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1) Derek (April)
Derek didn’t notice it until after they fixed Jackson and Scott forced him to bite Gerard. Afterward, he went to check on Stiles. He had seen the bruises on the teen’s cheek during the confrontation, and, despite what Scott had done, Derek didn’t want Stiles to be hurt. When Peter learned where he was going, his uncle had given him a knowing look. When Derek reached the Stilinski house, he was shocked to find it empty. Derek frowned when his phone rang a moment later, flashing Stiles’ name. “Stiles,” Derek said in greeting.
“Hey Sourwolf, I need your help,” Stiles whispered into the phone.
“Why are you whispering?”
“Just shut up and listen. I found Erica and Boyd. They were on their way to your house last time I saw them, but something must have happened ‘cause I got a call from Erica saying they were lost and needed a ride, but then the phone call cut out. So, I had to go find them and I did, but they’re hurt. Like, badly enough that I’m worried about their healing not being enough. I can’t move them, and I’m worried whoever hurt them is gonna come back. Get your creepy uncle to trace my phone. I know he knows how. Username and Password are on the orange sticky note under my computer. Hurry.” Stiles hung up the phone before Derek could reply. He was shaking with anger and worry. He forced himself to move, not examining why he was so affected by the thought of Stiles in danger. He leaped into Stiles’ room after prying the window open. He quickly snatched the orange sticky note Stiles had mentioned. Then he sped to his house where Peter was waiting. Peter arched an eyebrow at him.
“Nephew, I would have thought you’d be gone longer. Taunting our young friend,” Peter mused. Derek let out a growl and flashed his eyes. Peter instantly tensed. “What happened?”
“Track him,” Derek hissed. He slammed the sticky note to Peter’s chest. Peter took the sticky note and scanned it carefully.
“Stiles? What has your pet human gotten into now?” Peter was moving as he talked, pulling out the laptop with the bestiary, and setting up the modem. Derek didn’t answer, pacing back and forth while Peter began typing. “It seems that he’s just outside of Beacon Hills. What is he doing out there?” Derek’s only answer was to take note of what road is closest to Stiles’ location and storm out of the house again. Peter followed, clearly curious. They found Stiles’ jeep parked on the side of the road just past the sign for Beacon Hills. Derek followed the teen’s scent into the woods and found him hunched over Erica and Boyd, muttering to himself. He looked up when he heard them approaching.
“They need help,” Stiles said. His hoodie was covered in blood. So were his hands as he pressed them against a deep wound on Erica’s stomach. “I can’t carry them, but they should both fit in my jeep.” Derek’s eyes flashed at the whimpers coming from his betas.
“Get Erica,” Derek growled. His uncle didn’t hesitate to shove Stiles aside to scoop the she-wolf up. Derek hefted Boyd up and they moved silently back to the cars. Stiles sprinted ahead of them and had the back of his jeep open for them. They laid the betas carefully in the back. Derek tossed his keys to Peter and got in with them, situating himself between them, siphoning their pain. As Stiles drove, Derek noticed there were several wounds on Boyd that had been wrapped in shredded clothes. The only wound not covered was the one on Erica’s stomach. Derek made sure to put pressure on it, praying they would heal. Stiles was strangely silent driving carefully back to the Hale House. Peter wasn’t following them, but Derek didn’t have the presence of mind to be worried about that yet. Stiles grabbed a bag from his jeep while Derek carried the betas inside. Derek expected him to leave, but the teen was instantly back by Erica’s side, pressing the wound to minimize the bleeding.
“Why aren’t they healing?” Stiles muttered. Derek didn’t reply, choosing instead to take as much pain from the pair of them as he could. “They were healing fine when Chris let them go, so it’s not the electricity. The only time Scott didn’t heal was when you were the one who hurt him, and I know you didn’t do this.”
“It could have been another Alpha,” Derek muttered. Stiles glanced up at him, concerned.
“They were heading back, Derek. If another Alpha did this, it’s a declaration against the pack.” Stiles’ voice was cold. Derek nodded. “They won’t get away with this.” The teen’s voice was as close to a growl as a human’s could be. Something warm settled in Derek’s gut, despite the overwhelming smells of blood and hurt and worry, at Stiles’ concern for his pack. Peter returned a while later and Stiles was jolted into action. Replacing the make-shift bandages with real ones that Peter had bought, cleaning the wounds while Derek took the beta’s pain. Derek watched him carefully, not quite understanding what he felt towards the seventeen-year-old. It hit him when Stiles forced Peter to help him, ordering the older beta around as though it was his God-given right. Peter obeyed without question. Even before the fire, there was only one person that Peter listened to every time and it wasn’t their Alpha. Talia and Peter were nearly always at odds, arguing over which course was the best for the pack. No, the person Peter listened to was Derek’s father, Michael, the Alpha’s Mate. Peter wouldn’t question Michael because Michael was the one who took care of the pack. The denmaker, like most Alpha Mates are. Michael provided first aid for the humans, made sure the pack was fed and cared for, helped with homework, and provided comfort, while Talia defended the pack and made alliances, and taught them how to fight. Stiles looked up at Derek for a moment before he started pulling herbs out of his bag, ordering Peter to make a tea from them to give the betas.
