Archive of Our Own

Pain. It was the first, and honestly most pressing sensation that Liam registered as he found himself hurtling towards consciousness that he didn’t ask for. His body ached in a way that he had almost forgotten about. It was the bone-deep ache that lingered after truly and completely getting your ass kicked. He was sadly all too familiar with that part but the perks of being a werewolf meant that the lingering aches were reduced to a matter of minutes instead of weeks or even months. But this pain… this was the kind of pain that spoke to things like recovery and hovering parents and friends. This was not good. 

Liam cracked an eye open, quickly shutting it when the too bright overhead light sent piercing shockwaves of pain ricocheting through his brain. Oh, this really sucked. Whatever kicked his ass this time did a real number on him. He hadn’t been in this much pain since long before he even got the bite. So that begged the question of what the hell did hit him? 

“It was a car.”

He froze. The speaker was close to him but he didn’t recognize the voice. He tried to reach out with his senses but for the first time in six years, he heard nothing more than the beeping of the monitor beside him and the plastic chair creaking ominously under whoever was by his side. He couldn’t smell anything other than antiseptic and the too strong pine cleaner they used in the hospital. 

Something wasn’t right. Something wasn’t… he tried to calm his breathing, focusing inward to connect to his wolf but it wasn’t there. He had been a werewolf since he was sixteen years ago. Connecting to his wolf was simple and easy. It was a way to ground himself when his anchor wasn’t there. But the wolf was quiet. The wolf wasn’t there. Liam let out a shaky exhale as he tried to touch the connection that was there longer than he could even remember. It was there but it was muted. He could sense its presence but not its effects. That hurt worse than his wolf’s absence. 

“Theo,” he breathed out. 

“Wow, you’re lucky I’m totally secure in our relationship, babe. A girl might feel some kind of way hearing her fiancé say his ex’s name instead of hers.” 

Liam forced his eyes open to see a smiling blonde woman sitting by his side. She was beautiful with a heart-shaped face and kind blue eyes. She was exactly the kind of woman he would give more than a second look at it. That is if his heart and mind hadn’t been utterly consumed by a certain green-eyed chimera for several years now. 

“What… who are you? Where’s Theo? What happened to me?” Liam asked, forcing himself to sit up, arching away when she reached for him. Though he tried to avoid her, he couldn’t help but glimpse the ring on her left finger. “And did you say fiancé?!” 

The woman let out a huff but the smile never left her lips. “Your dad warned me you might be a little disoriented but I didn’t think it was enough to make you forget me entirely. And yes, I did say fiance. Because you’re my fiance and I'm yours. Babe, it’s me. Seri? The woman you’ve been dating since our last year of high school? The woman you asked to marry you a month ago? Is any of this sounding familiar yet?”

He started to say no but there was something in the back of his mind that stopped him. Seri. Images of them flitted through his mind. Walking through the park together. Eating at their favorite restaurant. Cuddling on their bed. Drinking coffee in the house they shared. It seemed familiar yet not. Because he wasn’t engaged to a smiling blonde woman. He was in love with a green-eyed chimera. They weren’t engaged… yet. But it was only a matter of time. There was no rush. They knew who they were to each other. 

Liam forced himself to ignore the pain as he searched for the person that was missing. Theo wasn’t there. He couldn’t feel him. He didn’t see him. He wasn’t there. 

“Where is Theo?” 

“Sweetheart, why do you keep bringing up Theo? You haven’t talked about him in years,” Seri said, moving closer to him, concerning shining in her eyes.  

Liam shook his head, instantly regretting it when it hurt. And that was annoying. Whatever hit him was apparently strong enough to cause some lasting damage. Why wasn’t his healing kicking in? Why couldn’t he hear anything aside from what was happening in the room? Why was his wolf so quiet? Where was Theo?

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, Liam! You’re awake.”

Liam felt slightly better when he immediately recognized the newest voice in the room. His dad was all smiles and concern as he rushed to Liam’s side. 

“Dad?”

“Hey, kiddo. You scared me and your mom really bad. She’s on her way back now. How are you feeling?” 

“I,” he threw a meaningful glance at Seri. His dad hesitated for a moment, giving them both a confused look but because he was awesome he nodded a brief moment later. 

“Seri, sweetheart, you mind giving me a moment alone with my patient? Just going to do a quick checkup and then you can come right back.”

For the first time since he woke up, Liam saw a slight frown form on her face. His heart clenched at the sight but she was forcing a smile a minute later. 

“Of course,” she said, standing up and moving towards the door. “I’ll give Jenna a call. Let her know he’s awake.” 

“Thanks.” Both Liam and his dad waited as Seri left the room. Then his dad was looking at him. “Okay, what’s going on. You’re acting weird, kiddo.” 

“I’m just a little confused,” Liam said, haltingly. “Dad… where’s Theo? And who is Seri?” 

“Theo…? Oh, Liam. I’m so sorry. The accident must be bringing it all up for you again.” 

