What Could Have Been [Thiam Rewrites]

Chapter 13: Regression to the Mean

Notes: First, I want to start off by saying thank you to everyone who commented, messaged me, found me on social media after the last chapter. I love seeing that people care about this story and these boys as much as I do. Second, thank you for your patience! I absolutely lost sleep over writing these last two chapters. This won't technically be the last chapter, but I'll put more details at the end. Third, please know that the cheesiest line I've ever written in my entire life is in this chapter and I have 0 regrets.

Liam

Despite the pack's many questions, Liam shut himself away in his room. He didn't want to answer questions. He didn't want to think about what had just happened. Except that it was impossible when the entire room was filled with the scent of soap and sandalwood. Liam snatched Theo's duffle bag and tossed it out into the hallway thinking that would help the smell, but it didn't.

Liam wanted to scream, to hop out the window and run after Theo, force him to admit that he was lying, but before he could, a knocked came at the door.

Scott leaned against the doorframe. "Wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"He's just scared," he said. "He almost lost you tonight. We all almost lost you tonight."

Liam perched on the bed. "But I'm still here."

"Yeah," Scott said. "You are, but mostly because of Theo."

Liam's heart ached at that. "Can we not?" he asked. "I'd really just like to go to bed."

"We ordered food," he said. "You hungry?"

His stomach was in knots. If he ate anything now, it would just come right back up. When Liam shook his head, Scott pulled him into a hug. His thumb stroked back and forth across his shoulder in a gesture that was so fatherly that it hit Liam like a ton of bricks just how much he missed his parents. It'd only been a few days without them, and for their own good, but still.

"Get some rest, Liam," Scott said, squeezing his shoulder.

Liam kicked off his shoes and found a comfortable pair of sweats, but as he stripped off the torn, bloodied shirt with a hole around the shoulder, he realized that with everything that had happened, they hadn't stopped by his house for more clothes.

Just when he'd decided that he'd have to sleep shirtless, he pulled the covers back and found a balled up blue shirt—Theo's.

Without hesitation, he tugged it on, the fabric lose around his body and the familiar scent both comforted and devastated him at the same time. He crawled into bed and let the events of the day swallow him whole until his tears flowed freely.

Theo

Theo burst out of the metal box panting and scrambling to his feet, but his bare feet didn't meet the hard hospital floor he'd come to expect. Instead, the metal boxes fell away, replaced with towering trees and thick fog.

True to his nightmares, Tara appeared out of the darkness. Theo didn't shy away. He didn't move. He was ready for her to rip the heart out of his chest.

Let her take the damn broken, throbbing thing from. Except, she didn't come for him. No, she barreled toward a white wolf that appeared across the room with deep blue human eyes—Theo would've known them anywhere.

Tara shoved the wolf with inhuman strength, and he slammed against a tree. A jagged, broken branch stuck out of its chest. The red blood was a stark contrast to the pristine white fur, and the wolf slumped forward as Liam's blue eyes glossed over.