Chapter Text
Everything.
Shreds of light slipped through the curtains; the sun had crept above the horizon. Liam’s eyes were still closed, but every other sensation felt stronger than ever. The temperature had risen by the slightest fraction, and the faint scent in the air seemed to be the new owner of this room. The bed dipped ever so slightly beneath him, and weak snores drifted from a few inches away. Theo snored. He’d never noticed that until now, mostly because he always passed out before the chimera did at night, and every morning, he was woken up by Theo making noise in the bathroom.
He tried to fall back to sleep, but failed as every sound around him grew louder and clearer. His eyes finally snapped open. The alarm clock sat quietly on the nightstand. He glanced at it: 5:45. Too early for a Sunday morning. Actually, too early for mornings on any day of the week, but drowsiness gradually faded against his will as too many voices kept whispering in his ears.
She haunts me. He never knew how Tara had died. Sure, he knew she’d been drowned under the bridge, but everything beyond that remained a blank page. Even now. Theo was sleeping face-down, looking perfectly comfortable, which was funny considering this guy had basically lived in a truck a week ago. Liam stared at the chimera’s half-buried face on the pillow, his mind flashing back to the motel once more. And she’s right.
Those fragmented words from Theo only left him more confused, but he seemed willing to answer Liam’s increasingly intrusive and personal questions, whether his answers were helpful or not. Maybe Liam should ask him about it again after Theo woke up, or he should just never do that. Somehow, even thinking about it now felt like invading Theo's privacy, so he moved on to the next thing on his mind.
Oh God, the next thing. He touched his lips again, running his fingers across them. It’d been a medical procedure. It had to be, if that could be the right term to make the whole situation feel mechanical. Yes, he’d basically resigned himself to the fact that he and Theo were friends, and the friend in question had also called them that on multiple occasions, even though his tone was playful most of the time. Still, it seemed like Theo didn’t mind Liam’s presence at all, or his constant shouting and complaints during their drives, or his awkward stares and grumbles during those family dinners, or times like this, when they were separated by only the width of two blankets.
Or, of course, their patrols. The room suddenly felt like all the oxygen had been drained. He and Theo were friends, and he’d still let Theo get shot and almost get killed by the hunters, all because of his stupid curiosity about the GPS tracker. He should just destroy the stupid device and erase any possibility of the hunters counter-tracking them once and for all. But again, Theo might not be happy about it for his own reasons.
He started counting on his fingers. He’d brought the device to the preserve like a dumbass, so that was one point for Theo; then the chimera had stolen it, so that made them even. Then the whole hunter thing happened, then wolfsbane, then Deaton, then taking away the pain. Liam’s fingers drummed frantically against the sheets. Maybe they were still even. It seemed like that would be how their friendship system operated in the future.
Then he deducted one point from himself anyway.
He’d taken away Theo’s pain, but he’d also taken away something more important from him. Something even a person like Theo would probably keep a tally of in his mind, and Liam definitely didn’t want to be on that tally.
He ended up staring at Theo. The chimera’s hair was longer than it’d been a year ago, and he’d never gelled it back since they’d met again in the sewers, which kind of made him look...softer, like he’d basically given up on sprucing himself up like a professional conman. What color was it anyway? Liam used to think it was dirty blond, or at least something lighter than brown, but spread across his pillow in the morning light, it looked almost black.
Could chimeras change their hair colors?
Liam’s gaze traced Theo’s sideburns until it settled on his cheek, where faint stubble shadowed the texture of his skin. It was probably the first time Liam didn’t feel the urge to punch him when he saw that face, but it was also the first time he’d ever taken a closer look at the details of it, which, shockingly, made Theo look more like a normal person than an evil chimera.
Could chimeras change their personalities too?
No. Theo most definitely hadn’t changed his personality one bit, not even the slightest. He was just becoming more and more comfortable playing a Hollywood actor around Liam and his parents, so that he would obtain permanent residency within this household. He was still a bastard, after all.