“Give me twenty minutes,” Peter said, going to the kitchen, which was thankfully the first thing Derek had remodeled and was actually functioning. Stiles shifted closer to Derek.
“Don’t hurt yourself Sourwolf. When they wake up, they’re gonna need their Alpha,” Stiles said gently. He tugged Derek’s hands off Boyd and Erica. “When Peter comes back, me and him will watch them. You need rest. It’s been a long night.” Derek nodded numbly, mind still swirling with images of his father mixing with images of Stiles.
2) Peter (October)
Peter had been confused by his own actions during the first few months after his resurrection. Particularly when it came to his nephew’s injured betas and their human friend. The betas had recovered quickly, as werewolves tend to do, but Stiles hadn’t stopped coming. The teen was at the Hale House nearly every day that summer. He proclaimed it was with the purpose of checking on Erica and Boyd, but Peter never believed him. Peter expected Derek to force him out, but the Alpha never did. Since the night they’d found the betas, Derek had been nearly gentle with Stiles, as though he was something to be protected. Peter, who was very familiar with the boy’s violent tendencies courtesy of a Molotov cocktail, was not convinced. However, he couldn’t deny that there was something different about Stiles now. It finally made sense a few months into the new school year, something that Peter was only aware of because of the many study sessions that had begun to occur in the house library. The Alpha Pack, the one who had taken Boyd and Erica, had finally made their move. They had taken Isaac. He was alive, but they weren’t sure where the Alphas were keeping him. Not until Stiles stormed the house, looking pissed and flanked by Erica and Boyd.
“I know where they took him,” he declared. He pushed past Peter to the table where they had maps of Beacon Hills laid out. He shoved the maps aside until he found one of the downtown area. He tapped his finger on the map. “Here. There’s a bank that was shut down a while back after it got robbed.” He shifted his bag and pulled several blueprints from it and laid them out on top of the maps. “It’s got a vault in the back that’s made of a weird kind of stone that blocks the moonlight. Hecatolite. I found it when I was researching a few months ago.”
“Hecatolite?” Peter mused. “If he’s in a vault made from Hecatolite, he won’t be able to shift. We’re lucky he’s only been gone a week or two because if he’d been held there during the full moon, it’s very likely he would have lost control of his wolf, like a freshly bitten werewolf. How did you find this?”
Stiles flushed. “I-uh, I was trying to scry for Isaac and all I was getting was the symbol for the bank. It took me a while to find it.” Stiles wouldn’t look up. Peter knew the teen had been trying to cultivate his Spark, but he would have had to have a connection to get Isaac’s location like he had. A Pack bond wouldn’t be enough, not for someone who was mostly human. He’d need a stronger connection. A mate bond. Peter frowned as Stiles laid out the plan. He smirked when Derek, after being challenged by Stiles, demonstrated his ability to punch through the wall on Stiles’ hand. Though he couldn’t help but notice that Stiles’ dramatic flailing afterward was quickly met by Erica and Boyd steading the boy. Even Derek looked a little guilty for a brief moment as Stiles shook his hand out. Finally, the plan was laid out. Since Lydia and Jackson were out of town, it was just the five of them, so Peter and Derek would go in through the vault’s wall and carry Isaac out without the Alphas ever seeing them. Boyd and Stiles would be waiting at the house to take care of whatever wounds the Alphas had inflicted on Isaac and Erica would be waiting with Stiles’ Jeep to transport them since it was the only vehicle big enough to fit all four of the wolves. Stiles had tried to argue that they should all be present near the bank in case something went wrong, but Derek had managed to convince him it would be better if he stayed at the house. In the end, only the thought that he could be prepared to help Isaac prevented him from following them anyway.
The plan had a small flaw. Isaac wasn’t alone. When Peter and Derek exploded into the vault, they saw Isaac hunched over a smaller figure. Peter went tense when they caught the scent. She looked over at them and let out a growl. “You need to leave.”
Isaac looked up at his Alpha. “She’s been here for months. She won’t tell me her name.” Derek let himself fall to the ground beside the girl reaching for her like she may break. Isaac backed up in alarm before fixing his stare on Peter.
“Cora,” Peter managed. “Her name is Cora.” Derek tugged Cora into a tight hug, clinging to her as though she may disappear. Peter let them reconnect for a moment before clearing his throat. “We need to go before the Alphas come back.” Derek didn’t react. “Stiles is waiting.” That jolted his nephew into motion. Isaac, as he was unhurt, was able to climb out on his own now that Derek had broken through the wall. Peter and Derek both helped in getting Cora out. As soon as she was outside, she shifted, growling and fighting them as they forced her into the back of the jeep.
“Who’s she?” Erica hissed as Isaac and Peter slid into the front seats.
