Inked Wrists - A Theo Raeken Series

Chapter Six: Living Without Him

It's been exactly one week since Theo found out you were his soulmate. It's been exactly one week since he left you and Beacon Hills behind. It's been one week that you've been in a miserable haze, knowing time was passing only by the rise and fall of the sun. It's so cliché, but you couldn't imagine life without Theo until you were forced to live separately. Maybe that's the curse of having a soulmate- life is bliss with them, and hell without them.

To make things worse, it's no longer safe for you to go back to school because of all the hunters, so you have to spend even more time alone with your thoughts at your empty house. There are pack meetings, of course, and you spend nights on patrol around Scott and Satomi's territory, but you are always alone. Sometimes, you find yourself standing at the door that led to the room that was once Theo's, reliving all the memories you have of him. By the time you got home after he found out you were his soulmate, he had already taken all of his possessions out of your house, leaving an empty shell where he once was.

You're not completely alone, though. Lydia and the rest of the pack check on you from time to time, making sure you haven't completely shut down. Lydia came over the second she heard that Theo had left, and helped you dry your tears that first night. "Peter feels bad about Theo leaving, you know. He says it's his fault because he said your real last name. I think it's the first time I've seen Peter actually feel bad about something that didn't directly impact him." You just let out a bitter laugh. "It's not his fault. Peter wasn't the one who lied to their soulmate. Everything happened because I decided to lie to Theo, and so now I have to face the consequences."

You start doing patrols more and more frequently, desperate for an escape from your own head. It's just another ordinary night patrol when you overhear a few hunters walking in the woods, talking about plans to destroy both packs of werewolves living in Beacon Hills. They would start with Satomi's pack, and then move to yours. When you tell Scott, he immediately warns Satomi. No reply. He tries again half an hour later. Radio silence.

Now, the entire pack is heading towards Satomi's territory to make sure everything is alright. You can feel Liam getting nervous from a few feet away; he's been trying to contact Brett for a while now but none of his calls are going through. The only thing anyone can do right now is hope that you'll get there in time to save your friends. The thing about Satomi's pack is that their focus on staying peaceful means that the werewolves can live normal lives, but it comes with the consequence that not all of them are strong fighters or can defend themselves.

Suddenly, Liam runs up to you and Scott. "Brett finally got a call through! He says that the hunters are using cell jammers to stop them from getting help, but Satomi's territory is surrounded. They waited until all the werewolves were together before gathering dozens of hunters and cutting off all of their exits." You and Scott exchange looks. If there are that many hunters, your plan to help Satomi's pack could be too dangerous. But if there's one thing you know about Scott, it's that he'll never back down from a fight if he knows he can save lives. "Gather all the allies you can. We break in through the ranks of hunters, get Satomi's pack, and get out. Stay alert and stay safe." With that, your friends scatter to find weaknesses in the army of hunters, and prepare yourselves for a fight that may turn deadly.

It turns out that every member of Satomi's pack is trapped in a building in the center of her territory. Each one of your friends takes an entrance to the building, with the task to find a way in and get the other werewolves out. You're not sure how long you'll have until the hunters realize you're here, so you each work quickly.

You stand on the outskirts of the forest, staring at your designated entrance to the building. There actually don't appear to be that many hunters, only two by the door and another two patrolling this side of the building. As stealthily as you can, you pick up a rock on the ground next to you. Tossing it once or twice in your hand to gauge its weight, you fling it at another tree several yards away from you. The hunters patrolling the area hear the noise and go to check it out, leaving only the two by the door. Perfect.