Married to Darkness- Chapter 22

Liam and Theo continued to search the area for a sign of Erik but couldn't find anything. Theo looked to his boyfriend and said, "I don't know where he went but I can't pick up his scent."

Liam nodded as his phone notification went off. He pulled it out and saw a message from his mother:

Change of plans for dinner tonight. We are going to have dinner with the Hewitt's. Theo is expected to be there.

Liam looked to Theo, "Mom just told me how the dinner plans changed."

Theo sighed and nodded, "Alright. I'm going to head back to get ready for tonight's shift."

Liam argued, "No, Shadow Wolf, you are coming with me to Mason's house where we are having dinner. Mom made it non-negotiable."

Theo laughed as the two walked back to the den.

Mason paced around his room while Corey sat on the edge of the teen's king sized bed. Corey looked to his boyfriend with concern as the teen thought about the last dream with Sophie Marie. Corey asked, "Do you think that she is just going to hop into Theo's body?"

Mason looked to his boyfriend with worry in his eyes, "Actually, that's exactly what I think she will do. I know that she can't just take me over and I can reason that you aren't a possible target either but how will I find out if someone is? It could be anyone."

Corey shrugged, "What if we could just contain her? That could work right?"

Mason shook his head, "I don't think it's quite that easy Core. I think she plans on making a move and since I don't know much about bioelectric transfers and frequencies, she has the upper hand. I don't even know how much of our conversations she hears. She could be listening right now to our plans to deal with her."

Corey bit his lip nervously as he thought about the situation. After a moment he stated, "I've got it. Until we find out how to stop her, you just won't interact with Theo."

Mason playfully glared at his boyfriend, "Come on Core. We are already doing that. Eventually the two lovebirds are going to notice and then we'll have to tell them."

Corey asked, "Do we know if Liam is safe?"

Mason nodded, "Yeah. I think so at least. I've spent some time with him and she didn't hop ship. I think we can safely rule out Nolan and Alia as well. Plus a good number of the student body at Beacon High but this still has me worried. I've got a freaking Dread Doctor in my head." Mason's nerves seemed to be fraying towards the end of his thought and Corey stood up and hugged his boyfriend.

Corey whispered, "We'll figure this out Mase. It'll be alright. Plus, it can't get worse right?" Corey leaned back from the hug and gave Mason a reassuring smile.

Mason sighed in contentment, "I guess you are right."

Mason's mother yelled from downstairs, "Mason, Corey. Get ready for dinner this evening. I've invited your friends over to meet them."

Mason rushed to the door to his bedroom and replied, "Which friends mom?"

Mrs. Hewitt responded, "The Holloways and The Geyers."

Corey looked to Mason, "See Mase, nothing to worry about."

Mason smiled to his boyfriend as his mother continued, "Oh and Jenna said that she was making sure that Mr. Raeken would be making this dinner before work this evening."

Mason weakly muttered to Corey, "That's it. We are screwed. Absolutely and utterly screwed."

Theo and Liam rushed from the den, after getting cleaned up and changed into appropriate clothes for a dinner at the Hewitt's, and went to Mason's house. When they drove up they saw Mrs. Geyer as she turned off the car and stepped out the driver's side door. She looked to Theo and Liam and smiled as she waved to them. She yelled, "Boys, can one of you give me a hand with the roast? I don't want to spill it on my dress."

After Theo parked the truck, Liam quickly hopped out of the passenger side and ran over to his mother's car. He stepped towards the backseat on the passenger's side after his mother opened the door. He leaned in and pulled out the crockpot with the roast. He carefully balanced it to not spill a drop. Theo sauntered over and looked to Mrs. Geyer, "Why are we eating dinner with the Hewitts tonight?"

Mrs. Geyer weakly smiled, "They wanted to meet Mason's friends and their parents."

Liam enthusiastically asked, "Is dad going to be here tonight?"

Mrs. Geyer shook her head, "No sweety. He had to work tonight. Another long shift with the ER."

