A Warming Spell
It was snowing so hard already that you could barely see the road you were driving on. It was a white-out blizzard that had started too suddenly for you to prepare. So, now you were practically crawling along the road, trying to get home.
'Of course the pack meeting had to go late.' You thought, regretting your choice to leave the McCall residence instead of staying the night.
The roads were getting icier as time went on and you were starting to consider pulling over and waiting the snow out. Your car had everything you needed to keep warm for a short while with the car off, and you had a half tank of gas in case you needed to keep the car on. You knew it wasn't environmentally friendly to keep the car running, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Your choice was suddenly made for you when you saw a truck on the side of the road, covered in a couple inches of snow. You knew it could be dangerous to stop and talk to a stranger in a snowstorm, but your moral compass had to check and see if they were okay.
You pulled off to the side of the road, parking behind the truck. You got out and made your way through the snow to the back of the vehicle. You dusted the snow off of the license plate and immediately felt your stomach drop at the one you saw.
'Theo Raeken's truck.' You thought to yourself. Part of you was tempted to get back in your car and leave the cruel chimera here. He had been horrible to the pack and put you all through hell. However, the other part of you forced your body to move forward and check the vehicle further.
Looking in the back of the truck, you saw Theo curled up in a ball with his jacket acting like a blanket. He was shivering, which assured you that he was alive at least a little, but you couldn't tell if he was awake or not.
You knocked sharply on the door and saw Theo's body flinch, but he didn't move much. He looked almost stuck in the position, frozen solid. You whispered an unlocking spell onto the handle of the door and then clicked it open.
Theo shivered harder when the outside cold seeped in, and although you saw him struggling to move, his body wasn't cooperating.
"Theo, it's Y/n." You didn't really know what else to say. Theo tensed up at the sound of your voice.
"Leave me alone." He chattered out, his voice almost incomprehensible.
"Absolutely not." You replied, reaching into the truck and attempting to pull him into a sitting position.
"Let me go!" He screamed ... or tried to scream. You could tell that he was forcing his body to move and that each movement sparked pain.
"Theo calm down, I want to help you." You say, holding onto his shoulders with your hands. You almost pulled back at the feeling of his freezing body.
"You don't want to help me. You don't trust me. None of you trust me," he said through chattering teeth, "and I don't trust you."
"Well, you're not wrong, but I can't just let you freeze here. Even if you are a supernatural being, there is a very likely chance of you freezing to death in this weather." You explained, slowly backing away from the truck. Theo stayed put, even with his eyes pleading to you.
"At least come sit in my car and warm up a little." You offered, holding both of your hands out. Theo sighed softly, his head nodding slightly. You reached back into the truck, taking his body into your arms and walking back to your car. You set him in the passenger's seat and then closed the door and walked around to your side.
"You are surprisingly strong." Theo mumbled, curling in on himself.
"I used this." You said, pulling out a strength charm that you always kept with you. You turned the heat in the car up and grabbed some blankets from the back seat. Theo thanked you, but his body was still shivering and tense.
"Let me see your hands." You pulled on his arm, turning him to face you. He let you move him, and you took his hands in yours. You stopped for a second to look at them. They were purple and even though he was warming up, there was the possibility that his fingers might freeze off.
You brought his hands closer to your mouth, breathing a warming spell into his palms. Instantly, his body shivers at the temperature change and he lets out a gasp.
"You couldn't have done that before?" He questioned.
"I'm not the best at temperature spells, and it helps if my body is the same temperature that I'm trying to mimic." You explained, setting his hands back down. He nodded in understanding, bringing his hands closer to his body again. You saw his body relax into the seat and eventually you were met with the sound of him sleeping.
A quick look at your gas tank had you slightly panicking. It was starting to go down and now you needed the warmth of the car for Theo. You took a look at your phone, specifically the maps app, and saw the gas station only a little down the road.
"Theo," you said, shaking his shoulder, "I need to get gas. Do you mind if I drive down to the gas station?"
He shook his head sleepily, and you take that as your signal to go. You slowly pulled back onto the road even though the snow hadn't let up much. Eventually, you make it to the gas station and pull into one of the spots. As you got out to get gas Theo's hand wrapped around your wrist with a tense expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" You asked, taking his hand in yours. You watch his face turn to surprise at the soft gesture.
"Where are we?" He asked, looking around his surroundings.
"The gas station? I asked you if you were okay with me driving down."
"I don't remember that." He mumbled, searching his memories.
"Well, you were half asleep," you laughed out, "let me get some gas, then we can talk."
He lets your hand go and you go out to fill the tank up. Once it's all done, you get back in the car and close the door.
"Personally, I think our smartest option is to stay here until it stops snowing." You said, looking through the windshield at the white sheets of snow. You saw Theo shift uncomfortably in the corner of your eye, so you continued,
"Since your truck is snowed in, there's low visibility, and the roads are icy. Plus, we can always refuel if we need to since we're at the gas station."
"That makes sense." Theo sighed, leaning back against the seat.
"And when the snow clears, what do you want to do?" You questioned before adding, "you're welcome to stay at my home for a little bit, until the roads are cleared."
"You'd let me into your house?" Theo asked in surprise.
"I just saved your life and I'd like to believe you don't stoop low enough to kill the person who saved you." You shrugged, grabbing another blanket from the back seat for yourself.
"Okay." Theo said before settling down against the car door. You raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing as his breathing started to even out again.
He looked so peaceful while he was sleeping, and now you weren't regretting your decision to help him. You softly brushed his hair out of his face before covering him more with the blanket. Even if you might get reprimanded by the pack for this later, you were content with your choices of the night.