“Family,” Peter said quietly, glancing back. Derek had Cora restrained as she continued to try and fight, growling and slashing with her claws. Erica, wisely, kept her mouth shut and drove them back to the Hale House. It took all four of them to corral her into the basement where they could keep her contained until she came back to herself. Derek slid down the wall opposite the door to the basement, still just staring at it. Peter couldn’t blame him. Stiles brushed past the older beta, gently trailing his hand across Peter’s shoulders, to take a seat beside Derek. Peter tensed when he realized what had happened. Stiles had scent marked him.
“Talk to me, Sourwolf,” Stiles said quietly. He leaned against the Alpha’s side. Peter didn’t listen to the rest of the conversation, leaving the two there to watch over his niece. He scolded himself for not realizing sooner. Stiles was never just the annoying human friend to Derek. Peter glanced back at where Stiles was carefully comforting their Alpha. Despite the high emotions of the night, Peter found himself grinning. He’d always thought Stiles would be good for a pack. He just never thought the teen would join without being bitten. He should have known Stiles would prove him wrong. Peter wandered back to the kitchen where he found a plate with several sandwiches waiting. Their Alpha Mate and denmaker was very good at his job.
3) Isaac (December)
Isaac knew that there was something different about how Stiles was with the pack, but he didn’t really understand it until the day before winter break. Most of the students had taken to leaving the pack alone, especially after they saw Jackson and Lydia were a part of their group, but sometimes there was a brave teen who was looking to go after the weaker members. Normally, Isaac was the chosen target. They would wait until Isaac was alone and try to taunt him. Sometimes it got physical, but it was nothing compared to the fights Isaac had dealt with since becoming a werewolf. Especially after they had managed to get rid of the Alpha pack after Thanksgiving. He could deal with a few brave teenagers. He didn’t even need to fight back. This time, though, he wasn’t alone. Stiles and Isaac were heading to meet the rest of the pack in the parking lot so they could head to Hale House as a group for pack night, something that Stiles had started over the summer. Isaac heard the approaching group of athletes but thought nothing of it until they started shouting.
“Hey, Lahey!” One of the boys yelled. Isaac ignored them. “Come on, Lahey!” Stiles frowned at Isaac, before turning to face the yelling teen.
“What do you want?” Stiles hissed.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Bilinski,” the boy sneered. Isaac felt his hackles rise.
“Yeah, we were talking to your boyfriend,” another offered, smirking in Isaac’s direction.
“You’re just jealous that he’s mine and not yours,” Stiles said without missing a beat. He crossed his arms across his chest. The boys crowded closer getting right in Stiles’ face.
“What did you say, fagot?” the first boy growled. Stiles bared his teeth at the slur but grabbed Isaac’s arm before the beta could react. “That’s right, fairy boy. I know what you are. What are you gonna do about it?” Isaac let out a real growl, low enough that only Stiles could hear it. Stiles tightened his grip. The other boy shoved at Isaac, and suddenly Stiles was moving. He released Isaac and grabbed the closest arm twisting it and using his momentum to slam the boy into the wall. Hard. Harder than any human should have been able to. For a second, Isaac swore he saw Stiles’ flash red.
“You touch him again, and you’ll see exactly what I can do,” Stiles snarled. “If I find out that any of you went anywhere near him, I will not hesitate to double whatever you dished out. Do you understand?” Stiles pressed against the boy’s back. His friends were all standing there staring at the pair of them, clearly unsure of what to do. The boy against the wall was frozen in fear, and Isaac could smell a bit of piss. “Do you understand?” Stiles repeated. The boy nodded frantically, let out a terrified whimper. Stiles released him and he bolted down the hallway. The other boys looked between Isaac and Stiles. Stiles arched an eyebrow. They staggered back, following their friend. Stiles smirked as he turned back to Isaac.
“How’d you do that?” Isaac asked, awed.
Stiles shrugged. “My dad’s the Sheriff. I’ve been taking defense classes since I was a kid. It may not be much to you guys, but it works fine on other humans.” Stiles ran a hand down Isaac’s arm and Isaac felt himself relax into the touch. “Have they been bugging you all semester?”
“Not much. Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Isaac admitted.
“You shouldn’t have to handle anything,” Stiles insisted. “Next time they try something, tell me and I’ll take care of it.” Isaac went to respond, but the glare on Stiles’ face stopped him. “I’m serious. If anybody tries anything let me know.” Isaac nodded, bumping against Stiles’ shoulder as the shorter teen relaxed again. “Now come on. I don’t need Jackson bitching to me about making us late again. Like I’m not the one who cooks the damn food anyways.” Isaac smiled a little, letting Stiles take the lead down the school hallway. He still didn’t have the full picture until they got back to Hale House. Derek was waiting for them in the kitchen and was instantly in Stiles’ space.
“What happened?” the Alpha growled. Stiles rolled his eyes.
“Nothing I couldn’t take care of,” he said.
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Just some bullies. They went after Isaac. I took care of it. No more bullies. No problem, Sourwolf.” Stiles shrugged, but he was grinning. Derek frowned at him, leaning closer. Stiles rolled his eyes again and held out his arms. “See? Not hurt. I’m fine. Isaac’s fine. The bullies won’t bother either of us again. Happy?” Derek was clearly not happy, but Stiles ignored him, pushing further into the kitchen. Derek caught his wrist, scent-marking him and stopping his movement.