“Bringing all of what up? I don’t understand. I just woke up sore as all hell and painfully human. Theo isn’t here and I’m engaged to some woman I kind of remember. I don’t understand what’s happening.” 

“Liam, you’ve been dating Seri since you were eighteen. I know the concussion is probably scrambling your brains a bit but she’s been a part of your life for four years now. You got engaged last month and made your mother the happiest she’s been in a while.” 

An image of his mother’s happy tears appeared in his mind and he fought the urge to shake it away. It wasn’t real. He didn’t know how he was remembering it but it wasn’t real. He didn’t even know this Seri. What was real was… 

“Dad, why won’t you tell me where Theo is? You keep dancing around it. Where is he?”

His father sighed. “Liam, this is hard. Whew. Okay. What do you remember about Theo?” 

What doesn’t he remember about Theo would be the better question. He remembers the soft, almost shy smile he has when he’s secretly pleased about something but doesn’t want to give it away. He remembers the way he lights up whenever he’s around his siblings. He remembers Theo lying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life while several of their friends yelled at him because it was his fault… wait. 

“There was an accident. When we were… seventeen? He was hurt really bad…. it was my fault?” 

Almost as if waiting for verbal confirmation, Liam suddenly remembered. It was a rough day for him. He was itching for a fight all day. His anger needed an outlet. But he would never lash out at Theo. Not Theo who was still waiting for a transplant that may never come through. Though he worked out and tried to live as active of a life as possible, there was always an air of fragility about him. All of their friends were nervous when the volatile and impulsive Liam fell for the sweet and quiet Theo but they made it work. For two years they made it work. Until Liam lashed out and caused a car accident that almost killed Theo. 

“Oh,” Liam murmured. “I… but that can’t be. It’s just… I would never do that. I love him.” 

“I know, Liam. I know. But you have to get past this. He’s moved on. And you have Seri. You’re both living your lives, kid. Just let it go.”

“Yeah,” Liam swallowed. Memories he didn’t know he had warred with what he thought was real. His hands clenched on the blanket. “I think I want to try and sleep a little more. Okay?”

“Yeah,” his father said, giving him a sad smile. “Yeah, that’s okay. Your mother should be here in a few hours and then we’ll see about getting you out of here.” 

Liam tried to muster a smile in return but the effort failed. Instead, he turned on his side and closed his eyes, hoping that when he woke up he would be out of this weird nightmare. 

“Liam, light of my life, part of my soul, why the hell am I traipsing through these cursed ass woods on my first night off in forever?” 

Liam snorted, stopping on his forward journey to look his boyfriend in the eye. He pulled the chimera’s hands into his, smiling as his boyfriend swayed closer to him naturally. He could dimly hear the rest of the Puppy Pack buzzing around but his sole focus was on the beautiful man in front of him. He squeezed Theo’s hands gently. 

“Because Theo, my sun and moon, the apple of my eye, there are witches in town!” 

“You are such an odd little man,” Theo said, rolling his eyes upward but Liam heard the smile in his voice. “Why are you so obsessed with witches?” 

“I am not.” 

“You are too. Otherwise, we would be spending my one night off at home,” Theo said, his voice lowering as he moved closer to his boyfriend. “We could be spending a whole day with no clothes and a bed but instead we’re running through the woods chasing after a witch.” 

There were moments when Liam really got why Brett and Alec loved to question his intelligence on an ongoing basis. Normally he hated it but at this exact moment, he got it. Because Scott had assured him several times that the rest of the Pack could handle this without them. The Pack had been giving them time to regroup after what they all referred to as Liam’s moment of absolute insanity where he really thought breaking up with Theo was something he could do. Scott assured him that the witches weren’t a problem that required all hands on deck. The Alpha probably knew that Theo was off and was trying to give him an out. An out he was too stupid to take. Liam cursed under his breath. He should be naked in bed right now with Theo not in the middle of the woods. 

“I’m a fucking idiot!” 

Theo snickered before closing the small gap between them, kissing him gently. Liam’s hands pulled on the chimera’s hips reflexively, pulling him even closer as the kiss deepened. He felt Theo smile against his lips. Theo shifted away from the kiss, a smirk tugging on his lips as he looked at Liam with fondness shining in his bright green eyes.

“Yeah, you are, Little Wolf. But you’re my idiot. And I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

Theo’s smile was even brighter under the moonlight. “Let’s hurry up and find your witch.”

“Is the naked thing still on the table?”

“Yes, you perv.” 

“Hey, you’re the one who brought it up,” Liam grinned, lacing their hands together as they started walking again. “How am I supposed to concentrate when you talk about yourself with no clothes? Theo, babe, I love everything you wear but I love it even more when you wear nothing at all. I love it especially when I also don’t have clothes.” 

“Focus on the mission, you horny bastard,” Theo grumbled, fighting against the flush burning his cheeks. Liam snickered. “I hate you.”