A lesser bastard than before, though. Liam could probably live with that.
Theo’s eyelids twitched a little, and Liam hurriedly snapped his gaze away and closed his eyes before Theo woke up. He felt the chimera shift his legs before slowly pushing himself up. Then a groggy voice reached his ears.
“It’s six thirty, and it’s Sunday,” Theo mumbled. “Why are you awake?”
Liam didn’t answer, pretending to be asleep, but apparently that didn’t work when he was dealing with a master of deception.
“Go back to sleep. I heard your heartbeat race a little.”
Liam cursed internally, then he felt a light shove as Theo lay back down, the pressure remaining against his side.
Well, now this guy also had no concept of personal space.
The alarm clock would be dead for another twenty-four hours, but Liam jumped out of bed at seven o’clock anyway. He could tolerate the chimera sleeping unbelievably close to him, but he couldn’t stand lying in bed unable to fall asleep for more than thirty minutes. He glanced at the supposedly sleeping chimera, feeling a fire grow in his chest, then hurried into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, making as much noise as possible just to wake Theo up in every way he could.
It was so unfair. Why was he the only one suffering from insomnia while Theo could still sleep like nothing had happened? Especially after they’d just escaped a hunter’s attack and Theo had almost died and they’d ki—
He shook his head behind the shower curtain, splashing water everywhere like a golden retriever that just went for a swim. He needed to learn to take away pain properly. He etched that motto into the back of his mind.
Drying himself off, he wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door. Theo sat on the edge of the bed, scratching at his messy hair, tiredness leaking from his half-open eyes. The dark circles looked like they were the ones obtaining permanent residency first.
Liam’s stomach dropped through the floor into the basement. Shit, that might’ve been a dick move.
“Hey, Theo,” he managed, trying to sound casual. “You’re...awake.”
“Yeah,” Theo said, his voice still extremely thick with sleep, then he lapsed back into silence.
“Okay?” Liam said tentatively. “Do you...want to go back to sleep? I can go out and get us some breakfast if you want.”
To his surprise, Theo didn’t reply. He stared out the window blankly, blinking slowly, his hand still rubbing the back of his neck, as if he were dreaming with his eyes open.
What was this? Theo sleepyhead Raeken?
“Theo,” Liam called again, and Theo finally turned toward him.
“Oh, hey, little wolf,” he said quietly. “It’s okay. I’m getting up anyway.” He pushed himself off the bed and walked past Liam into the bathroom. The door closed with a click.
Liam’s eyes were fixed on the small dent on the bed. He didn’t know what the fuck had just happened, but he did know Theo was acting weird again, which was probably normal.
Liam sat on the dent and waited. Theo spent an unusually long time in the bathroom. The chimera’s showers often lasted only about five minutes, but when the bathroom door opened again, it was almost eight.
“Took you long enough,” Liam said, expecting some rude comment in return.
“Oh.”
That was all Liam heard, and his eyes immediately widened. He turned around and saw Theo standing at the bathroom door, fully dressed. Those sharp eyes signaled Theo was fully awake, and his hair wasn’t dripping at all.
“Theo—”
“Breakfast,” Theo said. “We’ll go grab something to eat.” He stepped out of the room.
Liam stared at the empty doorway as Theo’s footsteps drifted up from downstairs. Then he abruptly pushed himself up, grabbed his stuff, and trotted after Theo.
Wolfsbane. It had to be wolfsbane. Maybe they should go back to Deaton’s for a proper follow-up.
David and Jenna were both out for work. They drove across town in the truck, and Liam immediately noticed he hadn’t been jolted to the side even once, which meant Theo had been driving properly during the entire trip, which also meant this bastard could actually drive properly.
“So, were you just trying to kill me with all your reckless driving?” Liam grumbled, staring at Theo’s face. “‘Cause I haven’t heard a single honk this time.”
“No,” Theo muttered. “The hunters tried to kill me.”