Liam seemed a little bummed as he acknowledged. The three walked towards the entrance as a black sedan pulled up to the driveway and Nolan stepped out. Nolan, dressed in a nice black suit, walked up to the three and looked to their clothes. Mrs. Geyer looked nice in a long blue dress while Theo and Liam wore Theo's usual, black v-neck t-shirts with loose black hoodies on top and black skinny jeans. He asked, "Am I over dressed?"

Mrs. Geyer shook her head as she looked to Nolan, "You look nice. Something tells me Brent and Grabriella are going to think that Liam and Theo are underdressed."

Liam let out a nervous sigh and Theo immediately picked up on the chemo signals. The chimera looked to his boyfriend and said, "It'll be alright, Little Wolf. We can handle this."

Liam gently smiled to his boyfriend, "Thanks Shadow Wolf."

Mrs. Geyer looked to the two and looked confused as she asked, "Little Wolf? Shadow Wolf? Do I want to know?"

Theo smiled to Mrs. Geyer, "No, Mom. I don't think you do."

Mrs. Geyer shrugged and stepped up to the front door. The Hewitt house was a large brick three story home that seemed to stand out in the neighborhood. Large white columns held up the wrap around porch. The house seemed to have quite a few windows and decorative curtains blocked out most of the light from the rooms. Mrs. Geyer reached forward and depressed the doorbell and the gentle chime rang through the house.

The door opened and two people stood in the threshold. Mr. Hewitt was tall, with shortly cropped dark hair and calculating brown eyes. He wore an expensive pastel pink button up with glossy golden buttons and dark navy slacks. Mrs. Hewitt stood next to him wearing a long, flowing royal blue dress with strategically placed sequins to create a nice shimmer as she moved, and feathered out at the top with darker blue faux fur. Her medium length dark hair was pulled back tight and adored with a strap tiara with a beautiful sapphire centered on her forehead. They both wore saccharin smiles as Mrs. Hewitt addressed the group, "Jenna, it's so nice to see you again. Come inside."

Jenna replied, "It's nice to see you too Gabriella and Brent. It seems like it has been forever."

Gabriella stepped away from the door and ushered the crowd into the dinner room. There was a large rectangular table arranged for 12 people, with 6 on each of the long sides and the ends left open. In the center of the table there were an assortment of cooked vegetables and starches with the center piece being a large cooked ham next to a large prime rib roast. Liam nervously looked to the spread as he held the crockpot.

Gabriella addressed him, "Liam, you can set your roast in the kitchen. It seems our staff made too much food so we shouldn't need it at the table."

Liam looked to his mother and she gently nodded as he took the roast into the kitchen. Gabriella looked to the group and addressed Nolan, "Nolan, will your parents be joining us tonight?"

Nolan nervously shook his head, "No, mom and dad are still in Zurich with business."

Gabriella feigned concern as she replied, "Must be a shame having to practically raise yourself."

Nolan sighed and looked to the floor. Theo began to feel his anger rise and thought whether the moon was affecting him or if the tone from Mason's mother was as harsh as he felt it was.

Gabriella turned her attention back to Jenna, "Will your husband be joining us tonight?"

Jenna shook her head, "No, he's working the ER tonight."

Brent chimed in, "Ah such a noble profession. Taking care of the sick and wounded. Jenna he's a nurse right?"

Jenna bit her tongue a little before she corrected Brent, "No, my husband is Doctor Geyer."

Brent laughed emptily, "It's so difficult to keep these things straight. Have a seat, Mason and Mr. Bryant should be down shortly."

Jenna took a seat directly opposite to Gabriella's and Liam sat down next to her. Nolan sat on the opposite side of Jenna and Theo sat next to Liam. Mason and Corey entered the dining room, dressed in matching suits and moved to sit down next to Gabriella. She remarked to her son, "Don't you think Mr. Bryant should sit next to your father?"

Mason lowered his head and muttered, "Yes mother."

