ones he'd been introduced to in a whirlwind last night at the rehearsal dinner—stood and stared at him with an intensity that had his chest constricting.
His mouth was suddenly painfully dry. His hand itched to loosen his tie. He shouldn't have let Isaac tie it so damn tight. Beads of sweat formed between his shoulder blades. Whoever had decided that they should wear suit jackets in the middle of a California summer should be arrested.
Fuck, too many eyes were on him. Too many people were focused on his every movement, his too-short, unsteady steps forward. He cast out his hearing, desperately searching for Liam's heartbeat, but his attempt was swept away in the sea of drumming hearts and the building piano notes.
One step at a time.
He just had to move.
Theo made it two more shaky steps before his eyes found Liam, before the universe threw him a life raft, and his breath caught.
Liam's deep blue suit accented his eyes perfectly, and the jacket hugged every curving muscle in his shoulders and arms. His hair was styled in a way Theo had never seen it before, but he was absolutely going to beg Lydia to do it more often because his mouth was practically watering at the sight.
Fresh air rushed into Theo's lungs, and everyone else fell away in the wake of Liam's blue eyes traveling up and down Theo's body and the gentle curve of his lips, the way his teeth caught on his bottom lip.
Suddenly walking wasn't such a chore, and when the aisles joined, Liam reached for his hand, threading their fingers together. His thumb traveled in gentle strokes up his wrist, pressing lightly against the jumping pulse point.
His worries eased with every brush of smooth skin, and even when they stood before the officiant, Liam didn't release his hold. He seemed to understand that Theo needed that contact.
Theo could barely focus on the quickly moving ceremony, and then Mason offered Liam his vows on an elegant piece of parchment.
"I had a really hard time writing these," Liam began with a breathy laugh. "You'd think it would be easy telling the person I love the most in this world how much he means to me, but the problem is that I could stand up here and talk for a small eternity about why I love you. I could go on and on about how we hated each other at first. How our friendship became a reluctant alliance that slowly grew into fondness. How the hardships we faced in the first two years forged our relationship, but if I'm being honest, that's only a tiny fraction of why I love you."
Theo blinked rapidly, his heart aching at Liam's beautiful words.
"The rest of it is in the small moments," Liam said, "the little acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. The way you always order extra peanut sauce from that Thai place because you know I love adding it to my stir fry. The way you grip my knee when a song comes on in the truck that reminds you of us. The way I never have to worry if I'm safe when I'm with you. The way you look at me and just see me for exactly who I am. The way sometimes you understand what and why I'm feeling before even I do. Theo Raeken, you are my best friend and I know that no matter what the future holds for us, it'll be okay because there's no storm that we can't weather when we're together."
Tears burned his eyes, threatening to spill over onto his cheeks.
Fuck, baby, how am I supposed to follow that? Theo whispered into his mind.
The smile playing on Liam's lips was pure challenge, and when Isaac offered him his shitty little piece of paper, Theo declined it. He'd been thinking about this all wrong. He'd been on a search for the perfect words, when in truth, there were none.
"I've spent the past two months agonizing over the right way to tell you exactly how much you mean to me and how much I love you, but I'm just going to speak from the heart."
Theo took a shuddering breath, and Liam squeezed his hand in silent encouragement.
"You were the first person to ever see me for everything I was and everything I am and still believe that I was good. My past had me convinced that the only good part of me was you, but almost four years ago during a rare eclipse, you told me that my worth has nothing to do with you and everything to do with my beautiful soul. I didn't have the words to tell you then how I felt, but I think I do now. For the longest time, I was surrounded by darkness, and when you spend enough time in the dark, it becomes hard to tell the difference between what's darkness and what's you. You start to become that darkness. You welcome it into your heart, and you let it permeate every crevasse of your soul.
"You, Liam Dunbar, are a ray of sunshine. You burn brighter than anyone I've ever met, and loving you, cherishing you, has eradicated the darkness. Most of it, at least. I don't think it'll ever be completely gone, but because of you, I found my own light. Loving you is the greatest thing I will ever do, and I plan to do that—peanut sauce, long drives, and all—for the rest of my life, until I'm old and gray and wrinkled, and I know that I will have absolutely no regrets."