“Are you even listening—”
Liam jumped when a loud horn blared behind them. He grunted as he fell back into his seat, then he eyed the dashboard. Twenty-five miles per hour. He swore Theo had never gone under forty on this street. The car quickly swerved into the right lane and overtook them, its engine revving obnoxiously.
“Rude,” Liam grumbled, but he couldn’t even get mad at the driver because Theo was the one driving like a granny.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at a café. Liam jumped out of the truck and trotted over to the entrance. He knew this place. It served blueberry pancakes, which were his favorite. He remembered Theo grumbling something about pancakes being unhealthy a few days ago, but that shouldn’t be a problem. At least he believed Theo had no right to stop him from ordering anything. Besides, it was his dad’s card.
And he was right, because Theo didn’t even pay attention to what Liam was ordering. In fact, it took the waiter calling him “sir” three times before Theo looked away from the window.
Wolfsbane. It was definitely it. Maybe the hunters had discovered a new formula that caused severe side effects.
As the waiter disappeared into the kitchen, Liam finally couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Theo,” he said, voice sharp. “What’s wrong with you?”
Theo raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with me?” He sounded genuinely confused.
“Yes.” Liam raised his voice. “You’re, like, pretty much out of it since you woke up. Did you not get enough sleep?” Then he suddenly remembered he was the one who’d been making noise to keep Theo awake. He softened his voice a little. “Why didn’t you go back to sleep?”
Theo blinked a few times. “I don’t need that much sleep.”
“Your dark circles say otherwise.” Liam sighed. “Okay, I’m a colossal dick who might’ve woken you up, so you can go ahead and yell at me, and I promise I won’t threaten to punch you this time.”
“Liam, I told you I was already getting up. It wasn’t your fault.”
Completely not expecting anything like that, Liam had to tighten every muscle to fight off the urge to shiver. He would rather Theo be mad at him, or at least make some mean comments. That was the chimera’s normal state anyway. But now, Theo’s expression only suggested he meant every word he’d said.
Damn. The conman had evolved. He’d found an even better way to make Liam implode.
The waiter came back with their food.
“Okay, fine,” Liam muttered. He wasn’t going to fall for any of Theo’s tricks anymore. “Just eat.”
Two clean plates later, they ended up paying Deaton another visit, which Theo uncharacteristically agreed to. As the amount of wolfsbane in Theo’s system was revealed to be zero, Liam practically died inside. His conman conjecture was proven right. Studying the chimera’s face one last time, he told Theo to drive him to the lacrosse field. He could really use some time to himself; at least those lacrosse balls wouldn’t try to deceive him, and he also had to make up for the practice sessions he’d missed anyway.
He watched the truck pull away from the parking lot, then glanced at the pile of balls by the goal. He dropped onto the grass, staring at the sky.
Following the slowly moving clouds, he felt his eyelids grow heavy. As the breeze gently brushed against his skin, he drifted off in the middle of the field.
*
He stirred awake as the afternoon sun started to burn his skin. Shifting slightly, he glanced at his watch. It was almost two thirty, so he’d basically gotten another four hours of sleep, and he felt recovered enough to throw some balls. The field was still empty. He practiced his aim for another two hours before calling it a day, then he headed for the bus stop.
The bus to his neighborhood soon arrived. He stepped onto it, then froze. He touched his lips again. Theo had most likely gone back home, which meant they would spend the rest of the day together. They would definitely have to talk, and he really didn’t know what to say to that chimera after an entire morning of strange behaviors, let alone after what had happened the night before.
The driver threw him a bemused glance.
“Sorry, wrong bus,” Liam blurted out before hurrying back off.
He ended up ambling around town until sunset, trying to erase every Theo-related thought from his mind, but eventually, those thoughts only grew stronger and louder. The scene of Theo lying on the operating table kept replaying, and the smell of the mixture of wolfsbane and medication crept back into his nose. Yes, it seemed like the chimera had a tendency to throw himself into danger, but what Liam was still figuring out was what Theo was thinking when he made those choices. Clearly, unlike Liam himself, Theo must’ve considered every factor and analyzed every possibility, but when that happened, it almost looked like something else had taken control of Theo’s body.
