Chapter Text
Liam woke up tired. Ever since the war, he couldn't sleep properly, always turning in his bed, his dead friends flashing in front of his eyes, the sound of shots close to his ears, no escape from nightmares.
It sucked to say the least. He thought that with Monroe running away, they could all finally chill out and rest. That was so naive of him…
The good thing was that it was already Friday, and the weekend was approaching. The bad thing was the fucking full moon. It was the first one after the war, and Liam knew it would be bad. The pent-up stress and frustration made him more-
“Liam! Get up, or I swear you will be taking the bus to school!" his mom shouted from downstairs, effectively disturbing his train of thought. Liam groaned into his pillow but got out of bed and dressed up.
He rolled down the stairs with dark circles under his eyes. The lack of sleep was getting to him. Liam ate breakfast with both of his eyes still basically closed. He almost fell asleep in the car during the ride to school. His mum had to shake him awake, to his embarrassment.
“Hey, man,” Mason greeted him. He and Corey were waiting for him in front of the school building, and they all entered together.
“Hey,” he greeted them back as they shuffled closer to their classroom. Liam still had this weird relationship with everyone. Even though none actively tried to pick a fight with him, everyone was skittish around him.
It was fucking annoying and weird and, god, Liam hated high school.
“You alright?” Mason asked as they sat down in their usual spots. Liam didn't really know what to reply. He wasn't alright for the last month, at least. Still, that sounded pathetic and dickish to say since they’ve all been going through it.
“Yeah, I just couldn't sleep,” Liam replied, hoping they would believe him. Corey hummed in acknowledgement.
“I feel you, I think it's the full moon hitting already. I've been feeling weird ever since yesterday, and it doesn’t even affect me as much as you, you know," Corey said supportively, and Liam fought the urge to roll his eyes.
He knew Corey was trying to be nice, but he really didn't want to hear about the full moon. He was not ready for it, especially after the weeks he’d just had.
“That could be it,” Liam replied instead and gave a small smile that he prayed looked believable. The knot in his stomach was tightening. He was grateful that Mason couldn’t read chemosignals, and Corey was pretty shit at it.
“Don't worry too much about it. I mean, we will be with the whole pack, and I'm sure everyone is still shaken up. It will be good for us,” Mason added supportively, and Liam nodded, not talking anymore since the bell rang and the teacher entered the classroom.
He tried not to think too much about the whole pack being there. Normally, Liam would be glad to see everyone outside of fighting and stuff. They rarely had time to hang out, so it did sound fun.
But this time it made Liam more nervous. Because what if he can't hold himself? What if Scott knows something's up with him? What if he snaps and hurts someone or-
“Liam,” Mason murmured, kicking him lightly under the table to bring him back to reality. The Beta realised that he should have had his textbook open, everyone was copying something in their notes.
He tried focusing on the lesson, but his thoughts kept drifting. Because the thing was not even that everyone would be there… Theo won't come, of course. Not like he was part of the pack. Scott thought of him more as an ally, but Liam…
Liam didn't know what to think about the chimera ever since the last fight. Theo ran off almost immediately, and Liam barely saw him since then. He knew Theo was working with the Sheriff before he could finish up graduation, but that was basically it.
Strangely, he missed him, kind of. Not really, it was still Theo, but during the last few months, he got used to him being close. To him, saving Liam from all kinds of situations. To him, helping him control himself, and without that, Liam felt awfully lost.
The mantra stopped working somewhere between the whole Ghost Riders thing and the start of Hunters, and Liam didn't know what to do. Stiles' words came back to him, you gave the superpowers to a ticking time bomb.
Because that's how Liam felt these days, and it sucked. It was all Theo's fault.
____
The evening came way too fast, and Liam still felt anxious. Mason should pick him up in a few, and Liam paced his living room anxiously. His mum thought they would go to the cinema and have a sleepover at Scott's house later. He couldn't tell her the truth, of course, which meant she was even more confused by how anxious Liam acted.