A single tear trailed down Liam's cheek, and Theo swept it away with his thumb.
"I love you more than I have ever loved anything in this world."
Faintly, the audience sniffled and Theo was fairly certain there wasn't a dry eye among them. They exchanged rings—Liam had gotten Theo a matching black ring embedded with small emeralds—and when the officiant declared them husbands, Theo cupped the back of Liam's neck and kissed him harder than he ever had before.
Liam
He was accustomed to the energy of parties coming in waves, but this particular one was constant. As soon as Liam thought he might have a second to breathe, another wave knocked him down in the form of another relative, another speech, another activity that he was required to do when all he wanted was for time to slow so that he could commit every moment of this to memory.
Liam caught Theo rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt as he laughed with Mason and Corey. His forearms flexed, and a single curl of his hair had fallen down into his green eyes. As if sensing his attention, Theo's green eyes flicked to his.
Liam didn't bother speaking into their mental void—his intention was written plainly across his features in a language only Theo could understand. He stowed away to the restroom, and when Theo slipped in after him, locking the door tightly, Liam slammed him against the door in a bruising kiss. Liam desperately ran his hands over the chorded muscles of Theo's chest and abs.
"Your words," Liam breathed between kisses, "were perfect. You're perfect."
Liam ground against him hard enough that the hinges strained, only peeling himself away to focus on unknotting Theo's tie. The second there was a bit of space between them, Theo flipped them and drove Liam's back against the cold tile wall, gripping the length of him through the fabric of his pants and drawing a whimper from his throat.
"You drive me crazy," Theo whispered, his eyes burning with lust. He sank to his knees in front of Liam. His breath was hot against the sliver of exposed skin where his shirt had come untucked, and a shudder ran up his spine. Theo hadn't stopped stroking him even as he moved to unclasp his belt one-handed.
As much as he wanted to feel Theo's mouth on him, he needed something more. Gently, he grasped Theo's tie, drawing him off the floor and into a messy kiss that was wet and hot and ended with his lip caught between Theo's teeth.
"I need you."
Theo rolled his hips forward, bringing the hard crux of them together and his knees nearly buckled.
"You have no idea how much I want to do that, but we don't have—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Liam reached into his pocket and held up two packets between his fingers. A condom and a wallet-sized lube packet.
Theo shook his head in disbelief. "My husband's a genius."
Husband.
Husband.
The word settled into his bones and ignited something deep within Liam that was both a primal possessiveness and fundamental awe. That same sentiment, like he couldn't quite believe his luck, was echoed on Theo's face.
Liam abandoned his pants and boxers while Theo ripped open the packets with his teeth. When he hooked an elbow underneath his leg, Liam locked it around his waist and buried his fingers into the soft layers of Theo's hair to keep him close. Liam unbuckled Theo's pants, releasing the length of him, and let them fall to the floor. He stroked him in lazy circles while Theo coated two fingers in the slick liquid. Liam's body opened for Theo, for his husband, but he was moving too slowly. He found himself pushing back against him. He needed to feel him more of him. Needed to be closer to him.
"Theo," he exhaled, rubbing a thumb over the sensitive tip and relishing in the harsh way his breath caught.
With a half-dazed nod, Theo released his leg and drew him over to the sink, bending him over it. Liam braced his hands on either side of the porcelain and watched in the reflection as Theo rolled the condom over himself.
They'd only done it like this a handful of times. Even though the angle was incredible, it didn't have the same level of intimacy that Liam craved. Something about the mirror, though, seemed to be bridging that gap. Theo dragged his nails across Liam's back with enough pressure to leave marks but not quite draw blood. Their eyes met in the reflection, and Theo didn't break that contact even as he pushed into him.