Corey stood up and walked to the seat next to Brent and sat down. Without uttering a word, three servants stepped into the dining room and cleared away the extra plates and began to cut slices of meat and plate food for the gathering. As they worked, another stepped out with a bottle of wine and a decanter of water and filled each guest's glasses. Gabriella smiled viciously at the opposing side of the table with her eyes falling on Jenna. She began, "I am so glad we are able to have this dinner tonight. It seems like time flies and it's hard to keep up with the changes in our lives. Why it seems just the other day, Jenna and I were just high school students with dreams and ambitions, filled to the brim with hope and aspirations as we spent our days learning and enjoying our time with the loves of our lives."

Theo fought back a growl at the woman's comment, the cut of her words being evident to the chimera and Liam followed suit when he smelled the chemo signals from his mother. Theo reached under the table and took his boyfriend's hand. The chimera knew that this dinner might be difficult for his wolf not only from the full moon but from the eyes of judgement sitting across from them.

Jenna noticed Theo's gesture and corrected, "It just took me a little longer to find my love."

Gabriella weakly corrected herself, "I'm sorry, that's right. No harm intended I assure you."

Jenna responded, with a bite of ice in her voice, "None taken."

Brent looked to the table and raised his glass, "I think this occasion calls for a toast."

Everyone raised their glasses as he began, "To our futures. To our children. May they be a reflection of our dedication as parents and may they always see the pride in our eyes for their successes."

The table gave a brief cheer before taking a sip. Theo picked up on the slight built into the toast aimed at him. He narrowed his eyes briefly as he assessed Mason's parents and the intent of this dinner. After everyone began to eat, Brent aimed a question at Nolan, "How are your parent's business dealings going?"

Nolan responded after he finished swallowing a bite of food, "They are going well. My father is expecting this deal to bring the company into better footing in the international markets."

Gabriella quickly commented, "I don't know how they do it, spending so much time away from home, away from their family. I guess I just have to bask and share in the love in adoration of my family. Though some people are wired differently I suppose."

Nolan sighed at the comment and stared at his plate, his fork poised over the potatoes. Brent continued, "I'm a little surprised you are here by yourself. A strapping young lad, such as you, shouldn't be single."

Nolan looked confused as he looked to Brent. He innocently responded to the obvious jab, "I asked Marta if she wanted to join me at the dinner but she said something about not being able to find the right table here. Whatever that means."

Mason and Theo's eyes widened as they fought back their respective laughs from Nolan relaying Marta's obvious insult.

Gabriella smirked slightly as she looked to Jenna, "It's so good to see the young men that influence my son's life. I've got to admit, I was a little concerned about Liam but it seems that he has his condition firmly under control."

Jenna glared at Gabriella and Theo could smell the rage flow from Liam. He squeezed his wolf's hand and whispered so quietly that only the wolf could hear him, "Don't let them get to you, Little Wolf. They are just bitter because Mason is nothing like them."

Mason bit his tongue as he stopped eating and stared at his plate.

Liam looked to Theo and smiled gently.

Brent looked to Theo and said, "I'm sorry Mr. Raeken, We didn't catch that."

Theo beamed a smile of defiance and said, "I'm sorry. I was just reminding Liam that not everyone sees how strong and capable he is. They don't see how he has overcome so much adversity and harnessed his talents as a natural leader. And with all of this they don't notice how humble, approachable, and down to earth he is."

Brent and Gabriella looked shocked for a moment while the rest of the pack smiled at Theo. Jenna looked to Theo, "Thank you Theodore. I couldn't have said the words better myself."

Liam smiled genuinely at his boyfriend and Theo blushed from the smile and Jenna's comment, "Thanks mom."

The word caught Gabriella's ear and she responded with a bit more venom, "Mom? Still taking in strays it would seem."

Corey sighed and put down hit fork. Mason glared at his mother while Jenna responded, "Theodore is a fine young man that wants to become an educator so that he can be a support for the youth. I wouldn't dare call him a stray but another darling son."