“Liam, you know you don't have to go out with them? If you're tired, just cancel on them and go to sleep,” his mum suggested for the umpteenth time. She didn't know how much Liam wanted to take her up on the offer and just go to his bed.
That would be so stupid though.
“No, I'm excited, I just don't want to be late for the movie, and Mason should have already been here,” Liam dumbly excused himself. He was sure that, despite his mother not being able to read chemosignals or hear his heartbeat, she knew that he was lying.
“Okay then, I won't stop you,” she said with a smile that Liam knew was forced as well. Thankfully, Mason stopped by mere minutes after releasing Liam from the awkward atmosphere he created.
“Go enjoy the movie then, but just so you know, you can come back anytime, alright?” his mum said as farewell before Liam managed to leave the house.
“Yeah, I know,” he replied to her, his tone softer than it was the whole day. She pulled him in a hug before he was let out of the house.
“Hey, guys,” he greeted as soon as he entered the car.
“Hey, are you excited?” Mason asked as Liam sat down in the middle seat in the back.
“Sure, I am, this will be amazing," Liam said with a grin, trying to convince them as much as himself. Still, his two friends apparently bought it, so it should be alright.
“Let's go then,” Corey said excitedly, and Mason started the car. The trip took only a few minutes. Liam fought sleep as soft music played from the radio; Mason and Corey talked to each other quietly.
It was strange; the full moon usually made him more active and aggressive. Instead, he felt very tired. It was probably from the amount of recent sleepless nights…
Soon enough, they arrived on the hill where Liam spent one of his first full moons. There was a tall tree and a beautiful view of the whole of Bacon Hill. Most of the people were already there, so the greeting started almost immediately.
So many hi’s and hello’s before they sat down around a bonfire.
“Are you sure we can make a fire here?” Lydia asked, looking sceptical at the pile of wood. Liam was internally asking himself the same thing.
“Yeah, I talked to my dad, and as long as we are careful and don't accidentally set the forest on fire, everything should be alright,” Stiles said as he added yet another piece of wood into the already too-big pile.
“Liam, can we talk for a bit?” Scott asked, and Liam gave him a confused look but followed him inside the forest away from prying ears, of course. This was his Alpha.
“Sure, what's up?” Liam asked and hoped he sounded chill, easy-going, just breezy. The opposite of how Liam felt inside, the thoughts spiraled inside his head.
What if he knows something's wrong? What if he doesn't want me here? What if he knows about the mantra not working for me anymore? What if he knows about the Theo situation? What if he doesn't trust me with the pack and-
“You seem a bit on edge. Is everything alright?” Scott asked, and Liam's heart dropped a bit. He was sure Scott heard the slip-up. Fuck.
“Yeah, everything's good, just breezy,” Liam said with a tight-lipped smile. Breezy, breezy? Am I fucking forty-
“Breezy?” Scott asked skeptically, and Liam wanted to punch himself.
“Yeah, yeah, that. What is it that you wanted to talk about?” Liam tried converting the conversation into a completely different direction since it wasn't going well.
“Right, just, I know it must be stressful, first full moon after the war, you know, and I know you don't find them easy even, like, normally…” Scott started carefully. Liam appreciated the understatement. Scott could have said that Liam was terrible at full moons, but he didn't, so that had to count for something.
“Yeah, it's not the best, but I will handle it, you know,” Liam replied. He felt touched by the concern and didn't really know what to do about it.
“I know you will, but in case,” Scott started and pushed the bag from his shoulder. Liam had no idea how he could have missed it until now. “Here are some chains, so if you feel like it's bad, we can just, you know, fix you up to a nice tree and, yeah.”
Scott spoke carefully, and Liam knew why. He didn't want his Beta to lash out with anger at the suggestion, but Liam didn't feel angry. He felt strangely assured by the knowledge that they were here. It felt better knowing that if everything goes to shit, they can just tie him to a stupid tree.
