Married to Darkness

by Endraking

Post Series Finale- What happens to the part of the pack that remains in Beacon Hills? Mainly from the perspective of the antihero Theo, the pack deals with another threat and the quest to fight an ideology. Slow Burn. Allies to Friends. Friends to Lovers.

14. Chapter 14

I don't own Teen Wolf.

Married to Darkness- Chapter 14

Nolan sat on the bench outside of Liam's room. The hallway was empty, white, and sterile. He glanced to his left at Mason, who searched through the Dread Doctor's text with such a frenzy the pages threated to tear. Corey stood next to his boyfriend, his hand on his shoulder to comfort Mason, and looked over his shoulder in case anything caught his eye. The nervous teen reached into his pocket and pulled out the scalpel he five-fingered from one of the examination rooms earlier.

He tore open the plastic and paper cover and twirled the blade in his fingers. The teen sighed as he stared at the spinning metal and thought back to last night. He thought about using his phone to call his parents but they wouldn't be home for a few days so it would be useless. As he nervously bit his lip his grip on the blade slipped and sliced into his open hand. The cut stung but he watched the wound close up as fast as it opened. The solution still hadn't worn off and the teen thought about how this was part of the life that Corey, Theo, and Liam knew intimately.

He stared at his hand and made another slice as he watched the single drop of blood appear and the wound close behind it. His eyes widened in fascination as he did it again. The pain seemed to be less and less as he grew accustomed but the sensation of the wound healing felt surprisingly good. It felt like a light tickle as if someone ran their fingertip across his palm and erased the wound. A wide grin formed on his face as he looked to Corey, "This is so cool."

Corey eyed the teen and asked, "What are you doing Nolan?"

The nervous teen bit his lip and made another slice on his palm and watched it regenerate. He said, "The purple stuff is still working."

Corey raised an eyebrow and retrieved a wipe from a container outside the room and handed it to Nolan, "I know but you shouldn't be cutting yourself as you wait outside of Liam's room. People might think something."

Nolan slowly nodded as he took the wipe and cleaned up the blood, "Does it feel like this every time?"

Corey shook his head, "Sometimes it hurts more than the wound itself. I guess it's weird to explain. It's almost like asking how breathing feels or having a pulse."

Nolan bit his lip again out of nervousness and stated, "I never thought of it like that."

Corey nodded and looked down at Mason, "Babe, I know you don't want to hear this but I think you should get some rest. You've been scouring the books all night."

Mason stifled his yawn as he replied, "I know. I shouldn't have given Liam the shot."

Corey sighed and knelt so he would be able to make eye contact with his boyfriend and said, "You saved Liam's life. You saved mine and Nolan's. We'll figure this out but we can't do it without you rested and able to help."

Mason slowly closed the book and looked to Corey, "I know. I just feel so guilty."

Nolan interrupted, "For not knowing what it would do? You literally saved my life with it Mason. Not to mention I can move and walk and feel my legs."

Mason looked to the teen and cracked a smile, "I know. I just wished I knew before I injected Liam."

Corey smiled and said, "No one knew. You can't blame yourself."

Mason looked to the floor in front of him and whispered, "I know."

Nolan looked to Corey, "Is Mrs. Geyer still in there? I don't remember her stepping out?"

Corey grinned and nodded, "Yeah, see for yourself."

Nolan stood up and walked to the door. He cracked it slowly and quietly and peered into the room. Mrs. Geyer sat in the chair next to Theo and her head rested on the chimera's shoulder as her hand held both Liam and Theo's hand. Theo head hung from his shoulders and he had a slight slouch as he was clearly still asleep. The heart monitor continued its steady beat as it also looked like Liam was just sleeping in the hospital bed. Nolan slowly closed the door and walked back to the bench and took a seat, "I don't know how they can sleep like that."

Corey sighed and with a neutral expression said, "Exhaustion. I don't think either of them want to leave Liam's side."

Nolan nodded and looked to the floor. He thought about what he should do to help Liam, to help his parents and Theo. He hated himself a little more since these hunters are from the same group he used to be a part of and he wondered if, in some way, something he did back then enabled them to attack his pack now.

Nolan stood up and looked to Corey and Mason, "Do you want a cup of coffee or something?"

The door to Liam's room opened and Theo stepped out and looked to Nolan. The chimera looked like he rested but he never got any real sleep. He popped his neck loudly and said, "I could go for some coffee."

Corey smiled at Nolan and said, "Get Mason and myself a cup."