His own heartbeat caught his attention, the steady, warm, almost soothing rhythm.
Tara.
The name rang in his ears. It used to mean nothing to him, but now, it only brought him a dull pain in his chest.
What had happened between Theo and Tara?
He abruptly turned on his heel, his footsteps echoing through the empty streets. Breathing sharply, he sprinted onto the winding trail toward the preserve.
Weaving through the dense trees, the bridge soon came into view.
This was where Tara had died, and where werehyenas had been sighted most often. He slowly walked over it, his hand tracing the railing. The babbling of the creek drifted up from below. It felt like just another ordinary night in the woods, peaceful, quiet.
He leaned over the railing and looked down into the water. The moonlight was scattered on the surface, and a withered lily lay between two rocks.
Theo had mourned his sister with lilies when he’d returned to town. Sure, after everything he’d done to the pack, those actions had seemed more like part of some evil master plan.
But now, everything felt different.
He stared absently at the creek. Was Tara the one who had been haunting Theo in his nightmares? Liam suddenly felt guilty for comparing his own nightmares to Theo’s. Liam could blame the berserkers, or Kate, but all Theo could blame was himself.
And that fact only made Theo seem more vulnerable.
The moon rose higher into the sky. The full moon was only a day away, and the faint itch beneath Liam’s skin began to crawl. Maybe he should go home. He didn’t want to run around town naked again.
And even though he still didn’t know what he should say to Theo, somehow, he didn’t feel like leaving him alone either.
By the time he arrived home from the preserve, it was almost midnight. He stepped onto the porch, digging in his pocket, then gasped when he realized his keys weren’t there.
“Shit.”
He glanced up at the half-open window. Well, this had happened before, actually. Especially that time he’d been running around town naked.
He took a few steps back, then sprinted toward the wall before launching himself toward the window. This was probably one of the few benefits of being a werewolf. The one-story jump felt like dodging another teammate on the lacrosse field. He was only using about sixty percent of his strength. Maybe he should try jumping onto the roof next time.
Then his fingers slipped off the window frame. The next second, he crashed back onto the lawn.
“Fuck...” He clenched his jaw against the pain. Karma really was a bitch. He really shouldn’t have gotten carried away, and the earth seemed to hate him even more.
The window slammed open. He snapped his gaze toward it and saw Theo peeking out from behind the curtain, then a smirk slowly spread across the chimera’s face.
“What are you doing, dumbass?”
“Shut up, Theo. I was just—” He broke off. He blinked at Theo a few times as the pain in his back slowly faded, then rested his head back against the grass. The asshole was back. No fire grew in his chest this time. He let out a small laugh, feeling the tightness in his muscles ease a little.
“Just get down and open the door for me, can you?”
The front door opened a minute later. Theo strode out, amusement never leaving his face.
He stepped up beside Liam, his hands resting on his hips. “I guess throwing those balls wasn’t enough, huh?”
“Yeah, yeah. Coach made a new rule that we have to practice throwing ourselves into a window.” Liam rolled his eyes, but a small grin surfaced on his face.
Theo laughed, then turned on his heel before heading back to the front door. Liam pushed himself up and trotted after him.
“Theo,” Liam said after they stepped into the house. “What were you doing all day?”
Theo turned around and stared at him for a second. “I was sleeping.”
“Sleeping?” Liam frowned. “Didn’t you say you got enough sleep last night?”
Theo let out a sigh. “No,” he said quietly. “I barely slept last night.”
“Why?” Liam’s mind flashed back to the morning when he’d deliberately woken Theo up out of spite. Guilt began flooding through him. Apparently, he was the world’s biggest asshole.
Theo didn’t answer. He turned around and began climbing the stairs.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Liam blurted out, scratching the back of his head nervously.
