The Hale Pack

by Francey_Pants, Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Scott and Stiles weren't separated that night in the woods. Both boys were bitten and turned. With both boys struggling with the change, will things turn out differently? Or end in the same amount of pain and suffering? Sterek.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

The Hale Pack: The Beginning

There was no denying that the Hale Pack was the most well respected Pack globally. Though not the most powerful, by far, in the beginning they were known for their kindness and diplomacy. For centuries, the Hale Pack has been blessed with good Alphas. Respected by all in their pack, along with the citizens of the town they protected, and all who met them. It seemed at one point in time that Talia Hale would be the last to operate in Beacon Hills. After a fire took her life, and the lives of most of her family, the Alpha power went to her eldest daughter, one of the few survivors. Laura Hale left soon after the tragedy with her only remaining brother. Their uncle was comatose in the hospital, so they couldn't take him with them. They packed up their few remaining belongings, gave the hospital staff specific instructions to follow regarding Peter's care, then left for New York City. An Alpha friend of their mother's had offered them a small portion of his territory to call their own until they were ready to return to their true home. Derek swore to himself and his sister that he would never go back, but his Alpha had other plans. It took six years for Laura to go back but she did it, Derek followed her a few days later.

And that is when the Hale Pack finally began to rebuild and eventually became something legendary.

It began shortly after the Alpha returned to her home. Two nights before the full moon, on the rural outskirts of a small California town called Beacon Hills, Police Officers and State Troopers gathered on a dirt road. At their sides, search dogs barked and whined as they pulled their leashes taut.

One by one, the Officers clicked on their flashlights, then glanced to the Sheriff for his signal. Finally, he gave a nod and seconds later, a dozen streaks of light tore through the shadowy woods.

A desperate search had begun…

Not far from those dense woods on that same night, a two-story home lay hidden under a canopy of trees. A gentle wind had drifted into the open window of an upstairs bedroom where two hands worked quickly to thread the laces on the head of a lacrosse stick.

The fingers worked fast and precise, expertly pulling each lace into a diamond mesh pattern. Knotting the last loop, sixteen year old Scott McCall stood with the re-threaded stick. Dressed in only a pair of athletic shorts, his lithe frame may have still had some filling out to do, but it was easy to see that he'd soon grow into a strikingly handsome young man, with deep black eyes designed to melt the hearts of hopeful young people.

Scooping a ball up from his bedroom floor, Scott gave the lacrosse stick a spin, testing his handiwork.

A moment later, the re-threaded stick landed next to a school backpack, while Scott pumped out a few chin-ups at the bar mounted in the doorway of his closet.
He worked through his evening routine, with a few additions to prepare for the first day back at school the following morning. He was almost prepared for bed when, toothbrush in his mouth, he reached for the window sill to pull it down. However, he stopped when he heard a noise. He tilted his head, so his ear was closer to the open window, to listen again. Under the whispering wind, he heard movement, a strange shuffling noise.

Less than a minute later, the door to the porch opened. Now armed with a baseball bat, Scott started moving toward the yard. Breath held tight, he moved cautiously off the porch steps.

The sound of movement stopped him cold. Holding still, he peered left and right as he white-knuckles the bat, ready to swing. When he reached the railing, before Scott even knew what was happening, a figure swung down, hurtling toward Scott, who hollered in terror as an upside down face appeared in front of him. When the person screamed back at him, he almost swung the bat before realizing who it is.

"Stiles, what the hell are you doing?" Scott demanded angrily, whilst gasping deeply for breath.

"You weren't answering your phone." Stiles answered, gesturing with his arms wildly. Feet caught in the trellis, Stiles hung in front of Scott. The sixteen year-old with boundless energy continued talking upside down, as if this were a perfectly normal way to have a conversation.

"Why do you have a bat?" He demanded incredulously, gesturing to the object wildly, causing himself to swing slightly.
Scott glanced at the bat in his hand then back at his best friend, "I thought you were a predator" was his defense, to which the elder boy rolled his eyes.

"A pre-" Stiles cut himself off with a shake of his head and slight scoff "Look I know it's late, but you gotta' hear this. I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called. They're bringing in every officer from the Beacon department and even State Police."

"For what?" Scott asked feeling his curiosity begin to stir against his will, lowering the bat.

"Two joggers found a body in the woods." His voice carried a trace of excitement, there's a slight grin on his face as he reached up, or down from his perspective, and pulled himself free of the trellis, proceeding to land on his feet in front of Scott.

"A dead body?" Scott asked with a slightly confused look on his face, leaning over the railing to look down at his best friend.
Stiles stood full, leaning closer to the railing "No, a body of water. Yes, dumbass, a dead body." He announced with his trademark sarcasm. The pale boy climbed up over the railing, onto the porch in front of Scott.

"You mean like murdered?" Scott inquired, brows furrowed as he tried to figure out why Stiles was so excited about the situation

Stiles stood with his hands on his hips. "Nobody knows yet. Just that it was a girl," He made a gesture with his left hand. "probably in her twenties." he repeated the gesture with his right hand.

"Hold on. If they found a body, what are they looking for now?" A seemingly ever-present confused look was glued to his face

"That's the best part." Stiles announced, gesturing wildly, barely able to contain his excitement "They only found half. We're Going."

A little later on, a beat-up jeep skidded to a halt just beyond the heavily wooded entrance to the Beacon Hills Preserve. Stiles got out with a flashlight in hand. Scott following him.

"Are we seriously doing this?" Scott asked Stiles incredulously.

Placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, Stiles replied "You're the one always bitchin' that nothing ever happens in this town." Before charging on to the hiking path.

Standing in place with a slight shrug, Scott informed the hyperactive boy,"I was trying to get a good night's sleep for practice tomorrow." Scott then proceeded to follow Stiles.

"Right, because sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort." Was the sarcastic response.

"No, because I'm playing this year." Scott insisted, "In fact, I'm making first line."

Stiles put a sarky cheer in his voice to respond "That's the spirit. Everyone should have a dream. even a pathetically unrealistic one."

"Just out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?" Scott asked, deciding to ignore Stiles' previous comment

"Huh. I didn't even think about that."

"And what if whoever killed the girl is still out here?" Scott asked with little conviction

"Also something I didn't think about." Was the response.

"Comforting to know you've planned this out with your usual attention to detail." Scott gasped out between breaths, whilst climbing a dirt hill. Scott's breath begins to shorten. "Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight."

Scott leant against a tree taking his inhaler out of his hoodie pocket, shaking it several times before following Stiles up the rest of the hill.

Stiles dropped to the ground quickly when he reached the top of said hill. Scott followed suit seconds later, when he noticed it too. Several law enforcement officers with flashlights and dogs scouring the woods.

Scott took a hit from his inhaler, when Stiles tried to get up and run forward. Scott just managed to pull him back down.

"Dude!" he whispered, forcing his inhaler back into his pocket. "If we go that way we'll run right into the search party, led by the sheriff. Also known as your dad! We're better off heading back."

Stiles went to protest when he heard his dad's voice call out to a deputy. He nodded before whispering "Fine, but you owe me big time!" Stiles hauled himself to his feet, then helped Scott up.

"For what? Savin' your ass?" Scott asked jokingly, playfully punching the lanky boy's shoulder.

Starting back, the friends tried to find their way out of the woods, when the flashlight started to flicker, before going out completely.

"Shit," Stiles stated squinting at the object in his hands willing it to work.

"Do you have any spare batteries?" Scott asked looking at his friend hopefully, who looked back at him like he was insane.

"Oh, yeah! I keep them in my pocket with my wilderness survival kit!" Stiles responded in his patented acerbic manner, flailing his arms around. "Let's just try to retrace our steps." So the best friends took off, but with each step it became increasingly difficult to see in the pitch black.

Stiles stops suddenly holding his arm out, forcing Scott to stop too. "Did you hear that?" There was a rustling among the trees. The pair held still and shared a nervous look.

Scott's breath tightening more from fear than asthma, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his inhaler again.

Before he could do anything more, there's an odd rumbling. The sound of sudden and ferocious movement increased in volume and velocity until a dozen deer came charging out of the darkness. The shock sent both boys tumbling to the ground and Scott's inhaler was flung away. The deer came soaring past them with the thunderous beat of hooves trampling the ground.

Then, once again, it was just the two best friends alone in the dark, Scott stood before crouched down, eyes scanning the leaf-covered ground in search of his inhaler. Pulling out his cell phone, he lit the display and guided the phone's light over the ground.

"What are you doing?" Stiles asked, staring at Scott like he's grown a second head.

"Looking for my inhaler." He snapped "I dropped it."

Without another word, Stiles joined Scott in his search. The pair didn't find Scott's inhaler but did manage to briefly illuminate a face. A pale, dead face, with glossed over, unseeing eyes peering up at them. The head was connected to half a body.

Crying out in shock, Scott lurched up, tripping on his own feet, and tumbled over Stiles, pulling the pale boy with him. Suddenly, they were propelled down a leaf-covered slope, rolling head over heels, hitting each other several times before they finally landed in a heap, on top of a pile of leaves. Groaning, Stiles and Scott both stood, wordlessly deciding to leave the inhaler for the night and get out of the woods.

Suddenly, a low growl kept them from moving. Stiles held his breath, he knew Scott was doing the same. Something crouched in the shadows right near Stiles. Something very large. Scott slowly began to turn around when something hurtled towards them. It pinned Scott first, there was a flash of red eyes and razor sharp teeth before Scott twisted forward, crying out.

"Scott!" Stiles leapt forward without thinking, determined to help his friend, which only drew the attention of the... thing to him. He stumbled backwards, landing on the ground with a thump. He held his arm in front of his face in a feeble attempt at self defense, as the red eyed creature lunged at him. The creature dug it's horribly sharp teeth into Stiles' thin arm so deep that Stiles thought it had bitten all the way through.

The creature ran away after that. Scott helped pull Stiles up by his uninjured arm before they rushed to get out of the woods.

Crashing out of the woods and into the road, Scott and Stiles whirled around simultaneously to face an oncoming car. The driver swerved, almost clipping Scott. Horn blaring, the car hurtled past.

Breathless, Scott backed away from the woods, pulling Stiles with him. With the world spinning around him, Scott pulled up his now torn hoodie, over a deep and vicious looking bite.

"Fuck, dude" Stiles gasps, looking at Scott's injury with deep concern in his whiskey eyes. "That looks really bad"

"Speak for yourself." Scott breathed out with a wince, staring at Stiles' right arm and watched as the blood flowed over his jacket sleeve and dripped to the ground. Before Stiles could reply, the pair froze at the strangest sound. The howling of a wolf.

Chapter 2: Meeting Derek

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The best friends meet a mysterious man after being attacked.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

The Hale Pack: Meeting Derek

Before Stiles could reply, the pair froze at the strangest sound. The howling of a wolf.

"Okay, what the fuck?" Scott asks. Eyes wide with fear. Hands shaking. "Was that a wolf?"

"I-I, no- no fucking way dude. There is no way that just happened! We were not just attacked by a freaking wolf , you know why? I'll tell you why Scott, because there are no wolves in California haven't been for like sixty years, okay? So there's no way that just happened." Stiles was gesturing wildly despite the pain in his arm.

"Look, l-let's just get to the Jeep, we need to get patched up." Stiles said using his left hand to cradle his right arm. Scott nodded in agreement, the pair started to walk when they heard a car driving behind them.

Turning to get a better look, the friends gained twin looks of awe when a sleek black Camaro pulled up beside them with heavily tinted windows. The passenger side window was rolled down and an attractive man was leaning across to look at them. His skin was pale, contrasting his deep black hair. He was well built, muscles were very noticeable through the parts of the tight black t-shirt that they could see through the open leather jacket.

"You two hurt?" The beautiful man asked in a smooth voice that caused Stiles' heart to skip a beat. The man's gaze turned to him, as if he heard.

'He is gorgeous' was the first thought in Stiles head.

The next was 'This is Derek freaking Hale!'
"Yeah," Stiles answered, barely suppressing a shudder "We were attacked by..." He faltered "Something"

Scott didn't seem to be affected the same way and simply stated "We think it was a wolf," ignoring Stiles' glare. "We heard a wolf howling."

Derek's face remained blank, but when he spoke, his voice was tense. "You're lucky that you're alive." His voice getting lower with each word "That thing has already killed. Multiple times" Derek's voice was almost a growl by the time he had finished speaking.

"You mean, i-it killed that girl? Tore her in half?" Scott asked shakily, colour draining from his face. Stiles could feel his heart racing at a mile a minute and subconsciously clutched his injured arm closer, thinking how fortunate he actually was to still have it. To still be alive.

"Yes. Now get in." Derek demanded pushing open the passenger side door, pulling the seat forward so one of them could climb in the back, sharing a look the friends decided that, if they were to get in the car, they'd both go in the back.

"We don't even know you! For all we know you could have killed that girl." Stiles accused him, although he didn't really believe it. Although he knew wolves hadn't been in California for years but he couldn't deny what had happened, what he had seen and heard, no matter how much it went against logic. "And we have my car, it's by the entrance to the preserve."

"You know it wasn't me and you're in no state to drive," Derek stated, raising a single eyebrow easily, and gestured to each boy's injuries. "Let alone walk to the car itself." The dark haired man gestured to the back seat of the car, "if it makes you feel better you can both sit in the back, but you're better off coming with me and letting me take you home. I'll drive you tomorrow morning to pick it up. You're both still in school, right." It was more a statement than a question but apparently Scott felt the need to answer Derek anyway.

"Yeah, We're Sophomores" Scott wheezed out, clutching his abdomen in pain

"Good for you, now. Get. In." He said with a firm nod to the back seat. His frustration clear in his tone and body language.With a soft sigh, Stiles nodded and climbed into the car without a second thought, Scott following immediately.

"Where are you headin'?" He asked, shoving the passenger seat back in place and slamming the door shut.

"Uhh, yeah where?" Scott asked, turning to his best friend curiously.

"Yours? My dad's gonna be out all night on the search, then doing paperwork. I can call, say I got bored and went to yours. 'Sides your mum's got the best first aid kit. It makes sense." Stiles babbled out with various one handed gestures.

Scott nodded in agreement, whilst Derek glanced at Stiles in the rear view mirror. "You're the Sheriff's kid" Another statement.

"Yeah, I'm Stiles. This is Scott." Stiles said, wincing as the adrenaline started to wear off, the pain flooding his arm, setting his nerves on fire. Glancing to Scott and realised the same was happening to him, noting as Scott placed more pressure on his wound.

"So are you going to tell me the address or am I going to have to guess?" Derek asked sharply, his eyebrows jumping halfway up his forehead.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Scott replied quickly, telling the elder male his address, before settling into silence. The laboured breathing from the injured teens and the purr of the engine being the only sounds they could hear on the journey.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When the sleek sports car finally pulled up outside the McCall residence, it was just after 11pm. Derek got out of the car quickly, moving to the passenger side door, opening it, pulling the seat forward and helping the teens out, trying to make it as easy as possible for them.

"Do you need a hand getting cleaned up?" Derek asked as the three reached the front door, Scott unlocking the door. Stiles and Scott exchanged a glance. 'Well, he hasn't tried to kill us yet and that car is pretty hard to miss.' Stiles thought, 'and it would be useful to have help.'

"Yeah. Yeah, that'll be good, thanks." Scott said, apparently coming to the same conclusion as Stiles. The three made their way through the house, up to Scott's bedroom. Along the way, Stiles stopped by the bathroom to grab Mrs McCall’s first aid kit.

"Let me see," Derek demanded, taking the kit from Stiles. Scott quickly removed his hoodie and t-shirt, whilst Stiles simply rid himself of his jacket and plaid shirt but left his t-shirt on. Derek glanced at both wounds before pulling out several items from the kit. "You both okay to clean 'em while I sort out the dressings?" When both boys nodded, he held out several packets of antiseptic wipes, which each accepted gratefully.

Stiles placed his right hand on the back of his neck, in order to elevate his arm and inspect the wound better. He cringed at the sight, several deep punctures surrounded by partially dried blood, you could barely see the white skin underneath. That which was still visible was quickly being covered by the blood, still oozing from the wound.
Stiles opened the wipe packet with his teeth, cringing when some of the taste got into his mouth. Struggling with one hand, Stiles eventually managed to get the wipe out of the packet and started to clean the wound.

Hissing, Stiles dabbed around the punctures and removed as much blood as he could, he winced whenever the wipe touched the wounds. When he'd almost finished cleaning the wound, Scott and Derek approached him.

Scott had a fresh antiseptic wipe in his hand, took the now bloody one Stiles was holding, tossed it in the bin while proceeding to clean the wound. Stiles noticed the neat dressing on Scott's abdomen, patches of blood were starting to seep through, but for the most part it looked better. Stiles realised he must have taken a long time trying to clean his arm, but hey, his wound was in a more awkward place, okay! And on his stronger arm.

Derek was sorting through dressing and medi tape next to him only glancing up every few seconds to check Scott's progress at cleaning Stiles' injury. Once Scott was done, Derek quickly got to work. His hands were strong and firm, but at the same time, tender and careful, looking after the injured teen. Stiles couldn't explain why, but he felt safe with Derek and that didn't happen often.

In fact, the only people he had ever felt this safe with were his dad, Scott, Mrs. McCall and... his mum. So what was it about Derek?

Stiles was pulled out of his thoughts when Derek stepped away, eye's glancing over his handiwork. "Okay," Derek announced, ensuring he had the attention of both teens "I know you are confused about what happened tonight and you'll have a lot of questions tomorrow. I'll pick you up here tomorrow morning at 7 to take you to your car, then after school you'll meet me at the preserve and I'll answer all of your questions."

"We have Lacrosse practice," Scott said quickly, apparently forgetting his injury and the fact that they barely knew the guy, yet he was ordering them around.

Derek, however, simply glared at Scott "Fine," He growled "After practice." Then he left. Not just the room, no, the house. By opening the window on the left side of the room and jumping out of it.

"Woah," Stiles said, he and Scott rushing to see Derek land perfectly, then walk out of sight. Seconds later, they hear the unmistakable sound of the Camaro start then drive away. "That. Was. Awesome!" Grinning wildly at Scott, who then decides to finally have some common sense. Kind of.

"Dude, what the fuck's going on around here? First, there's a dead body. Then we get attacked by a wolf. Then we meet a weird guy, who just happens to show up just after we get attacked. Then he says he has answers to questions we haven't even asked and then he just jumps out of a second story window without even blinking. I mean seriously dude! It's really..." During Scott's monologue, he had walked away from the window and started pacing, before stopping in front of the bed and dropping onto it with a wince. "Crazy"

"I know," Stiles sighed, rubbing his left hand over his face and the back of his neck. "But it wasn't a wolf," Scott tried to interrupt, but the lanky boy quickly continued. "I mean not a regular wolf, it was way too big for one and it's eyes... Dude, it's eyes were glowing red! Like freaking glow sticks!" He paused slightly as Scott's brows furrowed, a small frown forming, before his face quickly became a mask of recognition and shock. "Yeah! And I'm pretty sure that it killed that girl, but I don't think it wanted to kill us. Hear me out okay. It went for non-fatal injuries. Sure they hurt like a bitch, but not fatal." Scott nodded slightly as his best friend ranted, paced, and flailed his uninjured arm. "It could have easily overpowered and killed us. Ripped our throats out, torn us in half, anything! But it didn't. Add that to the eyes and size... I don't know, you're right, it's crazy." Stiles sighed and walked to the bed and sat down next to Scott.

"What about that guy though," Scott started looking at Stiles. "I mean, he didn't even give us his name, we don't know anything about him."

Stiles' head turned to Scott so fast, the elder boy was surprised he didn't get whiplash. "Dude, that was Derek Hale!" He exclaimed, eyes widening at Scott's confused look. "You remember right? He's only like a few years older than us. His family? They all burned to death in a fire like 6 years ago!" Suddenly Stiles' eyes widened "The fire! Scott grab your Laptop. " He demanded.

"Why?" Scott asked, once again confused, but stood to do as his best friend said.

"Th-the fire! There were three survivors! Derek Hale, Laura Hale and Peter Hale. Peter Hale is comatose with severe burns, Laura and Derek moved out of town. A few days ago, a few people saw a girl around town, at a motel and heading up to the preserve. Normally people wouldn't notice but apparently she had a really nice car. So nice, I heard Jackson bitchin' about it, meaning it rivals his precious Porsche! Search for the Hale fire." Stiles said the second Scott sat back down next to him. 

"Please." he added at Scott's glare.

Sighing, Scott searched and clicked on the first link. The pair gasped when the paged loaded, an image being the first thing to appear.

The image had a caption 'The Hale fire survivors' and featured a man who looked to be in his early to mid twenties lying unconscious on a hospital bed. What caught their attention though, were the two teens beside the bed. The younger being a boy who was unmistakably a teenaged Derek Hale, same features just more guilty and grief stricken than brooding. The girl was the most shocking, despite being younger and more tanned, she looked exactly the same, yet at the same time, completely different to who they saw. This was her.

The dead girl they found in the woods was Laura Hale.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

Thank you for reading and commenting.

Chapter 3: New Abilities

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Scott and Stiles discover New abilities. Scott gets a crush on the new girl.

The Hale Pack: New Abilities

The dead girl they found in the woods was Laura Hale.

After initially freaking out, the boys calmed down enough to decide to try and sleep before school and just ask Derek about everything the next day. It was times like this that Stiles was glad he kept spare clothes and supplies at Scott's house.

After changing into clean sweats and t-shirts, Stiles called his dad, who was relieved his son wasn't alone, so would be out of danger. (At least that's what he thought) The boys decided to treat themselves to sandwiches and water before heading to bed, hoping to get some sleep before they had to wake up at 6. Seriously, why did they agree to meet Derek at 7?

*The Next Morning*

When Stiles woke up on his best friends bedroom floor, he wondered what he was doing there on a school night. Then it all came flooding back. The body. The woods. The wo-Thing. Derek. Laur-Derek! Derek was going to pick them up! Fumbling to his feet, Stiles looked at the alarm clock that sat on Scott's desk. 6:04. Okay, he can work with that. Picking up the pillow he'd been using from the floor, Stiles lifted it above his head with both hands without thinking and slammed it into Scott's chest.

"DUDE!" Scott yelled, shooting up in bed, taking care to give Stiles his most threatening glare. He didn't look very threatening, more like an angry puppy, but point's for effort.

"Get up, Derek's picking us up at 7." Stiles announced, grabbing a set of clothes from 'his' draw and claimed the bathroom before Scott could even stand.

"Dere- oh" Stiles just knew that Scott was currently poking at his wound through the dressing. Wound. Wait. Why didn't his arm hurt? He examined it in the mirror and saw that it was still bandaged and that the dressing itself was stained with dried blood. He shrugged and figured it'd start hurting later on. He removed the dressing, cringing at the dried blood, before turning off the shower and stripping.

Stiles showered and dressed quickly, quickly put on fresh bandages without paying the wound much attention and left the bathroom so Scott could use it.

"Finally!" Scott exclaimed, rushing past Stiles and into the bathroom. 6:22, cool, he had time to make breakfast. Grabbing a red hoodie from Scott's closet, he didn't need anyone else seeing the bandage on his arm, Stiles left the room and made his way towards the kitchen.

Passing Melissa McCall's room, Stiles heard the nurse humming a tune he didn't recognise, meaning she was awake. Huh, usually he and Scott only heard her humming when they pressed their ears to the door trying to figure out their chance of sneaking downstairs to play video games at 2 in the morning. They weren't very good.

'She must feel like humming louder today', Stiles thought to himself whilst going downstairs, ignoring the nagging voice in his head telling him that he knew it wasn't true.

Helping himself to the ingredients in the McCall's cupboards and fridge, Stiles set off making pancakes. Blueberry for Melissa and Chocolate chip for himself and Scott. Halfway through cooking the first pancake, he heard Melissa's bedroom door open, and the woman came rushing downstairs in her pajama's "Scott why do I sm-!" Melissa froze at the kitchen door when she saw Stiles cooking instead of her son, then sighed in relief "Stiles, it's you, good, I thought Scott was cooking!" Stiles chuckled at that, it's a big mistake to allow Scott to use anything other than a kettle or microwave, though you should be wary when he uses a microwave. His chuckle was cut off when Melissa's expression changed from relieved to suspicious "Why are you here? On a school day? Does your father know? Why didn't I know?" She shot off quickly, placing her hands on her hips.

"I thought Scott called you when I called my dad, but apparently not." Stiles started, expertly flipping the pancake. "Last night, dad was called out because two joggers found a body in the woods, please don't tell him that I know! I plan to be shocked and appalled when it appears on the news. Anyway, at around 11 I got bored so I invited myself over here." Melissa rolled her eyes at that, but had a soft smile on her face as she made her way to the kitchen table. "Of course half way here, Roscoe decided to break down. I got help, and dropped off here, with the promise that Scott and I will be picked up and taken to the Jeep at 7. So all is good." Stiles felt bad about lying to the woman, but if he told her the truth... It wouldn't end well. He distracted her from the holes in his story by sliding a blueberry pancake onto a plate and placing it in front of her. That pancake was followed by five more before he started on the chocolate chip ones.

Stiles had received praises on his cooking from Melissa and served up two plates with half a dozen chocolate chip pancakes each when Scott finally walked downstairs, bag slung over his shoulder, Lacrosse Stick firmly attached.

"Morning mum," Scott greeted, kissing Melissa on the cheek. "Ooh pancakes." He snatched a plate before sitting opposite his mum at the table. He stuffed a pancake in his mouth, moaning at the taste. "M'm c'n sti'es wiv wif us?" he asked while chewing the food.

"No Scott, you need manners and apparently you don't have them when he's around" Melissa stated, cringing at her son. Stiles chuckled softly, turning off the stove and sitting at the table before stuffing himself with pancakes. His thoughts rapidly turned to the previous night and Derek, distracting him from his food.

"So, you boys still trying out for Lacrosse today?" Melissa asked, glancing at the Lacrosse stick on the floor, already knowing the answer. Thankfully, Scott remembered to swallow his food before replying this time.

"Yeah, I'm not going to be on the bench this year either mum, I'm gonna be first line." Scott announced proudly, smiling at his mum.

"That's great honey, I can't wait to see you play." Melissa beamed at her son, pleased with his confidence, she just hoped he wouldn't be let down. "How about you Stiles?"

Scott and Melissa looked at Stiles, surprised when he didn't immediately reply. They were even more shocked to see him staring at the table, a thoughtful expression on his face. His plate still held four pancakes, but he wasn't making a move to eat them.

"Stiles?" Scott asked carefully, leaning toward his best friend. The lanky boy continued to stare at the table intensely, mind working at a mile a minute.

"Stiles!" Scott yelled to him, finally gaining the boy's attention.

"Huh, what?" Scott looked at him in concern, eyes flickering to the uneaten pancakes, then back to his friend. "No, Scott you can't have my pancakes!" Stiles huffed out, pulling the plate closer to himself and proceeding to munch on another pancake. Stiles knew that his friend wasn't after them, but it was the best way to keep the McCall's from being concerned about him.

By the time Stiles had finished his breakfast, without any other incidents, it was 6.57. Derek would be there soon. Quickly, Stiles and Scott gathered up the plates, pans and other utensils and placed them haphazardly in the dishwasher. Just as Stiles turned it on, a car pulled up outside the house.

"That's our ride, see you later mum" Scott said, giving her another kiss on the cheek and grabbed his bag.

"Later Mrs. McCall." Stiles called, making his way to the front door with Scott.

"Bye boy's, have a good day." The door slammed shut before she'd even finished speaking.

Scott and Stiles made their way to the Camaro, the passenger door was open and waiting for them. Once again they both climbed in the back.

"Hey" Scott greeted as he fastened his seatbelt, Stiles repeating his best friend's actions.

"How are the bites?" Derek asked while he pulled out into the road and drove towards the preserve.

"They're..." Scott started, his signature puzzled expression appearing on his face. "They're fine." He looked to Stiles "Does yours hurt?"

"N-no," Sure it's one thing for his wound not to hurt right now, but Stiles couldn't ignore that Scott's was the same. Both of them suffering deep bite wounds and neither of them hurting the next day? Sure, it could be a coincidence, but his instincts screamed otherwise. "Not at all."

Stiles shrugged off his jacket and quickly peeled off the bandages. He was half expecting the wounds to be gross and deep, possibly oozing a little. However Stiles wasn't completely surprised to see that the bite on his arm was smaller than before, not as deep or wide, looking to be a few days old. How was this possible?

Looking up at Scott, he saw that his wound was also smaller. The best friends exchanged puzzled and awed looks.

"How is this possible?" Scott asked, looking from Stiles to Derek in shock. Shaking his head, Stiles subconsciously ran his right hand, again with no pain, over his buzz cut.

"I-I don't- Fuck, I don't know" He replied, looking to the stoic man driving the car, he asked "Do you?"

"Yes." Was the short reply, and Derek made no move to elaborate.

"Care to tell us?" Scott asked incredulously

"Later," Derek informed them, pulling up next to Stiles' Jeep, 'huh, that was quick' Stiles thought "Meet me here after Lacrosse." He spat the word like it had personally offended him. He shoved the passenger door open and yanked the seat forward. "Don't be late."

"Dude, you can't jus-" Stiles' protest was cut off by a steely glare from Derek, "See you after practice!" He said scrambling to get out of the car, quickly followed by Scott. The second the door shut, the sports car sped away, heading further up the path.

"Dude. What. The. Hell?" Scott's eyes were wide as they flickered back and forth from Stiles' face to his arm. "What the hell is going on?"

"I have no fucking clue, man." He walked towards Roscoe, quickly glancing in the back seat to make sure his School supplies were still there, they were, before opening the door and climbing into the Jeep with ease. "Get in dude, we gotta get going." Scott did as he was told and climbed on to the passenger seat.

By the time they had reached the school, the best friends were rambling theories. From radio-active spiders to government conspiracies.

"I still say it's something to do with whatever attacked us last night." Stiles informed Scott whilst flailing his arms around. Scott nodded in agreement.

"Yeah that wolf was freaky" As they walked past the bike racks that Scott usually used, Jackson Whittemore pulled up and proceeded to hit Scott with the car door.

"Dude," Jackson hissed, glaring at Scott "Watch the paint job!" As if it was Scott's fault. Leaving when a friend called out to him.

"Douche" Stiles muttered. Scott and Stiles proceeded to walk in silence until they stopped beside an empty bench. "Okay, let's get a better look at these things" Stiles rolled up his right jacket sleeve and Scott pulled up his shirt.

"Dude" They muttered in unison. Although the injuries were smaller, they were still rather deep. Showing just how badly they had been bitten. Covering their wounds, Scott and Stiles walked closer to the school.

"This is insane dude." Scott told Stiles, as he walked in front of him, then turned to face him. "I mean, we find a dead body, get attacked by a freaky red eyed wolf, now we both have weird healing powers! It's just-"

"-freaking awesome!" Stiles interrupted, finishing the sentence for his friend, despite knowing that Scott was going to say something else. "This is seriously going to be the best thing to happen to this town since" Stiles noticed his long time crush walking towards them "Since the birth of Lydia Martin! Hey Lydia, you look... Like you're gonna ignore me"

Scott resisted the urge to laugh as Stiles turned to him accusingly. "You're the cause of this, you know."

Scott simply nodded "uh huh."

"Dragging me down to you're nerd depths" The bell rang and the best friends began walking into the school

"Uh huh." Scott repeated, knowing his friend didn't mean what he was saying.

"I'm a nerd by association. I'm scarlet nerded by you."

The conversation continued in that manner until they reached class and had to separate to go to their desks. They each took out their supplies and half listened to the teacher. Then an interesting topic came up.

"As you all know, there indeed was a body found in the woods last night." Scott turned to look at Stiles, who smirked and winked at him. The two grinned at each other. "And I am sure that your eager little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios as to what happened. But I am here to tell you that the police have a suspect in custody." Scott shoots Stiles a confused look, who in turn, raises his hands in a defensive 'don't ask me' motion. "Which means you can give your undivided attention to the Syllabus on your desks" Many students groaned "Outlining this semester."

A shrill sound rang out as someone's phone went off, loudly. Scott and Stiles looked around the room, searching for the culprit, sharing shocked looks when they realised that nobody else was, as if they were the only ones who could hear it. A single beep cut off the ringing, then a girl's voice sounded, just not in the room. Looking out the window, both boys noticed a pretty brunette girl sat on the bench near the car park.

"Mum, three calls on my first day is a little over doing it." She spoke into the phone that was sandwiched between her head and right shoulder, both of her hands searching through her bag. Scott and Stiles exchanged a startled look before returning their attention to the girl. "Everything except a pen! Oh my god, I didn't actually forget a pen!" She sighed as the person, apparently her mum, replied, the said "Okay, okay, I gotta go, love you." She stood when the principal approached her apologised for 'keeping her waiting'.

Both boys followed the voices and footsteps as they grew louder, approaching the classroom door. The door opened and the new girl walked in behind the principal, looking shy and uncomfortable. "Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do the best to make her feel welcome."

The girl, Allison, doesn't say anything, simply walks in and sits at the empty desk, right behind Scott. He turns around and gives her a pen, she looks confused, but smiles gratefully, accepting the pen. "Thanks." She says with a smile. Scott smiles dopily back at her before turning back around, not noticing Allison's face turning back to confused and slightly suspicious as to how he could have known.

Stiles looked between Scott and Allison, thoughts coming and going quickly, from 'way to blend in dude' and 'that's not weird at all, Scotty!' to 'Scotty's got a crush' and 'If she wasn't so out of his league, they'd be cute together'.

Maybe he could help Scott win her over, but only after she had been interrogated, Stilinski style.

A/N: I hope this was okay, thanks for reading, please let me know what you think.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

Chapter 4: We're Werewolves, Grr

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Stiles has a few ideas about what's going on with and goes to Derek for answers. Meanwhile, Scott get's a date with Allison.

The Hale Pack: We're Werewolves! Grr

Maybe he could help Scott win her over, but only after she had been interrogated, Stilinski style.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the end of the day, Scott and Stiles were standing by Scott's locker, waiting until the time arrived to head to Lacrosse practice. Scott looked up and noticed Allison at the opposite side of the corridor. They looked at each other until Queen Bee, Lydia Martin strutted up to Allison and started up a conversation. Scott and Stiles listened in easily, but Stiles was more subtle, by pretending to check his phone.

"That jacket is absolutely killer. Where did you get it?" Lydia asked, both boys knew well enough to know that Allison was being tested right now. To see if she was 'suitable' for Lydia's clique.

Allison seemed a little startled at Lydia's approach, but answered the question anyway "My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco."

Lydia smiled approvingly "And you are my new best friend." She let out a giggle when Jackson approached and wrapped an arm around Lydia's waist "Hey Jackson" She greeted and kissed him.

Stiles decided to tune out at that, which was made easier when Tammy, a girl who was in multiple classes with him and Scott, approached and started a conversation. "Can someone tell me how New Girl is here all of five minutes," She looked over her shoulder at the group. "and she's already hanging out with Lydia's clique?"

"Because she's hot." Stiles stated simply while Scott continued to stare and listen in. At Tammy's annoyed look he elaborated. "Beautiful people herd together."

Scott continued to ignore Stiles and Tammy, opting to instead listen to the conversation between Lydia, Allison and Jackson.

"So, this week-end, there's a party." Lydia informed Allison.

"A party?"

"Yeah, Friday night, you should come." Jackson said, using his right arm to lean against the lockers, left arm holding Lydia.

Allison feigned disappointment "Oh, I can't, it's family night on Friday... But thanks for asking." Stiles' new hearing picked up on that, mainly because of the way Allison's heart stuttered over 'family night'. She was lying. Forcing himself to keep up his argument of Batman vs Superman with Tammy, Stiles idly wondered if Scott picked up on it too.

Scott, in fact, did not pick up Allison's heartbeat. He continued to listen and stare as Jackson tried to talk Allison into going to the party "You're sure? Everyone's going after the game."

"You mean like football?" Allison asked.

"Football is a joke here." Jackson laughed "Are you kidding? The sport here is Lacrosse. We've won state championship for the past two years."

Lydia looked up at Jackson and played with his hair, openly bragging "Because of the team captain!"

Jackson allowed a smug grin to take over his face "We practice in a few minutes. If you don't have anything else to do..."

Allison started to protest "Well, I was going to-" When Lydia cut her off.

"Perfect! You come!" Allison gave Scott another smile as Lydia grabbed her hand and led her in the direction of the field.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was pointlessly trying to talk Scott out of playing. "But if you play, I won't have anyone to talk to on the bench! Are you really gonna do that to your best friend?"

Scott regarded Stiles with annoyance "I can't stay out again. My whole life is sitting on the side lines. This season I make first line." There was no stutter or blip in Scott's heart beat. His voice was determined and steady. He was serious about this. So Stiles just nodded and headed to the bench in resignation. He might bitch about Scott leaving him on the bench alone, but at the end of the day Stiles would support his best friend no matter what. Well, unless he was being a complete dumbass, then Stiles would attempt to talk some sense into him.

Scott noticed as Allison sits on the bleachers with Lydia. When she spots him, the two share yet another smile. Stiles rolls his eyes at the exchange 'If they ever get together, half of their relationship will just be sitting and smiling at each other'.

Scott's eye's finally left Allison, when the coach called to him "McCall!"

"Yeah?"

"You're in goal!" Coach informed him while tossing multiple items of equipment at him.

Scott looked at Coach in confusion. "I've never played..."

"I know," Coach states simply "scoring some points will give the boys a confidence boost. It's a 'first day back' thing! Get 'em energised! Fire it up!" Stiles clenched his fists. How dare Coach talk to Scott like that? A low growl left Stiles' throat, startling him. He unclenched his fists and took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm himself down. Stiles was aghast by his own anger. He never gets worked up like that! Sure he gets annoyed, but he was ready to stand up and punch Coach!

"What about me?" Scott asked, a trace of hurt in his voice.

Coach patted Scott's cheek "Try to not take any in the face." He turned his back on Scott to face the rest of the team. "Let's go! Come on!"

Allison kept her eyes fixed on Scott, who now stood in front of the goal, and asked Lydia "Who is that?"

Following Allison's line of vision to Scott, Lydia tilted her head slightly "Him? I'm not sure who he is..." Not that Scott or Stiles were surprised by that answer "Why?"

Allison still didn't take her eye's off of Scott, wow she was crushing on him as badly as he was on her! Seriously? They just met that day! "He's in my English class." She said with a smile.

If either girl said anything else, neither Scott nor Stiles heard it over the amplified sound of the whistle. Both teens cover their ears with their hands, desperately trying to block out the awful sound. This distraction caused Scott to get hit in the face by a ball, sending him to the ground. Coach and the rest of the team laughed. Disappointment was clear on Scott and Stiles' faces, but for Scott that quickly transformed into determination.

The next player ran up, and shot the ball to Scott's right at a high speed and Scott... Caught it. Stiles cheered for his best friend, in slight surprise. Shot after shot, Scott caught them all. Stiles designated himself as Scott's personal cheerleader, letting out various shouts and whoops.

Allison watched as Scott played spectacularly "He seems pretty good."

Lydia watched Scott in slight awe and agreed, "Uh, very good!"

Jackson attempted to intimidate Scott by kicking up dirt and glaring at the boy before charging forward and shooting a spectacular and powerful shot. A shot that Scott caught with ease. Everyone applauded Scott, impressed and awed, except for Jackson who was glaring daggers at him.

Stiles followed his own cheering with a brag of "That is my friend!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Stiles were walking through the woods, splashing in water and climbing over logs, while Scott tried to explain how he pulled off the incredible saves in practice.

"I don't know what it was! It was like... I had all the time in the world to catch the ball! And that's not the only weird thing. I hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear, I smell things-"

Stiles interrupted at that "You smell things? I mean the hearing things, I got too, like, I heard Allison's phone call to her mum. Coach's damn whistle made me feel like my ears were about to bleed! And apart from a smell that's been lingering all day, I haven't noticed anything. What do you smell?"

Scott looked at him, "For one, the mint mojito gum in your pocket."

Stiles shoved his hand in his pocket "What mint mojito gum?" A few seconds later he pulls a wrapped piece of said gum out of his pocket "Dude, thank you, that smell has been bugging me all day! So all of this is because of these bites, right?"

"What if it's like an infection? Like... our bodies are flooding with adrenaline before a shock or something?!" Scott asked worriedly

"We can ask Derek, who we're supposed to be meeting at the entrance. Right now, by the way." Scott ignored him and kept walking "You know what, I actually think I've heard of this... It's a specific kind of infection."

This caught Scott's attention "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Stiles nodded "I think it's called 'lycanthropy'."

Scott's eyes widened in concern "What is that? Is that bad?"

Stiles nodded seriously "Oh, yeah, it's the worst! But only once a month."

"Once a month?" Ah, there was the classic confused Scott McCall look.

"Uh-huh. On the night of the full moon."

He imitated a wolf howling. Scott, who was very serious, hit him and continued walking.

"Come on, that was funny" Stiles laughed

Scott glared at Stiles "It's not funny, there could be seriously something wrong with us!"

"I know! We're werewolves!" He growled playfully, making claw shapes with his hands "Okay, obviously I'm kidding. But if you see me gathering up as many chains as I can find, it's because Friday's a full moon"

Scott chose to ignore Stiles. He stopped in place, looking at the spot that had held a body the night before. "I could have sworn it was here. I remember the stags running, I dropped my inhaler, the body was there. This is it, right?"

Stiles nodded "Yeah it was definitely here. Maybe the killer moved the body." He suggested with a shrug

Scott crouched down to search among the leaves "If he did, I hope he left my inhaler, those thing costs like eighty bucks"

"I don't know why you're even looking for it, whatever's causing these awesome new abilities of ours clearly cured your asthma. You haven't needed it all day dude!" Stiles turns around to see Derek staring at them, looking pretty pissed off. "Dude" He smacked Scott's shoulder in warning as Derek approached.

"What are you doing here? Huh? This is private property! I told you to meet me at the entrance, not trespass!" He stated in annoyance.

"Hum... Sorry, man, we didn't know. This is where we were attacked last night, Scott dropped his inhaler" Stiles explained, rubbing his buzz cut nervously.

"Yeah we were just looking for it, but it doesn't look like it's here anymore." Scott said, disappointment clear in his voice as he tried to think of how to explain the loss to his mum.

Derek promptly pulled an object out of his pocket and tossed it at Scott, who caught it with ease. "Found it this morning" He then turned around and began striding deeper into the woods "Follow me"

The teens do as instructed, but of course Stiles had to question the man "I thought you said this was private property?"

"It is." Derek states "It's mine"

The walk was silent after that. Weaving through trees, hoping over logs and ducking under branches with complete ease. Like it was a second nature to them. Stiles was confused, usually he would have stumbled or fallen multiple times by now. Along with his new abilities, his reflexes must have improved. Well, hey, who was he to argue with a good thing?

After several minutes, the three males approached a clearing. In the middle of said clearing, the burnt out ruins of what used to be a house stood. The Hale house.

Derek stopped three feet in front of the house, body tense, eyes fixed on what was once his family home.

"Six years ago, someone lit my family's home on fire," Wait, someone? Wasn't it ruled an accident? "After making sure that there were people trapped inside. Children were trapped inside, the youngest was my six month old cousin!" Anger was clear in Derek's voice as he spoke. "Innocent people died in agony, just because of what some of us are!" What they are? "They hate us for something that isn't our fault. We were born like this. They never hurt anyone." His voice had turned venomous by this point "My family was innocent. Hunters killed them without remorse, just because of what we are."

"What do you mean 'what you are'?" Stiles asked, although a voice in his head was screaming the answer. They were, Scott and Stiles were becoming-

"Werewolves"

This apparently annoyed Scott, who huffed and snapped out "Seriously, did you two plan this together or something?" He asked gesturing between Derek and Stiles in annoyance. "Whatever, I gotta get to work, let's go."

Stiles didn't follow, looking from Scott to Derek in uncertainty. "I don't know dude, I think we should hear him out!"

"Are you seriously doing this?! Ugh, whatever. Give me the keys, I need to get to work." At Stiles' hesitation, Scott said "Look it's up to you, either drive me to work, or let your new pranking buddy take you home!"

Much to Scott's surprise, and his own, Stiles tossed the keys to Roscoe to Scott. "Don't crash him!" Scott sighed at Stiles, then walked away.

"Look dude," Derek turned to face him with a slight glare at being called 'dude' "I don't know what's going on or what's happening to me, but I know it's more than just adrenaline. So I'm going out on a limb here. But I'm gonna need proof for what you're saying. Not about the fire, your version actually makes more sense. But about werewolves and hunters. I'm open minded but I do need-" Derek chose that moment to shift. "Proof..." Stiles took in every detail of Derek's shifted face. Ridges appeared on his forehead, his eyebrows completely disappearing. Hair had appeared on his cheeks, fangs in his mouth, his ears had grown and became pointed. But it was his eyes that really drew Stiles' attention. They were glowing, freaking glowing! And were now blue, a piercing blue that drew Stiles in.

Without thinking, Stiles stepped closer and closer to Derek. Eye's scanning his new face. He raised his right hand and softly pressed it to Derek's cheek. Thumb running over the newly grown hair. His breath caught in awe. He moved his hand to feel the ridges on Derek's forehead. Then to the point of his fangs. Then to his chin as he ran his thumb over Derek's lower lip, before settling back on his cheek. Stiles' eyes returned to Derek's, which were searching his face, looking for a sign of fear or disgust, he was shocked as he found not even a trace of either. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like hours. Stiles' heart sped up when Derek's eyes melted back to their regular colour. Stiles felt the hair recede under his hand and idly noticed as the ridges disappeared and his eyebrows re-appeared. He could hear Derek's heartbeat picking up, just before he turned away, snapping Stiles out of his trance.

Stiles quickly pulled his hand away, looking at the ground in embarrassment. "S-sorry, um, I di- I'm sorry."

Derek cleared his throat "That enough proof for you?" he asked, ignoring Stiles' apologies while taking subtle but deep breaths through his nose in an attempt to slow his racing heart.

"Ye-yeah" Stiles nodded "So, what attacked me and Scott last night, that was a werewolf?" Derek nodded "But it was different to you, it was an actual wolf. And it's eyes were red, not blue."

"That's because it was an Alpha. I'm a Beta, so are you and Scott. But your eye's will be amber, not blue." Derek told him. "Unlike you, I was born a werewolf. most of my family were too, though some were human."

"Your family, dude, I don't know how to say this, b-but the b-body it was-" Stiles started, wringing his hands nervously

"Laura. I know." Derek refused to meet Stiles' eyes. "After I left you two last night I followed your scent's to where you were attacked and found her."

"Wait, did you move her?" Stiles asked in shock.

"Yes." Derek replied "She's buried the way she should be."

"What are you, stupid?" Derek glared holes into Stiles, who kept rambling "She'll be found eventually dude, and when she is,you'll be the cops number one suspect! Seriously? But wait, was she a werewolf too? If so, why would this Alpha kill her?"

"If they find her, the cops will eventually rule it an animal related death. I will be let out. And yes, she was. It killed her for her power. She became the Alpha when our mother died. When a werewolf kills an Alpha, they become the Alpha."

"So does that mean we're a part of it's pack? Because, I don't really mind being a wolf, but I don't want to be in a pack with a psychotic murderer." Stiles told him, waving his arms about.

"No, it'll try to get us to join it's pack, but we can say no. Although from what I've learnt about this Alpha, I don't think it'll take rejection well." Stiles nodded in understanding.

"Will we have to kill it?" Stiles asked, biting his lip lightly.

"I think we will, but that'll mean one of us will become Alpha."

"That should be you right? I mean you've been a wolf all your life, you'd be better at it than me or Scott." He pointed out, shrugging slightly.

"Not necessarily." Derek informed him, shaking his head "I was trained to be a Beta, not an Alpha. So it depends on how you and Scott take to the change. It'll be a struggle at first. You'll find yourself angrier, more irritable. The shift can be caused by anger or anything that raises your pulse, so you need to learn to control it, it's possible to real it in. Difficult, but possible." Stiles nodded, soaking in all the information.

"What else do you want to know?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. Stiles grinned allowing his head to flood with all of his questions, Derek instantly knew he was going to regret asking.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night, Scott was at the Animal Clinic, closing up for the night. His boss had already left, so he took the opportunity to check his wound again. When he lifted his shirt, his eyes widened when there was nothing there. Not even a mark!

Shaking his head in disbelief, he dropped his shirt and set to work. Dragging a bag of cat litter, Scott made his way to the cat area of the clinic. "Hey kitties," He greeted, walking backwards into the room. The cat's started meowing and hissing at him, jumping around in their cages. Scott looked around the room in shock and slight fear, backing out and slamming the door behind him.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the clinic door, Scott looked to see who was there. Allison.

She was soaked from the rain, a panicked look on her face as she looked over her shoulder, knocking again. Scott walked up and opened the door. Looking at Allison, Scott notices that she's crying "I didn't see it," She sobbed "I took my eyes off the road for like two seconds to change the music on my Ipod and then this dog, it just came out of nowhere!"

Scott tried to console her with a comforting tone "Hey, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright... Do you remember where it happens so I can send animal control to find?"

Allison shook her head "No! I mean, yes, I remember where I hit it, but the dog is-"

"Where? Where is it?"

"It's in my car." Allison led Scott back to her car. When she opened the trunk, the dog barked at her, causing her to flinch and back away.

Scott looked to Allison and put his hand on her arm in an attempt to comfort her. "You okay?" She nodded "She's just frightened." Scott informed her.

"That makes two of us." Allison said softly, shivering at the cold.

"Let's see if I have any better luck." Scott said and bent down so that he was at eye level with the dog. When he looked at her, Scott's eyes turned amber, without him realising. The animal immediately calmed down and allowed Scott to pick her up so he could carry her into the clinic, with Allison close behind.

Scott soon had the dog lying on a metal table calmly, while he assessed her injuries. "I think her leg is broken." He told Allison "I've seen the doctor do plenty of splints, I can do it myself and give her a painkiller for now.

He looked at the wet shirt clinging to Allison and finally noticed that she was shivering from the cold. "I have a shirt in my bag."

Allison smiled at him gratefully but shook her head "Oh, I don't want to trouble you.."

Scott turned and picked up the shirt anyway, giving it to her without a second thought "Here."

Allison smiled in gratitude once more before leaving the room to change. Scott could see her naked back through the window of the door. The dog looked at him and whined softly in what seemed like disapproval.

Scott looked at the dog "What? I didn't see anything." The dog laid back down and Scott began preparing the splint.

Allison strolled back into the room adjusting the oversized shirt "Thanks for doing this. I feel really stupid!"

Scott beamed at her and asked "How come?"

Allison shrugged slightly "I don't know... Because I freaked out like a total girl."

Scott grinned at her while working on the splint "You are a girl."

"I freaked out like a girly girl and I'm not a girly girl." She chuckled softly, looking down at the table.

"What kind of girl are you?" Scott inquired curiously, wanting to know more about the girl he was already crushing on.

"Tougher than that." Allison looked at him with her chin up high "At least I thought I was."

Scott simply continued smiling at her "Hey, I'd be freaked out too." He looked back at the dog, and worked on the splint "In fact, I would probably cry. And not like a man, like the biggest girly girl ever." This pulled a laugh out of both of them. "It'd be pathetic."

Allison giggled some more, "Yeah, right."

"So... It looks like she's gonna live." Scott informed Allison, satisfied with his work. "And I'm pretty sure she'll let you pet her now, if you want."

Allison shook her head "I don't think so." a guilty expression plagued her face

"Oh, come on. You don't want her to sue. I hear this breed is very litigious." He jested causing Allison to roll her eyes slightly but pet the dog anyway, who stays calm.

"You see? She likes you." Scott said, staring at Allison.

Allison noticed his staring and looked up at him "What?"

Scott shook his head, snapping himself out of his stupor. "Oh, sorry, you have a eye-lash on you cheek"

Allison nodded in realisation "From the crying" She wiped the shirt sleeve along her cheek but didn't manage to get rid of the eye lash, so Scott reached over and gently wiped it away with his thumb.

Allison smiled shyly at him "Thanks." He smiled before looking down only to steal a quick glance at her a second later.

No long after, Scott walked with Allison to her car. "So, um, I was wondering, I mean... Is it really family night on Friday? Or you think maybe you'd like to go to that party with me?" He smiled nervously at the beautiful girl in front of him.

"Family night was a total lie" She admitted looking both sheepish and hopeful at once.

"So is that a yes, you'll go?" Scott asked hopefully. Delight flooded him when Allison graced him with a beautiful smile.

"Definitely yes." Allison confirmed then climbed in her car and waved at Scott before driving away.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night Scott fell asleep on his bed, with a smile on his face... And woke up in the woods, wearing nothing but his sweatpants. He tried to find his way home but didn't get very far before he found Stiles, who also looked confused, wearing his batman pajamas.

"Dude, what's going on, why are we here?" Scott demanded hoping that Stile would have the answers, but that hope was quickly crushed.

Stiles flailed his arms around while shaking his head, shooting Scott an incredulous look. "I don't know man, I fell asleep at home last night, then woke up here!"

"Me too." The best friends shared a look of unease, then they heard a noise. Looking around Stiles saw a shape through the fog, and his consternation increased when he noticed a pair of glowing red eyes.

"The Alpha," He whispered and two pairs of eyes zoned in on him.

"Wha-" Scott started to ask before he also spotted the red eyed wolf. "Shit."

Stiles grabbed Scott's bare arms pulling him away "Run!" and so they did. They eventually came to a fence, which they jumped with ease only to find themselves landing in a swimming-pool. A man who was watering his flowers observed them with confusion.

Scott greeted the man politely "Morning." and Stiles waved nervously.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.
Sorry it's going kind of slow, but I wanted to focus on the build up and establish how the change affects the characters (mainly Stiles) and how different things will be when Stiles fully understands what Scott is struggling with. It'll start to pick up in this chapter, then get into the action and things in the next chapter.

Chapter 5: Confrontation

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Things will pick up in this chapter. With Jackson, Lacrosse and the full moon, the friends have a lot to deal with.

The Hale Pack: Confrontation

Scott greeted the man politely "Morning." and Stiles waved nervously.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

About 15 minutes later, Stiles approached his house, dripping wet. Man, he hoped that no one saw him. Apart from that guy who's pool they had jumped into at least.

The guy was kind enough to not call the police once he and Scott had promised to leave his property and stay away. Now Stiles had to figure out a way to sneak into his house without his dad catching him.

"Have a nice swim?" A voice called out from behind him. Spinning around in panic, Stiles sighed in relief when he saw Derek standing there.

"Dude, you scared the crap outta me!" Stiles snapped, waving his hands in annoyance. "What are you doing here?"

"I think a better question would be, what were you doing in the woods this morning?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know man, Scott and I just woke up there!" He explained, flailing his arms for emphasis. "Then we saw the Alpha, ran away and ended up in some guy's pool."

"You saw the Alpha?"

"Yeah, but I didn't get close enough to catch it's scent. I just grabbed Scott and ran." Stiles looked at the ground shamefaced.

"You did the right thing, you're not ready to face it yet. Tonight's the full moon, you need to get ready." Derek informed him"You'll be irritable today. Be careful. Keep an eye on Scott too. You both need to come to my house tonight. They'll be hunters out tonight, so get there before sunset."

Stiles nodded, he was about to respond when his enhanced ears picked up on his dad moving around inside the house. "Shit look, can we talk later? I need to find a way to sneak past my dad and get to my room. Hopefully without soaking the enti-"

"The window" Derek interrupted Stiles' rant.

"Huh?"

"You're bedroom window. You can easily make the jump." Derek told him seriously.

Stiles made his way around to his bedroom window. Looking up at it in disbelief. "Don't think too much. Let your wolf take over. It'll guide you." Stiles closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Embracing his wolf.

He opened his eyes, his vision red as he focused on his target. With amber eyes and ears sharpening to points, he took several steps backwards. Paused. Then took three quick strides forwards. Leaping up, Stiles gripped his window sill with ease. He pushed his window open with one hand and swung himself through the gap, landing silently in a crouch.

Stiles broke out his daze when Derek leapt through the window, gliding over him and landing just as silently. "You did good," He informed Stiles as the two stood up, then turned to face him with a grin. "I was expecting to have to catch you."

"What?" Stiles demanded in a hushed voice. "You said I could easily make it!" He glared at the elder wolf in annoyance.

"You could, and did, but most don't make it on the first try, especially with such a short run up. You're a natural." Derek praised him, in a steady tone. Trying not to show just how impressed he was.

Stiles blushed, looking at his bare feet sheepishly "Um, I-I should, um, I should get ready for school, so..."

"Yeah, of course." Derek headed back towards the window, starting to climb out, while Stiles started to grab a new set of clothes. "Oh, and one more thing." Derek stopped, leg's hanging out of the window.

"Yeah?" Stiles turned to him and Derek's eyes raked over his body.

"I like your pajamas" Derek smirked at him and jumped out of the window.

Stiles stared at the window in awe and embarrassment for a second, then shook his head, gathered his clothes and a towel and went to take a shower.

15 minutes later, Stiles was dressed and heading downstairs, when he heard his dad's voice. "Wolf hair? Are you sure? You're telling me that a wolf killed that girl and ripped her in half?" Stiles couldn't hear the reply, just a slight static noise. "Okay, okay, let me know if you find anything else." He heard a beep as his dad hung up the phone followed by a frustrated sigh.

Stiles continued making his way downstairs, making his way to the kitchen where he knew his dad was.

"Mornin' dad." He greeted, his dad was sat at the table, coffee in one hand, case file in the other. "Whatcha got there?" Stiles made a move to look at the file, even though he knew most of the information, but his dad would be suspicious if he didn't. As expected, Noah moved the file away from his son, placing it face down on the table.

"Something you're not allowed to read." He stated. Stiles raised his hands in defense, backing away from his father and towards the fridge.

"Okay, okay! What do you want for breakfast? Oatmeal? Fruit? Rais-" He asked while searching through the fridge.

"Bacon? Eggs? Pancakes?" Noah interrupted, looking at Stiles with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not healthy, we're eating healthy!" He told his dad, head buried in the fridge. With the sheriff under the illusion that he was looking for ingredients, Stiles took the opportunity to get used to the new, surprisingly different, scent of food. In some cases, such as eggs, fruits and vegetables, the scent was relatively the same, just stronger. but processed food was a different story. He could smell each individual chemical. It made his nose itch and eyes water. Blinking, he pulled his head out of the fridge as his dad protested.

"Come on, Stiles! This is a really stressful case! One good breakfast won't kill me!" The sheriff argued.

"True," Stiles nodded in agreement. "But add it to the stress, and all of the greasy food you eat at lunch that you think I don't know about, and it might."

"Stiles.." The Sheriff sighs. Stiles huffs, resigned, picking up on his dad's exhaustion and stress.

"Fine, you can have an omelette." His dad smiled at him. "But, you're having vegetables in it!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott was in a corridor going through his locker, when Jackson came to him, a threatening air surrounding him, and slammed the locker door shut.

