—

"I was skating in a neighbor's empty pool, trying to do a handplant. Nobody was home. I'm not that good of a skateboarder, but I guess I was feeling pretty determined because I completely lost track of time. I didn't even realize that was night until the yard lights came on. Like I said, I wasn't very good.On my last try I went down and hit hard." Theo explained, "Really hard."

"I can imagine." Isaac mumbled sarcastically under his breath.

"I was sitting there at the bottom of the pool and I realized something. I never heard the board come back down. It came at me fast. I barely had a chance to turn around before it bit me. Right here."

Scott watched as the Raeken's gestures to his side, "It wasn't an accident. He wanted to turn you."

"Right. So why aren't you part of his pack then? Why didn't he come back for you?" Stiles asked.

"Because by the time of my first full moon, he was dead."

Ryder frowned, "How did you know that?"

Theo's eyes met hers, "I met another one of his pack a couple weeks later. He told me the Alpha that bit me was killed by two of his own Betas. They were twins."

The other four share a look, a mutual thought crossing their minds,

The Alpha twins.

"Scott, Ry, listen to my pulse. I'm telling the truth."

It was quick but she heard it. She didn't appreciate him calling her by the nickname her boyfriend gave her, but wasn't given the chance to correct him when Stiles spoke up,

"Right. Or you just know how to steady your heart rate while you're lying your ass off." He scoffed, nodding at the blonde next to him, "Ryder's amazing at that."

The blonde tilted her head in acknowledgment, needing no reason to disagree. She was a fantastic liar.

"Why would I lie?"

"Because maybe you're not who you say you are."

"Okay. In the fourth grade you had an inhaler, I had one too." He spoke specifically to Scott, "I remember this day where I ended up in the nurse's office with an asthma attack. A bad one. I was waiting to be taken to the ER. You were waiting for the Principal. You told me what would happen when you go to the ER for asthma. How they give you oxygen, an IV of prednisone."

Seeing that no one was going to interrupt, Theo continued his rant, hoping that someone would understand him,

"You made it sound easy. Like everything would be okay. I've been by myself this whole time. Everybody knows that lone wolves, they don't make it on their own. I swear I'm that same kid from fourth grade. I was hoping you are too."

The bell ringing cut them off before anyone could respond,

"I better not be late for class. You're not the only ones I need to make a good impression on."

As Theo exited the room, Isaac's bored eyes followed his movements before they traveled to Scott,

"Big deal, he remembers a memory from fourth grade." He scoffed, "I remember the constant promises from my dad that he never fulfilled. He's not that special."

Scott glanced at Stiles, "No. Don't give me that look."

"We have to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes."

"And how well has that worked out for you?" Ryder questioned him, her mind going back to the countless times someone screwed them over simply because Scott was too gullible to realize their true intentions, "He's telling you what you want to hear, Scott. Don't be an idiot."

Stiles agreed, "She's right. Not this time. All right. I'm right. There's something off about him. I can feel it."

Scott huffed as he began to walk away, "Lydia's the psychic. Not you."

"Lydia's not psychic. She's a Banshee. Okay? There's a difference."

•••

Austin held Ryder's hand tightly as the couple walked towards the library for a study session with their group of friends.

Aside from a kiss on the forehead as a greeting, Austin hadn't said much since he got Ryder from her previous class and it was starting to worry her.

"Hey, Austin?"

His full attention went to her the second she said his name, "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Her steps slowed before they could enter the library. She tugged him to the side so they weren't in the doorway and blocking other people from going in.

He let out a breath, blue eyes looking anywhere but at her, which was definitely a new thing.

"What's going on?"

"Do you like me?"

Her neutral expression quickly switched to a wide eyed one, "Excuse me?"

He only pursed his lips, his dimple flexing at the action.

Out of habit, she raised a hand to press her thumb into the dent, "We've been together for a year, Austin—"

"And five months." He mutter softly.

"And five months. If I didn't like you...if i didn't love you, we wouldn't be together right now. Yes?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "I'm sorry. I just don't like fighting for your attention."

"Who are you fighting with? I mean, yeah, Jesse's a new addition but me and babies don't really mix very well, so i don't think i'll be spending much time with him until he's at least eight months—"

"No. No, no, no, no. That's not what I meant." He stopped her, "I'm talking about the multiple guys are that are in love with you, Ry. You're an amazing girl. Absolutely amazing and the most beautiful girl i have ever laid my eyes on, so I can understand why you have all these guys falling at your feet but it's tiring for me, Ryder. I can't handle it."

"Who are we talking about?"

"Stiles, Isaac at one point in time and now this Theo kid is asking me, your boyfriend, if he can have your number. Who does this kid think he is?"

"I don't know. But I can promise you, with my entire heart...the last person you need to worry about ruining out relationship is someone like Theo Raeken. Hell, you don't have to worry about anyone ruining it." She reassured him, "I love you and only you. I'll prove to you as many times as I have to until you can understand that."

He let out a soft breath, "And I love you."

"I figured." She joked, "You wouldn't be freaking out if you didn't—"

"Okay." He chuckled out, moving forward to wrap his arms around her neck, pulling her into his chest as he pressed kisses to her head, "I'm sorry, I'm just scared of losing you."

"You won't lose me." She whispered back, her eyes soft as she looked up at him, "You don't have to worry about that."

Their moment was interrupted by an urgent voice walking towards them,

"Enough of the couple stuff, we have a pack meeting to attend and I need you guys there."

The pair turned to see Stiles walking up to them with a small stack of papers in his hand. The Stilinski used his free hand to usher Austin forward, the George teen intertwining his fingers with Ryder's so she could keep up with him.

Ryder sat in between Kira and Austin, as Stiles presented them with his evidence,

"So you found something?"

"Another signature." He placed the papers on the table, "This is Theo's dad's signature on a speeding ticket from eight years ago. And this is his dad's signature on a transfer form to Beacon Hills High School from just a few days ago."

"How did you get his transfer form?" Malia asked, getting a look in response.

"Did you break into the Administration Office?"

Stiles shook his head, "No, I did not break into the Administration Office."

"He definitely broke into the Administration Office." Isaac contradicted.

"Okay, I might have broken into the Administration Office." He admitted, "Can we just focus on the signatures, please? They're different."

Malia shrugged, "They're sort of different."

"They're completely different. Come on. Look."

Austin hummed, "Yeah, I mean..."

Stiles' eyes snapped to him, "You mean...what? Are you gonna finish?"

"The garlands don't match."

"Thank you! The undulations of the sinuous stroke are totally off. And look, look at this. Perfect example of the Criminal Tremor."

"So now, Theo is Theo, but his parents aren't his parents?" Kira furrowed her brows.

"Someone's not someone. And when I figure out who that someone really is, someone's in big trouble."

Scott looked at him, "But no one's done anything wrong."

"Yet. If Theo's parents are both psychotic killers then obviously, we should not trust him, right?"

"My parents are Peter and the Desert Wolf." Malia pointed out, taking a discreet glance at her sister at the mention of Peter's name, earning absolutely no hint that she even heard her.

"Okay..." Stiles trailed off, "It's fine. You know what? I'll figure it out myself. Right? I don't need you or you or you or you or you."

They watched as he stomped out, shouting loudly, startling a student that passed him, "I don't need anyone!"

A sigh could be heard, their eyes turning to Ryder, "He's going to lose it soon."

—
void>> theo. but theo did his job the best