“Don’t do that again,” Derek growled, eyes flashing red. Everyone in the room tensed. Even Peter. Well, everyone except Stiles.
Stiles sighed. “If I can handle crazy Alphas, I can handle some dumb high schoolers. They instigated it. I took care of it. It wasn’t a big deal. You know I wouldn’t go looking for a fight, Derek.” His voice was softer than it had been, and his free hand rested on Derek’s shoulder. After a moment, Derek nodded and released him. Isaac looked between Derek and Stiles, watching as the Alpha stayed crowded close. So that’s what was going on. Isaac shrugged, snagging an apple and leaving the pair of them in the kitchen while following the rest of the pack in the living room where they were arguing about which movie they were going to watch. It didn’t matter. Stiles would be the deciding vote. He always was. Isaac smirked to himself as he heard Stiles rambling from the kitchen. This is explained so much.
4) The Sheriff (February)
The Sheriff always worked on the anniversary of her death. He worked the day shift and spent the night with his son, grieving together. He got off later than usual, so it was already dark when he pulled up to his house. He was surprised to see that Stiles’ jeep was accompanied by several other vehicles including a black Camaro. Now, since being let in on Beacon Hills’ hairy secret, Noah had seen the Camaro at his house more often than he would have liked, even though he understood why. Stiles had said that Derek Hale was his Alpha. Because of that, sometimes Derek was at the house, getting research or checking on Stiles. Normally, Noah would put on a show of disapproval, but he was secretly happy that Stiles had someone who would check on him when the Sheriff couldn’t. Besides, he actually liked Derek. However, the other vehicles he didn’t recognize. There was a Porsche, a BMW, and an old pickup all in front of his house. What he found when he entered the house explained it. The entire pack was crowded in his living room. Derek and Stiles were curled together, asleep in the center of the room. On the far side, Jackson and Lydia were pressed against them, arms reaching across Derek to be touching Stiles. Isaac was laid across their feet, head resting on Stiles’ calf. Cora mirrored Isaac’s position on Derek’s calf, except her arm was stretched out so that she could grip Stiles’ ankle. Erica and Boyd were pressed against the pair’s other side. Erica had her nose pressed to Stiles’ neck. Boyd was reaching across his girlfriend to keep a hand on Noah’s son too. The only member of the pack not touching Stiles was Peter Hale. Peter was in the Sheriff’s armchair by the door, acting as a sort of guard over the pack. He flashed blue eyes at Noah when he came in. Noah glared back at him. Peter rolled his eyes and rose from the chair, gesturing for the Sheriff to follow him to the kitchen.
“You must be curious,” Peter said quietly, pulling a plate from the fridge and shoving it into the microwave. “Stiles insisted we save you some.”
“What exactly is happening in there?” Noah asked, keeping his voice down.
“We could feel him hurting.”
Noah frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Stiles. He was hurting today. He wouldn’t tell anyone why, but I believe I understand. After all, Claudia was well known and well-liked.” Peter kept his voice carefully even.
“How could you feel him?” Noah clarified.
“Ah, well, through the pack bonds.”
“I thought humans couldn’t feel the pack bonds like werewolves.”
Peter tilted his head. “Normally, no. They are very much a part of the pack, but their Alpha can’t draw power from them, and they can’t share the same openness as a wolf can through the bonds. Stiles is different.”
“Because of his spark?”
“Because he is Stiles,” Peter smirked. He removed the food from the microwave and held it out to the Sheriff. Noah took it and took a seat at the table, expecting the other man to rejoin the pack. He was surprised when Peter took a seat opposite him. After a few moments of silence, the Sheriff gave in.
“What makes Stiles different?” he sighed. Peter grinned.
“Several things. For one, you are right that his spark makes him more in tune with the pack. It’s not the main reason he’s different from the other humans, but it certainly helps. His position as denmaker also helps.”
“Denmaker?”
“Think of it like a pack mom. Stiles ensures that all of the pack is cared for and fed. He helps with homework. Provides comfort and counsel. Defends the pack in a way that an Alpha can’t afford to. Alphas have to appear physically strong to ensure the pack is seen as strong. The Denmaker allows them the space to do that. Derek’s father, Michael was the denmaker in the Hale pack before the fire. I know you met him. He worked with Claudia at the Library. You saw what he was like. Obviously, your son does the job in a different way, but the sentiment is the same.”
Noah nodded numbly, remembering how Michael had helped when Claudia got sick. Watching Stiles and making sure they had food in the house when Noah didn’t have time too. “So Stiles and Derek,” he started. Then he stopped, not sure how to phrase the question.
“The denmaker is not always the Alpha Mate,” Peter said carefully.
“But he is,” Noah sighed. Peter nodded.
“I don’t think Derek has told him yet and I’m sure that neither of them has acted on it, but yes. He is.”
“What does that mean for him? Does it-I mean, is he still human?”
