Once upon a time, Michelle McCall had been one of the first people to give Theo a chance & trust him.

And for that, Theo Raeken had easily killed her for it, just to hurt Scott, since his secret plan to kill Scott & take the True Alpha’s powers had failed.

It had been a miracle Scott arrived in time to bite Michelle & turn her into a werewolf.

She’d been clinically dead for over four minutes.

Ever since then, Michelle has hated & been terrified of Theo. Especially after Liam brought him back from Hell with Kira’s sword to use Theo’s knowledge of the Ghost Riders to help the pack.

Strangely enough, Theo hadn’t fought one bit as Derek & Peter held him down while the pack argued over whether to send Theo back. His exhausted & sad eyes had simply given the fakest smirk Michelle had ever seen to the pack, before turning his focus on Michelle.

His eyes looked so haunted & sorrowful. Empty. Like he knew he deserved to go back & that he’d felt even sad to see the once bright girl he knew now a dark & quiet woman who remained cynical at the world.

Michelle didn’t believe in him one bit, believing everything he projected was a false facade.

But she did know he’d helped them fight the Ghost Riders.

Her vote had been the final one. He’d killed her, after all.

“Just… keep him away from me,” she whispered quietly, before walking away & trying to stop shaking.

And that was that. Theo had been allowed to stay. But that didn’t mean the pack had to like it. He was still an outsider, but Scott convinced Derek to allow Theo to live at his hideaway.

Theo still remains haunted by her kindness (when Michelle had naively fallen for his pretty lies & wanted to be his friend), & now her reluctant mercy in giving the vote for him to not suffer for eternity.

He deserves none of it.

He’s haunted by nightmares of that night one year ago before his soul had been dragged to Hell by Kira’s kitsune powers through her sword, which brought his dead & angry sister’s soul forth to drag him to punishment; when he’d sunk his claws into Michelle’s chest & left her to bleed to death alone, & how the only thing that had saved her was being bitten by Scott & turned into a werewolf. It always leaves him sobbing in pure agony when he wakes up with Michelle’s terrified face in his mind, & how her hands had scrambled uselessly to stop him from plunging them into her sternum—so opposite the gentle words she’d whispered mere days ago when he’d deserved her to rip his heart out & tell the pack to send him kicking & screaming back into eternal suffering.

Slowly, Theo had silently vowed to become Michelle’s protector in battle, refusing to allow anything to happen to her again. He protected her constantly like a bodyguard, but still ducked his head & kept his distance, avoiding her gaze with shame & something almost shy. He rarely talked with her or was close to her outside of missions if he had to, knowing it made her shake with fear—which only broke his heart more. Though she’s never outwardly rude to him after he helps the pack beat the Ghost Riders, she’s always silent & shrinks in on herself when he steps in a room, suddenly so vulnerable & small that it makes him physically sick with how much her big & watery eyes looks just like they did when he’d once killed her. Sometimes, after witnessing moments like that, Theo could only leave the room & find somewhere to empty his stomach, hurling his guts out from pure guilt.

Slowly, as he silently witness Michelle’s kindness & compassion for others still lying beneath the surface, he falls hopelessly in love with her. Guilt & longing twist in his chest constantly. And a wet lump forms in his throat the day he saw that spark of brightness that still remained within her when Michelle had laughed at one of Lydia’s jokes.

He hadn’t broken her bubbly spirit entirely.

That had to count for something.

She deserves to heal & be happy, in his eyes.

Theo just wants her safe.

He’s haunted by how in love with her he is, knowing he’ll never deserve any mercy from her. Not after causing so much trauma.