Theo paused. He threw Liam a glance Liam couldn’t quite decipher, but it didn’t look like the cold, sharp scowl Theo had given at the motel. It looked like he was just...thinking.
“I didn’t,” Theo finally said, then disappeared upstairs.
*
Liam finally got a good night’s sleep. He woke up the next day just two minutes before his alarm clock went off, and Theo...
Theo was sleeping.
Liam glanced at the chimera’s face, then carefully turned his alarm off. Theo probably needed sleep more than anyone else on earth, and it looked like the bus driver could take over Theo’s shift for one day. Liam quietly got ready and headed outside.
Just for one day.
He arrived at school five minutes before the first bell, and the morning sessions went smoothly, which was a good sign for Liam given that he hadn’t finished any of his assignments, and it was all Theo’s—okay, maybe he should blame himself for once.
Just for once.
He hurried out of the classroom as fourth period ended, then abruptly stopped short in the hallway. Mason and Corey should be waiting for him in the cafeteria, and the last time he’d seen them, they’d witnessed him and Theo’s entire medical treatment (involving mouths), and their faces had looked...empty, like they’d completely given up on commenting.
But Mason definitely wouldn’t miss the perfect chance to pry everything out of him once they were sitting face to face again and Liam was less emotionally overwhelmed.
He tapped his finger against his thigh.
What would Mason say? He quietly made a list.
One: Mason believed that was purely a medical procedure, and there was nothing more to it. He supported Liam’s decision, but he would also suggest Liam learn the proper way to take away someone’s pain.
Two: Mason thought it meant something, and he wasn’t happy about Liam kissing Theo. Liam would have to rack every brain cell to try to defend himself and promise Mason he wouldn’t think of Theo as anything more than a friend.
Three: Mason thought it meant something, and he stood by that. He would ask Liam every obnoxious question about his nonexistent feelings, and Liam would try not to explode in the middle of the cafeteria.
Four: Mason (and hopefully Corey) were so shocked it triggered amnesia, so that night was basically a blank page for them. Liam would be very happy not to mention Theo even once in front of his friends.
Five: Mason didn’t care at all, and Liam would start questioning whether their best-friend status was still valid.
Students began passing by him. He took a deep breath, then marched toward the cafeteria. No matter how their conversation went, he hoped Theo would never find out.
He found Mason and Corey’s table and headed toward them.
“Hey, Liam.” Mason turned around, smiling faintly.
“Hey, Mase, Corey.” Liam sat down across from them.
“So...” Mason started, and the roulette wheel in Liam’s head began spinning. “How’s Theo doing?”
“Theo...” Liam said hesitantly. “He’s doing fine. He’s recovered enough to be an asshole again.”
“Good, good.” Mason took a bite of his sandwich.
Liam stared at his best friend as he munched on his sandwich, waiting for the next question to come, but the human just kept shoving food into his mouth. After another moment of silence, Liam switched his attention to Corey, shooting glances at the chameleon.
Corey stopped whatever he was doing and gave a sheepish smile. “Liam, what’s wrong?”
“You don’t have any questions?” It came out more like an accusation, but Liam couldn’t care less.
“No, not really.” Corey shrugged. “Oh, do you know there’s gonna be a sophomore joining the team? I heard he’s pretty good.”
Corey’s voice faded into the background. Liam’s eyes darted between his two friends, then he stuffed a mouthful of his lunch.
Apparently, he’d been wrong the whole time.
Six: Mason and Corey remembered everything and seemed to care, but they somehow didn’t mention any of it, and Liam somehow ended up frustrated with the whole conversation.
The afternoon felt so much longer than the morning, and Liam had to cradle his head in his hands to keep himself from glancing at the clock. The second hand ticked in his head, making time itself feel much slower.
As the final bell rang, Liam stormed out of the classroom and sprinted toward the lacrosse field. He had practice today, and he couldn’t miss any more of it, or Coach would probably kill him with his whistle.
He felt someone pat his shoulder. He turned around and saw Nolan running beside him, looking slightly concerned.