“Lies.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I love your weird-ass. Now let’s go get us a witch!” 

“That’s the spirit.” 

Liam. Wake up. You have to wake up. Come back to me. I can’t do this without you. I don’t even know if this is working but I’m trying. You have to hold on for me. Please don’t let go. I love you, Liam. Please. Come back, baby. Find me. Please, Liam. Find me. 

Liam’s eyes snapped open at the insistent shaking on his shoulder. He scanned the room, hoping against hope he would be where he belonged but much as he had for the past four mornings, he was in the ridiculously nice and fancy condo he shared with his fiancé. His fiancé who was currently giving him a worried look. 

“Hey, you with me?” 

Liam sat up in bed, running a hand through his hair. That was a loaded question. Ever since he woke up the day after apparently being hit by a car, he had an increasingly more disturbing feeling that something wasn’t right. He fully remembered his life now. He remembered how much he adored the woman beside him but… it felt off. And he didn’t know how or why. Well, that wasn’t true. He knew how: Theo. He just didn’t know why. 

He hadn’t thought about his ex-boyfriend in years. Not since he finally accepted that he was too much for Theo. Theo was the one person he was never supposed to hurt and he almost got him killed. He would never forgive himself if it happened again. So he cut ties with the still-healing teen and lost the majority of his friends in the process. He even transferred to a different school so he could avoid the temptation of being near the other boy. As much as it hurt giving it all up, it hurt more seeing him bleeding and broken because Liam couldn’t control himself and lashed out in a moving car. 

After that he drifted for almost a year, not feeling human until Seri Marshall popped up in his life. She wouldn’t let him suffer alone, no matter how much he wanted to. She saved him. She rebuilt the broken pieces and made him who he was. So he should be grateful. He should be content. And yet… all he could do was think of green eyes, dark hair, and a smirk. 

“Liam?” Seri asked, concern dripping from her voice. “Are you with me?” 

Liam looked at her. She was sitting up against the mess of pillows that was their bed. Her cool blue eyes focused only on him. He could see the worry etched on her face. Worry for him. He hated that he was making her so concerned. She worried about him. He knew this. But there was a small part of him that was reminding him that she wasn’t the one who should be concerned about him. It wasn’t supposed to be cool blue eyes looking back at him. It was meant to be eyes that shifted color depending on the mood of their owner. Liam’s mood shifted with the color of Theo’s eyes in the morning. But they didn’t. Because Theo was a thing of the past and Seri was his future. And none of it made any sense. 

“Liam?”

“Yeah,” Liam answered, mustering a smile. “Just had a weird dream, that’s all.” 

“Want to talk about it?”

“Nah, go back to sleep. You have the day off. I think I’m going to go for a run. Try to work off some of this tension.” 

Seri flopped back against the pillows they slept on with a content smile. 

“Don’t have to tell me twice. Unlike some people, I recognize that the morning doesn’t even exist until after nine o’clock on my day off. Maybe even ten but definitely not anything before that.” 

She was snuggling back into the pillows and dead to the world once again before Liam even finished lacing up his sneakers. Liam snorted before pulling the blankets up a little higher and leaving the room. As he walked through the apartment, he saw pictures of their life together. Four years of happiness and pushing each other towards their goals. He was happy. He was working on his teaching degree and Seri was working towards being a guidance counselor. They were planning on being an educational power couple. It was perfect. 

It felt wrong.  

Liam set a punishing pace for himself as soon as he cleared the lobby of their building. This was his reality but for some reason, he couldn’t shake this other life out of his head. It was so ridiculous. Werewolves? Chimeras? He lived in the real world. But still… he had memories of this other world. And in this world, he was with Theo much longer than two years. How did getting hit by a car cause him to create such an elaborate fantasy world where he was still part of the Pack as they called themselves back then? And why couldn’t he let it go? 

His mind was a whirl of thoughts and he didn’t realize where his feet were taking him until he stopped abruptly. The coffee shop loomed in front of him looking both cozy and intimidating as hell. Liam had never been so terrified by a building before in his life. He knew about this place in theory but he never allowed himself to come too close. For one, he knew he wasn’t welcome. And two, he was here. And no matter how many years he put between him and Theo, it would always be too soon and not enough. Sure enough, as Liam lurked outside the shop, he could see his ex-boyfriend clear as day. 

Theo was at the counter laughing at something someone was saying. His hair was longer and his skin was dark with a healthy tan. Liam couldn’t make out his eyes from here but they were ingrained in his brain. He knew what they looked like with all emotions: happy, sad, and most importantly scared. But as he watched Theo responding to the man standing next to him, Liam knew they would be a sparkling green. 

Then Theo’s friend looked up and Liam felt himself take a step back as he recognized Brett Talbot. Theo stopped talking and turned to what captured his best friend’s attention but Brett stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. Liam didn’t bother trying to figure out what he said to stop him. He was already turning to walk away when he slammed into someone. 

