Chapter Text
Kristin ended up not sharing much about that, she just told them seventeen years ago there was a fire, the twins’ father, triplets now Teagan supposed, had died and she had ended up separated from them, presuming them dead until recently. It was the truth according to Harlan, but she had made one to many omissions for their liking. Harlan agreed with Teagan in that regard, and Luna... she was hopeful, she liked the idea of having a mom and a pack.
Harlan didn’t trust the woman, but that had probably more to do with the fact that last night they had had a stare down were the oldest wolf in the room had won and Cyrus was now in lock up. Garrett siding with Kristin, surprising everyone including himself, had left a bitter taste in Harlan’s mouth, especially because their reason for taking Cyrus in was clearing Harlan of being an accessory to arson. So once again, he was at odds with his father.
Teagan, as stupid as it sounded felt left out, she went from sharing some things with her siblings, to sharing everything, to not sharing something, at least she had Baron too. That was something Ramsey said they will speak about later, that it required them to be on the same page and clearly, they weren’t.
While driving to School, Teagan remembered what transpired the night officer douchebag had decided to be a bigger ass.
“I suppose she is the extra wolf” she told them “Maybe, she is the unknown caller.”
Luna mulled over the idea and nodded; it was something worth thinking about. Harlan pressed his lips together and shook his head.
“I don’t think she is.”
“Why?” the girls asked him while he parked the car. He pulled the keys out of the ignition “When I was questioning Cyrus, he told me he had blocked his number, some guy has been harassing him about the fire 17 years ago” he told them. Back to square one it seemed.
Someone knocked at their window, they turned to see Everett and Blake, the fact they had questions was written all over their faces.
“She is your mom?!” their friends exclaimed a bit lost after hearing the summarized version of what happened last night, save Teagan life story.
“She’s not” “yes” came two replies, guess who said what.
“She gave birth to us” Harlan clarified.
“Therefore, your mom” Teagan told him “And who we always thought to be your dad is actually your brother” she shook her head “also known as my presumed dead brother.”
“Yeah, I am still confused about that one” Blake said slowly, trying not to trigger any reactions.
“Baron and I ran away and hide in the wood for a bit” she summarized, not wanting to go into details “I broke my leg and was complete delirious, he went to look for help but never came back” she blinked, so much for trying to stay tough “Harlan rescued me when a wolf herded him to where I was, now we know that wolf was…”
“Baron” Everett whispered. And they nodded.
“And here I was thinking my family dynamics were crazy” Blake joked and the rest chuckled.
“We need to know more about this unknown caller” Everett told them.
“They were going to move him to juvie today in the afternoon” Harlan said talking about Cyrus “we could go and visit, see what he can tell us” the others nodded.
“Umm guys, something else, we have yet to mention this to Garrett let alone her, nor have we shared what I think I saw through my window the other night” Blake and Everett nodded seriously, understanding the Briggs need to control what they shared.
They were waiting in the car for Harlan and Blake to come out of juvenile Hall, as they were the only ones with fakes ID’s therefore apparently not minors , when they noticed a LAFD car pullover besides them, once more she felt an anger that wasn’t hers, as soon as it came it was gone, some knocked on the driver’s window. Ev’s scared face was all she needed to see to know they were going to be put in execution row.
“Open the car door Luna” Ramsey, gods now she talked to them like Prisha did, thinking she had some form of authority, not over her anyway she mused. Luna, who was in the passenger seat reached over and did as she was told because what else were they supposed to do.
“What exactly are you kids playing at?” she asked once inside the vehicle. Garrett was not with her Teagan noticed; she wondered if she told him about their excursion.
“You are lucky I answered the call from Juvie” she reprimanded them “we are monitoring his visitors.”
“Isn’t that like illegal?” Teagan asked like a petulant child and froze at the steely look the woman gave her “listening and recording his conversations is, knowing who came and when is not” the investigator clarified.
“Does dad know?” Luna asked.
“No” she turned to give them a better look “you will tell him yourselves.”