"Alright, little man, how about you tell me where you're getting your juice?"

Scott was both startled and confused by Jackson "What?"

Jackson stared at Scott, putting more threat into his words this time "Where. Are you. Getting. Your juice?"

Scott looked around confused, as if expecting to see someone filming him as part of a prank, why was Jackson asking him about juice? "My mom does all the grocery shopping..." He informed him.

Jackson looked at him like he was an idiot, before deciding that Scott was probably just trying to throw him off. "Now listen, McCall, you're gonna tell me exactly what it is and who you're buying it from because there's no way in hell you're kicking ass on the field like that, without some sort of chemical boost."

Scott's eyes widened in realisation "Oh, you mean steroids!" His look turned accusing "Are you on steroids?"

Jackson turned annoyed at his lack of answers and pinned Scott against a locker "What the hell is going on with you McCall?!" He demanded angrily.

Scott yelled right back at him "What's going on with me? You really want to know? Well, so would I! Because I can see, hear and smell things that I shouldn't be able to see, hear and smell! I do things that should be impossible, I'm sleepwalking three miles into the middle of the woods and I'm pretty much convinced that I'm totally out of my freaking mind!" Scott sighed in relief at letting everything out.

Jackson let out a chuckle "You think you're funny? Don't you, McCall? I know you're hiding something. I'm gonna find out what it is. I don't care how long it takes." Jackson slammed his fist against a locker, right next to Scott's head, before walking away.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles ran up to Scott on the Lacrosse field before practice started. "Scott! Scott, wait up!"

Scott looked at Stiles in annoyance "Stiles, I'm playing the first elimination, man. Can it wait?"

Stiles shook his head, placing a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Just hold on, okay? I overheard my dad on the phone. The fiber analysis came back from the lab in L.A. They found animal hair on the body from the woods!"

Scott picked up his gear, ignoring his best friend "Stiles, I gotta go."

Stiles yelled, chasing after him "Wait, no, Scott! You're not gonna believe what animal it was!" He stopped, staring as Scott ignored him and walked away. Lowering his voice in resignation, Stiles said "It was a wolf."

Coach hollered at the team as they herded around him "Let's go, gather 'round! Come on, come on!"

Scott spotted Allison making her way to the bleachers, when she noticed him looking her way, she smiled softly and waved to him. Scott grinned, waving back.

Coach happened to look towards Scott at that moment and noticed his hand up. "You got a question, McCall?"

Scott looked at him confused "What?"

"You raised your hand, you have a question?"

Scott shook his head "Oh, no, I was just, er... Nothing, sorry."

Coach nodded "Okay." He turned, looking around at the rest of the team. "You know how this goes. If you don't make the cut, you're most likely sitting on the bench for the rest of the season. You make the cut, you're playing! Your parents are proud. Your girlfriend loves you! Everything else is, uh, cream cheese. Now get out there and show me what you've got!"

The team cheered, making their way to the field and soon the game began. Scott quickly got the ball, only to be knocked to the ground by Jackson. Which made him angry. When the whistle sounded again, Scott and Jackson were in the middle of the pitch, ready to fight for the ball. Scott took possession of the ball and gave an amazing performance of skill. Spinning and sweeping past the other players, flipping over a wall of three, before shooting the ball into the goal with perfect precision. Everyone watched him with dumbfounded eyes and applauded him in amazement.

Coach called out to Scott with wide eyes "McCall! Get over here!" When Scott reached him, he continued. "What in God's name was that? This a Lacrosse field!" Scott looked at Coach in shock "What, you're trying up for the gymnastic team?!"

Scott shook his head "No, coach..."

Coach pointed to the goal "What the hell was that?"

Scott mentally shrugged, looking at Coach with wide eyes "I don't know... I was just trying to make the shot."

"Yeah, well you made the shot." Coach said, a grin forming on his face "And guess what... You're starting, buddy. You made first line!"

Everyone applauds again, except Stiles who seemed worried.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles needed to talk to Scott about everything. They needed to get to Derek before sunset. Stiles tried to tell Scott about the wolf hair, hoping it would get him to accept the possibility, but he was too busy making first line. That was part of the reason why Stiles needed to convince Scott, so he could try to blend in. Before he got bit, Scott could barely stand up straight and would literally trip over his own feet, and now he can do flips and move swiftly and it's not right. No one became that good and fit overnight, others would pick up on that too. So Stiles was in his room looking up information about lycanthropy to show Scott. Trying to find the most accurate information, based on what Derek told him, knowing it'd be easier to persuade Scott with proof.

Stiles could hear Scott making his way into his house and up to his room, but he forgot to tune out when Scott knocked on his door. A loud knock that hurt his ears, causing him to flinch a jump. "Get in here," Stiles demanded when he opened the door to see Scott. "You gotta see this, dude. I've been researching since I got home, reading, websites and books, all of this information." Not really a lie, most of his information he got from Derek, then gathered resources as prop's to back it up.

"How much Adderall did you have today?" Scott asked bemusedly.

"A lot," Stiles answers as Scott chuckles, though it didn't seem to work. Maybe it was a werewolf metabolism thing? He'd ask Derek later. "Doesn't matter, just listen."

"Is this about the body and who did it?" Scott inquired as he tossed his bag to the ground and sat on Stiles' bed.

"No, they're still questioning people; even Derek." Yup, he heard from his dad that Derek was in for questioning. Stiles hoped Derek would be let out in time to help them.

"The guy who helped us out, then tried to convince us that we're werewolves in the woods yesterday?" Scott asked, only for confirmation, while rolling his eyes.

"Yes." Stiles exclaimed. "But I think he was serious Scott" Stiles told him, continuing before Scott can protest. "I'm serious Scott, this isn't a joke anymore. The wolf, the bite in the woods. I started doing all this reading. Do you even know why a wolf howls?"

"Should I?"

"It's a signal," Stiles replies. "Okay? When a wolf's alone, it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack" Stiles stands up from his chair, flailing. "So we heard wolf howling, it means others could be nearby, maybe a whole pack of them."

"A whole pack of wolves?" Scott asked, seemingly forgetting the starting point of the conversation.

"No," Stiles sighed "Werewolves."

"Are you seriously wasting my time with this?" Scott stood up angrily, ready to storm out. "You know I'm picking up Allison in an hour."

Stiles puts his hands on Scott's shoulder to stop him from walking out. "I saw you on the field today Scott and what you did today wasn't just amazing but impossible."

"So I made a good shot," Scott responded, ready to leave but Stiles stopped him, moving Scott's bag from the floor to the bed, preventing Scott from grabbing it.

"You made an incredible shot. I mean the way you move, your speed and reflexives, you know that people can't suddenly do that overnight. And there's the vision and senses and I've already mentioned that you never use your inhaler anymore." Stiles tried to get through to Scott, to no avail.

"Okay, dude," Scott yells. "I can't think about this right now. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Scott yelled, his eyes widening "What? No, the full moon's tonight!"

"What are you trying to do?" Scott thundered, feeling betrayed that Stiles was seemingly trying to ruin the good days he's been having. "I just made first line, I've got a date with a girl, who I can't believe wants to go out with me and everything in my life is somehow perfect, why are you trying to ruin it?"

"I'm trying to help." Stiles replied, a hurt look etched on his face. Scott should know Stiles well enough to realise that he's not trying to hurt him, only help. "We're werewolves, Scott and the full moon doesn't just physically change us but also increases our bloodlust."

"Bloodlust?" Scott glared at him.

"Yeah, the urge to kill."

"I'm already feeling the urge to kill Stiles."

"You have to hear this," Stiles grabbed one of the books. "The change can be caused by anger or anything that raises your pulse. Alright? I haven't seen anyone raise your pulse like Allison does. You have to cancel this date."

Stiles moved over to Scott's bag and searched for his cellphone. Once it was in his hand, Stiles turned to walk back to his desk "I'm calling her right now."

"What are you doing?" Scott demanded fiercely.

"I'm canceling the date."

Once the words left his mouth Scott pushed Stiles against the wall and yelled "No, give it to me!" Scott raised his fist, ready to punch Stiles. Scott and Stiles had had their share of arguments over many years of friendship, but not once had they ever gone to intentionally hurt each other.

Stiles felt his fear call to his wolf to protect him. It did. Stiles wasn't in control as his eyes turned amber or as his own voice roared out "Stop!"

Scott recoiled at the sight of his best friend. Stumbling backwards until he was sat on Stiles' bed again. "How- how did you? What? I..."

"I told you dude, we're werewolves." He stated, walking towards Scott. His eyes were still glowing when he handed Scott his phone. "Now cancel the date, we need to get to Derek. He can help us control it."

Scott shook his head, determined to repudiate Stiles' claims, "No you need to get to Derek, this is happening to you not me! He turned you, not me!" Stiles sighed in annoyance and disbelief.

"First of all: Derek didn't turn us, that was a different wolf, an Alpha. Second of all: It's happening to you too! You can't honestly believe that you just happened to become amazing at everything the day after you got bitten by a werewolf, and not be turning!" Stiles exclaimed.

"I-I don't know dude, but I've gotta go get ready for the party. Scott said as he grabbed his bag and marched out of Stiles' room.

"Dude, you can't jus-"

"I've got to go." Scott said, slamming the door shut behind him. Sighing in frustration, Stiles flopped on to his chair and flung his head back to stare at the ceiling. Shit. He needed to talk to Derek.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

Chapter 6: First Full Moon

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Stiles and Derek exchange numbers, Scott goes on his date, Allison meets Stiles and Derek, the best friends struggle with the full moon and hunters.

Shit. He needed to talk to Derek.

Stiles sat wide eyed for a minute, before springing into action. Stiles stood and grabbed his own phone. Half way through scrolling down his contacts list, he realised that he didn't have Derek's number or anyway to contact him. Double shit. Wait. He's at the station, being questioned, by the Sheriff, his dad. Nodding to himself, Stiles stood.

He packed his laptop, laptop charger, phone charger and a spare set of clothes into his backpack, then he noticed Scott's inhaler on his bed. It must have fallen out of Scott's bag. He pulled on his red hoodie, shoved the inhaler and his phone into the pocket then made his way to the kitchen.

Stiles prepared a delicious, yet healthy, lunch for his father. He packed it neatly in a plastic tub and placed it delicately in his bag.

Less than twenty minutes later, Stiles was pulling up outside the police station. The first thing that caught his eye was the sleek black Camaro parked opposite him. Sighing in relief, Stiles gracefully jumped out of his jeep and locked it behind him, he made his way into the station.

It was easy to get past the front desk and to his dad's office. Through the glass, he saw Derek sitting on a chair opposite his father's desk. Tapping into his wolfy hearing, Stiles listened in to the questioning.

"So, do you have any idea as to why your sister was out there that night?" Sheriff Stilinski asked. 'Ah, so the cops found out that the victim is Laura.'

"Probably out for a late night run and to visit the wreckage." Derek said, eyes downcast to the floor.

"Was that a regular thing for her? Late night runs?"

"It used to be, it was a family thing. When we moved to New York, she stopped, going in the morning instead. Less danger." Stiles heard Derek's heart jump at that as he looked up at the Sheriff. "We grew up in these woods. We always felt safe there. But now..." Anger and grief was rolling off of Derek in waves, hitting Stiles full force. He had enough of listening, so knocked on the door. Both occupants of the room turned to look at him, but he knew that Derek had known he was there. The sheriff opened the door allowing Stiles in the room.

"Hey dad, I brought you lunch!" He announced cheerfully, putting his bag on the desk and pretending to just notice Derek. "Oh, am I interrupting something?"

"No, we're just about finished here. Mr Hale, this is my son, Stiles." Sheriff Stilinski said, indicating to his son. Derek's face contorted into a 'what the hell?' expression.

"Your name is Stiles Stilinski?" His voice was dripping with disbelief as his left eyebrow crawled up his forehead. However, the light of humor and mischief in his eyes gave him away, at least to Stiles.

"No, s'just a nickname." Stiles winked at Derek, who nodded in understanding.

"So what's your real name then." Curiosity was etched on Derek's face. Legitimate this time, he really wanted to know.

"Don't I wish I knew!" The sheriff scoffed, earning him a confused look, so he elaborated. "We named him after his mother's father, who's Polish. I can't even begin to pronounce it! His mother was the only one who ever could. Stiles is a family nickname, my father used it and his father, I didn't. But Claudia said if we were gonna give him her father's name, we'd also give him my father's nickname, so at least people could refer to him with butchering the pronunciation." Derek nodded, taking in the information.

"You're so full of it, you can pronounce it perfectly. Okay, now that we're done with my life story, I brought you lunch." Stiles said, looking to his dad. "Are you gonna be home tonight? Cause' I probably won't. There's this party at Lydia's house that Scott is determined to go to." Stiles pulled the plastic container out of his bag, handing it to his dad. He could feel Derek's eyes on him, now focusing on his every word since the mention of Scott. "I tried to talk him out of it, but he won't budge. He's just ignoring every bit of logic that I throw at him, so I decided to be a good friend and keep an eye on him. We'll probably spend the night elsewhere, rather than risk driving all the way back." Stiles spoke fast enough to keep his dad from picking up on the absence of certain details, such as where they would be spending the night.

"Right, it was Scott's idea to go to the party." Stilinski said sarcastically. "Fine you can go, but only because it's the weekend and Lydia's party. She may have a lot of big parties, but we never get called to them. The second that changes, you're home-bound, got it?

"Got it!" Stiles said beaming at his dad, but worried prickled in the back of his mind. What if the cops were called to the party tonight for something other than underage drinking? What if Scott, or Stiles himself, did something? What if they hurt someone?

"Okay, well thanks for lunch, but I got a ton of paperwork to do, I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for your time Mr Hale." The sheriff leant over to shake Derek's hand and patted his son on the back.

"Thank you for your help, sheriff." Derek said before turning to leave the room.

"Bye dad" Stiles waved, then followed Derek out of the room.

"What you said about Scott, was that true?" Derek asked when the pair reached the front doors of the station.

"Yeah," Stiles nodded, sighing in annoyance. "He's convinced that I'm turning but he's not. My eyes flashed at him, which convinced him of werewolves, but not that he is one."

"You flashed your eyes?" Derek asked abruptly.

"Yeah, don't worry, it was in my room! And it only happened because he was mad, he slammed me against the wall and went to punch me. I was scared and it felt like something else took over me. Protected me."

"It was your wolf." Derek explained as the two came to a stop in front of Stiles' jeep. "You and your wolf are two different beings sharing the same body. Your wolf is like your subconscious, only you feel it more. It's part of what improves your instincts and reflexes. It'll help you when you need it. The only issue is that you have to reel it in sometimes. It's short tempered, which'll make you short tempered. Your wolf is an animal. When the full moon comes it has the basic desires of an animal. Hunt, mate, kill. So you need to find an anchor. Something that'll help you hold on to your humanity. Keep you from becoming a monster. I can teach you, but first we need to get Scott.

Stiles stared at Derek then blinked. "Wow, I think that's most I've heard you say ever, let alone in one go!" Derek glared at Stiles who grinned and waved his hand dismissively "Come on, don't be such a sourwolf!" Derek's glare intensified. "Okay, okay, I gotta get ready for the party, give me your phone." A mischievous look appeared on Stiles' face as a thought occurred to him.

"Why?" Derek narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Because I need a way to contact you, one that doesn't involve hiking around town or waiting for you to sneak up on me. Phone!" Stiles held his hand out expectantly. With an exaggerated eye roll, Derek pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Stiles.

Stiles programmed his number into Derek's phone and sent himself a quick text. "Thanks," Stiles beamed. Handing Derek his phone back."I'll see you at the party." Stiles said walking around and climbing in the drivers side of the Jeep. Derek moved out of the way, allowing Stiles to drive off, then headed to his own car. Once he was ready to leave, Derek decided to check what message Stiles had sent himself.

A chuckle left his lips when he saw that Stiles had set his contact name as 'Lil' Red Riding Hoodie' and the text read 'Wat a big mouth u hav.'

A minute later a reply came in, while Derek was driving back to the preserve. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Derek fished his hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone.

From:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (17:58)
Message:  The better 2 babble with.

To:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (17:59)
Message:  Please don't tell me you've saved my number as 'Big Bad Wolf'

From:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (18:01)
Message:  Of course not! Wat do u take me 4?

Well that was a relief. Derek kept glancing between the phone and the road, thankful that he was driving up the road to the preserve, where there were no cameras. But before he could enjoy the relief, another text came through from Stiles

From:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (18:02)
Message:  It's Big Bad  Sourwolf . Duh!

Derek groaned, slamming his head back against the headrest. He drove to a remote area close to the preserve and parked his car.

To:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (18:09)
Message:  When/where is the party?

From:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (18:11)
Message:  4get the address. Ur picking me up at 7 ;)

Derek raised an eyebrow at that, it wasn't a request, but a statement. Sighing, Derek got out of the car, locked it then made his way to his old house while replying to Stiles.

To:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (18:12)
Message:  Oh, am I now?

From:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (18: 13)
Message:  Yes, bc u need 2 help me stay in control nd I need 2 help u help Scott. We need each other 4 this nd u no it!

To:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (18:14)
Message:  Fine.

From:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (18:15)
Message:  Great, c u then. Wear something pretty ;)

Derek didn't bother replying to that, instead, stuffing his phone into his jacket pocket. The kid had a good point though. Clearly Scott wasn't as level headed as Stiles, it would take them both, and probably a close call tonight, to get the floppy haired boy to take this seriously. Why did the Alpha turn both of them? Why not just turn Stiles and leave it at that?

Derek sighed, he knew why, but he didn't have to be happy about it. It would be so much simpler if only Stiles had turned. He hadn't seen much of Scott, but his seemingly constant confused expression, combined with his denial about the change, despite proof, and all around stubbornness, did not inspire confidence in Derek.

Soon, Derek reached the burnt out ruins of his childhood home. Navigating his way through the wreckage to what used to the living room, Derek knelt down beside the blankets he used as a makeshift bed and started searching through his duffel bag. He eventually settled on white t-shirt and black jeans, a nicer pair that were a little bit tighter than the ones he was currently wearing. He set the clothes on the blankets and dropped his jacket next to them.

Ridding himself of his tight black t-shirt, Derek went on to work out. Several chin ups, sit ups and push ups later, Derek took a near ice cold shower. Because the only working shower in the house had one temperature setting, apparently. Fortunately, his werewolf body temperature helped keep him from freezing. Toweling off and getting dressed, Derek left the house at 18:45 to pick up Stiles for the da-party.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott McCall walked out of his bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, only to find his mother stood next to the door.

"Mum!"

Melissa just smiled and asked her son, "Is this a party or a date?"

"Maybe both," Scott admitted sheepishly.

"And her name is?" Melissa couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"Allison." Scott informed his mum with a dopey smile on his face.

"Allison. Nice." Melissa held out the car keys, which Scott took gratefully.

"Thank you."

"We don't need to have the talk, do we?"

Scott rolled his eyes and replied; "Mum, I'm not having the safe sex talk with you!"

Melissa gasped, eye's widening. "Oh-oh my God! No! I meant about keeping the tank full! Give me those back!" She demanded, snatching the keys back from her son.

"Are you serious?"

"You bet your ass I'm serious! I'm not going to end up on some reality television show with a pregnant 16 year old!"

It took some convincing, but soon, Scott was pulling up outside Allison's house. About 5 seconds later, the front door opened and Scott smiled when he saw Allison there, nervously tugging her hair behind her ear.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek looked around at the partying teens in annoyance and detest. He was standing behind a small fire, out of the way of the party.

"Oh, come on Sourwolf, dance a little!" Apart from a glare in response to the nickname, Derek didn't react to Stiles' demand.

"Please? Come on, you look like some creepy stalker getting ready to kill someone! Scott isn't here yet and I need a distraction!" That got a reaction from Derek.

"Is the moon affecting you badly?" He asked urgently

"No it's just a dull itch at the moment." Stiles continued at Derek's confused look. "It's my ADHD. My Adderall isn't working and I feel... jittery. Restless. Ya know?"

Derek nodded in acknowledgement. "Your metabolism is a lot faster now. You'll get hungry more, medication won't work, you can't get drunk-"

"I can't get drunk?!" Stiles groaned in annoyance. "Fuck." Derek rolled his eyes at that. "Whatever, just dance with me!" Stiles demanded, hopping in place. A dog chose that moment to start barking at them from behind a gate.

"Fine!" Derek gave in, purely to get away from the dog and make the boy shut up and hopefully calm down. He didn't want to. Not at all.

The pair found a space to dance and Stiles easily got into the rhythm of the music. Derek, on the other hand, was rigid and uncomfortable. Stiles chuckled at him before placing his hands on Derek's hips, pulling the older man closer and guiding him to the music. He was hesitant at first, but soon got into it.

Stiles outright laughed when a song he knew started playing. Derek's hands tightened on his hips "What?"

Stiles shook his head and used his arms, that were now around Derek's neck, to pull them closer together."Nothing, just this song." Derek raised an eyebrow, "It's 'Animal I have Become' by Three Days Grace. Kinda fitting, don't you think?"

Derek rolled his eyes but couldn't help feeling amused. After two more songs, Scott and Allison arrived. Derek noticed and informed Stiles. Scott didn't notice either of them and just kept walking with Allison until they stopped to dance, right next to them. Derek and Stiles kept their eyes locked on each other, pretended not to notice Allison and Scott until they felt Scott's eyes land on them.

"Stiles?!" Scott demanded in shock. Allison looked at the pair as they looked at Scott.

"Oh hey Scotty!" Stiles greeted cheerfully. It was then that he noticed just how close he and Derek had gotten. Their chests were pressed together, as they faced Scott, their cheeks almost touched, Stiles could feel the heat radiate from Derek. To distract himself, Stiles looked to Allison. "And you must be Allison!"

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you, Stiles." She smiled at him kindly then looked to Derek. "And your.. boyfriend?"

"Yes," Derek said quickly, it'd be easier to explain than anything else. "Well kind of, we can't make it official until he's 18, but the feelings are there all the same." It was a lie. Completely. No feelings at all. If Stiles and Scott didn't hear a skip in his heartbeat it was because they weren't paying enough attention. "I'm Derek by the way."

"Allison. That's sweet of you to be willing to wait!"

Stiles nodded and unwrapped his arms from Derek's neck and turned to fully face his best friends and Allison. Derek stood behind him and wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist and smiled at the pair as Stiles leant against him with ease. For appearances.

"Yeah, he's kind of a prude." Stiles grinned, winking at Allison as Derek glared down at him.

Allison giggled. "You two are cute together!" Derek and Stiles smiled at her in response. Neither of their wolves yipped in happiness or responded in any way. No sir!

"I know, right?" Stiles agreed, tilting his head back to look up at Derek. Derek smiled down at him, until they noticed it. The confused and angry scent rolling off of Scott, paired with the rapid thumping of his heart.

The change can be caused by anger or anything that raises your pulse. Shit. They raised his pulse. With their little act.

"Scott?" Allison's voice rang out in concern, as the boy doubled over, clutching his head. Stiles immediately leaped forward.

"Scott, bro, have you got your inhaler?" He asked for Allison's benefit, giving her a reason for Scott's sudden condition. Scott shook his head no and was about to say something but Allison cut in first.

"Wait, do you think he's having an asthma attack? Because this isn't like any attack I've seen." Allison said, shaking her head in panic.

"No, it's probably not an asthma attack," Derek said, "But sometimes, during other situations, using their inhaler as a placebo can help asthmatics calm down enough to explain what's wrong and give others an idea of how to help them." His voice was calm and steady as he led the girl though the house and out towards his car, While Stiles led Scott to his car. "Wait, Stiles!"

"Yeah?" Stiles asked, looking at Derek in panic.

"Why don't you take Allison home? I'll look after Scott and you meet us afterwards?" Stiles realised Derek's logic, he'd know how to handle Scott better and the moon was still just a dull itch to him. He'd be able to take Allison home.

"Yeah, sounds good. Scotty, give me your keys!" Stiles demanded. Scott immediately handed them over. Too disoriented to fully realise what was going on. Derek and Stiles exchanged passengers before heading in their separate directions. "So, what's your address?"

Allison told him before going quiet. After a few minutes she spoke up again in a slightly suspicious tone. "Why did Derek take Scott home if you're his best friend?"

"Multiple reasons." Truth. "1) Derek is better prepared to handle this" Truth. "His sister was also asthmatic, so he's had a lot of experience." Lie. "2) Would you really be comfortable with somebody who's older than you, that you just met that day? Or with someone who is your age, the trusted best friend of your date and is absolutely awesome?!" This caused Allison to giggle.

"Definitely the awesome, trusted, best friend!" Allison agreed, still giggling.

"Damn right!" Stiles hollered excitedly. "And 3) How would your parents react to you leaving with one guy and coming home with another, who is older and has a much nicer car?"

"Not well, that's for sure!" Allison admitted nodding her head in understanding "I'm sorry. It's just that I move to yet another new town, thinking it'll be the same as all the others. Then on my first day I meet this really sweet cute guy, who is also athletic, but not a jerk about it, and he works at an animal clinic! He saved this poor dog that I accidentally hit in the rain. I'm just not used to that. I was kind of worried that he changed his mind and was trying to just hang me out to dry, so to speak. I kind of thought that you wer-"

"Recruited to deliver the dump-o-gram?" Allison blushed.

"It's stupid, I know." She said sheepishly, looking down at her lap.

"Not at all." Stiles said softly. "But just so you know, you don't have to worry about that with Scott. He's a good guy, a bit of a ditz at times, but he's not a jerk. He's the loyal kind, if anything, I'm gonna have to come after you for breaking his heart. That's just not Scott. Unless you do something extreme, like, try to kill all of his friends and family, he won't just up and dump you. So don't worry about it." He gave her a friendly smile, pulling up outside of her house.

"Thanks Stiles, I wish I had a friend like you." Allison said honestly.

"Stick around long enough and you'll be stuck with me. I'm like a fungus- no, wait, that's not right- A tattoo, you think you want me, but then when I'm there you get sick of me and want me gone, but too late, you're stuck with me! Sure you could laser me off, but that takes time and money so you think aww, screw it. I'll keep him! Then the more you live with me the more you get annoyed by me before you realise that all you need to do is feed me Reese's and curly fries to shut me up and we'll get along just fine." Allison looked dazed. She wasn't used to hurricane Stiles. Poor thing.

"Reese's and Curly fries, huh?" She asked once she caught up with what he had said.

"Yup." He popped the p and smiled at her

"I'll stock up." She joked with a grin.

"Please do, Ally!" Her face dropped to a look of shock

"What did you call me?" She asked.

"O-oh, I'm s-sorry, do you not-"

"No don't! Go ahead! No one outside of my family has given me a nickname in a long time." Allison looked down with a blush coating her face. "I-it's nice."

"No problem Ally." She smiled at him softly. His phone cut through the silence, signaling a text.

From:  Big Bad Sourwolf (20:03)
Message:  Where are you?! Need help with Scott. We're almost at the preserve, HURRY!

"It's Derek. I gott-"

"Yeah of course" She said, unbuckling her seat belt. "Thanks for the ride!" She climbed out of the car.

"No problem, see you on Monday."

"See you Monday," She smiled and shut the door behind her.

Stiles waved farewell before driving off, mind set on the preserve.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When Stiles got to the preserve he immediately started making his way to the old Hale house. Halfway there he heard Scott's voice, but it was deeper, darker.

"Where is she?" Wait. Who? Did he mean Allison? Did he not remember?

"She's safe," Stiles heard Derek's voice reply. "From you."

Stiles could hear the sound of someone being tackled, then what he could only assume was the two wolves wrestling. Stiles picked up his pace to find them. Hopefully before they killed each other.

"What did you do with her?"

"Shh quiet!" Derek demanded in a hushed voice so low that Stile almost didn't hear it. Was it Stiles Derek heard, or someone else? Stiles froze and heard several sets of feet stomping through the woods heading in Scott and Derek's direction.

"Too Late." Derek growled, "They're already here. Run!"

Stiles could hear Derek run towards him, so he went to meet him. God, he hopes Derek doesn't try to kill him, mistaking him for a hunter.

Stiles squinted at the dark for a few seconds before everything went red. Literally. It made it a lot easier to navigate his way through the woods and he quickly found Derek, who didn't attack him. Most likely because of the glowing eyes.

"What's going on?" Stiles asked in an urgent whisper. Though he was fairly certain that he already knew the answer, he just wanted Derek to confirm it.

"Hunters." Yup.

"Where's Scott?"

"I don't know, I told him to run."

Through the trees they both saw a blinding flash of white light. Then heard Scott cry out in pain.

"Guess he didn't run far enough" Stiles said running in that direction.

The two wolves stopped a few meters away from the action, behind the hunters. Stiles almost lost it when he saw Scott pinned to a tree by an arrow through his arm and three armed hunters in front of him.

The eldest lowered his crossbow looking at Scott, focusing on his eyes. He looked slightly disappointed. Stiles then realised that they must be after the Alpha. Stiles looked to Derek who nodded, as if he knew what Stiles was thinking.

Crouching and ready to pounce, Derek whispered to Stiles "You take the one on the left then run to the right, I'll get the one on the right and Scott." Stiles nodded, lowering himself into the same crouch. "Ready?"

"Yeah." He whispered.

"Take him." The eldest hunter said to the two behind him.

"Now."

Stiles reacted purely on instinct. He leapt forward, landing on all fours and almost immediately swung his body around, sweeping the hunters legs out from under him. Stiles disarmed the hunter, throwing his rifle into the trees. He jumped to his feet, grabbed the hunter by his collar and pulled him to his feet, before gaining a better grip on the back of his shirt and tossing him into a nearby tree behind him, rendering him unconscious. Then took cover in the trees to his right. The eldest hunter looked behind him at the commotion. Stiles watched as Derek used the distraction to run to Scott, pull the arrow out of his arm and drag him towards Stiles. When the pair found him, he joined them in running away from the hunters.

When they were a fair distance away, Scott collapsed against a tree, his eyes finally fading to their regular colour. "Who were they?" He asked looking up at Stiles and Derek.

"Hunters." Stiles stated. His vision went back to normal, so he knew his eyes were no longer amber.

"The kind that have been hunting us for centuries." Derek continued, looking around to make sure there weren't any more lurking nearby.

"Us?" He asked angrily, glaring at Derek. "You mean you! You did this to me!"

"He's not the one who bit us." Stiles protested as Derek tried to appeal to Scott.

"Is it really so bad, Scott? That you can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope?"

"He's got a point man." Stiles agreed

"You've both been given what the most humans would kill for. The bite is a gift"

Scott simply shook his head "I don't want it."

"I do." Stiles informed them both, not that they were listening to him.

Derek smirked down at Scott knowingly. "You will. And you're gonna need me if you want to learn how to control it. So you've gotta face it Scott, we're brothers now." Stiles wasn't sure why he was so disappointed at that statement. He was in love with Lydia, right? Why should he be bothered that Derek sees him as a brother by default?

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At midnight, in the old Hale house, Stiles started to really struggle to stay human. He tried to focus on things that mattered to him, his dad, his mum, Scott, Derek, Melissa, Lacrosse, star wa- wait. How did Derek creep in there?

His distraction caused him to let slip more of his humanity. He didn't even realise he'd transformed and started growling until Derek had pinned him to the floor. "Stiles! Calm down!"

Growl

"Stiles!"

Struggle

"Focus!"

Growl

"Stiles!" Derek roared out

"D-Derek?"

"Yeah, Stiles, Focus."

The commotion had caused Scott to struggle against the restraints that Derek had been forced to put on him.

Stiles helped Derek calm Scott again, before being handcuffed to a pipe, 'as a precaution'.

"You're doing really well. You already found your anchor?"

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, though, I wasn't really trying. I just couldn't stop imagining accidentally hurting those that I care about and it terrified me." He admitted shamefully. "And I wouldn't say I'm doing well. I totally lost it back there."

"But you pulled through!" Derek insisted, a hint of pride in his voice. "Most bitten wolves are like Scott on their first full moons! Or worse. I've never seen anyone show the amount of restraint and control that you are right now." Without thinking, Derek lifted his hand and caressed Stiles' cheek. They both ignored their heart beats rising and the hitch in Stiles breath.

Stiles' eyes roamed from Derek's eyes to his lips. Both of them slowly leaned closer together until their lips were a mere inch apart.

Growl, growl, snarl, chains rattle, growl.

Derek jumped back like he'd just been burnt. He gestured to Scott "I should..." He turned his back on Stiles and walked towards Scott.

Stiles wasn't sure if he should hug Scott or kill him, although he was leaning towards the latter.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles led Scott to Melissa's car the next morning after they'd camped out at the Hale house and began to drive them to Scott's house.

Scott sighed from the passenger side seat "You know what actually worries me the most?"

"If you say Allison, I'm gonna punch you in the head."

Scott ignored him, and whined "She probably hates me now."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "I doubt that. But you might want to come up with a pretty amazing apology for being stupid enough to forget your inhaler. That's a pretty good excuse, by the way, you're welcome. Or you know you could just... Tell her the truth and revel in the awesomeness of the fact that you're a freaking werewolf." Scott shot Stiles an extremely unimpressed look. "Okay bad idea... Hey, we'll get through this. Come on, If I have to, I'll help Derek chain you up on full moon night, which I did last night, fyi. And hey I'll even feed you live mice as a treat." He announced with a grin. "I had a boa once, I could do it!" Scott stared at him for half a second before chuckling, shortly joined by Stiles.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott decided to wait for Allison after school on Monday.

"Hey, Scott, you okay? I was really worried about you!" Allison called out in concern when she spotted him.

"Yeah, but I... I'm really sorry about... well leaving."

Allison giggled, "Scott, It's okay, really. Stiles explained it to me and said some stuff that made me less mad."

"So, is that a yes on a second chance?" Scott asked hopefully and Allison smiled.

"Definitely yes" A car honked, interrupting whatever was going to happen next. "That's my dad. I'd better go."

She smiled at Scott before walking to the car and Scott headed towards the school for Lacrosse practice. Then a horribly familiar scent hit his nose and he turned to face the car. Stiles walked up beside him, patting him on the shoulder, but his eyes remained on the car.

"Dude come on, we're gonna be l-" Stiles suddenly caught the same scent and his head shot towards the car that Allison was climbing into. "Holy shi-" The older man caught their stares, paused for a second then grinned at them.

"Uh-huh." Scott nodded numbly. "Allison's dad is a hunter." They were so screwed.

---

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

Chapter 7: Panic! At The Hunter

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Lacrosse, hurt Stiles, tiny Sterek fluff, Stiles daydreams and Scott and Stiles argue.

The Hale Pack: Panic! At the Hunter

"Uh-huh." Scott nodded numbly. "Allison's dad is a hunter." They were so screwed.

Stiles muttered curse words under his breath as Scott panicked. When they finally got to the locker room they let the panic fully set in. Scott removed the top half of his uniform while Stiles removed his gloves, searching through his belongings for his phone.

"He didn't recognise you, right?" Stiles asked urgently, as Scott leant back against a post, freaking out.

"I don't think so and what do you mean me? Us!" Scott yelled, pulse rapidly rising and Stiles was grateful that all of the other players were now out on the field.

"I don't think he got a good look at me!" Stiles said honestly and shook his head. "But he definitely saw you! Thank God you were wolfed out, there's a chance he doesn't. Dude, does Allison know about him?"

Scott really freaked out then. "I don't know, what if she does? Oh my god..." Scott started sobbing, nearing a full fledged panic attack "He's gonna kill me..."

"Shit." Stiles quickly shot off a text to Derek. "Just calm down okay." He puts his phone away and hands Scott his equipment "Just focus on lacrosse, okay? Lacrosse! Yeah! Here. We. Go!" Stiles pulled his own gloves on and ran out to the field.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

From:  Lil' Red Riding Hoodie (15:43)
Message:  Gt a prblm, gt 2 skwl now! Allison's dad is the hunter frm last nite! REPEAT! PAPA ARGENT HUNTER! Scott freaking! Hurry!

Shit.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Let's go!" Coach yelled as he blew his whistle. "One on one from up top!" he turned to Jackson "Jackson! Take a long stick for today!" Jackson got into position and when the whistle blew, sprung into action, easily sweeping past the other players one by one.

"That's how you do it, Jackson, That's how you do it!" Coach praised, "Greenberg! Take a lap. Let's go. Faster Greenberg!" Scott almost felt sorry for Greenberg, but it was his turn against Jackson.

"McCall! What are you waiting for?" Scott snapped to attention, trying to push any and all thoughts of Allison, hunters, werewolves and Jackson's threats, out of his head. 'Focus on Lacrosse!' He thought to himself.

The whistle blew. Scott ran to Jackson, only to be taken down easily. "Hey McCall!" Coach yelled, walking up to Scott, who was staring at Jackson in anger, who in turn, simply smirked.

"You sure you still wanna be first line, McCall?"

Scott stood up and tried to control his anger. "My grandmother can move faster than that, and she's dead!" Coach leaned down to speak into Scott's ear. "Do you think you can move faster than the lifeless corpse of my dead grandmother?" He asked in a taunting voice.

"Yes coach." Scott said, looking at Jackson with amber eyes.

"I can't hear you."

"Yes coach!"

"Then do it again!" Scott ran back to the starting position as coach's taunting voice called out, "McCall's gonna do it again! McCall's gonna do it again!" Scott started running the second the whistle sounded. He smashed straight into Jackson, who landed on the ground in pain as Scott doubled over.

'Shit!' Stiles thought as he ran to Scott. He could sense his best friend shifting as the rest of the team ran to Jackson. "Come on get up!" Stiles pulled Scott to his feet, and lead him towards the locker room.

"I can't control it Stiles, it's happening!" Scott groaned.

"I know, just keep walking." They made their way to the locker room, not noticing Derek stood by the bleachers.

When they finally made it to the locker room, Scott collapsed to the ground. Stiles took a step closer before Scott looked up at him, fully transformed. "Get away from me!" He roared out before losing all control and lunged for Stiles.

Stiles reacted on instinct. Jumping up onto a row of lockers, staring down at Scott. Scott growled and also jumped, only onto the beams above him. Stiles immediately started moving and jumping from locker to locker, Scott close behind. Stiles' eyes searched for something to force Scott to change back as he ran from the wolf trying to kill him. Soon, his eyes fell on a fire extinguisher. His now amber eyes locked on his target, and he jumped.

A sharp pain shot through his leg as Scott's claws dug into him. Slicing through just below his knee, all the way down to his ankle. A long howl of pain echoed through the room as Stiles fell to the ground.

Scott landed next to him and Stiles was sure he was done for, but then Scott took his helmet off, revealing his completely human face. "Stiles? What happened? Did I do this?!" Scott asked in horror and confusion.

"Yeah. You tried to kill me." Stiles hissed angrily.

"Dude, I'm so s-!" Stiles shushed him in panic. Rushing footsteps were heading towards the locker room. The two tensed. Then, Stiles latched on to a familiar scent and relaxed.

"Derek." He sighed in relief as the door opened. Then turned back to Scott "I told you before, it's the anger, your pulse rising. It's a trigger!"

"But that's Lacrosse! It's a pretty violent game if you haven't noticed!" Derek crouched down beside Stiles, examining his wound.

"Well, it's gonna be a lot more violent if you end up killing someone on the field! You can't play Saturday, you're gonna have to get out of the game." Stiles told him, wincing slightly as Derek poked at his injury.

"But I'm first line!" Scott protested.

"Not anymore."

"He's right," Derek said. "You haven't got enough control to play. You're not just risking yourself, you're risking me, Stiles and everyone else on that field." Derek looked Scott in the eye's "If they find out about you, they find out about all of us, thanks to your girlfriend. Then it's not just hunters after us, it's everyone. "

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked in confusion.

"I didn't know she was an Argent, if I had I wouldn't have let you go on that date, Scott!"

"Is she a hunter too?" Scott asked sadly.

"I don't know," Derek admitted, "But the Argent's are notorious. They've been one of the biggest hunter families for centuries. They're dangerous."

A realisation hit Stiles, causing him to laugh. The other two wolves looked at him in confusion. "It's funny how lore twists facts over time." Derek smiled realising that Stiles had figured it out. "Argent. It's french for silver, right?"

"Yes, it is." Derek agreed as Scott finally realised what they were saying.

"It's not the metal silver that kills werewolves," Stiles started.

"It's the family." Derek finished. Stiles smiled before wincing. "Here, give me your hand." Stiles raised an eyebrow in confusion, but did as he was told. Mere seconds after Derek grabbed his hand, black veins appeared on his arm, and Stiles felt his pain lessen.

"Did you jus-" Stiles started in awe.

"I took some of your pain away. You'll both be able to do that, soon." Derek said before looking at Scott. "Get something to clean up the blood." Scott nodded, rushing off to do so.

When Scott returned, the other two wolves had moved. Derek was now behind Stiles, chest pressed to his back, supporting him, whilst his hands were on Stiles arms, pulling pain from him. Stiles' leg was healing quickly, the wounds almost completely gone.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night, Scott flopped face first onto his bed, completely stressed. His mum knocked on his door, looking at him in concern. "Hey, late shift again for me but I am taking Saturday off to see your first game."

"No mum, you can't!" Scott protested, but Melissa would have none of it.

"I can and I will!" She stepped further into his room. "Come on one shift isn't gonna break us... Completely." She stopped by Scott's bed and looked at him closely. "Hey what's wrong with your eyes?" Scott sat up in concern. "You look like you haven't slept in days!"

"Oh, it's nothing, I'm just stressed" Scott said, using his arms to support himself.

"Just stress? Nothing else? I mean it's not like you're on drugs or anything right?" Melissa chuckled nervously and Scott raised his eyebrows.

"Right now?"

"'Right now?'! I'm sorry, what do you mean 'right now'. I mean have you ever taken drugs?" Melissa asked in shock and anger.

"Have you?" Scott retorted.

"Get some sleep!" Melissa demanded walking out of the room.

After a few minutes of moping, Scott heard his laptop beep, signaling an incoming video call. Stiles. Scott accepted the call and was greeted with Stiles spinning around to face him, blasting a toy gun.

"What'd you find out?"

"Well, it's bad, Jackson's got a separated shoulder." Stiles said

"Because of me?!" Scott asked in horror.

"Because he's a tool!" Stiles corrected.

"Well, is he gonna play?"

"Well they don't know yet, now they're just counting on you for Saturday." Scott sighed at his lap in despair.

When he looked up, Stiles was staring at something on his screen in shock and slight fear. "What?" Stiles glanced at the camera before looking back at the screen. Squinting slightly. Then the computer froze on Stiles' confused face.

"What?" Scott, hit several keys, hoping to make the laptop work.

"Derek?" Stiles asked in confusion when the call connected again.

"Hello Stiles." Derek's voice called out from behind Scott, causing him to jump up in horror.

"Dude!"

"I didn't have time to talk to you earlier, I was busy helping Stiles. But I saw you on the field. You shifted in front of them."

"I'm sorry, but they didn't see anything I swear." Scott began, fear evident in his voice.

"No, Scott. And they won't. Because Stiles is right, you can't play that game on Saturday. If you try, I'll kill you myself."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"What do you mean you can't play the game tomorrow night?" Coach asked Scott, leading him into his office.

"I mean that I can't play the game tomorrow night." Scott said simply

"You can't wait to play the game tomorrow night!" Coach corrected

"No Coach, I can't play the game tomorrow night!"

"I'm not following." Out in the locker room, Stiles rolled his eyes at the conversation. How do some people even survive in this world?

"I'm having some personal issues." Scott said awkwardly.

"Is it a girl?" Coach asked.

"No."

"Is it a guy? Ya know, our goalie Danny's gay!"

"Yeah, I know Coach, but that's not it."

"You don't think Danny's a good looking guy?" Stiles had to stifle his laughter at the conversation, leaning against a locker.

"I think he's good looking, but I like girls! And that's not it anyway. I-I uh"

"Is it drugs? Are you doing meth?" Coach asked urgently. "Because I had a brother that was addicted to meth, you should have seen what it did to his teeth, they were all cracked and rotted. It was disgusting!" Coach rambled.

"Oh my god, what happened to him?"

"He got veneers" Coach said, then a triumphant smile appeared on his face. "Is that what this is about? Are you afraid of getting hurt, McCall?"

"Yes, say yes." Stiles said quietly enough that only Scott would hear.

"No," Scott said pointedly, obviously talking to both Stiles and Coach "I'm having some issues dealing with aggression." Stiles rolled his eyes, that was the worst excuse!

"Well, here's the good news, that's why you play Lacrosse! Problem solved" Coach said.

"Coach, I can't play the game tomorrow night!"

"Listen, McCall. Part of playing first line is taking on the responsibility of being first line. Now, if you can't shoulder that responsibility, then you're back on the bench until you're ready." Coach informed him and Stiles beamed. That's perfect! Scott needed to be on the bench.

"If I don't play the game, you're taking me off first line?" Scott asked, in a hurt voice.

"McCall. Play the game!" Fuck. Stiles shook his head, and left to go to his next class.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Walking through the school corridors, Scott thought over his conversation with coach. Then his conversations with Stiles and Derek. His phone buzzed as he received a text from his mum.

From:  Mum (Work) (10:45)
Message:  Got the night off! Coming to see you play! So excited!

When Scott looked up from his phone, he saw Allison walking towards him.

"Hey," She greeted happily, and Scott completely forgot about her father and the fact that she might be a hunter too. Or at least know about him.

"Hey," He beamed.

"Busy?" She asked, stopping in front of him and glancing at his phone.

"No, it's just my mum, she's nothing! I mean it's nothing!" He corrected with wide eyes. "Never busy for you."

"I like the sound of that," Allison admitted, a smile appearing on her face. "I have to run to French class, but I wanted to let you know that I'm coming to see you play tomorrow!"

"You are?"

"Yeah, and we're all going out afterwards! You, me, Lydia, Jackson, it'll be great! Tell Stiles to come too, if he wants, he can bring Derek. I mean I get that Derek might not want to hang out with a group of teenagers, but if he does, he's more than welcome! I was gonna ask him earlier when I saw his car, but I had to get to class. Speaking of which, I gotta go. Save me a seat at lunch!"

Scott stared after her in shock, his brain finally catching up as he muttered "Oh god."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

In maths, Scott stood next to Lydia, writing on the board.

"Why is there a rumour going around that you're not playing tomorrow?" Lydia asked without looking at Scott.

"Because I'm sort of not," Scott said in a resigned voice.

"I think you sort of are!" Lydia said angrily, looking at him before returning her attention to the board, writing quickly. "Especially since you brutally injured my boyfriend by ramming into him."

Scott looked at the red head in annoyance "He brutally injured himself ramming into me!"

"Jackson's gonna play tomorrow. But he's not gonna be at his peak." She looked Scott up and down, "And I prefer my boyfriend at peak performance."

"Okay..?" Scott said confused

"I date the captain of the winning Lacrosse team." Lydia stated, "And if they start the season losing, I date the captain of the losing Lacrosse team. I don't date losers!"

"Losing one game isn't gonna kill anyone!" Scott snapped. "In fact, it might even save someone." He muttered

"Fine! Don't play!" She put on a faux thoughtful face "We'll probably win anyway. And we'll go out after like we were planning and I'll introduce Allison to all of the hot players on the team." Her tone was too innocent, knowing it'd get a reaction out of Scott. "And Scott McCall will stay at home, surfing the net for porn."

Lydia finished her problem and sauntered back to her seat triumphantly.

"Mr. McCall, you're not even close to solving your problem!" The teacher informed him.

"Tell me about it." Scott muttered.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott had just turned away from his locker when he noticed Stiles eavesdropping on his dad and the principal.

He was about to walk over to him when he noticed Allison talking to Lydia and another member of the Lacrosse team.

"Hey," Allison greeted him when he approached, causing the other two people to walk away.

"Hey, so Lydia's introducing you to everybody?" Allison nodded happily.

"She is being so incredibly nice to me!" Allison was beaming, clearly pleased.

"I wonder why..." Scott said suspiciously.

"Maybe she gets how much being the new girl can suck!" Allison suggested naively.

"Maybe." Scott didn't believe his own words. But his mind was too busy to notice.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After school. Stiles pulled up his jeep by the entrance to the preserve. "Hey Derek." He called hoping out of the jeep, smelling Derek's scent grow stronger behind him and spun around to be face to the leather clad wolf.

"Stiles." Derek said, his body tense.

"Something wrong man?" Stiles asked, concern seeping into his voice.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk." Stiles said grabbing his backpack from the Jeep and shutting the door, in order to communicate that he wasn't going to leave without talking.

"Fine," Derek growled out. "But not here. Follow me."

Soon, the two were standing in the remains of Derek's living room. "What?"

"Okay Sourwolf. Calm down. I just wanted to tell you that Scott's having a hard time getting out of the game, I'm not even sure he wants too, so I may need your help with that. Also, my dad is issuing a curfew for everyone under 18. So if you need me.. or Scott, after 9:30, you're gonna have to sneak in through the window for a while."

"Is that it?" Derek asked in annoyance.

"No." Stiles said, voice full of confidence. "One more thing," Stiles lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Derek's neck. Pressing their lips together. Derek immediately responded, grabbing Stiles' waist, pulling him closer, then lifted the younger boy up. Stiles in turn, wrapped his legs around Derek's waist.

Stiles ran his tongue across Derek's lips, the elder boy parted his lips in response. Their tongues battled for dominance. Derek eventually won, exploring the lanky boy as he pinned him against the wall.

Derek let out a breathless moan "Stiles..."

"-Stiles!" Derek yelled, snapping his fingers in front of the boy's face.

"Huh?" Stiles asked in confusion, returning to reality.

"I said 'is that it?' and you started daydreaming!" Derek's tone and expression were annoyed, but his eyes and scent gave away his concern.

"S-sorry yeah t-that's it s-sorry." Stiles stuttered, forcing his mind to focus on something else. Trying to get rid of the growing problem in his pants. The problem he knew Derek could smell.

"Derek!" They heard Scott's angry voice yell from outside. Yes, problem gone! They made their way outside to Scott who was looking at something else for a second. "Leave her alone, " What? "Allison told me she saw your car today! She doesn't know anything!"

"What if she does? You think you can just google Werewolves and now you've got all the answers, is that it?" Derek asked, walking towards Scott, Stiles following slowly. "You don't get it yet Scott, but I'm looking out for you. For both of you! You're out on the field, the aggression takes over and you shift in front of everyone!"

Derek picked up Scott's Lacrosse stick. "Your mum, all your friends and when they see you..." Derek used his claws to rip the netting.

"Aw! Come on dude, do you have any idea how much those cost?" Stiles whined at Derek's action, even though it wasn't his.

Derek ignored him "Everything. Falls. Apart." Derek tossed the stick at Scott, who caught it easily. But when he looked up, Derek and Stiles were gone.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It was Derek, it had to be! He was the only other werewolf around, right? He might have fooled Stiles, but Scott had smelt the blood today. It had to be the other half of the body! Derek bit them and ruined Scott's chances with Allison. So he'd get Derek arrested, have Stiles help him control the shift so he can play the game and go out with Allison. Then everything would be good.

To:  Stiles (16:56)
Message:  Get 2 mine now! I found sumthng!

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles ran into Scott's house without knocking and straight up to his bedroom.

"What did you find? How did you find it? Where did you find it?" Stiles asked, coming to a halt, blinking rapidly.

"How much Adderall have you had today?" Scott asked before shaking his head. "When we were at Derek's today, I smelt blood, there's something buried there. It's probably the girl! We'll find it and have your dad bust him for murder! Then you'll help me figure out how to play Lacrosse without changing, because there is no way I'm not playing this game." Scott announced triumphantly.

"Dude. No! I don't care what you smelt, Derek didn't do it! Okay? It was the Alpha, you know? The one who bit us! You will play Lacrosse again. Just not yet, dude! Be smart about this. Okay? Derek can help us. But not if you falsely accuse him of murder!" Stiles yelled.

"Why are you protecting him?! What has he done for you that is so important?" Scott demanded, enraged that his best friend was turning against him for some guy he'd just met.

"He saved our lives, Scott! On the night of the full moon! He saved other peoples lives by keeping us locked in his house!" Stiles took a deep breath, trying to calm himself so he wouldn't transform "He saved us Scott. He helped us when we had no idea what was happening. He's not the bad guy here Scott, the sooner you realise that. The sooner you'll accept what's happened and live your life."

Stiles turned his back on Scott and left the room, ignoring the hollow feeling in his chest at leaving his brother like this.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

Chapter 8: Bring me the Body

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Scott goes searching for half of a body and Stiles makes a discovery.

The Hale Pack: Bring Me The Body

Stiles turned his back on Scott and left the room, ignoring the hollow feeling in his chest at leaving his brother like this.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

On the drive home, Stiles stopped by a shop and brought a liter of cookie dough ice cream, several packets of Reese's cups, soda and various sorts of crisps. (A/N: or potato chips to some people) He then made his way home, ready to mope.

Halfway through watching Batman Begins and eating a quarter of the ice cream in bed, Stiles noticed a familiar scent appear, filling his room.

"Derek" He greeted softly, before shoveling another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"Stiles. What's wrong?" Concern seeped into Derek's voice, the man having immediately picked up on Stiles' low mood.

"Scott." Stiles said around a mouthful. He swallowed before continuing. "Scott's being an idiot."

"Is that supposed to be a shock?" Derek asked seriously, earning him a laugh from Stiles.

"No, it's what he's being idiotic about that's a shock." Derek gestured for Stiles to continue. "He's convinced that you are the one who bit us and that you killed Laura."

"Why?" Derek's eyebrow shot up his head.

"Because you're a werewolf and he smelt blood at your house earlier." Stiles said casually, shooting Derek a pointed look. Derek glared in retaliation.

"Don't worry, I've taken precautions." Stiles gave him an 'explain yourself' look. "Trust me, we'll be fine."

There was a short moment of comfortable silence before Stiles held up a second spoon. "I accidentally grabbed two spoons, my ice cream is starting to melt and I don't want to waste it. Help me finish it?" Stiles asked hopefully.

Derek hesitated for a moment before standing and making his way to the bed. Stiles beamed and shuffled up on the bed to give Derek more space.

"Batman Begins. Nice." Derek stated after he'd settled on the bed, grabbing his spoon.

The rest of the night saw the two werewolves eating junk food, watching The Dark Knight trilogy and arguing over which was the best, before falling asleep in each other's arms.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek. Derek freaking Hale. He's ruined everything. He needed to go. Then everything would be good again. Just wait and see!

Those were some of the thoughts circling through Scott's head as he made his way through the hospital angry and determined. Quickly making his way to the morgue.

Once there, he searched for the draw containing the bottom half of the body.

Laura Hale (Partial)

Got it!

Cringing, he pulled out the draw and lifted the sheet, Scott proceeded to examine the scent.

Gasping at the back marks on the pale legs and gagging at the pungent scent, Scott pushed the draw back and closed the door.

It was the same scent. Scott escaped the hospital as fast as he could. He needed a shovel.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night, Scott walked up to the Hale house and made his way to where the body was buried. He knew Derek wasn't in. Scott had gone to Stiles' house along the way, to try to persuade him to help, only to see Derek jumping into Stiles' bedroom window! Scott quickly pushed the thought out of his head and made his way to the grave, he needed to act fast.

As Scott grew closer to the grave, he noticed the scent was slightly different. He shook his head and started digging, wanting to get it over with. About an hour later, he finally found what he was looking for. It took Scott a few minutes to untie the knots, and unwrap the body, only it wasn't what he was expecting.

Scott let out a scream as he jumped out of the hole and away from the half a body. Not a human body, mind you. Nope. A wolf. Not the werewolf form he took on the full moon, but a full bloodied, fur covered, actual wolf!

Damn, how was this possible? It's the same scent. Mostly. So it must be the girl, right? Laura? Wait she's Derek's sister, so she must be a werewolf too! Maybe turning into an actual wolf is a skill you eventually learn? Or maybe it's a girl wolf thing? Either way, this won't get Derek arrested. He needs to figure something else out.

Scott made quick work of covering the wolf corpse, then left, planning to figure something else out.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next morning Stiles woke up in bed alone. All of the food wrappers were gone, the tv was off and he was under the covers. He couldn't help but feel disappointed that Derek was gone, even though he wasn't surprised by the fact. Stretching out, Stiles stammered out of bed and headed down stairs to make himself breakfast, knowing his dad was still at the station trying to figure out who killed Laura and what happened to the other half of the body. Then Stiles noticed it. Derek's scent. It was still fresh. Not even slightly faded. He was there.

Stiles turned on the spot. Trying to figure out where Derek was. Stiles took a deep breath, closed his eyes, slowly let it out and listened.

It was silent, minus two heart beats, but they were over lapping each other and echoing around the room. He couldn't tell them apart.

Everything was still, And Stiles knew what was happening. This was a test. Derek was testing him. Stiles focused on his hearing and sense of smell. Your eyes can deceive you. Distract you.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then. The air to his left shifted.

Acting immediately, Stiles leapt forward, out of the way of attack, finally opening his eyes.

He spun to face Derek, using his arm to block Derek's fist, which he knew was concealing claws as Derek was fully wolfed out. Stiles caught Derek's other fist with his left and manoeuvred his right hand to grab Derek's forearm. He spun Derek so that his arms were twisted behind his back and he was now facing the door. Stiles jumped up while simultaneously pulling Derek backwards and kicking his legs out, full force, hitting Derek's lower back. Stiles used the force to propel himself into a backflip, landing in an easy crouch, right hand on the floor, left hand out to the side and head down. He looked up, eyes glowing amber and studied Derek, who was looking at him from the floor with a mixture of shock and pride.

Before Stiles could analyse it too much, Derek was back on his feet and charging towards him. Stiles stayed crouched, waiting for Derek to get close enough for Stiles to sweep out his feet, only to have Derek leap over him.

He was momentarily stunned, giving Derek the upper hand. Derek grabbed Stiles by the back of his shirt, pulling him off of the ground, flipping him and sending him to the ground on his back. Stiles immediately grabbed Derek's ankle and pulled, causing Derek to fall to the ground. He felt relief as Derek's head narrowly missed hitting the corner of the desk. However, Stiles now knew better than to hesitate or pause, so quickly jumped on top of Derek, pinning his, very nice, thighs with his knees, held Derek's hands above his heads on handed, by the wrists and used his other, clawed, hand to threaten Derek's throat.

"I win!" Stiles said triumphantly.

Derek smirked. "Do you?" Derek spread his legs (Bad thoughts, Stiles! Bad thoughts!) causing Stiles to drop, he moved both of his hands to either side of Derek's head to support himself, without even thinking. When he realised what he'd done, it was too late.

Derek wrapped his legs around Stiles waist and flipped them over. He straddled Stiles, sat on his lap, knees forcing Stiles legs together. Derek's strong hands gripped Stiles' wrists above his head, Derek lowered his face to Stiles' until their noses were touching, both of their faces had returned to human. Stiles' eyes flickered from Derek's eyes, to his lips. He knew that this was right.

This wasn't just some sparring accident, it was instinct. Stiles' mind flickered back to the night Derek explained everything.

