Gather The Ashes || Stilinski || Book Three

Thirty-Two

WHILE SIERRA AND LYDIA WERE WITH TRACY, Stiles made use of his free period with Scott to question Theo.

Stiles chose the lacrosse locker room for privacy, since the topic of conversation didn't really need to be spread around. He wanted to know more about Theo's sudden reappearance and transition to becoming a werewolf. Yet he still had to force himself to not scoff at every word that came falling from Theo's mouth.

He studied his old classmate while he leaned back against a set of lockers and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I was skating in a neighbor's empty pool, trying to do a hand plant," Theo answered, sharing the story of how he was bitten. "Nobody was home."

Scott listened intently, in front of him to hear his heartbeat while Stiles was more off to the side.

Theo continued, "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 it was night until the yard lights came on."

He paused, reminiscing the night. "Like I said, I wasn't very good. On my last try I went down hit hard. Really hard." Theo lifted his eyes to glance between the boys, though it seemed like he was in a daze. "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."

He pointed to his right hip, the same place Peter bit Scott back when the mess first got started.

Scott spoke up, "It wasn't an accident. He wanted to turn you."

"Right," Stiles agreed, but he wasn't affected by Theo's story.
His brain worked logically when new people entered his life, especially with people who had powers. He knew people lied, and in his life, they usually used emotions to make others believe they were being honest.

Learning from the past allowed his persona to harden and let him ask the tough questions. "So why aren't you part of his pack, then? Why didn't he come back for you?"

"Because by the time of my first full moon, he was dead," Theo explained, making Stiles raise his eyebrows.

"And how did you know that?"

Theo went on to say that he met a member of the alpha's pack a couple weeks later. He told Theo that the man who bit him was killed by two of his own betas. "They were twins."

Aiden and Ethan.

Scott glanced at Stiles, his eyes slightly widened.

Stiles just inhaled sharply, letting his best friend know that he remained skeptical.

Theo noticed the exchange, realizing that if Stiles felt hesitant Scott would most likely follow his lead. "Scott," he brought the true alpha's eyes back over to him so he could show his sincerity. "Listen to my pulse. I'm telling the truth."

"Maybe," Stiles replied instead, pushing himself off the wall to join Scott's side. "Or you just know how to steady your heart rate while you're lying your ass off."

Scott looked at his best friend in warning. He knew Stiles held a tendency of getting defensive when new people started showing interest in being their friend, and he held a right to. After all, Scott and Sierra had been deceived in the past. Stiles simply didn't want them getting hurt again.

But, Scott also didn't want Stiles to push away a potential ally.

Theo asked him, confused, "Why would I lie?"