Beacon Hills 1983

Chapter 60: The Pack Is Coming

(Teen wolf)
10 November 1983, Monday

While Emel reveals a big secret to Nes in Riverdale...

Atticus paced the room nervously. He was always pacing, worrying, thinking. It's been a week, and nobdy has seen or heard news about his cousins. And niether have any of them tried to contact home. Worse still, he'd had to come face to face with Cordelia multiple times and lie. It was eating away his sleep. He couldn't go on lying, and didn't know how Talia managed to do so. It was a good thing Cordelia never asked him a direct question about them, because his heartbeat would've given it away.

He bit his nails and stared out the window. It was really dark, and hunters could be scattered everywhere in the woods at this time. But if they really went by the code, "We hunt those who hunt us", they wouldn't attack him because he wouldn't attack them. So he decided to go out to the meadow. It was one of his favorite places when he was younger. Atticus always thought it felt like he was in a magical land, with fairies and glitter and all kinds of fantastical things you'd find in story books. He sat in the meadow during the beautiful summers he longed for his mother's hugs.
He hadn't been there in years.

As he approached, voices stopped him in his tracks. It was even more startling that he recognized one of them.

"Miles, what if they really are missing?" Aunt Cordelia said.
"If they are, I won't sleep until we find them. Promise."
Att's eyes widened. From his hiding spot behind a tree, he saw Aunt Cordelia in the arms of a handsome, tall gentleman. The man was definitely much younger than Aunt Cordelia, and yet they appeared to be in a romantic embrace.
They kissed.

Att wanted to puke. He came here for peace of mind and ended up seeing his aunt being intimate with her secret boyfriend.

Gross.

He quickly turned to leave, but unlike the other werewolves, Att wasn't graceful or stealthy, and accidentally tripped over a root, falling flat on his face. Aunt Cordelia and her lover turned around.

She was speechless. The man, Miles, gulped.
Atticus got to his feet, blushing of embarrassment.
"Oh, Cordelia! It's uh- what a surprise!"
"Att what are you doing out so late? And does Talia know?" She tried to avoid expressing the obvious surprise and awkwardness.

"Uhh..." Att scratched the back of his head. "I'm just gonna go..."
Then he slowly backed away.
As he turned to leave, Aunt Cordelia called after him, "Att, wait!"
She walked to him, and in a lowered voice said, "Please don't tell anyone about... Miles."
He nodded, just wishing he'd never walked to the meadow in the first place.
"I was going to tell all of you but... the timing didn't feel right. And I thought you wouldn't... accept Miles." She says sadly. Miles holds her hand.

Now that the awkwardness seemed to have settled, Att felt less in a hurry to leave, and more the need to reassure his aunt.
"What? Aunt Cora, we'd never judge you."
He looked up at Miles.
"You either. If fear of acceptance is why you haven't told us about... this relationship, let me comfort you in saying that it could've been worse." Att smiled to brighten the mood, "I mean, Miles could've been human."
His aunt and potential uncle stared. Unblinking.
Att realized his scent-
"Oh... Miles is human..."
He wanted to shoot himself.

Why was he always such an embarrassing fool?

"Crap, uh, I didn't mean it that way-"

Cordelia laughed. Actually, laughed.
Miles joined, and so did Att. The three of them laughed madly in the meadow at the dead of night.

"I should really get back." Att said after a while. In an odd way, he did find peace in the meadow after all. Laughing helped relieve his stress.
"Me too." said Cordelia. "As soon as Emel, Nes and Taylan get back from... wherever they are, we're telling everyone."
She kisses Miles on the cheek, and they walk in opposite directions.

"He seems nice, Cora." Att said.
"He is." She agreed. Her eyes sparkled when she spoke about him.
The smile suddenly left her face.
"But honestly, Att, do you think Emel, Nes and Taylan are missing?"
He swallowed, contemplating on whether he should finally tell her or not.

Would Talia let him?

It didn't matter. He needed to get it off his chest.

"No. I just think they're caught up with something."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. Then words started coming and they didn't stop coming.

"Nes wanted to find out who the omega was. She knew the rumor that it was someone in Beacon Hills high school, so she snuck out to go on the Riverdale trip. Taylan found out about it and went after her. Emel had already been gone before Talia came up with the excuse that Nes was looking for her-"

"Wait," Cordelia held up her hand, "Talia came up with an excuse? She knew about all this?"
Att's ears went hot. "Um... Yes..."
Now Cordelia looked hurt, and upset.

Way to ruin the mood, Att.

"So you both lied to me? Why would you do that?" Her voice was higher than usual.
"Aunt Cora, please- we knew you were still upset about Aunt Bev-"
"Don't talk about her!" She said sternly, and started walking faster, Att struggling to keep up even with his own werewolf speed. He heard Aunt Cordelia muttering under her breath, "Gotta have a word with Talia... God damned Riverdale trip... Catch a flight in the morning."

Att regretted everything he did. Walking to the Meadow, discovering Miles, spilling the beans. But there was nothing he could do now to change it.

When they were back home, Cordelia called for Talia, waking up the whole house (which was only Talia and Peter, honestly) except Laura, who somehow managed to sleep through it.
"Talia! Come down here right now!"

"What's going on?" Peter asked, rubbing his eyes.
Talia looked down from the stairs.
Cordelia cleared her throat.
"We're going to Riverdale. Tomorrow." She spoke with a sense of finality, and Talia knew Att had finally snitched. But she wasn't angry. She knew he was on the edge.

"Very well." She said. "We'll leave in the morning."