Nolan nodded and he walked with Theo towards the elevator. When they reached the opening in the hallway, the doors to the elevator opened. Scott and Malia stepped out of the elevator and saw Theo and Nolan. Without a word passing, Malia wolfed out and charged Theo, pinning the chimera to the wall with her claws around his neck. She growled, "What did you do Theo?"

Nolan and Scott moved to intercede but Theo's eyes glowed golden and he grabbed Malia's throat and pushed her back as she tried to apply pressure to his neck. Scott's eyes flashed red as the chimera growled deeply and took control of the hold, "If you are so loud that you wake up Mrs. Geyer, I swear they won't find the body."

Scott growled at Theo and Malia released her grip and reverted. As soon as she did, Theo reverted and released his. The chimera glared at the alpha as Nolan watched the display. Slowly, Corey and Mason made their way down the hallway towards the sounds of the fight.

Scott blinked his eyes back to normal and asked in a serious tone with a hint of anger, "What happened?"

Theo responded coldly, "Hunters ambushed the pack. They got to safety but Liam is in a coma."

Malia spat, "Where were you Theo? I thought you were going to protect the pack."

Theo glared at the werecoyote, "I didn't know about the mission. I found out when I received the text from Mason. I rushed to them as fast as I could."

Scott asked, "Was it wolfsbane? Is Liam healing?"

Theo slowly shook his head, "The hunters are using wolfsbane but that isn't why Liam is in a coma. Physically, he is completely healed."

Scott slowly shook his head, "Then why isn't Liam waking up?"

Nolan looked to the alpha and said, "Because of the purple liquid."

Malia furrowed her brow and mumbled, "Purple liquid?"

Theo nodded, "It's a solution that the dread doctors created to accelerate the healing and bolster the immunities of chimera. It has adverse effects on supernatural creatures."

Malia growled at Theo, "So you are to blame for this?"

Nolan shook his head and nervously said, "What? That's not true."

Malia growled at Nolan, which caused the nervous teen to flinch and said, "Theo's the only chimera that knew about the purple liquid."

Scott's glared bored into Theo and the chimera returned it, "Why did you have the pack use this on Liam? You knew what it could do. You were supposed to protect them."

Theo's eyes flared gold as Mason stepped forward and said, "He didn't. I did. I took the vials from Theo and I used them on the pack when we were ambushed. It's my fault."

Theo continued to glare at Scott, "Mason, it's no one's fault. You did the right thing and our pack is alive because of it."

Malia growled, "Theo isn't pack."

Nolan spat back, "He may not be your pack but he's ours."

Mason and Corey stepped up to Theo's side and stared at Scott and Malia. Scott looked over the four men and said, "Is that how you feel? Theo should be a member of the pack?"

Malia growled again before Corey responded, "Theo is a member of our pack."

Scott questioned, "Our pack?"

Mason nodded, "Yes, Liam is our alpha."

Scott slowly shook his head, "But Liam is my beta."

Mason once again nodded and said, "That's true Scott but here and now, Liam is our alpha and Theo is in Liam's pack. Our alpha stands by him and so do I."

Malia glared at Mason which triggered a low growl from Theo, "Don't threaten my pack mate." The werecoyote returned her glare to the older chimera and her eyes flashed blue. Theo continued, "Don't think I've forgotten what you said to Liam when I was injured. I hold no illusions on how the McCall pack sees me."

Nolan looked to Theo, "What was said?"

Theo looked to the nervous teen and it seemed like the chimera just put his rage on hold and his smug grin reappeared, "Don't worry about it Nolan. It's one of those personal things I get to deal with."

Scott asked with a bit of confusion, "So you all stand by Theo?"

Corey nodded as he wore a stoic expression, "Gladly."

Mason cracked a smile and said, "Of course."

Nolan bit his lip and nodded before he said, "Yeah. I kind of owe him my life, a few times over at this point."

Scott nodded and looked to Malia, "I think I need to stay here for a while. Beacon Hills still needs me."

Theo raised an eyebrow at the alpha's comment, "Beacon Hills still needs you how?"

Scott looked to Theo, "Liam's in a coma and hunters are ambushing supernaturals. Then there is the rogue alpha killing hunters, which almost killed you. It sounds like you need me."

Theo smugly smirked, "Yeah things are bad right now, I'll admit that but we don't need the true alpha Scott McCall. And the best thing you can do for Liam is support him and move out of the way. The last thing he needs is you trying to swoop in and save the day."

