Ethan tossed the slim device between his hands, all attempts at being casual forgone in his tense mindset. Rounded corners bounced harmlessly off of the werewolf's strong yet refined fingers. The device was silver, almost as thin as a piece of paper. The screen was dark but the area surrounding it the glowing white of fresh, whipped cream. Ethan's finger hovered over the smooth, silver circled 'on' button before he hesitantly drifted it away once again. The case surrounding his gently cradled phone was a dark blue and it was smooth, resting gently in his hands like a feather. The last time he'd spoken in the dark-haired werewolf that was to be at the other end, it had been over assassins and varying other problems in Beacon Hills.

He rested on a plush couch, his feet dangling off one end whilst his read was pillowed against the other. The couch was a soft beige or ivory, the pillows shimmering white with silver linings. The walls, a mixture of beige, yellow and white, fitted the colour scheme perfectly. It was only Ethan that stood out from the rest of the room. His normally blonde hair seemed darker than normal and his eyes were the same warm, chocolate brown as always. His shirt was a black a shade darker than most blacks. His jeans, too, were dark and hung loosely off of his legs.

The phone rang, a rhythmic and too-loud bzz bzz bzz. Ethan tensed, his finger hovering over the screen for a long second before he tapped the screen and the call came to life. "Hey Scott," Ethan said into the silver device. "What's up? How's it gone with your puppy dog and the assassins?" Sarcasm dripped off of his voice, palpable in the thin air of the pale, bright room. "Everyone still alive?"

There was a huffing noise on the other end of the line. "Hello Ethan. I take it you've upped the sarcasm exponentially. Yes, we're all still alive but we have a new problem now."

Ethan hummed in response, irritated by his alpha's flippant tone. "What's it this time? Vampires? A pack of wendigos? Stiles becoming even more intensely sarcastic? Nogitsune again? Or is it something new and even more dangerous? Please tell me it's not that. That wouldn't be good." There was a pause on the other end, probably Scott trying to process the string of intense sarcasm. "And have you been using that word-of-the-day toilet paper now?! Dude, I thought you were don't with studying for the SATs! Jerk."

Scott remained silent for a little while longer. "Bitch."

"Have you been watching Supernatural? I'm so proud of you!"

The other end crackled with something that sounded like laughter. Somewhere far off down the line, Mason spoke. "Dude, Supernatural! You've fallen to the nerdly depths!"

"It's not my fault Danny tied me to a chair!" Scott's protest went unnoticed on the other end, as they continued tease the alpha. "I'm being serious! Breaking out would have meant to tear up that chair he has. And that chair is actually the best thing that ever happened to Beacon Hills!"

Mason protested strongly. "Danny is the best thing that's ever happened here! Not Danny's freaking chair!"

Rubbing his eyes, Ethan released a heavy groan. "So what's this thing that's here? And kid, stop hitting on him! He's not interested in pipsqueaks like you!"

There was an indignant, "Hey!" on the other end.

Scott shushed the younger boy. "Look, was there ever a kid named Theo in your pack? Your first one, the one that you killed to become an alpha."

Considering, Ethan eventually decided that, no, there had never been a Theo in his pack. "Not that I can think of. There was Thea, that girl a few years older than Aiden and I were. But no Theo's."

"Huh. No bites right before you killed him?"

"Nope. Not one. Who's Theo?"

Scott sighed on the other end. "That's what we're trying to figure out. He claimed that he was part of your old pack. Stiles thinks he's working for these guys called the Dread Doctors."

Suddenly, Ethan was frozen. His breath came quick and raspy, like it did when he used to have panic attacks when he'd been young and terrified after the loss of his gentle and kind parents. The voice on the other end was urgent, seeming to have picked up upon the quick breaths that rasped in Ethan's throat. "Ethan? Ethan?" Scott asked at the other side, worry evident in his normally calm voice. "You okay bro? You don't sound to great." Suddenly it felt like Ethan was floating away from pain and destruction, reaching into a certain quiet, calm darkness That was always ready in the back of his mind for when he was afraid. His mind relaxed, though his body continued to panic.

"Hey Ethan? Listen to me bro, I need you to take a couple of deep breaths. Try and relax, Eth. Long breaths buddy. It's okay. You'll be just fine. Easy bro, nothing's gonna hurt'cha. Promise. Cross my heart."

"S-Scott? Get out of there!"

Trembling Ethan's fingers found the surface of his phone and the connection was lost. He leant back against the couch, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing.