The Rider of Rosewood

Theo sat in silence as the Jeep trudged through the muddy road. He glanced down at his bare neck, where the locket used to be. Rosalind would never forgive him for this, but he didn't care, as long as she was safe.

After seeing her lose control at the banquet, it was evident she needed it more than he did. It was too late for him. The remains of his sanity were slipping away from him, like sand slipping through his fingers. Even when he wore the locket, he could still sense the animal within taking over. There would be nothing left of him soon.

He'd always known he'd die young. That was the reality for Mixedbloods, but he wished he had more time. It was impossible to tell exactly how long it would take for his animal instincts to completely take over. He could have anywhere between two weeks and two hours before the Huntsmen would put a silver bullet in his brain.

He just hoped he'd have enough time to stop Pack Mother Luna from wiping out the rest of the

Who was he kidding? There was no way their ragtag group could face the oncoming threat alone. Even if he could somehow convince his stepfather to help their cause, their odds were slim. He massaged his temples as he tried to come up with a plan.

Heath spun around from the passenger seat. "Hey, lighten up, I've survived worse situations than this one!"

Theo raised an eyebrow. "You have?"

"Well, actually no, but I haven't died before, so I probably won't die today," He said matter-of-factly.

Theo let out an exasperated laugh. "I can't argue with your flawless reasoning."

Duke slammed the brakes, causing mud to splatter across the outside of the Jeep. "We're here."

Theo peered out the window. Smoke funneled from the chimney of the rustic cabin. All the lights were on, and he could see the familiar silhouettes of his mother and stepfather pacing across the kitchen. He wasn't prepared to face them again after everything that had happened, but he didn't have a choice at the moment.

He took a deep breath and opened the car door. Leaves crunched beneath his feet as he stepped out of the vehicle.

He marched up the front steps and banged on the door.

His stepfather opened the door a crack to see who was there. "Oh, it's you." He looked like hadn't slept in ages.

"We need to talk," Theo said in a confident tone. On the inside he wasn't feeling particularly confident, but as the saying goes, fake it till you make it. He cleared his throat and attempted to make his voice sound deeper and more authoritative. "I need to borrow some things from you."

Before he could continue, his mother rushed to the door and flung it wide open. "Theo, is that you?" She brushed his hair away from his face. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Listen, I don't have time to tell you the whole story, but–"

She cut him off. "Who are they?" She nodded towards Duke and Heath.

"Hello gorgeous, Theo never told me he had a hot mom. My name's Heath MacNamara." He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. "Here's my number, call me."

Theo buried his face in his hands, as he slowly died of secondhand embarrassment.

Duke shoved Heath out of the way. "I'm so sorry about my colleague. He has no filter." He extended his hand. "My name is Duke Kingsley and I work for the Silver Huntsman."

She clenched her jaw. "The Silver Huntsmen? Theo, how could you work with them? They killed your father!"

"I know." He whispered.

"And you're okay with that!"

"No. I'm not okay with that, but we have bigger problems at the moment. Which is why I'm here." He turned to his stepfather. "I need to borrow your hunting traps, and some gear and weapons as well."

"Theodore!" His mother hissed. "I don't know what you're planning, but whatever it is I won't allow it! In fact, you're never going to leave my sight again."

"Mother, It's too late for me. I can already feel myself slipping away. There's not much time left. There's no point in trying to protect me now. You need to let me go."

"No! I can't!" She collapsed to the floor in a fit of sobs. "You were supposed to have more time!"

Theo placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"What's going to happen to you?" His stepfather spoke up for the first time.

"I'm going to lose my sanity and become nothing a rabid animal, and then I'll die." Theo didn't feel the need to elaborate on the means of his execution. "Pack Mother Luna is coming after us, and she is going to kill countless other werewolves if we don't do something. This is why I need to borrow your hunting gear."

He shrugged. "When you put it like that, how can I say no?" He signaled for the boys to follow him, as led the boys to the garage he whispered in Theo's ear. "I know we never got along, but I want you to know I'm sorry about the hand you were dealt. You didn't deserve this. Let me know if there's anything There's any way I can make things better for you."

Theo nodded solemnly.

Hunting weapons and gear covered every inch of the walls in the garage. They grabbed as many traps as they could carry and set them up around the perimeter.

Just as they were finishing up, Duke took a long sniff of the surrounding air. "She's here." He muttered.

Pack Mother Luna sauntered out of the forest in her wolf form. She was surrounded by several other werewolves. She snarled at them. "Did you boys seriously think you could run from me?"

The trio didn't dignify her with a response. Instead, they shifted into their Wolf forms and prepared to fight.