He grunted as the collision forced him to fall back a few feet away from the store. He squinted up in the early morning sun to see it wasn’t just one person. But two. Oh, double damn. Not them. He literally would’ve rather run into anyone but these two. 

“Why are you here?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Liam swallowed looking up at the two women he hoped he would never see again. To say they took what happened between him and Theo poorly would be a massive understatement. Let it never be said that Theo’s sisters were anyone to underestimate. 

“You have thirty seconds and then I’m calling the Sheriff,” Tara said, crossing her arms over his chest. 

“I already sent him a text,” Allison chimed in, looking down at him with a cold expression in her eyes. It wasn’t dissimilar to the one she gave him that night in the hospital. “I thought we made it clear that you’re not doing this in and out crap with him. You made your choice and walked away after you damn near killed him. You almost killed him and he still stuck by your side. You left him. You walked away. You do not get to keep coming back like this.”

“What would your fiancée think?” Tara asked, sarcasm dripping from her tone. “I warned you not to hurt my brother. And you did it anyway. You don’t get a second chance, Liam. Stay away from Theo.”

Liam winced, struggling to his feet and slinking away with the piercing gaze of both women stabbing him in the back. He was so focused on getting away, on just not being there, that he failed to notice yet another person before he ran into them. This time, his unfortunate victim reached out to stabilize him before he hit the ground. Again. 

“Uh, sorry about that,” Liam said, glancing over his shoulder briefly to see Allison and Tara walking into the coffee shop, no longer concerned with Liam. He let out a sigh of relief and turned back to the woman he bumped into. His eyes narrowed as he took her in. 

She was strikingly beautiful and yes, he was engaged but he had eyes. And there was nothing he could do but note how gorgeous she was. There was an almost regal elegance with the way she held herself. Rich amber-colored eyes watched him with some amusement. Long, curly black hair framed a dark brown face that was both strange and familiar at the same time. 

“Do I…. Do I know you?” 

“I don’t know, Liam. Do you know me?” the woman replied, lazily drawing her words out. She blinked slowly in his directions.  “So I saw what happened. That looked intense.” 

“Yeah, it’s just… wait, how do you know my name? Do I know you? I’m sorry. I was in an accident a few days ago and my memory is a bit fuzzy.” 

“Is that what happened? It’s ‘fuzzy’? That wouldn’t be my first choice of words to describe whatever this is.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“It’s wrong, Liam. All of it. And you know it.” 

“I don’t understand.” Liam pressed a hand against his chest as it burned. “What? What’s happening?”

“You know what’s happening. You know it’s wrong. And you know who’s waiting for you.” 

“I… Theo….” 

“Liam?” 

Both the mysterious stranger and Liam jerked up at the sound of Liam’s name. He blinked against the pain spreading in his chest to see Seri standing on the sidewalk with a concerned expression on her face. 

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Seri walked up to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. 

“I… yeah. What are you doing here?” 

“The sheriff called me,” Seri sighed. “Said that Tara and Allison were furious because you’re hanging around outside. So I took a cab to try and save you. Only you’re not alone.” 

Liam’s gaze drifted from his fiancé to the woman from earlier. She was still standing there though her entire demeanor had changed. From the tense set in her shoulders to the narrowed eyes, she almost resembled an angry cat. And why did that seem even more familiar? But he didn’t even like cats. Seri was deathly allergic so he hadn’t been around a cat since they started dating. 

“Are you having second thoughts about us?” 

Seri’s quiet question snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked back at her to see the woman biting her lip. It was a sign of how anxious she was. He did this. He was making her worried and he hated when she was worried. 

“Baby, no. Why would you think that?” 

“Ever since the accident you’ve been withdrawn and obsessed with Theo. I get that it brought some stuff up but…. Do you still want to be with me, Liam? Or are you going to chase after a ghost from your past?” 

Liam ignored the scandalized hiss from the stranger and focused all of his attention on his fiancée. On the woman who loved him unconditionally. On the woman he loved more than anything. How could he let these weird thoughts and dreams about Theo ruin that? Maybe he would always love Theo to a certain extent but not enough to throw away a good thing with a good woman. He resolved at that moment to just forget about his past with Theo Raeken and what was and focus only on what is. 

“I love you, Seri.” 

“I love you too.” 

“‘Let’s traipse through the woods and find a witch’, I said. ‘It’ll be fun’, I said. Theo, the light of my life, I’m not sure if you knew this and I  hate to break it to you but you’re in love with an idiot.”

Despite the fact that there was currently a coven of witches throwing magic their way, Liam couldn’t help be warmed by Theo’s laughter. He might be a total moron that ran his happy ass into the woods and interrupted some kind of moon ritual but he couldn’t be entirely a lost cause if someone as amazing as Theo loved him despite the stupid. 

“Yeah, babe, we already established that you’re kind of an idiot,” Theo responded. “But you’re my idiot and I adore you anyway.”