~Flashback~

"So mates are real?" Stiles asked intrigued.

"Yes." Derek stated with a nod. "We mate for life, once the mate bond is completed, there is no going back. Some wolves have two mates, but never more than that and the two mates are also mated to each other, regardless of if they're wolves, humans or something else."

"How do you know?" Stiles asked eagerly. "When you've found your mate, I mean?"

"You just know. It feels right, to both you and your wolf. You feel safe, relaxed, when you're with them. They feel like home and even if you've only just met, you can't imagine the rest of your life without them." Derek explained, earnest and wistful "You know that they are yours and you are theirs. You just know."

~End Flashback~

Stiles felt Derek start to pull away, so voice his discovery. "Mate." He said breathlessly, eye's turning amber as he arched towards Derek. "Mine!" Derek's mouth dropped in shock, not at the fact that they were mates. At the fact that Stiles had figured it out so quickly. "Derek."

Derek lost control at that, eyes glowing blue as he claimed Stiles mouth with his own, eye's fluttering shut at the sensation. It wasn't like any other kiss he'd had before. It was soft, tender but at the same time, passionate and claiming.

Derek moved his hands from Stiles' wrists, one moving to Stiles' hip, the other caressing his cheek. Both of Stiles' hands were buried in Derek's hair, pulling him in, and keeping him from pulling away.

This continued for a few minutes before they pulled away for air, both gasping for breath.

"So.." Stiles gulped down another breath. "Breakfast?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Over breakfast, Derek explained to Stiles that although they were mates, they couldn't complete the bond until Stiles turned 18. Well, they could, but Derek wouldn't.

However, Derek explained that he did want to get to know Stiles and had no interest in seeing anybody else. So they agreed on dates. A few group dates with Allison and Scott, and Lydia and Jackson. Mostly to keep their eyes on Scott, Allison too but mostly Scott. Their dates with just the two of them, would take place out of town.

If they ever got caught spending time together in town, their cover would be that Derek is tutoring Stiles in History and Spanish, as Stiles wasn't very good at either, but Derek was great. Same for on group dates, Stiles didn't want to be the fifth wheel, but didn't want to date yet so Derek agreed to tag along so they could go over notes throughout the night.

Everything was perfectly planned! Of course, it was Stiles, so things were bound to go wrong at some point. But until then, they can pretend.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that day, the entire Lacrosse team was in the Locker room, getting ready for the first game of the season.

Taking a deep breath, Stiles walked over to Scott. "You gonna try to convince me not to play?" Scott asked in annoyance.

"I just hope you know what you're doing!"

"If I don't play, I lose first line and Allison!"

"Allison's not going anywhere!" Stiles said "And it's one game that you really don't need to play!"

"I want to play! I wanna be on the team. I wanna go out with Allison. I want a semi freaking normal life. You, of all people, should get that!"

"I do get it." Stiles admitted with a sigh, sitting on the bench next to Scott. "But it'll be a lot harder to do that if you're in prison! Or dead!"

"I know. But I can do this!"

Stiles nodded. "Okay, but Derek and I will both be watching and ready to take action if you start to lose it!"

Scott huffed "Why do you trust him?!"

"He saved us Scott." Stiles mumbled, and Scott's eyebrows furrowed.

"No, there's something else. What is it? I know you, Stiles, you don't trust easily. Why him?"

Stiles took a deep breath and looked Scott in the eyes. "He's my mate."

"What?" Scott's mouth dropped open in shock. "Mate? Like soul mates?"

"Yeah. I knew there was something about him when I first met him. Then my wolf started reacting to him. God, it was so happy when Allison asked if we were boyfriends." He chuckled, looking at his lap. "And I started to just know things about him. Like, I knew when he was annoyed or concerned and when he was lying or telling the truth, more so than with anyone else. Then this morning we were sparring and he had me pinned down and I just realised."

Scott listened intently to his best friend. "So I said it. I said 'mate' and... he kissed me." Scott's eyes widened in shock and Stiles looked up at him with a huge smile on his face. "Now we really are boyfriends. But, like the lie we told Allison last Friday at the party, we can't complete the mate bond until I'm 18. But we're gonna go on dates and things, just the two of us, out of town, then group dates and stuff, in town. But to everyone else, Derek is tutoring me in History and Spanish-"

As Stiles continued to babble to Scott happily, Scott realised that he had to give Derek a chance. He'll make it though the game and prove himself, then he'd confront Derek about the body and assess his answer. If he seemed trustworthy enough, he'd tolerate him. For Stiles.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Out on the field, Scott and Stiles walked to the bench, looking for familiar faces in the stands. Melissa, Allison and her father, they could look for anyone else, Lydia walked over to Scott and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"Scott! I just want you to remember one thing for tonight."

"Uh, winning isn't everything..?" He asked nervously.

Lydia giggled, patting his shoulder. "Nobody likes a loser." She patted his chest and sauntered back to the stands.

Over on the bench, Coach sat down beside Jackson. "How's your shoulder?"

"It's fine."

"Feel any pain?" Coach asked, looking at Jackson who shook his head in response.

"No."

Coach grinned "What if I gave it a big 'ol punch." He said miming punching Jackson, who flinched slightly at the thought. "Would you feel any pain then?"

Jackson nodded nervously. "Maybe."

"Listen. Just go out there, just give it your best, if you feel any pain just- you just-"

"Keep playing?" Jackson asked, slightly confused

"That's my boy!" The whistle blew, and both teams took position on the field.

"Please let this be okay! Please" Scott whispered, waiting anxiously for the game to start.

Over at the bench, Stiles watched Scott nervously until his dad walked over to him "Hey kid." Sheriff Stilinski greeted his son.

"Hey dad."

"So do you think you'll see any action tonight?"

"Action? Maybe." Stiles admitted. an edge of nervousness to his voice.

On the field, Scott kept whispering "Please." until the whistle sounded. The match had begun.

Chapter 9: Torture for my Valentine

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Lacrosse match, nightmares, group date planning, slip of the tongues and things heat up between Stiles and Derek.

The Hale Pack: Torture for my Valentine

On the field, Scott kept whispering "Please." until the whistle sounded. The match had begun.

The match was going badly, Beacon Hills was losing, Jackson had ordered the entire team to not pass to Scott, then there was the fact that Lydia and Allison were holding up a sign that read 'We luv u Jackson', the only good thing was that no one had died.

On the bench, Stiles was worried that his best friend would lose control. He could smell Scott's anger on the field. The boy was doubled over, his breath being huffed out in clouds. Many of the other players, and the referee, were looking at him in fear and concern. Stiles just knew that Scott's eyes were glowing. Stiles turned his head to look at Derek, who also looked concerned, Scott was definitely losing control. Shit.

Stiles was using his enhanced hearing to listen in on Scott's heartbeat, when a conversation caught his attention.

"Which one is Scott, again?" He knew that voice. The hunter from the night of the full moon. Chris Argent.

"Number 11, otherwise known as the only one who hasn't caught a single ball this entire game." Lydia said with a bitchy edge to her voice.

"I hope he's okay." Allison's voice was full of concern. Lydia just looked to the scoreboard.

"I hope we're okay. We need to win this." She stood up, holding another sign for Jackson "Allison? A little help here?" Allison stood reluctantly and helped Lydia hold the sign.

When Scott saw this sign, his rage increased and his eyes narrowed. When the whistle blew, the struggle for the ball began and the ball ended up being shot into the air. Scott, not thinking clearly and eager to prove himself, ran jumping over two players and snatched the ball out of the air.

He then proceeded to weave in and out of the other players. Spinning past and ducking under the players rushing towards him. Then shot the ball into the net.

The entire Beacon Hills crowd burst into cheers, except Chris Argent, Lydia and Derek. Stiles did cheer, despite his concern, he needed to support his friend.

"McCall! Pass to McCall!" Coach yelled to the team.

Stiles heard the growl when Scott was facing a member of the other team, and watched as that player passed Scott the ball in fear. Coach walked over and sat next to Stiles.

"Did the opposing team just deliberately pass us the ball?" Coach asked in confusion.

"Yes, I believe so, coach." Stiles said nervously.

"Interesting.." Coach muttered. Scott's next shot was thrown with so much force that it tore straight through the goalies Lacrosse stick's net. The score was now tied. The crowd was cheering, both team coaches were arguing, but Scott was losing any and all control. When the whistle sounded, telling the players to get into position, Jackson came face to face with the other captain.

"What the hell's up with your teammate, man? What's he on?" The captain asked.

"I don't know." Jackson said, determination clear in his voice. "Yet."

The game continued and Scott was seeing red. Pure animal instinct had taken over as he was surrounded and facing the goal.

"You can do it Scott." Which Scott heard as clearly as if she were speaking directly into his ear. Scott's eyes burned amber, scaring the opposing players, but they still charged at him with precious seconds ticking away.

Scott swung the stick, full force and threw the ball, straight into the net.

The timer hit zero. The scoreboard reading 6:5 to Beacon Hills. The crowd was cheering and ran onto the field. Scott removed his glove, revealing claws. Freaked out, he ran to the locker room, not noticing Allison looking for him.

Chris Argent slowly walked on the field, looking thoughtful and suspicious. Stiles watched him carefully, this didn't bode well for Scott. Speaking of Scott, Stiles wondered how he was coping. He knew that Derek had gone on ahead to the locker rooms, just before the game ended so he could calm Scott. Stiles was about to go check on them when he heard his dad on the phone.

"They found it? Are you sure? I'm on my way!" Noah said quickly, and hung up the phone.

"Dad? What's going on?" Stiles asked in worry, jogging up to his dad.

"I want you to stay home tonight, Stiles. They found the second half of the body." Shit. Derek. "It was half buried by the lake." wait, what? "I don't know how we missed it the first time, but we got it and now I need to go in. I'll probably be at the station all night." His tone was apologetic and his heartbeat steady. "Thing is, all evidence points to an animal attack, but the way the body was buried..."

"Animals don't bury their kill like that." The sheriff nodded "I understand, dad." Total lie. "Be careful, okay?"

"Of course, you too." Stiles nodded and hugged his dad, before heading to the locker room, only to see Scott and Allison kissing.

It didn't last long though, and when they pulled apart she said "I gotta get back to my dad."

"Okay," Scott said dopily and Allison kissed him on the cheek before she started to leave. On her way out she noticed Stiles standing awkwardly, looking around at everything except her and Scott. With a blush, she greeted him "Hey, Stiles."

Stiles finally looked at her and waved awkwardly "Hey, yeah." Once she was gone the best friends walked to each other, Scott smiling like an idiot.

"I kissed her." Scott said happily.

"I saw."

"She kissed me."

"Saw that too." Stiles announced. "It's pretty good, huh?" Scott's smile widened, if possible. Then Derek walked out of the shadows of the locker, making his presence known.

"Thank you, Derek, for helping me control it. Once you got through to me, it was almost easy to pull it back! Thank you!" Derek nodded, but Stiles was looking worried, just not about Scott.

"What is it?" Scott asked, looking at Stiles in confusion.

"The cops found the other half of the body by the lake." He shot Derek a look, and he simply nodded. He moved the body, but why? "All evidence point to an animal attack, but the body was partially buried in a way that indicates a human killer. So the cops aren't sure what to think. But knowing what we know, who do you think is gonna figure it out?"

"Hunters." Scott said, eyes widening in fear.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles and Derek were walking through the school car park, heading towards one of the busses. "Where exactly are you taking me?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow at Stiles.

"Somewhere we can be alone." Stiles said with a grin on his face, winking at Derek.

"We are alone." Derek rolled his eyes, but more out of fondness that annoyance as they stopped in front of a bus, Stiles pressed his back to it and pulled Derek towards him.

"Somewhere we can be more alone." Stiles purred out, arching his body into Derek', who gripped Stiles hips in response. Stiles reached behind him and opened the bus door. "Come on!" He demanded walking backwards on to the bus, pulling Derek with him. Stiles led Derek to a seat near the back of the bus and sat down so that his legs were across both seats and his back was pressed to the window, pulling Derek down with him. The two boys stared into each other's eyes and leaned closer together. Stiles pressed his lips against Derek's and the two wolves started to kiss. It started as a simple kiss that sparked into something more passionate and Derek kissing along Stiles' neck.

The Stiles felt his claws drag along the seat. He broke this kiss and pushed Derek off of him onto the opposite seat.

"Stiles? What's wrong?" Derek asked in concern, standing and walking towards Stiles.

"Get away," Stiles moved away from Derek. His eyes glowing amber, claws on the opposite hand extending, and fangs lengthening.

"Stiles?"

"I said get away!"

Derek started to back away slowly when Scott turned around and gave him a primal look.

"Stiles, calm down. You can control this, you've done it before, okay? Calm down!" When Stiles simply snarled in response, Derek knew that the best option right now was to confine him. He began to run off the bus but Stiles grabbed his leg making him fall to the ground. Stiles proceeded to drag Derek down the aisle to get him closer.

Derek used his enhanced strength to kick Stiles off of him and into the back door of the bus, which cracked under the force. Derek ran to the front of the bus and started to pry the door open. Halfway through his task, he was hit by a seat that Stiles had broken off of the bus.

"Shit." Derek cursed seeing Stiles lunging towards him, knowing he had no escape now. He jumped over the seat and kicked Stiles. However, the boy barely stumbled this time and quickly tackled Derek. "Stiles, stop!" Derek demanded, but it was too late and Stiles was to far gone. Derek tried to fight back, but Stiles was feral now. All he could do was struggle as Stiles leant in for the kill.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles shot up in bed, covered in sweat and gasping for breath. Glancing at the clock, he noticed he was running late and immediately got dressed.

15 minutes later, Stiles was walking into the school building, desperately trying to reach Derek. The elder male hadn't replied to any of his six phone calls or eleven text messages. To make matters worse, when he arrived at school, he was greeted with the sight of police tape surrounding a school bus that had blood splattered on the windows and was extremely damaged.

Distracted by his phone, Stiles ended up bumping into someone. Scott. "I think I killed Derek/Allison!" The best friends blurted out in unison.

"Dude, I had a dream that I led her onto a school bus! Then I-" Scott started, fear clear in his eyes.

"-Started to lose control and attacked-" Stiles continued.

"-I ripped off one of the seats and threw it-"

"-Dragged him by his ankle through the bus-"

"-And leant over for the kill." Scott finished and both boys were wide eyed. "This is good, right? It means that what happened on the bus wasn't either of us, right? So Allison is probably okay."

"Yeah maybe," Stiles said, running his hand over his buzz cut hair. "But the only way to know for sure is to figure out what happened on the bus and talk to Derek, maybe he has some answers. Only problem is, he's not returning any of my calls or texts!"

"Hey, I'm sure he's okay." Scott said, patting Stiles' shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"He better be." Stiles muttered, sending Derek another text before pocketing the phone. "It just felt so real! All of it. Then there's the fact of the school bus being covered in blood and scratches! I just..." Stiles faded off, but before Scott could reply, he carried on "But, if we both had the same dream, just with different people, we should be okay." Stiles shook his head "Well no, it could be a pack thing. Y'know we see each other's kills or something? Or it could be the Alpha trying to convert us to his side, make us think about killing until we do it? I just wish Derek would reply! Let me know he's okay! I just- I just!" Stiles could feel his anger and frustration building up. "Fuck!" He turned and slammed his fist into a locker, the cheap metal bending under the force of his fist, turning disfigured so it no longer protected the items inside.

"Dude!" Scott gasped, eyes wide looking at his best friend in shock. Stiles finally calmed down and turned, resting his back against the next locker, gasping down deep breaths.

"Whoops." Stiles chuckled, pushing off of the locker and walking towards Scott. Scott rolled his eyes and turned to walk towards class, and bumped directly into Allison.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry Allison!" Scott babbled immediately. "Are you okay? I'm sorry!"

Allison giggled and shook her head, "I'm fine, you scared me, that's all."

"Sorry, but you're okay?" Scott asked, relief written all over his face. 'At least he knows he didn't kill someone he cares about last night!' Stiles thought, slightly bitter, if he's honest.

"When my heart starts beating again, yeah." she joked and the two continued to talk and Stiles faded them out, turning as he noticed Jackson walk over to the damaged locker in confusion. Stiles did an internal happy dance as he realised that it was Jackson's locker.

The principal made an announcement over the loudspeaker that classes would continue, despite the wrecked school bus.

"Save me a seat at lunch." Allison said to Scott. "Bye Stiles!"

"Bye Ally!" Stiles called after her with a wave.

"Ally?" Scott asked Stiles in a hurt voice.

"Yeah, I accidentally called her it when I gave her a ride home from the party, she liked it and told me that no-one outside of her family called her that, so it was nice to have a friend say it." Stiles explained walking towards their class.

Scott seemed relieved and Stiles had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. "Okay."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

In Class, Stiles' most loathed teacher, Mr Harris, was writing on the board and the class was silent. Until Scott turned around to talk to Stiles.

"Maybe it was our blood on the bus." He said, an edge of hopefulness to his voice.

"It could have been animal blood." Stiles suggested, "Maybe we caught a couple of rabbits, or something?"

"And did what?" Scott asked in confusion.

"Ate 'em" Stiles said casually and Scott's eyes widened in horror.

"Raw?!"

"No! We stopped to bake 'em in little werewolf ovens!" Stiles exclaimed in a hushed tone, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Mr. Stilinski. If that's your idea of a hushed whisper, you might wanna pull the head phones out every once in a while!" Mr Harris announced. "I think you and Mr. McCall would benefit from a little distance, yes?"

"No!" Stiles protested but the teacher moved them anyway.

"Let me know if the separation anxiety gets to be too much." Harris snarked, and Stiles was extremely tempted to punch him.

Shortly after the two were seated in their newly assigned seats, the girl next to Scott noticed something out of the window and announced, "Hey, I think they've found something!" And the entire class rushed to the windows.

"That's not a rabbit." Scott whispered to Stiles.

A man was being pushed on a gurney, towards an ambulance, seemingly unconscious. Suddenly, he shot up, screaming and the class jumped back from the window in shock. Some students screamed in surprise. Scott and Stiles backed away further. Both thinking the same thing. "Did we do that?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Stiles were in the cafeteria, walking towards an empty table with trays of food.

"But dreams aren't memories" Stiles argued.

"Then maybe they weren't dreams!" Scott replied.

"Maybe. Or maybe it wasn't even us" Stiles said trying to comfort both Scott and himself.

"Maybe. But either way, something happened last night and we need to remember what!"

"Well, I would say let's ask Derek, but he's not replying to me! For all I know, I could have killed him!" Stiles said bitterly, sitting down at the table, opposite Scott.

"Dude, it was someone else on the bus!" Scott tried to reason.

"That doesn't prove anything. I mean, maybe I attacked them both and merged the memories together!" Stiles didn't really believe his own words, but he was in the mood for some self pity until Derek was proven alive and could provide a good explanation.

"Dude you don't know that! Besides, I could have been the one attacking that guy!" Scott said, worry creeping into his voice.

"I don't not know it! And we don't know that!" Stiles said, shaking his head firmly.

"We don't not know it!" Scott countered, causing Stiles to roll his eyes. "I can't go out with Allison. I have to cancel!"

"I should agree with you, but I can't let you give up your first date or entire life! Okay? We'll figure it out."

"Figure what out?" Lydia asked, sitting down next to Scott.

"Uh, just, uh, homework" Scott stuttered as the two best friends looked at her in shock. Before turning to each other.

"Why is she sitting with us?" Stiles whispered, leaning across the table to Scott, who shrugged in return. To further the weirdness, Danny and a girl sat on either side of Stiles, while another guy sat at the end of the table. Allison then walked over and sat next to Scott, and things started to make sense.

Jackson walked over to the table and glared at the guy sitting at the end. "Get up!" He demanded.

The guy sighed "Why don't you ask Danny to get up?"

"Because I don't stare at his girlfriends coin slot!" Danny said, sharing a smirk with Lydia. The guy reluctantly stood and walked away from the table. Jackson quickly took the seat. "So, I hear they're saying it's some sort of animal attack. Probably a cougar." Danny said, trying to start a conversation. It worked.

"I heard 'mountain lion'." Jackson said.

"A cougar is a mountain lion." Lydia stated instantly. At Jackson's look, she put a vacant expression on her face and a clueless tone in her voice. "Isn't it?"

"Who cares?" Jackson asked, being his usual douchebag self. "The guy's probably some homeless tweaker, who was gonna die anyway!"

"Actually, I just found out who it is, check it out!" Stile said, holding his phone out for everyone to see the video announcing the victim as Garrison Myers.

"I know this guy!" Scott announced "He was a bus driver that I met when I lived with my dad."

Stiles was about to pull his phone back when it started ringing and a picture of him and Derek kissing, that he had discretely taken, lit up the screen. The four occupants of the table that didn't know about his relationship looked at him in shock.

Stiles cleared his throat, a blush coating his cheeks. "Excuse me," Stiles stepped away from the table, answering the phone. "Thank God! Why the hell haven't you been answering my calls?!"

"You don't remember?" Was the only reply.

"Remember what?" Stiles asked, panic flooding through his body.

"The alpha, last night it attacked the bus driver, it tried using its influence over you to make you and Scott help him kill. Because neither of you have joined his pack, you were able to resist and when I got there, you were trying to protect the guy. I chased the alpha away and have been following him all day. But I lost him." Derek finished with an angry growl. "If you want to remember, return to the site and follow your senses. I'll talk to you later, I'm gonna try catching his scent again."

"Be careful!" Stiles demanded. "I don't mind you tracking him, but please don't attack him on your own! You told me that Alpha's are stronger than us, so.." Stiles knew that Derek was rolling his eyes at him.

"Okay, I won't but I gott-"

"Promise!" Stiles demanded and Derek sighed.

"Fine, I promise!"

"Great, happy hunting!" Stiles beamed.

"See you later." Derek promised before hanging up. Stiles couldn't wipe his smile away at knowing his mate was alive and had promised to see him soon.

"-sounds fun? Stabbing myself in the face with this fork!" Jackson said holding up a fork that Lydia immediately snatched off of him.

"How about bowling? Lydia asked excitedly "You love to bowl!"

"Yeah, with actual competition!" Jackson snarked.

This sparked this competitive side of Allison, "How do you know we're not actual competition?" She then looked at Scott "You can bowl right?" Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Sort of..."

"Is it sort of or yes?" Jackson asked leaning across the table.

"Yes!" Scott said, slightly angry. "In fact, I'm a great bowler!"

"Great!" Lydia smiled, then turned her head to Stiles. "How about you Stiles?"

"Huh?" Stiles asked in confusion.

"Are you and your boyfriend coming bowling?" She asked slowly, enunciating the words as if she was talking to a child, causing Stiles to roll his eyes.

"Yeah Stiles!" Allison agreed. "You should bring Derek!"

"Derek, huh?" Lydia looked to Allison, looking intrigued. "You've met him?"

"Yeah, at your party! Stiles brought him." Lydia hummed thoughtfully and turned back to Stiles.

"Bring him." She demanded.

Stiles rolled his eyes, how did he delude himself into thinking he was in love with her? She'd make a much better partner in crime than girlfriend to him. As long as they're on the same side, they'll get along fine. "I'll ask."

Everyone at the table, except Scott, looked at him expectantly. "What? Right now?"

"Yes. Right now!" Lydia demanded.

Stiles sighed, but did as told and pulled up Derek's contact info. "Big Bad Sourwolf?" Danny asked, confused. Scott's head shot up to look at Stiles while everyone else mimicked Danny's confusion.

"Let me see!" Scott demanded. Stiles showed him the phone that everyone else craned to see. Sure enough, under the picture of the two kissing, was the name that Danny had read out. Whilst everyone else remained confused, Scott burst out laughing. "Oh my God." He gasped out in between laughs. "Does he know?!"

"Yup!" Stiles chuckled, "But he's not very impressed." He then pulled his phone back and addressed the rest of the table. "When we met, he was very grumpy and his only facial expression was a scowl. So at first I started calling him 'sourpuss' but it didn't really suit him, so I tried to think of other names when I found out his favourite animal is a wolf. Thus, Sourwolf was born!" He finished his partial lie dramatically before hitting the 'call' button. Lydia quickly leaned over, grabbed the phone and put it on speaker.

When Derek answered, Stiles spoke quickly. "Hey, Der, you're on speaker." He hoped Derek would get the message and not mention anything wolfy.

"Hey babe, who am I talking to?" Derek asked casually causing Stiles to smile.

"Me, obviously, Allison, Scott, Lydia, Jackson, Danny and.. uhh" Stiles' eyes widened in horror as he realised that he didn't know the girl's name.

"Hi Derek," Allison greeted in an attempt to save Stiles.

"Hello Allison, it's nice to talk to you again."

"You too, Derek" She said with a smile, even though he couldn't see it.

"So Der, sorry if we interrupted anything" Stiles said, knowing that Derek would know he was asking about the Alpha situation.

"No, I just got home from an uneventful run. I'm just about to work out a little."

Stiles felt a smirk tug on his lips as he started to speak, "You know, if-"

"Nothing you're about to suggest will end with me working out."

Stiles' expression fell into a pout and he seemed to forget that he wasn't alone. "It's not like we'd do much with all the damn rules you set in place."

"True, but I know you. So I know that you'd get as close to the line as you possibly can, then try to step over it."

Stiles had an offended look on his face "Hey! I resen- Nah, you're probably right." He admitted rubbing his cheek and nodding his head. Then Lydia cleared her throat and gave him a pointed look, causing him to remember the reason for his call. "Oh, yeah. The reason I called is to invite you to a group date tomorrow night. Bowling."

"..."

"Please?"

"...Who's gonna be there?"

"Well I am, does it really matter about anyone else?"

"..."

"Okay, fine, Scott, Allison, Lydia and Jackson."

"..."

"Please?"

"..."

"I won't call you sourwolf for the entire night!" Stiles promised.

"Deal."

"Great, I'll figure out the details and let you know later."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye, I love you." Stiles hung up the phone and noticed Scott gaping at him. "What?" Stiles asked confused.

"You just said..." Scott started in shock and Stiles' eyes widened.

"Oh my God." He gasped in horror. Everyone else at the table stared as they realised that clearly, that was the first time Stiles had told Derek that he loved him. And it was over the phone. And Stiles hung up before Derek could reply. Well, that's awkward.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"You're a terrible bowler!" Stiles exclaimed while walking down the corridor with Scott.

"I know! I'm such an idiot!" Scott cried, throwing his head back.

"Well you're not the only one! I don't even know why I said it. I mean it's true, I think, and it felt right to say. But why now? Why over the phone? Why in front of everyone? Oh my God, I hate my life right now!" Stiles groaned

"It was like a car wreck! First it turns into a group date! Then there's that phrase 'Hanging out'! Then you get invited in, then you say that!" Scott said, cringing slightly.

"What if he hates me now?"

"How did this happen?"

"What if I've scared him off?"

"We either killed a guy or we didn't!"

"What if he doesn't find me attractive anymore?"

"I asked Allison on a date and now we're 'hanging out'."

"Did he ever find me attractive or was it just the mate thing?"

"I make first line and the team captain wants to destroy me, and now"

"Am I attractive to gay guys?" Stiles asked curiously.

"Now I'm gonna be late for work!" Scott said in exasperation, walking faster out of the school, leaving Stiles to yell after him.

"Wait, Scott, you didn't answ- Am I attractive to gay guy-? You didn't answer my question!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night Stiles was pacing around his room nervously, like he had been doing for the previous forty minutes. He was pretty sure he was wearing down the carpet, but he didn't stop long enough to check. To make matters worse, Derek had been sitting on his desk for the past fifteen minutes. At least, that's how long ago Stiles had noticed him. The second he saw him, he looked away as if he hadn't and continued pacing.

After another five minutes, Derek finally snapped. "Okay, quit it! We need to talk, Stiles!" Stiles froze in place, sighed, then sat on the edge of his bed refusing to look at Derek.

After a few minutes of silence, Derek spoke again. "Did you mean what you said? Or did you just say it because your friends were there?" Stiles' head shot up, eyes wide in shock and it was Derek's turn to look down.

"No!" He exclaimed. "I mean yes! I mean-" Stiles took a deep breath. "I mean yes, I meant it. I didn't mean to say it, it just slipped out. It just felt right. I didn't say it out of obligation or anything, but because it's true. If I'm honest, I don't really understand any of this, it's all happening so fast and it's confusing and I've never felt like this before. I understand if I've scared you off and you don't want to see me anymore bu-"

Derek cut Stiles off with a firm kiss, pushing Stiles backwards, so that he was lying across the bed and Derek climbed on top of him. Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's neck, deepening the kiss.

After several minutes of making out they pulled apart for air, and settled more comfortably on the bed, so that Stiles was resting against the pillows and Derek could use the headboard for support if needed.

"I love you, Stiles." Derek said confidently, looking Stiles straight in the eyes to show that he meant it. "I just needed to make sure that you meant what you said before I told you."

"I love you too, Derek." Stiles said with the most beautiful smile on his face, pulling Derek in for another kiss. The kiss became more and more heated. While Derek was kissing along Stiles' neck, they both noticed as a certain part of Stiles reacted to Derek's actions.

"Remember, Stiles, no sex!" Derek mumbled into the boy's neck. Stiles sighed and started to push Derek off of him.

"Tease." He muttered. Derek sat up, straddling Stiles, only to push him back onto the bed and pin him in place.

"I said, no sex." Derek growled out, which made Stiles tingle in a way that it probably shouldn't have, and ground his hips against Stiles's own, drawing a moan from the boy. "I didn't say anything" Derek removed his shirt revealing his perfectly chiseled chest, that Stiles shamelessly ogled and ran his hands over. "About other things." Stiles moaned and pulled Derek down for another kiss.

Notes:

Feel free to use your imaginations from there.

Chapter 10: First (Group) Date

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Sterek fluff, slight idiot Scott, awesome Lydia, jerk Jackson and sweet Allison.

The Hale Pack: First (group) date

Stiles moaned and pulled Derek down for another kiss.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Stiles were both nervous as Stiles drove them to the school later that night.

"So, what? We just go back?" Scott asked Stiles, worry and confusion equally shown in his voice.

"Yeah, I guess, we just have to trust our senses." Stiles told him with a shrug.

"Speaking of senses, what is that smell?" Scott wrinkled his nose in disgust, not noticing Stiles' blush.

"Huh? W-what smell? I-i don't smell anything. I think you're just imagining things there buddy!" Stiles stuttered out, mentally cursing himself for being bad at lying under pressure. Also Scott, for not giving him time to shower!

"It smells like Derek and you, just different, kinda like... Oh." Scott's face twisted into a look of shock and disgust. "Dude! W-what about the rule or whatever?"

"We didn't have sex!" Stiles exclaimed, wide eyed "We just did other stuff." He mumbled.

"Oh my god, that's far too much information Stiles!"

"Oh, please. I didn't tell you anything that you couldn't already smell!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When the jeep pulled up outside the school, Scott had stumbled out before it had even stopped.

"-and there may have been blowjobs... but maybe not! And there might have been rimm-" Stiles' voice called from inside the vehicle.

"Oh my God, please stop!" Scott begged, hands pressed firmly to his ears, though it did nothing to block out Stiles voice as he walked towards the fence. Stiles hopped out of the Jeep shutting the door behind him. He soon caught up with Scott, and went to climb the fence. Scott quickly grabbed Stiles arm "No, just me, someone needs to keep watch!"

"Why am I always the guy keeping watch?" Stiles asked in annoyance.

"Because there's only two of us!" Scott whisper yelled as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

"But I need to know if I hurt him as well! Come on Scotty, I-i gotta know." Stiles' voice cracked at the end and tears filled his beautiful whiskey eyes. His eyebrows crinkled to frowns, and his lips tightened as if he were biting back sobs.

"Y-you're right. I'm sorry, w-we'll both g-go." Scott stuttered guiltily, gesturing for Stiles to climb the fence.

Stiles gave Scott a watery smile. "Thanks man," He said, and started to climb the fence. The second his back was turned to Scott, any trace of tears vanished from his eyes and a triumphant grin lit up his face. It took Scott a few seconds to catch on to what had just happened.

"You tricked me, you little-" Stiles looked down at Scott as he reached the top of the fence.

"No take backs!" He was perfectly balanced, both feet on the top bar.

"I'm Batman!" Stile called in a deep voice, flipping backwards off of the fence, landing in a perfect crouch. Scott didn't act as awesomely, but was still okay. "You can be Robin this time." Stiles said casually.

"Nobody's Batman and Robin any of the time!" Scott said rolling his eyes at Stiles.

"Not even some of the time?"

"Nope, now let's go!" Scott demanded, walking forward.

"Oh my god!" Stiles groaned irritably. The two wolves found themselves increasingly nervous as they grew closer to the bus, willing themselves to remember what happened the night before.

Sleeping.

Howling.

Alpha howling.

Transforming.

They're eyes snapped open and they looked at each other. So far, not looking too good. They walked closer to the bus. As they placed their hands on the door, they each saw a figure pressed to the door. Screaming. Except for Scott it was Allison and Stiles saw Derek.

Scott stepped on the bus first, Stiles quickly following, pushing the door shut.

The man screaming, being dragged.

A bench hurtling towards them.

They each grabbed one of the man's hands.

Alpha claws slashing at them. Catching Scott's chest.

Flashlight. Wait? Flashlight? Shit.

They ran off the bus, back towards the fence. Scott jumped on a red car, running across the hood and roof, before propelling himself into a flip, over the fence, landing and pushing into roll. Stiles on the other hand, opted to jump straight onto the fence, gripping the top bar with both hands, flipping himself over, also landing in a roll. The two wolves sprinted to the Jeep, clambering into their respective seats, and Stiles drove away as fast as he could.

"So we didn't attack him," Stiles began triumphantly, while Scott looked out the back to make sure they weren't being followed.

"We were trying to protect him," Scott continued, turning to look at Stiles. "But from who?"

"The Alpha, I've told you, dude. The Alpha wants us in his pack!" Stiles rushed out, trying to catch his breath.

"Why?" Scott asked "Why go through all this trouble? Why does he want a pack so bad?"

"Because a pack will make him stronger. Also, a lone wolf never survives long. Even if it's an Alpha." Stiles told him automatically, repeating what Derek had told him.

"Wait, aren't we lone wolves then? We can't have a pack without an Alpha, right?"

"We are in a pack, You, me and Derek. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but that's what Derek told me. We will need an Alpha. But hopefully one that's not psychotic! Once this Alpha is gone, we'll have a new Alpha." Stiles explained the best he could, but like he said, he didn't know all of the details.

"How? Will a new Alpha come to town or something?" Scott asked curiously, wanting to know more.

"Maybe it depends on who kills the Alpha." At Scott's confused look, he continued. "If a hunter kills an Alpha, then either the power would be transferred to one of us, or we'd have to hope we don't get killed while trying to find a new one. But if a werewolf kills an Alpha, they gain the power on an Alpha. Laura Hale, the girl who died, Derek's sister, she was an Alpha. She gained the power when their mum died because she was the oldest. When she was killed by a rogue werewolf, an omega, the power went from her to him." Scott nodded, trying to wrap his head around the new information.

So, there's a chance that he or Stiles could become an Alpha. That was a sufficiently terrifying thought.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next night, Allison was in her bedroom, searching through her wardrobe. She smiled when she saw a shirt that she liked, taking it off of the rack and holding it up for Lydia's approval.

"Hmm, pass." Allison turned back to her wardrobe, picking up a rather colourful shirt. "Pass!" Lydia said instantly, with a distasteful look on her face. She sighed and stood up from the bed "Let me see." She marched towards the wardrobe in determination.

"Hmm, pass. Pass. Uh, pass on all of it!" She said, shaking her head in disdain, turning to her friend, who looked dejected. "God, Allison, my respect for your taste is dwindling by the second." Lydia chuckled, playing with the girl's hair. She looked at the next shirt and tilted her head. "Huh." She took the shirt off of the rack and walked into the brighter part of the room to get a better look. "This!" She announced happily.

Allison took the shirt out of Lydia's hands and held it in front of herself, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Chris Argent walked into his daughters room without knocking, holding his jacket in one hand.

"Dad, hello." Allison greeted politely, giving him a look that clearly said 'Why the hell didn't you knock?'. He smiled at her and Lydia, putting on his jacket before realising his mistake.

"right, I-I'm sorry, I completely forgot to knock." His facial expression was apologetic, and Lydia hopped onto Allison's bed. Landing on her side, one hand on her hip. the other playing with her hair as she smiled semi-flirtatiously.

"Hey, Mr Argent." She greeted the man. Allison looked at her for a second in disbelief, before turning back to her dad.

"Dad, do you need something?"

"I wanted to tell you that you'll be staying in tonight" He said casually. On the bed, Lydia's look transformed from flirtation to a mix of annoyance, disappointment and something that just said 'of course'.

"What? I'm going out with my friends tonight!" Allison protested and Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Not with some animal out there attacking people!" Chris retorted. Allison started to protest, but Chris wouldn't listen. "Hey, hey, hey, it's out of my hands! There's a curfew, no ones allowed out past 9:30pm!" Both girls rolled their eyes and Allison threw her shirt onto the bed in annoyance. "Hey, No more arguing." He smiled at her then left the room.

Allison sighed. "Hmm," Lydia hummed, "Someone's daddy's little girl." She commented, smirking at her friend.

"Sometimes," Allison admitted before shaking her head. "But not tonight." She walked over to her dresser, looking to the door to make sure her dad wasn't coming back and put on her hat. She then walked to the window. and opened it. She climbed out and walked over to a small platform with ease. Lydia rushed to a window and poked her head out "What are you doing?" She asked in worry, her eyes widening as Allison simply leaned forward and flipped off of the building, landing easily on the ground. She looked up at the window and whispered, slightly out of breath. "Eight years gymnastics. Are you coming?"

"I'll take the stairs." Lydia informed her with a nod.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later, the three couples were at the bowling alley, Allison was picking out a ball, trying to find the right weight.

"You really look like you know what you're doing." Scott observed, slightly intimidated.

Allison smirked at him and explained. "I used to bowl with my dad. When was the last time you bowled?"

"Oh, at a birthday party.." She smiled at him, then settled on a ball, walking back to their lane, missing Scott's mutter of "When I was Eight!" Lydia was up first, preparing to go, when Jackson came up behind her putting a hand on her waist. He helped her take her shot, but the ball went into the gutter. She managed to hit three pins on her second shot.

"I'm so bad at this!" She muttered angrily, walking back to her seat.

Allison went next, getting a strike. Scott smiled proudly at her and gave her a high five.

"Somebody brought their A game." Lydia declared with a grin.

"Well done, Ally!" Stiles complimented as he stood to take his shot. He also got a strike, earning him a surprised look from everyone except Scott.

"Great job, Stiles! I didn't know you could bowl." Allison said in surprise as Stiles settled himself in Derek's lap.

"Ugh, don't get him bragging!" Scott laughs as Stiles smirks. "He won every time we ever went bowling!"

Jackson also got a strike, but only Lydia cheered. That didn't stop him from smirking, though. "You're up McCall."

"Well that guy seems like a douche." Derek whispered into Stiles ear, causing him to giggle.

"Yup! He's the douchiest!" Stiles whispered back. Scott's small grin gave away the fact that he had heard.

Scott went to make his shot and the ball... went straight in the gutter. Jackson bust out laughing.

"Jackson!" Allison scolded, giving him a look. "Mind shutting up?" He kept laughing.

"I'm sorry." He said between laughs. "I'm sorry. I'm just flashing back to the words 'I'm a great bowler'."

"Maybe he just needs a warm up!" Allison argued.

"Yeah, maybe he just needs the kiddie bumpers!" Lydia laughed at that.

"Just aim for the middle." Allison advised and made an attempt to sound reassuring.

"How about you aim for anything except the gutter!" Jackson snarked.

"Just imagine the pins are Jackson's head!" Stiles countered, causing Derek, Allison and Scott to smile.

"Come on, Stiles!" Derek scolded, causing Stiles' face to drop, and Jackson to smirk "We're trying to get Scott to aim for the pins, not the building!" The group, except Jackson, burst into laughter. Even Lydia, who tried to bite it back, but failed.

"L-" Allison started between laughs. "Let him con-centrate." Unfortunately, Scott got another gutter ball, causing Jackson to laugh.

"Great job McCall! You're a real pro!" Jackson teased as Scott sat down.

"Don't worry!" Allison whispered. "We've only just started." Next it was Derek's turn. As he went to make his shot, he hesitated and his shoulders dropped.

Realising what he was about to do, Scott whispered at a volume that only Derek and Stiles would hear. "Derek, don't, I may suck, but you guys still have a chance to beat and humiliate Jackson!" He noticed Derek's small nod and smiled as the leather clad man took a step back before taking his shot. Strike.

On the next round, the shots stayed the same, except Lydia managed to hit five pins, and didn't complain about being bad this time. Scott nervously stood, preparing to take his shot. After a moment of hesitation, Allison stood and ran over to him.

"Scott, you're thinking too much," She whispered and Scott sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry I'm ruining this!" Scott apologised but Allison shook her head.

"No, no, not at all. But, I wouldn't mind shutting them up! So just clear your head and think about something else." She said with a smile.

"Like what?"

"Think about me." She started to walk away, but a though occurred to her and she turned back. "Naked." She then ran back to her seat, not noticing Stiles and Derek exchange a look, then wrinkle their noses at a new smell.

This time, when Scott took his shot, he got a strike! Stiles cheered, Derek smiled and Allison laughed in shock and happiness. Jackson was not as happy.

"What did you say to him?" Lydia asked, confused and curious.

"Uh, I just gave him something to think about." She said casually.

Later on in the evening, Scott made another strike.

"That is seriously amazing!" Allison exclaimed. "Jackson, uh, how many strikes is it?" She asked tauntingly.

"It's six. In a row." Jackson looked seriously pissed off and Lydia ignored him to face Scott, while Derek took his shot, purposely getting a spare.

"Maybe it's just natural talent." Allison suggested smiling at Scott.

"I could use a little natural talent." Lydia said, smiling at Scott when her turn came back around. "You mind helping me out this time Scott?"

"uh, no, you're good. Go for it." Scott said nervously under the stare's of both girls.

"That girl has no shame!" Derek whispered, pulling Stiles back onto his lap.

"I know! I can't believe I ever had a crush on her." Stiles whispered without thinking, only realising what he said when Derek's arm tightened around his waist and he growled softly into his ear. "Oh, calm down, I love you and only you!" He said honestly.

"I love you too." Derek smiled and pulled Stiles in for a kiss. They continued to kiss softly for a few moments, before Lydia cleared her throat. The rest of the group were looking at them with mixed expressions. Lydia had an eyebrow raised, but was smiling slightly, Jackson was glaring, Allison was smiling and silently 'aweing' and Scott just looked like he was about to throw up.

"Dude! Do you have to do that in front of me? You're my brother, it's gross!" Everyone rolled their eye's at Scott.

"It was a kiss, Scott! No tongue or anything! Don't be such a prude, bitch." Stiles smirked at the end, knowing Scott would get the reference.

"Jerk." Scott responded instantly, smiling at Stiles.

"Anyway," Lydia cut in with annoyance. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." She sent Scott a glare, before going to take her shot.

"Hey, I'll help!" Jackson said, standing to prove himself once more, but Lydia protested.

"How about, I just try this on my own?" Jackson was annoyed at that, but gestured for her to go anyway.

Lydia looked at the pins confidently. Making her shot with a smirk, getting a strike. "Yes!" She cheered triumphantly, clenching both fists in celebration and spinning to face her friends. Jackson looked at her in shock as she sat next to him again. "I think I'm getting the hang of it." Lydia twirled her hair casually, ignoring Jackson's sassy look.

"That was sort of perfect form!" Allison said in shock.

Lydia put an perfectly crafted confused look on her face and asked, "Was it?" But you didn't need supernatural abilities to know that she was putting it on for appearances.

Allison leaned over to her and whispered "Maybe you should stop pretending to suck just for his benefit!" Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, I do plenty of sucking just for his benefit." She sat up straight and turned to Derek and Stiles "So, Derek. How did you and Stiles meet?" Lydia asked casually, but the look in her eyes showed that she was dying to know. They had prepared for this. It's go time.

"Well, it was uh, what? mid summer break?" Derek asked, looking up at Stiles, who moved his head so he could look at Derek.

"Yeah, around that time, I was on my way home from a long night of video games at Scott's." Stiles chuckled. "Anyway, I was about half a mile from home, 2:30am, when my Jeep brakes down! So I get my phone and I'm about to call for help, when out of nowhere, this guy, fully dressed in black and wearing a leather jacket, knocks on my window-"

"I did not appear out of nowhere! I was stood there waving at you for like five minute, you were just oblivious." Derek cut in, rolling his eyes causing the girls to giggle.

"Hush you, I'm talking!" Stiles playfully demanded. "So he just appears, looking like he belongs to a biker gang! I'm a little freaked out, but I need help so I roll down the window sli-"

Derek cut him off. "Oh, please! You were terrified!" He looked at the group, all of whom were captivated by the story. Even the boys, Scott knew it was fake, but still clung to every word. Jackson tried to act indifferent, but failed. "He literally screamed and jumped into the passenger side seat, flailing his limbs like an octopus!" Allison, Lydia and Scott laugh at that, all picturing the action clearly. Jackson couldn't contain his smirk, and a slight chuckle escaped his lips.

"I did not!" Stiles protested, slapping Derek on the arm.

"I believe Derek," Lydia smirked.

"Me too, sorry Stiles." Allison smiled apologetically. Stiles huffed and crossed his arms.

Derek rolls his eyes fondly, and takes a moment to admire Stiles with a look of pure love and adoration. Stiles meets his look with a blush and the same expression on his face. Without taking his eyes off of Stiles, he continues. "I couldn't help but laugh at this hyperactive teenage boy, flailing about like a spaz. So I'm just stood there, laughing like crazy,while he's freaking out, thinking I'm about to kill him or something."

"Then when I realise that it's not an 'I'm a crazy psychopath who's going to kill you' laugh, but an 'Oh my god, you're such an idiot' laugh, I got angry-" Stiles started, eyes still locked on his mate. Telling the tale of how they wish they'd met. This harmless, weird, funny, cute scenario.

"And he opens the drivers side door, full force, just to hit me with it, then slams it shut again. That's when he finally rolls down the window and yells 'Whoever you are, you better not try anything! My dad's the Sheriff and my death will be avenged!' At the top of his lungs!" Derek continued.

"He rolls his eyes, which by the way, is his favourite action," As if to prove a point, Derek rolled his eyes. "-See!- Anyway, then he's like 'I was gonna offer to help you spaz! But now..' and started to walk away. Without thinking, I jump out of my Jeep, and chase after him-"

"-He jumps on my back yelling 'Nononononno, please help me!' I had half a mind to send him to a psychiatrist. Instead, I do the stupid thing and offer him a ride home. He is apparently even more stupid, and accepts."

"So he drives me home, although I'm a bit hesitant about giving him my address-" Derek cut's him off.

"Though he's only hesitant after accidentally blurting it out. So I take him home and then go back to the hotel. For some reason, I just can't get this boy out of my head. Then two weeks later I saw him in the coffee shop. And I swear too god, my first though was, 'Please, for the love of God, tell me nobody was stupid enough to give this spaz coffee!'" The group burst into laughter at that, even Jackson. "Thankfully, he was drinking hot chocolate, which I found out when I sat with him. I'll admit, I only sat with him because all tables were taken, and he was the only person that I vaguely knew, but I'm glad that I did." Derek's arm tightened around Stiles' waist, pulling him slightly closer.

"And I'll admit, I was nervous at first. This tall, dark and smoking hot guy, who I've met once, walks over and sits with me. But it was just perfect, we just talked for hours, and he gave me his number." Stiles smiled down at Derek, leaning closer to him. "It took me three days to gather up the nerve to call him. When he answered, he sounded all angry and stuff, so I was nervous, thinking it was a bad idea."

"Hey, I thought it was someone from New York, bugging me again." Derek said apologetically, rumbling Stiles' arm. "When I realised it was you, I was a lot happier." He grinned at Stiles, who chuckled in response.

"Tell me about it, you wouldn't shut up!" Stiles chided, a teasing grin on his face.

Derek scoffed and playfully smacked Stiles thigh. "Like you can talk."

"Yes, I can. In fact, I'm very good at it. I'm actually told that I talk too much." Stiles grinned.

"Hmm, true." Derek hummed, tilting his head. Stiles gasped in mock horror.

"You're not supposed to agree with me!" He said, turning so that his back was to Derek, and he was looking at the group, who were watching the exchange in amusement.

"Well, sorry for trying to have an honest relationship!" Derek rested his chin on Stiles' shoulder.

"Oh, you want an honest relationship, prude?" Stiles teased, causing Derek to get defensive.

"I'm not a prude, I just don't want to get arrested when your dad finds out, I'm already preparing to be shot! After I've taken a bullet for you, if I survive, I'd rather spend time with you, than behind bars."

Stiles had a faux thoughtful look on his face. He then beamed and turned to face Derek again. "Fine." He dragged out the word, faking annoyance. "I guess I can accept that. Even though it's annoying."

"Poor you, you're such a martyr!" Derek drawled sarcastically and Stiles sighed dramatically.

"I know, I think that I deserve a reward!" Stiles stated with a nod, leaning closer to Derek.

"Oh really?" Derek raised an eyebrow.

"Yup!"

"Okay then." Derek muttered, closing the gap between their lips. Lydia and Allison cooed and awed at the couple, Jackson rolled his eyes, but a subtle smile graced his lips. Scott just looked ill.

"Ally, i-it's your go." Scott announced loudly, searching for a distraction from the couple in front of him.

Allison rolled her eyes, but smiled at the couple one last time, walking away to take her shot.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Jackson was playing on the pinball machine and Scott walked over. "Nice shot man!" He complimented. Glare. "Listen, I know we both didn't want to be here, but, the thing is, we don't have to hate each other."

"I don't hate you." Jackson stated, looking at Scott. "I just don't believe you. You know, you've got everyone thinking everything's fine and normal about you, but... I know something's off. You cheated tonight!"

"How do you cheat in bowling?" Scott asked incredulously

"I don't know. But you did! And I don't know if it's steroids or something weirder, I'm guessing something weirder, since it's pretty obvious you're a freak!" He said, looking Scott up and down. "So, don't think for a second, I've given up on finding out what your little secret is."

"I don't have any secrets!" Scott lied, though it did nothing to dissuade Jackson.

"Yeah, you do! And, here's the other thing. I don't know why, but I think whatever it is you're hiding..." He looked over to Allison, who was talking to Lydia, Stiles and Derek. "You don't want her to find out about it either."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later, at the hospital, Derek is in the room with the bus driver who was attacked. "Open your eyes. Open your eyes!" He demanded, "Look at me." Meyers slowly turned his head to look at Derek. "What do you remember?"

"Hale." Meyers gasped out, Causing Derek to become confused.

"How do you know my name?" He asked in slight shock.

"I'm sorry."

"How do you know me?!" Derek demanded.

"I'm sorry.." Meyers repeated, before laying his head back on the pillow.

Outside of the room at the nurse station, Melissa McCall walked to get her belongings. "Girl, I am outta here!" She said to another nurse, who smiled at her. "There's a DVR at home, full of unwatched tv, waiting to remind me how ridiculously single I really am. The two shared a giggle, but then the computer started beeping."Rose, call a code, room 137. When she arrived at the room, it was too late. Garrison Meyers was dead.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Melissa walks to her son's room in exhaustion, finally dressed in pajamas, rather than scrubs. "Hey Scott, I'm gonna go to..." She trailed off when she realised that the room is empty. "Sleep." She starts walking down the hall to her own room, "Seriously?" Then stopped when she heard a noise coming from Scott's room. She headed back into the room, and noticed a figure coming in through the window, landing on Scott's bed.

She grabs a bat and goes to hit the intruder with it while screaming, when the person screams back. Stiles. "Stiles, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"What am I doing?!" He retorts angrily. "God, do either of you even play baseball?" The light suddenly turned on and Scott walked in.

"Can you please tell your friend to use the front door?!" She asked Scott.

"But we lock the front door, he wouldn't be able to get in." Scott replied and Melissa nodded.

"Yeah, exactly!" She sighed and looked between the two teens. "And, by the way, do either of you care that there's a police enforce curfew?"

"No." They stated in unison.

"No? Alright then, well, you know what?" She threw the bat on the bed next to Stiles. "That's about enough parenting from me for one night. So goodnight." Melissa then turned and walked out of the room.

Scott pulled his desk chair to the end of the bed and sat down so that he was facing Stiles. "What is it?"

"My dad left for the hospital fifteen minutes ago. It's the bus driver." Scott's eyes widened. "They said he succumbed to his wounds."

"Succumbed?"

"Scott." Stiles shook his head. "He's dead." Scott's eyes widened further, if possible.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After Stiles had left, planning to go home until he received a text from Lydia and Allison, Scott headed to Derek's house to confront him. Stiles may believe him, but Scott didn't. He tried to, but now that Meyers is dead. Killed by a werewolf... It had to be Derek!

"Derek!" Scott bellowed, rage flooding his body. "I know you're here! I know what you did!"

Derek's voice echoed around Scott. "I didn't do anything."

"You killed him!" Scott was enraged as he made his way up the stairs.

"He died!" Derek corrected, more anger was seeping into his voice.

"Like your sister died?" Scott asked, looking around for Derek, continuing up the stairs.

"My sister was missing! I came here looking for her!"

"You found her."

"I found her in pieces!" Derek bellowed, pain and anger clear in his voice. "Being used as bait to catch me!"

Scott continued up the stairs, ignoring the undeniable pain in Derek's voice. "I think you killed the both!" He announced stubbornly. "And I'm gonna tell everyone! Starting with the Sheriff!" Scott finally reached the top of the stairs. Only to have Derek appear behind him and throw him back down them. Scott looked up fully wolfed out, and turned his head to growl at Derek.

Derek jumped the stairs in one go. Just to be thrown through a wall by Scott. He stood and dusted himself off as if it were nothing. "That was cute" He commented and proceeded to remove his jacket and wolf out. Eyes glowing an icy blue. Scott walked towards Derek and the fight began. Kicking and throwing each other into various pieces of furniture and walls. Flipping and tossing, hitting each other with whatever they could find. The fight ended when Derek grabbed Scott by the throat and repeatedly slammed him into the floor, kicked him over a table when he stood up and punched him one last time for good measure.

They both shifted back to their human forms. "I didn't kill him! None of us did! It's not your fault and it's not Stiles' and it's not mine!"

Scott stood angrily, walking towards Derek. "This? This is all your fault! You ruined my life!"

Derek glared at him, but spoke somewhat calmly. "No, I didn't!"

"You're the one who bit me." Scott snapped, staring Derek in the eyes.

Derek shook his head. "No, I'm not!"

Scott turned confused "What?"

Derek shook his head in disbelief "Don't you listen to Stiles? I'm not the one that bit you!"

Scott remembered the night on the bus. The eyes, the claws. He stumbled backwards onto the sofa in shock "There's another." He finally believed what Stiles had been telling him the entire time.

Derek nodded, explaining what Stiles had already said. "It's called an alpha. It's the most dangerous of our kind. You, Stiles and I, we're betas... This thing is more powerful, more animal than either of us. My sister came here looking for him and now, I'm trying to find him. But I don't think I can do it without you and Stiles."

"Why us?"

"Because he's the one that bit you. You're part of his pack. It's you, you're the ones he wants." Derek stated, staring at the boy in front of him. Unaware that just outside the house, hidden in the trees, the Alpha was watching. Eyes glowing red as it listened to the two wolves in the house.

Chapter 11: Gossip Time

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Friendship blossoms with Stiles, Allison and Lydia. Plus Sheriff Stilinski!

The Hale Pack: Gossip Time

Unaware that just outside the house, hidden in the trees, the Alpha was watching. Eyes glowing red as it listened to the two wolves in the house.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So what's up?" Stiles asked sitting on the end of Allison's bed. Lydia and Allison sat side by side, leaning against the headboard. Lydia had her legs straight out, whereas Allison had one knee pulled up to her chest.

"You and Derek are so cute together!" Allison gushed immediately and Lydia looked as though she was analysing Stiles.

"Thanks? Was that all?" Stiles asked in confusion. "Cause you said that like thirty times at bowling."

"I don't know what you mean." Lydia replied in an airy tone, tilting her head slightly but before she could continue, Stiles rolled his eye and cut in.

"Lydia, come on, you can stop pretending to be a nitwit now." Lydia glared at him but he just continued. "Look, you can glare all you want, but it's just Ally and I here, if you're that worried about your reputation."

"What makes you think that I-"

"Lydia, before Derek came along, I had a crush on you! Like the biggest crush ever, since the third grade, so I know that somewhere behind that cold, lifeless exterior, there's an actual human soul. I'm pretty sure that I know just how smart you really are! And once you're done acting like a complete idiot, you will eventually go off and write some insane mathematical theorem that wins you the Nobel prize. So if you really want to pretend in front of your fake friends, who don't know the first thing about you, fine. But with me, Ally, Scott, hell, even Derek. You don't need to pretend. So just give it up."

Allison and Lydia exchanged shocked looks, but Allison still nodded at what Stiles said.

"A Fields Medal." Lydia corrected softly, thrown off at the revelation that rather than just ogling her all of these years, Stiles had actually seen her. That was something she hadn't expected.

"Huh?" Stiles asked and he and Allison looked at Lydia in confusion.

Lydia smirked at them and explained "Nobel doesn't have a prize for mathematics. The Fields Medal is the one I'll be winning." Lydia held her head high, her usual confidence back full force.

"Damn right." Allison agreed, nudging Lydia with her shoulder.

"That was actually one of the things that I wanted to talk to you about. I'd noticed your crush on me, I ignored it because I used to think you were a loser, no offense." Lydia stated with a shrug.

"None taken." Stiles said, rolling his eyes. "But only because you used past tense."

"So, how is it that one guy can completely obliterate a crush?" Allison asked, resting her chin on her knee.

"Well, the thing is, I'm not sure it was a crush." Stiles admitted and the girls shot him disbelieving looks. He raised his hands in defense. "Hear me out, okay? I think it was more admiration. Like I'd noticed how smart you are and your confidence, how you can be so intellectually brilliant and still remain fashionable, like you don't conform to the socially inept, shy, genius girl, or the dimwitted, selfish, fashionista bitch. Although you like to pretend that you're the latter." He smiled at Lydia's glare and Allison's giggle. "You mix up both and throw in a little something extra. Now that I've met Derek and realised that I am completely and utterly in love with him, I realise that you and I would make amazing friends and unstoppable partners in crime." Stiles finished with a grin.

Lydia stared at him, silently assessing him for a few moments as Allison looked on nervously. After a few minutes of tense silence, Lydia grinned, matching Stiles' own expression. "I agree." Allison squealed and grinned happily, then moved to grab Stiles and pulled him and Lydia into a semi-awkward group hug.

When they pulled away, Stiles was also settled against the headboard, Allison to his right and Lydia to his left.

"So, tell us everything!" Allison demanded. "We know Derek has the no sex rule, but you have to have done other stuff!"