The table fell silent for a few minutes. The tensions slowly eased as everyone went back to eating their dinner. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, Brent asked Theo, "So you are the assistant coach for the lacrosse team?"

Theo nodded as he anticipated the trap being set, "Yes sir. I was recently hired to take over the responsibilities Scott McCall had before he left to go to college. I am doing that in addition to taking college courses."

Gabriella responded, "I could've sworn I heard a rumor of your other job. I know it can't be true that an aspiring educator works as a paid performer at a nightclub."

Theo's eyes lit up with mischief as he responded, "That isn't a rumor, Mrs. Hewitt. I do work at Sinema as a go-go boy. I do quite well with it. Though the rumor that you should be more concerned with is the murder investigation where I am a "person of interest". But something tells me that was going to be the next rumor that might come up."

Jenna's eyes widened while the pack quietly laughed at Theo's bravado.

Gabriella stumbled over her composure before she commented, "I am just concerned for the fate of your career. Something viewed as immoral could keep you from employment."

Theo smugly grinned, "The school system hired me knowing all of this in advance. Since I am not in a position to control a student's academic success or failure, I am not included in those provisions. Don't worry though, I have no intentions on being a dancer when I become a teacher." His grin widened as he continued, "The cliché is stripping to get through college, not after getting the job."

Gabriella placed her fork down with more force than she intended. She responded, "I don't know if you are good influence on my son, Mr. Raeken."

Theo shrugged but Mason finally spoke up, the quite rage that bubbled from the beginning of the dinner reaching a boil. "And what would you know about good influences in my life now? I rarely see you or dad and I've had more family dinners in the past few months with Mrs. Geyer than with you. On top of that you still insist on insulting my boyfriend." Mason slammed down his silverware and stood up. Corey followed his boyfriend's actions.

Brent angrily responded, "Mason, finish your dinner."

Mason glared at his father, "I've lost my appetite." He looked to the other side of the table, "I'd like to apologize. I wouldn't have extended the invitation if I knew that my parents wanted to interrogate and insult everyone." Mason and Corey walked away from the table.

Gabriella seethed, "Mason, Corey. Come back to the table."

Corey glanced back, "We're good. Oh and the beef was dry." The two walked upstairs to Mason's room.

Jenna smiled, "They grow up so fast. I see that this isn't a good time to be social so we should probably leave. Thank you for dinner, Brent, Gabriella." She set down her silverware and Nolan, Liam, and Theo followed. They stood up and Liam stepped into the kitchen to grab the roast.

Liam returned and the four guided themselves towards the door. Theo glanced back at the two enraged Hewitts, "Thank you for being such, accommodating, hosts. I look forward to the next dinner."

They let themselves out before either Hewitt parent could respond.

Alia stepped into the room where the hunters were holding Erik. The alpha was chained to a large metal grate with copper lines wrapped around the metal. Those lines snaked away from the grating and to several electric conductors. She noticed the controls for the device and the links into the power grid for the compound. She sighed as she looked up at him as his head dangled weakly from the last interrogation. She could smell the char of his skin from the electricity even though his body had already healed the wounds.

She stepped over to him and whispered, "Erik? Are you awake?"

The gentle words roused the wounded wolf and he slowly opened his eyes and looked to the girl, "Alia, what are you doing here?"

Alia nervously looked around as she thought of how best to answer before she candidly admitted, "I'm working for the hunters. They called my Uncle to finish a task for them and I came along to help."

Erik's eyes misted up from sadness as he said, "So, you believe what they say? You think I am a monster that deserves to die?"

Alia shook her head, "No Erik, you aren't a monster. Between us, if either is a monster, it's me. I just can't go against my Uncle. Until he says we can deal with Monroe, I can't do much."

Erik slowly nodded, "I understand. I bet Gran is worried sick. She's going to be so mad the next time I see her."

Alia grinned slightly, "I can help with that when you get out of here."

Erik's eyes fell to the floor, "I don't know if I will get out of here. I don't know the pack they are looking for and even if I did, I wouldn't tell them."