“Yes. He’s still very much human. There are some changes that occur to human Alpha Mates, but those don’t happen until after the bond is sealed. Once it’s sealed, Stiles will have the same status in the pack as Derek. Some of the physical abilities will bleed over too. He’ll heal a little bit faster. Be a little stronger. After the bond has matured, he should even be able to make his eyes flash red. He is also far more connected to the pack bonds than any other human could be.”
“And they haven’t sealed their bond?”
“Not that I know of.”
“And you would know.”
“Unless it happened before I was accepted into the pack, which is unlikely. From what I understand, Stiles wasn’t very involved in the pack before my resurrection.” Noah chose to ignore that comment, seeing as the explanation would likely only confuse him further. Stiles had tried to explain everything supernatural in Beacon Hill, but it had been very overwhelming. The Sheriff decided just to focus on the things he could take care of and to trust his son to tell him when things started happening again.
“And how would they seal the bond?” Noah glared at the beta wolf in front of him.
Peter sighed. “There are many ways to seal the bond between Alpha and Mate. The main one is sexual, but it is not the only one. There’s a way to verbally affirm the bond. Or a specific ritual. My sister and her husband chose to have a bonding ceremony at the Nemeton to seal their bond. It depends on the pair. I can promise you that Derek will not make a move until Stiles is of age. If and when they seal their bond, I’m sure you will be made aware. Likely the first non-pack member to know.”
Noah nodded. “I better be,” he decided. He deposited his mostly empty plate in the sink and followed Peter back to the living room. He watched his son press close to Derek in his sleep, looking peaceful for once. Peter resumed his vigil in the armchair, not paying the Sheriff any attention. Noah glanced at the pack, all trying to comfort his son, even if they didn’t know why. “I give it a year tops,” he muttered, glancing at Peter.
Peter smirked. “Six months.” Noah nodded and left them there. Stiles was just like his mother. He found someone hurting and decided to make it better. The Sheriff couldn’t be more proud.
5) Scott (May)
Honestly, Scott had been concerned for Stiles ever since they defeated Gerard. Stiles had chosen to distance himself from Scott, and Scott had let him. After all, he’d been more worried about making sure he and Allison were okay. She had decided to just stay friends. Then her family had moved to France, and Scott had been alone for the summer. Which was fine. Stiles was probably busy with his dad over the summer. Scott was focused on getting his grades back on track and looking forward to Lacrosse and the start of school. Allison never came back, but there was a new girl named Kira who Scott got close with. Stiles talked to him at school but tended to stay closer to Derek’s betas during lunch and Lacrosse. Even Jackson was closer to Stiles than Scott was. After winter break, Scott started hearing rumors about Stiles and Derek’s pack. Most of the Lacrosse team thought they were in a gang. Some of the swim team thought that Stiles was the gang leader and all the weird deaths were orchestrated by Stiles. Scott tried to talk to Stiles about it, but the other teen blew him off every time. Always saying that he needed to do something with Derek’s pack. It didn’t make sense. Stiles wasn’t in Derek’s pack. Derek had said so back during the Kanima issue. The first time it was something about Isaac needing help studying. Then Stiles claimed there were pixies in the Preserve. Then another rouge omega. By the time it was May, Scott was sick of it. Stiles was his best friend. What the hell was he doing spending so much time with Derek’s pack? Scott decided to corner Stiles at home to find out. Scott waited until he was sure that Stiles was home from school before climbing in his friend’s window. He was surprised to find a welcome mat under the windowsill with a pair of boots already on it. There was a growl coming from the bed where Derek was, eyes glowing red. Stiles came in the room a second later, carrying a bowl of popcorn.
“Uh, hi Scott,” Stiles said, frowning. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” Scott snorted. “What is he doing here?” He gestured to the Alpha, who was still growling. Stiles dropped the bowl onto his bed beside Derek, elbowing him as he did.
“Stop that,” Stiles muttered. Derek stopped growling, but his eyes stayed red, still fixed on Scott. “Derek’s here because he’s always here the day after a fight. I don’t like being overwhelmed by the pack and he doesn’t like me being alone. So, he comes over.” Stiles shrugged. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you,” Scott said. Stiles raised his eyebrows expectantly. “Alone, Stiles.”
“Dude, whatever you want to talk about, I’m just gonna turn around and tell him when you leave. Might as well save us both the time.” Stiles rolled his eyes.
“That! That is what I’m talking about!” Scott yelled. “Since when do you tell Derek everything? I thought I was your best friend.”
Stiles glared at him. “You haven’t talked to me outside of school for over a year, Scott. There’s no way we're still best friends. Hell, at this point I doubt we’re still friends at all. You stopped showing up, Scott. You stopped answering my calls. You stopped engaging with me. I was kidnapped and you still didn’t show up. Ever since you got bit, I have nearly died over a dozen times and you haven’t been there. Derek was. My pack was.” Stiles didn’t sound angry. Just resigned. “If you want to be friends again, we can try, but my pack takes priority.”
“Your pack?” Scott asked incredulously. Derek smirked, eyes fading back to green. Scott growled at him.
“Yes, Scott. My pack,” Stiles sighed.