"If you ask me, it's a stupid rule." Lydia stated rolling her eyes, Allison leaned over Stiles to lightly smack Lydia's arm.

"I think it's sweet and responsible." Allison argued, resulting in both Stiles and Lydia rolling their eyes at her.

"Oh, come on, it's not like he can get Stiles knocked up! And Stiles doesn't have any diseases, seeing as he's a virgin. If Derek has any-" Stiles jumped in "He doesn't" "he can just wrap up!" Lydia argued flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"But it's still illegal."

"So is whatever else they're doing, but you're not bitching about that!" Lydia stated with a triumphant grin.

Allison opened her mouth to argue, but closed it then sighed with resignation, before returning her full attention and excitement to Stiles. "So, tell us!"

The three of them proceeded to laugh and gossip until the early hours of the morning. They had shifted so that Stiles lying on his side across the length of the bed, near the end, faced directly opposite Allison. Lydia was now on her stomach, one hand supporting her chin, the other fiddling with the sheets. Allison was pretty much in the same position as she'd been in when Stiles arrived, except both knees were pulled to her chest now, crossed at the ankles.

"Allison!" Mrs. Argent scolded walking into the room in pajamas looking tired and annoyed, eyes narrowing when she noticed, not only Lydia, but Stiles sat on her daughters bed. "Allison, your friends need to go home."

"Aw, mum, come on, five more minutes? It's Saturday night and Stiles is telling us about his boyfriend!" Allison protested putting on her best puppy dog look. Victoria Argent wasn't convinced, however.

"No, Allison, it's 3am." The three teens gained wide eyed expressions of shock, pulling out their phones. Sure enough, it was exactly 3am. "Now, say goodbye to your friends."

"Wait, h-how are you guys getting home? Lydia, didn't Jackson drop you off?" Allison asked in concern.

"Yeah, but he's so not gonna pick me up now." Lydia sighed, feigning disappointment, she wasn't really bothered, but this way, she had a chance at getting an invite to spend the night.

"What about your parents?" Mrs. Argent asked, already catching on to the teenager's plan.

"Divorced." Lydia stated, rolling to her side. "Dad lives with his secretary, mum is on a vacation somewhere. Probably drunk."

"That's awful sweetheart." Victoria said sympathetically, knowing she wasn't going to win the battle. "It's late, why don't you stay the night." She turned to Stiles, "How will you be getting home?"

"I'll try calling my dad, he might still be at work." Stiles said with a shrug, unlocking his phone. He didn't have his jeep as he didn't want his dad to know he'd broken curfew. Derek had dropped him off at home after the date and he had chosen to run to Scott's house when he heard about Meyers, because he could do that now without getting tired, and then ran from there to Allison's house when he received her text.

"Sheriff Stilinski has been working so hard lately." Allison announced, tone casual but it was clear what she was trying to do.

"Do you have your father's personal number?" Victoria asked with a sigh. Stiles nodded and handed her his phone. She copied the number into her own phone, then pressed the call button and put the phone on speaker.

"Sheriff Stilinski, how can I help?" A tired voice answered after two rings.

"Hello, Sheriff, I'm Victoria Argent, my daughter is friends with your son, Stiles?"

"Noah," He corrected "Your daughter is Allison, right? Is everything okay Mrs. Argent?."

"Please call me Victoria, Yes, everything is fine, it's just that your son and another classmate of Allison's came over and seem to have lost track of time, both were dropped off at our house and have no way of getting home."

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm stuck at the office all night. I understand that you might be uncomfortable letting a teenage boy that you barely know stay at your house, but he's a good kid. He won't do anything. And just between you and me, he claims to have a thing for this girl Lydia, but I'm pretty sure he's got a crush on this guy I was talking to the other day."

"Stiles, your dad doesn't know about your boyfriend?" Lydia asked loudly, making sure the sheriff would hear.

"Boyfriend? Stiles why didn't you tell me? What's his name, son?" The sheriff asked, figuring out that he was on speaker.

"I-It's a l-long story d-dad" Stiles stuttered nervously, "I-I'll explain -t-t-tomorrow."

The Sheriff sighed. "Okay, So Victoria, would Stiles be okay to sleep on the couch, or something?" Noah asked hopefully and the teens all shot her hopeful looks.

"He can stay in the guest room, Noah, but I must insist that if he stays over again, I'll need more warning."

"Of course, thank you for your generosity Victoria. I have to get back to work now, but I hope you have a good night. Goodbye Victoria, Stiles, Allison and, uh, Lydia? Was that you?"

"Yup, goodnight sheriff." Lydia called, the other occupants of the room bid farewell to the Sheriff, Stiles taking the longest.

"Okay, Lydia you can stay in here with Allison, Stiles the guest room is down the hall, Allison can show you where. I'm trusting you all. I'm going to bed. You have five minutes to say goodnight, then I want you all asleep." Victoria announced, an edge of warning in her tone before she left the room.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next morning, Stiles was rudely awoken to two girls jumping on him. He screamed as they tackled him. The girls began tickling him, Stiles tried to wriggle away, only to hit his head on the headboard, rather hard. "Get off!" Stiles demanded. Both girls laughed, but did climb off of the bed.

"What a wonderful awakening." Stiles drawled sarcastically, then noticed Mr and Mrs Argent stood in the doorway watching in amusement. "Morning Mr and Mrs Argent, do you have any aspirin?" He asked, rubbing his head. It didn't actually hurt, but he needed to keep up appearances.

"Morning," Lydia greeted the Argents, before turning to Stiles. "Come on, don't be a wuss, and must you use sarcasm all the time?" She teased.

"Hey, I'm 147 pounds of pale skin and fragile bone, okay? Sarcasm and D-bear are my only defenses. Okay? And he isn't here right now." Stiles said, raising his hands defensively. Purposely on using Derek's initial, hoping that Allison and Lydia would go with it.

"D, is that your boyfriend?" Victoria asked suspiciously.

"Yup, obviously, that's just a nickname, though." He said with a smile, hoping that the Argents wouldn't make the connection to Derek. "I'm not quite ready to go public yet, which is why before someone" He glared at Lydia while climbing out of bed. "told my dad, only my closest friends knew, and Jackson."

Lydia rolled her eyes and Mr Argent spoke up for the first time that morning. "Okay, so if you kids want to get dressed, separately, then come downstairs, breakfast will be ready in about 20 minutes. Stiles, Lydia, the two of you can't stay long, Allison needs to help get the house ready."

"For what?" Allison asked confused and curious.

"Your aunt Kate's coming to stay with us for a while."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that day, Stiles was sitting opposite his dad at the kitchen table. Both Stilinski's were quiet, unsure how to start the conversation.

"Is it Hale?" The Sheriff asked finally, causing Stiles to choke on air. "I saw the way the two of you were looking at each other, that day at the station. Then a little birdy told me that they saw the two of you being all coupley on a group date, bowling? Was it?"

"Yeah, it's him." Stiles admitted softly looking at his hands.

"Is-" The sheriff sigh and looked at his son in concern. "Is he forcing you?" Stiles' head shot up in shock and he shook his head violently.

"No dad, I swear to you! I really care about him and he cares about me. Plus he made a rule about no sex until 18! And if he did try anything, I'd call you straight away, I swear!" Stiles rambled immediately, hoping his dad would believe what he was saying.

After a few moments, Noah nodded "Okay, I wish you had told me yourself, though, son." Stiles looked down guiltily. "Call Derek, tell him to be here at 7 for dinner. I've got the night off and want to get to know him." Stiles smiled and nodded, pulling out his phone. "Once you've done that, you're gonna tell me all about how you met!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles and Derek sat next to each other at the table, Noah sat opposite them. Pleasant chatter was held through the meal, Shepherd's Pie, courtesy of Stiles.

"This meal is delicious Sheriff!" Derek praised honestly.

"Please, call me Noah, Derek. And thank Stiles, he's the one who cooked." Noah said, a hint of bragging in his voice. "So, Derek, Stiles told me you two met midsummer? You were helping him out when his Jeep broke down?" Noah asked casually.

"Yeah, that's right." Derek said, nodding in agreement. The sheriff's eyes narrowed.

"Really?" Derek and Stiles exchanged concerned looks. "Because after I interviewed you, I checked your whereabouts prior to the body being found. Standard procedure, and according to several witnesses, your credit card and phone's GPS, ever since you left with your sister 6 years ago, you hadn't stepped foot within a five mile radius of Beacon Hills until a half hour before the body was found. And the coroner says that she was killed at least two hours before she was found. I hate bringing up your sister like this, Derek, but I need to know the truth about you and my son."

Noah shot a demanding look to Derek and Stiles, who both looked nervous. The wolves looked at each other and Derek nodded to Stiles. It was the only way. "Dad," Stiles said softly, looking at the elder Stilinski. "There's something you should know..."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night, it was 2am in Beacon Hills, the town was almost silent, most of its residents were at home, sleeping, unaware that a familiar face was rejoining their community.

A woman drove through the town, listening to the radio, scoffing at the 'Animal attacks' being reported on the nightly news. She switched to a music station and proceeded to check her reflection in the rear view mirror. Getting caught up in the music, she didn't notice the red eyed creature running alongside her car. Hearing noises, she looked around, seeing nothing, she faced the front again, only to find herself on the wrong side of the road and heading straight for another car. Swerving out of the way, and stopping by a stop sign, she gasped for breath.

"Nice driving, Kate," The woman muttered. "Nice."

Thump.

Something landed on the roof of her car. Kate looked up, startled. She reached behind her, to the back seat, when the window next to her smashed, and a clawed paw reached through. She screamed as the creature gripped her arm. Kate grabbed a rifle from the back seat and shot at the creature. She opened the passenger side door and rolled out of the car. She landed in a crouch and cocked and aimed the gun. Standing up, she looked around for the wolf. "Come on!"

Kate fired a shot into the air and hollered "Come on!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was tucked into Derek's side that night in a makeshift bed on the Hale living room floor, tear streaks staining his cheeks. Both were only wearing their underwear, sleeping peacefully, when the Alpha howled, startling the mates from their sleep. They hurried out of 'bed', pulling on clothes, minds set on catching the Alpha.

Meanwhile, across town, Allison Argent was sleepily confronting her dad about where he was heading off to.

"What's going on?"

"Your aunt Kate just texted, we're heading out to pick her up." He explained calmly, hoping Allison would drop it and go back to bed.

"But it's 2 in the morning, is everything okay?" Allison's tone was filled with concern.

"No, no, she's just having a little car trouble." Chris assured his daughter.

"Not serious is it?"

"No, just a flat tire, go back to bed, sweetheart." Allison complied to her father's request without complaint, satisfied with her answers.

-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-

Derek knelt down, noticing blood on the floor. The Alpha was injured. Derek stood, analysing the scent properly now that he had a better sample. Stiles knelt to do the same while Derek scanned the area. His eyes fell on the Alpha, who snarled at him before leaping away. Unable to control his rage at his sister's killer, he chased after the Alpha without thinking, scaling the building.

"Derek!" Stiles whisper yelled. "Derek get back here!" Derek ignored him and continued chasing the Alpha. Stiles was about to follow when he noticed her. A woman with an assault rifle, aiming her weapon at Derek. Stiles turned to call out a warning, but it was too late. Derek was jumping over a gap between two buildings when the shot went off and he went down. Stiles started to run to Derek, when someone grabbed his arm from the shadows. Stiles turned to attack, claws lengthening when a familiar voice spoke up.

"Dude, it's just me." Scott whispered urgently.

"Scott." Stiles breathed out in relief. Stiles turned his head, noticing a car pull up beside the woman, who was probably a hunter. "You go listen in to what's going on, see if we can figure this out. I need to check on Derek." Scott nodded, rushing over to the fence.

Stiles heard Derek groan in pain and speed up his pace. When he finally reached his lover, his wolf became restless, howling in pain and whimpering at the sight. He knelt down next to Derek and gently pulled up his sleeve, to investigate the wound.

The wound itself didn't look too bad, it was the fact that the bullet was glowing blue that concerned him.

"Wolfsbane." Derek gasped out in pain. Eye's moist from unshed tears, Stiles stared at Derek in shock and fear, aware of what that meant. Derek was dying.

"No." Stiles whispered, shaking his head. "No I can't lose you too!"

Scott ran over to them. "The car, it was Mr. Argent!" Scott gasped. "The woman who shot you is his sister!"

"Kate," Stiles whispered, eyes widening as he glanced from Scott to Derek, just catching the look of recognition on Derek's face.

Scott didn't register that Stiles knew her name and continued "She said that you don't have more than 48 hours! Why? She only got your arm."

"It's a different kind of bullet." Derek gasped, It's poisoning me, when the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison squealed in excitement, running into her aunt's room. Kate squealed in response and pulled Allison into a tight hug. "Wow, I don't see you for a year and you turn into a freaking runway model?!" Kate gasped in disbelief, Allison giggled, sitting on the bed. "Ugh, I hate you." Kate said but without any heat.

"I haven't even showered yet." Allison groaned and hid her head in her arms.

"Sweetie, you're a knockout. In fact, I hope you have boys knocking each other's teeth out for your attention!"

"I kinda have one" Allison admitted softly with a shy smile and a blush on her face.

"You kinda have one? Well you should kinda have a million!" Kate replied in a whisper, causing them both to giggle.

Allison decided to change the subject and reached for Kate's duffel bag. "Do you need some help unpacking?" Only to have Kate grab her arm tightly.

"No, not that one!" Kate barked immediately. Guiding Allison's hand away, Kate then let go and sighed "See, you turn out beautiful and I end up with this kung foo death grip!" Allison giggled and Kate took a moment of relief.

"Sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to be so rough!" Kate apologised, heading to the bathroom to put things away.

"No worries." Allison assured sweetly. "Hey, is everything okay with your car?"

"Uh, yeah, I just needed a jump start. That's all." Kate called from the bathroom, unaware of Allison's face now taking on a confused and suspicious expression.

"A jump start?"

"Yeah sweetie, everything's fine." Kate assured, returning to the room.

"Okay, that's good." Allison smiled, standing up. "I'm gonna go get ready for school." She announced pointing towards the door.

"Okay, do you need a ride?" Kate asked her niece pleasantly.

"No, Stiles is picking me and Lydia up. He'll be here in an hour and a half though, so I'd better get ready." Allison informed her with a smile, but she was still slightly suspicious.

"Oh, is he the 'the boy'?" Kate asked with a grin, causing Allison to laugh.

"No, Stiles is seeing someone else-"

"That doesn't mean anything sweetie he co-"

"A guy, aunt Kate. He's gay." Allison stated with a small smirk, Kate's eyes widened slightly. Yes, Allison knew that Stiles was actually Bisexual, but she knew that attempting to explain that to her aunt would allow the woman the opportunity to imply something more between them. Besides, Stiles wouldn't mind, he had said as much that night he and Lydia had stayed over. He outright told both girls that they could refer to him as Gay or Bi, as he himself used both to refer to himself, mentally and online.

"Okay then." Was her aunt's response, satisfied that she wasn't getting ideas about Allison's friendship with Stiles, Allison smiled in content then bid Kate farewell as she left to get ready for school.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles fought to control his expression as he drove himself, Allison and Lydia to school. Inserting a comment into the conversation here and there. His mind was elsewhere and he couldn't seem to focus it.

It didn't take long to reach the school, also known as the last place he wanted to be right now. But Derek insisted. Besides Scott and/or Stiles needed to get into Allison's house and retrieve another bullet because, apparently, the wolfsbane in it could be both a poison and a cure, if you used it right.

Stiles smiled at the girls and announced, "Welcome to hell!"

Allison giggled and Lydia rolled her eyes. The three of them climbed out of the Jeep, ignoring the stares from the other students who were clearly confused as to why two beautiful, popular girls were riding to school with Stiles.

They were about to head into school, when Stiles' phone started ringing. "Gimme a sec, guys." The girls nodded and walked a few paces away, chatting idly.

Stiles' heart sped up when he looked at the caller ID. He answered the phone nervously. "D-dad?"

"Hi, son. Look, I don't have much time before work, but I just wanted to apologise for how I reacted."

Stiles shook his head, even though he knew that his dad couldn't see him. "No, I understand dad, it's a lot to take in."

Noah chuckled. "Yeah. I haven't fully accepted it yet, that may take a while, but for the meantime, I accept enough to listen and be there for you as much as I can. I love you son, no matter what."

"I love you too, dad." Stiles said, smiling, while fighting back tears. "Thank you."

Chapter 12: Awkward Moments

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Friendship, magic bullets and awkward conversations.

The Hale Pack: Awkward Moments

"I love you too, dad." Stiles said, smiling, while fighting back tears. "Thank you."

Stiles hung up the phone, a brilliant smile on his face. "Hey, ready to go?" Allison asked, as she and Lydia walked over to him.

"Yup, let's go." Stiles announced merrily, holding out his arms for both girls. Lydia was the first to hook her arm with his, smiling happily, shortly followed by Allison. Arms linked together, the trio made their way into the school to start his day.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Hey, if Derek's not the one that bit us and isn't the Alpha, then who is?" Scott asked Stiles, who was sitting behind him in class.

"I don't know." Stiles sighed checking his phone for any texts or calls from Derek. Scott turned back to the front settling in his seat for half a second.

"Is Derek okay?" Scott asked, turning around to face Stiles again.

"I don't know." Stiles admitted sadly, checking his phone again.

"Dude, are you okay." Scott asked in concern, having noticed Stiles' unusual, though not uncharacteristic, aggravation.

"Scott, my mate is hurt, and apparently dying, my dad is freaking out, there's a psycho alpha werewolf out there killing people, my friends, except for you, have no idea what's going on and I can't do a damn thing about any of it because I'm stuck here, in this pointless class, wasting half my life away, being absolutely useless. So no, I'm definitely not okay!" Stiles had started in a whisper, but gradually grew louder as he went on, finalising his point by snapping his pencil in half, drawing the attention of other students in the class.

The teacher reached Stiles desk and handed him his marked test. A. Well that was one less thing to worry about. Looking up, Stiles noticed that Scott had gotten a D-minus. Ouch.

"Dude, you need to study more." Stiles commented in jest, hoping that the 'fake it till you make it' thing would work well enough to get him through the day. Unfortunately Scott wasn't in the mood for humor at that moment, and Stiles' comment only caused Scott to huff. "That was a joke. Scott it's one test, you're gonna make it up!" Stiles reasoned, trying to comfort his best friend. "Do you want help studying?"

"No, I'm studying with Allison after school today." Scott told him happily and Stiles nodded in recognition.

"Oh yeah, right, she mentioned it this morning." Scott turned to face Stiles once again.

"Wait. This morning? When did you see her today?" Scott asked in confusion, an edge of accusation to his voice, but not as accusing as he would have been before Derek came along.

"I gave her and Lydia a ride to school today." Stiles said with a slight shake of his head. "I've already become the gay best friend. I might as well start hanging out with Danny!"

"It's not that bad, dude! Hey, at least you don't have a crush on Lydia anymore, or that would've been a huge blow." Scott commented and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, true, but I'm not overly keen on the idea of being invited over to gossip and talk boys and have my nails painted, every week for the rest of high school!" Stiles scoffed.

"I'm sure that won't happen!" Scott assured with a small smile, before turning back to face the front.

"It already did." Stiles muttered, picking at a stubborn fleck of nail polish that clung to his finger nail.

*Flashback*

1.15am Saturday Night/Sunday Morning

"Come on Stiles, it'll be fun! Please?" Allison begged, holding up a bottle of a blue-grey nail polish and Stiles shook his head firmly.

"Nope, no way, nuh-uh. Back away." Stiles warned, backing away to the edge of the bed.

"Oh, for God's sake Ally, just pin him down!" Lydia demanded casually leaning against Allison's dresser, looking at the brunette's selection of makeup.

"Come on Stiles, we'll stop asking about your sex life all night" Allison offered, Stiles shook his head and climbed off of the bed, backing away towards the door. "And I'll help you get Scott to watch Star Wars!" She bargained, remembering the hyperactive boys complaints from earlier, yet Stiles still wasn't convinced. A brilliant smile lit up her face as an idea occurred to her. "And I'll buy you a pack of Reese's everyday for a week!"

Stiles stopped walking, looking thoughtful. "Fine." He relented, dragging out the word with a groan.

Allison and Lydia immediately ran over to him, squealing happily. Stiles sighed as he was pushed and pulled over to the bed and unceremoniously shoved onto it. The girls sat either side of him, each grabbing a hand. Allison painted his thumb, middle and pinky finger nails, as she did so, Stiles noticed that the colour was almost identical to that of Derek's eyes.

He turned his attention to Lydia, who had retrieved a piece of card and used it to mix a gold and a light brown polish, resulting in a colour just like the colour of his own eyes. As expected, she was painting the index and third finger nails. After three coats of polish on Stiles, the girls switched hands. Stiles wondered why they hadn't just switched colours, but he wasn't going to ask. Those girls could be scary when they want to be.

Once they were done, Stiles was tasked with painting Allison's nails a light blue. For some reason, she had multiple bottles of the same colours. Not just blue, but various pinks and purples and reds and ever a nice emerald green. Then there were colours that she only had one bottle off, which was a lot. Some were so similar, that Stiles probably wouldn't notice if it wasn't for his enhanced eyesight. Of course, his enhanced sense did betray him. He'd noticed how strong the smell of nail polish when he was younger, thanks to his mum and Melissa, but now it made his eyes water. Thankfully Lydia and Allison didn't think too much of it, assuming that it was simply because he wasn't used to it. There was a mishap when Lydia 'accidentally' spilled nail polish down Stiles' clothes, forcing him to get changed into the spare clothes he had taken to keeping in his backpack at all times since his first full moon.

About an hour later, they were finally done, but not before Stiles was forced to braid Allison's hair. The girls put away their weapons of torture and sat on the bed once more. Stiles opted to return to the end again. The new found friends ended up talking about movies and ideas for group dates until Allison's mum came and disrupted the fun.

*End Flashback*

"Mr. Stilinski!" The teacher snapped, drawing Stiles from his memories.

"Yes miss"

"A good grade does not mean that you don't need to pay attention in class." Stiles felt his heart rate increasing in annoyance, trying to keep his expression neutral and

"Sorry." Stiles said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, what?" The teacher taunted.

"Sorry, miss." Stiles growled.

"Now, that wasn't very apologetic, was it Mr. Stilinski? Again."

"Sorry, miss." Stiles' tone wasn't any calmer, in fact it was more aggressive. The pale boy gripped the edge of the desk, while he glared at the object as if it had personally offended him. His vision was red, his heart was racing and he was losing control.

"Again!" The teacher snapped.

"Stiles, come on man, calm down." Stiles heard Scott's voice, at a volume only he could hear. "You can do this man. You can control it, you don't want to hurt anyone, man. Do it for me, your dad, my mum, Allison, Lydia, Derek, you can't save him if hunters are after you, dude. Come on man, pull it back. Pull it back." Throughout Scott's words of encouragement, Stiles could feel his heart rate returning to normal and his amber eyes faded away to their natural whisky colour.

"I said, again, Stilinski!" The teacher snapped, causing Stiles to look up at her.

"Sorry, miss." Stiles repeated, voice void of aggression.

"Good, now pay attention." The teacher walked back to the front of the class and Scott turned to Stiles in concern.

"Thanks man." Stiles whispered gratefully, sending Scott a soft smile.

"Anytime bro." Scott smiled and faced the front again.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At lunchtime, Derek dragged himself through the school corridors, wincing with every slow step. He paused when he noticed a familiar scent, but it wasn't Stiles. Derek looked up to find the source of the scent. Jackson. Derek shuffled towards Jackson, using all of his strength to keep standing.

"Jackson, where's Stiles?" He gasped out. Jackson looked at him in shock.

"Dude you looked wrecked. What are you on? Dianabol? Hmm? HGH?" Jackson asked.

"Steroids." Derek stated with an eye-roll.

"No, girl scout cookies." Jackson drawled acrimoniously. "What the hell do you think I'm talking about? I know someones selling to McCall and with the way you look, I'm betting that it's you!" Jackson accused, gesturing to Derek's pale and weakened form.

Derek looked down when he felt blood stream down his arm, to his hand. As the blood dripped to the floor, he noticed that it was black. Clenching his fist, he looked back to Jackson. "I'll find him myself."

"He's with Lydia and Allison!" Jackson stated as he rolled his eyes and slammed his locker shut. Derek leant against a wall and tapped into his enhanced hearing to help him find Stiles, when he heard Lydia's voice.

"Scott's coming over tonight, right?" Lydia asked voice filled with intrigue, a suggestive undertone lacing her words.

"We're just studying together." Allison insisted, causing her to receive eye rolls from Stiles and Lydia.

"Ally, "Just studying" never ends with just studying. No matter who it's with." Stiles informed her, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Like, if you and Lydia were to study together, you'd probably end up gossiping and stuff. Whereas Scott and I would end up playing video games."

"Stiles and Derek wouldn't get any studying done at all." Lydia smirked.

"True, I'd be too distracted by his hotness!" Stiles declared with a grin.

"Are you seeing him tonight?" Allison asked curiously.

"Yup, although I won't be getting any sexy-fun time. He's got food poisoning." Stiles explained sadly.

"Oh so that's why you've been checking your phone all day? Checking up on him?" Allison inquired, a tone of empathy to her voice.

"Yeah."

"Damn." Lydia hummed "Anyway, back to Allison. As I was saying, it's like getting into a hot tub, somebody eventually cops a feel." Lydia stated with a shrug

"So what are you saying?"

Lydia shrugged slightly and stated. "I'm just saying, you know, make sure he covers up." Allison looked confused and Stiles rolled his eyes. "Hello, snow white! I'm talking about a condom.

Allison looked shocked for a second then laughed. "Are you kidding? After one date?"

"Don't be a total prude. Give him a little taste." Lydia insisted with a slight shrug.

"Only if you want to, Scott won't push if you're not ready!" Stiles assured her.

Allison looked nervous "Well, I - I mean, how much is 'a little taste'?"

Lydia chuckled "Oh, God. You really like him, don't you?"

Allison smiled softly, turning shy under the inquisitive gazes of her two best friends. "Well, he's just different. When I first moved here, I had a plan, no boyfriends till college. I just move too much. But, then I met him, and.. He was different. I-I don't know. I can't explain it."

"I can." Lydia stated "It's your brain flooding with phenylethylamine."

Allison giggled in surprise, still feeling awe whenever Lydia displayed her intelligence, not quite having adjusted to the girl dropping the air-head act. Though she wasn't complaining, as she definitely preferred the real Lydia Martin. "What? What is that?"

"Geez, Ally I thought you were smart." Stiles teased with a grin, bumping her with his shoulder, earning him a playful glare and punch on said shoulder in return.

"I am smart," Allison defended, even though she knew that Stiles wasn't actually questioning her intelligence. Sometimes it was just fun to banter. "I'm just not a genius like Lydia. Besides, I bet you don't know either!"

"Oh, absolutely not." Stiles confirmed candidly before swirling around and holding a single finger up while boisterously proclaiming "But I wouldn't have admitted that if you hadn't called me out, I was just going to wait until I got home and, after tenderly nursing Derek back to health, google it like a normal person."

"You, of all people, don't get to lecture me about doing things the 'normal' way, Stiles Stilinski!"

"I'll tell you what to do." The redhead cut in, completely ignoring the bickering of the two brunettes and efficiently ending it, instead going into planning mode. "When's he coming over?"

"Right after school."

The bell sounded, causing Derek to cover his ears in pain.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles, Lydia and Allison made their way out of the school and walked towards Stiles' Jeep. "So, we'll take Ally home first, then you can drop me off at the store, so that I can pick up the stuff for tomorrow night. And you can do whatever it is that you're planning!" Lydia announced strutting over to the jeep.

As the three teens reached the vehicle, Stiles spotted Derek looking ill and pale, leaning against the passenger side door. "Oh my god, Der." Stiles gasped rushing over to his boyfriend. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I want- wanted - to - see - you-" Derek gasped out, gripping Stiles' hand.

"Hey, maybe you should get him to a hospital, he doesn't look so good." Allison said in concern.

"No!" Derek gasped immediately, gripping his mate's hand tighter as he pleaded with him. "Stiles you can't take me to a hospital. You can't!"

"Don't worry, Der." Stiles assured his boyfriend, then turned to the girls. "He hates hospitals. I'll take him to mine. If he gets any worse, I'll call Scott's mum, she's a nurse." Stiles partially lied to reassure both Derek and the girls.

"Okay, hey, um, Jackson's still here I can get a ride off of him if-" Lydia started, but was cut off by Derek.

"No, I- I don't wan-t to in'rupt your plans- I'll b-e f-ine." Derek sent the trio a pointed look, that clearly said 'Don't argue with me.'

Allison and Lydia shared worried looks, but opened the door and climbed into the back of the Jeep. Stiles helped Derek into the passenger seat, before hopping into the drivers side.

"Hey, um, I have tons of medication at my house, when we get there, Lydia and I can look after Derek well you grab something for him, if you'd like?" Allison offered, biting her lip nervously. "I-I mean, I would get it myself, but you'd probably know if he was allergic to something, y'know? But if you don't wan-"

"Thank you Ally, that'd be great." Stiles cut off the girl's ramble gratefully, smiling at her in the rear view mirror. He really hoped she wouldn't follow in her family's footsteps, the girl was so sweet and he'd grown fond of her already. Plus, she'd unknowingly made the task of getting the bullet a lot easier.

When they pulled up to the Argent house Scott was already standing there with his bike. Stiles shot his best friend his patented 'Are you freaking kidding me? You idiot!' look, but Scott couldn't see what the big deal was, so Stiles made a mental note to chew his best friend out and remind him of the meaning of the word 'subtlety'. Next to him Derek barely held back a groan and in the back seat, Allison and Lydia exchanged quizzical looks.

Allison shook her head to discard those thoughts for the time being and handed Stiles her house key, "Upstairs, second door on the left," She informed him with a smile. Stiles thanked her before hopping out of the Jeep, greeting Scott on his way to the house.

"Hey," Scott called, drawing everyone's attention. "What's going on?"

Allison hoped out of the Jeep gracefully, glancing back at Derek in concern. "Derek's got food poisoning, so I offered him some medication to ease it a little bit. But I didn't know if he was allergic to anything, so Stiles is heading inside in to get it." Allison explained easily as she strolled over to the boy. As she did so, Stiles jogged to the house and unlocked the door, taking a moment to listen for any extra heartbeats. None. Perfect. He paused at the door way, a strange sensation hitting him. Shaking his head he stepped forward, though it felt odd. Once he was inside the house, he used his sense to track down the bullet. It took a few minutes but he caught the scent when passing a bedroom. He was immediately drawn to a bag under the bed. When he held the bullet, he felt his eyes glow.

On his way out, he grabbed a couple of painkillers and antibiotics from the medicine cupboard in the bathroom Allison had sent him to, for appearances. When he went back outside, Scott and Allison were leaning against the jeep, the windows were rolled down, allowing the couple to talk to Lydia and Derek, not that Derek was talking much. "Dude I got the bullet, everything's cool." Stiles whispered, so that only Scott and Derek could hear him.

Allison noticed Stiles walking out of the house and paused her conversation to call out to him "You get what you need?"

"Yeah, thanks Ally," Stiles said gratefully holding up the pills, before hugging Allison. Who returned it semi-awkwardly due to the books she was holding.

"Anytime," Allison smiled, "I'll, uh, see you guys tomorrow," She said, grabbing Scott's hand. "Bye, Lydia. Bye, Derek, I hope you feel better soon." The three returned her calls and Stiles walked back to the Jeep, idly noting how Scott also paused at the doorway.

Hopping back into the Jeep, Stiles turned to Derek. "I've got what you need." He handed him the pills, so Lydia wouldn't be suspicious, but he knew that Derek, who dry swallowed them all in one go, was aware of what he meant. (Watching Derek take four pills at once without anything to wash them down with, Stiles came to the realisation that he was in love with a psychopath.) Lydia remained silent, so Stiles pulled out of the Argents drive, and headed towards the store that they were to drop Lydia off at.

"Okay, what's going on? Derek, I can tell you're ill, but I know it's not food poisoning. At first I thought drugs, but you would have been a lot more irritable and wouldn't have let us in the car. Furthermore, you were both far too relieved when Allison offered to let Stiles go in the house alone. There was something in that house that you needed, but it wasn't medication." Lydia stated, folding her arms and staring into the rear view mirror, knowing Derek's eyes were fixed on it and that Stiles kept glancing at it. "So what was it?" Derek and Stiles exchanged worried looks.

"Lydia, I-" Stiles started, trying to think of something to say, only to be cut off by the judicious girl.

"Nope, no excuses, I want to know the truth." Lydia demanded, her face was blank and unreadable, but there was an unmistakable gravity in her eyes that gave away her concern.

"I can't Lydia, okay?" Lydia attempted to interrupt, but Stiles powered on. "Right now, I really can't tell you, okay? Please just give me time. I want to be your friend, but I can't do that if you keep pushing!"

"Fine." Lydia relented, for the time being. "But I'm not letting this go, Stiles. I want to be your friend too, but I can't if you keep big things from me, and I can tell that this is big." She stated. By that time Stiles had pulled up outside the store, so Lydia climbed over Stiles and opened the door then hopped out of the Jeep without another word.

"Why'd she have to be so smart?" Stiles asked in annoyance, before pulling the door shut, sharing a look with Derek then driving home.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott pocketed his phone after receiving a text from Stiles announcing that the 'medicine' seemed to be helping and Derek should be fine soon enough. It was clear that he'd phrased it that particular way in case Allison read it.

Sitting up from the bed, Scott noticed a photo frame in one of the boxes waiting to be unpacked.

He picked it up and examined the woman in the picture next to Chris Argent.

"Who's this?" He asked, pointing to the woman.

"That's my dad's sister Kate. Except, she's more like my sister." Allison explained with a smile. "She got here last night. She had some car trouble, though, I guess."

Scott nodded, remembering the woman from the previous night. He knew that she'd called Chris her brother, but it could have been figurative, like how he and Stiles refer to each other as brothers. Apparently not. Scott placed the frame on the bed, leaning down and picking up a stack of black and white pictures, flicking through them. "Did you take these?" He asked curiously.

"That's when I thought I was a photographer." Allison explained with a blush.

"They're good." Scott complimented, only to have Allison snatch them away from him.

"No, they're not. I stopped when I realised that I was terrible at it." Allison said, glaring at the pictures. "The framing's off, bad lighting, believe me, not good."

Scott didn't comment further, knowing that she wouldn't believe him anyway, instead he simply pulled a painting of fruit out of the box. "That's when I thought I was good at painting. Uh, terrible too." Allison announced, grabbing the picture from Scott, who chuckled, then grabbed a folder from the box.

"That's when I tried poetry, terrible doesn't even come close to describing that." Having grown up with a single mum most of his life, Scott knew better than to argue.

"What are you good at." He asked curiously.

"I'm gonna show you, if you promise not to laugh." Allison said nervously, before leading Scott to the garage.

"I was nationally ranked as a kid, and my dad wanted me to go on, but I don't know, I just didn't really like it." Allison informed him with a shrug. "Promise not to laugh!" She demanded as Scott looked around the room.

"I promise." Scott stayed, still looking around. When he turned to face Allison, he jumped back in shock. "What the hell is that?!"

"It's a compound bow." She explained with a grin. "And I'm pretty sure it requires an arrow to be harmful." Allison jested as Scott flinched when she continued to aim it at him.

"So that's what you're good at?" He asked nervously and Allison smirked. "Archery."

"You said you wouldn't laugh!" Allison reminded him with a pout.

"Trust me I'm-" Scott faltered when his eyes landed on something across the room. "Not laughing." Scott found himself drawn to the arsenal of weapons and ammunition.

"So, I guess I should explain." Allison stated. "We're not some sort of separatist gun-nut family." Allison explained, walking to the cases of weapons. "My dad sells firearms to law enforcement." There was no skip in her heart beat, she actually believed that.

"Oh, that's good. So, um - Are you planning on joining the family business?" He asked, slightly worried.

"I don't know, you tell me." She purred, grabbing his hands and pulling him closer to her. "Would I look hot with a gun?"

"Hotter without." Scott informed her leaning in for a kiss. The door to the garage burst open and Chris Argent walked in carrying a box. Allison and Scott pulled apart quickly and ducked behind the red car.

"Hey Chris, get your ass out of the 50's and come help with the groceries!" Kate's voice called.

"Be right there!" Chris replied, stopping just before the car and placing the box on a pile. Then he walked and leant against the boot of the car, looking down at the two teenagers. "You two mind helping?" He asked, voice void of emotion.

Both nodded. "Sure." Allison said.

"No problem." Scott stated nervously.

Chris smiled at Scott's obvious nerves. "Great." He then walked out of the garage, shortly followed by the couple.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott had just grabbed the last bag of groceries from the car, when Chris came outside. "Thank you." Chris said pleasantly, grabbing the bag from Scott.

Scott's phone chimed, signalling a text.

From:  Stiles (17:37)
Message:  Der's fine now, how's the 'studying' going?

Scott rolled his eyes.

To:  Stiles (17:38)
Message:  I'll tell you later.

Allison walked out of the house "Do you still want to study?" Scott asked nervously.

"I think she'll concentrate better on her own." Chris stated before Allison could reply.

"Umm, I guess I'll see you later then?"

"At school." Chris interjected immediately. Allison rolled her eyes and glared at her dad, when she moved to step closer to Scott, Chris intervened again. "Eh, eh, you," He pointed to Scott. "On your bike. You," Chris pointed to Allison, "Inside."

"Oh, come on, Chris!" Kate chuckled . "Really? They were making out in the garage, not shooting amateur porn." She turned her head to Scott who looked uncomfortable. "You," She placed her hand on his shoulder. "With the adorable brown eyes, drop your bike. You're staying for dinner." Kate stated, causing a pleasantly surprised look to appear on Allison's face. Allison smiled at Scott, then followed her aunt into the house.

"You eat meat?" Chris asked Scott, who smiled nervously and nodded. Then cautiously climbed the porch steps.

"You don't mind?"

"Actually, no." Chris stated placing an arm around Scott. "It'll give us a chance to get to know each other." He smiled and led Scott into the house.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen wolf-Sterek-

"Would you like something else to drink besides water, Scott?" Victoria offered politely.

"Uh, no, I-I'm good thanks." Scott declined politely.

"We could get you some beer." Chris offered casually.

"N-no thanks."

"Shot of Tequila?" Chris offered

"Dad. Really?" Allison snapped in annoyance.

Chris just stared at Scott, "You don't drink, Scott?"

"I'm not old enough to." Scott replied earnestly.

"That doesn't seem to stop many teenagers." Victoria commented.

"No, but it should."

"Good answer." Kate complimented, "Total lie, but well played, Scott. You may yet survive the night." She teased, sending Chris a pointed look.

"You ever smoke pot?" Chris asked quickly, drawing a laugh from Kate.

"Okay, changing the channel to something a little less conservative." Kate announced, holding up a hand to shush her brother, while everyone else looked uncomfortable. "So, Scott, uh- Allison tells us you're on the lacrosse team. I'm sorry. I don't know anything about that. How do you play?"

"Um, well, you know hockey? It's a lot like that, only, um, played on grass instead of ice."

"Hockey on grass is called field hockey." Chris informed Scott, sounding out the name of the game slowly, as though he were talking to a child.

Scott squirmed slightly as a blush coated his cheeks and his eyes dropped to the table "Oh. Yeah."

"So it's like field hockey," Allison informed Kate, sending a glare to her dad "Except the sticks have nets." She finished with an encouraging smile aimed at Scott.

"Exactly." Scott nodded, smiling at Allison in thanks.

"And can you slap check like in hockey?" Kate asked curiously.

"Um - Yeah. But it's only the, uh, the gloves and the sticks." He informed her, glad for the conversation change.

"Sounds violent." Kate commented before adding in a stage whisper "I like it."

Allison used that moment to compliment Scott. "Scott's amazing too. Dad came with me to the first game. Wasn't he good?"

"He was fine."

"He scored the last shot, the winning shot." Allison bragged with a smile.

"True, but he didn't score at all until the last few minutes." Chris pointed out sardonically, frustrating both Scott and Allison.

"His last shot ripped a hole through the goalie's net. It was incredible." Allison pointed out, turning to face Kate again.

"Well, I think the goalie was probably playing with a defective stick, so-" Allison slammed her glass down on the table, furious that her dad was making the dinner so uncomfortable for everyone involved, especially Scott. Her heart was racing, but only Scott could hear it, and her leg was shaking under the table. Scott subtly move his hand and placed it on Allison's, hoping to comfort her.

"You know, on second thought, um, I think I'll take that shot of Tequila." Scott commented, only half joking. Earning him a grin from Allison and a chuckle from adults, including Chris.

"You were kidding, right?" Chris asked, still chuckling slightly.

"Yeah."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott excused himself to go to the bathroom, and called Stiles to check on Derek. "Hey man, how's it going?" Scott asked.

"Fine, he's resting right now, he needs it, dad wants to talk about everything."

"Oh, so he knows?"

"Yeah, and he freaked out a little." Stiles explained sadly.

"Well, I'm sure he'll come around man, I mean it's not like you can help being into dudes." Scott stated, unaware that Kate Argent was standing behind him. Fortunately, his sensitive hearing meant he had to have the in-call volume at the lowest setting, so she was unable to hear Stiles' side of the conversation.

"What? No dude, not that. Well, he knows about that too, but that's not what he's freaking out about." Stiles informed Scott.

"If not that, then what?" Scott asked, confused.

"Well, you know that dad had to interview Derek when they found out that the dead girl was his sister, right?"

"Yeah," Scott stated with a small nod, even though Stiles couldn't see.

"Well as procedure, dad had to check up on if Derek was in town at the time of the murder." Scott was nodding along, even though Stiles couldn't see. "Well dad was pleased to find that since leaving six years ago, Derek hadn't set foot in a five mile radius of town until thirty minutes before Laura was found. Making it an hour and a half after she was killed." Stiles explained, but Scott was still confused.

"So what's the problem?"

"Don't you remember when Derek and I claimed to have met?"

Scott's eyebrows furrowed, "Mid summer break, right? What's that got to do wi-" Scott cut himself off when the realisation hit. "Oh."

"Yeah..."

"So what happened?" Scott asked in intrigue and concern.

"We had to tell him the truth."

"You mean-?"

"Yup."

"No wonder he's freaked." Scott commented.

"Yup, but he's doing okay, he's calmed down after the initial shock. He's still not 100% but that's to be expected."

"When you say everything..."

"Sorry man."

"It's fine, at least that's one less person to keep secrets from."

"True, good to look at the bright side." Scott was nodding in agreement, when he suddenly became aware of a presence behind him. Knowing better than to look, Scott simply continued with the conversation.

"Yeah, I hope everything goes alright man. Oh, Allison asked me to pass on that she hopes D gets over his food poisoning and feels better soon, and are you guys still on for tomorrow night?"

"Tell her thanks and yes, and ask if I'm staying over again, or will I need a way home?"

"Sur- Wait, staying over? Again?" Scott shrieked.

"Yes, after bowling Allison and Lydia invited me over for interrogation. We ended up losing track of time and I had to sleep in the spare room!" Stiles explained, and Scott just knew that the younger boy was rolling his eyes.

"Right, sorry man, I know that even if you were straight and single, you wouldn't try anything like that. I just really like Allison, it might not work out, especially since her dad hates me, but I want to give it a try. I don't want to mess it up."

"Dude, don't take it personally, it's her dad's job to hate you!" Stiles stated. "This is his little girl, his only daughter, hell, his only child that we know of, that you're dating. He has to be protective and try to scare you off. Just promise that you won't let him scare you away."

"I promise."

"Say it!"

"Fine, I promise that I won't let Allison's dad scare me away and the only thing that I'll allow stop me from being in a relationship with her is her saying she doesn't want to be with me." Scott promised, knowing Stiles would approve of the extra bit.

"Good, now I gotta go, dad'll be home soon and haven't started dinner yet."

"Okay Stiles, good luck man!"

"You too Scotty." A beep signalled the end of the call. Scott pocketed the phone, muttering.

"Right, bathroom, bathroom." His eyes fell on a door with an alarm, intrigued, he took a step closer, only to be stopped short by a voice.

"Does that look like a bathroom to you?" Kate asked him with a raised eyebrow, for appearances he pretended to be startled by her presence.

"N-no" Scott stuttered, turning to face the woman.

"No," She chuckled, then pointed to another door. "You can use the one in the guest bedroom."

"Thanks."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the Stilinski household, two Stilinski's and a Hale sat around the dinner table, silently eating their food. All remembering the disaster of the previous night.

*Flashback*

The wolves looked at each other and Derek nodded to Stiles. It was the only way. "Dad," Stiles said softly, looking at the elder Stilinski. "There's something you should know. As you've figured out, Derek and I haven't known each other as long as we've made out to you and our friends." Stiles pulled in a nervous breath and Derek gripped the boy's hand in comfort.

"We met a few weeks ago, the night Laura's body was found." Stiles rubbed his thumb over Derek's knuckles in condolence. "I eavesdropped on your phone call and decided it'd be cool to go out looking." Stiles said sheepishly, squirming under his dad's glare. "So I went to Scott's and convinced him, then we headed out to the preserve. We didn't get very far though, because after a few minutes we noticed the search party and decided to head back to Roscoe and call it a night." The sheriff took on an expression of suspicion and concern, but didn't say anything.

"After about a minute of walking back, the flashlight died, so we had to try to retrace our steps. Needless to say, we quickly got lost. When we were trying to find our way back, a herd of deer came running out of nowhere, and Scott ended up dropping his inhaler. While we were looking for it, we found L-Laura. Out of shock, we ended up rolling down this dirt hill. We were okay, but when we went to walk away, we heard a noise. There was this animal. It attacked us and bit both of us. We managed to escape and run out of the wood, only to nearly be run over. But as we were heading back to Roscoe, Derek pulled up and offered us help. At first we said no, but we were both bleeding and in pain, so we got in." Noah's expression had morphed into one of horror at the mention of his son's injury, his eyes roaming over his son, trying to see any sign of where he was injured. He barely resisted the urge to get up and force Stiles to show him where he was hurt, but his instincts told him to wait until the end of the story.

"Derek helped us clean and dress the wounds when we got back to Scott's and offered to pick us up in the morning and take us to Roscoe." He paused as his father's expression once again changed, this time into one of confusion "The next day was when the weird stuff started happening. First, it started with the wounds not hurting, but I initially wrote it off to adrenaline or something. Then when I walked past Mrs McCall's room, I heard her humming, which she always does quietly! Then, when I checked my wound, it looked about a week old, not a night." The sheriff was looking increasingly confused and doubtful, but remained quiet, allowing his son to tell his story. "Then when I was in class, I heard a phone call from the parking lot! Other stuff started happening, and I freaked out a little, so I went to Derek for help and he told me what was going on."

"Dad." Stiles took a deep breath and looked his father straight in the eyes. "I'm a werewolf."

The sheriff immediately took on an angry expression. "Really, Stiles? I was really concerned then and you jus-Woah!" Noah cut himself off with a fearful yelp, when his son's face transformed and his eyes glowed amber.

"W-what? H-how?!"

"The creature that attacked Scott and I, was a werewolf, a more powerful kind than me or Derek or Scott. It was an Alpha. The rest of us, we're Beta's. You can tell by the ey-"

"No." Noah interrupted, "Just, no, Stiles."

"W-what?" Stiles stuttered, tears welling in his eyes.

"I can't hear this. You being gay, I can handle. But this. You being this thing, this monster. No, I can't handle that Stiles, just go." Noah stated, turning his back on Stiles.

"D-dad, pl-please."

"Go, Stiles, just go." Noah muttered, before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.

*End Flashback*

"L-look, I'm so sorry for how I reacted last night, I didn't mean what I said, I swear, I just need time to adjust." Noah apologised, a guilty expression on his face.

Derek shook his head. "There's no need to apologise Sheriff. Your reaction is completely understandable."

"I still hate myself for saying those things, Derek. Nothing will change that. The best that I can do is try to make up for it. So I'm ready to know." Sheriff Noah Stilinski had never been more determined in his life. "Tell me all there is to know about werewolves and what I can do to help."

Notes:

So, this is now caught up with Fanfiction.net but don't panic, the next chapter is almost done.

Chapter 13: Attacks and Sleepovers

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The Stilinski's and Derek under one roof, the alpha attacks, Allison turns 17 and Stiles is attractive. Things will pick up next chapter, which will be up no later than next friday at 10pm London time.

The Hale Pack: Attacks and Sleepovers

Sheriff Noah Stilinski had never been more determined in his life. "Tell me all there is to know about werewolves and what I can do to help."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Then she pulled a condom out of her pocket!" Scott informed Stiles over the phone.

"Wow, go Ally! How did her family react?" Stiles asked, while sitting on the edge of his bed pulling on his pajamas.

"Well, her aunt looked a mixture of embarrassed and impressed, her dad just had this murderous expression on his face... Again."

"Wow, you had an interesting night, dude." Stiles chuckled.

"Well, apparently, so did you. How did it go with your dad?"

"Well he apologised about a million times for how he reacted and for kicking me out." Stiles informed Scott with as he rolled his eyes, despite knowing his best friend couldn't see him.

"Wait a second, he kicked you out? As in kicked you out of the house?" Scott asked, clearly appalled. "What the fuck, dude? That is not okay, why didn't you tell me? Where did you go?"

"Woah dude, calm down, I'm back home now, and he feels super bad about it!" Stiles defended quickly. "I stayed with Derek, and I didn't say anything because when I saw you last night, Derek had just been shot. I was going to tell you at school but when I arrived this morning, he called me and apologised and assured me that he didn't mean it. So just don't bring it up, okay? I don't want to make a big thing of it. More than anything, I just want to forget it ever happened."

Scott sounded unconvinced but ultimately agreed to let it go. "Alright, fine, but if anything like that happens again-"

"It won't!" Stiles confidently replied, before adding for Scott's benefit, "But if it does, I promise I'll call you right away."

"Good. So other than that, how did it go?"

"He was pretty shaken up," Stiles told his best friend honestly. "but, uh, he took it quite well, he was a bit- um- overwhelmed, but he's doing okay."

"Does he know about you and Derek, not just the relationship but, uh..."

"Yeah, he knows that we're mates." Stiles stated, then looked up to see his dad walking into his room.

"Good, so he's okay with it?"

"Yup, he's being really understanding." Stiles said, smiling at his dad.

"That's great! Uh, look man I gotta go, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright, g'night Scotty."

"Night Stiles."

Stiles hung up and placed his phone on his nightstand. "Hey, dad." He greeted with a smile.

"Hey, so how's Scott doing?" The sheriff asked, sitting down on his son's bed, next to him.

"Well, on one hand he's doing well, major sports star, got a girlfriend and he even had dinner with said girlfriend's family tonight. On the other hand the family in question are werewolf hunters, and Scott is a werewolf. Oh, and one of the hunters, Allison's dad, shot him in the arm with a crossbow on the night of the full moon. Then there's the fact that the werewolf that bit us, the alpha, is a psychotic murderer that wants us to kill with him and if we don't, he'll probably kill us. So, he's as well as he can be, considering the circumstances." Stiles stated with a nod.

"Right." Noah sighed deeply, his eyes wide as he ran a hand through his hair and attempted to process both the information he'd been given and the flippant manner in which his son spoke of it all.

"Sorry, it's just nice to be able to tell you these things." Stiles apologised sheepishly.

"It's fine, Stiles. I'm glad you can tell me. Besides, some of the stuff that has happened in this town makes a lot more sense now. Especially the Hale fire." Stiles nodded in agreement. "And, about what I said-"

"Dad, no. I know you didn't mean it, it's fine." Stiles assured Noah but the man just shook his head, refusing to accept forgiveness so easily.

"It's not okay, you may have forgiven me, but I haven't. I promise I'll make up for it, son." The Sheriff stated firmly, Stiles just sighed and nodded, knowing he couldn't change his fathers mind. "I was scared when you... transformed. Suddenly my whole world was flipped upside down and things that I had told myself my entire life couldn't possibly be real were real. And worst of all, I had failed to protect you from it." Noah took Stiles' hands in his own and looked him in the eyes, Stiles' heart broke at the tears that had flooded Noah's eyes. "Now, I know you're happy being a werewolf for the most part, but the fact remains that you were attacked, you could have died, and I wasn't there, I didn't even know you were injured-"

"Now, wait a minute!" Stiles interjected loudly, "I made sure that you didn't-"

"Let me finish, please?" Noah all but begged, squeezing Stiles' hand comfortingly. The young werewolf sighed but nodded in agreement, earning him a grateful smile from his father. "I wasn't there, and you were hurt, and I could have lost you, add that to the revelation that the supernatural exists and that you had become one, and again I didn't notice. In that moment when everything changed, I was terrified, not of you or Derek or Scott, but of everything else. And of losing you. I was so afraid of losing you to something that I couldn't fight, that I pushed you away. In that moment, seeing you like that, all I could think of was your mother." Stiles' breath hitched and it was his turn to tighten his grip. "Of how I slowly lost her, how we slowly lost her to something we couldn't fight. Something outside of our control. And the fear of going through that again... it was too much. What I said was horrific and not even fear can excuse that-"

"Eh, agree to disagree." Stiles gave his father a teary smile.

"-but I swear, it will never ever happen again. And I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you, Stiles." Noah swore with more conviction than Stiles had ever seen from him. He withdrew one hand to wipe away his tears and Stiles' did the same. Feeling how heavy things had gotten, Noah decided to lighten the mood a little. "I'll even eat that god-awful rabbit food you pack me for lunch, rather than ordering burgers."

"I knew it!" Stiles exclaimed triumphantly, pointing an accusatory finger at his father. The pair shared a laugh before sharing a hug.

"I'm so sorry." Noah whispered, holding his kid tightly.

"You're already forgiven, dad, stop apologising!" Stiles groaned, hoping his father would stop apologising.

Noah shook his head and chuckled ruefully. "I will apologise for this for the rest of my life. No amount of apologies will make up for what I said, but a lifetime's worth would be a good start."

"It's clear where I get my stubbornness from." Stiles grumbled, causing the Sheriff to chuckle into his son's shoulder.

"And don't you forget it, kid." After a few minutes, Noah released his son and stood up. "I'm going to bed, goodnight Stiles."

"G'night dad." Stiles smiled.

Noah turned to face his son's open window. "Goodnight Derek." Stiles' expression turned sheepish and Derek's head slowly poked through the window to see Noah looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Goodnight Sheriff," Derek said nervously. Noah flickered his eyes from Stiles to Derek several times before rolling his eyes.

"No funny business." Noah warned. Both of the younger males smiled at him gratefully as Derek climbed through the window.

"Love you, dad." Stiles beamed.

"Love you to kiddo." The sheriff stated and started to leave the room. "Oh and Derek?" He asked, turning to face the man, now frozen halfway between Stiles' window and bed.

"Yeah?" Derek asked, surprisingly timid, and Stiles could smell his mates panic flooding the room.

"Next time, ask." Derek nodded, but Noah wasn't finished talking. "Or, if you don't want to get caught, don't leave your jacket in plain sight. Goodnight boys." Noah smirked then walked out as the two wolves stared in shock at the leather jacket hung on the back of Stiles desk chair.

As Noah pulled the door shut behind him, he heard his son burst into hysterical laughter and just caught Derek's mumble of "Shush you." followed by the sound of bed springs groaning. The Sheriff rolled his eyes fondly, opting for a glass of whiskey before bed while he tried to make sense of everything he'd learnt that night.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day, Stiles woke up with the biggest smile on his face. His mate was sleeping behind him, arms wrapped around Stiles waist as they spooned, his dad knew and accepted Stiles for who, and what, he was and he had great friends. He chose to block out all thoughts of the alpha and hunters and school and simply enjoy lying in bed with Derek for the next 5 minutes.

"Hmm- G'morning." Derek greeted sleepily, kissing the back of Stiles' neck. Stiles smiled languidly and turned his head to look at Derek.

"Morning." He mumbled, and placed a soft kiss on Derek's lips which the elder man deepened, regardless of morning breath. Stiles turned his body without breaking the kiss, so that he was fully facing his mate. As the pair kissed leisurely Derek's hands made their way to Stiles' hips, gripping him firmly but gently, while Stiles tangled his hands in Derek's soft black hair.

After a few minutes of making out, the pair pulled away reluctantly, gasping for breath. "I could get used to this." Stiles let out breathlessly and Derek hummed his agreement in response, burying his face in the crook of Stiles' neck, breathing in his favourite scent. Their legs tangled together as they rested, savouring their small moment of nirvana. Stiles felt his eyes flutter shut, but couldn't bring himself to care at that moment, school be damned. All he wanted to do was stay in his mate's arms, lying in their bed, feeling the warm light of the morning sun peeking through the window bathing his skin.

"Oh no you don't, you've got school, Stiles." Derek stated, pulling away from Stiles, leaving the boy without his personal heater. Thanks to the fact that neither of them had fully woken up, and that they both felt safe and tranquil, neither Stiles nor Derek noticed the bedroom door slowly and silently being pushed open.

Stiles let out a senseless mumble and fumbled to pull Derek back to him. "Aww, come on, 5 more minutes? Please? I just want to snuggle!" Stiles begged and his chances were looking good due to the look on Derek's face and the fact that he hadn't actually left the bed.

"If we do, 5 minutes will turn into 10, which will turn into an hour, which will turn into us falling asleep, which will mean you'll be late for school, or end up deciding to just not go." Derek began explaining to Stiles, both wolves still blissfully unaware that Noah Stilinski was standing in the doorway, having gone to make sure Stiles was getting up for school. "That will damage your grades, attendance and annoy your dad, which means you'll be grounded, then you won't be able to see anyone outside of school, including me. And, because your dad knows about the supernatural, your window will probably end up laced with mountain ash and/or wolfsbane. So I won't be able to sneak in, and you won't be able to sneak out. Do you really want that?"

"No." Stiles mumbled and Derek leant forward and kissed Stiles chastely on the forehead.

"Exactly." Derek stated and pulled the covers off of them revealing Stiles' Batman pajamas and Derek's bare torso and black sweatpants. "Now get dressed."

Stiles sighed but sat up and moved to get out of bed. The sheriff slowly backed out of the room, a soft smile on his face. As Noah walked towards the stairs, he heard Derek ask Stiles, "Hey, wasn't the door closed when we went to sleep?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Hey, Stiles!" Lydia greeted strutting over to the boy in the lunch line. No one dared call out the Queen B on cutting in line, so let it be. "How's Derek doing?"

"Hey Lyd, he's better, still not 100% but alright." Stiles informed her as they moved up the line with their trays. "How are you doing? Did you get everything for tonight?"

"You bet, it's gonna be amazing!" Lydia stated with a smirk, then shrugged "Which is a given seeing as I'm planning it."

Stiles let out a chuckle. "Damn right."

"Oh, before I forget, it's Allison's birthday the day after tomorrow! She's turning 17." Lydia informed him as the two walked over to an empty table.