“You two are gross!” Alec yelled from somewhere on the other side of the clearing. “We are literally being attacked by witches and you two are acting like this is your idea of a date night!”

“This is Liam’s idea of romance!” Mason chimed in. “Violence and the ever-present threat of imminent death. This is just how they get down.”

“Hey, a little less talking and a lot more spelling!” Liam retorted, throwing a glare at his giggling best friend. Corey was beside him as always shielding him as best he could from the magic flying his way. Mason looked up from his spell preparations to grin at Liam. “What good are you as a Druid if you can’t stop some witches?” 

“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that and let you know that I’m almost done.” 

“Well, it’s all good as long as you’re almost done!” Liam snapped before letting out an undignified yelp as Theo tackled him to the ground. They both winced at the bolt that struck over their heads. Theo raised an eyebrow looking down at him. “Hi, babe.” 

“You’re an idiot,” Theo rolled his eyes, jumping up and offering Liam a hand. 

Liam let his boyfriend pull him up with an exaggerated whine. He was about to pout and say something clever when he noticed the leader of the coven waving her hands in their direction, red magic flowing from her fingers and coming their way. He had no idea what it would do but he knew he couldn’t let it touch Theo. So he pushed the oblivious chimera to the ground and braced himself as the redness surrounded him before everything went black.

Liam. I’m not sure how much longer I can do this… you have to come back to me. I can feel you. She’s wrong. You’re not gone. You’re still here and whatever you’re seeing, whatever you’re experiencing isn’t stronger than us. Baby, please. Come back to me. Come back. 

“Hello? Earth to Liam Geyer.” 

Liam blinked at the fingers snapping in front of his face. Seri’s concerned face was staring back at him. Ever since that day a week ago, he had been drifting more and more. Seri refused to let him go more than ten feet without her. It was comforting in the beginning but as his dreams were filled with a fantasy life of what should’ve been with Theo, he couldn’t help but be annoyed by her smothering presence. 

“Sorry, babe,” Liam said, forcing a smile. “I was just lost in thought.” 

“You’re not thinking about Theo again, are you?” 

“No,” Liam lied, smiling brightly. He took her hand. “I’m thinking about how amazing you’re going to look in your dress.” 

Seri seemed to shake off her bad mood at the thought of dress shopping. Given everything with the accident, it was agreed that they would move the wedding date up. Well, Seri suggested it, and given his increasing belief that something wasn’t right, he just agreed. He didn’t quite know what (if anything) was happening but he didn’t want to hurt her. He still loved her to some extent. He just needed to get some answers. And he knew where to go. 

“You sure you don’t want to come with me?” 

“First off, it’s bad luck for me to see the dress before the wedding. Second, I’m looking forward to spending the day with my parents. I haven’t seen them in a while. That should help me feel less… weird.” 

“That would be appreciated,” Seri said. She glanced down at her phone. “Okay, Mom is here. I’ll see you tonight?” 

“See you tonight,” Liam agreed, rising up to meet her for a kiss. 

He tried to keep a smile on his face as she left their apartment. He walked to the window watching as she got in her mother’s car. He waved at her sisters in the backseat. As soon as the car was down the street, the smile dropped and he got to work. 

He didn’t know how much longer she would be gone but he knew if he was going to get any answers as to what was happening, he had to be quick. And he knew where to start looking. 

Just like he thought he found her in the same place down the street from the coffee shop. He was careful to avoid being seen but it was the shop’s rush hour. Everyone was too busy dealing with the caffeine-starved customers to be concerned about him. And that was good because he wasn’t there for them. He was here for… 

“You.” 

“You came back,” the woman smirked. Her eyes flashed, looking almost yellow for a moment. “Have you finally figured it out, Golden Boy?” 

“I’m not sure. Everything feels off and you’re the only one that seems to agree. I should just go back to what I’m doing. But I can’t… something isn’t right.” 

“You’ve got that right at least. There’s still some hope for you yet.” 

“Who are you? How do you know me?” 

“Because we’re both tied to the same person. He’s the most important person for us both.” 

“Who… Theo. You’re tied to Theo?” 

“Yes.” 

“How? And why am I remembering a whole other life?” 

“Think about before the accident. What were you doing?”

“I was….” Liam paused. What was he doing? 

It was the one thing he hadn’t really thought about. What was he doing? He got hit by a car but he was fine. How was that possible? What was he doing? What was he…. 

“The witches,” Liam whispered. “I was in the woods. We were looking for witches. And we found them. They were not very nice.” 

“Gee, a bunch of witches wreaking havoc in the town for their own amusement weren’t very nice. What a surprise. No wonder Alec calls you an idiot.” 

“Who are you?” 

“Who do you think?” 