“You’re not in Derek’s pack.” Scott felt his eyes flash as he moved towards the bed. Instantly Derek was on his feet, standing between Stiles and Scott. Stiles grabbed Derek’s arm and dragged him back to the bed with a huff. Derek went, but he was clearly not happy about it.
“I can handle this, Sourwolf,” Stiles muttered. Derek snorted but relaxed on the bed. Stiles glared at Scott. “I am a part of Derek’s pack. I have been a part of Derek’s pack since before Gerard kidnapped me. If you have a problem with it, that’s too damn bad, because I’m not backing out now. His pack is my pack and I have spent the last year making sure that our pack is safe and healthy, and you are not going to ruin that. If you want to be friends again, then that’s fine. We can try it, but if you ever threaten my pack again, I will respond accordingly.” Stiles’ eyes glowed red and Scott stumbled back, baring his neck in submission. Before Stiles could respond, Scott was out the window. He glanced back mournfully. Why had Stiles chosen Derek over him?
+1) Stiles (May)
Stiles felt his eyes burn as he glared at Scott, not at all happy that Scott thought he could just storm his house after not being around for a year and expect everything to be how he left. When Scott bared his neck in submission though, Stiles forgot about his anger. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window and saw as his eyes faded from red back to whiskey brown. Now, Stiles was not an idiot, no matter what it seemed like sometimes. Sure, he can do stupid things, but he’s actually really observant. He’d noticed that something was going on. Of course, he had. He knew that he was stronger than he used to be in a way that definitely couldn’t be attributed to lacrosse. He knew that he had become very protective of the betas, even Peter. He knew that he healed faster than humans normally did. He knew something was happening to him. But this. He had red eyes. Only Alpha’s have red eyes. Only werewolves can flash their eyes. Stiles had no idea what was happening to him. “What the fuck?” Stiles muttered, feeling the panic setting in. “What? What...what.” He couldn’t take a deep enough breath to finish the thought.
Instantly, Derek was in front of him filling his line of vision. “Stiles, focus on me.” Derek took one of his hands and laid against his chest. “Copy my breathing.” Derek took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he did it again. Stiles tried to copy him. He focused on the steady rise and fall of Derek’s chest. The even beat of his heart below it, trying to get his own heart to stop racing. It took a few minutes, but Stiles was eventually able to get his body to relax. He dropped to his bed and Derek went with him, pulling him close like he had the last time he’d seen Stiles have a panic attack.
“Derek,” Stiles managed. “What the fuck is happening to me?” Derek didn’t respond, just hugged him closer and tucked his head into Derek’s neck. Stiles had the vague thought that it should feel weird, but the second he breathed in Derek’s scent of leather and pine he dismissed it. At least until he realized that a human probably wouldn’t be able to smell that as clearly as he did. Almost as if he could sense Stiles getting ready to ask a question, Derek shifted them to look at Stiles.
“It’s complicated,” Derek said quietly.
Stiles frowned at him. “You know what it is though, don’t you? You know why my eyes were red.” Derek nodded. “Then explain. I know you don’t like using your words, Der, but I need to know what’s happening to me. I need to understand because if you don’t tell me what’s happening, I'll do my own research and come up with God knows what. Tell me what’s happening, Sourwolf.” Derek took a deep breath and tugged Stiles back against his chest again. Stiles let him, knowing that the Alpha sometimes found it easier to talk when he didn’t have to make eye contact.
“It’s my fault,” Derek started. “I didn’t mean to and I didn’t think it would affect you yet. It’s not supposed to unless we both acknowledge it.” Derek stopped. When it had been quiet for too long, Stiles pressed back.
“You have to tell me what ‘it’ is, Derek.”
“I know,” Derek sighed. He pressed his head into Stiles’ shoulder. “You’re my mate.”
Stiles couldn’t hold back a snort. “I know that, Sourwolf. I’ve known for months.” Derek tensed behind him. “I figured you didn’t want to do anything until I was older. And for the record, I’m totally, one hundred percent okay with being your mate. I also researched mates. Nothing I read said anything about me having red eyes and werewolf senses. Mates don’t share things like that. Especially unbonded mates.” Derek had relaxed marginally. He slid his hands under Stiles’ shirt, pressing flat palms to the younger man’s stomach.
“Alpha Mates are different,” Derek said finally. “But none of it should be affecting you yet. We haven’t affirmed the bond.”
“How would we do that?” Stiles wondered, feeling much calmer than before. Now he had a starting point to figure everything out from, but he was still confused.
“I don’t know. Most mates use sex.” Stiles jolted a bit at the word, but Derek had clearly come to terms with the fact that Stiles knew and hadn’t pulled away. “My parents had a ceremony at the Nemeton with Deaton. The important part is affirming that we trust each other with everything.”
Stiles nodded absently. Then he felt his eyes get wide. He pulled away from Derek and twisted to meet his eyes. “Oh my God. Can you seal a bond with a verbal agreement?”
Derek frowned. “You can, but we didn’t.”
“Yes we did,” Stiles groaned. He let his head fall to Derek’s shoulder. It had been over a year. This had been happening for over a year and neither of them had realized it. “That night in the pool. You came over after to make sure I’d made it home ok.”