Scott growled, "Things are more than bad Theo."

Theo argued back, "Things are no worse than some of the situations that you and Stiles found yourselves in over the years. We'll figure this out too. Now I know you didn't come back to Beacon Hills to argue with me in a hospital hallway so I'm going to get out of your way." His tone sounded distant as he said, "Mrs. Geyer is in the room sleeping in a chair next to Liam. She cried herself to sleep on my shoulder last night so if you can, be quiet enough to where she can get some sleep. She is dealing with enough without pack drama being added to it."

Theo pushed past Scott and Malia and stepped into the elevator when the door opened behind them. Nolan called to Theo as he followed, "Hey, wait for me."

When the doors closed, Nolan looked to Theo, "We aren't going for coffee now, are we?"

Theo shook his head and sighed, "No. I think it's best if I give Scott and Malia a wide berth. Liam is his beta and if anyone can help him pull out of this, it's Scott."

Nolan retorted, "But you two love each other. It's pretty obvious. You should be at his side."

Theo looked to Nolan and said, "Maybe Scott was right. I was too busy focusing on how we felt that I didn't focus on protecting him."

Nolan shook his head as the elevator opened at the ground floor and they walked out, "That's not true. Both of you have done everything to protect each other and the pack."

Theo walked out of the hospital with Nolan following close behind. He got in his truck and Nolan hopped in the passenger side. They drove to the school in silence, the serious pressure of the situation weighing heavily. Nolan followed Theo back to his den. Once inside, Theo gathered up the text he had from the Geneticist and handed it to Nolan. He said, "I want you to get this to Mason. I don't know if it will help but it might have some answer."

Nolan asked, "What are you going to do Theo?"

Theo sighed and said, "I am going to do what it takes to protect our pack from these hunters, once and for all."

Theo guided the young man back to the truck and drove back to the hospital. Nolan pleaded with the chimera, "Theo, don't do anything drastic. Liam will wake up and we can handle this together."

Theo sighed deeply and didn't say a word until he parked in front of the hospital. He quietly said, "In every experiment that the Dread Doctors conducted on supernaturals, none recovered from the coma. They eventually pieced them out for further experimentation. I know I am asking a lot, but Nolan, please don't tell the rest of the pack. Focus on finding a way and I will deal with the hunters."

Nolan's eyes widened and he bit his lip nervously, "Theo, we'll find a way, we have to but you need to be safe too."

Theo smugly smiled to the teen, "Don't worry about me Nolan, I don't plan on doing anything I can't handle. Let me know when the little wolf wakes up if I am not here. I know you guys will find the answer."

Nolan smiled and nodded as he hopped out of the truck and returned to the hospital. Theo drove towards Mildred's home. He felt numb as he drove and his heart was resigned to his decision. He knew he wouldn't let another pack mate and certainly not his alpha get hurt again when there was something he could do about it. He pulled into the driveway and parked. He grabbed his duffel from the backseat before he walked up to the porch and the front door opened as he approached. Erik stood at the door and ushered the chimera inside. He smiled slightly and said, "Gran's expecting you."

Theo followed the alpha back to the sun room and found Gran sitting at the same table in the same chair as before. She stared down the valley as she spoke, "Welcome back, Theodore. I take it you have made a decision."

Theo nodded and set the bag down on the table, "I have and I brought a present from my raid yesterday." The chimera pulled the laptop and stack of papers out of the duffel and set them near Gran. She picked up the papers and looked up to the chimera with a smile, "You are aware that by giving this to me you are signing these men and women's death warrants?"

Theo nodded slowly, "I am aware Gran. They must be stopped and we don't have the luxury of a choice in this war."

Gran smiled and looked out to the valley, "You are right, my dear Theodore, you are right. Do you possess the killer instinct required?"

Theo slowly nodded and sighed, "Yes Gran, I am only good at two things and killing is one of them."

Gran stood up and stepped over to Theo. She looked into his eyes and said, "Your words tell a different story than your eyes. No matter though, I have a way to work around that."

Theo furrowed his brow, "How can you help with that?"

Gran smiled darkly, "A soft heart can't win a war much like a hardened one can't enjoy peace." She reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a simple white gold chain. There were arcane marks on the inside of it and she handed it to Theo. The chimera looked at it and asked, "This is similar to what Erik wears, isn't it?"

Gran slowly nodded, "Yes, though you will maintain more control than Erik since your wolf isn't an alpha."