"17? Oh, probably had to redo a year because of all the moving." Stiles said, mostly to himself.

"That's what I thought, too." Lydia nodded as she sat down at the table, Stiles sitting opposite her.

"I wish she'd said something, then I'd be able to get her a better present. I mean, obviously, I haven't gotten her anything yet, but thankfully I'm a good listener." Stiles beamed proudly.

"Just don't get her the brown leather jacket she's been after, I already did. Oh, and don't get her anything in pastel, it's so for not her!" Lydia commanded with a glare. Stiles nodded, mentally taking note of what she had said. "I'd offer to go with you and make sure that you don't mess up, but I'm spending tomorrow with Jackson."

"I could send you pictures of what I pick out before I buy it?" Stiles suggested before taking a bite of his food. Lydia gave him an approving smile and agreed.

"Good thinking, do that!" The red-head then noticed Allison and Scott approaching the table and changed the subject to her phone call with her mum the night before.

When Scott and Allison reached the table, the four of them exchanged greetings, Allison sat next to Lydia and Scott sat next to Stiles. The group had a brief discussion about their morning lessons before moving on to the main topic. "So, you guys brought your stuff to spend the night at mine, right?" Allison asked Stiles and Lydia with excitement, both of whom gave their confirmations.

"I can't believe you dad is letting you have friends stay over on a school night!" Scott exclaimed, trying to sound happy for them, but they all knew that he was disappointed that he wasn't allowed to join them for the sleepover, being Allison's boyfriend and all.

"Sorry dude, but you have to have a boyfriend before you'll be welcome in the Argent household overnight" Stiles joked, only for Allison to nod sagely in confirmation.

"It's true, back in San Francisco, I had a friend named Amanita who is a Lesbian. Just in case I turned out to be into girls, or even just curious about my sexuality, my parents refused to let us have a sleepover, at my house or hers. When she was at my house, we had to leave the door to whatever room we were in wide open." Allison informed him honestly. "If you're into girls, you may not be alone with me in a room." She stated whist rolling her eyes at her parents' rules. "That's why I tell them that Stiles is Gay instead of Bi."

Scott couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Your parents really are protective."

"Tell me about it!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

While Allison and Lydia were grabbing their belongings from their lockers at the end of the school day, Stiles was walking Scott to the bike racks. "Hey dude, just so you know, Lydia told me at lunch that Allison's birthday is the day after tomorrow, so after school tomorrow I'm going to swing by the mall before joining my dad on patrol, get her a gift, y'know? Did you wanna come with?" Scott of course agreed emphatically and thanked Stiles for letting him know. They bid farewell to each other and Scott peddled off to work, while Stiles made his way to the Jeep to wait for Lydia and Allison.

He wasn't waiting long before they arrived. Allison climbed into the back seat as Lydia had called shotgun. Once they were all buckled in, Stiles started the car and began driving out of the car park. "Alright, now before we head to Ally's house, is there anything we need that we haven't got already."

"Ice-cream!" Allison told him firmly. Lydia nodded in agreement, twisting in her seat to look and point at the brunette.

"Good thinking!" She complimented with a grin. "I brought us a lot of snacks last night but couldn't get ice-cream for obvious reasons. We also need soda, as I did not want to carry those bottles home last night."

With that settled, Stiles drove towards the store, the three friends chatting amongst themselves easily the entire way.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Hi sheriff, is everything okay?" Derek asked as he walked into the Stilinski household, around the same time that Stiles, Lydia and Allison were pulling up at Allison's house.

"Call me Noah, Derek and everything's fine. I just thought that since Stiles is out for the night, and I have a few hours until work, it'd be a good opportunity for us to get to know each other." The sheriff stated, closing the front door and leading Derek to the living room.

"Okay," Derek agreed, sitting on the couch as Noah occupied the armchair.

"So..." Noah started awkwardly. "You like sports?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles, Allison and Lydia were all laughing gleefully when they walked into the Argent household.

"You can't be serious" Lydia exclaimed in between her laughter.

"It's true!" Allison insisted honestly. "She just pulled off her shirt and bra, stood on the desk and yelled 'Do these look like milk cartons to you?' She refused to believe that women produced milk in their breasts. Even after the teacher explained that it only happens when a woman is pregnant."

"Oh my God." Stiles gasped out, barely keeping his grip on the shopping bags he was carrying. "That is amazing! Terrifying, but amazing. What happened?"

"She got detention for like three weeks for 'exposing herself' and people were still making fun of her when I moved away." Allison informed them as she led them into the kitchen. "The only reason she wasn't suspended was because she came from a really conservitive family who didn't even teach her about periods and the school felt bad for her."

"Damn," Lydia uttered, suddenly somber as she remembered that a lot of people were denied basic knowledge because of their families. "I hope she managed to learn everything they refused to teach her from somewhere, or else she's in for a shocking journey into adulthood."

At that moment, Kate and Victoria Argent walked into the kitchen. "Ah, you're home, good." Victoria greeted politely. "Hello Lydia, Stiles. Allison, how was school?"

"Good." Allison replied with a smile. "How was work?"

"Good."

Allison nodded in response before turning her attention to Kate. "Aunt Kate, these are my friends Lydia and Stiles. Guys, this is my aunt Kate." She introduced with a grin.

"Nice to meet you both." The woman smiled reaching out to shake their hands, starting with Lydia who took it easily. "I've heard a lot about you both."

"Likewise." Lydia smiled politely. Stiles kept his expression placid as he shook the woman's hand, barely resisting the urge to snap it off. After all, this was the woman who had shot his mate two nights prior.

"Pleasure to meet you." Stiles managed to force the words out in a pleasant tone.

"So, what are you three planning on doing tonight?" Kate asked, peering into their grocery bags curiously. "You have enough food to feed an army in here, you sure it's just the three of you?" She teased.

"Yes, it's just us." Allison assured. "We're gonna be watching movies, mostly,"

"We're also gonna be painting our nails," Lydia continued, sending a mischievous look in Stiles' direction. For his part, Stiles merely rolled his eyes.

"-and talking about our boyfriends," Stiles added with a grin, "although we can all agree that I win in that department." He bragged, forcing himself to act casually in the presence of the two older Argent women.

Lydia shook her head at the lanky boy "Just because D is-"

"Older? Hotter? Smarter? Nicer? Bi-"

"Uh, no, Scott is way nicer than D!" Allison interjected with a light hearted glare.

"Okay, fine Scott is nicer than D, but I was mainly referring to Jackson with that one." Stiles conceded Allison's point quickly.

"Maybe," Lydia hummed. "But Jackson is way hotter than D."

"No he's not." Stiles and Allison countered in perfect unison, startling them both slightly. "I was gonna say that." they said, still in perfect sync. "Stop it! I'm talking. No, I am!" They both burst into startled laughter while the other three women watched them in amusement.

"Okay, you two have been spending way too much time together." Lydia commented drily.

"If we've been spending too much time together, then you have been spending too much time with us too." Stiles countered as he unpacked their groceries.

"It's true." Allison agreed, still chuckling as she put the ice-cream in the freezer until after dinner. "Whenever Stiles and I are hanging out, you're always with us. In fact, I spend more time with you than I do with Stiles." She pointed out.

"Perhaps, but I haven't started doing the creepy twin-talking-in-unison thing with either of you, so my point is still valid." The redhead countered.

"Yet. You haven't started talking in unison with us yet." Stiles grinned, sharing a look with Allison. "Give it time."

"Never gonna happen." Lydia stated confidently, only to find her two best friends talking with her. "Lucky guess." They both grinned while still speaking in time with her, causing her to glare at the both of them. "Okay, you've made your point. I'm serious, stop it!"

"Fine," Allison sighed, causing Stiles to whine at her, having enjoyed winding Lydia up, especially as it distracted him from Kate. For a moment it felt like it was just the three of them in the kitchen.

"You three are just peas in a pod, huh?" Kate smiled as Victoria left the kitchen, having grown fed up with the teenagers' antics. "Well, enjoy your evening, guys. Ally, your mum and I have some stuff we need to do, your dad will be home in an hour. Can we trust you all to behave until then?"

"Of course!" Allison assured her aunt honestly. "Have a good time. We're just gonna do our homework first, then we're gonna put on a movie."

"Sounds like fun." Kate responded before Victoria called out, informing her that they had to leave. "Alright, I gotta go, but I'll see you guys later."

"See you later." Allison said, as Stiles and Lydia both said their farewells to the huntress. Once she left, Stiles relaxed greatly, an action that did not go unnoticed by Lydia who chose not to comment on it at that moment in time. When they heard a car drive away from the house, the trio grabbed their school bags, the soda bottles and the snacks that weren't at risk of defrosting and made their way upstairs to Allison's room, all ready to have a good night.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next night, across town, a worker was changing a bulb in a video rental store.

Lydia pulled up outside the rental store, Jackson arguing from the passenger seat. "Hoosiers is not only the best basketball movie ever. It is the best sports movie ever made."

"No." Was Lydia's only reply.

"It's got Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper." Jackson explained.

"No."

"Lydia, I swear to God you're gonna like it." Jackson promised, frustration seeping into his voice.

"No."

"I am not watching The Notebook again." Jackson growled while Lydia simply sat smirking smugly, knowing that she would get her way in the end. After all, 30 minutes earlier she had successfully talked Scott out of buying the hideous bracelet he wanted to get Allison for her birthday, just because it had charms of the letters 'A' and 'S' in the worst font Lydia had ever laid eyes on. At least Stiles picked out the perfect gift on his own, so she didn't have to worry there. Well, six out of seven of Stiles' gift ideas were terrible, but those were back ups if he couldn't find what he really wanted to get her.

"Can somebody help me find The Notebook?" Jackson called out inside the store a few minutes later, searching through the shelves, having caved to Lydia's wishes. Again. "Hello? Is anybody working here? You gotta be kidding me." Jackson sighed, continuing around the store. His eyes soon fell on a pair of feet poking out of one of the isles.

Jackson cautiously grew closer, nerves growing with every step. Before too long, Jackson found himself staring down at the bloodied corpse of the video store clerk. Jackson gasped at the deep cuts on the victims neck. He stumbled backwards in shock.

"Oh my god." Jackson stumbled into the ladders behind him knocking them over. The lights in the store flickered as Jackson looked around with a growing feeling of terror. Freezing at a growl, eyes fixed on the red eyed monster before him. The creature bound forward and Jackson hid in one of the rows, gasping for breath. After a moment of silence, he peered around to where he last saw the creature. Without warning, the creature shot across the isle and Jackson swung back so he wouldn't be seen. After a few more glimpses of the creature running, Jackson was starting to really worry. He heard a series of crashes, but only realised what was happening at the last second.

The creature had knocked over the shelves at the back of the store, starting a domino effect on the row that Jackson was hiding in. When he realised what was happening he dove away from the shelves, but was too slow. The shelf landed on Jackson's legs, pinning the bottom half of his body in place. Jackson's heart sped up as the creature stalked over to him. It crouched down and sniffed him, while embedding it's claws into the back of his neck. After a moment, it pulled back, growling angrily before sprinting away. The creature smashed through the store window and ran past Lydia's car, terrifying her. Lydia screamed and stared after the creature in shock and horror.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was sitting in the passenger seat of his dad's police cruiser, both Stilinski's munching on burgers. "Did they forget my curly fries?" The sheriff asked, turning to face Stiles.

"You're not supposed to eat fries, especially the curly ones!" Stiles explained, grabbing the drink.

"Well, I am carrying a lethal weapon. If I want the curly fries, I will have the curly fries." Noah stated with an annoyed look.

"If you think getting rid of contractions in all your sentences makes your argument any more legitimate, you are wrong." Stiles retorted, earning him an annoyed look for Noah. Stiles smirked, sipping his drink. "Besides, you promised to eat healthier, remember?"

"I promised to eat the healthy lunches you make me." Noah countered with a smirk of his own. Stiles scowled at his father and opened his mouth to respond.

"Unit one, do you copy?"

Stiles reached for the radio, but was stopped by his father slapping his hand.

"Sorry," Stiles said unapologetically, leaning back. The Sheriff proceeded to reply to dispatch.

"Unit one copy."

"We've got a report of a possible 187." Stiles' head shot up, mouth now filled with curly fries.

"A murder?" Stiles gasped around the fries,losing several of them in the process.

Not long after, the Stilinski's pulled up next to an ambulance outside the video store.

"Stay here," Noah ordered, opening the car door. Stiles sighed, intending to go along with what his dad had said, when he noticed it.

Stiles' hand shot out and gripped his dad's arm. "Stil-"

"No, dad, it's the Alpha, he was here, I can smell him." He took another whiff to be sure, then nodded to himself. "Yeah, yeah, it's definitely him, and it's strong to, he wasn't just passing through, he-"

"He's responsible for what happened." The sheriff finished for his son with a sigh. "Come on" Both men climbed out of the car and walked to the ambulance.

"Paul, let's get this area locked up!" The Sheriff announced, walking beside Stiles to the ambulance.

"Jackson? Lydia?" Stiles called out in concern, he smelt them the second his dad opened the door, but as he grew closer, he noticed the strength of Jackson's scent. He was, or had been, bleeding.

"Hey, what's up, are you okay? Obviously you're not okay, you're at a crime scene in an ambulance. How bad is it?" Stile rambled.

"I'm fine, Stilinski," Jackson snapped, but Stiles could tell that Jackson wasn't actually annoyed, at least not at Stiles. The Jackson turned to Noah. "I don't see why I can't just go home?"

"I hear ya, but the EMT say's you hit your head pretty hard and you've got some deep cuts on the back of your neck there. They need to make sure that you don't have a concussion and that the wounds are clean." The sheriff explained calmly, but it did nothing to sooth Jackson.

"What part of 'I'm fine' do you not understand? I just wanna go home!"

"Dude, we understand that, but you can't yet, okay?" Stiles explained and Jackson started to protest, but Stiles continued. "Look, after everything, I don't blame you for wanting to go home and forget about it, but it'll be kinda difficult if you're concussed! Even more so, if those wounds get infected, okay? Just let 'em do their jobs, chill with your girlfriend for a bit, who is still in shock, by the way." Stiles explained gesturing to Lydia who was sat in the ambulance, completely still and wrapped in a blanket. "Then when they give the all clear, you can go home and unwind. Right now, though, just let them help, man."

Jackson glared at Stiles for a second but climbed into the ambulance, sitting next to Lydia and grabbed her hand.

"Woah, is that a dead body?" Stiles asked, hitting his dad's arm in order to change the subject.

"Alright, everybody back up, back up." Noah ordered the crowd of people gathering around the ambulance. Stiles looked up to the roof of the store and smiled at his mate and best friend.

"Starting to get it?" Stiles heard Derek ask Scott.

"I get that he's killing people, but I don't get why." Scott replied, looking at Derek. "I-I mean, this isn't standard practice, right? We don't go out in the middle of the night killing people, do we?"

"No, we're predators, we don't have to be killers." Derek explained, eye's fixed on his mate, not even glancing at Scott.

"Then why is he a killer?" Scott asked in confusion.

"That's what we're gonna find out." Derek stated, finally looking to Scott, and stepping away from the building's edge. The two wolves walked away, unaware of the spiral pattern lying directly beneath their feet.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"You know, I have a life too." Scott stated as Derek climbed the stairs at the old Hale house, looking for Stiles.

"No, you don't." Derek stated simply, eliciting a chuckle from Stiles, who was somewhere in the house.

"Yes, I do!" Scott argued, ignoring Stiles "I don't care what you say about him making me his pet or-"

"Part of his pack." Stiles and Derek corrected in unison. Stiles' tone was chiding, while Derek's was annoyed.

"Whatever. I have homework to do. I have to go to a parent/teacher conference tomorrow because I'm failing chemistry."

"You wanna do homework?" Derek asked, inclining his head "Or do you wanna not die?" Scott sighed as Derek continued "You have less than a week until the full moon. You don't kill with him, he kills you."

"Okay, seriously, who made up these rules?" Scott asked in annoyance as Stiles called out.

"He's right man, it is sort of barbaric!"

Derek rolled his eyes and continued. "It's a rite of passage into his pack."

"You know what else is a rite of passage?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow, "Graduating from high school." He yelled, "And you don't have to kill anyone to do it! Why can't you just find him yourself? Why can't you just sniff him out when he's a human?"

"Because his human scent could be entirely different." Derek informed him in annoyance "It has to be you. You have a connection with him, a link that you can't understand. If I can teach you to control your abilities, you can find him."

"So if I help you, you can stop him?" Scott asked, calmer now.

"Not alone. We're stronger in numbers. A pack makes the individual more powerful." Derek explained, but that only seemed to rile Scott up again.

"Right, pack! Why can't Stiles do it?" Scott asked.

"His connection to the alpha isn't as strong as yours." Derek stated simply.

"Why not?" Scott and Stiles asked in confusion, Stiles still somewhere else in the house.

"Because of me." Derek sighed. "We may not have completed the bond yet, but we've accepted each other as mates. That makes our connection to each other stronger than anything else. The second strongest is his connection to you because you were turned together and have known each other for so long, then his family and friends, then the Alpha, then everyone else he knows." Derek stated.

"But you, Scott. Your connections go: Stiles, friends and family, the Alpha, me, everyone else. It's a small difference, but it's enough."

Scott sighed. "How am I supposed to help if I have no idea what I'm doing?"

"Because I'm gonna teach you." Derek stressed in exasperation. "Do you remember what happened that first night you were shot in the arm- Right after you were hit?"

"Yeah, I changed back." Scott stated with a nod.

Derek walked closer to Scott, "And when you were hit by his car, same thing, right?" Scott nodded. "What's the common denominator?" Scott shrugged and Derek grabbed his hand, squeezing it.

Scott cried out in pain and Stiles appeared at the top of the stairs. "What the hell are you doing?" Stiles demanded angrily as Scott fell to his knees in pain.

"It'll heal." Derek stated, releasing Scott's hand.

"It still hurt!" Scott yelled in a mix of anger and pain.

"And that's what keeps you human - Pain." Derek stated while gesturing to Scott's hand, "Maybe you will survive." Derek looked to the top of the stairs, only to find that Stiles had disappeared again. "Stiles, what the hell are you doing?" Derek called out, following his boyfriend's scent, shortly followed by Scott.

"Packing your stuff." Was the casual reply.

"Why?" Derek asked walking to the room that used to be his childhood bedroom.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, you're moving in with me." Stiles stated, smiling up at his mate while neatly folding a black t-shirt and placing it in Derek's duffel bag.

Derek raised an eyebrow while Scott spoke up. "Does your dad know?"

"Yup." Stiles beamed, despite Derek's suspicious look. "In fact, it was his suggestion."

Both Derek and Scott gave him disbelieving looks.

"Okay, so it wasn't without prompting, but he said he enjoyed spending time with you last night and that you seem like a good guy, then after I told him that you were living here, he offered to let you stay with us. On the condition of 'No funny business' and after we find the alpha, you have to get a job. You don't have to pay rent or anything, but you can't just sit around doing nothing all day. His words not mine." Stiles explained as he placed the last pair of jeans in the bag. "Is there anything else lying around, or is this everything here?" Stiles asked, zipping the bag and standing up.

There was a moment of silence as Derek stared at Stiles. "There's some stuff downstairs. Everything else is either in my car or my storage locker."

"Storage locker?" Scott asked in confusion while Stiles walked over to them.

"I lived in New York for six years, do you really think I only have enough belongings to fill a duffel bag?" Derek asked incredulously with a raised eyebrow.

"W-well, I-I- No." Scott stammered.

"Come on, Der-bear, leave Scotty alone, okay? Now, let's go home."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next morning, Kate walked into Allison's room as the girl got ready for school. "Hey. Listen, you know I feel totally horrible about my behavior the other night with Scott, right?"

"Oh, totally forgotten." Allison assured with a smile.

"No, not forgotten by me. Come on. Call me a "horrid bitch" or something." Kate insisted

"You were just.. being protective." Allison shrugged, too polite to tell her aunt what she truly thought about the situation in question.

"I was being a protective horrid bitch." Kate stated. "Who is giving you your birthday present early so you'll forgive her. Kate smiled, pulling a small box from behind her back and handed it to Allison. "Forgiven?"

Allison gasped at the necklace lying inside the box. "Completely. I love it!

"It's a family heirloom." Kate informed Allison, who investigated the necklace further. "And you know me, I hate and loathe all sentimental crap, but that.. Well, look at the symbol in the middle of the pendant. See that? "

Allison nodded "Yeah."

"You ever wanna learn a little something about your family... Look it up."

"You're gonna make me work for it? I thought this was supposed to be an apology." Allison teased with a small smirk.

"Some mysteries" Kate grabbed the necklace and placed it around Allison's neck "Are worth the effort."

"Thanks."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At school, Allison walked over to her locker happily. However, that happiness evaporated when she opened the locker and multiple balloons floated out. There were 'Happy Birthday' signs on the inside of the door, along with two cards and two presents, neatly wrapped and placed in the bottom of the locker. Allison fought to get the balloons back inside the locker. When she did so, she noticed the cards and presents.

Allison grabbed the cards first and read them, unaware of Scott walking up behind her. "Stiles and Lydia... Of course..." Allison muttered in annoyance after she'd seen who the cards were from.

"Happy birthday!" Scott greeted cheerfully, making his presence known. She looked at him startled, looking horrified when she saw the present in his hands

"No, no. Uh, no. I mean, yes. Please don't tell anybody! How did you even find out?" Allison begged as she grabbed the present out of his hands and shoved it into her bag along with the gifts from Stiles and Lydia. She then attempted to shove the balloons back into her locker.

"Lydia found out, she told Stiles and Stiles told me." He explained, shuffling his feet in uncertainty "Why didn't you tell me?" Asked Scott, slightly upset.

"Because I don't want people to know. Because... I'm 17." Allison whispered after looking around to make sure nobody was paying close attention to them.

"You're 17?" Scott repeated in shock, Stiles and Lydia had failed to mention that particular fact.

"That's the reaction I'm trying to avoid." Allison said in annoyance.

"Why? I mean, I-I totally get it. Uh, you had to repeat a year because of all the moving around, right?" Allison gave him a shocked look, followed by a soft kiss "What was that for?"

"For, literally, being the first person to ever make the correct assumption. Everybody's always like, 'What - Did you get held back?' 'Did you ride the short bus?' Uh, 'Did you have a baby?'!"

"That's what you hear on your birthday?"

"Oh, yeah. All day long." Allison sighed

"Then - What if we got out of here?" Scott suggested.

"Skip class?" Allison asked, clearly uncertain about the suggestion.

"Yeah, the whole day."

"Well, you're asking someone who's never skipped one class to bail out the entire day, and I don't-"

"No, see, that's perfect. If you get caught, then they'll go easy on you." Scott assured.

"Well, what if you get caught?" She asked, finally succeeding to get the balloons back inside her locker, clicking the lock back in place.

"Let's... try not to think about that." Scott said, leading her out of the school.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Just a friendly reminder." Mr Harris announced at the beginning of chemistry. "Parent/teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a "C" average are required to attend. I won't name you, because the shame and self-disgust should be more than enough punishment. Has anyone seen Scott McCall?" He asked looking at Stiles, who was hunched over his text book with a highlighter. He was saved from answering when Jackson walked in the room, looking pale and sleep deprived.

Harris walked over to him as he sat at his desk. "Hey Jackson, if you need to leave early for any reason, you let me know." Jackson nodded and Harris headed to the front of the class. "Everyone, start reading chapter 9! Mr. Stilinski," Stiles' head shot up. "Try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It's chemistry, not a colouring book!"

Stiles glared at the back of Harris' head before tilting his head back, shooting the highlighter cap from his mouth, into the air, then caught it easily. Stiles leaned forward to talk to Danny.

"Danny, can I ask you a question?" Stiles asked quietly.

"No." Was the reply.

"Well I'm going to anyway." He stated, causing Danny to roll his eyes. "Did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?"

"No." Danny sighed.

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Answers still no." Danny replied in annoyance.

"Why don't you like me?"

"I never said that I don't like you." Danny replied.

"Well it's pretty clear with the way you barely talk to me, get annoyed at me easily, and I know it's personal because you're like the nicest guy ever!" Danny turned to face Stiles.

"It's not- It's- It's not that I don't like you, it's because at first, I thought you thought of being gay as a joke, with the way you'd ask if you're attractive to gay guys." Danny huffed. "Then when I found out that you had a boyfriend, a hot one at that, I was annoyed at myself for not picking up on it." Danny explained honestly, turning slightly to look at Stiles as he explained himself.

Stiles nodded, "I understand what you're saying, but I was honestly just curious if other guy's found me attractive. I only specifically said gay guys so I could find out if I had a chance with anyone. Which, I now realise, was not a great method. But I do have to ask one more question.."

"Yes?" Danny sighed.

"Do you find me attractive? Just here me out. I'm not sure if Derek actually finds me attractive. I mean, I know that he loves me as much as I love him and he likes my personality, somehow. But am I attractive?" Stiles asked, leaning closer to hear Danny's answer.

"As long as your boyfriend isn't going to kill me for my answer.." Stiles nodded enthusiastically.

"You have my word. In fact, he won't even know that this conversation existed!" Stiles promised.

"Yes, you're attractive." Danny mumbled, cheeks turning red.

Stiles beamed and hugged Danny from behind. "So are you." He whispered in his ear as if it were a secret, then returned to his seat, a pleased smile on his face.

Notes:

I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

Chapter 14: A Thing Called Jealousy

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Jealous Derek, drugged up Lydia, Scott and Allison ditch, Kate tries to cause trouble and Derek and Stiles get some alone time.

The Hale Pack: A thing called jealousy.

"So are you." He whispered in his ear as if it were a secret, then returned to his seat, a pleased smile on his face.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Outside, in the car park, Scott and Allison were getting into Allison's car, but Allison was looking very nervous. "Uh, maybe this is a bad idea. And my dad would kill me if he found out."

"Do you always follow your dad's rules?" Scott asked with a knowing look on his face.

"Not lately." Allison grinned.

"Good. Start the car." Scott replied.

"Where are we going?" Allison asked, but Scott was distracted by a car driving in behind them

"Uh, I don't know. Somewhere. Anywhere." Scott said nervously, eyes fixed on the rear view mirror, watching the car.

"Nowhere I can be seen, right? 'Cause I could get detention." Allison stated, looking unsure.

"Please start the car." Scott begged

"Or suspended."

"Allison, car, start, now." Scott demanded and she did, pulling out of the school, blissfully unaware of the other car .

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

In the locker room, Jackson stood in front of the mirror, checking out the cuts on the back of his neck. Gasping in pain, he stepped away from the mirror and walked towards his locker, as the seemingly last player exited the locker room and left Jackson with a sense of solitude.

After shutting his locker, Jackson noticed two dot's of glowing red through the steam. He slowly backed away and the lights moved towards him. Remembering the monstrous animal that had attacked just the night before, Jackson felt his heart rate increase until it felt like his heart was trying to beat it's way out his chest. He kept backing away until the red exited the steam, revealing themselves to be lights on a set of headphones. The boy wearing them gave him an odd look, then walked away.

Jackson sighed in relief, but when he turned, he found himself facing Derek. He jumped slightly, surprised at the sight, but quickly relaxed. "I-I don't know where Stiles is."

"I'm not here for Stiles. I'm here for you." Derek informed him.

"Wh-wh-why me? I didn't do anything." Jackson told him defensively.

"No, but you saw something, didn't you?" Derek asked as creepy suspenseful music filled the room.

"No, I didn't- I didn't see anything."

"What was it, hmm? An animal? A mountain lion?" Derek asked mimicking the tone Jackson had used when questioning him about drugs.

"I didn't see anything. I swear. I'm-I'm not lying." Jackson insisted.

"Then calm down and say it again." Derek told him as he stepped closer to him.

"Say what? That I'm not lying?"

"Tell me that you didn't see anything. Slowly."

Jackson took a breath before repeating, "I didn't s-see anything. I'm not lying."

"One more thing." Derek said. "Where is that music coming from?"

"Sorry, my bad." A guy said, moving from the showers, to his locker. He opened it and took his phone out, answering a call. "Hey mum."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was calling Scott while leaving class. "Finally! Have you been getting any of my texts?" He asked when Scott finally picked up.

"Yeah, like all 9 million of them." Scott hissed.

"Do you have any idea what's going on? Lydia is totally M.I.A., Jackson looks like he's got a time bomb inserted into his face, another random guy is dead, and you have to do something about it." Stiles exclaimed, flailing his free arm around, nearly hitting a girl that was passing him.

"Like what?"

"Track the Alpha dumbass!" Stiles whispered into the phone aggressively.

"Okay, I'll deal with it later." Scott said into the phone and hung up on Stiles. He looked up at Allison. "Left, left, left, left, left." He instructed, leaning forward and pointing.

Allison turned with one hand, slapping the other one to his chest, pushing him back into his seat. "Sorry, sorry. I just totally soccer-mum'd you. I'm sorry." Allison apologised with a giggle.

"That's all right. I'll just pick up my masculinity on the way back." Scott half joked, causing Allison to giggle.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was walking down the corridor during his 15 minute break between lessons. As he passed the janitor's closet, the door flew open and a hand shot out and pulled him in, shutting the door behind him.

Stiles was about to attack when he caught the familiar scent. "Derek." He sighed in relief. "You scared the crap outta me, are you okay?"

Derek's eyes flashed blue, cutting through the darkness. "No." He hissed angrily.

"What's wrong is it the alph-"

"Do you find me attractive, Danny? I don't think Derek does, Danny. So are you, Danny!" Derek repeated darkly, stepping closer to Stiles with each sentence until he had Stiles pinned against the shelves.

Stiles' eyes widened in horror. "L-look I-I did-didn't mean it l-like that! I-I swear, I-I just-"

"Just didn't think that I actually want you?" Derek growled "That the only reason I'm attracted to you is because we're mates? Not because of those amazing whiskey eyes?" He asked, stroking Stiles cheek tenderly. "Or those full lips?" Derek pulled Stiles into a deep, passionate kiss, tugging the boys bottom lip with his teeth as they pulled away. "Or those damn mole that pepper your skin? The ones that I know can lead me directly to an amazing part of you?" He asked as Stiles shuddered with pleasure. "Or your beautiful pale chest with muscles just begging to be licked?" Derek murmured, nipping and licking at Stiles' overly sensitive neck. "Not even that perfect, round ass of yours? You really think I don't notice any of that? That I only want you because you're my mate?"

"N-no. God no." Stiles gasped arching into Derek.

"No, that's just the icing on the cake. You're just lucky that you told Danny that you love me and I love you. Otherwise, Danny would be in hospital right now and Danny would probably be missing some body parts. We'll see how attractive Danny is then."

"Stop saying his fucking name." Stiles growled, grabbing Derek and kissing him forcefully.

"Good answer." Derek grinned as they pulled away. Slipping down to the floor, on his knees. "How much time do we have?" He asked, undoing Stiles' jeans.

"T-ten min-utes." Stiles replied.

"Not enough time, you're gonna be late to class."

"i'm okay with tha-oh, fu-"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"You're still not okay with this, are you?" Scott asked as he and Allison walked through the woods, the girl in question checking her phone nervously. Shortly after arriving at the preserve, she had replied to Stiles' text message asking if she was okay and thanked him for the combat boots he'd gotten her and also sent a text to Lydia with a thank you for the jacket and an inquiry into how the redhead was doing after her ordeal the night before, but so far neither had responded. She was currently wearing both gifts, along with the simple, yet beautiful, silver bracelet adorned with a heart shaped charm Scott had given her.

Allison giggled slightly as she returned her phone to her pocket. "I just feel like I need an alibi." She admitted as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Well, if we get caught, I'll just say it was my fault." Scott offered with a shrug.

"You don't need to take the blame for me. It was my choice too." Allison insisted.

"Oh, good!" Scott teasingly called out in relief "'Cause if we get caught, I'm totally gonna blame you."

"Oh, really?" Allison asked in mock offence.

"Hell yeah! And they'd believe me. You know, a totally hot girl asks you to skip the day with her. Like I'm gonna say no." Scott teased.

"So, throw me under the bus, just like that?"

"Throw, push, shove-" Scott shrugged as Allison jabbed him in the chest.

"And what if I decide to drag you down with me?" Allison asked as she pulled him close.

"I'd just yell for help."

"Well, what if I did this?" Allison asked, kissing him softly

"I'd scream for help."

"And if I did this?" she asked, pulling him in for a more passionate kiss.

"I'd beg for mercy." Scott muttered, resting his head against hers before leaning in for another kiss.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After their experience in the janitors closet, Stiles and Derek decided to skip the rest of the day and check on Lydia, see if she saw anything the previous night.

"Hello." Natalie Martin greeted as she opened the door to them, but before anything else could be said, Lydia's slurred voice called out from upstairs.

"Mu-um" She called, "Is Ally here? Did she bring my Stiles?"

"What the hell is a 'Stiles'?" Mrs Martin asked in confusion, causing the mates to chuckle.

"That would be me, Stiles Stilinski," Stiles introduced himself, holding his hand out for the woman to shake.

"Oh, of course, I'm so sorry! You're the sheriff's son, right?" The woman asked, shaking his hand.

"That's right, and this is my boyfriend, Derek." Stiles announced as she released his hand, and turned to shake Derek's.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs Martin." Derek said politely.

"Likewise, come on in, she's upstairs." Natalie said, gesturing for them to enter the house. "She took a little something to ease her nerves. So she might be a little out of it." She warned as they arrived at Lydia's bedroom door.

She knocked on the door softly while pushing it open. "Honey, Stiles is here to see you." Lydia turned and sat up.

"Stiles!" She exclaimed happily, "I need cuddles! Hi Der-Bear." She then flopped back into her previous position as if nothing had happened.

"You can go in." She said.

"Thanks." Stiles said as Natalie left the room, making a point of leaving the door open behind her.

"What are you doing all the way over there? I need cuddles!" She demanded, holding out her right arm, as her left one supported her head. "You to Der-rek" She slurred while beckoning them over.

Stiles chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed. "We wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why?"

"Because you're my partner in crime Lyd! How are you feeling?

"I feel..." She slowly sat up and placed an arm around his shoulders, hugging him close "Fantastic." She giggled. "Derek, get over here!" she gestured with her free arm for the elder wolf to come closer

Derek walked over and sat next to Stiles on the bed who decided to snoop a little. "Oh. What-?" Stiles leaned over to investigate the bottle of medication on Lydia's bedside desk "I bet you can't say, uh, "I saw Suzy sittin' in a shoe shine shop" ten times fast."

He challenged Lydia who rolled her eyes and tried to prove him wrong, while Derek rolled his eyes at them both. "I saw Shuzy- I shaw-" Stiles replaced the bottle as Lydia got a look of recognition on her face. "I saw-" She muttered as she flopped onto her arms again.

"What? Lydia, what did you see?" Derek asked, moving so that he was knelt in front of the girl on the floor.

"Something." She whispered

"Something like- Like a mountain lion?" Stiles asked.

"A mountain lion." Lydia repeated.

"Are you sure you saw a mountain lion, or are you just saying that because that's what the police told you?" Derek asked urgently.

"A mountain lion."

Stiles pointed to the stuffed giraffe, which Derek proceeded to pick up and hold in front of Lydia. "What's this?"

"A mountain lion." She stated with a firm nod.

"Okay." Stiles announced, drawing Lydia's attention to him as Derek put the stuffed animal back in annoyance. "You're so drunk. Oh-" He said in surprise as she fell asleep with her head in his lap.

"Oh?" Derek growled, causing Stiles to roll his eyes.

"Not like that, I was surprised!" He insisted. "You're the only person that I want anywhere near my dick!" "He exclaimed quietly, so that Mrs Martin wouldn't overhear.

"Oh, really? You mean like earlier?" Derek asked huskily.

Stiles groaned softly, tilting his head back. "No! You're not allowed to give me these thoughts when somebody else's head is in my lap!" He announced, forcing himself to think of other, less pleasant things.

Stiles gently lifted her head from his lap, and moved it to her pillow.

"Okay," he said, standing from the bed and grabbing Derek's hand. "I think that we should get going. We'll let you get back to your PTSD."

"No." Lydia protested drowsily, sitting up. "Stay."

"You want us to stay?" Derek asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, please stay." She begged and reached out a hand towards the pair. "Please Jackson!" Then proceeded to collapse on to the bed, out cold.

"And, we're done here." Stiles said happily, leaning in to kiss Derek. Then Lydia's phone beeped signalling a text. "D'you want me to get that?" He asked the unconscious girl, while leaning to grab her phone.

"Really, Stiles?"

"It might be important!" Stiles insisted, "It's a text," He said, clicking the screen, which caused a video to play. "I don't know how to-Woah."

"What is it?" Derek asked, moving to see the phone. Stiles paused the video on a picture of the Alpha.

"She saw him." Stiles muttered.

"Shit." Derek growled, snatching the phone from Stiles.

"W-what do we do? Should we delete it?" Stiles asked in a nervous whisper.

"No." Derek said firmly.

"W-What? Why not?"

"She could be useful." Derek said.

"How?" Stiles asked in confusion.

"Research, barriers, other things. You see those books?" Derek asked, gesturing to three old looking leather bound books on Lydia's bookshelf.

"Yeah?"

"My mother used to have a set identical to that, they're all in archaic Latin and have a lot of information about supernatural lore and history, It's completely accurate." He walked over to the shelf. "There's little to no dust here, meaning she reads them regularly." He pulled out the first book and opened it to the middle. "No cut out storage area." He replaced the book and walked back to Stiles, "You said it yourself, she's smart, basically a genius. And she's human, so she can help set traps, such as mountain ash barriers or make wolfsbane bullets for your dad."

Derek grabbed Stiles' hand softly. "She's safer knowing what we are so that we can protect her and teach her to defend herself, and she can help us stay alive." He took the phone from Stiles, and placed it back on the desk. "Leave it be. Let's go home."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Meanwhile, in the woods, Kate Argent and two other hunters approached the wreckage of the Hale house.

"He wants us to wait." The older male hunter said while lowering his rifle.

"So I've been reminded," Kate said dryly, turning to the hunter. "To death."

"And that means we're not allowed to kill him." The other hunter said.

"But it doesn't mean we can't say hello." Kate said walking towards the house. Shortly after, the front door was kicked in.

"No one home." The elder male hunter said, but Kate chuckled.

"Oh, he's here. He's just not feeling particularly hospitable." She stated knowingly.

"Maybe he's out burying a bone in the backyard." The younger hunter joked with a large grin plastered on his face, feeling quite proud of himself.

"Really? A dog joke? We're going there, and that's the best you got?" Kate asked, rolling her eye's "If you wanna provoke him, say something like, "Too bad your sister 'bit it' before she had her first litter. Too bad she howled like a bitch when we cut her in half!" She yelled the last part, attempting to draw Derek out. After a moment of waiting with no results, they split up to search the house.

"Huh," Kate muttered in disappointment as she rejoined the other two hunters by the front door five minutes later. "Looks like the mutt has relocated. Let's go, we'll find him soon."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was angrily pacing his room, yelling into his phone, leaving Scott a message. "Hey, it's me again. Look, I found something, and I don't know what to do, okay? So if you could turn your phone on right now, that'd be great. Or else I'll kill you. Do you understand me? I'm gonna kill you. And I'm too upset to come up with a witty description about how exactly I'm gonna kill you, but I'm just gonna do it, okay? I'm gonna- ugh! Goodbye." Stiles angrily threw his phone on the bed as Derek watched in amusement from the doorway. Stiles sighed and flopped onto his chair. resting his arms and head on the back rest.

The sheriff then joined Derek in the doorway, which startled Stiles. "Please tell me I'm gonna hear good news at this parent/teacher thing tonight." He said

"Depends on how you define 'good news.'" Stiles replied.

"I define it as you getting straight A's with no behavioral issues."

"You might wanna rethink that definition." Stiles recommended with a guilty look on his face.

"'Nuff said." Noah sighed.

"Hey!" Stiles called out, standing from his chair defensively. "In my defense, I've had a lot going on lately! W-with becoming a werewolf, my best friend becoming a werewolf, trying to cope with all of the aggression and lack of control that comes with it. Then there's the Alpha who wants me to kill with him, or he's gonna kill me. While I'm trying to hide my identity from everyone in town, specifically the hunters. Hunters who just happen to be related to one of my best friends, who is dating my other, werewolf, best friend. And my other best friend was attacked by the Alpha, got a video of him on her phone and I don't know what to do. So I'm sorry if I don't have perfect grades or a perfect life or a freaking clue on how to get through each day! Okay?" Stiles yelled, flopping face first onto his bed.

Derek rushed over to the bed climbing next to Stiles and coaxed the boy into a hug wordlessly. Noah cautiously took a step into the room. "L-look son, I'm sorry, I-I didn-"

"Dad, it's fine." Stiles said, lifting his head from Derek's chest. "I know that you weren't being mean or anything, I just overreacted. I just get a little overwhelmed at times." Stiles confessed softly.

"I know son, I'm sorry. Hey, we'll talk tonight, I promise." Noah assured before pulling a set of pictures out of his pocket. "But-uh we got a situation."

"What is it?" Derek asked urgently, sitting up, shortly followed by Stiles.

"A camera from a different parking lot picked up a few frames of the alpha." Noah said setting out all three photos, the final one showing the alpha walking on two legs, "The problem is, we had everyone believing that it was a mountain lion, but-"

"Mountain lions don't do that." Derek stated with a frown.

"And the others have all seen this, the deputy who found it showed everyone on the force, so they all know." The sheriff explained.

Stiles groaned and rolled his head onto Derek's shoulder, while closing his eyes tightly.

"Sorry kiddo, I gotta go right now, but we'll talk later." Noah promised, patting his son's shoulder.

"It's okay, dad, I understand. I love you." Stiles smiled, before lying back down, pulling Derek with him and nuzzling his head to Derek's chest.

"Love you too kiddo, see ya later Derek."

"See you soon sher- Noah." Derek corrected himself at the elder Stilinski's pointed look. They shared a smile, then the sheriff left. Leaving the two wolves alone in the house.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know. Also, should I add a separate little 'Story' with the smutty scenes that I cut out? Please let me know.

Chapter 15: Training, sort of

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.
Here you go, after too long of a wait, the pack return.

The Hale Pack: Training, sort of

They shared a smile, then the sheriff left. Leaving the two wolves alone in the house.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, Coach Cupcake is interesting." Sheriff Stilinski stated, sitting at the kitchen table, placing two large pizza boxes on said table.

"Coach Cupcake?" Stiles asked with a bemused chuckle, setting three plates down.

"That's what he likes to be called." The sheriff explained while rolling his eyes and serving up pizza onto the plates. "Derek, son, grab two beers and a coke from the fridge." Noah called out to Derek, who was washing his hands at the kitchen sink.

"Yes sir," Derek complied, drying his hands as Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Why can't I have one?" Stiles asked, in a too innocent voice. Batting his eyelashes and putting on a puppy dog face. Both the sheriff and Derek rolled their eyes at the boy.

"Because you're underage and I'm the Sheriff." Noah stated as Derek approached the table, placing the drinks down, before taking a seat. He sat next to both Stilinski's, who were directly opposite one another.

"Yeah, but, I can't get drunk, so why does it matter?" Stiles asked while claiming a slice of pizza and shoveling it into his mouth.

"It matters bacau- Wait." The sheriff cut himself off, raising his hand with a confused look on his face. "What do you mean you can't get drunk? How can you not get drunk?"

"Our metabolism." Derek began, pulling his plate closer to himself. "It works faster than that of a normal human. So we get hungrier than most, medications and other substances, such as alcohol, are digested too fast for them to affect us." He explained, finishing by tearing a bite from his pizza.

"Then why do you want one so bad?" The sheriff asked Stiles, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Because of the principle behind it!"

"Well, at your age, it's still illegal, principle or not." Noah announced, taking a bite of his own pizza, finally.

"Not in dog years!" Stiles argued, a wide grin stretched across his face, while the two elder men looked at him with 'are you kidding me?' looks.

"Fine." The sheriff finally sighed after a few minutes of staring. Before Noah had finished the word, Stiles shot up from the table and made a beeline for the fridge. "How do you put up with him?" The sheriff asked Derek with a raised eyebrow, only half jokingly.

Derek shrugged, a grin tugging on his lips. "I guess, because some higher power out there decided that we have to share a soul, so I kinda have to."

"Gee, thanks, love you too!" Stiles drawled, making his way back to the table. Lengthening his claws and using them to remove the bottle cap.

"You know, we have a bottle opener, son." Noah stated, raising an eyebrow.

"This is more fun and efficient." The sheriff didn't reply, simply held out his bottle, pointing the neck towards Stiles, who removed the cap instantly. He then turned to Derek, holding his hand out in offering.

"No thanks." Derek smiled and lengthened his own claws. "I've got my own."

Stiles grinned and sipped his beer.

Noah suddenly looked up at Stiles in alarm, "Hold on, what about your ADHD? If your Adderall isn't working anymore thanks to your super metabolism, then how have you been coping?"

Stiles froze for a moment, not saying a word. He picked up a slice of pizza and shoved it into his mouth, quickly followed by a swig of beer. He took his time chewing, really testing his father's patience. After a good minute, he finally swallowed and asked "So how did the conference go?"

Noah glared at his son while Derek looked at him in concern. "Stiles!" The Sheriff drawled in a warning tone. "How have you been coping? I can tell that that werewolf super-healing of yours didn't cure you of that, so how have you been handling your ADHD?"

"I just have!" Was Stiles' eloquent reply. "No the Adderall doesn't work anymore, but- I don't know how to explain it, things are different now, I don't- well I do still have trouble focusing on things that don't interest me, and still can't stay still for too long. But thanks to my wolf, I now pick up on things I would have missed before. My wolf helps me focus, sometimes he focuses on the wrong thing, like I do, but still. I'm coping well enough, but I promise that if it gets to be too much, I'll let you both know!"

Derek and Noah shared a look and Derek gave a single nod towards Noah, silently letting the man know that he's willing to rat Stiles out if he believes his mate is struggling. "Okay"

Stiles smiled in relief. "Wonderful! Now, how did the conference go?"

The sheriff hummed, taking a swig of his beer, before replying. "Not too bad, could have been worse." Stiles nodded. "So," The sheriff started, placing his beer back on the table. "The entire history of the male circumcision?"

Stiles cheeks burned red as both elder males raised their eyebrows at him.

"Hey, how about that mountain lion?" Stiles asked, trying to deflect the attention from him.

It didn't work.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was startled a little after 10pm by his phone buzzing on the coffee table. He, Noah and Derek were watching some football game. Well, Derek and Noah were watching the game. Stiles was lying with his head in Derek's lap on the couch, enjoying their company as the sheriff sat in an armchair. He lazily reached over, grabbed his phone then answered it without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Stiles?" A soft voice asked through the phone.

"Lydia? Are you okay?" Stiles asked in concern, sitting up on the couch, Derek and Noah looking to him in concern.

"No. I need to talk to you. You and Derek. I know it's late but can I come over? Please?" Her voice was level and smooth, but Stiles knew that she wasn't as collected as she made out.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. What's up?" Stiles asked, biting his lip nervously as Derek rubbed his back soothingly.

"I've found something." Lydia announced, "Something that I.. I can't really explain. But I have a feeling that you can."

"Okay, whatever it is, I'll try to help." Stiles promised, nodding to himself. "Did you want me to come and pick you up?"

"Thanks, and no thanks, I'll be there in 10." She announced, then hung up the phone.

Stiles sighed softly, leaning into Derek. They had spoken about what to do when this situation arose. However, they didn't think that it would happen this quickly. Derek tugged Stiles towards him, so that his back was pressed against Derek's chest. Stiles quickly informed his father about what had happened earlier that day and about the picture Lydia had accidentally taken. The three sat in silence for just under 10 minutes. Soon they heard Lydia's car approach and pull up outside their house. Stiles reluctantly left Derek's comforting arms and headed to the door to let Lydia in.

He got to the door as Lydia was about to knock. The girl blinked as the door suddenly swung open, but gave no other indication that she was startled.

"Stiles," She greeted in a confident tone. Stiles nodded and returned the greeting, then stepped back from the door, silently inviting her in. Lydia straightened her posture and held her head up as she walked into the house. Stiles shut and locked the door behind her, then went to the kitchen and grabbed three bottles of water and a beer from the fridge, before leading her to the living room.

They didn't speak on the way, because neither was sure what to say. Derek and the sheriff had moved the armchairs so that they were closer to the coffee table and couch. Noah and Derek were each occupying an armchair, Stiles distributed the drinks, the beer being for his dad, then invited himself to sit in Derek's lap and gestured for Lydia to sit on the couch. The group sat in silence at first, trying to figure out how to start the conversation.

"So," Lydia began after a few moments of awkward silence. "What are you?" She asked confidently, looking calm and collected, but the two wolves could hear the girl's heart pounding in her chest. "I know that you two are not human." She announced to Stiles and Derek. "At least, not completely. It's apparent by Scott's sudden athleticism," The redhead stated then gestured to Stiles "Your sudden change in... interests and," She gestured at Derek next, "Your reappearance in town, right after your sister's untimely demise, and…" then Lydia pulled her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it then held it up so that the two males could see the screen. "This." The screen displayed an image. The image that they had seen earlier that day and allowed her to keep. The picture of the alpha. "That's not a mountain lion, or any other animal I've seen. I'm assuming you know about all of this Sheriff, or they probably would have found an excuse to talk alone."

"So." Lydia locked her phone and placed it in her pocket. "What is it and what the hell are you?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It was exactly 6 am and Derek and Lydia were asleep in Stiles bed, with said boy awake between them. Lydia had, understandably, been skeptical at first, but after being shown proof, she was simply curious. The teenage genius' thirst for knowledge could not be sated, as she fired question after question at the wolves. None of the males minded, however, Stiles was happy, not only to have a non-supernatural friend know about the supernatural aspect of his life, but a friend who actually wanted to learn about the supernatural world as much as he did. Sure his dad wanted to know some stuff specific to Stiles and others like him, but they had an unspoken 'If I don't need to know, don't tell me.' rule set in place. Scott wanted no part in it all, and Derek grew up with it. Lydia being in the know was refreshing. Now Stiles only hoped that if and/or when Allison finds out, the girl will have a similar reaction to the redhead.

The other two were just happy that there was someone who could keep up with Stiles' conversations.

The three younger people in the house were a tangled mess of limbs above the covers on Stiles Stilinski's bed. Stiles was nestled in the middle, lying on his side, Derek, who was shirtless and only wearing sweatpants, was spooning him. One of Derek's arms was tossed over Stiles' waist and resting on Lydia's pale arm. Lydia was facing Stiles, her head nuzzled against his chest. Lydia had a leg tossed over the couple, her foot hooking around Derek's ankle. The girl was clad in an oversized t-shirt that belonged to Derek and a pair of Stiles' sweatpants, she had to cuff them, and pull the drawstring tight, but they were comfortable, so she didn't care. Stiles himself was wearing his Batman pajamas.

"Hey kiddo, Derek, time to-" The sheriff swung open Stiles and Derek's bedroom door, faltering when he noticed the teenage redhead lying on the couple's bed. "Wake up.."

"Good morning dad." Stiles greeted softly, smiling brightly at his dad before gesturing to Lydia, who, along with Derek, was slowly waking. "She got lonely on the couch"

"Right." The sheriff sighed, unconvinced. "I'll go make breakfast."

"No! We don't want Lydia to be poisoned, I'll be down in a minute." Stiles insisted, despite knowing that that's what his dad wanted him to say. The sheriff nodded and turned to leave, but Stiles stopped him. "Wait. it's 6am on a Saturday. Why are you waking me up?"

"You and Derek are going to be training today, and if she'd like, Lydia can learn some basic self defence too." Noah said simply and left the room.

"O-kay." Stiles drawled, stretching out between his pack mates- wait. Pack mates? Where did that come from?- and sighing in content. "You guys up?"

"No." Lydia groaned, pressing her face further into Stiles' chest. Derek chuckled into Stiles' hair and used his thumb to trace shapes on Lydia's arm, specifically a triskele. Silently and discretely claiming her as a part of their makeshift pack.

"Come on Little miss genius, time to get up." Stiles whispered into the girl's hair.

Lydia groaned, but pulled away from her best friend and yawned, stretching her body out. "Fine, I'm gonna need a good breakfast if we're gonna be working out all day."

"Yup, don't worry. I'm a great cook." Stiles announced confidently.

Lydia hummed, flipped her hair over her shoulder and left the room. She paused at the doorway and turned to look at Stiles. "Can we stop by my house before we start, I don't really feel like working out in heels and a skirt."

"Yeah, of course. No problem."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

An hour later, the sheriff, Stiles, Derek, Lydia and Scott (Whom the sheriff had invited over) were sat around in the kitchen, enjoying Stiles' homemade pancakes.

"So you actually got a picture of the alpha?" Scott asked Lydia in shock.

"Mmm hm" Lydia hummed and nodded her head slightly. "I already knew something was up, based on your 'oh so subtle' changes," Lydia drawled sarcastically, causing Scott to turn sheepish. "Then there were other clues that helped me figure out something out of the ordinary was going on. I'll admit, I didn't think it was anything supernatural, because I didn't believe in all of that." The redhead shrugged and shoveled a forkful of pancake into her mouth.

"Just how smart are you?" Scott asked incredulously. He had always thought that the Queen Bee wasn't very smart, just smart enough to pass her classes, and rather clueless. However, it appears that Stiles was right in his proclamations that the girl was a genius, or at least, a lot wiser than she let on.

Everyone else around the table chuckled, well, Stiles burst into hysterical laughter and almost choked on his food, but the others chuckled.

"I've been asked that question a lot lately." Lydia uttered, shaking her head. "I guess I played my role perfectly, huh?"

"Yeah, well, you don't have to pretend anymore. At least, not around us." Stiles assured with a soft smile.

Lydia hummed and continued eating her breakfast. "These are really good, Stiles" Lydia complimented as she mopped some syrup off of her plate with a pancake.

"I kn'w w'ight?" Scott agreed around a mouthful of chewed up pancakes.

"Gross," Lydia commented whilst cringing, pointing her fork at him. "Don't do that." The redhead demanded, taking a bite of her pancake, making a point of closing her mouth as she chewed. Scott just rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh, Lydia," The sheriff started after a moment, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "There are some clothes on the coffee table in the living room that you can wear for working out, they belonged to Stiles' mother. They're clean and look to be about your size, if you'd like? And there's a pair of sneakers that she brought a size too small by mistake, size 7?" He asked hopefully.

Lydia nodded in confirmation and smiled gratefully at the sheriff. "Yeah, that's my size, that'd be great, thanks. It saves me having to go to my house." Truthfully, the teen didn't really have any 'working out' clothes. She had skirts and tank tops for warm weather and a couple of pairs of flats. Only one pair or shorts, but no sweatpants or sneakers. She was definitely going to invest in some, though. Lydia had been interested in fitness and working out more, but, in order to maintain her image, she spent the majority of her free time with 'friends' and Jackson. Now she had another option, she was taking it. It had always been drilled into her head that the only way to get people to like you is to always look beautiful, hang around with the 'right' people, date a hot, athletic guy and don't appear to be too smart. Her life was flooded with fashion magazines, shopping trips, fake friends and dieting. Through all of that time, Lydia wished for true friends who accepted her for who she really was, who could see though her perfectly painted mask and wanted to know the real Lydia Martin. Now, it looks like she has found them. Of course, she's not going to drop her guard completely, that would be foolish, but maybe, just maybe, she can start letting down some of her walls and stop pretending to be someone that she's not.

"So, I was thinking that we could go out to the preserve, it's still private property, so there shouldn't be anyone around. That way, the three of you don't have to worry about letting your supernatural sides slip out a little." Noah suggested whilst finishing off his pancakes. Yes, the sheriff was eating pancakes. Stiles had decided (Been convinced by Derek, Noah and Lydia) that there is no need to keep the sheriff on a constant rabbit diet, as he could hear his father's heartbeat. Stiles can hear it beating strong and rhythmically and would know instantly if something was wrong.

"Yeah, there's -um-" Derek began, placing his fork down on his empty plate. "There's this place, out in the preserve, well it's really just a field, but my mum had it warded by our emissary. We can go and train there and the wards ensure that we can't be seen or heard by any one passing by. The wards will also push people away whilst we're there. Not physically, it just sends out a wave of energy that causes people to subconsciously avoid it, if they're not intentionally seeking it out." Derek explained, fondly remembering full moon nights spent running around the field with his siblings and other family members. Fully shifted into pure wolf form. It was a rare ability that he and both of his sisters inherited from their mother. A few of his cousins and one of his uncles also had the ability, but his brothers, father and other relatives couldn't.

The sheriff nodded, unaware of Derek's thought. "That's perfect, are you sure the wards still work?"

"Yes, they need to be activated by the claws of a Hale, but they work."

"So only you can activate them?" Scott asked for confirmation, thankfully, without food in his mouth this time.

"Yes and no." Derek replied with a slight shrug. At the confused looks around him, Derek continued. "Hale just refers to a member of the Hale pack. For example, Stiles, you and I are a part of the same pack, as we are mates. However, you wouldn't be able to activate the wards for two reasons. 1) We haven't completed the bond yet. 2) The pack isn't complete without an Alpha, so we're technically Omega's, even if we have others whom we consider 'pack'."

Stiles and Lydia both nodded in understanding, absorbing the information, whilst Scott and the Sheriff looked slightly confused.

"Right." The Sheriff drawled, standing up from the table. "Well you guys go get changed, I'll take care of the pots. Scott and Stiles can change in Stiles' room, then it's between Lydia and Derek over who uses my room and who uses the bathroom." Stiles looked like he was about to protest, but Noah cut him off. "No arguing, We're going as early as possible because I'm at work at 6, so we need to be as productive as possible. I don't trust you to not distract Derek as you change. However, I do trust you to keep Scott from lying down and going to sleep, now go." Stiles sighed and muttered something under his breath, then made his way upstairs, Scott trailing behind him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles groaned as he was tossed to the ground by Derek, Scott landing next to him a second later. Scott flipped up and charged at Derek immediately, only to be thrown down again. Stile flipped to his feet and charged at Derek, preparing to jump over the elder wolf. At the last second, a mere half a meter from Derek, Stiles dropped, hitting the ground and sliding through Derek's slightly parted legs. Stiles didn't hesitate once through, he swung around and kicked Derek in the back of his right knee. As Derek stumbled to the ground, Scott ran over to the pair and sent his elbow crashing down between Derek's shoulder blades, keeping the wolf down long enough for Lydia to arrive. Lydia started to approach the three, the second Stiles got the upper hand. Once Derek was subdued, Scott and Stiles stepped back and the redhead did her part.

Remembering what she had read and been told, Lydia allowed herself to visualise her intended result. Keeping her eyes firmly on Derek, the girl tightened her fist slightly and shot her hand into the air. She released a handful of mountain ash that looked like it would barely fill an ash tray. But she didn't allow herself to think that, simply kept envisioning that perfect circle that would protect her pack.