Great, they were being yelled at by Garrett, even Blake and Everett, Ramsey had told him she was escorting them back home and has been there waiting for them, she had stayed long enough to make sure they had confessed and left. At least she was not jumping at the I am you mother therefore you obey wagon. Then her vision went black.
“Harlan! Remember yourself” Garretts voice broke through the fog, they were all breathing heavily and Prisha had a rifle, with silver bullets. Shit .
“I am sorry” Harlan kept muttering, but she still couldn’t remember anything she just knew she wanted to puke.
“Werewolves hunt in packs” they heard Everett remind them.
“How did you know it would work?” Luna asked but Teagan tuned her out getting to the floor to hug her legs, she was feeling lighthearted.
She woke up later in her bed, Luna fast sleep besides her. She remembered now, the night Baron went missing. She went to the bathroom to throw up, she hadn’t eaten anything in hours and the only thing coming out from her mouth was bile. She felt a presence behind the bathroom door.
“Teag?” her sisters concerned voice sound from the other side “are you okey?”
“No” she sobbed hugging herself.
“I’m coming in.”
Luna sat in the floor with her for what felt like hours, just holding her while she cried. They were both alone, Luna explained. After she had passed out at the barn Ramsey had called Garrett, demanding to know what the hell happened and she had felt so much anger, they were connected to her as well it seemed. Harlan has been instructed with driving Blake and Ev to their homes, he had asked for some time to cool down too. Luna made sure to add more details by telling her that had been an excuse, they actually went to visit some guy named Malcom that was, according to Cyrus, the only survivor firefighter of the crew his father was part of 17 years ago. Garrett had stayed with the girls until a few minutes ago, when he got a call, he left saying he will be back with take out.
It was already night, Teagan noticed after Lunas explanation, there was going to be another victim tonight, she was thinking when the doorbell rang, startling her.
“It’s me” Kristin Ramsey’s voice came from the other side of the door. Luna went to open the door and once the woman was inside, she asked.
“How come I can’t smell you?” Teagan blinked twice; she had never realized that Kristin Ramsey was seemly odorless.
“You just need to learn what to use so that your body’s natural odor mingles with the other smells around you” she told them.
“Another part of being a predator” she told them “THE apex predator, one that has instincts and is also sentient” the woman put the bags she was carrying in the dining table “brought take-out” she told them simply, like that was her role in their lives.
“I umm” Teagan heard her sister mumble “I’ll call Garrett he was going to buy too.”
“Don’t worry, dear. He was the one who asked me” she informed them “we need to talk about me being in your life, and some other things anyway” They heard another car, and both Garrett and Harlan came in from the back door, Teagan looked outside, her father's car was missing.
“What happened to your car?” Teagan asked him.
“I was using Prisha's’ remember?” right, his had been totaled by her out of control brother, she nodded.
“They need it tomorrow; I asked Harlan to pick me up” said boy was looking at his mother warily.
“I don’t bite” she told him.
“Much” Teagan said, losing full control of her mouth, her siblings snorted, and the woman’s mouth twitched in amusement, her father however, he looked like she had felt that morning, sidelined.
“So we eat right?” she asked, “then I’ll leave you guy to talk.”
“Why would you leave?” The woman asked and Garrett didn’t know if he wanted to respect the woman for trying not to make his third kid, the one they didn’t share, feel left out; or if he wanted to throttle her for attempting to take all of them even the one that was only his.
“I figured it was related to the twins’ parentage and how you want to make some sort of custody agreement with Garrett…” she said hesitantly. The woman hummed.
“Listen, this is your first lesson about pack dynamics” she paused as if thinking “that has been actually explained to you and not just learned on the run” she motioned for them to sit down by the table “you have a bond with my kids, it precedes your own transformation, you were their sibling before you shared their secret” the older wolf told her “were they go, you go, I wouldn’t stand in the way of that, separating a pack is about the worst thing that could happen to people like us” she opened the food bags and gave them their hamburgers “to put it simply, it sort of makes you my kid too.”
Teagan was surprised, Luna and Harlan looked a bit relived, they had been afraid that their mother had wanted to separate them, Garrett looked at the arson investigator with hope, maybe they could work it out and he was worrying for nothing.