Theo sighed and nodded slowly, "When should I wear it?"

Gran shrugged, "Anytime. It should only affect your wolf when I use my cane. It's a little trick I learned from a druid many years ago."

Theo unclasped the chain and put it around his neck. When he finished clasping it, he could feel the presence of his coy wolf more powerfully in his mind.

Gran smiled her maternal smile and rubbed the chimera's shoulder, "You should get some rest. You look like you haven't slept in days. The fight to protect our loved ones happens tomorrow."

Theo smiled slightly and thought of Liam. At that moment, the chimera wished two things. The first was for his alpha to wake up while the second was for this to be the right decision. Before Theo could step away, he noticed the eyes on Gran's cane lit up and exhaustion overwhelmed him. The chimera barely took a step before he lost himself to unconsciousness.

Theo opened his eyes and looked around as he felt the covers and mattress of a bed underneath him. He noticed that he was laying in the bed of the Geyer's guest bedroom. He slowly made out two figures sitting on the foot of the bed. To his left was the copy of himself and Stiles sat on the right. He slid himself back on the headboard and asked, "What's going on?"

Stiles rolled his eyes, "You're unconscious again. I thought you would get this by now."

Dark Theo looked to Stiles, "You know it's disorienting to him. You don't have to be an ass."

Stiles smirked at the copy, "Yeah, because you are just all about caring, sunshine, and rainbows. Paint me to be the asshole."

Theo looked at both of them and asked, "So what is this? Tag team torture or some life lesson?"

Dark Theo shook his head, "Neither. You are here to make a decision."

Stiles continued, "The old lady's charm is why you are seeing us both."

Theo shook his head, "But accepting it was my decision. Why this?"

Stiles answered, "Because right now, you are cementing that decision. If you choose my side, then you can break the power the chain has over you."

Dark Theo continued, "As your wolf, if you choose to continue then I will be free to kill those that threaten to harm you…and your pack."

Theo shook his head in confusion, "But I already decided. I need to do what is necessary to save Liam and save my pack."

Stiles quickly interjected, "Don't be so quick to agree to this Theo. For starters, he isn't your wolf. He is just the glue that holds the hybrid chimera together. And you have to know what you are going to sacrifice."

Dark Theo glared at Stiles, "I am not just some glue. I am the essence of the kill. And lose what? Some emotion for some of the time. Not really much of a sacrifice if you ask me."

Stiles returned the glare, "You wouldn't. If you had your way all of life would be ripping and tearing of enemies and Machiavellian plots to get what you want."

Dark Theo smugly grinned, "You make me sound so bad."

Stiles eyes widened in indignation, "That's because you are so bad. Do you even care what happens to the pack? Honestly since I know you are prone to lies as well."

Dark Theo shrugged, "Honestly, I don't. They could live or die and it wouldn't bother me in the least."

Theo glared at his dark copy, "Then why would I relent to you?"

Dark Theo looked to Theo, "It's simple. With the chain, I can't operate completely free. You still have some control. While I don't care what happens, I do care enough to not be taken from my freedom if you choose it. I propose a deal."

Stiles looked to Theo, "Please tell me you aren't considering this."

Theo slowly nodded and said, "Continue."

Stiles threw his hands up in frustration as Dark Theo continued, "It's simple, I promise not to harm your pack, their families, their friends, and anyone else that might upset your fragile sensibilities and in exchange, you release me to wreak havoc on these hunters. To tap into our full potential to bring pain, misery, and ultimately death to our enemies."

Theo paused for a moment in thought and Stiles looked to him and said, "Theo, he can't follow that promise. He is going to hurt the ones you love if you give him control, I promise you that."

Dark Theo glared at Stiles, "You are just being paranoid. You are distrustful of everyone."

Stiles returned the glare, "It's only being distrustful when it's unwarranted. With you, I am just calling a duck a duck."

Dark Theo laughed, "And what's your answer Stiles? Or do we need to wait for something to kill a pack mate before you have to balls to decide on one."

Stiles sighed and looked back to Theo, "I think we need to place our faith in Scott and Liam when he wakes up. You know they wouldn't be on board with murder regardless of who it is. We can find another way."

Dark Theo spat, "Tell that to Mildred's family. Tell that to the other names on the list."

Stiles pleaded, "We can't just throw our lot in with killing. You aren't that anymore Theo, that's why there is a decision. This reckless killing is what took your sister away from you. Not to mention your original pack."