“Yeah, alright, I will tell you if I don't feel good,” Liam nodded and smiled, it was a genuine one, and he knew Scott could tell. They joined the others around the fire shortly after. The fire was way too fucking big.
“Is this being careful?” Liam asked when they got back to the rest of the pack. He sat down between Mason and Lydia. There was no way he was sitting between him and Corey.
“Sure it is, kid, we just have to wait for it to burn down a bit. Trust me, it will be cold outside in no time, and you all will be grateful for this, just you wait and see,” Stiles said confidently, and Lydia gave Liam a deadpan look.
“He definitely overdid it, chip?” she asked and tilted the bag closer to Liam. He gave her a stupid grin and took a full fist and started chewing. She rolled her eyes at him. “You're worse than Malia when it comes to food.”
“What did I do?” the girl asked, an empty bag of chips in her hands. Liam snorted out a laugh and stole more chips, this time from Mason.
It was all going almost surprisingly well. He managed to chill out, and they talked, and it was all easy and fun, breezy. Liam just ate the junk food, watched the fire, and talked with his friends. He didn't even know why he was so stressed in the first place.
This was his pack after all, of course, it would be nice. He trusted them; they had been through so much together. They were like family to him.
Liam watched as the moon climbed higher and his heartbeat started to rise. It was the familiar rush he got during the full moon, but still nothing he couldn’t handle. He kind of zoned out watching the fire and the moon, and the weird feeling inside his chest grew.
Sudden thoughts drifted around his head. Thoughts that had no business prying at his mind now.
Where is Theo? Is he alright? Does the full moon have the same effect on him? Is he alone? Is he with someone? Did he leave? Is he somewhere in the forest? Did he turn, or is he still human? Does he wonder where all of them are-
“Liam, are you alright in there?” Stiles of all people asked, and Liam suddenly felt like throwing up. Not the usual anger he went through during the full moon. This was different. It was this detached wrongness that he couldn't explain.
He just shook his head, not looking back at Stiles. The rest of the pack was slowly turning their attention to him, and Liam hated himself for disturbing the peace. Seriously, he couldn't be normal for fucking once, always ruining everything and-
“Liam, do you want me to tie you up?” Scott asked, and normally, Liam would find it funny. How serious Scott sounded, but he couldn't laugh through the lump in his throat. He knew his claws were out and his eyes had to be glowing a bright yellow by now.
He didn't know what to say or do. Scott just took him by hand, calm despite everything, and took the chains out of the bag efficiently, and started pulling them around Liam’s body and the nearest tree. The rest of the pack watched with mild unease.
Liam still felt like throwing up or forcing his eyes closed and focusing on his breathing. Soft murmurs of the sun, the moon, and the truth slipped past his lips. He knew it wouldn't work, but he needed to try anyway.
It worked for a bit. The claws disappeared first, leaving him with only fangs and glowy eyes. Malia sat near him, and they spoke for a bit. She tried distracting him from the full moon, and Liam felt a bit better.
It was smart to send her because if Liam lashed out, she could defend herself and wouldn't take it personally. Liam didn't have the brain capacity to appreciate that, though. His mind was stuck in endless circles, his stomach was turning, and his eyes were glowing in a stubborn shade of yellow.
“I really thought he would turn his back on us, but I guess he was a bit better person than I thought in the end,” Malia said, and Liam desperately tried to keep up with the conversation.
“Who? Theo?” Liam asked stupidly.
“What? No, he's a piece of shit and always will be, I mean, Peter. He really did-” Malia continued, but the voice in Liam's head was louder.
You should run! They're keeping you, it's not fair. It's the full moon, we should run, we should be free and not here. It's wrong here; we don't belong, we are the only ones chained. We need to leave, it’s wrong. You need to run now or-
“Liam?” Malia called out when Liam didn't reply to her for a while, but Liam was elsewhere. His wolf was speaking to him, and it was harder and harder to ignore, and he was just so weak and tired. His eyes closed, and he let go.