To her, only mild, surprise, it worked. Derek was trapped in the circle, unable to break free or harm anyone (In the case that he really was a bad guy.) Letting out a gleeful cheer, she high fived Scott and Stiles, both of whom were also looking pleased with themselves and Lydia.

"Great job," The Sheriff complimented, accompanied by a clap of his hands. "Now, Lydia, we just need to train you with some self defense because there won't always be one guy to face."

"And they won't always be subdued by mountain ash." Derek announced, his tone tense and posture stiff. "Speaking of which, can you get me out of here?" It was more of a demand than a request, but with how Derek was behaving, Lydia couldn't bring herself to care.

Scott was half tempted to make a joke about leaving Derek in there, but even he could see that something was up, so he bit his tongue. Something was wrong, but Scott was too afraid to ask.

Lydia quickly moved to break the circle and free Derek from his imprisonment. The second she did, Derek all but leapt out of the trap, all signs of discomfort rapidly draining from his body. "That's how they did it." Derek announced, eyes fixed on the ground as if it was the most interesting thing on the planet. He didn't really want to explain this to them yet, but he needed to get it over with before they started staring at him like a kicked puppy and bombarding him with questions. "The hunters, t-they- fuck." Derek sighed, still refusing to look up. "They trapped my family in the basement by surrounding all the exits with mountain ash. So that they couldn't escape as their own home burnt down around them."

No one knew what to say. There wasn't really anything that they could say that wouldn't sound cheesy, or insincere, or patronising. "Next time, someone else gets closed in by mountain ash." He mumbled before looking up with a face of stone. "Now, time to teach Lydia some self defense. You ready?" He asked the girl, not giving her a chance to reply before starting his 'lesson'.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

8pm that evening, Scott was sprawled over an armchair, wearing a clean pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. The other arm chair was occupied by Lydia's jacket, the girl in question was out of the room, originally getting changed, but the boys heard her phone ring, so she was taking a while. Stiles and Derek were snuggling on the couch, Stiles in his usual Batman pajamas and Derek in only a pair of sweats. Three large pizza boxes sat on the coffee table, two of which were empty, the other one wasn't far behind. Empty bottles of coke were scattered across the table in disarray, a random movie was playing on the TV, but no one was really paying attention to it. They were all exhausted, drained of energy by their hectic day.

Lydia shuffled into the room, her phone clenched in her hand. "So, Allison is close to finding out about werewolves." She announced, gathering the attention of the males in the room while snatching another slice of now lukewarm pizza. "She was just telling me about all this stuff she learnt about her family's history and an old legend that's related to them or something.." Lydia paused, taking a large bite of pizza. Unlike Scott, she actually waited until her mouth was empty to continue. "She asked me about some stuff, thankfully it was all stuff that I could back up with a set of book that I own. Well, I could if Allison knew Archaic Latin." Lydia shrugged and finished her pizza. "Anyway, there was some other stuff but that can wait until the morning. I'm going to bed." Lydia announced, stifling a yawn before grabbing her jacket, leaving the room and heading upstairs.

"She's going to our room, isn't she?" Stiles asked Derek after a moment. "Yes." Was the grumbled reply. Stiles yawned and stretched out. "Guess we're in for another puppy pile tonight."

"Werewolves don't have puppy piles." Derek protested with a slight growl.

"Keep telling yourself that, Sourwolf." Stiles half teased as he stood up to go to bed. "C'mon Scotty, bedtime." Scott stood with a slight wobble and moved towards the stairs. Apparently too tired to fully register what was going on. Stiles and Derek made quick work of turning off the tv and making sure the doors and windows were locked, before climbing the stairs and joining their makeshift pack in what totally was a puppy pile.

The group slept through the night, blissfully unaware of the pair of glowing red eyes, glaring at the house.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"I could feel his anger, like, actually feel it. Not directed at me, just, strong anger, especially when he drew the spiral." Scott babbled on Sunday night, relaying his experience with the alpha to Derek and Stiles who had been waiting for him when he got home. Lydia had gone over to Allison's house to help her learn more about her family history, hoping that helping her find out about everything would make her lean more towards her friends than psychotic family.

Derek and Stiles tensed at the mention of the spiral, Derek more so. "Wait, what? What'd you just say?" He asked for confirmation.

"H-he drew this-this spiral on the window of my car. In the condensation, you know? What? You have this look, like you know what it means." Scott stated.

"It means revenge."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day at School, things were easier for most people. People who embraced the comfort of false security in believing that the animal behind the recent attacks was dead. The same couldn't be said for Scott, Stiles and Lydia. Yet, they managed to keep pretending during the day and kept it together. The three were wearing matching leather jackets. All of which Stiles had 'borrowed' from Derek. "He has four more, he won't care."

"He has seven identical leather jackets?" Lydia asked incredulously and they joined Allison and Jackson at their lunch table.

"One for each day of the week." Stiles grinned.

"The what of who?" Jackson asked Allison with a raised eyebrow, looking very unimpressed as Lydia sat next to him.

"The Beast of Gévaudan," Allison repeated excitedly gesturing to the book in her hands.

"It's the historical name associated with the man-eating wolf, dog or wolf-dog hybrid" Lydia started, earning her a pleasantly surprised look from Allison and a confused look from Jackson. "which terrorised the former province of Gévaudan in the Margeride Mountains in south-central France between 1764 and 1767."

"That's right," Allison nodded with a smile "La Bête was estimated to have been behind 210 attacks; resulting in 113 deaths and 49 injuries; 98 of the victims killed were partly eaten. The beast became so infamous, that King Louis XV sent two professional wolf-hunters to Gévaudan. Over the next four months the pair hunted for Eurasian wolves believing them to be the beast. However, as the attacks continued, they were replaced in June 1765 by François Antoine, the king's harquebus bearer and Lieutenant of the Hunt."

"On September 20, 1765, Antoine had killed his third large grey wolf measuring 31 in high, 5 ft 7 in long, and weighing 130 lb. The wolf, which was named Le Loup de Chazes, was said to have been large for a wolf, like, really large. They identified this wolf as the culprit by attack survivors who recognised the scars on its body, that they'd inflicted by defending themselves."

"The wolf was stuffed and sent to Versailles where Antoine was received as a hero, receiving a large sum of money as well as titles and awards." Lydia took over again, "However on December 2, 1765, another beast severely injured two men. A dozen more deaths are reported to have followed attacks by la Besseyre Saint Mary"

"Interesting, really," Jackson snarked and turned to Allison, "What does any of this have to do with your family?"

"It is believed that the actual La Bête was trapped and killed by a renowned hunter who claimed that his wife and four children were the first to fall prey to the creature. He shot the creature with a blessed silver bullet of his own manufacture and upon being opened, the animal's stomach was shown to contain human remains." Allison recited from the book then looked up at Jackson who was raising an eyebrow. "His name was Argent."

Jackson rolled his eyes and looked unimpressed, "Your ancestors killed a big wolf, so what?" He smirked, "My ancesto-" Allison cut him off whilst turning the page of her book.

"Not just a big wolf. Take a look at this picture." She demanded and held the open book up for him and the others to see. "What does that look like to you?" Lydia's breath caught in her throat and the two werewolves at the table could hear her heart speeding up as her eyes fixed on the red eyed monster in the picture. She vaguely heard Jackson say something about a big wolf. She could hear her name being called, but didn't register it until a familiar hand settled on her arm.

"Lydia?" Jackson's voice cut through her daze. All traces of the asshole were gone, this was the real Jackson, her Jackson was here, making sure that she was okay. Lydia looked up at him and felt comfort at the concern swimming in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"That picture," She said, glancing at Stiles who gave her a slight nod, understanding her unspoken question. "It looks," She fished her phone out of her pocket, quickly finding the picture of the alpha and holding it next to the picture in the book. "Like this."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay, you ready?" Lydia asked Scott as they stood on the lacrosse field during the second half of their lunch break, her phone in hand and a grin on her face.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Scott asked nervously as his hands were taped together behind his back. Lydia had decided that she was going to make it her personal science project to understand and possibly control the shift. So, she had Stiles steal one of Coach's heart monitors. She hooked said heart monitor to Scott first, as she and Stiles were out for a little revenge.

"Yes." Lydia said confidently, sharing a smirk with Stiles. "Besides, consider this payback." Scott's eyes widened so fast, Stiles wouldn't have been surprised if they had bulged out slightly, like in cartoons.

"For what?"

"For ditching school with Allison." Stiles stated calmly, picking up a Lacrosse stick.

"Preventing us from seeing our best friend on her birthday." Lydia smiled, handing Stiles the first ball, satisfied at Scott's petrified look. "Then getting caught, so now we can't see her outside of school."

"Ready?" Stiles asked, not giving Scott a chance to reply before hurtling the first ball, which hit Scott hard in the gut. Lydia laughed wholeheartedly as Stiles continuously hit Scott with Lacrosse balls, unaware of Jackson and Allison watching them.

After about five minutes, Scott's heart rate was dangerously high, his two best friends could tell that he was close to shifting as he fell to his knees. "Scott?" Allison's voice called out in concern. Immediately, Scott's heart rate began to slow down. Stiles and Lydia shared a surprised, but knowing, look as Ally jogged over to them, as Jackson sauntered behind her. "Are you alright?" She asked, shooting a wide eyed glance to her best friends.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's not what it looked like, they're helping me." Scott explained dazedly as he stumbled to his feet.

"Helping?" She responded in disbelief

"Yeah,"

Stile took over, trying to defend himself. "Scotty here, needs to increase his pain tolerance." Stiles flailed his arms around wildly, trying to justify their actions. "We were just helping him out so that during games, he can get through without collapsing in pain every thirty seconds."

"And, what if you hurt him too much?" Allison asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"We wouldn't do that." Stiles insisted.

"Besides, we've got him hooked up to a heart monitor, we'd know if something was wrong."Lydia stated with a slight shrug, holding up her phone for Allison and Jackson, who had finally reached the group, to see.

"And, Scott's mum is a nurse and she made sure that Scott and I know basic first aid." Stiles stated and Scott nodded in agreement.

"It's true, she even test's us every three months to make sure that we remember everything." Scott went to move his hands, only to realise that he couldn't. Allison giggled and helped Scott dispose of the tape.

"Exactly," Stiles beamed, ignoring the tape on Scott's wrists, then gestured to Lydia. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that Lydia has probably learned how to help heart attack victims, just because she was bored."

Lydia smirked. "Nope, I wanted to learn about that, it was epileptics that I learnt about because I was bored. Although, I'm glad that I did because a week later, Erica Reyes had a seizure in class, it was actually rather terrifying. I was the only one who knew what to do. Not even the nurse was sure about how to help as we waited for the ambulance." Lydia ended with an annoyed glare at the ground. "After that, I tried to invite her to sit with me at lunch and during class, but she thought I was pitying her, so always said no."

"Don't take it personally, she acted the same way when Scott and I tried to befriend her during middle school." Stiles informed her, sadness and disappointment seeping into his voice.

"Well, I was gonna try to switch so I could work with Scott, but now I'm not so sure." Allison said shyly, and looked around at her friends, who looked slightly confused. "Erica is my lab partner."

In that moment, the group came to an unspoken unanimous decision. They would do everything in their power to befriend Erica Reyes and Allison was the perfect start to that goal.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"You think he's the alpha?!"

Thump

"We're about to find out."

Thump

"What was that?"

Thump thump

Howl

Thump Thump Thump

Red eyes

ThumpThumpThump

Claws

Blood

So much blood

"DEREK!"

ThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThump

"Stiles! Run!" Arms grabbing him.

Being dragged from his mate.

Anger

Pain

Fear

"Derek"

"Not dead."

"No.

"Derek."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Lydia, I'm going alone."

"No, Allison. Something isn't right and Scott is my friend. I'm going, you and Jackson wait here." Lydia insisted as she marched towards the school. She had gotten a text from Stiles earlier asking that she go to the school with some mountain ash, hoping to trap the Alpha. She had just changed into jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt and the leather jacket that she had 'borrowed' from Derek, when Jackson showed up, surprising her, planning on a date night.

At almost half past 8, the couple made their way to Allison's house after learning that Erica had never shown up at Allison's to work on their project. Worried that the girl had been victim to another seizure, they planned to go check if the girl was okay, only to be informed that Scott had requested that Allison meet him at the school.

Immediately, alarms sounded in Lydia's mind, but nothing she could say would convince the other two not to go. She couldn't exactly tell them that there was a psychotic murderous Alpha werewolf who's into teamwork out there killing people and trying to convince Scott and Stiles, who are teenage werewolves, to join his pack. At least, not without them driving her straight to Eichen House.

"Lydia, he asked me to meet him, I'm sure everything is okay. J-just, let me do this. Okay? He's my boyfriend and I'd really like to talk to him alone" Allison practically begged, giving Lydia her best puppy dog eyes.

Lydia smiled sympathetically and placed a comforting hand on Allison's arm. "I completely understand Ally," Allison returned a warm, grateful smile. "But no." The smile immediately disappeared and was replaced with a pissed off look.

Lydia removed her hand from Allison and began to stride towards the school again. Until Jackson called out. "Wait."

She sighed and turned towards him. "What?" She snapped, frustrated that she'd been trying to get to Scott and Stiles for over an hour, only to be stopped at every opportunity.

"Do you see that?"

"See what?" Allison asked in confusion. It was then that Lydia noticed that Jackson wasn't looking at them. "The hood on that piece of crap jeep looks crappier than usual." The three walked towards the Jeep and found that the hood was completely bent with claw marks all over. Jackson traced the claw marks with his hands.

"What is that?" Allison asked. "I thought the mountain lion was dead."

"It's not a mountain lion." Lydia all but growled. "It never was." She moved to the passenger side door of the Jeep and opened the door. "He really should lock this thing." she muttered as she leaned into the vehicle. "But at least now I have more than just magic fairy dust.

"What are you doing?" Jackson asked his girlfriend incredulously,

"Getting weapons." Was the reply Lydia gave as she retrieved a cloth covered box from the glove compartment. The box itself was made of mountain ash, the felt on the inside had been soaked in wolfsbane. The box contained two guns, one was a customised Nickel Taurus PT92 with a Mountain Ash grip. The gun held 18 9mm wolfsbane bullets. 17 in the clip, 1 in the chamber. The cloth around the box was specially designed to keep the wolfsbane and mountain ash from affecting Stiles as he drove. The guns were kept in the car as a backup for herself and the Sheriff. Well, mainly the sheriff if he ever needed it. Lydia was taught to use them both as a precaution in the event she needed a gun desperately. She was sure that this was a justifiable reason.

"Woah." Allison and Jackson gasped in unison as they noticed the gun. Although, Allison's was more admiration than horror.

"Relax, I know what I'm doing." Lydia stated with an eye roll, making sure the safety was on before tucking the gun into the back of her jeans.

"Nickel Taurus PT92, right? Semi-Automatic. "Allison asked with intrigue, "It must be customised though, based on the grip. Can I take a look?" Lydia gave an impressed look and handed the gun to Allison.

"That's right. Mountain ash." Lydia informed her best friend before continuing to search through the glove box. "You know about guns?"

"Yeah, my dad's a firearms dealer, registered of course, he taught me a thing or two." Allison stated with a smirk.

"Perfect, that one's mine, but you can use this." Lydia handed Allison a second gun. "Beretta 92FS." Allison took the gun, giving Lydia her own back.

"Good weight." Allison commented, handling the gun. She checked the clip quickly. "15 bullets. 9mm." She returned the clip and continued inspecting the gun "Double action." She nodded to herself. "This'll do."

"Do I get anything?" Jackson asked defensively.

"Have you ever handled a gun?" Lydia asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow. Jackson started to say something but she interrupted. "A real gun?" Jackson grumbled. "This is not time for games or messing around. My friends are in trouble. If I have the chance to help them, I'm going for it."

"Are you sure that you know what you're doing?" Jackson pressed, in slight annoyance.

"The Sheriff, Stiles, Derek and even Scott have been helping me learn self defense and how to handle weapons, including guns. If I'm going to use that knowledge for anything, it will be to help them!"

"If you're so convinced that something is wrong, shouldn't we be calling the sheriff?" Jackson demanded.

"No. He's working. The only way that he'll be able to help is if he comes with others. That'll just make things worse. Trust me. Please Jacks, if you're ever gonna trust me, trust me now." Lydia insisted. "You can stay here, or you can take this." She grabbed Stiles' wooden baseball bat from the back seat and gave it to Jackson. "And help us save our friends." She grabbed the spare flashlight, a leather pouch and two gun holsters from the glove compartment. "You got a belt?" Allison nodded. "Good, take this." Lydia demanded, handing the girl one of the holsters.

She wrapped the strap of the other holster around her right thigh and secured her gun. Lydia proceeded to attach the pouch to her belt, retrieved the plastic bag of mountain ash from her bag and poured some of it into the pouch. To their credit, neither Jackson nor Allison questioned her this time, just stood back and watched. Lydia sealed the pouch and bag securely, placing the bag in her back pocket for back up. She placed her phone in the other back pocket, pulled a hair bobble from her bag, dumped her bag on the seat, tied her hair back, then shut the car door. "We've got work to do." She stated, turning on the flashlight and marching towards the school.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Scott?" Allison called out. But was immediately shushed by Lydia. That effort was proven pointless when Allison's phone rang. "Stiles?"

"No, it's me, where are you?" Scott asked urgently.

"At the school, why didn't you answer my calls?"

"Where are you right now?"

"On the first floor."

Lydia snatched the phone from Allison. "Scott, it's Lydia, we're near the science labs. Not far from the pool. Where is he?"

"I don't know, we trapped him, but he got out. Get to the lobby, we'll meet you there." Lydia quickly agreed and hung up the phone, heading to the arranged meeting place.

"Why did you come, what are you doing here?" Scott asked Allison the second he saw her.

"Because you asked me to."

"What?" Allison held up her phone, showing him the message. "Why do I get the feeling that you didn't send this text message?"

"Because I didn't."

"What's going on, if you didn't send this, then who did?" Jackson demanded angrily.

Lydia, Stiles and Scott shared a knowing look as creaking sounded above them. Scott grabbed Allison's hand and pulled her out of the way. "Run." The couple and Jackson took off in a sprint, unaware that Stiles and Lydia had stayed behind, until they heard a gunshot. They spun around to see Lydia aiming her gun and Stiles charging at a large beast with glowing red eyes.

The injured, packless Alpha was quickly overpowered by Stiles. Lydia was able to shoot the Alpha in the leg and stomach, causing the Alpha to collapse in pain, which is when Lydia moved in to create the mountain ash circle. Unfortunately, she got too close and the Alpha's clawed hand grabbed her ankle, and he pulled her to the floor.

"Lydia!" Several voices cried out and she heard footsteps rushing towards her. They weren't quick enough. Lydia cried out in pain as claws and teeth dug into her sides.

Furious howls flooded the school as the Alpha was torn off of her by Scott and Stiles. Despite her pain, Lydia staggered to her feet, and approached the fighting wolves. By the time she was close enough, the alpha had been rendered unconscious.

"Stand back" Lydia gasped out, hand clenched around a handful of mountain ash. Scott and Stiles did as they were told, just in time for a circle of mountain ash to fall around the beast.

"What happened? What is that?" Jackson asked, flooded with anger and fear that left him trembling, though he tried to hide it.

"It's a werewolf. More specifically, an alpha" Stiles stated, standing up and turning to face his friends. "The same alpha that turned me." Stiles was fully wolfed out. Glowing eyes, claws, fangs, everything. Jackson jumped backwards in fear, and Allison stared in shock.

"And me." Scott announced nervously, Allison looked at him with a soft gasp. However, she didn't run away screaming like Scott had expected, instead, she stepped closer, until she was close enough to place a hand on his cheek, eye's drinking in every feature on her boyfriend's face.

"So, that's how you beat me to my house, on your bike." She whispered, causing Scott to chuckle, his nerves melting away.

"Yeah, I guess that wasn't very subtle, was it?" Allison giggled and shook her head, giving her boyfriend a chaste kiss. When she pulled away, Scott's face was normal again.

Stiles and Lydia chuckled at the exchange, whilst Jackson remained horrified and slightly catatonic. Stiles went to make a witty comment, but suddenly his head shot towards Lydia, who was swaying on her feet.

"Something's not right." She breathed out, before collapsing. Stiles lunged forward, catching the girl before she could hit the floor.

"Stiles?" A familiar voice called out. Gaining the attention of all of the conscious people in the room.

"Derek." Stiles exclaimed in relief as his mate staggered into view. He passed Lydia to Jackson, who laid her down gently on the floor, and rushed over to check on his mate.

"What happened?" Eyes fixed on the bleeding Lydia, Derek allowed Stiles to support him as they made their way towards the injured girl. He paused halfway there when a scent hit him. Derek's heart sped up, his eyes flashed blue and his breath caught in his throat. "You caught him."

"Yeah. But he got Lydia. She's been bitten. Sh-she passed out. The bite can either turn you, or kill you. Right? What does this mean? Is she going to die?" Derek ripped his eye's from his sister's killer and looked at the teenage genius he had already begun to care for. Stiles held Derek tightly as they slowly made their way to her.

"I don't know. If her body was rejecting the bite she would be throwing up black blood." By then, they were by her side "If her body was accepting it, we'd be able to smell her scent changing by now." Derek's voice was soft as he knelt down, running his hand through the girls hair.

"W-what the hell is all of this? You're a part of this too? Is Lydia going to become whatever you are?" Jackson demanded in fear and anger. Before anyone could reply, a cold, dangerous voice spoke up.

"Well, well, well, isn't this interesting." Kate Argent stood in the opening to the room, heavily armed, flanked by Chris Argent and ten other hunters. "Turns out that there're more mutt's than we thought, Chris. And our little Ally is amongst them."

Notes:

I am SO SORRY for the HUGE delay!!! But from now on, unless stated otherwise. A new chapter will be up each week, between Friday 10am and Monday 1am, London time, that is.

Chapter 16: This Is My Pack

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

"Well, well, well, isn't this interesting." Kate Argent stood in the opening to the room, heavily armed, flanked by Chris Argent and around ten other hunters. "Turns out that there's more mutt's than we thought Chris. And our little Ally is amongst them."

The Argents show up at the school and Allison Learns more about her family than she ever thought she would. Also, Erica get's to know the pack.

The Hale Pack: This is my Pack.

"Well, well, well, isn't this interesting." Kate Argent stood in the opening to the room, heavily armed, flanked by Chris Argent and ten other hunters. "Turns out that there're more mutt's than we thought, Chris. And our little Ally is amongst them."

Allison took a cautious step closer to Scott. "Dad? Kate? What are you doing here?!" Allison demanded, confused and suspicious.

"I could ask you the same thing." Chris stated, aiming his gun at the Alpha. "You shouldn't be here Allison. You don't know what they are. What that is." He glared at Derek then the Alpha. "They're dangerous."

"You're the ones who seem dangerous from where I'm standing." Allison stated, gesturing to the weapons each hunter held. Some of which were being pointed at her and her friends. "I know full well what they are. No thanks to you." Kate made a move to speak, but Allison didn't let her. "I had no idea that the Alpha would be here. Lydia, Jackson and I were lured here. If it wasn't for Lydia, I would have just walked in here unarmed and probably died. Stiles and Lydia saved me," To emphasise her point, Allison pulled out her gun, and waved it slightly. "She even gave me one of their spare guns."

"It has wolfsbane bullets." Stiles piped in helpfully.

Ignoring Stiles completely, Kate looked at her niece "You rushed in here, without any experience or training, and Lydia got bitten in the process." Kate snarled. "She's a monster now," Kate loaded her assault rifle and nodded to Derek and Stiles. "They already are. Now, they all need to be put down."

"No." Allison and Chris hollered in unison, Allison raising her gun and aiming it at the woman, but she left the safety on. She had no intention of shooting her aunt, she just wanted to scare the woman into lowering her own weapon.

"We live by the code. They haven't hurt anybody. Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent." Chris stated, and recognition flared in Allison's eyes.

"We hunt those who hunt us." Allison stated, wide eyed, discreetly turning the safety off on her gun as dread filled her, unsettled by the vicious smile on her aunt's face. "So, why are there guns aimed at my friends? None of them have hurt anyone!"

"That one has," Kate smirked at Derek. "He's the reason his family is dead."

"He's not the one who set the house on fire." Allison yelled without thinking, Kate's face contorted to a look of anger and betrayal.

"He told me everything I needed to know, actually believed I had feelings for him. It's his fault that they're dead not mine." She hollered back at her niece, Allison flinched back at that revelation, clearly shaken, as were her father and the other hunters.

Chris turned to Kate in dismay, an expression of horror taking over his face "What did you do?"

"What you were too weak to!" Kate screamed, finally moving her gun from Lydia.

"The Hales hadn't done anything wrong, they were a stable Pack that protected the town!" Chris exclaimed, disgust over his sister's actions was clear on his face. "Even if they had done something wrong, there were humans and children in that house, Kate! You left two teenagers orphaned-"

"I should have made sure they were inside, too!" Kate yelled in anger, she aimed her weapon at Derek and laughed maniacally. "Poor little mutt, got tricked by a pretty face. Your family is dead and it's all your faul-" Stiles let out an angry roar and attempted to attack Kate, only to be held back.

"Don't you dare talk about my mate like that you psychotic bitch! You are nothing more than a murderer who took advantage of a minor. You could go to prison for that alone, seeing as you were definitely, what, 30 when it happened?" Stiles was held back by Scott and Derek as he yelled at the huntress who smirked in amusement at the young wolf. "You call us monsters? We're not the ones who burnt a family alive in the one place they're supposed to feel safest. And you used a minor to do it, knowing full well that he'd have to carry that guilt for the rest of his life. Even though we both know it wasn't his fault." Stiles shook his head in disgust, glaring at the woman. "You are the monster here, just like the alpha." He finally stopped struggling and sank into Derek's arms, shooting an appreciative smile to Scott, who patted him on the arm before moving to comfort Allison.

Kate scoffed, "This little twerp is who you're stuck with for all eternity? Wow Derek I almost feel sorry for you." It was Stiles' turn to hold Derek back. "Maybe if I hadn't done what I did, you wouldn't feel desperate enough to crawl to the arms of a child." Suddenly Kate laughed outright, as Chris and the other hunters watched appalled, unsure of how to respond. The situation was something they had never expected or prepared for. "Oh, wow, you act like I am so disgusting, yet you're doing to him, exactly what I did to you."

"I am nothing like you!" Derek growled defensively. "For one I'm not manipulating him, he is in this relationship because he wants to be. If he wasn't, the Sheriff, Scott, Allison and Lydia would make sure no one would ever find my body."

"I'd help," Jackson stated from where he was holding Lydia protectively. "he may be a hyperactive spaz, but I don't hate him and no one deserves to be raped, or manipulated like that. That's just fucked up."

Stiles smiled at Jackson as Derek continued. "Second of all, I actually love him. I'm not using him for anything, or have an ulterior motive. I am in love with Stiles Stilinski." Derek pulled Stiles closer to his body and kept a glare on Kate. "The only thing you and I have in common is wanting to catch the alpha, which is done. So fuck off."

Kate laughed and turned to Chris. "Can you believe this?"

"No, I really can't." Kate stopped laughing at her brother's tone. "Stiles is right Kate, we're supposed to live by the code. We are supposed to be the ones protecting people." Chris spat at her. "Not killing them. You are not my sister. Not anymore." Chris nodded to the other hunters who approached Kate with restraints.

"How dare you?" Growled Kate, fighting off the hunters as they tried to subdue her. "How dare you Chris! You'll regret this!" She screamed as she struggled in the hold of two hunters. Unnoticed by everyone in the room, the alpha was startled awake by the commotion. One of the hunters lost his grip on Kate's arm, allowing her to attack. Chris tried to help the other hunters, but Kate was already loose and armed with another hunter's pistol. However, surrounded by hunters and werewolves, Kate couldn't use either door to escape.

Kate raised her gun, directly at Scott's head. "Come any closer and I shoot. And we both know how you are about spilling innocent blood, Chris." Kate taunted, a psychotic look etched on her face. The others faltered, unsure of what to do. Kate slowly backed towards the window, and consequently, towards the alpha. Hands ready to pull the trigger and eyes darting around the room, Kate was prepared to escape, even if it meant shooting her way out. She wasn't about to get locked up for doing her job, and definitely not for using some stupid mutt to do it.

Unfortunately for her, while she was busy concentrating on the group in front of her, she didn't notice her foot disturbing the mountain ash, knocking some of it out of place and breaking the circle. Not until several gasps rang out and Kate felt claws digging into her neck. She dropped her gun in shock and immediately tried to pry the hand away. Allison aimed her gun at the Alpha and the hunters followed her example with their own weapons.

Suddenly, Lydia shot up, screaming her lungs out. Scott, Stiles and Derek immediately covered their ears, groaning in pain at the shrill sound. The alpha let out a pained howl and pressed his claws deeper into her neck.

"Lydia? Lydia?!" Jackson asked urgently as the girl thrashed about on the floor, still screaming. "Lydia!" Jackson yelled, concern etched onto his face. He held out the 'a' until the girl finally stopped screaming, being brought back to reality by Jackson's voice.

"Jackson?" Lydia asked softly, looking up at him with tear filled eyes.

"Yeah, I'm here, Lyd, I'm here." He whispered reassuringly, pulling the redhead to his body in a tight hug and pressing his lips to the top of her head.

Lydia looked around her, at her pack, all of whom were looking at her in shock and concern. Her eyes locked on the image of Kate being held by the alpha. Lydia pulled away from Jackson, hands gripping her gun, though she did not raise it, and her eyes turned glassy, her voice turning deep and sinister. "You're going to die." Kate's eyes widened and she continued to struggle in the beast's hold.

Her efforts were in vain, as the beast slashed her throat open. Everyone in the room froze in shock for a split second as the alpha dropped her corpse to the ground and leapt out of the window. At the first movement, the hunters, Lydia and Allison shot after him, but he was gone too quickly.

"I think I clipped him, but I can't be sure." Allison sighed, leaning back into Scott.

"What are the murderers doing here?" Lydia demanded, venom oozing from her voice.

"We're not murderers." Chris countered immediately. "Murder is taking the life of an innocent person. We only hunt those who have killed."

The pack, minus Allison who looked disappointed, scoffed at that. "What about Derek's family?" Lydia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We had nothing to do with that. That was Kate, had I known, she would have been brought to justice for it a long time ago."

"Is there really any justice to such a heinous act?" Lydia countered, fixing the hunter with a glare.

"No, I guess there isn't."

After a few moments of awkward silence, nobody sure what to say or do, Chris finally spoke up, taking charge of the extremely messy situation. "Right, listen up, here's what happened. Kate lost it. She saw the five of you," he gestured to the teenagers. "Looking into the Hale fire as part of a school project. She started yelling, accusing you of knowing too much, demanded to know how you found out. She pulled a gun on you, forced you to come here with her. How many cars did you bring?"

"Three, Scott and I came in mine, Jackson brought the girls and Derek drove on his own" Stiles informed him and Chris nodded.

"Right, she had an accomplice, he wore a mask, didn't speak. He was in the backseat of your Jeep, he threatened you with something, something sharp and metallic, you think it was a knife, but you can't be sure, remember, don't be specific. Kate was in the back of Jackson's car with the gun. You said Derek is your mate?" Stiles nodded. "Derek came to the house to drop off a book of yours that you needed for the project. When he got there, he saw you all being forced into the car. He called me, I came with reinforcements. When we got here, Kate and her accomplice were arguing about something. They saw us, the accomplice freaked out, killed Kate and escaped. Understood?"

"I do." Lydia stated, "But there are a few loop holes in your story there, like, what's with all the bullet holes? Why didn't you call the police before? What happened to my side?" Lydia glared at the hunter.

"I'm a registered firearms dealer and security consultant, we are all legally registered to carry weapons. I was scared that my daughter could get hurt, so rushed into action. You got cut by Kate's accomplice while fighting to escape. It'll be a little harder to explain your weapons, however."

"We'll slip 'em in my car, or to my dad if need be." Stiles dismissed with a wave of his hand. Chris raised his eyebrow and Stile elaborated, a little. "Where do you think we got the guns? Besides, I can't hide them on myself, wolfsbane bullets, Lydia's has a mountain ash grip and there's no way in hell I'm handing them over to you." Stiles rolled his eyes.

"So, the sheriff knows about the supernatural." It was a statement rather than a question, but Stiles felt the need to reply anyway.

"Yup, has done since just after I was bitten." Stiles shrugged. "Plus telling him that Derek and I are mates was the only way to keep him from shooting Derek when he found out we're together."

Chris snorted in amusement as he positioned Kate's gun in her hand. "If I was your dad I would have shot him anyway out of principle. Especially knowing that he would heal fast enough that there'd be no proof I'd done anything." The teenagers, minus Scott, bit back chuckles, even Derek had a slight smirk tugging on his lips. Scott looked incredibly nervous, Chris noticed this and raised an eyebrow, then, his eyes narrowed. "You're one of them, aren't you?"

"Uhh..." Scott's eyes were wide with fear as his eyes rapidly flickered from Chris, to his gun, to Allison, and back.

Chris sighed. "Allison, you're no longer dating this boy."

"Yes, I am." Allison stated simply, rolling her eyes and grabbing Scott's hand.

"Excuse me?" Chris asked in surprise, giving his daughter a double take.

"Derek, how do you know when someone is your mate?" Allison asked, her eyes locked with Scott's, the boy smiling dopily at her.

Derek smiled softly, and rested a loving gaze upon Stiles. "You just know. For a werewolf, it feels right, to both you and your wolf. You feel safe, relaxed, when you're with them. They feel-"

"Like home." Scott finished, smiling down at Allison as he realised that she was right.

"Exactly." Stiles confirmed, gazing up at Derek with the same loving expression.

"Oh, God. Kill me now." Chris groaned "Call the police," he commanded one of the hunters, who nodded and did as he was told. "Stiles, take Lydia and put away those weapons."

"I need to go too." Allison stated, finally looking away from Scott.

"And, why is that, exactly?"

"Because, I need someone to hold the mountain ash box whilst I wrap it in the cloth that prevents it from affecting Stiles, Derek and Scott." Lydia stated simply.

Chris sighed and shook his head. "Fine, go."

"Oh and dad, if any of our boyfriends are missing, injured or dead by the time we get back, there will be no where on this planet for you to hide." Allison stated with a cheery smile, before leaving with her friends.

"So, Scott," Chris started once his daughter was out of earshot, casually cocking his gun. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"You are so grounded! There's gonna be mountain ash on your window for so long, your grand pups will be stuck in that room! Oh wait, you're not gonna have grand pups because Derek will be sleeping in the guest room! The only time you will see is him is when you stare longingly at each other through a window as you leave for school!" The sheriff yelled at Stiles, who was sheepishly curled up in a ball on an armchair, the rest of his pack, except for Lydia, were spread around the room, taking up most of the space, accompanied by Mr Argent. It was around 2 in the morning, Lydia had been patched up, but had to stay at the hospital. The pack was worried, she wasn't showing signs of accepting nor rejecting the bite. It was as though she was immune. But that's impossible. Right?

"But the alpha broke my Jeep. Scott and I need a way to school while it's getting repaired." Stiles informed him.

"Scott can take his bike."

"Yeah but what about me? I don't have a bike. Besides, what about when the weather is too bad for Scott to take his bike?" Stiles countered, hoping his dad would allow Derek to drive him to and from school. Unfortunately, Mr. Argent spoke up.

"Allison can drive you. She has room in her car and it's not that much of a detour." Chris smiled. "And on the bad weather days, Jackson and Lydia can pick him up. If they absolutely can't, Allison can get Scott too. She'll drive, you'll sit in the front and Scott will sit in the back." Chris stated firmly, leaving no room for argument and the two fathers shared a triumphant grin.

Allison smiled apologetically at Stiles, who shrugged. It was a long shot, anyway. Allison was sitting in the middle of the sofa, Scott to her right, Jackson to her left. Chris Argent sat in the other armchair, keeping his eyes fixed on Scott. Derek was leaning against the wall behind his mate, keeping a passive look on his face in front of the hunter.

"Right, so. Now that that's over," The sheriff turned towards the older Argent, "what are we going to do about the Alpha? We have a little more leniency thanks to your cover story. The theory around the station is that this accomplice got squeamish when Laura came back to town, worried that she'd figure out that the fire wasn't an accident, so he killed her. We've also found that all of the victims so far have been involved in the Hale fire, in some way or another, which helps support the theory. Then Kate came into town, trying to make sure that the accomplice didn't give her away, but things went awry, resulting in tonight's events."

"Wait, isn't it over?" Scott asked in confusion before the hunter could respond. "Lydia shot him in the arm and chest with wolfsbane bullets before you guys arrived, so he'll die soon, right?"

"Unfortunately, the alpha stopped by Kate's car when he escaped and stole some of her back up bullets." Chris explained and Scott groaned, remembering that the alpha could use that to cure himself. Chris then addressed the Sheriff with a stoic look on his face. "We should use that theory as our own angle in searching for him. I doubt that it was a coincidence that all of the victims have that connection. Derek, did anyone else make it out of the fire?"

Derek shook his head, not making eye contact with the hunter. "No, just Laura, Peter and I, Laura's now dead and Peter is comatose." He stated bitterly.

"Are you sure about that?" Allison asked suddenly, drawing everybody's attention to her. "I mean, think about it, it makes sense, the Alpha being Peter or another member of the original Hale pack that survived. The fact of the matter is, you only get that worked up over family. Biological or otherwise. Being driven by revenge is a powerful thing."

"She has a point." Jackson agreed. "If I was comatose for six years after losing my entire family, I doubt that I'd be thinking clearly. First night awake, I find someone with power, a power that can help me get revenge on those who took everything from me." Jackson had a distant look in his eyes, as did the Sheriff. "He might not have realised just who he was attacking."

"Losing family is the worst thing in the world." Noah stated.

"It's different. Losing pack... It's like losing a piece of yourself." Derek sighed, his voice void of emotion, but Scott and Stiles could feel the pain and grief rolling off of him in waves. "I-it's worse than losing family or friends. With pack, you develop a sort of psychic connection, not to the point of hearing each other's thoughts or anything, It's more like, knowing when they're hurt or upset. Even when they're miles away." Derek took a deep breath, barely noticing as Stiles and Scott walked over to him, gripped him gently and guided him towards the sofa. "When they die, it's like that part of you dies with them, there's this emptiness where they were. Going from a huge pack, just there, happy and healthy, to just one other person, who's grieving as much as you are.. I-it's worse than dying." By the time he had finished speaking, Scott and Stiles had gotten Derek to the couch.

Allison shifted to where Scott was previously sat, so that they could put Derek in the middle. Derek didn't put up much of a fight as he was made to sit down, Stiles curled up so that he was half on top of both Derek and Jackson. Allison was lifted slightly as Scott slipped onto the couch, Allison curled so that she was mirroring Stiles' position, only on Scott instead of Jackson. "Lydia is gonna be pissed that she missed out on this puppy pile." Stiles chuckled, curling into his mate's embrace, tangling his legs with Jackson's.

"Werewolves don't have puppy piles, Stiles." Derek muttered, drifting to sleep.

"They totally do." Stiles replied with a grin, following his mate into slumber, the rest of his pack quickly doing the same, all feeling safe and content as they cuddled together.

The two adults looked on in shock "Did that really just happen?" Noah asked in slight shock.

"Yes it did..." Chis responded in the same tone, "Do you have any beer?" Noah nodded in confirmation and led Chris to the kitchen.

'Victoria is not going to be happy about this.' Chris thought as he followed Noah.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"What were you thinking Allison?! You are never seeing any of them again. Do you hear me? How could you let this happen Chris?!" Victoria Argent screeched at her daughter and husband the next day. "I can't believe we've had, not one, but two monsters in our house."

"Mum, they are my friends, my pack, Scott is my mate. There is nothing that you can say or do that will keep me from them." Allison announced, crossing her arms defiantly. She may have only just found out what they were, but she knew how she felt about them all and she wasn't going to allow her family to keep her from them. "And they're not monsters. The real monsters in this town are the Alpha and Kate. Kate's gone, soon the alpha will be too. You might not like it but that's the way it is."

Allison kept eye contact with her mother, silently daring her to argue. Nothing was going to keep Allison from her pack.

"Allison, you will not see those monsters again. If you do, you are no daughter of mine and you will not stay in this house." Victoria announced with a steely glare. Allison and Chris looked at the woman in astonishment. Allison studied her mother, hoping to find some sign that she could get through to the woman, but Victoria was unyielding. Devastation filling her, Allison nodded in resignation, a sad sight slipping from her lips as she blinked back the tears threatening to pool in her eyes.

"Fine." Allison stated and Victoria grinned triumphantly.

"Good gir-"

"I'll go pack my things." Victoria's grin disappeared as she was taken aback by her daughter's declaration, and Chris looked utterly despaired.

"What?" Chris asked in alarm. "Y-you can't leave, you- we- we're your family!"

"And they're my pack, Scott is my mate. I am not giving them up, besides, if this is the way this family really is. I don't want any part of it." Allison stated, looking crestfallen as she shook her head at them, ashamed to know the truth about the people she loved. Without another word, Allison turned and walked up stairs to her bedroom so she could pack her things, leaving her despondent parents behind her.

Once in the privacy in her bedroom, Allison closed her bedroom door and leant against it, trying to force back tears. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "Come on, Allison, pull it together." She muttered as tears pooled in her eyes. "You're stronger than this." Tears rolled down her face as she continued to mutter. "You are stronger than this." A quiet sob escaped her lips. "You are strong." She let the tears fall as she slid down the door until she was sitting. Allison pulled her knees up to her chest, trying to muffle her sobs. After around ten minutes, she stopped crying, looked up and nodded to herself. "I am strong." She stated with determination and pushed herself to her feet.

She marched to her closet, and started pulling out her clothes, throwing them to her bed, she then grabbed a suitcase from the bottom left corner. Within fifteen minutes Allison had all of her essential and most prized possessions packed into her suitcase and school bag. She now held her phone to her ear as she waited for her friend to pick up. Unaware that her parents were standing in her now open doorway.

"Stiles? Hey, um I need your help." Allison felt the tears return and her voice wavered. "I-I can't stay here anymore. I was given a choice, give up the pack or leave this house. It wasn't even a choice, I couldn't just walk away from you guy's and I can't stay in a house with liars and killers. Besides, I've always been a firm believer that you should never choose the one who is making you choose, because they clearly don't truly love you if they give you an ultimatum like that." Tears of anger and sorrow streaked her face, as she spoke to her best friend. "Th-they call you mutts and monsters but they don't seem to realise that not all monsters do monstrous things, and not all humans do humane things. You aren't monsters, and you have more humanity than they could ever hope to have from what I've seen tonight. Any way, what-what I'm trying to ask is can I stay with-" Allison chuckled as Stiles told her yes before she could even finish the question, then he informed her that he was leaving to pick her up. She contemplated taking her own car before deciding that she'd rather not, as it was registered to her mother. "Thanks, I'll see you soon." Allison hung up and turned around, finally noticing her parents. Her dad made a move to speak, but Allison raised her hand in a signal to stop and shook her head.

Silently, Allison picked up her bags and walked passed her parents, and left the house without looking back.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, I was thinking, me and some friends are off to a diner later, then we're going to nerd around at a comic book store." Allison informed Erica as they sat on the blonde girls bed on Thursday afternoon, working on the last part of their chemistry project. School had been out since the incident with the alpha and wouldn't be back until Monday. Now that Lydia was allowed out of the hospital, the pack were going to be taking advantage of it.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, you can go whenever y-you need to, I'll finish up." Erica stuttered nervously, causing Allison's eyes to widen.

"No, no, no. I was trying to ask if you want to come with us?" Allison corrected quickly. "I've really enjoyed hanging out with you, and you have awesome taste in, like, everything." Allison grinned, gesturing around the room to her posters and book shelves. "I didn't know that anyone other than Stiles had so many comic books. Although, I think he has a couple more, sorry."

"Well, I'll have to fix that," Erica giggled without thinking and Allison beamed happily.

"So you'll come? Yay, that's great." The brunette babbled happily. "So it'll be you, me, Scott, Stiles, his boyfriend Derek, Lydia and Jackson. Oh, Lydia will be in a wheelchair, though. It's the only way they'll let her out of the hospital." Erica had a slightly dazed expression on her face, which caused Allison to chuckle. "Sorry, I've been spending too much time with Stiles."

Erica giggled. "So Stiles has a boyfriend? I thought he was straight?" Erica tried to keep her face neutral, but Allison could tell that the girl was disappointed.

"No, not straight, he's Bi, but he and Derek are hopelessly in love. They don't even have to say the words, when you're near them you can see it just by the way they look at each other." Erica couldn't help smiling at the thought. Being so in love with someone that you can't think straight, knowing that they're the one for you. To have them feel the same way must be incredible.

"What should I wear?" Erica asked softly, sending Allison a shy smile.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Erica!" Stiles greeted happily, bounding over to hug the girl. "Everybody, Erica's here!" He called happily, pulling the blonde into a hug.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Allison teased as Scott walked over, "Hey Scott." Allison greeted, giving her boyfriend a peck on the lips.

"Hi." Scott smiled, then turned to the epileptic. "Stiles, stop hogging Erica, I know you used to have a crush on her but you're with Derek now." Scott teased, prying Stiles away, only to take his place.

"Uh, crush?" A tall, well built, dark haired guy, who Erica assumed was Derek, asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought it was Lydia I had to glare at constantly."

"I- uh, Scott, that was a secret!" Stiles whined, Scott chuckled and released Erica, leading her to their booth. "It was the comic books and the doctor who obsession and the high intelligence and the sweet smile and the-"

"Okay, we get it." Derek snapped half heartedly, walking up behind Stiles and wrapping his arms around his waist. "Enough flirting. C'mon" Derek pulled Stiles back to the booth. Stiles giggled before assuring Derek that he had nothing to worry about.

"Hey, Erica." Lydia greeted with a grin, waving from her wheelchair, stationed at the end of the table. "Get over here and give me a hug." She demanded.

Erica shuffled over to the booth, Scott and Allison behind her. Erica was nervous as she leant down to hug the popular girl, being cautious of the girl's injuries. Lydia didn't seem bothered as she gave the girl a tight hug. "Sit, sit." She demanded waving towards the space next to Derek. Erica hesitated, looking nervous.

Derek noticed this and smiled at the girl. "Don't worry, I was kidding about the glaring, unless you try to steal my Stiles." He joked. Erica chuckled and slipped into the booth. There was a bit of shuffling so that everyone was sitting where they wanted to be.

By the time everybody was settled, Erica sat by the window, Stiles next to her then Derek at the end. On the other side of the table, Allison was opposite Erica, Scott, next to her and Jackson at the end. Lydia sat at the head of the table in her wheelchair.

"So- u-um, h-how long do you have to use that?" Erica asked Lydia nervously, trying to start a conversation.

"Just a week, two at the most. I can walk perfectly fine, but the doctors don't want me to accidentally pull my stitches." Lydia explained, finishing by rolling her eyes. "I'm just glad to be out of that damn hospital."

Erica and Scott nodded in understanding and agreement. "Tell me about it." Scott muttered. "The amount of times I had to go in for an asthma attack." Scott sighed. "I swear, that place just gets more depressing every time I go in. There are some good nurses, but a lot of them are so condescending and mean!"

"Definitely," Erica agreed immediately, nodding along. "My regular nurse is one of the mean ones, she isn't comforting like nurses are supposed to be. Although, there is this one nurse that I get to see every now and again. She is so nice, I don't know her surname, but her first name is Melissa, and she is definitely the best. Whenever she takes my blood, she distracts me and makes me smile, so I barely even feel it. She treats me like a person rather than just a patient. Which is more than I can say for the other one. Jennifer."

"I don't know Jennifer, but I know Melissa and she is the sweetest woman ever. Unless you break something of hers, then she's like the hulk." Scott joked as he looked at the menu.

"Oh, is she your nurse?"

"My nurse, my cook, my chauffeur, my maid." Scott joked. "She's my mum."

"Seriously?"

"Yup, Melissa McCall" Scott nodded as Stiles showed Erica a picture on his phone, which caused her to giggle as she confirmed that was the Melissa she was talking about. "What did you show her?" Scott demanded as Stiles showed the picture to Derek. "Stiles?" Scott's eyes went wide as Derek also chuckled. Allison saw the picture next and she burst into hysterical laughter, Scott craned his neck to see, but Stiles moved the phone away, showing the picture to Jackson and Lydia, both of whom found it hilarious.

"Stiles, seriously?" Scott cried when Stiles finally showed him the photo. It was a lovely shot of a naked, mud covered 4 year old Scott McCall. Scott was standing in his back garden being hosed down by his pissed-off looking mum. Scott had his hands covering his private area, face contorted into a look of embarrassment. At the edge of the photo, a young Stiles could be seen, also covered in mud, but actually clothed, doubled over with laughter.

"Aw, Scott, you were so cute." Allison cooed with a teasing grin.

"Shush, it's emb- wait, what do you mean 'were'?" Scott asked the girl, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Hello Stiles, it's nice to see you again." A kind voice greeted, ending that conversation before Allison could respond. "And you've brought friends." The group turned to see a woman around 50 years of age. Her hair was a rich brown colour and tied back in a high bun. Her face was creased with laughter lines, her deep brown eyes were a sharp contrast to her pale skin. Freckles peppered her skin. She wore a simple uniform and a cream coloured apron. "Who are these lovely folks?"

"Hey Janie, this is Erica, Allison, Scott, Jackson, Lydia, and my boyfriend Derek. Everybody, this is Janie, my personal chef" Stiles introduced with a grin, at which Janie rolled her eye's.

"Such a lovely group, are you ready to order?" Janie asked, pulling out a notebook and pen from her pockets. "I'm assuming you'll be having your usual, Stiles?" Janie had a knowing look on her face.

"Yup, but uh double size it and could you throw in some wings?" Stiles asked hopefully, batting his eyelashes.

"Sure thing sugar, BBQ or regular?"

"BBQ please."

Janie smiled, jotting down the order. "Next?"

Scott was the next to choose. "Uh, yeah, could I have the curly fries, double-"

"Double bacon cheeseburger, extra onion rings, Large double chocolate shake, side of sausage?" Janie asked knowingly,

"Yeah- How'd you-?" Scott asked in confusion.

"It's Stiles' usual. Do you want it double sized and a side of wings too?"

"Yes please, but regular wings, if that's okay?" Scott asked.

"No problem honey." She wrote down the order. "next?"

"I'll get the same as Stiles, but banana shake, please." Derek requested politely.

"I'll have what Stiles is having too, thanks." Jackson stated.

"I'll have the same as Scott, but standard sized and with salad instead of sausage, please." Allison requested with a friendly smile on her face.

"I'll have fries, bacon cheese burger, extra onion rings, medium strawberry shake and a side salad, please." Lydia stated, closing her menu, smiling up at Janie.

"Absolutely," Janie nodded, noting down the orders, then looked at Erica. "And you, sugar?"

"C-can I have the same as A-Allison, but w-with BBQ wings, p-please?" Erica requested softly.

"Of course, sweetie, coming right up." Janie smiled, before walking to the counter.

"So you come here a lot?" Allison asked Stiles curiously, leaning against the table.

"Yeah, after my mum died, dad and I came here a lot because he can't cook without burning half the kitchen down and he didn't want me cooking all of the time. Given that I was, ya know, 10 at the time." Stiles explained with a shrug.

"So, Erica," Jackson stated, "How's the writing going? Allison mentioned that you're a writer." It was slightly forced, but Jackson could see how uncomfortable the girl was and knew that Lydia really wanted to befriend this girl. So, he'd do what he could to make his girlfriend happy.

"Um, I-I wouldn't call myself a writer, b-but I do dabble a little bit." Erica smiled softly "It's mainly fanfiction though.. i-it's stupid."

"Hey, fanfiction is not stupid!" Stiles protested immediately. "I read a lot of fanfiction and sure, there are some pretty bad ones written by people who think using text speak is a great way to write a story, but most are pretty good. And there are some truly amazing stories out there. In fact one that I found yesterday called 'Time Warped' by The tru-"

"The-true-companion95?"

"Yeah, you've read it?"

"I wrote it." Stiles' eyes widened in amazement.

"Seriously?!" Erica nodded, a blush appearing on her cheeks. "Oh my go- that's amazing. You are an incredible writer! Seriously. I was gripped, I read the first sixteen chapters until Derek told me off and forced me to go to sleep." Stiles sent a small glare to Derek for that. "I read another four this morning then I've got the next eight to catch up on. You're still writing right?"

"Yeah," Erica smiled. "I've almost finished the new chapter, it should be done by tomorrow."

"That's great! I should be caught up by then." Stiles grinned but there was no skip in his heartbeat. He was serious.

"We're not going to have that movie night, are we?" Derek asked knowingly. Stiles and Erica smiled sheepishly.

"We can, I just won't be paying much attention to the movie." Under other circumstances, Derek wouldn't mind that, but he knew that it wasn't him that Stiles would be paying attention to.

"Sorry," Erica smiled, but there was a small jump in her heart beat. She wasn't sorry at all. A conversation was picked up easily after that and everyone was chatting comfortably when the drinks arrived. Well, almost everyone.

"No, no that is so not true. You are completely wrong Jacks," Stiles protested, as Lydia and Erica nodded in agreement with him. "Janie, who's cooler, Batman or Superman?"

Janie scoffed "Batman, of course." She stated , placing the drinks down. Stiles allowed a smug expression to take over his face and held out both of his hands, which Erica and Lydia high fived, shortly followed by Janie and Allison.

"No," Jackson disagreed leaning forward. "Superman has powers, he can fly for crying out loud! Batman relies on his gadgets."

"Superman relies on his powers. Batman can fight hand-to-hand. If his weapons were taken or disabled in the middle of a fight, he'd be able to handle himself. If Superman lost his powers in the middle of a fight, he'd be screwed. Plus, he has such a lame disguise. All he does is slouch, wear glasses and clothes two sizes too big and raises his voice an octave."

The argument continued throughout the meal, turning into a group debate, even when they got to the comic book store, other heroes being added to the mix. The argument was so heated that nobody noticed that Derek had paid the entire food bill, and had slipped out of the store ten minutes before. At least until he reappeared with multiple Hot Topic bags.

"No, that's not ev- Derek? What's that?" Stiles asked in confusion, effectively ending the argument.

"Well I got sick of you, Scott and Lydia stealing my jackets, I thought that I should get you all your own." Derek stated, holding up the bags.

"That's a lot of bags for three jackets." Lydia commented knowingly, raising an eyebrow at them.

"That's because I didn't buy three Jackets. I brought six." Derek informed her simply. "Along with some other stuff. You guys get everything you need?"

"Yeah, we just gotta pay." Scott informed him, holding up a pile of comic books.

"I got it, don't worry about it," Derek assured, walking towards the counter.

"What? No." The group, minus Jackson, protested immediately.

"Wait, you sly dick, you paid the entire food bill!" Allison realised and glared at Derek.

"Yeah, bu-"

"Nope, you're not getting out of this. Now go outside and think about what you've done." Stiles demanded, pointing towards the door. "Go."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Erica walked home happily wearing her new leather jacket, she had a great day. All of her life, Erica had been cautious, she had to be. People either pretended to be her friend so that they could make fun of her. Or were just pitying her.

But today, with the group was just easy. She felt like she fit in with them. They all seemed so cool. Sure, Scott and Stiles had only just joined the 'popular crowd' but they were still down to earth and a bit goofy. Lydia was completely different to what she expected. The queen B was a lot smarter than Erica originally assumed, she was also kinder, funnier and a lot geekier. Allison was the sweetest person ever and Erica was so happy that she had let the girl talk her into going out. Jackson was pretty much the same old Jackson, it just turns out he was also kind of a geek. Derek was pretty cool too. Apart from the fact that he's dating Stiles and had a thing about paying for everything, Erica couldn't really find a fault with him.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. Erica froze in fear when a growl sounded from behind her. The girl's heartbeat sped up, as she slowly turned to see who was following her. She felt like she couldn't breathe when she saw a pair of glowing red eye's staring at her. The man before her stepped closer until she could see burns on his face along with features that weren't human. Razor sharp teeth were gleaming at her through a Cheshire grin.

"Well, you smell just like my dear nephew." The man stated, ambling closer as Erica backed away. Fear took control of her as the stranger's red eye's assessed her every movement.

"W-who a-are you?"

"It doesn't matter, what does is what I can offer you." The burned man stated. "You're ill, I can smell it. What's your killer?"

"I'm epileptic." The man nodded in understanding.

"What if I told you, that it can all go away? The seizures. The medication. You can throw away the thing that is single handedly destroying your life. Not only that, but everything else will be improved. Speed, strength, vision. Everything." The man promised, placing his hand on her arm. "You can be powerful. Like me."

"I can?" Erica asked hopefully, looking up at the man, who smiled at her.

"All you have to do" The man grabbed her wrist and pulled it to his mouth "is say yes."

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.
Please let me know what you think, I hope you like it x

Chapter 17: I'm the Alpha

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The Alpha reveals his face and targets poor Erica, her pack isn’t happy with that.

The Hale Pack: I'm the Alpha.

"You can be powerful. Like me."

"I can?" Erica asked hopefully, looking up at the man, who smiled at her.

"All you have to do" The man grabbed her wrist and pulled it to his mouth "is say yes."

"Get away from her!" Stiles called out in anger, charging towards Erica and the man.

"Peter?"

"Erica, run!"

"C'mon, Erica."

"Help,"

"She's bleeding!"

"Please, help her!"

"Stiles!"

"Stiles, we gotta go!"

"Stiles, it's too late."

"There's nothing we can do."

"Stiles!"

Stiles shot up in bed gasping for breath. "Derek! Derek, where are you?"

Stiles stumbled out of bed. "Derek?" Stiles couldn't seem to catch his breath, his heart pounded in his chest. Stiles used anything he could find as support, trying to get out of the room and find Derek. "Derek? Derek!" Stiles made it to the top of the stairs before collapsing to his knees "Derek" Stiles gasped one last time before losing to his panic attack. Stiles gripped the carpet as he tried to force air into his lungs.

"Stiles?" Derek's voice called out, "Are you home?" There was a shuffling sound then he heard his mate's voice again. "Hey Sti- Stiles?" Stiles heard Derek rushing up the stairs.

"Stiles? Baby, what's wrong?" Derek asked in concern. "Is-is this a panic attack? Baby look at me." Stiles met Derek's eyes.

"I can't- I can't- breathe. I-I can't- Der- I-" Stiles gasped, voice flooded with fear,

"Shh, shh, baby, look at me okay. You just need to focus, okay? Focus on my voice." Derek's efforts seemed to be in vain as Stiles continued to hyperventilate.

"But she's, Derek, she's-" Derek cut Stiles off by placing a passionate kiss to his lips. The mates got lost in the kiss and by the time they pulled away, Stiles' panic attack had stopped.

"Hey, C'mere" Derek whispered, holding Stiles tight in a hug. "It's okay, you're okay."