Liam's head dropped to his chin as he gasped at the overwhelming sensations. Theo gripped his hip with one hand and leaned over him, pressing kisses to his back while drawing in and out in unhurried, deliberate strokes.
"My beautiful husband," Theo crooned against his skin. They were so close, skin to skin, but even when Liam twisted, he couldn't quite reach his mouth.
"Eyes on me, Little Wolf," Theo said in a low voice that had Liam's eyes snapping to the mirror. The heat burning in his eyes sent a shudder through him, and he drove his hips back against him.
The corner of Theo's mouth tipped up, his thrusts becoming faster, deeper. Each one brought Liam closer and closer to the edge of oblivion.
"I'm going to make my husband come."
Every nerve in Liam's body sang with pleasure. "Fuck."
"Little Wolf, husband, love of my life, you have to be quiet."
He was trying, but everything was heightened. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe with Theo inside of him. He never wanted this moment to end. He wanted to stay here with his husband, just the two of them.
Liam straightened a bit, his shoulders brushing against Theo's chest. His hand trailed down Liam's throat, dragging down his front until he reached the length of him that ached to be touched. Theo indulged him exactly what he wanted, his hand matching the rhythm of his hips, and he captured Liam's mouth, swallowing down his muffled cries as waves of pleasure crashed through him again and again.
...
The rest of the night was a blur. Slowly but surely Liam's relatives said goodnight and headed home. His mom stumbled over to him close to midnight and threw her arms around him.
"I'm so proud of you, my love," his mom said, her eyes heavy-lidded and alcohol on her breath. "All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy, and look at you. You have the best husband."
Liam met Theo's gaze across the dance floor where Mason and Isaac had roped him into dancing to a fast-paced song. He seemed to be pleading for help, but personally, Liam was enjoying the show.
"I couldn't agree more." He helped his step dad settle her into their car and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Mom. I'll see you after the honeymoon."
His stepdad hugged him tightly. "Thank you for coming," Liam told him.
"Are you kidding? We wouldn't have missed it for the world," he said. "Try not to stay up all night partying."
Liam laughed and shut the car door behind him. "We'll try not to."
He rejoined the party, and now that it was just the pack, they'd all gathered around the outdoor fire pit and were passing a bottle around while playing Never Have I Ever.
Liam plopped down in Theo's lap and held up his fingers.
"Never ever have I had a tail," Stiles said, and everyone but Lydia, Mason, and Corey groaned and dropped a finger.
"Cheap shot," Malia quipped.
"Here," Scott said and passed him a bottle of amber liquid.
"What's in it?"
"It's my own concoction!" Lydia said. She'd been experimenting recently with different strains of wolfsbane and their uses. She'd even discovered a way to make what was essentially a werewolf sedative. "The base is bourbon, but it should have a pretty good kick."
Liam took a swig, and the alcohol wasn't the only thing burning his throat. It might as well have been jet fuel.
"Holy hell!" he exclaimed. Theo took the bottle from him, chugging a few gulps before passing it on to Derek.
"Might not taste great, but it'll get you hammered," Lydia said, raising her own glass. "Scott was the test case, so we know it won't kill an alpha at least."
"Oh, I have one!" Isaac said. "Never have I ever died and come back to life."
Scott and Liam protested but lowered a finger.
"Finger down, Theo!" Isaac called, a slight slur to his words.
"I was in hell! I wasn't technically dead."
"Still counts," Lydia called and Mason and Scott chimed their agreement.
"Fine," Theo growled. He narrowed his gaze at Isaac. "Never have I ever fucked an alpha."
Isaac lowered enough fingers to flip him the bird.
"Never have I ever fucked in a bathroom at my own wedding," Isaac said with a pointed glare at Liam and Theo.
Liam's cheeks immediately heated, but Theo only said, "Oh, fuck off."
But when Stiles and Lydia each dropped a finger, the entire pack roared.
Theo
The sun warmed his skin as he stretched out across the top of the boat. Liam's head rested against his chest, and he ran his fingertips down his husband's arm. They'd spent the better part of the past two weeks lounging on the beach, exploring the Thailand jungles, kayaking, and scuba diving. Today, though, Theo had arranged for a chartered boat to take them out to a private alcove of caves that couldn't be reached by land.
