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"Tara… I’m sorry. Please just take it back.”
Tara's hand punctures through her brother's chest to reclaim her heart, bringing a constant, almost comforting darkness back over Theo. Almost comforting.
Then he awakens.
Theo had lost count of how many times Tara had taken her heart back. He had lost count of the number of times he'd woken up in the morgue. How long has he been here? How long will he be here? He lost count. Theo's mind was consumed with desperation as he grappled with the endless cycle of pain and resurrection.
Theo's—Tara's—heart ached in his chest as he pleaded with Tara, realizing the futility of his apologies.
Tara is on Theo's heels as he sprints through the hospital until he reaches a dead end, desperate to find a way out, even with the conviction that it is in vain. Tara's footsteps echoed behind him, her voice reverberating throughout the hospital at a decibel level he didn't realize was possible. A constant ringing in his ears.
Theo's mind raced, searching for the right words to say, with no justification for what he had done. The weight of his mistakes bore down on him, leaving him feeling trapped and suffocated in the confines of the hospital walls. Theo's desperation grows as he realizes there is no escape. No words are enough.
“Theo…Theo…Theo…”
It's never going to end. This is the fate he deserves. Theo's legs give out beneath him, and he collapses to the ground, gasping for breath. He closes his eyes, surrendering to the inevitability of his fate, as Tara's footsteps draw closer and closer.
Theo then hears a cracking noise and looks around, only to see a light.
“Impossible,” Theo mutters to himself.
Theo tempts fate, running towards the newfound light with a renewed sense of hope. As he reaches the source, he finds himself reaching into the open air, climbing out of his cycled hell.
Theo pauses and hears two heartbeats, one more prominent than the other. He stands to see that he’s there, back in the tunnels. Where everything began. The epitome of where his never-ending nightmare initially started, he now stood watching Liam and Hayden staring back at him. Theo is breathing deeply, his eyes glowing. Why is he here again?
Theo rushes Liam. “Where’s my sister?” Still unaware if this is real or not, Theo's desperation fuels his aggression. He grabs Liam by the collar, pinning him to the wall. Hayden steps forward, attempting to intervene and calm Theo down. As the tension rises, Theo's mind races with unanswered questions about his sister's whereabouts and the possibility of being trapped in a never-ending loop of torment.
Hayden’s voice fades into the background. Theo's grip tightens on Liam's collar as his anger and confusion intensify. His focus becomes solely fixated on Liam, blocking out Hayden's words.
“Your sister’s dead. She died a long time ago. She isn’t here,” Liam states. Theo continues to stare. Is this another nightmare? A false reality?
Theo maintains eye contact with Liam as he stretches his ears to listen for Tara’s echoing voice.
Liam interrupts his distress: “You’re okay. We aren’t here to hurt you.” Theo's eyes flicker with a glimmer of hope, wanting to believe the beta, wavering between trust and skepticism.
Liam lifts his arm to show the katana. “Do you know what this does? I will use this to send you back unless you help us."
Theo's eyes widen at the sight of the gleaming katana, the key to the door of hell. Tara's heart races in his chest with fear of going back. His mind begins calculating between the fear of being returned and the desperate need to escape.
Theo looks back at Liam and sees the young beta's eyes widen with confusion and, somehow, trepidation at the sound of the chimera's typically calculated and leveled heart now racing with fear.
Liam whispers, “You’re okay.” Theo's fear and anger intensify at the realization that Liam has noticed his dismay, pressing harder into pinning Liam against the wall.
Liam's eyes soften at the sight of Theo's turmoil, and he lowers the katana. "We just need your help," Liam says gently, coaxing Theo.
Theo exhales a breath he wasn't aware of holding, relaxing his hold on the beta. The hesitation remains, but the prospect of hope shines brighter. This is the light.
Theo leans onto Liam’s shoulder, closes his eyes, and inhales the young wolf. Theo whispers low enough for only Liam to hear. “Heaven.”
Liam’s heart lurches at the declaration, and he hesitates to run his hand over the chimera’s back and through his hair, unsure what to do. Liam whispers lowly, “Theo?”
Before the beta's hand can quit hesitating, Theo inhales once more. Theo opens his eyes and looks at Liam, his expression a mix of vulnerability and determination.
“What do you need help with?”