Liam’s brow furrowed. He was aware that his memory was a bit jumbled with two whole timelines of memories at war in his mind. But he was reasonably sure he never met this woman before in his life. Then again, she did say she was tied to Theo. The only woman in Theo’s life that wasn’t his mother or a member of the Pack was… 

“Fiji?!” The woman smirked. Her eyes shifted again to cat-like slits. The look of regal disdain was at once familiar and strangely comforting. “But how? You’re a cat!”

“Just as you always suspected, I am a familiar. His familiar,” Fiji retorted with little heat. “My job is to walk beside a black dog to help guide them when they’ve wandered too far. Without an anchor, it’s tricky to get them back.” 

“Get them back… what do you mean?” 

“What is it that you think a black dog can do?” Fiji asked, wrinkling her nose. “Black dogs walk in between the worlds of the living and the dead. It’s how they’re death omens. It’s why Theo is so in tune with those that are sick or hurt or dying. He’s similar to the hellhound that way. But black dogs don’t just follow the dead, they can walk alongside them. Even before Theo knew who or what he truly was, his abilities have been there, protecting him. It’s the only way he survived the skinwalker’s prison. Though I don’t know if he would count that as a blessing.” 

“What do you….” Liam trailed off. A pit formed in his stomach. “Down there… in the prison… He should’ve died.” 

“Anyone else in that prison world would’ve died. But he’s a black dog. He can exist in the in-between. The skinwalker prison is such a space. His abilities kept him alive but they also kept him trapped. It really was his own personal hell.” 

“The skinwalkers knew what he was,” Liam said, feeling sick. “They knew and they didn’t tell Kira. They let her put him down there. We let it happen.” 

Fiji’s facial expression softened. “It happened. He was trapped down there but he got out. His anchor found him. As he always does. Things work a little differently between a black dog and his anchor. It’s not the same. It’s deeper. It’s more emotional.” 

“Our connection. The bond between us,” Liam murmured. “It’s why I always know what he’s feeling. It’s because I’m his literal anchor. I keep him here in the world of the living?”

“I always knew there had to be more to you than just your looks.”

“And I always knew you were silently judging me.” Fiji snorted in response. Liam found himself grinning despite the very odd circumstances. “Okay, so I get it. You’re here to make sure that Theo doesn’t go too far. But what does that mean exactly? What’s happening to him? To me?” 

“You’re in limbo,” Fiji replied, bluntly. “Witch bitch hit you with a curse. It displaced your soul. Trapped you in this fantasy world. The curse will keep you trapped here, feeding off your soul until you die. But Theo is anchoring you to our world. The witch can’t feed off of you because he’s keeping you separated but she is feeding off of him instead. He’s fading, Liam. He’s going to die. And then she’s going to kill you too.” 

Liam felt his heart clench. Now that he was awake so to speak, he could feel it. The pull of this world was strong but his bond with Theo was stronger. The dreams, the whispered words that haunted him, it was all Theo. He was holding on to him as tightly as he could, trying to pull him back. Of course, the idiot would let someone else feed off him. This is what they did for each other. Liam saves Theo. Theo saves Liam. It was their pattern. Now it was his turn. 

“What do I do?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking it over. I’m not sure if you have to kill the witch or yourself.” 

“How about we go with none of the above,” Liam said, shaking his head. “There has to be another way. Something…. Theo.” 

Everything in this world came back to Theo. Even in a fantasy world created to keep him happy enough for a witch to feed on, it all came back to Theo. Theo was Liam’s anchor too. He couldn’t get him out of his head even in this world because they belonged together and always would. 

“You think you need to see this version of Theo?” 

“I think this version of Theo is actually my Theo. It’s why you’re always here. You’re linked to him too. That’s why everything is trying to keep me away from him. My memories. His sisters. Seri.” 

Now that he figured it out, the answer was so painfully obvious. He needed to get to Theo. Once he saw him, touched him, this would be over. He knew it but that was the easy part. The hard part would be actually getting to him. And that was quickly proven by the appearance of Allison and Tara. 

“What the hell are you doing back here?” Allison snapped as Fiji and Liam approached the coffee shop. She placed a hand on her cocked hip and glared. 

“And who is this? What you dump your fiancée too?” Tara chimed in, arms crossed over her chest. “Break her heart like you broke our brother? He didn’t leave his bed for three days, Liam!”

“Corey and Brett practically moved in to make sure that he didn’t die from grief,” Allison added. “You don’t get to come here and mess with him after that.” 

Liam swallowed. He remembered the angry text messages, even a few subtweets, and vague book messages. He shouldn’t be here. He was out of Theo’s life for a reason. He needed to… he felt a hand press against his and he jumped slightly to see Fiji smiling at him with her sharp teeth bared. He nodded. The spell was getting stronger. He had to end this now. 

“I have to admit, you did a really good job pretending to be them. I mean never met either of them but I know they would put Theo first always. But you’re not his sisters. And you’re not stopping me from seeing him.” 