Flashback
Stiles was still shivering when Derek climbed in the window. For once, Stiles wasn’t surprised to see him. But he wasn’t in the mood. He was still cold, despite the hot shower he’d taken, and even he could still smell the chlorine on him. Derek frowned at the newly added welcome mat under the window. Then he glanced at the bed where Stiles had cocooned himself in blankets and arched an eyebrow. “For the Sourwolf and his puppies,” Stiles muttered. He didn’t have the energy to defend his joke. Derek thankfully didn’t comment on it any further. He stepped further into the room and took a seat in Stiles’ computer chair. “Come to see if the lizard followed me home?”
Derek had a constipated look on his face. “I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he grumbled. Stiles shrugged, which he figured was barely visible under all the blankets.
“I’m fine. Just tired and cold from keeping your furry ass afloat for several hours,” Stiles said. Derek hunched in on himself and Stiles scolded himself for being so harsh. “Thanks for checking on me Sourwolf. Scott ditched me to pick up his mom.” Derek looked up with a grimace on his face. “Erica okay?” Derek nodded and silence fell. After a while, Stiles let out a sigh. “You know, I do trust you, Derek. You’ve never let me down. You’re always there to make sure I’m not dying. So, thanks for that. You’re a good Alpha.” Derek jerked, looking at Stiles with red eyes. Stiles didn’t say anything else. He just tugged his blankets closer and refocused on his laptop, which he’d opened before Derek had shown up. Eventually, Derek went back to the window.
“I trust you too, Stiles,” he muttered so quiet that Stiles barely heard him. Then he disappeared into the night. Something warm settled in Stiles' gut and he smirked at his awkward Alpha.
Derek let out a short laugh. “Of course, we did,” he muttered. Then he was tense again, pulling away from Stiles. “I didn’t mean to,” he started, but Stiles rolled his eyes and cut him off.
“I know that. Neither of us meant to,” Stiles said. “But a mate bond can’t be forced. Both parties have to be willing or it doesn’t work. I know you. You’re gonna start overthinking this and blaming yourself and claiming that I didn’t want this. And yeah, it was an accident and I definitely didn’t mean to do some ancient mate bond affirming ritual at that moment. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t choose this. I chose you as my Alpha. I chose your pack as my own. I chose to take care of them. I chose to be the denmaker. If you start spouting some bullshit about not wanting to tie me down I will slap you and it will hurt. I chose to be tied to my pack. There is no world where I wouldn’t. So, don’t you dare add this to your ridiculous mountain of guilt.” Stiles felt his eyes burn for a second as he stared at Derek.
For a while, Derek didn’t react. Then slowly he nodded. “Your eyes flashed again,” he said, letting Stiles crowd closer as he relaxed. Stiles nodded against his chest.
“I’m gonna have to figure that out before I scare my dad.”
+2 Bonus) The Sheriff and Peter Again (August)
The pack had been spending more days at the Stilinski house since Derek and Stiles started officially dating. They had been under the clear warning that even though Stiles was eighteen, if anything sexual happened before he graduated from high school, Derek would be suffering from wolfsbane poisoning. It had been quiet for most of the summer, but the first week of school, Noah got a call about something attacking a jogger in the Preserve. He called Derek as he headed in. Technically, Derek wasn’t supposed to be in on any cases yet, since he was still in training to become a deputy, but whenever the Sheriff thought a case was supernatural, the Alpha got a call. When he got to the scene, he knew it wasn’t anything human. The jogger was being hauled into the ambulance as he arrived and had scratches all over her. The deputy who took her statement explained that her attacker had been a human male, but the paramedics were saying it looked like an animal attack. Noah shook his head and reached for his phone, intending to call Derek, when he spotted Stiles among the crowd of deputies. Stiles grinned the moment he realized he’d been seen. “Stiles,” the Sheriff said approaching his son. “What are you doing here?”
“I went for a walk and heard the sirens,” Stiles said, putting on an innocent face. Noah frowned at the clear lie. “All right, so I might have started walking after I heard the call go out. It sounded like it might be something the pack needs to know about.” Stiles shrugged, unrepentant in his actions. Noah groaned and looked at the sky.
“If I ever find where you’re keeping that radio, I’m confiscating it,” he said. “But yes. It’s something your pack should be aware of. Looks like that case back in January. You called it an omega I think.”
Stiles nodded as though that made perfect sense. “Cool. If it’s just an Omega it won’t be much of a problem. Omegas are annoying, but if they haven’t killed anybody, we should be able to help them.”
“Help them?” The Sheriff’s eyebrows climbed to his hairline.
“I mean, yeah. If they submit to Derek, we can get them a little more sane and stop them from attacking people. Maybe even keep them in the pack. But if they’ve killed somebody, we’ll probably have to...uh…” Stiles trailed off, suddenly frowning.
“You’ll have to what, Stiles?”
“You don’t want to know,” Stiles declared before turning on his heel and leaving. Noah frowned after him. He figured he wouldn’t have any more to worry about with the omega and could let the pack take care of it, however they would have to. He was wrong. Stiles, surprisingly, had come home for dinner, with only Derek and Peter in tow. It wasn’t strange that the Hales came to dinner. They normally had dinner together on Fridays. The Sheriff just hadn’t expected it with the omega roaming around.
