Theo breathes a deep sigh of relief as the last wisps of the Ghost Riders disappear, taking Douglas with them.
It's over. He was the last remnants of the Dread Doctor's legacy. With him gone, Theo feels light, as if there was a heavy weight lifted off his chest.
Scott's pack is rejoicing. They're huddled around Stiles, hugging and exchanging laughs of relief.
Theo is careful to keep his distance from that. He knows he's not exactly one of the people Stiles is looking to hug. Or anyone is looking to hug, really.
"Okay, but seriously?" Stiles says raising his voice above the buzz of his friends. "Who is buying me a milkshake right now? I am starving and extremely sugar deprived!"
This, of course, is met with more laughter and a several claims of "not it" as the pack makes their way out of the woods.
Trailing slightly behind them, Theo follows as well. Or at least he does - until he feels a firm hand on his arm ripping him off the trail.
" Hey! " Theo cries out indignantly as Scott slams his back against the rough bark of a tree. "What the hell? I helped you!"
But the alpha wolf doesn't relent his grip.
" Twenty-four hours ." Scott says, staring at Theo severely. "You did help us, and for that I'm giving you twenty-four hours to get the hell out of Beacon Hills. After that I never want to see you in this town or near any of my pack again. And so help me, Theo, if I hear down the grapevine about you hurting anyone else I'll find you and put you back in the ground myself ."
Theo swallows. He'd thought that his voluntary help through the whole Ghost Rider thing and saving Scott's beta twice would be enough to win him some potential brownie points with him.
He apparently had thought wrong .
"Oh come on, Scott." he says in an smooth friendly tone. "We're both grown ups, right? I'm sure we can find a way to get on in the same tow-"
"I mean it , Theo." Scott growled, his eyes flaring red. " I want you gone. "
Theo's quiet for a moment, giving Scott a few moments to cool down.
"Look, I get that you took the whole thing that happened between us personally, but-"
"You mean that thing where you tried to turn my pack against me and then killed me? Is that the thing I took personally?"
As much as he'd like to continue to bust Scott's chops and play down the severity of what he did, he needs to be able to stay in Beacon Hills. He'd survived without a pack before, but that was when he had the Dread Doctors to protect him. He'd be a target out on his own, an omega wolf, but weaker .
"I'm sorry." Theo says looking him deep in the eyes. "Please...please give me a chance to prove it to you?"
"Well it's too late." Scott says definitely. "You're not a part of my pack, and you never will be . You had your chance, you threw it away. My friendship was worth nothing to you. My pack was worth nothing to you. My life was worth nothing to you. So get out ."
Theo's silent again. He looks down, then back up at Scott. He doesn't say anything else but pleads his case with his eyes.
He can see hesitation flicker across Scott's face for a moment, before it hardens again.
"Scott-" he starts, but is interrupted another time.
"Do you know what the dumbest part about all of this is, Theo?" Scott asks him. "If you had just told me what you were in. If you'd actually wanted to get away from the Dread Doctors-"
Scott's voice gets shaky, and he has to steady himself.
"But you didn't ." he goes on. "You didn't want pack, you didn't want friendship, all you wanted was the Beast's powers, a bunch of flunkies to boss around and then throw away, and a whole lot of other crap that you wouldn't even know what to do with. And for what ?"
Scott's grip on him is tightening and Theo can feel that the alpha wolf wants to shake him but is only just barely holding himself back from it. It's taking everything in Theo not to flinch from the harsh truths and increasing pressure on his wrist.
"I'm sorry." Theo says again, and this time he means it. "I'll leave. You won't ever have to hear from me again."