“What about me?” Seri’s voice cut in. She appeared out of nowhere as she had so many times in the past few days. Appearing in front of him when his doubt was at its peak. “Am I not enough to stop you?” 

Despite his best intentions and Fiji’s presence, Liam could feel himself being sucked back into the spell’s clutches. He felt the overwhelming guilt and love for this woman working against his resolve. How could he turn his back on her? They were happy together. She loved him. And he loved…. 

“Liam?” 

The werewolf turned around to see a confused Theo standing at the door of the shop. His eyes were darting over the strange scene with a worried expression. 

Liam pushed past the resistance around him to approach the chimera. He looked smaller here. Liam placed a tentative hand on his chest and felt the irregular heartbeat under his palm. Maybe this wasn’t so bad for Theo. Yes, his heart was all wrong. But he had his sisters. The one he watched die and the other he longed to live up to. Maybe this would be okay. They could live here for now and then let go. They could still be together but with this new version of their family.

“Liam, no,” Theo murmured, cupping the younger man’s face in his hands. “This isn’t what either of us wants. Don’t let her mess with your head, babe. Not gonna lie, it’s been interesting seeing Tara and Allison but that’s not them. This isn’t real. We’re real. Our family is real. And they’re waiting for us. Our parents and our Pack. They’re waiting for us but we have to wake up.” 

Liam blinked. “Theo?”

“Yeah?” 

“Next time I suggest traipsing around the woods looking for witches, remind me that I’m an idiot?” 

The smile that spread across the chimera’s face was brilliant and almost worth the weeks of nonsense he endured to get to this point. 

“I will. But you’re my idiot.” 

“I adore you,” Liam whispered, leaning up to press his lips against Theo’s. 

He felt warmed by the familiar lips moving against his. His hands pulling Theo’s hips closer to his. A soft murmur escaped the other’s lips, prompting Liam to deepen the kiss. He heard several shrieks around them before the warmth grew to a blinding light and then everything went dark. 

Liam inhaled sharply, sitting up in bed and narrowly avoiding hitting Mason with his whole head. He felt more than saw his best friend wrap his arms around him, murmuring soothing words. Liam’s arms wound around Mason in return, happy to feel some sort of normalcy for the first time in what felt like forever. He did it. He was back. He was safe. But… 

“Theo… where’s….” 

Mason pulled away to smile fondly at him. He pointed to the other side of the bed Liam was lying on. Theo was beside him with an oxygen mask and an IV. Liam saw he was sporting an IV of his own but seemed to be in better shape than his boyfriend. Still, he was pleased to note they weren’t in a hospital. It seemed like they were in their own bed. He looked at Mason with a question in his eyes. 

“Honestly, Melissa wanted to put you guys in the hospital. I think she has about one more day and she was taking y’all regardless. Especially since Theo started taking a turn for the worse last night. Breathing wasn’t easy. Scott said it was like when he had asthma as a kid.” 

Liam brushed a hand through Theo’s hair, noting that the chimera wasn’t in pain now. And his breathing seemed soft and steady. For all intents, it just looked like he was just sleeping. Good. Liam looked back at Mason, sitting at the edge of the bed. 

“He saved me.” 

“I know,” Mason replied, voice sounding strangled by the emotions he was feeling. “When that magic hit you, I was so scared. I was too slow.” 

“Mase, no. This wasn’t your fault. I let my guard down and almost got me and Theo killed.” He looked down at his sleeping boyfriend, taking in his steady breathing and slowly returning color. “What happened? After everything? Like what happened with the witches?” 

“After you went down, their leader was legit cackling about how her curse was designed to make you happy, and then they would feed off that curse. They said you were already gone. But Theo said he could still feel you. Then he touched you and passed out. You’ve both been sleeping for the past three days. But yesterday Theo started slipping. We’re not sure but we think it was the curse.” 

“It was,” Liam agreed. “He anchored me and let himself be the one the curse fed on. He bought me the time to break the curse myself. It wasn’t easy but the witches messed up.” 

“How?” 

“They thought they could give me this fake life with everything I wanted but they left out one important thing. I can’t imagine ever having everything I want if I don’t have him.” 

“Saps,” Mason said, sniffling a little. “You’re both incredible saps. And also you’re taking precious years of my life away from me! Stop with the near-death experiences. Please and thank you.” 

“I’ll try.” 

“I don’t even need to be a werewolf to know that’s a lie,” Mason laughed at the no doubt indignant look spreading on his face. “Argent, Derek, and Stiles took the witches away. I don’t know where and I honestly don’t care. They almost killed you both.” 

“Yeah,” Liam murmured, eyes drifting down to Theo again. “But he had my back.” 

“He always does.” 

Liam didn’t stay awake much longer after their conversation. Though he wasn’t fully fighting the curse, he was still drained. When he next woke up, he could tell it was morning and all the medical equipment was gone. Instead, he had his arms full of a sleeping chimera. Theo’s face was tucked into his neck and Liam sighed, rubbing his boyfriend’s back and taking comfort from the soft, easy breaths he could feel ghosting against his skin. 