"Am I? Derek, I didn't get there in time, she's-" Stiles sobbed into Derek's shoulder.

"Hey, hey, hey, that's not your fault, you hear me? None of it is your fault!" Derek reassured, rubbing Stiles' back comfortingly. "come on, let's go back to bed."

"Hey, where were you? When I woke up-"

"I was at the hospital. I was checking on her. She's stable, but it was touch and go for a while." Derek informed Stiles sadly whilst helping him up and leading him to their room.

"Is this really the time to sleep? Derek, she's in the hospital, we now know who the alpha is, we should be out there, stopping him before he hurts anybody else!" Stiles protested, pulling out of Derek's arms. Derek reached out and grabbed Stiles arm, halting the younger wolves movements.

"Stiles, believe me when I tell you that there is nothing than I want more, than to stop Peter and get justice for my sister. But right now, at this moment in time, I am more concerned about making sure that the love of my life, my mate, is well rested and healthy. I love you, Stiles, more than anything in this world. You are my main priority." Derek assured, pulling his mate closer to him, until they were pressed together. "Nothing will change that." Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's neck, and pulled his mate into a searing kiss.

Derek pinned Stiles against a wall as the younger male wrapped his legs around Derek's waist. Stiles groaned as Derek kissed and nipped down his neck. "Fu- I love you to Der, so much." Stiles began to grind his hips against his mate, then demanded. "Bedroom. Now."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, Peter has 'vanished' from the hospital." Allison announced as she marched into the Stilinski household the next afternoon, followed by Scott. "So has his nurse, Jennifer." She sighed,dropping her bag by the coffee and flopping onto the couch.

"Jennifer? As in, Erica's nurse Jennifer?" Stiles asked walking over with two steaming mugs of coffee.

"One and the same." Allison nodded, gratefully accepting the mug offered to her. "Thanks. There's more."

"How much more?" Derek asked, handing a mug of hot chocolate to Scott, who sat next to Allison on the couch. Derek sat on one of the armchairs and, at Derek's pointed look, Stiles took the other one.

"The cops searched her locker, found a bunch of stolen medication. Pills, injections, other stuff, most notably epinephrine." Allison stated, causing Stiles' eyes to widen in shock.

"Seriously?" Stiles asked, bug-eyed, Allison nodded in confirmation before sipping her coffee. "Wow, that's... insane."

Scott looked between the two in confusion, unsure as to what was going on. "What's eperni- epinf-"

"Epinephrine." Stiles informed him, placing his, now half empty, mug on the coffee table. "It's an untraceable heart stimulus. It's used to treat cardiac arrest. However, in high enough doses, it can actually cause it."

"Yeah, and after looking through the records, they've found that 75% of heart attack victims died while she was on call. Even patients who don't have a history of heart problems, like Garrison Meyers."

"it makes sense that she's in on it." Derek stated thoughtfully. "She's taken on an angel of death persona, and the chances are, she probably tried to kill Peter, given that he has spent six years in a coma, she'd see him as the perfect target. But his body would get rid of the drug before it could take effect. And she had to have noticed him missing from his room at some point." Stiles nodded in agreement, then a thought occurred to him.

"She's probably the one who used the computer."

"What computer?" Allison and Scott asked in unison.

"When Danny came over to work on our project earlier, I convinced him to trace the text, the one that lured you guys to the school." Stiles started, leaning forwards slightly and making a lot of hand gestures as he explained. "Turns out it was sent from a computer at the hospital. Melissa's computer."

Scott's head shot up, his eye's wide in shock. "My mum? No, m-my mum wouldn't do that." He stated, shaking his head in denial. Allison set a hand on his arm, trying to calm her boyfriend.

"Dude, calm down, we never thought that, not even for a second." Stiles insisted. Scott let out a sigh of relief and relaxed visibly. "Besides, even if we did, she wasn't working that night. At first we thought that it was Peter, but we couldn't figure out how he did it without anyone seeing him. It all makes sense now that we know his nurse is helping him."

"Quick question." Allison said, a thoughtful expression on her face. "How did you convince Danny to trace the text?" Derek immediately glared at Stiles, who looked like a kid who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Yes, Stiles. How did you do that?" Derek asked mockingly.

"Let's just say.." Stiles began nervously, unsure of how to get himself out of this mess. "I'd make a great pimp."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"How did Stilinski manage that?" Jackson asked Allison in the hospital waiting room later that day.

"He 'accidentally' spilt a drink down Derek's shirt, so Derek took off his shirt, planning to get a clean one. Only to find that the closet door was mysteriously jammed. He went to the draws, only to find that none of his shirts were in there. He was able to find one of Stiles' that fit, only to be told that it 'wasn't his colour' by Danny. So he basically just sat there shirtless the entire time." Allison explained with a giggle.

"Wow, I don't know whether to punch Stilinski for manipulating my best friend, or applaud him." Jackson shook his head with a chuckle. "How is everyone? Have they found Peter yet?" Jackson asked as Scott and Stiles approached with a tray of drinks and food.

"Not yet, but we're still looking. His nurse is involved, she was killing her patients with an untraceable drug. We think she tried to do the same to Peter, but she couldn't because of, y'know." She said as a doctor walked past. Scott sat down next to Allison and started dispersing food.

"How's she doing?" Scott asked, gesturing towards a room door.

"She's still unconscious. They, uh, they can't find the cause of it." Allison quickly swiped at her eyes and sniffled slightly.

"So they don't know how to fix it." Jackson's tone was bitter and annoyed.

"Hey, look, we'll figure this out." Scott assured them both immediately. "Trust me, if there's anything you can count on, it's that Stiles always has a plan." Allison nodded in agreement.

"When did either of you last get some sleep?" Stiles asked in concern, taking a bite of a pre-made sandwich, grimacing at the bland, tasteless substance.

"I got a couple hours earlier." Allison informed them, taking a swig of coffee. "One of the nurses promised to let me know if there's any news, but so far, nothing."

At that moment, a nurse walked out of the room Scott had gestured to. She did a double take at the group, before a soft smile appeared on her face. "She's still unconscious, but you're welcome to go in and see her, if you'd like." The group agreed and thanked the nurse and made their way into the room.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles and Allison, were intently staring at the arsenal on Stiles coffee table, less than an hour later. They were assessing their inventory as their respective boyfriends looked on in concern.

"Okay let's go over what we've got one last time." Stiles stated firmly, trying to think of anything they'd forgotten.

"Okay, lethal weapon wise," Allison began and pointed to each weapon as she said it's name. "we've got Nickel Taurus PT92, Beretta 92FS, M1911A1 Colt, Smith And Wesson 5906, Winchester Model 1887 shotgun, Chinese ring daggers, crossbow, compound bow, arrows and self igniting Molotov cocktails."

"Self igniting what?" The sheriff asked in shock as he walked into the room, flanked by two teenagers.

"Molotov cocktails," Stiles stated as if it was the most normal thing in the world, "Lydia made them to use against the alpha." The sheriff just shook his head in disbelief. "Are we forgetting something?"

The two friends shared a thoughtful look before speaking in unison. "Katana."

"We can pick it up on the way. Now, defensive and capture."

"Right, we've got flash bolts, ultrasonic emitters- Also known as the ear murders." Stiles glared at the devices. "Mountain ash, tasers and silver chains."

"Oh, there's something else." Allison stated, picking up her purse and pulling out a canister.

"Pepper spray?" Stiles asked, incredulously.

"Almost, it's basically the same, except Lydia modified it. It's infused with three types of wolfsbane and tiny particles of mountain ash. She just finished it earlier, she got Jackson to pick up the work when he picked up the other supplies. Best part is, because it's got the basic ingredients of regular pepper spray, we can use it on humans too. Rather than starting a fight and risk tarnishing my record." Allison smiled, admiring the object in her hand. She had this smirk on her face that practically screamed 'I can kick the crap out of any fuckboy in this town without breaking a sweat.' and Stiles felt his admiration for the girl grow. Scott better marry Allison, or Stiles will adopt her. Either way, she's a part of the pack now.

"Well, that explains the smell of her room and why I felt ill and light headed when we went to pick up the cocktails." Stiles shrugged. "Um, yeah, holsters, and ammo." He looked up at Allison "Give 'em hell attitude?"

"Absolutely." Allison grinned, picking up an empty duffel bag from the couch.

"Okay, we need to be very specific about the placement of the weapons." Stiles reminded, picking up the crossbow.

"I know." Allison took the weapon from him and placed it carefully in the bag. "Pass me the Winchester?" Stiles did as she asked.

"Uh, where did you get all of this?" Noah asked nervously, unsure if he really wanted to know the answer.

"Some from you, some from Lydia, some from my dad's house." Allison shrugged passively as she and Stiles continued packing. "Speaking of which, they'll be back soon, so we need to get the Katana as soon as possible."

"Do you really need a Katana?" Derek asked incredulously.

"Do you really need all of this?" Jackson asked in the same tone

"Yes." Stiles and Allison stated in unison, wearing matching grins on their faces.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Allison assured, grinning and walking toward the group, allowing Stiles to take the bag.

"Hurry up Stiles." Scott ordered, nerves taking over.

"I'm going as fast as I can bitch." Stiles replied with an eye roll, knowing his friend wasn't trying to be hostile.

"Sure you are, jerk."

"Quit arguing ya idjits and let's go." Allison grinned, causing Scott and Stiles to double take at her.

"You watc-"

"I have the best girlfriend in the world!" Scott announced happily, then grabbed Allison and kissed her happily. Allison giggled into the kiss and in that moment, they felt like normal people without the threat of the supernatural hanging over their heads.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay, just through here," Allison directed her friends through her parent's house to the weapons room. "I can't believe that I actually bought that bullshit story about fire arms dealing. When it came to the guns, sure, why not? But the compound bows, daggers, knives, swords, katana's. God, I am so stupid."

"Hey, no you're not." Scott assured immediately. "You grew up with all of this, but never knowing the full story. That cover was drilled into your head all your life, who would actually think werewolves?" Scott asked rhetorically. "Except for crazy people. And Stiles."

"I'm not sure those two categories are mutually exclusive, but thanks Scott." Allison smiled lovingly, ignoring Stiles' mock-offended 'hey!' "Although, I will admit that when I was about 13, I was certain that my family was secretly Mafia or something."

"How long is this going to take?" Jackson bitched. "And why do five of us need to go get one sword?"

"We might end up getting more than just the katana." Allison glared at Jackson. "Such as a weapon you can actually handle."

"Wait, your family has bb guns?" Stiles asked in faux amazement. "Woah. Are the little plastic 'bullets' laced with wolfsbane?" He faltered slightly as he smelt wolfsbane, making his skin prickle. He glanced at Scott, who had the same reaction.

"Very funny Stilinski." Jackson sneered as Allison taped on the keypad then opened a door, neither noticing the wolves' reactions. Behind the door was a room, approximately 5 square meters big, filled with various weapons. The right wall was dedicated to archery. Multiple bows, varying in shape and size hung on the wall. Some were simple and sleek, others looked to be military grade. The same went for the arrows. Slightly lower down, crossbows were shown in a display case, along with an assortment of arrowheads, each with the Argent crest engraved into them. There was a large mountain ash chest next to the cabinet. The chest was locked shut with three padlocks.

Stiles couldn't focus on much more though, as the strong scent of wolfsbane hit him. The scent was thick in the air, it was hard to tell if the chest contained all of the wolfsbane laced weapons, or if they were spread around the room. Either way, there was so much wolfsbane in the room and flowing into the hall, that Scott and Stiles were choking on it. Literally.

Scott and Stiles were both doubled over in coughing fits, gagging on the poison. "Scott? Stiles? What's wrong?" Allison asked urgently, stepping closer to the wolves, faltering when she noticed both of them starting to shift. The best friends gestured towards the room with clawed hands. Stiles forced himself to look up at the panicked girl.

"Wol-fs-ba-ne." He forced out, and Jackson sprung into action, slamming the door shut. He took his jacket off and rolled it up, then using it to cover the gap under the door, he rushed to kneel in front of the two wolves, who were now collapsed on the floor. Allison was still unsure of what to do when the other girl crouched down before her friends and pulled Scott's old inhaler from her bag. Scott immediately took a hit from it, then handed it to Stiles who did the same, both of them stopped coughing almost immediately.

Jackson and Allison looked at the girl in slight confusion. "I thought it might come in handy as a placebo or something after you told me about the night of the party."

"Good thinking," Allison complimented as she also knelt, looking at her friends in concern, as they were still trying to force air into their lungs. After a couple of minutes, the scent had mostly gone and Stiles and Scott were able to breath easily again.

"Well, that was intense." Stiles breathed out, causing the others to chuckle. Well, Jackson only smirked, but still.

"Yeah, I think we should wait outside while you get what you need." Scott stated, a slight hitch in his breath. "That reminded me a little too much of an asthma attack. I don't really want to repeat it." He stumbled to his feet, shortly followed by Stiles. Allison went to say something but Stiles held his hand up.

"Allison, if you're about to suggest leaving without what we came for, I swear I will punch Scott in the face. There's no way in hell we're suffering through that for nothing, give us three minutes to get out, then get what you need and meet us back at the Jeep." Stiles stated. It wasn't really an order, but it wasn't a request either.

"I'll go with them, whilst you get what you need." The other girl offered and Allison nodded at the suggestion.

"Great. See you in a few." Stiles stated before grabbing the other two and making his way out of the house.

Jackson and Allison waited the allotted time, before moving to go back into the room. "Well, that was very heroic of you." Allison teased as Jackson picked up his jacket.

Jackson scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I only did it so that I didn't have to watch those two losers die." He stated, his douchebag mask reappearing, but Allison didn't need supernatural senses to know that he was lying.

"Right, that's why you knelt beside them and made sure that they were okay." Allison nodded with a knowing smirk, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Totally makes sense." She smiled as she pushed the door open.

"You've been spending too much time with Stilinski." Jackson stated, but there was no heat or malice behind his words and his tone was almost teasing.

"And loving every second." Allison grinned. "He's so funny!"

"He talks too much."

"Just feed him Reese's and curly fries." Allison stated dismissively with a wave of her hand. "Works like a charm." She walked over to the left wall, where the swords hung.

"Really?" Jackson asked incredulously.

"Yup. He told me himself." Allison said, fondly remembering the night of the party, her first date with Scott. "The night of Lydia's party was a full moon. Scott mustn't have been in complete control back then as he started to shift and had to leave. Although, I didn't know he was shifting back then, but it makes sense now. Anyway, Stiles ended driving me home while Derek helped Scott. We talked about stuff and that came up." Allison explained, well aware that Jackson was hanging on her every word. As she spoke, she grabbed the Katana, then moved to the front wall and grabbed a smoke grenade. "He's a great friend, Scott is too, but I only witness that, seeing as I went for the boyfriend package." Jackson rolled his eyes with a soft smile as Allison giggled and turned to face him. "Once you get past the grumpy, broody-ness, Derek is a good friend too, he's very protective, as you've already witnessed. He can also be rather funny, when he's relaxed." Allison grabbed a quiver, then made her way to the door. "Erica is a sweetheart and, despite being shy, she's very funny and caring. Of course, you already know how awesome Lydia is." She stated, walking past Jackson.

"I do." Jackson agreed. "But why are you telling me all of this?" He suspected the reason, but wanted to be sure.

"Because," Allison started as she stepped out of the room. "We all see right past the douche facade. We want to be your friends, but we're not going to be friends with the character you play, that guy sucks. If you must, you can keep it up at school, but with us, you don't have to pretend." Jackson looked at the girl thoughtfully before nodding slightly.

Allison reset the alarm, then they made their way out of the Argent house. Noah and Derek were waiting by the police cruiser as Stiles leaned against his jeep, the other two teens obviously already inside. When he noticed the pair, Stiles moved and opened the boot (A/N: Trunk) for Allison, who carefully placed the weapons in.

"We've got work to do." Stiles stated, then slammed the boot shut. He turned to Scott and the two girls with a huge grin on his face. "I've always wanted to say that!"

Allison rolled her eyes fondly, electing not to tell him that Lydia had beaten him to it that night at the school with Kate and Peter. Then again, Lydia hadn't shut a boot full of weapons, so did it still count?

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

They followed the alpha's scent to the old Hale house, although Stiles wasn't too surprised. This was where it all began. Stiles, Derek and Scott set up the first line of attack as the others collected their weapons. As they did so, three figures left the ruins of the house, walking towards them. Peter was now burn free, eye's glowing red as he held Jennifer in front of him, his claws digging into her neck, much like they had done to Kate. Beside him, Lydia stood, eyes blank as she stared ahead. She wore only a hospital gown, she looked far worse than before, her hair was damaged and greasy, her skin was paler than usual, it looked to be almost transparent. Her eyes were sunken and surrounded by dark circles. Her heart rate was slow and her breathing laboured. It was as though the life was being drained out of her.

"Lydia!" Jackson gasped when he saw his girlfriend, he moved towards her, but was held back by Erica and Allison.

"Jacks, it's not her. Physically, yes, but that's not the Lydia we know. It's a trap." Stiles rushed to explain. Jackson looked broken at the words, but he stopped struggling, knowing that it was true.

"Well, had I known you were going to give up so easily, I wouldn't have bothered." Peter drawled, causing the other wolves to growl. Peter, focused on the males in front of him, didn't notice Allison loading and aiming her bow or the sheriff aiming his gun.

"Let Lydia go. Break whatever trance it is you have her under, and let her go. Or spend the last five minutes of your life with an arrow in your eye." Allison threatened, leveling the alpha wolf with an impressive glare. Erica stepped beside her, aiming a crossbow.

"Aren't you going to bargain for her too?" Peter asked curiously, nodding his head towards his nurse.

"She's a murder." Stiles stated, allowing himself to shift. "She isn't our priority. She killed without mercy, without caring. We won't kill her, that's not us, but Lydia is our priority."

"You act all humble, but you will kill, Stiles. We're werewolves, predators, there's no escaping it." Peter growled, pressing his claws deeper into Jennifer's neck, causing small droplets of blood to roll down her neck. The woman gasped in pain.

"You're wrong, Peter." Derek stated, glaring at his uncle. His only living family member had turned his back on everything their family stood for. "We may be predators, but we don't have to be killers. What you're doing is wrong. The Peter that I know, the Peter that I care about would never do this. The Peter I know isn't a monster." Derek reminded him, hoping to reach some part of the old Peter, hoping to spark some humanity in the shell of a man before him.

"I miss him too Derek," The Alpha stated, a stray tear rolling his cheek. "That Peter would always put his family first, he'd spend all of his free time with his pack and family, he'd make sure that his wife and children were safe every chance he got. He'd spend time with his siblings, nieces and nephews and he'd never hurt anyone unless it was to protect his family, he would definitely not be the one to kill them. I miss that Peter so much, but he died in that house, with everyone else." Without warning, Lydia let out a high pitched scream as Peters claws slashed across Jennifer's throat. His eyes turned red first, then he let out a terrifying roar as he shifted into a terrifying beast. The beast that had killed so many people. This wasn't his uncle Peter anymore, which made it easier for Derek to accept what he had to do.

Allison let an arrow fly as Jennifer's body fell to the floor. Peter easily caught the arrow, unaware that a flash bolt was attached. Allison grabbed a new arrow from the quiver as the bolt went off, startling the Alpha, who's sensitive eyes were damaged by the blinding light. Knowing that the distraction wouldn't last long, the sheriff shot three wolfsbane bullets at the Alpha. The other wolves and Jackson ran forward, Jackson immediately grabbed Lydia, who still looked haunted and moved her towards the Jeep, only to have a sharp pain shoot through his leg. He screamed in pain and let go of Lydia as he looked down to find the alpha biting his leg. Stiles ran over and dug his claws into the back of Peters neck, forcing him to release Jackson, "Bad doggy." Stiles taunted as he threw Peter through the remains of one of the walls of the 'house'. Derek and Scott immediately followed the Alpha into the building as Stiles checked on the others. He helped Jackson over to the cruiser.

"Dad, I need you to get Jackson and Lydia to the hospital, then call the station, say that the accomplice is dead and at the old Hale house. Okay? Go." Stiles pleaded, glancing back to the old house, where growls and crashes were sounding.

"No, I'm not leaving without you."

"Dad, I need you to trust me, I'll be fine, but they won't. Please." The sheriff reluctantly nodded, then helped the two teens into the car. He gave his son a bone crushing hug, then left in the cruiser.

Once the cruiser was out of sight, Stiles turned to the two human girls before him. "The only reason that I'm not forcing you to go is that I need you to throw the Molotov's when we get him outside. Okay?"

The girls nodded and Stiles sprinted towards the house. Allison moved back to the Jeep and picked up the Katana. "I'm not going through all the effort to get this, to simply not use it." Allison explained, earning an understanding nod from Erica.

"Fair enough" Erica smiled and picked up an item that looked like a cattle prod. "This is basically a really powerful taser, right?" Allison nodded. "Perfect, let's go." They got to the scene of the fight just in time to see Scott and Derek crash into opposite walls and the alpha loom over Stiles, clawed hand raised high, as his other hand held the boy down.

"Get away from him!" Erica yelled, when Peter turned to her, she shocked him, causing him to howl in pain. Allison then slashed him across the chest with the katana.

"Catch us if you can." The girls taunted in unison, then sprinted out of the wreckage. They heard an angry howl and for half a second, they were worried that he wouldn't follow, then they heard the pounding footsteps. They were about 2 meters from the Jeep, the alpha directly behind them, his claws no more than a centimetre from Erica's back, when Derek appeared, wolfed out and slashed at the back of the alpha's neck.

Scott and Stiles appeared, also transformed and helped Derek subdue Peter as the girls reached the Jeep. "Move!" Allison screamed, causing her pack to jump away from the Alpha, who was too injured to flee. With her friends in the clear, Allison threw the first Molotov at Peter, shortly followed by Erica. There were more pain filled howls as the Alpha tried to shake off the horrifically familiar flames. They soon died down, but it didn't matter, the alpha wouldn't survive much longer. As Derek knelt before the burnt, now human form, of his uncle, the man spoke taunting words to him. The conversation was cut short when Derek slashed his claws across the man's throat, finally ending his life.

The teens watched in shock, unsure of what to say or do when Derek turned to them with glowing red eyes.

"I'm the alpha now."

Notes:

I hope that this was okay. I apologise if it was a bit confusing, I was trying to hide the fact that Lydia was the one in the hospital, not Erica, there will be a flashback explaining that next chapter. I'm going to include the dance in the next chapter, seeing as I've altered the timeline so it hasn't happened yet. I am going to turn Erica, Isaac and Boyd, and at least one of the boys will show up in the next chapter.

Chapter 18: Dance With Me Now

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Derek is now the Alpha, the pack grows, Erica get's a date, Scott and Allison discuss their relationship and the pack go to the dance.
Also, for this story, Boyd is the same age as the rest of the pack, I might be mistaken but I think he's older than them in canon
-
The teens watched in shock, unsure of what to say or do when Derek turned to them with glowing red eyes.
"I'm the alpha now."

The Hale Pack: Dance with me now.

The teens watched in shock, unsure of what to say or do when Derek turned to them with glowing red eyes.

"I'm the alpha now."

"Seriously?" Stiles asked in annoyance, startling the other teens, but Derek seemed unaffected. "You're really gonna do the whole power-hungry, wolf man thing? Really?" Derek continued staring. It was as if he didn't hear Stiles' words, but he did notice when Stiles stomped towards him, if his threatening growl was anything to go by. "Oh, cut it out Sourwolf."

Stiles rolled his eyes as Derek stood up, turned to face Stiles fully and growled. When Stiles was close enough Derek grabbed him roughly and pulled him in, and pressed his open mouth to Stiles' neck, fangs ready to bite in. Erica, Scott and Allison were freaking out, worried for Stiles' life and began to rush forward.

"Stop." Stiles said, loud enough for them all to hear, but not loud enough to startle Derek. "Wait." It was then that other teens noticed that Derek had frozen in place, his nose twitched as if he was smelling Stiles. After a moment, Derek receded his fangs, closed his mouth and nuzzled his face into Stiles neck. His wolf recognising Stiles as his mate allowed him to calm down enough that the animalistic haze, that came from the sudden surge of Alpha power, faded away.

"Uhh, guys?" Scott called out. "As much as I hate to interrupt all of this, I can hear sirens." Derek pulled away from Stiles and flashed his eyes at Scott, then walked over to the group. He reached for Stiles hand, but Stiles rushed past him, towards the Jeep.

"Stiles?"

"I got a plan." Stiles yelled as he leaned into the boot, searching through the weapons. When he pulled back, he had four chinese ring daggers, a lighter, a cloth and a molotov in his hands. He jogged over to Jennifer's corpse, kneeling beside her. He placed the lighter and cloth in his pocket and the molotov on the floor, then wore one dagger on each finger. He wore them like knuckles, gripping them tight as he lined each blade up with the claw marks in her neck. After a pause of hesitation, he pushed the blades into her neck, tracing and deepening the wounds with a back handed motion. Once he'd done so, he removed the cap from the molotov, splashing some of the liquid on the woman's hands and clothes. He recapped the bottle and gently placed it back on the ground.

"Can one of you put that back in the Jeep, please?" He asked as he ran back to Peter's body. He repeated the process with the ring daggers, but when he was done, he wiped the handles and rings down with the cloth, then placed them on Peter's fingers. He grimaced as he pulled the lighter out of his pocket, and lit it, holding it under the dagger on his index finger. The metal heated and caused the, already burnt, flesh around it to melt and stick to the metal. He repeated this with the others, then rushed back to the jeep, throwing the tools in and shutting the boot as the sirens grew closer.

When the police and ambulances got there, the group were huddled on the ground by the jeep, looking shocked and horrified. Derek and Scott were inches apart from each other, leaning against the Jeep. Stiles was cradled between Derek's legs and against his chest as he held hands with Erica. Erica had her head resting on Allison's right shoulder and her feet tangled with Derek's. Allison sat in Scott's lap, one hand resting on Erica's knee, the other over the girl's shoulders, just touching Stiles' left shoulder.

The sheriff was the first out of the car, rushing over to the pack. "What happened? A-are you okay? Are you injured?" Before any of them could answer, a deputy called out.

"Sheriff, we've got two dead bodies over here, one is the nurse, Jennifer Hodgins, the other is burnt, but I think it's Peter Hale."

The Sheriff sighed. "Okay, who was it?" Derek flashed his eyes. "Right."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"You really don't remember anything?" Allison asked Lydia the next day. The pack gathered in Lydia's hospital room, including Jackson who was in a wheelchair for appearances. Jackson had managed to convince his dad to get him a 'private doctor' so that he could stay on the lacrosse team. Which is basically the Whittemore way of saying 'I want to stay a popular athlete so I need you to pay someone with a medical license to say they're keeping an eye on me so I can keep the actual doctors away.' Which meant no one outside of the pack knew that his ankle was fully healed because the bite had been successful.

"They called it a fugue state, which is basically a way of saying 'We have no idea why you can't remember escaping your hospital room without being seen, after being attacked by a psychotic killer for the second time that week, running through the woods and ending up next to said psychotic alpha whilst wearing nothing but a hospital gown.' But personally, I don't care. I lost nine pounds." She grinned holding out her arms. "And no one I care about died."

The pack chuckled at that, even Derek. Erica stopped suddenly, looking guilty and sombre.

"Lydia, I'm sorry, if it wasn't for me y-"

"Stop right there sweetheart." Lydia demanded, holding up a hand. "This," She gestured to herself and the room. "Isn't your fault. This is because of a psychotic, murderous, feral, alpha werewolf who was into teamwork. It's not your fault that he targeted you and none of us would have blamed you if you had said yes."

*Flashback*

"I'm epileptic." The man nodded in understanding.

"What if I told you, that it can all go away? The seizures. The medication. You can throw away the thing that is single handedly destroying your life. Not only that, but everything else will be improved. Speed, strength, vision. Everything." The man promised, placing his hand on her arm. "You can be powerful. Like me."

"I can?" Erica asked hopefully, looking up at the man, who smiled at her.

"All you have to do" The man grabbed her wrist and pulled it to his mouth "is say yes."

Erica hesitated for a second, unsure if she was willing to take a chance on someone who could simply be insane. She was saved from having to choose when she heard a familiar voice.

"Get away from her!" Stiles called out in anger, charging towards Erica and the man. As Stiles approached, the man's face transformed. Fangs grew from his mouth, his eyes turned red, his eyebrows disappeared, replaced with ridges.

"Peter?" Derek asked in shock and horror, but the man ignored him, instead proceeding to draw Erica's wrist closer.

"No." Erica yelled, trying to pull her wrist back as the pack grew closer. "No. I don't want it."

"You're lying." Peter snarled, yanking her arm closer.

"Stop!" He was close to sinking his teeth into her flesh, when an arrow pierced his shoulder and he stumbled backwards, howling in pain. Erica looked to see Allison holding a crossbow and the rest of the pack running towards her, Stiles in front.

"Erica, run!" Stiles screamed as his face contorted into beta form as he tackled the bleeding alpha. Derek and Scott helped subdue Peter as Lydia, who had abandoned her wheelchair, grabbed Erica's arm and pulled her away from the fight.

"C'mon, Erica." Lydia tugged on the girl's arm, successfully getting the girl to start running as Scott was sent flying into a wall, shortly followed by Stiles.

Derek was hurtled through the air by Peter and sent crashing into the two girls, the group collapsed to the ground. Lydia groaned at the weight, but that soon turned to a scream as she was dragged out by her ankles.

Peter crawled up her body, digging his claws into her sides which also caused Lydia's not yet healed bite wound to start bleeding again .

"Help," She gasped as she swung her elbow back. She was satisfied to hear a crunch as she hit Peters nose, unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make the alpha let go.

Allison shot off another arrow, one that hit Peter in his right shoulder blade, followed by the third and final arrow Allison had in her. Less than a second later, Scott and Stiles were pulling on the alpha's arms, trying to pry them from Lydia's flesh. Derek had his arms around his once beloved uncle Peter's neck, and once Scott and Stiles had pried the alpha's claws from Lydia, he jumped backwards, pulling Peter away from Lydia. Derek allowed his claws to dig into the Alpha's shoulder as he lifted him into the air and threw him away from the people he considered a part of his and Stiles' unconventional Pack.

"She's bleeding!" Erica gaped in shock, pressing her hands to Lydia's sides. A few seconds later, Jackson arrived and Erica asked him to take over applying pressure to the wounds.

"What? Why? Where are you going?" He demanded to know even as he did as she asked. "Please, help her!"

"I am, okay." She stated whilst removing her belt. "I'm m-making a tourniquet. But I'm gonna need your belt too. Mine isn't thick enough." She stated, dedicating her attention to working on wrapping the belt around her new friend, she attempted to block out the sounds of the Alpha behind her.

"You have a choice, help her and let me go. Or keep me and let her die. You can't call an ambulance while I'm here without revealing the supernatural to the world. It's up to you."

"Go." Stiles stated with a glare. "But remember, I will find you and you will pay for hurting my pack."

Peter chuckled, "I made a good choice with you Stiles, it's a shame you won't join me yet."

"I'll never join you." Stiles stated firmly.

"You say that now, but you'll change your mind. I know you will." Then Peter was gone and the pack was gathered around Lydia as Scott called an ambulance.

"You're gonna be okay Lyd, you're gonna be okay." It wasn't long until the ambulance got there, Jackson was able to (bribe) convince the paramedics to let him go with Lydia, leaving the rest of the pack standing in the street.

*End Flashback*

"I was going to." Erica stated softly, only just loud enough for the humans in the room to hear, eyes downcast as if she was ashamed. "Before I saw you all, I was going to take the chance, but then I saw how scared you were and I realised it probably wasn't a good thing."

"The Bite itself isn't that bad." Stiles told her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I mean it hurts, and it doesn't always take. But if it doesn't kill you, it can be a gift. I mean look at me, I love being a werewolf! We were scared because we didn't want you with Peter. As you've learned, Peter wasn't a good guy. He would have manipulated you and used his power over you to turn you into a killer. You deserve better." Erica smiled weakly, glancing up at Stiles, before returning her gaze to the floor. Derek shared a look with each member of the pack in turn, each giving him a small nod, or some or other indication of approval, in response to his unspoken question.

"Erica, look at me." He requested softly and the blonde did as he asked. "If you were given the same offer by someone else, someone who would treat you like Pack, not like a weapon, what would you say?"

The girl looked unsure for a second. "I'd say yes, but what does it matter? Pe-"

"Peter was the only one in town who could turn someone, yes. But that's not because of him. It's because of the Alpha power he held. When he died, that power went to me." Erica's eyes widened in realisation.

"So that means-?"

"Yes, I could turn you, but like I said, it's not a 100% guarantee. It could kill you." He reminded her in a soft but firm tone.

The girl nodded seriously. "I know the risks. I've been thinking about it since that night. I don't want to spend the rest of my life trapped by this illness. My seizures have been getting worse and more frequent, the next seizure could kill me, and I-I can't stand the thought of dying before I have a chance to live but with this, I can't completely live. My parents are scared to take me anywhere, scared to let me do anything and I hate it. I want a chance to stay out all night with friends, do stupid things, travel. I-I want my parents to be able to go out on a date without worrying about me. I want to live." Erica paused suddenly, her eyes filling with tears. "So, yes, if you're willing, I want you to turn me. Please."

Derek nodded. "Okay."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

One week later, on Sunday night, Erica, Lydia and Allison were in Erica's room, picking out clothes for school the next day. Everyone else had gone back the week before, but after the traumatic experiences they had been through, the teenage members of the pack had been excused from class, the sheriff himself had spoken to the principal for them. The girls of the pack were sorting out outfits for the next day, and arranging Erica's new clothes. Derek had decided to spoil his pack, buying all of them a whole new wardrobe, complete with plenty of black and leather. They had all protested, Jackson and Lydia insisting to help with the bill, but Derek refused. Explaining that, as an alpha, he needed to care for his pack. Buying them things that they want and need made him feel like he was doing his job. After a few grumbles, the teens stopped arguing and, to be honest, Erica was so happy that they did.

"I know this sounds vain, but, I look good." Erica said happily as she looked at her new, rather tight, blue top in the mirror. "I've never been pretty before, I like it." She smiled.

"You've always been beautiful, Erica." Lydia smiled from behind the blonde, eyes also fixed on the girl's reflection. "You were just unfortunate enough to have an illness and insecurities that hid it." Holding up one of the girls new dresses. "How about this with your leather jacket?"

"Which one?" Allison asked with a chuckle as she hung up some of the clothes. Derek hadn't just gotten them the same jacket multiple times, like he had. Nope, he brought them so many different styled jackets, some snug fitting, some that stopped at the waist, some in colour, some with badges, some with hoods, Erica could confidently say that she had a leather jacket for everything.

"Hmm, this one." Lydia announced, holding up a jacket, then handed it to the blonde, along with the dress "I'll find you some shoes." Erica smiled gratefully, accepting the items and setting them on her desk, then began removing her clothes.

"So," Allison started with a smile, placing some accessories next to the dress. "Let's talk boys. Anyone you've got your eye on?" Allison grinned, while moving to help Lydia.

"Well, there is this guy in a few of my classes, he's really good looking and nice. One time after I had a seizure, he brought me flowers and came to see me at the hospital. I've always wanted to get to know him, but I was too nervous." She informed her friends as she pulled on the dress. "Maybe now that will change."

"What's his name?" Allison asked excitedly.

"Vernon Boyd." Erica sighed happily, as Allison and Lydia shared a look. "What?"

"He's one of the options." Lydia informed the girl. "Like we told you before, Derek needs to establish a pack relatively quickly. He needs a minimum of three Betas. Yes, he currently has four, but one is his mate and only you were turned by him, so it'll take longer to build a pack connection. Also, Derek grew up in a large pack, so he subconsciously pines for a large pack again." She paused to allow Erica to take in the information, then continued. "Boyd and another boy named Isaac Lahey are the current options. They were chosen because we have determined that they would be most likely to accept and successfully turn. Teenagers have a higher chance of survival than other age groups and Boyd, apparently, reeks of loneliness and misery, we believe that the chance to not only have friends, but pack and family, would appeal to him greatly, enough to say yes. The improved senses and strength will probably just be a bonus to him. Isaac, is a bit more complicated. He is being abused by his father. We know that he's not being bullied in school, but Scott and Stiles have smelt blood on him multiple times, they've picked up on his pain a lot too. All of us have noticed how he flinches at loud noises or when someone gets too close. Jackson has gone to the Sheriff, but so far Lahey has denied the allegations, so they have to wait for a warrant. Jackson's testimony alone isn't enough as a court would question why he didn't come forward sooner."

"Why didn't he?" Erica asked curiously.

"Because, before he realised that he does in fact have a soul, he was a self centred dick." Lydia stated simply. "Now, try these." She demanded, handing Erica a pair of shoes.

"These are nice, but I'm going to wear my TARDIS shoes." Erica decided.

"They're blue, that dress is red. No way. And that dress is so beautiful, the design is so you." Lydia stated, crossing her arms, taking a stand against the girl's choice. "You need to make a statement on your first day back after the change."

"So you want me to wear the dress because of the design, that's the only reason?" Erica asked, smirking as Lydia nodded suspiciously. "Great, I've got the same dress in blue." Erica grinned, then practically tore her current dress off. Allison giggled and held out the aforementioned dress, which the blonde quickly put on, along with the shoes and jacket. Lydia looked from the dress, to the shoes, to Erica and back, then hummed.

"Fine, you could do worse. We'll work on your fashion sense later." Lydia sighed, then grinned "Now, take that off, and get into your pajamas, we can sort out accessories in the morning. For now, let's put all of this away, get as much junk food as we can carry and binge watch stargate."

"SG-1, right?" Allison asked hopefully.

"Of course."

"Good, that's the best one." Allison grinned, pulling her own pajamas out of her bag. The girls changed and put away the last of Erica's clothes, and a few outfits of Lydia and Allison's, which they decided to leave in case of an impromptu sleepover. Within twenty minutes, they were wedged into Erica's bed, buried under piles of junk food.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"You ready for this?" Stiles asked Erica as the pack stood by the Jeep before school started. Stiles had picked up Scott and the three girls and drove them all there. Jackson, and surprisingly Derek, met them at the school.

"Hell yeah." Erica stated, grinning confidently at him.

The group all wore their new clothes, drawing looks from other students and making Derek's wolf yip with pride. Derek looked at each member of his pack with a soft smile on his face. "Right." He began, drawing the attention of his Beta's and mate. "You've all got everything thing that you need?" The teens nodded. "Okay, remember: No fighting, unless provoked. No shifting, unless you're alone. No weapons, unless absolutely necessary. No skipping class, unless it's an unimportant, boring lesson. And no alcohol, it won't help." Lydia went to speak, but Derek cut her off. "None for you two, because it's not fair to the others."

"Do you want us to start trying to befriend Isaac and Boyd today?" Allison asked curiously.

"If the opportunity presents itself, but if not, just have fun today and let people realise the no one is going to fuck with any of you ever again."

"Damn right." Stiles grinned and gave Derek a kiss, ignoring the groans from the pack.

The first bell sounded, and Derek pulled away reluctantly "Okay, try to not be miserable. Oh and don't kill anyone. Understood?"

"Yes alpha." The pack chorused, causing Derek to smile.

"Good, now get to class, I'll see you all after school for training." The pack exchanged farewells with their alpha, then made their way into the school.

Stiles was in front, Erica to his right. Allison was directly behind Stiles, Scott to her left, Lydia to her right and Jackson next to Lydia. The pack turned heads as they walked down the halls like they owned the place, they radiated confidence and ease. Erica had never felt like this before. All of her actions had been second guessed in the past, she'd make herself small and hope to not be seen. Now she had the pack and was free from epilepsy. This was the greatest feeling and she never wanted to let it go.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia laughed at something Scott said as the pack glided into the cafeteria. They turned more than a few heads and ignore each one of them, striding over to Lydia and Jackson's usual table in the centre of the room. The girls took their places at the table as the boys sat down their bags and left to get the food.

The cafeteria was shocked silent around them, most likely at Scott, Stiles and Erica more than anything. The girls knew full well that even if the whispered, half of the room would hear them, so they spoke normally.

"So, when are you gonna ask him to the dance?" Allison asked Erica excitedly. "And no, you can't back out now. You've had a crush on him forever!"

"Geez, thanks Ally, just let everybody know." Erica scolded teasingly.

"It's not like like she said his name, Erica." Lydia rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you have to ask him by tomorrow at the latest. The dance is friday and we have to make sure he has a suitable outfit to match your radiancy."

"Damn right, you've only just realised your own beauty, we don't need some guy showing you up with a uncoordinated outfit." Allison agreed with a nod.

"On behalf of my gender I say 'Hey!' From a neutral standpoint I understand and approve, we don't need anyone showing up Erica." Stiles stated as he approached the table with a tray in either hand. He sat down opposite Erica and kept the other for himself. Scott and Jackson did the same, handing their second tray's to their respective girlfriends.

"So Stiles, have you convinced Derek to go with you yet?" Erica asked, trying to get the topic away from her, but this only regained the interest of the people listening on. Stilinski bringing a guy? Rumours had been circulating since Lydia's party and grew when people claimed to have seen him with a hot older guy at the bowling alley on a group date, but they couldn't possibly be true, right?

"Not yet, he said, and I quote,'I am not putting on a monkey suit and going to a stupid, meaningless high school dance. Prom, fine, but not this.' So, I'm going to need you all to pester him tonight. This is the first school dance that I've had a relationship during, I'll be damned if I don't take my boyfriend. Dad knows about him and approves, you guy's are fine with it, so I don't give a fuck about what anyone thinks." Stiles stated firmly, ending his rant by shoving a handful a chips (Fries) in his mouth.

"Just say Danny asked you to go with him, that'll get him riled up and he won't refuse." Jackson suggested with a grin.

"I heard my name, what's going on?" Danny asked as he walked over to the table, sitting at the end somewhat hesitantly.

"Hey Danny," Lydia greeted happily. "Derek is refusing to go to the dance with Stiles. So, we were thinking that Stiles could say that you offered to go with him,which would get him jealous and make him agree to go."

"Okay, that's cool, I'm in. I'm going stag anyway, if he still refuses to go, I'll reserve a dance for you." Danny joked with a wink.

"Thanks Dannyboy." Stiles grinned.

"Since when are you Jack O'Neill?" Erica teased

"Since always! I have the sarcasm, the humor, and the good looks." Stiles grinned and gestured wildly as he made his points, almost hitting Scott multiple times.

"Actually, I'd say you're more Xander." Scott countered quickly, having put a lot of thought into which characters they were both most similar to over the years.

"Yeah, but a Xander/Willow mix," Lydia corrected thoughtfully. "Scott, you're kind of a Clark Kent, I think, the Smallville version."

"You're definitely Cordelia." Allison informed the red head. "But like, in Angel, when she's more badass."

"Damn right." Lydia grinned. "Now, we can sort out everybody else's roles later, for now, back to Erica."

"Ugh, screw it." Erica growled as she stood up and marched to a table in the corner of the room. She sat down opposite Boyd who looked up at her in shock.

"Hey Boyd." She greeted with a grin.

"Hey Erica, you look.. Different."

"I'll take that as a compliment." She grinned. To the outside world, she was the perfect image of confidence, but the male members of her pack could hear her heart racing. "so, I was wondering if you would like to go to the dance with me on friday?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but with your change in look and attitude, you could have any guy in this room, why are you asking me?" He asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Because none of them ever glanced twice at me unless I was having a seizure, never came to visit me at the hospital afterwards or brought me flowers. And most importantly," She leant across the table and picked up his apple."none of them are the human embodiment of Teal'c" She grinned and took a bite of the apple. Hoots of laughter came from her pack, but she ignored them as Boyd chuckled.

"You picked up on that?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Erica answered anyway.

"Absolutely." she grinned and Boyd smiled slightly back at her. His smile quickly disappeared and he opened his mouth to say something, but Erica quickly spun around as she heard a shift in the air as something flew towards her. She caught a paper aeroplane as it was an inch from her head.

"Dammit." Stiles laughed as Erica flipped him off and turned back to Boyd who had his eyebrow raised at her. She simply grinned as she unfolded the note, giggling at what was written.

She slid the paper over to Boyd. "Here's my number, let me know what you decide." With that she stood and walked back to her friends, giving Stiles a head slap before sitting down.

Shortly after, the noise in the cafeteria picked up again, and the group could talk in private. Just before the end of lunch, Erica's phone buzzed from a text.

From:  Unknown (12:56)

Message:  I'm in, what colour tie do I need? -Boyd

Erica smiled happily, making eye contact with Boyd from across the room.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Erica heard Jackson groan as he landed next to her on the grass. Out of the corner of her eye, Erica could see Allison and Lydia sparring hand to hand as the sheriff supervised, dropping in tips here and there. Scott and Stiles were behind her somewhere, practicing with throwing knives in the case that hand to hand and close quarter contact would be a bad idea. Derek walked over to her and Jackson and helped them up.

"You need to think outside of the box. Surprise me and yourselves with what you do. If you get predictable you will die." Derek stated as he pulled them to their feet then walked away. "Go again." Erica was relieved that Derek had allowed them to change clothes before hand. Werewolf or not, she would not have been able to handle this in leather.

Jackson moved to charge at Derek's back, but Erica grabbed his arm and shook her head then pulled him to the left.

She made a few hand gestured, that Jackson seemed to understand as he made a few back at her. After a few seconds they had a plan. Derek turned and looked at them, waiting for them to make a move and almost rolled his eye's as they started charging at him. Erica was in front of Jackson, when she was a metre away from Derek, she dropped to the ground. Derek sighed and was ready to jump over her, only to realise that she was crouched, hands firmly planted on the ground and making no move to sweep his legs out. Then a foot landed on her back. Derek looked up to see Jackson flying through the air, feet aiming for his face. He caught the foot just in time, only for the other one to hit his stomach, whilst a leg swept out his feet. He let go off Jackson's foot as he fell to the floor. His hands were restrained above his head by Erica, one of her hands at his throat, his legs were restrained by Jackson, who had a clawed hand positioned directly over the Alpha's heart.

"Well done. Good communication with the hand gestures." Noah called out in a proud voice. Derek looked pleasantly surprised that they had taken the time to make a plan. Even if it was only a few seconds.

"Good thinking, you did well. Just remember that you won't always be able to do that, you will have to just rely on your instinct, but well done. You worked as a unit, that's important in a pack, I'm proud of you." The Beta's preened at their alpha's praise as they let him go. Jackson was especially pleased at the approval. Despite all of his efforts, he could never seem to earn the approval of his adopted parents, this was new for him.

"Right, everyone." He called out, raising his voice for the humans to hear. "Take a couple of laps around the field, then I'm going to teach the wolves something new. How to shift. Fully." Derek got a few odd looks as he smirked and shifted. There were collected gasps as the pack ran over to the the black wolf, stood where Derek was just seconds before. Not the weird monster wolf that Peter turned into, but a full furred wolf.

Stiles grouched in front of the creature in amazement. "Der?" Derek flashed his eyes in return. Stiles chuckled in awe and went to pet the wolf, only to be playfully growled at. The wolf nudged his head towards the edge of the clearing. "You want us to do those laps now?" Derek nodded and Stiles sighed. "Fine. Let's go guys." The pack started their laps, glancing back at their wolfed out alpha.

Derek was able to communicate with the Sheriff enough to let him know that clothes he wore were now destroyed. The sheriff had kindly put a jacket over Derek so that when he shifted back he didn't flash the pack. He wore only a pair of joggers when the pack finished their laps.

"Okay, so take off anything you don't want to destroy, because anything you're wearing will get shredded." Derek informed them.

"I got it in my head that once he was potty trained and able to dress and wash himself, I wouldn't have to see my son naked again and I'd like to stick with that." Noah said. "So I'm gonna head back to the house, I'll get dinner ready, let me know when you're on your way back." With a few agreements, mainly from Stiles, Noah left the clearing.

"Do you girls want to stay? Are you all okay with them staying?" There was a chorus of yes' and, of course, Lydia had to take it a step further.

"I don't mind, Ally and I have seen Stiles naked, I've seen Jackson naked, Scott and Stiles have probably seen each other naked, Ally, Erica and I have seen each other naked, Ally and Scott have seen each other naked, Erica and I will probably see Scott naked eventually, same with Ally and Erica for Jackson, might as well get it over with in a less pressured setting." Lydia shrugged, but Derek was glaring.

"When did you see Stiles naked?" He demanded, Derek didn't mean to be so angry, but this was his mate, no one was allowed to see him naked but him. Scott was understandable as they grew up together and if that picture Stiles showed them was anything to go off, they had probably had to see each other naked at some point in order to get clean. But Allison and Lydia? That had to be recent.

"The night he stayed at my parents house and Lydia spilt nail polish all down his clothes." Allison chuckled.

"I still say it was on purpose." Stiles glared. "But I don't know how you managed to get it on my underwear. I'm just so glad I had changed before mrs Argent walked in." Stiles shuddered, causing the pack to laugh.

"So don't worry alpha, it wasn't sexual and we weren't trying to steal your mate." Lydia assured with a grin. "Now, are you guy's gonna get naked or not?" she asked expectantly. Within minutes, the beta's were stripped down to their underwear, deciding not to get completely naked right away even though they all knew that would be when they shifted back. Erica took her bra off too, just wearing panties, which turned out to be batman designs, the same as Stiles' boxers.

"Ha, we're underwear twins!"

"So could everyone in your family do this?" Scott asked curiously as he elected to ignore that comment

"Yes and no. Every werewolf, bitten or born, has the potential to do it, but only some could do it naturally, others have to be taught. Peter never fully learnt how to do it, which is why he turned into a monster-like wolf. He couldn't get past the halfway point between werewolf and wolf."

He spent the next half hour talking them through how to shift. Erica was the first to successfully do so. This didn't surprise Derek as it was easier for girls to learn. Her wolf was a pale blonde colour, not as large as Derek's form, but still larger than an average wolf.

Stiles was next, then Scott, then Jackson. Stiles' wolf was reddish brown and slightly smaller than Derek's, but larger than Erica. Scott's was a rich brown, the same colour as his eyes and the same size as Stiles. Jackson's was a dirty blonde colour, slightly larger than the other beta's but, again, smaller than Derek.

There was something freeing about being in wolf form, a peaceful escape from the chaos of humanity. Just being one with nature and Pack was an incredible feeling. In this form, they could feel the pack bonds. Like threads tying them together.

They stayed in that form for hours, Derek shifted with them. Lydia and Allison took turns to pet them, the wolves played wrestling and a unique version of tag, until the almost full moon rose high in the sky.

A little after ten, they arrived back at the Stilinski household, where they told the sheriff everything, ate pizza and fell asleep in a pile in the living room floor. Reveling in the warmth and safety of pack.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Wednesday morning, Erica woke with a groan, she want to rub her eye's, only to find that she couldn't. With a start, she opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a basement, her hands chained to a wall. She looked around to see Stiles, Scott and Jackson also chained up in some way or another. Then slowly, memories started coming back to her. Monday, back to school, asking out Boyd, training, fully shifting, pack. Tuesday, irritable, angry, full moon. With a groan, she hit her head against the wall.

"Who was the asshole driving the truck that hit me?" Stiles groaned from across the room. Scott and Jackson soon woke up with similar groans. A few seconds later, the door to the basement opened and Derek walked down the steps. "Good morning. Sleep well?" irritated groans were his response.

"That was worse than the first time." Stiles groaned as Derek started undoing Erica's chains. "Isn't it supposed to get easier?"

"It is and it will. Last night was difficult for me too and I'm afraid that it was my fault." He admitted as he moved on to realise Jackson.

"How was it your fault?" Scott asked suspiciously.

"Do you remember that I sent Lydia and Allison home?"

"Yeah, to keep them safe from us." Jackson nodded as Derek moved to Stiles next.

"Well, that was a mistake on my part, I didn't realise the bonds were so strong already. It wasn't until Lydia called to check on how you were doing, and everyone, myself included, calmed at her voice. So I asked her and Allison to come over. Once they were in the house and you could hear their heartbeats and smell their scents, the night was a lot easier."

"Pack keeps you grounded." Erica said knowingly. "And when they weren't here-"

"The pack was incomplete." Jackson finished as Scott was freed.

"Exactly, so from now on, they'll be around during full moons, not in the room though, at least not until you're all in control." They nodded in agreement. "Now come on, Ally made breakfast."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Hey Boyd, come sit with us." Erica demanded as she tugged the boy to their table. Well, tables. Yesterday, the pack had gotten so much food that they had needed a second table. The wolves blamed the full moon, the humans blamed the wolves claiming that they were trying to make it less weird. Despite the full moon being over, the wolves were still starving, so they pushed tables together again. To save the cafeteria staff, and themselves, they brought their own food. A lot of it. Scott and Allison had also managed to convince Isaac to sit with them. The poor boy looked so nervous.

"So," Danny started, with a curious look at the food. "Last night, people claimed that they heard wolves howling."

"Really? That's interesting, but impossible. There are no wolves in California." Lydia informed him matter of factly, while the rest of the pack tried to stifle laughs, not that Danny seemed to have noticed, but Boyd and Isaac did, judging by their puzzled expressions.

"I know, but so many people complained about it, there were calls to the sheriff station about it and everything." Danny said excitedly.

"M-my dad h-heard it." Isaac stuttered, unsure if he was allowed to speak or not. "H-he was annoyed because it was so loud th-that he couldn't h-hear the TV."

"See," Danny gestured, not noticing Isaacs flinch or the way that the boy rubbed his side. "Now I don't know if it was a prank or something, but people definitely heard it."

"Yeah, definitely." Stiles agreed distractedly, looking at Isaac in concern as his mind worked at a mile a minute.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Isaac sat in the Stilinski living room later that evening, shocked silent as he took in the appearance of the two males in front of him, his mind reeling from the information he'd just been given. Derek sat patiently, eye's glowing red as he looked at the abused boy in front of him.

Stiles had taken Derek to the cemetery where Isaac worked so that they could talk to the teen, only to find the boy trapped in an open grave by an overturned backhoe. They helped him out and took him back to the Stilinski residence, where they told him about everything and offered him the bite. Of course Stiles added that he and the others really did want to be friends with Isaac and still would if he decided not to take the bite. He reiterated his point by informing the curly haired boy that Allison was human and still their friend and pack mate. And Lydia appeared to still be human, despite having been bitten and scratched by an Alpha several times.

"Yes." Isaac stated certainly and braced himself as Derek walked forward.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Allison nervously sat across from each other in Lydia's guest room, where Allison was currently living. Both wanting to say something, but unsure how. The pair had spent the day with Isaac, trying to get to know him and get him to open up.

Although it had only been a day, Allison felt herself drawn to the boy, the way she had been to Scott. Scott made sense because they were mates, but you can't have two mates. Can you?

"I have feelings for Isaac!" Allison blurted out, at the same time as Scott said the exact same thing.

"Really?" They asked in unison.

"Yeah." Scott spoke first. "It's weird, because I've never been into guy's before. There's just something- I'm drawn to him the same way that I'm drawn to you." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"I was thinking the same thing." She paused for a second."Is it possible to have more than one mate?"

"Yup." Lydia announced, barging into the room, startling the couple. "A werewolf can have two mates, but those mates are always also mated to each other. So, if Isaac is your third mate, then he will feel the same way towards you."

She flopped onto the bed, smiling at the couple. "The bite took, by the way. Derek bit him a few hours ago and he's already starting to show signs of turning and there's no black blood, so it's looking optimistic. Now, tell me all about the crush you have on our new pup."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Isaac strutted though the school with his head held high the next morning, more confident than ever before, with Erica by his side as they headed to their shared history class. He wore a new leather jacket, black skinny jeans and a black button up shirt. He grinned as he turned a few heads walking to class. He'd been given his first 'mission' already, stick by Erica and make sure Boyd is worthy of taking her to the dance. Although, the blonde girl was unaware of this.

They walked into the classroom, side by side, and immediately moved towards Boyd, who sat at the desk in the back right corner of the classroom. Erica sat at the desk next to him, Isaac at the desk in front. "Hey Boyd." Isaac grinned while sitting backwards on his chair and, despite keeping his expression and posture blank, Boyd was startled to see such a drastic change in the shy boy from the day before.

"Hi Erica, hey Isaac." He greeted the pair with a slight nod.

"We still on for the mall tonight? To pick out our stuff for the dance?" Erica asked as she inspected her sharp nails with a blank expression, attempting to hide her trepidation born from the thought that Boyd would change his mind about going to the dance with her.

"Indeed." Boyd confirmed with a twinkle in his eye that contradicted his blank expression, earning him a pleased grin from Erica. Isaac narrowed his eyes at the pair, trying to figure out the inside joke he obviously wasn't in on, before remembering what Lydia and Allison had asked him to do.

"So Boyd. What are your plans for the future? What do you do for a living? What are your intentions with Erica?" Isaac fired rapidly while staring at the, admittedly larger but obviously weaker thanks to his current status as a human, boy with a menacing glower he would have never been able to pull off before the turn.

"Isaac!" Erica hissed, but Boyd took it in stride.

"I work at the local Ice Rink, I drive the zamboni, I plan to take Erica to the dance, and if she decides that he had a good time, I hope to take her on a real date. As for the future, I plan to go to college, I'm not sure what I want to major in yet, but I have two years to figure it out." He stated, smiling at Isaac who studied him for a second before nodding.

"Good answer," He smirked, then turned to face the front of the class as their teacher arrived.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So Stiles, did Danny ask you yet?" Lydia asked curiously as the pack walked through the mall, leisurely walking in the direction of the first store on their agenda.

"Yup, but I don't know if I'm going to say yes or not." Stiles answered honestly, he didn't know if Derek was going to change his mind about going to the dance or not, so he didn't know if he'd take Danny up on his offer of a dance. Of course, he knew Derek wouldn't be thinking 'dance' but 'date'.

"Yes you do, you're saying yes, because there is no way you're going stag and no way you're not going." Lydia protested. Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist and pulled Stiles to him.

"None of those things are happening, because he's going with me." Derek glared at the redhead for daring to suggest anything otherwise, despite being well aware that it was his own stubbornness that had led to the situation at hand.

"I thought you didn't want to go." Lydia raised an eyebrow to challenge Derek.

"I changed my mind." Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Fine," Lydia snapped at Derek and glared fiercely, convincingly acting as though he had annoyed her by deciding to go. "I'll help you pick out a suit too."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Friday seemed to arrive quickly for the Pack. Scott and Allison grew closer to Isaac in those few days and were able to convince him to go to the dance with them, not that it took much convincing. What did take some convincing was getting the teachers to allow Scott to redo some tests during lunch and after school, bringing up his grades enough that he could go to the dance. It was worth it, the pack was having fun, well most of the pack was.

"Derek, c'mon just dance with me!" Stiles all but growled at his mate and alpha.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Derek. Get off your cute little ass and dance with me now." Derek just raised his eyebrows as Stiles sighed "If you're not going to dance, why did you agree to come?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"So that you wouldn't come with Danny." Was the predictable reply Derek gave. Stiles was about to sigh again, but the mention of Danny's name made him remember that the boy had promised him something.