“Hey, Liam. I heard something—”
“He’s okay, Nolan.” Liam cut him off. “He’s back to being a bastard.”
“Okay?” Nolan said tentatively, seemingly surprised by how quickly Liam had answered. “That’s good news.”
“Did you...” Liam turned toward him. “Hear something else?”
“What do you mean?” Nolan frowned, looking like he genuinely had no idea.
Liam threw him a glance, then looked ahead again. “No. Nothing.” He ran faster toward the field.
Coach seemed pretty satisfied with Liam’s improved scoring, thanks to those extra hours of practice the day before, but his concentration only lasted about five minutes. As the practice game kicked off, his head became a magnet for lacrosse balls again, and Coach’s “Dunbar!” had become the new background music on the field.
He kicked the head of his lacrosse stick in exasperation.
A familiar engine sound drifted into his ears. He whipped his head around and spotted Theo’s truck parked by the field. Why was Theo here? Sure, he’d been driving Liam home for a week, but he usually showed up after practice, since Liam still had to shower and change. Liam glanced at Coach, who was distracted by some other player.
Then he trotted over to the truck.
“Hey, little wolf.” Theo rolled down the window as soon as Liam stepped up to the driver’s side.
“Why are you here so early? We’re not even halfway through practice.”
“Liam,” Theo said, his voice sounding serious. “I have to show you something.”
“Whatever that is, can we wait?” Liam looked back toward the field. Coach was yelling as usual, and Nolan kept throwing glances at him. He turned back. “I’ve already missed a bunch of practices, and all my stuff is still in the locker.”
Theo raised an eyebrow, but Liam didn’t budge. Then Theo sighed. “Fine. I’ll be waiting for you in the parking lot.” He pulled away.
Liam trotted back onto the field, trying to blend in with his teammates so Coach wouldn’t notice he’d been gone for two minutes.
As practice ended, Liam quickly ran toward the locker room. He took a three-minute shower and wasted no time changing and gathering his stuff, then he headed outside. Theo’s truck was parked by the school entrance.
He climbed into the truck.
“What are you gonna show me? Where are we going?” Liam dropped his backpack and lacrosse stick onto the back seat.
Theo didn’t say anything. He abruptly peeled out of the parking lot and turned onto the street. Liam stared at him. The chimera wasn’t wearing his usual smirk, but he didn’t seem to be angry or annoyed. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes stayed fixed on the road the entire drive. Liam felt like he’d been on an emotional roller coaster since the day before. First there was sleepy Theo, then normal asshole Theo, and now this. Was it worried Theo?
Was this chimera even capable of having this many variations?
The truck swerved onto a dirt road, and Liam suddenly realized they were heading into the preserve. The trees outside the window swayed in the wind, but the only sounds left in the truck were their heartbeats.
Theo’s heart was beating steadily as usual, and Liam couldn’t help but focus on the rhythm. Thump. It felt warm. Thump. He’d never paid attention to it until now. Thump. It’d kind of become the white noise of his bedroom, and as he fell asleep to it every night, those terrifying creatures seemed to be blocked out of his mind like they’d touched mountain ash.
Then the truck stopped. They climbed out, and Theo immediately set off into the woods. Liam still had hundreds of questions on his mind, but he didn’t hesitate before following Theo. The air somehow felt cooler than the night before.
After a few minutes of hiking, Theo stopped beside a tree and crouched down, then waved Liam over. The faint moonlight showered down, but Liam couldn’t quite make out anything in the shadows. He hurried over, then gasped the moment he reached Theo.
A person lay on the ground.
“Theo?” Liam forced the words out. “Who’s this?”
“It’s Connor,” Theo said slowly. “He was killed by the hunters.”
Liam tried to calm himself down a little and focused on the body. Bullet holes riddled his chest and abdomen. He suddenly felt dizzy as he heard the sound of a machine gun firing in his mind. He stumbled, covering his mouth in shock.
“You alright?” Theo turned to him, and Liam quickly steadied himself.