Liam stopped thinking with his brain and let the wolf take over.
The full shift took a blink of an eye, and Liam was breaking the chains before anyone managed to react. His werewolf form full-out, roaring desperately, letting his instincts lead him. He ran deep into the forest, ignoring the screams and panic he left behind.
_____
Theo has been twitchy since this morning. Which was weird because Theo didn't do twitchy, he didn't have anxiety or stress issues. He pushed through and reasoned with himself. He controlled his emotions and feelings.
There was no such thing as anxiety in his body. Yet he was nervous since this morning. He pushed the feeling down together with the urge to fidget like a child. He told himself it's the full moon, even though that didn't make sense since he was never nervous like this before one.
So he swallowed it down and got inside his truck, heading to the Sheriff's station. He has worked there since the war. Stilinski didn't trust him at all at first, which proved to be difficult since he always triple checked every piece of information Theo gave them, but it wasn't like he could blame him.
It got better slowly, and the trust between them grew as Stilinski slowly realised that Theo doesn't lie anymore. Or at least way less than before.
Theo stopped in front of the station a few minutes later than he would have liked and rushed past the desk to the Sheriff's office, where Theo had his desk on the side. None believed him enough to let him stay with the civil cops or to get him his own office.
Again, it was for obvious reasons, but it still annoyed him.
“Hello,” he greeted casually as he entered the office without knocking. The Sheriff gave him a once-over and nodded in greeting before he got back to his papers. Theo sat behind the desk and went through the different papers that were already prepared there for him.
He usually had to give intel on supernatural creatures that the Sheriff wasn't familiar with. Like how they worked and similar stuff he learned from dread doctors. Then he helped with the whole hunters thing, tracking them outside based on sense and recent movement the police found.
It was alright enough.
They worked in silent peace that was familiar by now, but Theo just couldn't seem to focus today. He reread each sentence two times before he managed to understand what was really written there, and even then, it just didn't make complete sense to him.
His leg kept bouncing annoyingly, and every time he realised it, he stopped it forcefully, taking a silent deep breath. It was all just so annoying.
“Theo?” The Sheriff asked, and the chimera looked up at him, confused.
“What?” he asked, his tone off even to his own ears.
“I'm getting myself coffee. Do you want anything?” the Sheriff asked him, and Theo could tell from the tone that this wasn't the first time he had called Theo. So he must have zoned out before.
“No, thanks,” he replied, easily smelling chemosignals in Stilinski's scent. There were traces of annoyance, but worry was the main emotion. Oh god, well, that was embarrassing.
Theo didn't need anyone worrying for him. The older man nodded and left the room to get his coffee. Theo let out a deep breath when the door closed behind him, dropping his head in his hands.
He could feel his leg shaking again, but he didn't stop it this time. Maybe if he would just let it happen, it would go away eventually. The Sheriff came back all too fast, and Theo had to act normal again, ignoring his lungs tightening with something he refused to call anxiety.
The day was going by slowly, and when the lunch break finally hit, Theo didn't even want to eat. Which sucked because he could finally afford solid food thanks to the money the station gave him.
His stomach was turning in such a way that he knew he wouldn't be able to consume anything. So when the Sheriff asked him to join him for lunch, and Theo refused again, albeit with a smile, the Sheriff gave him a look. The kind you'd get from someone older when you screwed up.
It wasn't one Theo received quite often. He ignored it like everything else that was fucked up that day and just continued reading the different papers.
“Alright, that's it, go home,” the Sheriff said when he came back from lunch. Theo snapped his head to him, confused. Sure, he was rubbing the skin around his nail on his thumb so much that blood slowly trickled down, but Theo was a chimera.
It healed in no time, leaving only two bloody tissues as evidence in the bin.
“What? Why? Am I fired? What did I even do?” Theo turned defensive almost instantly, reading Stilinski's expressions and chemosignals. What he thought would be anger was just worry again. Fuck these old people with parenting complexes.