“They know how to hide their scent,” Derek said when asked about it. He didn’t seem too concerned though. Suddenly Stiles sat up straight and his eyes flashed red. Noah didn’t even have a chance to react before Derek and Stiles were out of their seats and storming from the house. Noah looked to Peter who was acting unaffected even though his eyes were fixed on the door.
“His eyes were red,” Noah said.
Peter nodded absently. “I noticed that,” he muttered. “That’s the first time I’ve seen him do that, but Derek clearly wasn’t surprised by it.”
“You said you’d know if they seal the bond.”
“Yes, if they had sealed the bond since the last time I talked to you about this I would have known. But they haven’t. Right now, we should probably follow them. Afterward, we can question them.” Peter rose from the table and looked at the Sheriff expectantly. Noah followed him silently to the Camaro. He noted that the jeep was still in the driveway. “They probably ran,” Peter said, answering the unasked question. He drove them to the rebuilt Hale house and parked beside Boyd’s pickup. Then he led Noah around the back where the rest of the pack, including Stiles and Derek, were gathered. Stiles glanced back at their arrival but didn’t move from his position beside Derek. “Stay near me,” Peter muttered as he moved to stand just behind and to the left of Derek, mirroring where Boyd and Erica were standing on the right. It seemed silent to the Sheriff, but the whole pack was tense, eyes fixed on the tree line. A moment later, Noah heard it. Wolves howling. It seemed like a lot of them, but he wasn’t sure. The betas started growling. Even Lydia let out a quiet growl, though it was easily identifiable as a human imitation next to the others. A pair of red eyes appeared in the tree line as a woman about Derek’s age emerged.
“Alpha Hale,” she said with a wicked smirk. Behind her, several pairs of blue-eyed betas followed.
“You aren’t welcome here,” Derek said. “This is Hale land.”
The other Alpha tilted her head slightly. Even Noah recognized the sign of submission. “We aren’t here to fight. I have a proposal for you and your pack.”
“Was it a member of your pack that attacked the jogger?” Derek asked.
“It was an accident. The offending party has been punished.” She waved it off absently.
Derek nodded, accepting the explanation. “What’s your proposal?”
“An alliance. Rumor has it you’re an unmated Alpha. If we bonded, we could form an alliance,” the other Alpha said. She glanced back at the pack, eyes fixing on Stiles. A chill went down Noah’s spine as the growls around him grew louder. He reached for where his gun was usually strapped, before realizing he’d taken it off at dinner. Peter took his wrist, firm but gentle.
“You heard wrong,” Derek snarled.
“No, I think I'm right,” she grinned, fangs on display. “Or I will be very soon.” Then she lunged directly at Stiles. Noah surged forward, but Peter held him back. None of their pack flinched. Stiles dodged out of her reach and Derek threw her back, letting out a roar. The other pack’s betas fell to their knees, submitting to Derek. The Alpha didn’t react. She went after Stiles again, but this time Stiles faced her head-on. His eyes were red as he slammed the heel of his hand into her sternum as she lunged at him. After he’d winded her, he grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her, forcing her to the ground. Derek stood over her, taking her from Stiles' grip.
“You have an hour to get your pack off my territory. If we find any of you on Hale land again, we will be within our rights to kill you. And if you come after my mate again.” Derek paused, jerking her arm hard enough to break it. “I will take your pack.” Then he stepped back and let her go. One of her betas helped her up and practically dragged her back into the woods. No one moved for a while. Then, as if a dam broke all of the betas were surrounding Stiles. Expect Peter, who stayed beside the Sheriff. Derek let out a low growl and instantly the betas backed off.
Stiles laughed. “I’m okay, Sourwolf.” He let Derek tug him close anyways grinning. Then his eyes landed on his father and he froze. Derek felt this and looked up at the Sheriff hesitantly.
Noah waited a moment before letting out a loud sigh. “Nice eyes,” he huffed. Peter rolled his eyes. “When did this happen?” Noah gestured between the two of them.
“We’ve been dating for months, Dad. You knew that,” Stiles said, master of dodging the question. Noah quirked an eyebrow.
“I believe your father is more concerned with when you sealed the mating bond,” Peter offered. Derek flinched.
“We haven’t broken the agreement!” Stiles exclaimed quickly. “Nothing has happened!”
“Then how exactly did you seal the bond?” Noah asked. “And when.”
“Uh, well, last year. We kind of sealed it by accident when we told each other that we trusted each other after the incident in the pool with the Kanima that I definitely told you about so you can’t be mad about that. We didn’t realize we’d sealed the bond until Scott came by the house back in May.” Stiles was leaning further into Derek, as though the Alpha were a shield against the exasperated look on his father’s face.
“You sealed the bond by accident,” Peter repeated. Stiles nodded. It was quiet for a moment before Peter started laughing. Soon most of the pack and the Sheriff had joined in.
“Only you, kid,” Noah muttered. “Only you.”