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Liam was sick of everyone treating him with kid gloves. He was old enough to take care of himself and just because he was a werewolf now didn’t mean he was suddenly going to lose his shit and kill someone. Of course people might believe him more if he didn’t rag on Stiles all the time. But the guy was a dick! He was constantly looking down on him and why, because he’d seen a therapist or two? There was no way Stiles didn’t have one too. So sure he shoved him against lockers when Scott wasn’t around. He threatened him with claws out and fangs dripping, but that was because the guy deserved it.
He was always saying something, that smug grin too wide as he listed off everyone’s failings. And seriously why was he even there? He wasn’t anything special, he wasn’t a werewolf or a kitsune. He couldn’t do anything, wasn’t strong like them or magical like Lydia. So why the hell was he higher up in the pack than him? Why was that smug little ass someone he should be obeying? He obviously hadn’t done anything to deserve it, I mean come on, the guy was a dweeb. Alright, maybe that first time they played lacrosse he kind of kicked his ass, but that was with Scott’s help, so it didn’t really count.
It wasn’t like anyone had explained this stuff either. Scott was all about the control and Derek was about the anger and the others were just there. No-one had actually sat him down and said, Scott is the Alpha, Derek is the second and Lydia is the, whatever, she was. So he’d been figuring this stuff out on his own. His instincts were screaming at him to obey Stiles and he didn’t know why so it pissed him off.
After a particularly bad week, were Liam may or may not have badly bruised Stiles, Derek had him running drills on the old Hale property. He’d been running for hours, his heart rate through the roof and sweat dripping into his eyes, but as winded as he was, he could probably go for another hour or two when Hale stopped him. “Alright, let’s get you some water then we can talk.”
That did not sound good. Derek wasn’t really the talking type, he preferred to brood in a corner. But Liam followed him back to an open patch of forest where there was a cooler with cold drinks and snacks waiting. He flung himself at the cooler, chugging a bottle of Mountain Dew before Derek could even speak. The older wolf chuckled and it was a little condescending, but it wasn’t meant to be, so Liam let it slide. He kind of liked Derek. He felt they could understand each other, after all they both had some serious anger issues. “So what did you want to talk about?”
Please don’t be something else trying to kill them. He was already failing math, anymore serial killers and he’d be failing everything else too. “Actually it’s about the pack. I don’t know if Scott explained the structure of our pack to you?”
He shook his head silently, because no-one had told him jack-all about their pack. Hell he wasn’t even sure they were a proper pack.
Derek smiled tightly and spoke slowly, “Our pack is unusual. Typically a werewolf pack is made up of humans and werewolves. Obviously that’s not the case with us. The girls are just as much a part of the pack as us wolves are. Scott is your alpha, he bit you and made you a werewolf, but he is also the True Alpha and he is the leader of our pack.”
So far this was stuff he’d figured out on his own. Scott was the man in charge, it was everything else that confused him. He stayed quiet though, afraid Derek would clam up if he said anything. “He is our Alpha, but Scott has spent his entire life following Stiles. When you were bitten, the first thing he did was call Stiles. That means something. Your wolf recognizes that Stiles is higher up in the pack structure.”
Yeah he was higher but Derek hadn’t actually said why, but he was looking at him like he was supposed to get it and he didn’t, so Derek kept going.
“You’ve been getting into trouble with Stiles a lot lately. I know you threw him across the hall the other day. I’ve seen the bruises and they weren’t exactly pretty. He’s not like us, he’s not as strong as us and I know your wolf has problems with that. He takes Stiles’ strength for granted. Your wolf wants to roughhouse a little, he thinks Stiles should be able to take it because of his place in the pack, but he can’t Liam. You really hurt him and I know you didn’t mean to. You’re not the only one either, Erica used to do it as well. She hit him over the head with a piece of his car, because her wolf thought he could take it.”