“How is he?” Liam asked, turning to the silent Alpha sitting by the foot of their bed. Scott snorted. 

“He’s okay. Mom deemed him to be ‘medically fit for snuggles’ a little while after you woke up. I don’t think she had even taken the mask off before he was curling up. He doesn’t seem like he’s in pain anymore. He’s going to be okay now that you’re okay.” 

“I know I say this all the time but, he’s really the most important thing in the world to me.” 

“I know,” Scott smiled, warmly. “It’s pretty safe to say that the feeling is very mutual. He pulled you back. Guess we finally understand that connection between you two.” 

“Yeah,” Liam murmured. “I always thought it was special but I guess I didn’t really understand just how special it was. I kind of still don’t.” 

“Deaton explained it a little bit more. Black dog anchors aren’t self-determined. Not like how werewolves can choose. They’re chosen from birth. And they only get the one. If something happens, they’re just lost. Especially if they never find their guardians, or actually Deaton called them familiars. Thankfully, Theo found both his familiar and his anchor.”

Liam snorted, glancing down at his still dozing boyfriend. Of all the things he could’ve learned in his life, this was the least shocking. The pull between them had always been strong. Even now he could feel Theo as strongly and as present as his wolf. He could feel him rousing, feel his amusement. The connection between them had always been present and always strong. Strong enough to persuade Liam that the answer to the Ghost Riders laid with Theo. It was because even then he was Theo’s anchor. He was his tie to the real world. And he had been since birth. 

“Of course. We really are soulmates.” 

“Is that surprising, Little Wolf?” Theo’s voice rumbled against his skin. 

“Nope,” Liam answered, nuzzling his chin against Theo’s forehead. “Just confirmation that we’re endgame like I’ve always said we are.”

“Except for that one time when you broke up with me,” Theo teased. Liam rolled his eyes. 

“A guy loses his mind for a few days and he never lives it down. It’s been like ten years.”

“Liam that was barely two months ago. Isaac still occasionally entertains the idea of homicide but he’s scared of your mom and Theo’s ‘teary puppy dog eyes of doom’ so he won’t,” Scott snorted. “Anyway, since you two are awake and on the mend, I’m going to take off. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

“Hey, Scott, where’s Fiji?” Theo asked, lifting his head slightly to face his brother. 

“Where do you think?” Scott laughed, pointing to the curled-up ball of black fluff as he walked out the room. Fiji was in her half asleep but also half vigilant state nestled the ridiculously fluffy cat bed Theo insisted she needed. Liam was in agreement. He vowed to buy her an even bigger one the next day and also a few cans of that overly expensive cat food she liked. She earned it. 

Liam sighed, pulling his boyfriend closer, meeting him for a brief kiss. He could feel Theo’s exhaustion through their connection. Liam’s fingers gently traced the bruised skin under Theo’s eyes, a true sign of how exhausted he was. He smiled as the chimera leaned into the touch. He was beautiful and he was here. That was enough. 

“How do you feel?” 

“Wiped,” Theo yawned. “I was gone too long according to Deaton. But I couldn’t let you go.” 

“How did you know? You’ve never done this before… have you?”

“No. It was weird. When she hit you, I felt you pull away. But I just held on. I could feel you in that weird world but all my focus was on keeping you with me. I’m not really sure how it worked. It felt like weeks were going by but Scott said it wasn't even a full four days. Time moved weird and I couldn’t see you. I didn’t even know if what I was doing was working.”

“It did. It worked. The whole time I kept thinking something wasn’t right. It was you. It was you buzzing in my brain and pulling me back. I heard you and I couldn’t give in to the fantasy. How could I? I already have everything I want. The fantasy was tempting but the reality is so much better.”

Theo turned red, pressing his face against Liam’s chest once again. “I love you, Little Wolf.” 

“I love you, Big Bad,” Liam murmured against Theo’s head. He then glanced over at Fiji who conveniently lifted her head to meet his gaze. He smirked. “Love you too, Fiji. Even though you think I’m an idiot.” 

“What?” Theo asked, shifting to better look up at Liam. The beta grinned. 

“Don’t worry about it. Just know that this is confirmation that Fiji definitely is your familiar.” He kissed Theo again. “Now get some sleep. If I know your other brother, he and Brett will be over here soon enough to tell me how stupid I am.” 

“Pretty sure they’re already downstairs.” 

He heard twin snickers confirming that belief but none of them made any further comments as they all heard Theo fall asleep. There would be time for teasing later. For now, Liam was content to hold his dozing boyfriend and bask in the knowledge that their bond was even stronger than he thought. Theo was even stronger than he thought. And so much better than a stupid fantasy. 

Liam smiled, dropping a kiss on Theo’s forehead, letting the soft breaths and quiet murmuring of their Pack downstairs lull him back to sleep.