At least, that's what he'd told Liam.
"How'd you afford this, anyway?" Liam asked, peering up at him.
Part of the reason they'd opted for Thailand, aside from the fact that it had always been on Liam's bucket list, was that it was one of the cheaper places, which meant they could stay for longer than a few days.
"Technically, I didn't," Theo said. "Derek did."
Liam sat up and eyed him. "What does that mean?"
Theo raised his hands in surrender. "He asked for a favor since we were already in Thailand, and I couldn't exactly tell him no."
Derek had put him through two years of college and helped him get certified as a PI. Theo had only agreed after lots of convincing from Isaac and Derek, because he'd made sure that Derek knew it was only a loan. He'd already paid back a good bit of what he owed, but it would still be years before he was debt free. Not that his alpha held it over his head, but this case sounded high-profile, and that usually meant a really great payout.
Liam groaned. "You promised no work on our honeymoon."
Theo drew him in for a lingering kiss. "It's just a meeting, love. I won't be doing any actual work while we're here. Promise. Besides, this could be a great opportunity for me, and I'll do anything to make sure our future is smooth sailing."
His exasperated sigh was so adorably frustrated that Theo pressed another kiss to his temple and dug his fingers into Liam's thigh.
"And, if it's any consolation, I'll make it up to you later."
Liam's eyes glinted mischievously at that, and Theo knew he was remembering their late-night trip two nights ago when they skinny dipped at an abandoned beach and took full advantage of their privacy out there afterward, too.
"Fine," he said.
A man appeared at the top of the ladder and said, "We're here, Mr. and Mr. Raeken."
Theo's blood heated at that. After they'd gotten engaged, they'd had a long discussion about family names, Liam had volunteered to take Theo's last name. He admitted that it was the last remaining piece of his father and he didn't want it anymore. Theo had been willing to take Dunbar, but after hearing him say it aloud, Theo was glad for the compromise. He was the last Raeken alive, and part of him would've hated for him to be the last. It wasn't his parents' fault that they weren't here anymore.
"C'mon, Mr. Raeken," Theo teased as he got to his feet and offered Liam a hand.
Liam rolled his eyes but took his hand nonetheless.
The boat was anchored in the center of an alcove hidden away within the jungle, but the rocky cliffs were treacherous and overhung enough that they had to take a tender to reach the shore.
A man and a woman dressed all in white linen greeted them and led them along the small patch of sandy beach beneath the towering arch of stone.
Theo noted the weapons they kept hidden on them, but he wasn't concerned. They were both humans, and they weren't anything that he and Liam couldn't handle.
Just when Theo was beginning to wonder if Derek had sent them all the way out here on some sort of prank, the two people swept away a curtain of jungle vines to reveal a hidden doorway.
This isn't ominous at all, Liam said into his mind as they entered the shadowy depths of a narrow hallway carved into the side of the cliff.
"Derek Hale sent me to speak with Mr. Saetiao," Theo said as the hallway opened up into an expansive, luxurious room. "Where is he?"
"Right here," said a man whose energy felt more ancient than the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes let on. He perched forward in his leather arm chair and leaned his elbows on the wooden desk in front of him that was so large Theo wasn't entirely certain how they'd gotten it in here. "I've been looking forward to meeting with you for quite some time, but it was my understand that you weren't fielding calls for a few months."
Theo had grown used to quickly identifying what kind of supernatural creature he was dealing with, and this man was definitely an old, powerful werewolf. And they were in his den.
"That's correct," Theo said. "I had some personal matters to attend to, but I'm here now. How can I help?"
Liam squeezed his arm. "I'll leave you to it, should I wait outside?"
Saetiao rose. "Actually, I was hoping to speak to both of you."
"Excuse me?" Theo demanded, taking a protective step closer to Liam.