The young woman caught the alpha's despair and reassured him, "You are going to escape because I am going to help you do it. I just can't right now."

Erik looked to Alia, "Just tell Theo where I am. He should be able to help me. He's a lot stronger than he seems."

She raised an eyebrow, "How is he stronger? His aura just shows that he is a normal human."

The alpha shook his head, "No, he's something else. I can sense a kindred spirit in him. I don't know why but I keep remembering him as a large black wolf."

Alia's eyes widened, "What? But I know I am right. I haven't misread someone in years. With you, I can see the strength of your wolf. Just the same as the other boy, Liam."

Erik looked confused as he replied, "I understand what you are saying but I know that Theo is something else." Erik nervously asked, "What do you see when you look at Nolan?"

Alia sighed as she fought against herself in answering the question. She thought back to reading Nolan's aura and responded quietly, "He's not a wolf or anything like that if that's what you are asking."

Erik remarked, "So he's just a normal person then. I didn't smell anything different about him so I guess that makes sense."

Alia slowly shook her head, "No. That's not what that means. Something is off about his aura. I can't put my finger on it but something is affecting him."

Erik slowly narrowed his eyes as he thought about what she said. He asked, "What does that mean?"

Alia sighed, "The only thing I know from it is that something is affecting him, negatively. It's almost like something is draining the force that makes him, well him."

Erik asked, "Couldn't you just find out what is doing that and stop it?"

Alia shook her head, "Well maybe but I'd have to know what it could be. I just don't know."

"Is that what pulls you to Nolan?"

Alia shrugged, "Maybe. I just know that when my Uncle finished his ritual the person I was attached to was Nolan. So, for better or worse, my fate line is tied to him."

The alpha inquired, "Is that like a mate bond?"

Alia shook her head and began to laugh, "No, Silly. It has to do with my presence being here, in Beacon Hills, for the time I am supposed to be here. He has a huge something to do with it. Like a mate bond?" She laughed harder as she continued, "No, Erik, I am still a single young woman. You boys are all the same."

Erik argued, "Boy? I bet I am older than you."

Alia rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean. And I wouldn't be surprised if you were. I'm just laughing because your mind instantly went to the place where you could concede to not having a chance to ask me on a date."

Erik raised his eyebrow, "I'm not rushing to ask you out right now since I am currently a prisoner and I expect to be shocked and interrogated again."

She mocked him a little as she said, "It sounds like an excuse to me, Erik."

Erik defiantly responded, "How is being shocked an excuse?"

Alia mischievously grinned, "I could help with that."

Erik looked mystified, "What can you do to help?"

Alia's grin widened, "Are you a good actor?"

The alpha squeaked as he replied, "Maybe?"

She rolled her eyes and looked to the machines, "Step one." Her eyes glowed silver and the conductors glowed for a moment before returning to normal.

Erik asked, "What did you just do?"

Alia innocently looked to Erik, "I just made them into a pretty little special effects show. They will look like they are working but you won't feel a thing."

He shook his head, "How?"

Alia pouted her bottom lip, "Sorry, Wolfie boy, trade secret." She smiled as she stepped forward and placed her hand on the side of his cheek. His wolf felt at ease with the young woman's touch as her eyes glowed silver again.

"What did you do now? I thought the light show would be enough."

Her grin shifted into a small, genuine smile, "Insurance. Erik Mulcahy, I am going to make sure you make it out of here, one way or another."

Erik matched her smile and said, "Thanks Alia."

Alia shrugged, "Don't mention it. Like literally don't mention it because if the hunters found out that I wasn't working with their plan, well, they would probably try to kill me and my uncle."

Erik pushed his luck, "Would you have done the same for Nolan?"

She shook her head as she turned around, "There you go, Wolfie boy. You had to ruin our conversation. And to give you something to think about when they are trying to torture you and you have to concentrate on feeling hurt for your performance, the answer is yes. I would do the same for Nolan."

Erik sighed as the young woman walked out of the room.