“You are unfocused and obviously tired, so no use for you at work. Take the rest of the day off and come back on Monday,” Sheriff said, his voice firm, and Theo’s frown deepened.
“No, I'm not, that's bullshit,” Theo argued with a form forcing his heartbeat to stay calm and his breathing even.
“Theo, this badge is not only for show. Just cause you managed to manipulate a few seventeen-year-olds doesn't mean I will believe you,” the older man replied, leaving Theo speechless. Cause what the fuck.
He scoffed but didn't reply otherwise; he just started gathering his stuff. Stilinski obviously noticed his annoyance and continued.
“Hey, I get it, it's the full moon tonight, of course, you won't be in your best shape. Are you joining the others?” Stilinski asked in a softer tone, almost condescending, making Theo even more sick.
He let out a dry laugh.
“Sure, I'm, we will braid each other’s hair and eat s'mores. Have a good weekend, Stilnski,” he said sarcastically before he left the station. He closed the door with a measured click.
Dickhead.
____
Theo headed straight to the apartment that he got from Derek. He had to pay the rent, obviously, but the place was his for the time being, and he finally had a bed and a proper shower, so it was perfect.
The rest of the day was even more of a torture since he had literally nothing to do. So he turned into his coyote form and went for a run, letting all the noise and anxiety dry out. Hopefully, it would also tire him out for the full moon, and he could have a good night's sleep, preferably.
When he came back home, it was already dark outside, so he only took a quick shower before he lay down in his bed, trying to sleep. It really was a desperate attempt, since he kept turning and blinking his eyes open, restless.
The problem was that Theo knew exactly what was wrong.
He missed Liam fucking Dunbar. He didn't even know how it happened, probably somewhere between being the bait and I'm not dying for you, but he became Liam’s anchor. He could feel the pull between them.
Worse was that Liam became something similar to Theo. Which was strange because Theo didn't even know chimeras could have anchors until then, but the ease with which his mind was at when Liam was near was undeniable.
So he knew the logical thing was to find Liam and get this bullshit over with. The problem was that he couldn't just march to Scott's pack and steal his beta after everything. So he laid in his bed and beat himself over the stupid decisions he made.
He cursed himself for staying in this god-forsaken town and helping Liam in the first place.
Until he heard it. It was a growl loud enough to wake half of the town. The noise was so familiar that Theo was out of bed before he could think better of it; it triggered his wolf almost instantly. His eyes were glowing, and his fangs and claws were out. He ran out of his apartment and followed the all too familiar scent. It wasn't so hard with the ever-present noise.
He followed it to a forest with the knot in his stomach, finally loosening as he was slowly approaching. The ringing in his ears got only louder when he finally saw him.
Liam was there, roaring at the fucking moon like mad, destroying everything and anything around him. Theo couldn't hide the smirk as he pushed the Beta to the ground, finally making him stop.
“Liam, calm down, cmon, you don't wanna do this,” he started, his voice unyielding, eyes flashing gold back at Liam. His hands were firm on Liam’s chest as he held him down.
Liam growled at him in response, predictably. He sighed as if in annoyance, despite this being the happiest moment of his whole day.
“Can’t be mad at me for this later, little beta,” Theo said before he hit him so hard in the head that it knocked Liam out. You see, anchors could work in many ways. It usually consisted of just talking to the wolf or condescending to him, but Liam was way too fucking powerful for it to work.
Theo holding him down made him calm down, especially in this state. It worked better than words, at least now. He was Liam’s anchor because the Beta knew Theo wouldn't care if he hurt him. He wouldn't care if they sparred and yelled because Theo could take it; hell, Theo enjoyed it.
With Liam out as a light, Theo had to think of a plan. That was when he heard them. Two heartbeats are nearing them.