Theo lowered his head and stared at the bed, "I can't change the past. But that doesn't mean I can't fight back."

Dark Theo smiled, "Exactly. Place your faith in Scott? Are you kidding me? His pack wants you dead. You heard it from the coyote's mouth. Or are you planning on trying to rebuild their trust when they won't even acknowledge anything that you've accomplished for them and with them."

Theo looked to his dark counterpart, "That's not entirely true. Malia would prefer to see me dead but that isn't true with the others. They care what happens to me."

Dark Theo raised his eyebrow, "Really? How many times did you run into someone associated with the McCall pack wearing dirty clothes or when you hadn't showered in a couple of days. Or spoke with one of the wolves when you were so hungry that your stomach churned knots around itself. How many times did they ask you about how you were taking care of yourself? For people you claim to care about you, they have an odd way of showing it."

Stiles looked to Dark Theo, "That's not fair. You can't blame them for not knowing. How many times did we reach out for help to let them know what was going on?"

Dark Theo spat back, "Why would we have to reach out for help when, on more than one occasion, it was Parrish knocking his flashlight against the truck window telling us to move along and find somewhere else to sleep. Not fair, you're right Stiles. I completely agree. How they used and treated us was downright criminal."

Theo shook his head and yelled, "STOP! Both of you!"

Stiles looked to Theo and said, "If you agree to this, Mildred is going to use you for her vendetta. She doesn't care either. You are a convenient weapon for her crusade."

Dark Theo looked to Stiles and smiled before looking to Theo, "Hey Stiles, you are two for two. I agree, she is going to use us but that doesn't mean we can't use her and her alpha grandson to take out the monsters that threaten your alpha, the man you love. If she wants to use you as a weapon, let me show her how destructive we can be."

Stiles sighed and looked down at the bed, "Please Theo, just trust Scott for now."

Dark Theo smugly grinned, "Theo. You know that the only person we can truly trust right now, is ourselves."

Theo sighed and looked to Dark Theo, "You said that you wouldn't harm anyone I even remotely care about?"

Dark Theo smiled and nodded, "That's true. And if I ever do that, you can yank me completely out of control."

Theo nodded and said, "Alright, one more stipulation, we are not just killing for its own sake. It must support the pack's cause and if another way presents itself, then we take it."

Dark Theo's smiled widened to show more teeth, "Of course. Why just kill hunters when I can manipulate and use them too."

Theo nodded and whispered, "I think I have made my decision."

Stiles shook his head, "Don't do it Theo. You will have to answer for it and what will Liam think of you when the dust settles."

Theo looked to Stiles and said, "If this works then Liam will have a chance to look at me in anger than me staring at his tombstone." Theo turned and looked to Dark Theo, "Alright. I agree to the terms."

The background shifted and the bedroom and Stiles disappeared. Theo and Dark Theo appeared in front of a closed door. Dark Theo reached forward and turned the knob. He ushered his counterpart inside to a comfy black chair that faced several monitors.

Theo stepped to the seat and sat down. The monitors flashed on and several memories began to play on the screens. Theo looked to Dark Theo and said, "What's this?"

Dark Theo responded, "Since you'll be here for a while, I figured reliving the best and happiest times of your life would be a good idea."

Theo looked to the screen and saw the dance between him and Liam and a smile formed on his face. He quietly said, "Thanks."

Dark Theo gave his counterpart a kiss on top of his head and said, "Don't worry about a thing. When I am done, your pack, your friends and family won't be threatened again."

Dark Theo slowly stepped out of the room and closed the door as Theo relived the moments and forgot about the guilt and weights on his shoulders.

Theo slowly opened his eyes as he woke up. The light seemed brighter and the air so much cleaner as he looked around. The guest room in Gran's home was over decorated and colorful but Theo smiled. It had been well over a year since he was able to experience freedom. He smugly grinned as he pulled himself out of the bed.

He stepped out of the room and down the stairs and eventually to the sun room. The sun had set long ago and the moon hung high in the sky but Gran sat at the table. She stared out into the valley and said, "How did the choice go, Theodore?"

Theo flashed his eyes yellow and growled, "Don't call me Theodore, Gran."

Gran turned to the chimera and said, "Then hello for the first time, Mr. Raeken. I look forward to working with you."

Theo smiled darkly, "And I with you, Gran." The chimera raised his hand and shifted his claws out. He watched the kanima venom drip from his fingertips and the electricity travelled through him as his body remembered the light he stole from Tracy and Josh.