That wasn’t exactly true, Liam knew Stiles couldn’t take it, he was constantly reminded of how fragile, how human Stiles was. Something must have shown on his face, because Derek stared at him, his mouth twisting into a grimace. “Oh, it seems I have it the wrong way around. How about this then, Stiles is like a second Alpha. He is the one Scott turns to when he needs help. He is the one we turn to, so if you don’t start treating him properly then you will regret it.”
Derek was scowling at him, full on eyebrows drawn grumpy cat face, but that didn’t stop Liam scoffing at his words, “Come on, what’s he gonna’ do to me? He’s just human!”
“Stiles is human and that means he can do things we can’t. He can poison us, he can trap us, he can burn us alive.”
Liam laughed at that, because seriously? That spazzy kid wasn’t capable of any of that. Derek didn’t seem to get the joke though, his eyes were serious and cold as he told him, “Stiles has done it before and will do it again. You’ve been told to play nice with him. I know the girls have tried to get you to behave better around him and they did that for your own good. Because there will come a point where Stiles will lose his shit and you don’t want to be on the receiving end, understand?”
He understood but he couldn’t ever imagine it happening. He didn’t see him as someone dangerous, he was just the kid Malia towed around the school with her little claw. He probably shouldn’t have said that out loud because now Derek was looking at him like he was eating glue or something, “Malia stays close to him because he is her Alpha and he makes her feel safe. And like it or not you will show him the respect he deserves and if you still can’t wrap your head around it then go talk to Peter. We’re done here go home.”
That could have gone better. It helped a little though, not the Stiles being dangerous thing, because he didn’t believe that for one second, but it explained his status in the pack. A second Alpha, but a human one, that probably didn’t matter as much as their real Alpha. Liam was a werewolf, he would follow the wolf Alpha not the crappy human knock off.
Stiles had three broken ribs and a black eye. His wolf had plastered itself to the floor, urging Liam to follow suit and sure he felt guilty but he wasn’t about to prostrate himself in front of the guy. He could smell Stiles’ pain though, the blood and hurt that seemed to come off him in waves. He could smell the disappointment too. Scott and Derek practically reeked of it. Without warning a hand clapped onto his shoulder and dragged him from Stiles’ room into the corridor. He was shoved through another door into the guest room before he could even see his captor.
He didn’t know Peter that well. The others didn’t seem to like him much. Lydia especially hated him, at least most of the time. He wasn’t a threat though, not really. He smelled angry though, not a drop of disappointment on him so Liam wasn’t going to feel guilty about anything. He was blocking the door though so Liam settled in to hear him out, lounging on the guest bed that somehow smelled like Scott. He didn’t have to wait long, Peter took two steps closer – too close, and told him in no uncertain terms that his behaviour was not acceptable. “Look he’s a human. He shouldn’t be in a pack if he can’t take it.”
For a moment he thought Peter was going to attack him, instead he took a calming breath and replied, “This is not going to happen again. Any more incidents and we will let Stiles deal with you directly.” Wait what? “What the fuck does that mean?”
Peter sighed heavily and looked at the ceiling in despair, “It means you fool that we have all been protecting you, but this is your last chance. You either lay off Stiles or he will deal with the matter himself.”
This was ridiculous and pathetic. If Stiles was supposed to be Alpha 2.0 then shouldn’t he be able to handle himself? “God he can’t even fight his own battles! What a pussy.”
“This isn’t a battle, it isn’t even a skirmish. We have been protecting you because Scott asked us to pup. We have run interference and made up excuses for your behaviour but this is the last straw. Whatever happens next we will not stop Stiles. Do you understand?”
Freaking asshole, calling him a pup! He shuffled off the bed shouting “Yeah I get it, next time I’ll have Stiles to deal with. Big whoop!”
Peter smiled, this wide parting of lips and displaying of teeth that completely creeped him out.