The man turned his back to pour a drink, and even though Theo saw it for what it was, a strategic move designed to show that he meant no harm, it did nothing to quench his rage.
"The two of you are legendary in supernatural circles. The chimera and the white wolf. Hale and McCall betas. A powerhouse couple. Might I offer my sincerest congratulations on the wedding, by the way."
Theo's blood was near boiling. He'd worked excruciatingly hard to keep his personal life out of his professional career, and when the two crossed like this, that could only mean that Saetiao had been keeping a close eye on him. That in itself made his hair stand up on end.
"You have five seconds to tell me what you want before I rip your head from your shoulders," Theo snarled.
The man chuckled. "Derek warned that you can be fierce. Let me assure you that I have no malicious intentions, Mr. Raeken. I merely wish to hire the two of you."
Theo blinked, but his anger only subsided at the gentle brush of Liam's hand at the small of his back. "Hire us to do what, exactly?"
"A new pack has risen to power here in Thailand," Saetiao said. "An alpha has been stealing young children, and our werewolf community has shrunk over the past decade. I believe that they see us as a threat. That they plan to eradicate our kind."
"Your kind?" Theo asked. "You said alpha, if they're not werewolves—"
"Were-panthers," Saetiao said with a nod. "They're particularly lethal, and I believe that they have been harvesting and growing rare forms of wolfsbane. It seems that they managed to get ahold of a stash from Gerard Argent. If we don't find and eliminate this alpha, I fear that they still not stop with Thailand. They will continue until werewolves are all but extinct and were-panthers are the dominate supernatural creature."
"Just to be clear, do you want me to find this alpha, or kill them?"
"Locating them is our top priority," he said. "We can discuss our plan of attack once you have done that. Mind you, this is no easy task. You see how secluded my own dwelling is. Theirs will no different, of that I am sure. Otherwise, my children, my pack, would have found them by now."
Theo's skin tingled with anticipation. He loved a good challenge and this certainly fit that bill. Yet, he studied Liam. Even though he'd just graduated and had a position lined up at a local school in the fall, he'd need a summer job. Theo couldn't imagine a better scenario than getting to work alongside his husband.
Saetiao opened a black suitcase with stacks of bills inside. "I'm prepared to pay handsomely."
It's up to you, Li. You say walk, and we leave right now. No questions asked, Theo told him.
I mean, that's a lot of cash, Liam replied. I'm not afraid of some were-panthers.
Theo had to bite his lip to keep from smiling at Liam's fearlessness.
"All right," Theo agreed. "We'll find the panther pack, but we need half up front."
He shut the case and slid it over to him. "This is half."
Liam
A few hours later, they were back at their resort and staring at the piles of cash. They were both too stunned to touch it, let alone count it.
"Are we really doing this?" Liam asked.
Theo turned to him, looking just as dumbfounded as he felt. "New day, new supernatural creature, new mission."
Liam reached for a stack of cash, but Theo knelt in front of him, gripping his knees.
"That's my life. It's the only thing I'm good at, but it doesn't have to be yours. I know you want to teach history and coach lacrosse. You want a simpler life where we're not always fighting for our lives. You say the word, and I do this alone. Or I tap Isaac."
Liam nodded, scooting closer and tipping Theo's face up to him.
"You're right, I love the easy, simple moments with you, but the last four years have been almost nothing but that. I love when you let me join you on assignment. It gives me a chance to break up the monotony," he said. "And working with you? There's no greater joy."
Theo cocked a brow at that, dragging him in for a scorching kiss.
"Okay, there might a few greater joys," Liam admitted breathlessly. "But I want this. I can do both. I don't start teaching until the fall."
"A history teacher who moonlights as a PI," Theo said, his green eyes glimmering. "You know who you are?"
Liam frowned. "Who?"
"Indian Jones."
Liam shoved him—or, tried to. Theo pulled him down onto the floor with him. Their wrestling match quickly devolved into more, and when Theo fucked him, it was slow and deep. The way he handled him with such care had Liam's heart aching.