“Yeah,” he said weakly. “Is he your friend?”
“Kind of,” Theo said, then paused for a second. “He’s a werehyena.”
Liam fell completely silent, mostly because his chest was too tight to produce any sound. The werehyenas. When Liam had first seen them, they’d attacked the police in the preserve, and for any rational person, that was enough to put them in the evil category. But ever since learning they’d been created by Theo, he’d never thought of them that way again. They were shapeshifters, just like werewolves and chimeras, and now, one of them had been killed because of the same hatred he’d gone through himself.
They were humans.
He tried not to think about what would’ve happened if Parrish hadn’t pinned him down that day.
Theo was still crouched down beside the body, not moving a muscle, and Liam found himself studying his face. Theo’s eyes slowly scanned the body, and his face was blank, but not the kind of blank he wore when he was putting on a mask. It was something else. That expression didn’t look like anything he’d shown Liam before. Not like the time he’d been tossing flowers into the creek, or the time he’d taken away Gabe’s pain. If anything, it felt almost like the time Liam had told him to back off from his pack.
Like he’d lost something.
A moment later, Theo stood up. He turned around and walked over to Liam’s side.
“Let’s go.”
“Wait, Theo,” Liam blurted out. “Aren’t we gonna do anything about him?”
“I’ll handle it,” Theo said before walking away.
They headed back to the truck and climbed in. As the truck turned back onto the pavement, the preserve faded into the distance in the side mirror, but Liam’s mind kept spinning. No matter how hard he tried, it refused to stop.
“Theo,” he said as they stopped at a red light. “You created them.” He swallowed, trying to find the right words to piece together the chaos in his head. Theo didn’t say anything. He turned to Liam, still wearing the same expression, as if he were trying to read Liam’s mind. Liam swallowed a few more times. “How?”
“I went to the morgue.”
That was one of the answers Liam had expected, but he still flinched slightly hearing it said out loud. Bringing dead people back to life wasn’t something unfamiliar to Theo, but the last time he’d done that, it’d been easier for Liam to accept the idea.
Drawing lines had become more and more difficult as Liam had been put on the paper himself.
“Are you...” Liam managed. “Are you building a pack again?”
“No.”
Slightly startled by the immediate and blunt answer, Liam looked ahead again. Somehow, he believed Theo was telling the truth. Theo wasn’t building a pack by resurrecting dead people, and that was good news, but it only raised more questions. And Liam, for some reason, didn’t think he could let go of it. The city lights returned as the truck turned back onto the grid, then another thought bubbled up in his mind.
If he couldn’t draw the line himself, he had to get someone to draw it for him.
“Theo,” Liam broke the silence. “Drop me off at the station.”
“What?”
“Just...drop me off there,” Liam said hesitantly. “Or drop me off anywhere. I’ll walk if you don’t want to show up there.”
“Okay.”
Liam’s head hit the window as the truck abruptly pulled onto a side street, but his body had already gone numb.
*
Liam jumped out of the truck as soon as Theo parked it by the curb, then he sprinted toward the entrance. Sure, the last time he’d seen the sheriff wasn’t the highlight of his life, but he couldn’t think of a better person at this point.
Besides, if he ended up locked in a cell, it was what it was.
He stormed past the desks and headed straight for the sheriff’s office, then he pushed the door open.
“Liam?” The sheriff lifted his head, his voice sounding a little shocked.
“Sheriff,” Liam blurted out. “There’s hunters in town.”
The sheriff paused for a second, then looked back down at the files. “I know. We’ve been monitoring them for a while.”
“No, Sheriff.” Liam stepped up to the sheriff’s desk. “They killed someone.”
“Are you sure?” The sheriff stopped reading and looked up at Liam. “We don’t have a report on that. Our reports only show they’re gathering in the preserve.”
“I—” Liam stuttered. “Sheriff, I saw a body in the preserve. It’s—” He broke off.