He should have listened. He shouldn’t have been so arrogant, so cocksure about everything. After all Stiles was the Alpha. He should have kept his head down and showed him the respect he deserved, maybe then he wouldn’t be in this mess. Of course he wasn’t going to tell anyone that. He would apologise to Stiles and then they would hopefully all move on. At least that was the plan, he was having trouble focusing on how to make it happen though. His head was lifting, some tribal band had set up in his brain and were trying to pound his thoughts into mush. Whatever drug Stiles had slipped in his drink, he could barely move his little toe, let alone anything else and god why did he have to piss off one of the most inventive psychos on the west coast? Was he really that stupid? Did he not see the darkness in his eyes? Why did he laugh when Lydia told him about the bear traps and bombs? Why hadn’t he asked more questions about Peter fucking Hale? After all the guy was widely regarded as a homicidal maniac, but he never once wondered why he was scared of Stiles? There was stupid and then there was wilfully ignorant.
They were alone in the old Hale house, Stiles had dragged his drugged ass into the jeep and out into the preserve. Presumably so he could hide the body somewhere no-one would look. If anyone even did come looking which was unlikely. His pack were all on Stiles’ side. They would protect him no matter what. Even his own wolf was howling that he should protect Stiles, because whatever plan Stiles had, it probably didn’t involve Mexican hunters trying to kill them. There was smoke everywhere, the gunfire had stopped but Liam hadn’t seen Stiles in several minutes and he couldn’t pick out his heartbeat. He couldn’t be dead though. Stiles had barricaded Liam in one room of the house and taken off after the hunters while he sat immobile staring out the window.
He saw him take down two hunters and light another on fire. And that was before he picked up their discarded guns. Stiles was like a mother fucking terminator with that thing. He killed everyone in his path with a glee that Liam found more than a little disturbing. Sure he had tried to reason with them at first, he tried to talk them down, but they wouldn’t have it. They got one shot off that grazed his shoulder and that was it, Stiles lost it. He didn’t know what to do, he was frozen and in pain and Stiles was missing, so he howled for his pack and prayed that they answered. He hated sitting there being useless when anything could be happening to Stiles. He fucking hated it!
Derek was the first to arrive, Stiles had him on standby apparently to help him get Liam home after they had their little chat. That was all Stiles was going to do, talk to him while the kanima venom kept him still. He wanted somewhere private so no-one could interrupt. That was his big plan to deal with Liam. Stiles had never planned to bury his body in the woods! Derek laughed at that, his eyes flashing in delight. But then he looked down at the bullet wound in his shoulder, hovering his hand over it with a frown. “Wolfsbane. Stiles is bringing one of the bullets, he shouldn’t be long.”
“I can’t hear him.”
“You’re not as in tune with him as I am. Stiles and I have a connection that means I can find him anywhere. Pick out his heartbeat in a crowd of thousands. You’ll find that too one day if you’re lucky.”
That smile on Derek’s face was something he’d never seen before, something small and private, but he had to ask, “I thought he was with Malia?”
He was constantly covered in claw marks and she followed him everywhere. Derek huffed out another laugh, this one short and happy, “Tomorrow I’ll teach you about scents.”
He knows Stiles did something with the bullet, that made the black lines recede and fire of the wound dissipate as his flesh knit back together, but none of that registered. The only thing that made it through was the scent of Stiles, his reassuring warmth and comforting words telling him it would be ok. His wolf wanted to wrap itself around him, wanted to cover himself in Stiles’ scent. “Come on pup, no snotty words? Where’s the Liam who always snarks back?”
His wolf’s tail thumped down in shame, as he mumbled, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Stiles. I should never have hurt you or said any of that stuff.”
He watched the surprise on Stiles’ face and felt guilty again. He had been a right little shit and Stiles had no reason to protect him or forgive him. Careful of his shoulder, Stiles pulled him into a forceful hug, letting Liam burrow into his shoulder like a child. “It’s ok pup, we’re pack.”