After their dinner reservations, Liam pulled Theo into a local store and grabbed a blanket, a bottle of champagne, and two glasses before heading down to the beach near their resort.
Liam flung the blanket out across the sand, and when Theo spread out on it with his hands behind his head, he couldn't resist climbing on top of him and kissing him. His fingers made quick work of the buttons on his shirt, and Theo hands settled on his ass.
After two weeks in the sun, Theo's normally pale skin was radiant, and Liam was addicted to the feel of his muscles under his mouth. He traced a line from Theo's throat down to his pecs, where the runic tattoo guarded his heart. Beside it, on the side of his ribs was an anatomical heart with golden lines running through it. He'd gotten the idea from the Japanese practice Kintsugi, where broken pottery is pieced back together with gold as a way of embracing life's imperfections. Tara's name was inked beneath it along with a date in roman numerals.
Theo shrugged off his shirt, twisting to expose the back of shoulder, almost as if he knew exactly what Liam had been after. He wanted to see the newest of his tattoos in the rays of the nearly full moon.
Two wolves intertwining together, one white and one dark, forming a yin and yang symbol. Theo unclasped Liam's shirt, exposing the matching lines of ink across his chest. Their second matching tattoo that they'd gotten the morning after their wedding. Sitting through Derek burning it onto their flesh while fiercely hung over hadn't exactly been Liam's ideal start to their honeymoon, but apparently it was werewolf tradition. The tattoos were just as important as the actual ceremony itself.
Theo's soft lips brushed the skin of his chest before nipping softly.
They might have continued except for the laughter coming from a gaggle of teenagers a ways down the beach. Maybe this wasn't quite as secluded as Liam had intended.
With a laugh, Theo brought his shirt back up over his shoulders but didn't bother with the buttons. Liam drank in the sight of him as he popped the cork on the champagne and poured two glasses.
"To our future," Liam said.
"To us," Theo agreed.
The bubbly liquid hit his tongue, and Liam didn't even care that he couldn't get drunk. He was already half-drunk on the sheer bliss that was his life with Theo.
Author Notes
Before I get to the acknowledgements, if you sensed that I was setting them up for a sequel of sorts, you're right. I truly don't know how to say goodbye to these wonderful characters, so in the next few days, I'll be setting up a one shot series that I don't have any set plans on when I'll update or how frequently, but each chapter will be a mini-crime-fighting episode with Theo and Liam and probably some of the pack, too.
In the meantime, if you'd like to keep track of me, you can find me on Instagram and tiktok under this same username and join me on my journey to become a published author with my own original stories.
Acknowledgements
Nothing I could say here would even begin to encompass how much Theo and Liam and their love story mean to me. All I know is that when I started writing this on a random, lonely night back in February, I had no idea the depths this story would go to. I had no idea that I would find such an amazing community of people who love these boys just as much as I do.
Every comment, every kind word, absolutely means the world to me. I love each and every one of you that read this because if weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have kept going with this.
Specifically, I want to my amazing best friend, Elizabeth, who created the lore with Imara and Emersyn and helped me rein in the white wolf plot as a whole. She's the best support I could've ever asked for. I send her snippets at all hours of the day and night and she always gives amazing feedback. I truly couldn't have done this without her.
I also want to thank my beta reader, Aathman, who started when I was rewriting episodes and made sure that I was staying as close to canon as possible. He kept me on track and helped me make sure that this story was coming across exactly how I wanted it to. Thank you so much for everything!
I couldn't end this story without mentioning the incredible friendships that've been born from our common love of Thiam. ChayaConnelly, you were probably the first friend I met in this fandom, and I'm endlessly grateful that editing and writing has brought us together. You're an inspiration, and you've helped my confidence so, so much. You're forever my hype girl, and I love you so much for that!
To my lovely discord ladies, Brie, Mel, Ashley, Jenn, and Elly, thank you all so much for your support and encouragement. Elly gets all the credit for Deaton's amazing line to Scott before the wedding. It was so beautiful I had to use it. You're the best, and I love you all!