Silence filled the office. Yes, he’d made up his mind to come here and ask the sheriff about everything. About the hunters. About the werehyenas. About the line he’d been drawing ever since he’d been turned into a werewolf. But when the moment came, he suddenly felt like he didn’t belong in the room anymore. Damn. He didn’t even know if the sheriff still trusted him.
“Liam, why were you in the preserve?” the sheriff said calmly.
“That’s—that’s not important!” Liam said hurriedly. “I just happened to be there and found a werehyena who’d been killed by them.”
The sheriff’s face turned serious, and Liam felt a little relieved. Maybe the sheriff wouldn’t let their history get in the way.
“Liam.” The sheriff sighed. “How do you know the werehyena was killed by the hunters?”
“I—” How did Liam know? Hell, it was because Theo had told him. And how Theo knew wasn’t something Liam could come up with an explanation for in a few seconds. His lying ability still wasn’t good enough for this.
“It—” Liam managed. “It looked like that.”
“Okay, Liam,” the sheriff said. “I believe you. We’re gonna do a proper search in the preserve.”
“Thanks, Sheriff.” Liam paused. “But...why?”
The sheriff raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I mean,” Liam said, his voice faltering a little. “They attacked us. The werehyenas. Some of the officers are still on leave because of their injuries.”
“Liam,” the sheriff said firmly. “That’s what we do. We protect everyone in town no matter which side they’re on. Even if it’s a case where both sides are evil, we’ll still do everything we can to help them.”
Liam’s mind went blank. Evil. The word sounded distorted as if it had reached its volume limit. His fingers twitched uncontrollably in his pocket, searching for something on their own, but only found the same emptiness on the bulletin board. They curled into fists, his fingernails digging into his palms, feeling sharper than ever. The sheriff was right. He had been right. He had the authority to define it all along.
The line had been drawn. Right from the start.
“Sheriff,” Liam said weakly. “I’ve gotta go. Thanks for your help.” Then he staggered out of the office.
The hallway felt long. Liam had to hold onto the wall and the desks to keep himself from tripping. The station was almost empty, with only Parrish sitting at his desk, but noises kept swirling in Liam’s ears. Voices. Growls. And the clanks of metal bars.
He’d gotten what he wanted. He’d gotten the answer.
His fingers traced the bulletin board, leaving scratches across the posters and the cork.
Every ray of light stung his eyes. Every air molecule itched his skin. He saw hospital beds, their mattresses soaked with blood. Then the morgue, flesh and organs scattered across the floor. Then himself.
Twisting his claws into someone’s body, his eyes flashed blue.
“Liam...” A voice echoed from far away, sounding almost like a plea.
It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter when the only warmth he could feel now was blood splattered across his face.
“Liam.”
Prey was strewn across the floor, or whatever was left of them. He marched over those remains, engulfed by the sound they made when tendons and muscles were torn apart.
“Liam!”
The station snapped back into his eyes. The flag. Police badges. No bodies. No prey. But...
There was blood everywhere.
“Liam, calm down!” Parrish’s voice pierced his ears. He whipped his head around and saw the hellhound’s ripped uniform, blood seeping through the fabric. And his own claws were digging into Parrish’s skin.
“Parrish...” Liam heard his own voice, low enough to sound like a growl, but he couldn’t stop. He didn’t know which wire to cut, or which vein to slice. The sound of desks and chairs clashing raged through the room, mixed with his own screams and roars.
His entire being was scarred, every wound as visible as the craters on the full moon.
Then he felt someone pull him away from Parrish. He crashed onto the floor, but his head was pressed against something soft. Something resonated with a steady rhythm.
“Liam,” was the only word he heard from Theo. The rest—if there was anything else—was drowned out by the heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
His trembling faded.
He heard the sheriff’s office door close with a click, then every other sound returned.
“Theo,” Parrish said.
“I’ll take him home, Parrish.”
He felt Theo’s arms wrap around his waist as he carefully helped him to his feet, then they slid to his shoulders, gripping tightly.
“Let’s go, little wolf.”