“Liam?!” someone called, and Theo knew that voice, fucking Stiles. “I don't think that will help, we should just follow my feeling. I know he's close,” unmistakably Lydia. It surprised Theo that they didn't find Liam sooner.
They had a damn head start, and he was part of their pack. Surely they should have been able to track his scent more effectively than Theo. Apparently not. It was like they weren’t even trying.
Now there were two options.
Theo could run off and leave Liam here. Pretend like this never happened and let Liam be with his pack, happy and oblivious to their encounter. On the other hand, how did that work out for him up till now?
So that left him with the second option: to run off with Liam and figure it out. Somehow. Now this was the dumber option. The selfish and cunning one.
Naturally, a few seconds later, Theo was running off with Liam in his arms faster than he could overthink it, heading to his apartment. It was quite difficult since he had to listen up for the rest of Liam’s pack and pray for them not to hear their heartbeats.
But he managed somehow; he got them back to his place, thankfully without Liam waking up. That would be fucking awkward. Only when he dropped the Beta inside his apartment did Theo realize what the fuck he just did.
Fuck.
What if the pack followed them after all? What if they know Liam’s here and want him back? What if they think Theo wanted to kill him? What if they hate Theo for taking him? What if Liam hates Theo for-
“Theo?” Liam mumbled out from the floor where he was unceremoniously dumped by Theo. Fuck, they were fucked, they were so fucked. Their eyes were still bright yellow, and Liam had his claws and fangs out.
“Yeah? Do you feel calmer?” Theo asked despite knowing the answer already. He embraced himself for the impact that was only a matter of time.
“What the fuck did you do?!” Liam shouted as he pressed them against the nearest wall. His back hit it with a dull thud, and Theo would love to say that he regretted his decision. It stole the breath out of his lungs, and he was sure one of his backbones cracked.
But his mind was so calm and at ease with Liam now near. He knew he would do it again.
“Me? You were the one going on a rampage around the city! You need to fucking calm down!” was what Theo replied and shoved Liam off himself with a fist to his stomach. Liam groaned pathetically and hit Theo right back. The raw strength Liam possessed was unmatched by Theo, so he had to be more tactical about his hits.
Theo knew Liam could kill him with his strength if he wasn't careful enough. It just added to the thrill, though.
They each got a few more hits in. Still, Theo was way more aware and in his right mind, so soon enough, Theo managed to push him to the floor yet again, ready to knock him out. Liam's hand punched Theo in the ribs in a desperate attempt to knock him off of himself. The hit was still powerful, but the aim was missing.
Theo raised his fist, ready to end it, but Liam was quicker and bit Theo’s arm. The chimera let out a pained cry as the teeth sank deep. Theo thought it would be a quick bite just to defend himself, but Liam kept fucking holding him. The blood dripped down his wrist to Liam’s neck.
Their eyes locked, and Liam’s went from the vibrant gold to the calm blue. His fangs disappeared as well, and Theo’s hand was released. They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Theo hit him straight in the face from panic. He broke Liam’s nose in the process.
It was unnecessary since Liam was calm already, but Theo didn't know what to do with an awake and calm Liam. He let out a shuddering breath, still sitting on top of the beta. His whole body ached, and even breathing was painful.
What the fuck just happened?
His hand hurt like a bitch, and he was so fucking tired; ironically, Theo hadn’t felt better ever since the war. He dragged them both to his bed. Theo thought about taking the couch for himself, but his back protested.
Liam shouldn't have fucked it up if he wanted a bed for himself. Theo thought to himself bitterly, as if he wasn’t the one who dragged Liam to his apartment in the first place.
The chimera pulled the remainder of his shirt from his sore body. His skin was ripped and bloody in several places. He did the same with Liam’s, but didn't bother with the pants, too tired for that.
He fell next to the beta, exhausted. Theo passed out quickly, Liam out cold beside him, their hearts in sync without Theo having to control him. It was so selfish of him to keep Liam here, but Theo was alright with being selfish if it meant having Liam by his side.