"Fine," He smirked "have it your way." Stiles sauntered away from Derek, swaying his hips to taunt the Alpha, and crossed the dancefloor to find Danny. "Hey Danny." Stiles greeted with a grin.

"Hey Stiles, looking good." Danny complimented, then glanced over to Derek, who was glaring at him. "And Derek's here too."

"Yup, but he's being grouchy and refusing to dance with me." Stiles pouted causing Danny to laugh and Derek's glare to intensify. "But, I seem to recall you promising me a dance."

Danny chuckled knowingly as Stiles batted his eyelashes. "So I did." Danny placed his drink down on a nearby table. "C'mon." He grabbed Stiles arm and led him to the dance floor. They made small talk as they danced, they made it through three songs, when a slow song started playing. Denny smirked as he pulled Stiles closer to his body, sensing Stiles' frustration over 'failing' to make his boyfriend jealous enough to make a move, he decided to help and give Derek the final push he needed. They danced chest to chest for approximately three seconds before Danny was roughly pulled off of Stiles, drawing worried looks from other dancers as Derek pulled Stiles against his own body.

"Danny? Are you okay?" Stiles asked in concern.

"Yeah I'm fine," Danny assured, leaning in to whisper to the couple. "Next time just ask me to let go of your mate, no need to go all wolfy on me." He wore a knowing smirk as he winked at the startled pair.

All the wolves in the pack looked at Danny in shock. "Y-you know?!" Stiles asked in shock.

"Dude, it's Beacon Hills." Danny rolled his eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find someone who doesn't have a jealous boyfriend to dance with." And with that, Danny disappeared into the crowd. The pack switched dance partners every couple of songs and had a great night. Derek had been more than willing to claim Stiles for the final dance, ending it by giving his mate a passionate kiss, right there in the middle of the dance floor, for everyone to see.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

That night Stiles and Derek stumble through the front door of the Stilinski household, lips locked together. They were thankfully alone. The Sheriff would be at the station all night, Erica was telling Boyd about the pack and offering him the bite, they would come to the house in the morning if he chose to accept it. Allison, Scott and Isaac had gone to Scott's house to 'talk' as apparently Isaac had been feeling the pull towards them. Lydia and Jackson were finding out how much Danny knew and making sure he'd keep whatever he did know to himself, then go back to Lydia's. So Stiles and Derek had the whole night to themselves.

They managed to make their way upstairs without breaking anything, although the banister now sported a hand shaped dent from Derek gripping it too hard.

Derek kissed down Stiles' neck, drawing delicious moans from the teen. "So beautiful. Gonna claim you. Make you mine. Let everyone know."

"Wait, d-do you mean?"

"Yeah, if you want it too, I want to claim you. Mark you, let everyone know you're mine. I wanna complete the Bond Stiles." Derek purred into Stiles' skin.

"A-are you sure, I mean I want to, I really want to, but are you sure this isn't just jealousy talking. I mean the rule-"

"The rule is stupid." Derek growled as he started undressing Stiles. "I made it so that I wouldn't be like Kate. That night in the school I realised that even if we completed the bond earlier, I wouldn't be like her, because I love you, Stiles. Maybe it is jealousy that prompted me to act tonight, but that doesn't mean that I don't want it, and I definitely won't regret it. But if you want to wait, I understand and I'll wait until you decide you're ready. Before or after your 18th." Derek promised, looking down at his now naked mate.

"I want to." Stiles said certainly. "I want you Derek."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Ugh, it stinks in here." Jackson complained as he walked into the Stilinski household the next morning, wrinkling his nose in disgust the next morning, Erica, Scott, and Isaac were doing the same. Lydia and Allison shared a look of fond bemusement while Boyd resisted the urge to chuckle.

"You already knew that it would, so quit whining." Lydia ordered as she set the shopping bags on the Stilinski's kitchen counter.

"Are we seriously making them a 'congratulations for getting laid' breakfast?" Isaac incredulously.

"Well, we were gonna call it the 'Thank you for securing the Pack Bonds and giving us all mad power head rushes' Breakfast, but that works too." Erica shrugged as she searched through the cupboards for pans. "Besides, you're just grouchy because you didn't get laid. Don't bother denying it." Isaac opened his mouth to reply, but Lydia cut in.

"Now, now, children let's not argue or you'll wake mummy and daddy." She teased. The pack worked as a unit making breakfast for their alpha and his mate. Boyd found himself picking up on small things, like how the pack, even the human members, always seemed to know when someone needed something. Erica got a grater from the draw and held it out, just in time for Lydia to turn and grab it. As he chopped some vegetables, Boyd noticed himself picking up another knife and holding out for Isaac to grab. It was subconscious and a little freaky, but he kind of liked it. He has decided to take the bite. He knew the risks and he also knew that he didn't need to turn in order to be a part of the pack, but he wanted to. He wanted the confidence that the others have gained from it, he wants to feel this bond that the others do. He's already feeling it a little, as are Lydia and Allison, but the way Erica described it sounded incredible, and she claimed she wasn't describing it well enough.

Erica. She was beautiful even before she turned, no one else seemed to see it but he did. The way her face would light up when she read a comic book, or that small grin that was always on her face the morning after a new Doctor Who episode. It's always the little things that Boyd notices, but it's the little things that make up the big things.

The teenagers turned in unison as the front door opened, a few seconds later, the exhausted looking sheriff appeared in the kitchen.

"Good morning Sheriff." The girls of the pack greeted in unison. Jackson nodded in lieu of saying anything.

"Morning!" Scott greeted loudly and forced a smile onto his face, trying to act normal. Noah raised an eyebrow but chose not to comment on Scott's behaviour, at that particular moment.

"Mornin'" He greeted instead, then looked at Boyd and Isaac. "Boyd and Isaac, right?"

"Yes sir." Boyd nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too son." Noah shook his hand, then Isaac's. "So you both said yes?" He asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I have, Derek turned me a few days ago," Isaac stated as he helped serve up the food, he then nodded in Boyd's direction. "he hasn't said yes yet."

"But I'm going to."

"Y'know you don't have to, right? You can still be a part of the Pack and stay human. I'm human, so are Lydia and Allison."

"I know sir, but I want to." Boyd stated firmly and the Sheriff nodded.

"Fair enough, so are those two still in bed?" The teens all nodded, suddenly looking unsure and slightly nervous and a switch flicked in Noah's mind. "Oh god, they did it, didn't they? They 'completed the Bond'." At the collected nods, he groaned. "Dammit, why?"

"Uh, sheriff, I thought you liked Derek?" Scot asked, half confused, half nervous.

"I do, that's the problem!" Noah sighed, earning him confused looks from the teenagers. "From a father's stand point, and as the Sheriff, I should shoot and arrest him for having sex with my underage son. But because I like Derek and know he'd never hurt Stiles,, I don't want to. Plus I know enough to know that 'Completing the Bond' is part of some werewolf thing that I can't even begin to understand, but basically means they're married now."

"Then please don't." Stiles said from the doorway, Derek stood behind him, looking nervous.

"Ugh, get in here and eat, I'm too tired to get my gun right now." Noah sighed, seemingly forgetting that his gun was still in the holster on his hip. He sent Lydia a grateful smile when she set a large plate of food down in front of him.

The pack devoured the mountain of food easily and once the Sheriff went to bed, prepared to turn Boyd.

"Are you sure? You know the risks?" Derek asked the boy, "This isn't something you step into lightly. You can stay human and still be a part of the pack"

"I know." Boyd assured, starting to grow exasperated by everyone reminding him of that fact. "I also know that it could kill me and I know about the hunters, Erica told me everything. I've thought about it. If you want, you can ask me again in a week, but my answer will be the same. I want this."

Derek nodded. "Okay. Brace yourself."

Chapter 19: I'm not coming back

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

It's time for Kate's funeral, Derek gets a job and Gerard comes to town.

The Hale Pack: I'm not coming back

Derek nodded. "Okay. Brace yourself."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"With all due respect sheriff, this is my daughter and you can't keep her from me." Chris Argent's voice carried upstairs at the Stilinski house two weeks later, on a Wednesday.

"I can't, but she can choose to stay away and file for emancipation Mr Argent." Noah rebuked.

"She can't be emancipated, there are no grounds for it!"

"Actually, she fits the criteria. She's financially self-sufficient, due to having a job, which she started two days ago. She is currently living apart from you and has made alternative living arrangements. She is definitely sufficiently mature enough to make decisions and to function as an adult, and she is well on track to receive a high school diploma."

"But she is my daughter, it's my job to take care of her!" Chris argued back. Upstairs in Stiles and Derek's bedroom, Allison sighed and pushed herself off of the bed.

"This is ridiculous." She muttered, then made her way downstairs, Stiles, Lydia, Erica and Boyd following behind her.

"Dad, enough!" She snapped, once the Sheriff and the hunter were in her line of sight, drawing their attention to her. "What is this about?" She demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest, keeping her guard up even though her father's appearance made her want to wrap him up in a hug and make sure he was okay. The hunter looked older and far more haggard than the last time they had seen him, his stubble had grown out to a small beard and he had dark circles under his eyes.

"This is about you coming home." Chris had a pained expression on his face as he spoke. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down before continuing. "Allison, I'm sorry. Your mother is too. She and I talked things over and have come to an agreement. We won't try to pressure or force you into leaving the pack. As long as none of you hurt anyone, we will make sure that nobody hurts you. I swear. We just want you home sweetie. Please. Just come back home. If after a month, you aren't happy with the way things are and you don't think we're being fair, then you can move out and we won't fight it." He sighed and looked down as the pack nodded to Allison, the hunter was being truthful "I promise that we will support you and try to accept the pack."

The hunter looked up at his daughter again and tried to win her over. "I can help you learn self defence, being a part of a pack attracts enemies, I can train you and the rest of the pack, if you'd like." His eyes glanced at the other four Pack members present. "It's one thing to learn how to fight like a wolf and another to fight against a wolf. I can help you all with how to fight with weapons for when you're unable to shift. I can show you how a hunter thinks, so that if any outsiders who think like Kate come to town, you'll be able to anticipate their moves. I can help you. All I ask for in return, is a second chance to prove myself, Allison, prove that I will be a good and supportive father."

"You are a good father." Allison insisted, stepping closer to the hunter. "You're just stubborn and overprotective." Chris chuckled. "I don't know if I'm ready to move back in yet, but I do miss you and mum." She admitted softly.

"Why don't you and your wife join us for dinner on Friday night?" Stiles offered. "Call it a trial run. You can spend time with your daughter and get to know us. An easy atmosphere, no pressure. We understand that from a young age, you've been taught to hate us, so if you find it too much, then you don't have to talk to us. As long as you don't call us mutt's or insult us, we'll be fine." Everyone looked pleased with the suggestion and Chris nodded.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. We'll bring dessert."

"Ooh, mum's special apple pie?" Allison asked hopefully and Chris chuckled.

"Sure sweetie."

"What was that about pie?" Stiles asked excitedly

"Does your mum sacrifice people to the scarecrow god to grow amazing apples?" Erica teased leaning against Boyd with a grin.

"I hope your apple pie was frickin' worth it!" Lydia proclaimed in a deep voice, earning her a chuckle from her best friends and Pack Mates. Allison, Stiles, and Erica all gave her a high five and Boyd nodded in appreciation.

"Love me some pie" Allison grinned in a similarly deep voice.

"I do not understand that reference." Boyd stated in a deep voice of his own, causing the teens to pause and stare at him for a moment, before bursting into hysterical laughter.

"You - totally - did that - on - purpose!" Lydia gasped out between laughs.

"Indeed."

"Uh, what's going on?" Chris asked Noah as he gestured to the teenagers in front of him.

"I have no idea." Noah admitted as the front door opened.

"Supernatural." Derek stated as he walked into the house, causing the two fathers to look at him. He was flanked by Scott, Jackson and Isaac and all four of them were holding shopping bags filled with groceries. The most noticeable thing, however, was Scott's hair. Gone was the floppy mop, now replaced with a short tamed style. "It's a tv show. There was a stargate reference in there too. Stiles, Scott and the girls forced us to watch them. Along with some other shows. Although Boyd immediately handed over season 1 of SG-1 when Stiles said we should watch it. It was just there in his bag ready."

"I like to be prepared" Boyd stated with a small grin on his lips. "Do you need help with the groceries?"

"Yes please, there are more bag's in the car." Derek informed him as he made his way to the kitchen. "That means you two as well." The men just heard him say, but Erica and Stiles heard it clearly, and stifled their laughter as they moved towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Lydia asked as she stifled her own laughter.

"Groceries." The two wolves replied in unison.

"I'll help." Allison stated.

"I'll go help put away and tell Derek about Friday." Lydia said and went to the kitchen. Minutes later, the pack was bustling about the kitchen, working as a well oiled machine to put the abundance of groceries away. The pack had bought so much food that Noah wasn't convinced it would all fit in the kitchen cupboards and fridge/freezer.

"Are you staying for lunch Mr Argent?" Derek asked politely as he turned on the oven.

"Call me Chris, and no, thank you, I have to finish the arrangements for Kate's funeral tomorrow." He said, a bitter undertone to his voice.

"Oh, I won't be going." Allison informed him without looking up as she chopped up potatoes.

"I wish I could say the same." Chris sighed. "But Gerard, my father, is coming so I have to."

"You're father?" Noah asked warily. "Is he a hunter too?"

"Yes, a ruthless one at that. So try to lay low. I'll bring a photo of him to dinner and I'll try to get something with his scent, to help you avoid him." Chris informed them, earning a grateful nod from Derek. "Alright, I've gotta go, but enjoy your meal and unless we run into each other, I'll see you on Friday, what time?"

"7." The sheriff informed him, "And at some point you and I will need to have a professional talk about boundaries and terms in relation to the Hale pack and it's land."

"Understood, we can arrange a time at dinner, and in the meantime I'll keep my hunters away from the preserve."

"Thank you." The sheriff said, shaking the hunter's hand. Allison gave her father a hug that lasted a full minute and then the man was gone.

"Was there really a need to bring up emancipation, dad?" Stiles asked once the sheriff had locked the front door. The man just shrugged in return.

"Probably not, but just so you know, I think he thinks Allison has been turned." Noah said as he made his way to the living room.

"For when you're unable to shift." Allison repeated her father's words in recognition, then shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well."

"Aren't you gonna correct him?" Isaac asked in amusement as the girl continued chopping vegetables.

"Nah, that way, he can be confused if I ever have the need to hit him over the head with a baseball bat made of mountain ash." She smirked as Stiles raised his eyebrows at her.

"You have a mountain ash baseball bat?"

"I will in 4-6 business days. So will Lydia, the sheriff, Danny and mrs McCall" Allison explained and Lydia nodded in agreement as Scott looked up in surprise.

"My mum?"

"Yeah, Stiles mentioned that it was her go-to weapon, it'd be a good idea for her to have a mountain ash one to fend off supernatural creatures." Allison explained.

"That'll work until she finds out." Derek agreed with a nod.

"You mean that I can tell her?" Scott asked, half hopeful, half nervous.

"Yes, she'll find out eventually, it's better off coming from you in a controlled atmosphere." Derek stated as he placed a tray of homemade burgers in the oven. "Same goes for all of you, except Isaac." The curly haired boy looked up in confusion. "If your father finds out, I will have to kill him. Sorry." His heart skipped over the 'sorry', not that it surprised anyone.

"I'll help." Stiles informed them and the rest of the pack agreed eagerly.

"That won't be necessary." Isaac shook his head as he came to a decision, his Pack's fiercely protective attitude towards him had emboldened him. It reminded him that things were different than they had been for the majority of his life. While he had been alone most of his life, terrified of his abusive father and not overly close to his (deceased) older brother who allowed the abuse to happen and would, before enlisting, often antagonise their father before going to a friend's house, leaving Isaac to suffer from the resulting rage. Now Isaac had a family who would care for him and support him through the hard times that were to come.

His mind made up, Isaac took a deep breath, held his head high and marched into the living room before he could talk himself out of it. He stopped directly in front of the Sheriff, blocking the man's view of whatever reality tv show he was barely paying attention to. "Sheriff, I know that you're off duty, but I need to report something."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It was the day of Kate's funeral and everybody at school was talking about it. People had the nasty habit of pointing at Allison and whispering things. So, the pack decided to show people what happened when you upset one of their own.

"I say we kill them." Isaac suggested casually at lunch.

"I'm in." Erica announced, raising her hand.

"We can't kill everyone!" Scott protested as he rolled his eyes at his Mate.

"Well, we could, but it would take a while." Jackson chimed in helpfully, which earned him a glare from Scott.

"But if we kill them all, then we'll just have hunters after us." Lydia reminded them to Scott's relief.

"We can kill them too." Erica stated with a devious smirk plastered on her face.

"Then we'll be just as bad as Peter and even Kate." Stiles reminded them as he munched on Doritos.

"And I doubt that even the Sheriff could help you if commit mass murder." Danny chuckled, shaking his head at them.

"You mean 'help us' you're in this too." Jackson corrected, flicking a sour patch kid at his best friend. Danny chuckled, tossing a couple of grapes at Jackson.

"I'm gonna end up hacking the FBI to get you all out of trouble, aren't I?"

"Probably." Scott nodded seriously.

"Hey Allison." Tammy, a friend of Scott and Stiles' greeted as she walked over to the pack. "How are you doing?" She asked in a sympathetic tone, but the wolves knew that she was anything but sincere. Stiles found himself flashing back to the day after Peter bit him, also known as Allison's first day at school, when he and Tammy had been talking about Allison's immediate inclusion into Lydia's clique.

"I'm fine thanks, how are you?" Allison asked happily, earning her a raised eyebrow from the girl.

"You're asking me? My aunt's not the psychotic bitch that killed people." She stated bluntly.

"And I can't choose who I'm related to." Was Allison's reply. Her pack looked ready to attack Tammy, but Allison held up her hand. "You're right, she did kill people and the second that I found out, I turned my back on her. I want nothing to do with her. We may have been related, but she is not my family."

"What ever happened to 'blood is thicker than water'?" Tammy asked snidely, raising an eyebrow at Allison.

"That's a misconception." Lydia announced whilst rolling her eyes at the girl. "The original saying is: The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. Which basically means: That blood shed in battle, bonds soldiers more strongly than simple genetics. Although we commonly use it to suggest the strength of family ties, it doesn't refer to family at all."

"It's fine, Lydia." Allison assured her best, a comforting smile gracing her lips, then returned her attention to Tammy. "I love my family, but blood doesn't automatically make somebody family. I used to consider her family before I knew who she truly was. When I found out that she mercilessly killed innocent people I realised that the person I loved wasn't real, that made it pretty easy to turn my back on her. She was a monster and I am in no way obligated to support her or pretend to grieve her."

Tammy nodded with wide eyes, somewhat surprised by Allison's response and moved to sit down. "I get it, it mus-"

"No." Lydia stated, stopping Tammy in her tracks. "No, you don't get it and you can't sit with us."

"I can't sit with you because I don't have a serial killer as a relative?"

"You can't sit with us because you're a bitch." Erica growled, her hands curled into fist to conceal her claws. The blonde girl's vision hadn't yet turned red though, so she knew it was safe to glare heartedly at the girl before her.

"And you're treating Allison's misfortune as nothing more than gossip." Stiles glared at the girl. "I thought you were better than that Tammy, unfortunately not. Please leave us alone and if you go whispering about Allison or any of her relatives, we will know."

"Really Stiles? You join the popular clique and suddenly you're better than everyone?" Tammy sneered, which really riled the pack up. Tammy couldn't help herself, she felt betrayed by Scott and Stiles. She used to be their friend, then suddenly Scott becomes athletic and starts dating the hot new girl, and Stiles gets a hot, older boyfriend and suddenly they're too good for her? Tammy felt her hands curl into fists against her own volition as she glared at the boy who used to bitch about Jackson and the unjust social hierarchy of their school with her.

"We're not a clique," Isaac snapped at Tammy, trying to force back his wolf as the girl turned her attention to him.

"We're family." Boyd stated the perfect image of calm and collected, but the Pack didn't need super senses to know that he was also close to shifting.

"We are all better than you because we don't belittle people for their misfortunes." Jackson sneered, Lydia gently placed her hand on his as she spoke.

"If I were you I'd walk away. We are very protective of our family and if you say or do anything to upset our family, we will get revenge." The redhead promised fiercely, but diplomatically.

"A month ago you didn't give any of them a second glance." Tammy stated, gesturing to Scott, Stiles, Isaac, Erica and Boyd. "Now all of a sudden they're family? What a load of bull. And I remember that Jackson wouldn't think twice about belittling anyone, now you above it?" She glared, how could they just forgive him for all the hateful things he's said over the years.

"I changed." Jackson growled, ready to attack the girl the second he had the chance, only holding back because of the witnesses, who were all whispering around them.

"Sure." Tammy drawled sarcastically. "You said soldiers in your little english lesson, right Lydia? Well none of you are soldiers or fought together, unless your little 'family' is actually a gang."

The pack looked at the girl like she had suddenly sprouted a second head. "Are you forgetting that we were abducted, injured and almost killed by Kate and Peter? Then attacked two more times by Peter? We spent time in the hospital!" Jackson sneered. "Even if we hadn't, we're still family. We all care and look out for each other, despite all the shit from the past."

"And that has nothing to do with Scott's sudden athletic stardom or Erica's slutty attire?" Tammy retorted, refusing to back down despite the murderous looks she was receiving from the leather clad group in front of her.

"Slutty?! You stupid bitch, I will rip your throat out with my teeth!" Erica screamed, now on her feet, leaning over the table to reach the girl, but was held back by Isaac and Boyd. Tammy opened her mouth to say something else, but was stopped as a loud smack sounded, shocking the cafeteria into silence. Her head snapped to the side as a red mark appeared on her cheek. She slowly turned her head to look at Allison in shock.

The brunette's hand was still raised. Her usual friendly smile was long gone, replaced by an angry scowl, when she spoke, her voice was low and dangerous. "You listen to me, bitch. You can say what you think about Kate, and how fucked up she was. I don't care, in fact I agree, but if you dare say anything about my family, I will end you. We may not have been close for long, but that doesn't change a thing. Forget everything you thought you knew about them. Jackson, Lydia, Scott, all of them, you do not know them, you do not know me. We are not who you think we are. Erica is not dressed like a slut. In fact, there's no such thing as a slut or a prude, those are insults created by bigoted guys to make girls feel bad. Are you a virgin Tammy?"

"Y-yes."

"Then by that standard, you are a prude."

"I'm not a prude!" The girl protested immediately, "I'm just not a slut!"

"So, someone who's had sex is a slut?" Tammy nodded. "So your parents are sluts? Your grandparents?"

"That's different!"

"How?"

Tammy froze in shock, trying to think of a reason. After a moment she said "Because they're married and adults!"

Stiles barked out a laugh. "Tammy, your parents were sixteen and still in high school when you were conceived! They didn't get married until you were eight! Scott and I were at the wedding."

"B-but I-I-"

"Lay off it sweetheart." Lydia advised, inspecting her nails. "You're trying to sound smart, but you're just being stupid and hypocritical."

"Walk away." Danny told her. "Before you embarrass yourself further, just walk away."

The girl went to say something, before thinking better of it and stomped out of the cafeteria without another word. Everyone stared at the pack for a moment, before a glare from Jackson had them turning away. Instantly the silence was filled by overlapping conversations, discussing what had just happened.

"Well that was an eye opener." Scott commented as he lifted a fork full of cafeteria 'food' to his mouth.

"Can we kill her?" Isaac asked, semi-hopefully.

"No, no one is killing anyone." Stiles stated firmly, pausing for a second before adding. "Yet."

"Uh, no one is killing anyone ever." Scott insisted, for good measure he even put on the expression Stiles could never resist: His famous 'sad puppy' look, complete with a believable pout and his big brown eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"What if someone was attacking one of us," Isaac asked, causing Scott to look at him, for the first time ever Scott regretted looking at his mate. Isaac had turned the tables and pulled out his own 'sad puppy' look that utterly destroyed Scott. He knew instantly that he wouldn't be able to argue anything Isaac said next. "and the only way to save our Pack Mate meant that the person attacking them would get fatally injured?"

"That's different, that's self defense." Scott defended his view point. "It's another thing entirely to attack and kill her in cold blood."

"Hey, you're the one who said no killing ever." Jackson reminded the crooked-jawed wolf, a smirk on his lips.

"You knew what I meant." Scott glared playfully at Jackson, flashing his eyes so quickly, it was barely noticeable to the wolves and not noticeable at all to the humans.

After that, it was easy for the pack to regain a steady flow of conversation.

"How's Derek's first day at work going?" Danny asked Stiles as the boy locked his phone.

"Pretty good, although he's complaining about being stuck with paperwork. I'm glad though, I'd rather he be bored at work than be shot at. Even if he'd be okay."

"How'd he get the job so fast?" Scott asked in confusion. "Don't you need to go to the police academy and stuff?"

"He did in New York." Stiles explained, a proud smile on his face. "He was just about to join the NYPD when Laura went missing and he dropped everything to come here."

"That's kind of sad." Allison commented. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy that Derek came back to Beacon Hills. Everything would have been so different if he hadn't, but it's a shame that he had to give up everything he worked to build."

"I get what you're saying, Ally, I do." Jackson said with a nod. "But I think that it really is for the best. I mean, just look at how happy he is. Sure he might have been content in his old life, but this town is where he belongs. Despite all of the tragedy that has taken place here, despite what is yet to come, he has built a new family. In doing that, he's given all of us something incredible. I thought that Danny and Lydia were the only people that I could count on. The only people I'd ever be able to count on, but now I've got all of you. Yes, I hate that we all had to go through shit to get here, but, for me, it just makes me appreciate all of you even more. It is upsetting that Derek had to give up everything, Ally, but I don't call it a shame. I call it a blessing."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Dinner with the Argents was going rather well, despite the initial, expected, tension. "So Allison." Chris started, wiping at his mouth with a napkin. "I just realised that I haven't asked yet, how are you liking living with the Sheriff?"

"It was great, but I don't live here anymore, I moved out a couple of days after everything with the Alpha." She explained with a smile, surprising her parents.

"Oh?" Victoria asked, glancing at Scott suspiciously. "Where are you staying now?"

"With Lydia." Allison informed her, taking another bite of her steak. "She offered me her guest room when she got out of the hospital. I accepted because there's only so many times I can deal with putting the toilet seat down before I snap." She teased, sending Stiles a seemingly menacing glare, but everyone in the room knew her well enough to know that it was lacking any real heat.

"Hey, it's better than going into the bathroom and drowning in beauty products!" Stiles teased back. "There is no way you need all of that stuff!"

"Yes, we do." The girls chorused in unison.

"Stiles, no matter how many products she has, it is nowhere as bad as the amount of deodorant you spray." The sheriff reminded him.

"Hey that was before I turned!" Stiles protested "I have learned the error of my ways since then and I no longer fumigate the entire place every morning."

"Not quite the correct context to use that word, but I'll let it slide." Lydia muttered under her breath so only the wolves could hear her.

"Yeah, you just replaced it with leaving the toilet seat up." Allison giggled aloud, unaware of what her best friends had said and Stiles stuck his tongue out at her.

"Anyway." Allison giggled, looking at her parents again. "Where was I? Oh, yeah, I'm staying with Lydia now, and I pay rent and everything."

"Although she doesn't have to." Lydia cut in, sending Allison a pointed look.

"If I don't, I feel like a moocher." Allison defended with a tone of exasperation, making it clear to the Argents that the duo had had that exact argument a few times already.

"You didn't pay the sheriff!" Lydia retorted with aggravation in her tone and expression, though it was overshadowed by the fond smile she couldn't manage to keep off of her face.

"Because when the sheriff tells you not to pay rent, you listen!" Allison responded.

"But not to your best friend?"

"Exactly!"

"Ugh, bitch."

"Jerk."

"Language!" Derek stated, half teasingly.

"Sorry alpha." The pair apologised in unison, earning an annoyed glare from mrs Argent.

Victoria cleared her throat. "Allison, although I should be relieved that you aren't living with boys, I'll admit that I took comfort in knowing that one of them was the sheriff, who has knowledge of the supernatural."

"I did too,"Chris admitted. "Also knowing that the other two were mates, even if they haven't completed the bond-"

"They have." Noah told him, with a gleam in his eyes. "They completed it a few weeks ago, on the night of the dance. The Hale Pack is now established and secured, and has human members to balance them."

"Danny, right? You said members? Plural. I remember seeing Lydia get bitten, so who else is human?" Chris asked, looking at Boyd and Isaac.

"We have three human members, dad, the sheriff is human.." Allison stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And by the way, Lydia isn't a wolf."

"Then what is she?" Chris asked, eyeing the redhead warily, suddenly far more uncertain of the girl his daughter called her Best Friend.

"A banshee." Danny said simply, as he reached for his bag. "At least, I think so. I've been doing research, I was going to mention it later, but what the heck?" He pulled an old leather bound book from his bag. "And based on what you told me, the scream, her knowing that Kate was going to die, I'd say she's a Banshee. Her abilities were likely suppressed, brought forth by the bite." He opened the book to a page about Banshee's and set it on the table for everyone to see.

"What do you think?" Derek as Lydia, whose eyes were fixed on the page.

"Banshee." She said slowly, then nodded. "It feels, right? I guess. Thank you Danny, I think you got it." Danny smiled at his friend, before putting the book away.

"You can read it yourself later, but it says that the powers of a Banshee are genetically passed, so if I were you, I'd talk to your mum."

"Allison, I don't know how I feel about you living with a Banshee, if that's even what she is." Victoria protested."She could be dangerous."

"Kate was dangerous, but you were okay for me to live with her."

"That's different, had she tried something, we could have protected you."

"I can protect myself." Allison stated, holding her head high and jutting out her chin as she stared defiantly at her parents. "I grew up discreetly being trained by hunters, now I train with wolves. I sleep with a knife under my pillow and a gun under my mattress. I carry Chinese ring daggers, a folding crossbow and other protective items in my bag on a daily basis. I have a 9 million volt stun baton in my car. I have four compound bows, one in my car, one in Stiles Jeep, one here and one at Lydia's. I have a chest filled with weapons in my closet!" The look on her parents faces was priceless, but Allison forced herself not to laugh. "I'm more than prepared and if I face something or someone that I can't handle alone, I have my pack to help me."

Chris nodded in acceptance, but Victoria still looked unconvinced. "Okay, but I'd still like to help train you. All of you."

"Thank you Chris, we can arrange a time to meet up." Derek nodded gratefully.

"Great." Chris smiled, then looked around at everyone's, except Victoria's which had over half left, empty plates. Knowing that his wife wasn't going to finish the food. "How about I take these to the kitchen, then we can have dessert?"

"I'll help." Stiles offered and started stacking plates.

"So, Derek, how do you plan to support yourself and the others?" Victoria asked tensely, purposely avoiding the word 'pack' in relation to her daughter.

"I have a job at the sheriff's station as an assistant deputy." Seeing the accusing look on Victoria's face, Derek continued. "Back in New York I had enrolled at the Police Academy, I had graduated just before Laura's death. I didn't apply here immediately as I wanted to take care of the alpha first, and before I met Stiles, I planned to come here, get rid of the alpha and go back to New York. But there are far more reason's for me to stay than there are to leave."

Despite some passive aggressive comments from Victoria, the rest of the evening went well. Noah and Chris were able to arrange an informal agreement in relation to territory and hunting. There would be a formal treaty that would be written out, signed and sent to the hunters council.

"There's actually a hunters council?" Scott asked in disbelief.

"Yes, they've been around for several hundred years. Not as long as the werewolf council but-"

"There's a werewolf council?!"

"...No."

"You're mean."

"So I've been told."

Stiles chose that moment to interrupt. "Children, children, enough of that. Scott, go help Jackson with the dishes."

"Bu-"

"Now." Scott grumbled as he walked to the kitchen sink.

"You're good at this." Derek whispered into Stiles' ear as he hugged his mate from behind.

"Good at what?" Stiles looked over his shoulder at Derek.

"Being Pack mum." He whispered at a volume only Stiles would hear.

"What? I'm so not P-"

"You totally are." Derek chuckled, placing a soft kiss to Stiles' shoulder.

"Nope."

"Stiles! Isaac stole the remote, but it's my turn to pick the movie!" Erica's voice called as she ran towards the couple. Followed by Isaac,

"She's lying! It's my turn." Stiles pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen a couple of times. "Actually, according to this schedule, it's Boyd's turn."

"Dammit." They whined in unison.

"Yup, Erica is tomorrow, then Isaac on Sunday." He informed them, showing them the schedule on his phone.

Erica sighed, then a thought occurred to her and she smirked. "No!" Stiles and Derek said in unison. The blonde batted her eyelids innocently.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You will not convince Boyd to select your choice!" Stiles said firmly. "You hear me Boyd? Don't let her influence you, okay?"

"Okay." Was the reply.

Allison came to the kitchen, her parents behind her. "Hey, Stiles, I'm going to pick up some stuff from my parents house, could you drive me?"

"Yeah, of course, shall we do the thing on the way back?"

"You read my mind." Allison grinned.

"What thing?" Derek asked curiously.

"Nothing." They yelled in unison.

"I'll go get my keys, put a jacket on." Stiles told Allison, then ran up the stairs. Derek looked at Allison with a raised eyebrow.

"My lips are sealed." She grinned as she walked to the coat rack, which was currently overflowing with leather. She was somehow able to find the one that belonged to her and tugged it on just in time for Stiles to come bounding down the stairs. She grabbed a second jacket from the rack and held it out for the male.

"Thanks." He smiled, tugging on the jacket.

"Uh, Stiles?" Derek asked, causing his mate to look at him. "That's my jacket."

"I know. So did Allison." The Argent nodded with a grin on her face.

"Of course." Derek sighed but then Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's neck and pushed himself onto his tiptoes so that he could whisper in Derek's ear, low enough that nobody else could hear.

"I prefer smelling like you whenever I have to go out without you, so everybody knows who I belong to." Suddenly Derek was much more willing to loan Stiles his Jacket. He let out a low, possessive growl as Stiles turned his head so that he could give Derek a passionate, yet chaste, kiss.

"I love you." Stiles reminded Derek when they both pulled back.

"I love you too." Derek gave Stiles another soft kiss before he reluctantly let go of his Mate. "Be safe."

"I will, don't let the pups kill each other."

"I Won't." Derek promised, then decided that he had let go far too soon and pulled Stiles back in for another quick kiss.

"We'll be back in about an hour, feel free to start the movie without us."

"Please, even if I wanted to, there's no way that the others would let me." Derek chuckled.

"Fair enough, do something fun while we're gone. I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you." Derek replied and gave Stiles a final kiss before Allison giggled and grabbed Stiles' arm, pulling him away from Derek.

"Come on, lover boy." She teased, pulling him away from his mate.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Come on in Stiles," Chris invited, despite Victoria's glare

"Thank you, Mr Argent." Stiles smiled as he stepped into the house.

"Allison, all of your stuff is where you left it, but uh- not all of ours is?" He raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Uh, it was to fight against the alpha!" Allison defended quickly.

"You really needed that against the alpha?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but the Katana is just so cool and-" Both of her parent's eyes widened and Allison knew instantly that they weren't talking about the Katana.

"Katana? I was talking about the smoke grenade! When did you get the katana? How did you get into that room? What else did you take?!" Chris asked urgently.

Stiles and Allison exchanged a nervous look. "Allison." Victoria warned, giving Allison a stern look that only a mother could achieve.

"Not much, just a M1911A1 Colt, some Chinese ring daggers, a few extra arrows, a tactical compound bow, a quiver, a couple flash bolts, ultrasonic emitters, tasers, silver chains and wolfsbane bullets." She listed the items they had 'borrowed' thoughtfully.

"And the Winchester!" Stiles reminded her.

"Oh yeah! And a Winchester Shotgun."

"Oh, so not much?" Chris drawled sarcastically.

Allison turned red from embarrassment "We'll return what we still have first thing tom-"

"Don't worry about it." Chris assured. "We can get plenty more easily, I'm glad that you took the initiative to think ahead and stay prepared. I'm proud of you. But, next time, ask me first, okay? Either of you."

"Okay dad."

"Okay, Mr Argent."

"Great, now go get your things, your Pack is waiting on you and you've still got that mystery task." He reminded the duo as his wife scowled at the word 'Pack'.

"Thanks dad." Allison smiled gratefully, before heading to her old room, Stiles directly behind her.

"Okay, so, the top and middle draw, the chest in my closet, the stuff in the vent and the box under my bed." Allison stated, pointing to the places in question.

"On it." Stiles grinned, heading for the closet first, he went to pick up the chest, but froze, then stepped back. "Uh, Ally?"

"Yeah?"

"That's mountain ash."

"Oh, of course it is, why wouldn't it be? I'm so sorry! Uh, it's too heavy for me alone... DAD!" She yelled out, half a minute later, the hunter was walking into the room.

"Yes, Allison?"

"Can you help me with the chest? It's-"

"Mountain ash, right. Yeah, I got it." He moved to pick it up, only to find he could only lift it about three inches high. "What the hell do you have in this thing?" He groaned as he set it on the ground.

"Books and weapons, mostly." Allison shrugged as she grabbed a thick blanket from a draw. "Okay, if you could lift it again and I'll set this under it so you don't have to carry it alone."

"What other weapons could you possibly have in there?" Stiles asked incredulously, pulling a box out from under the bed.

"Throwing knives, Nunchaku, butterfly knives, a Cobra Self Cocking Tactical Crossbow Pistol 80-lb and a couple kubatons." Allison shrugged as she and her father started to lift the chest. Stiles walked over and supported the middle, helping the Argent's move the chest.

"She went through a big self defense phase. I think it's the only phase that I was upset that she grew out of." Chris chuckled.

"Well, it's back now." Allison stated with a slight shrug. They were able to get everything moved quickly, and within twenty minutes, the pair were almost ready to leave.

"Chris!" A male voice called out as Stiles put the last item in the Jeep.

"Gerard." Chris greeted tensely.

"This must be Allison, hello sweetheart." The man greeted in an overly friendly voice. "And who's this young man? Dare I say boyfriend?"

Despite knowing that he wasn't a good man, the two couldn't help but laugh.

"God no. Not that there's anything wrong with Ally, but I'm seeing someone else, and my best friend is her boyfriend." Stiles informed the man. "I'm Stiles Stilinski."

"Stilinski? where have I heard that name before?" Gerard asked.

"My dad's the sheriff."

"Ahh yes, well it's a pleasure to meet you Stiles, may I say, that's an unusual name." He said, holding out his hand for Stiles to shake.

"It's just a nickname." Stiles explained, shaking the man's hand. "My real name is polish and impossible to pronounce."

"I see." Gerard nodded pleasantly. "I'm Gerard. Chris and Kate's father. Well, I was Kate's father. I trust you heard about her untimely death?"

"Yes."

"It's quite a tragedy. I was sad that I didn't see you at the funeral, Allison." Allison snorted at that, earning her a fiery look from Gerard. "Something you'd like to say?"

"I wouldn't say tragedy, so much as karma. She killed an entire family!" Allison stated angrily.

"That's merely speculation." Gerard retorted, a glare set in place.

"She admitted it to me, right before she tried to kill me!"

Gerard's look turned suspicious "And why exactly would she do that?"

"Because she's psychotic and realised that I was on to what she'd done."

"Now, with that attitude I'm not sure I want to give this to you." He lied as he pulled something out of his pocket, Stiles could smell Wolfsbane.

Allison shook her head whilst rolling her eyes, not risking a glance at Stiles, who was fighting to keep his features neutral.

"Whatever it is, I'm not interested, thanks. I'll see you around, dad. Come on Stiles, I'll drive." Stiles moved to the passenger side door. Usually he'd protest, but he didn't want to get on her bad side.

"When's your curfew?" Gerard asked, no doubt hoping to 'talk' to her when she returns.

"She doesn't have one." Chris informed him, suddenly relieved for the first time that Allison was refusing to move back home.

"I don't live here anymore." Allison said and climbed into the driver's seat of the jeep. "See you around. Love you dad, tell mum I love her too and I'll visit soon." With that she shut the door as Chris returned the 'love you' and promised to pass on the message, then the girl drove off without a second glance.

"You okay?" She asked Stiles after a few minutes of driving. "That was wolfsbane he was gonna give me, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Stiles assured, even though his head was hanging out of the window as he eagerly breathed in the clean air. Being in the Argent household with all that mountain ash and wolfsbane wasn't that fun, especially given that the smell of wolfsbane was no longer confined to the weapons room and immediate area. Stiles was half convinced that Mrs Argent had added wolfsbane to an aerosol or something as the smell now coated the entire house. Not badly enough to cause him anything more than an itchy throat, but it was still annoying. "And yes, that was definitely wolfsbane. He was trying to test you."

"Great," Allison sighed in frustration as she drove them to their destination. "That's one more thing to worry about."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Stiles assured her, despite his own anxiety over the situation. "We have our Pack and each other, as long as we all stick together everything will work out fine." Allison smiled at him gratefully. "And we have something far more important to focus on right now." He nodded towards the building that Allison had just pulled up in front of. "This is gonna be great for the Pack, especially Derek, and it's something we can control. So what do you say that we forget all of the unpleasantness going on right now and focus on doing something nice for our Pack?"

"Yeah, let's do this!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When Stiles and Allison got back, just over an hour later, the pack were waiting in the Stilinski living room. The sofa and armchairs had been pushed to the side of the room, and the pack was sprawled out over the floor, on top of cushions and blankets, chatting idly. A clear space was left between Derek and Erica, a smaller space between Scott and Isaac.

"So we met Chris' father, Gerard." Stiles announced as he made his way to Derek. "When we were getting the stuff from Argent's house, he was there. Tried to be all gentlemanly, called Kate's death a tragedy, Ally told him otherwise, which pissed him off." He nestled into Derek and pulled Erica closer to him.

"He knew what Kate had done, before it came out. I could tell by the way he reacted when I brought it up." Allison announced as she snuggled up to her mates. "I think he might have been involved, at least with the planning. I don't know why, it's just a feeling, but I'm convinced."

"Okay, we'll start looking into it tomorrow, for now, let's just enjoy our Friday night and not worry about all of that." Derek insisted, not wanting to be reminded of the horrible situation just yet, and the pack eagerly agreed. Jackson and Scott got up to grab the snacks from the kitchen now that their Pack Mates had returned. "Boyd, what are we watching?"

"Serenity."

"I love you!" Was called out by multiple pack members, namely Stiles, Scott, Allison, Erica, and Lydia.

Then, of course, someone, Jackson, had to ask "What's Serenity?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Isaac and Stiles sat at the Sheriff's station on Saturday evening, waiting on Derek and Noah. The two men were meeting with a lawyer, sorting out the paperwork so that Derek could become Isaac's legal guardian. The two were also there so that Isaac would be safe if anything went wrong with Coach Lahey's transport to the county prison to await trial. Scott and Allison want to be there, all of the pack did, but Scott and Allison were both working. Allison couldn't skip because she'd only recently started. Scott couldn't because Stiles and Derek still didn't trust Deaton and wanted Scott to gather as much information as he could.

Erica couldn't be there because her parents had questions about her sudden cure, so Boyd was with her as moral support whilst she explained everything to them. Danny couldn't go because it was his sister's birthday. Lydia and Jackson offered to be there, but Isaac declined when he discovered that it was their two year anniversary.

The two sat side by side as Stiles helped Isaac with his maths homework.

"So, how long have you been..y'know?" Isaac asked, glancing up at the deputy just two meters away.

"Bi or the other thing?" Stiles asked without looking up.

"The other thing."

"Almost three months, since the night Derek's sister died."

"Really?" Isaac asked, eye's widening in surprise. "I thought it'd been longer. What about Scott?"

"The same amount of time, we were together when Peter attacked. Although he fought it at first, he's only recently started to embrace it and focus on controlling it rather than suppressing it." Stiles explained to the curly haired boy, who nodded.

"That explains it," Isaac realised, "I thought you had gone through it before him because you seem to have an easier time."

"I don't have an easier time, per se. It's always difficult, especially when you get angry or scared, but you learn to focus on other things, the things that keep you, you." Stiles told him, hoping his pup would understand what he's saying. "It was easier for me than to find that connection than it was for Scott, because of Derek. The moment I met him I felt drawn to him, my wolf felt drawn to him because it knew we were mates, even if I didn't. Being close to him made me feel at ease and helped me focus. In that regard being around Derek is more effective than Adderall ever was. We're meant to be, and being around him makes me feel complete. His scent and heartbeat keeps me grounded and stops me from getting distracted by everything going on around me or getting lost in my head, and helps me to focus on what I need to in order to stay human."

"An anchor. Right? You guys mention it a lot." He asked curiously. The pack had mentioned it and told Isaac and Boyd that they'd each have to find their own anchor's before they could hope to even be lucid during a full moon, let alone in control over their wolf side.

"Yeah."

"What's yours?"

"Well, mine is a combination of things. It started off as my dad, Scott, Melissa, and obviously Derek had wormed his way in there, even though we'd only known each other for, like, two days. Now that list also includes the pack, including you. I don't want to hurt anyone that I care about, and I know that if I lose control, I could. But it doesn't have to be that for everybody. Derek's is anger, Scott's is Allison, and probably you now, but you'd have to ask him. Jackson's anchor is Lydia, Danny and his car." Isaac nodded, before he fully registered what Stiles had said.

"Wait, his car?" Isaac asked incredulously but before Stiles could say anything else, all of the phones in the station started ringing.

Deputies rushed around to answer the phones, everyone was talking at the same time and the shrill ringing hurt the wolves ears, so they were unable to make out what was going on at first.

Then Noah rushed out of his office, followed by Derek and the lawyer. "What the hell is going on?" He demanded.

"Sir, we have a problem." Tara told the sheriff in a hushed voice, glancing at Isaac in concern, unaware that he could hear everything that she said. "As the prisoner was being transferred, the van was attacked, no one saw by who, but by the amount of damage, it seemed to have been a wild animal."

"Were there any casualties?" Noah asked, sending Isaac his own worried glance.

"Two deputies and a state trooper were severely injured, they're being transported to the hospital as we speak. And the prisoner.. Lahey, he's..."

"Yes, deputy?"

"He's dead, sir."

With that, Derek shot to Isaac's side, as he and Stiles tried to console the curly haired boy. Isaac was frozen in shock as tears pooled in his eyes.

Isaac's father was dead. The man who had abused Isaac for years was dead. Isaac thought he should be relieved, but all he felt was grief.

Notes:

I'm sorry that this chapter is kinda short, but I will make up for it, promise xx

Chapter 20: A New Threat

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

A/N: Isaac tries to move past the death of his father, Gerard stirs trouble, there's a new threat in town and Isaac and Boyd deal with their first full moon.

The Hale Pack: A New Threat

Isaac thought he should be relieved, but all he felt was grief.

The sheriff turned to the lawyer. "I know that you wanted to speak with him, but as you can see, now's not a good time."

"I understand, with you and Mr Hale both working in law enforcement, you have the clearance to take care of him. I will have to continue looking for other family members, especially now, but I'll postpone any other claims for guardianship until I've had a chance to speak with Isaac. You have my number, sheriff, call me when he's ready." She moved to leave the station, pausing as she passed Isaac. "My condolences, Isaac."

"Tara, I know that this is bad timing, with everything that's going on, but could you-"

"I'll take care of it, sheriff, you make sure that Isaac is taken care of." Tara assured and demanded simultaneously.

"Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow."

At 11 o'clock that night, the Pack were curled together in Stiles and Derek's bed. Isaac tried to insist that he was fine, and that they didn't need to come over and cancel their plans but his Pack would have none of it. For that, Isaac was grateful.

"It's too quiet." Isaac mumbled, knowing that his pack was no closer to sleep than he was. "Someone talk about something."

"Ohh, how about some funny childhood moments between Scott and I?" Stiles offered with an excited grin.

"I want to hear em." Allison smiled.

"Me too." Danny chimed in.

"Well, we weren't instant friends when we met, despite popular belief. It was the second week of pre-school. And I had this little hideout on the school grounds, for napping and hiding from bullies. I went there on a random Tuesday and found this goofy looking kid sleeping in there. I woke him up, cause I was annoyed and told him that it's my place. This punk just looked up at me and said: I'm guessing you don't want anyone else to know about it, let me nap here and I won't say a word." There was a chorus of chuckles from the pack.

"That was just the beginning." Scott announced. "We didn't really get along or know each other, we just tolerated each other for the hideout. A couple of weeks later, it was raining, and we had an argument over who got to sit on the blanket-"

"There shouldn't have even been an argument, it was my blanket!" Stiles cut in, only to be completely ignored by Scott who carried on as though Stiles hadn't even spoken.

"One thing led to another and we ended up wrestling, and well, that picture Stiles is so keen on showing everyone says it all really."

"After that, we didn't talk much, until the first grade." Stiles continues "First day, I get on the bus and there are no empty seats, except for one next to Scott. I was hesitant due to our fall out. But, I gather my nerves and walk over and say 'All the seats on the bus are taken so I'm going to sit next to you, and hope you don't hate me'. And Scotty here looks at me and goes 'Who are you?'" There was a chorus of laughter from the pack.

"After that, it was me that approached Stiles, hoping to make up for forgetting him." Scott grinned. "So after class one day, I go over to him and say: 'You're in almost all my classes, and we always end up sitting next to each other, so this seems like the perfect opportunity for friendship, wanna play Pokemon?' And he, of course agrees."

"Damn right." Stiles shook his head. "But, there were other events, like me helping him through an asthma attack. Then there's the time in 7th grade, when I forgot my umbrella and Scott offered to walk me home in the rain. See, I thought that it would be the beginning of a cute love story as I was just starting to suspect that I'm bi, but no, he's really shit at it. Seriously, never let Scott carry an umbrella for you. Oh my god, my shoulder was so wet. Seriously, it's like 'hold the damn thing properly' what the hell man!" Stiles sighed then grinned. "But I got my revenge."

"No kidding." Scott grumbled. "I was biking home from school a couple of weeks later, and stopped about half way to take a break. I'm just standing around when Stiles suddenly ran by, picked up my bike and took off." Scott exclaims and the pack is laughing again.

"That's when Scott chased after me yelling, 'AT LEAST RIDE IT YOU ASSHOLE!'" Stiles finishes and Erica almost falls off of the bed from laughing so much.

"After that, there was the case of 'I'm sorry I tried to open your locker. I thought it was mine, this must look really suspicious' and other things, but the thing that really solidified our friendship was losing a parent." Stiles told them. "At first, it was just understanding how it felt, going from one parent to two, but then it happened." Stiles stated dramatically.

"After about a year and a few talks, Stiles and I realised that we are totally shipping our parents, and have been devising a way to get them together ever since."

"Nothing has worked so far, though." Stiles pouted.

"Oh, they would make such a cute couple!" Allison gushed.

"We'll help." Lydia grinned, "Erica, you in?"

"Why not? Could be fun."

"I'm in too." Danny volunteered.

"Great, operation McLinski 2.0 begins." Stiles grinned. More stories were told over the next hour until Allison noticed that Isaac had drifted into a deep slumber at some point during the story telling. She quietly informed the rest of the pack who quietened so they wouldn't wake the young wolf. One by one, they all fell asleep, holding each other close, all of them revelling in the warmth and safety of their Pack.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The first thing stopped the Pack from beginning their plan to get the sheriff and Melissa together was an Omega that came to town.

"I'm telling you, that guy in the parking lot was a werewolf! I could smell it!" Jackson insisted in a hushed voice during English class.

"C'mon, don't you think Derek would know if there was another werewolf in town?" Isaac challenged, raising an eyebrow at the other wolf.

"Maybe he hasn't caught the scent yet!"

As if on cue, their phones pinged. Fortunately, the teacher didn't seem to notice.

Jackson unlocked his phone to find that the message was from their Alpha.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message:  There's an Omega in town. Be careful. Stick together.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Blondie
Message:  What should we do if we find it?

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message:  If you find it  DO NOT ENGAGE . Understood?

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Lydia x
Message:  Are you sure? I've got mountain ash in my bag. We could go for a capture.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message:  I'm sure. The Argents are already after it, do not risk getting in their way.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Ally
Message:  But my dad said he'll keep the hunters away?

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message:  Chris is on our side, but the others won't hesitate to attack. They'll use the Omega as an excuse.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Dumbass
Message: s o we're not gonna 2 do anything? Cant we try 2 help him/her/them.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Jackson
Message:  There's only 1 Scott and it's a he.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Hyperactive Spaz
Message:  'He' may identify 2 another gender, Jackson!

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message:  How do you know that it's a he, Jackson?

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Jackson
Message:  'He' was in the school parking lot this morning, going through the trash. He tried 2 talk 2 me, but I smelt what he was and walked away. I was gonna text u after class and let u no.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message:  Alright, thank you. Good job for not engaging, you did well to walk away. I'll let Chris know where he is. I'm sorry Scott, but there's nothing that we can do.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  ScarfBoy
Message:  Is there anything that we can do in the meantime?

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message:  Just stay safe. My break's over, so I've gotta go, but we'll have an impromptu training session tonight, go to the clearing after school.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Hyperactive Spaz
Message:  u stay safe too, don't get shot or anything. Promise?

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message:  I can promise to  try to  not get shot, how's that?

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Lydia x
Message:  Please don't get shot. Sure, you'll be fine, but we can't say the same for whoever shoots you. I don't know about the others, but I don't want to go on the run yet.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Blondie
Message:  She's right, if you get hurt, some bitch is gonna die.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message:  Language, Erica.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Hyperactive Spaz
Message:  It's true though, if anything happens to you, no force on this earth will be able to stop us.

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Alpha
Message: F ine, I promise not to get shot or injured in any way. Just don't kill anybody!

Group Message:  Pack
From:  Buff Boy(d)
Message:  Deal.

Jackson put his phone away, then turned to Isaac, smirking at the curly haired beta.

"Shut up."

Jackson held his hands up in a mock defensive action. "I didn't say a word." Isaac grumbled.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Stiles ran to the lunch table with wide eyes. "Guys, we have a huge problem!" Scott gasped.

"What? Is it Derek? Is he hurt? Is it the omega?" Allison asked urgently, the rest of the pack looking just as nervous.

"No, we have a new principal!" Stiles informed them with wide eyes.

Everyone looked annoyed and Jackson bitched. "You had us worried then Stilinski-"

"It's Gerard!" Stiles pressed, and the pack mirrored his horrified expression.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Tell me you're joking!" Derek sighed through the phone.

"Unfortunately not." Stiles frowned, "So can you and dad start looking for a way to get him fired?"

"I'll do what I can." Derek promised. "Please try to stay out of trouble, you're dad and I have a meeting with the lawyer in 5 minutes, so I'm going to go let him know now."

Stiles nodded, even though Derek couldn't see him. "Okay, good idea. I'll see you after school. I love you."

"I love you too."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

That night, things had been going rather well, Isaac and Boyd had learnt how to fully shift and had picked up self defense relatively easily.

But, of course, something had to go wrong.

"Did you hear that?" Scott asked after suddenly shifting back to human form.

"Scott, don't." Derek warned. "Leave it to the Argents."

"I can help him!" Scott announced and ran towards his clothes. He tugged on a pair of sweats then sprinted out of the clearing

"Scott! shit." Derek followed, doing the same as Scott.

The entire pack ended up chasing Scott through the woods, some members (Erica, Isaac and Jackson) opting to go naked. They caught up to him when Scott tripped a trip wire and ended up hanging upside down.

"I say we leave him there." Jackson suggested with a grin.

"I agree," Isaac hummed. "He disobeyed Derek."

"Isaac!" Scott whined. "You're my mate, you're supposed to defend me!"

"I am?" Isaac asked in surprise. "Allison, did you know that we're supposed to defend him?"

"Nope, I had no idea. Here I thought that we could make fun of him whenever we wanted." Allison sighed.

"You mean, we can't?!"

"Haha, very funny." Scott drawled. "Just, let me down, please?" The pair moved to do so, but Isaac froze and grabbed Allison's arm.

"Someones coming, hide. We'll get you down soon Scott, just wait a minute, okay?" Derek assured, then the pack scattered into hiding.

"Scott." Chris greeted, crouching in front of the wolf.

"Mr Argent."

"How are you doing?" He asked pleasantly.

"Good, just hanging out." Scot said looking down, or up, at his foot. "Is this one of yours? It's good. Nice design, very constricting." He commented casually, deciding to take a page out of Stiles' book. Having a conversation upside down really wasn't as weird as he thought.

"What are you doing out here, Scott?" Chris asked patiently, though his scent gave away that he was anything but.

"Like I said, just hanging."

"With Isaac? I've been informed that the two of you have been getting rather.. close lately."

"We have." Scott nodded without thinking. "He's my mate."

Chris looked a mix of confused and relieved. "I thought Allison was your mate." He said, clearly hoping Scott would say that they were wrong, but he didn't.

"She is. She's also Isaac's mate." Scott said, then his eyes widened as he realised what he'd just admitted.

"What?" Chris demanded, voice low and threatening as he cocked his gun.

"Uhh-"

"Dad!" Allison called, running out of the bushes she had hidden behind. "Dad, stop!"

"Is it true, Allison?"

"Yes. Yes, it's true." Allison informed her father confidently, despite her worry that Isaac would also come running out to help. That would go pretty badly after this particular conversation on any given night, but throw in the fact that Scott was shirtless and Isaac currently wasn't wearing any clothes at all… it really wouldn't go well to say the least. "They're mine and I am theirs. I love both of them, dad."

"I can't handle this." Chris sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "Just, stay out of the woods." Chris sighed then walked away, ordering the hunters with him to do the same.

"The Preserve is Hale Property!" Allison called out in a reminder, but didn't get a response.

"Well that was fun." Scott drawled as the pack emerged from their hiding places. Scott soon set himself free. "Are we going to help him or not?"

"We can't!" Derek insisted, the pack heard another trap being sprung. "But, You all need to see something. C'mon" The pack followed Derek to an area near the lake, where they saw the omega, hung by his hands, being interrogated by Chris Argent. The omega assured that he hadn't killed anyone and was only there looking for the alpha.

"Gentlemen, take a look at a rare sight." Gerard announced, looking around at the hunters.

"An omega." Chris stated.

"The lone Wolf. Probably kicked out of his own pack, or the survivor of a pack that had been hunted down." Gerard explained. "Maybe even murdered. Possibly, alone by his own choice. Certainly, not a wise choice." Gerard chuckled, pulling out a broad sword. "Because, as I am about to demonstrate, an omega rarely survives on his own." Gerard swung the sword at full force and cut the omega in half.

Derek covered Scott's mouth with his hand, Erica hid her face in Boyd's shoulder, Allison and Lydia huddled together, Isaac winced and curled up to Stiles, who hid his face in the beta's hair, Jackson and Danny both winced and looked away and Boyd and Derek closed their eyes.

"Now do you see Scott, why I couldn't let you help him? Do you see what they do? Had I let you go, they would have caught you and done the same to you, even Chris wouldn't be able to stop them. Maybe, given more time, we could have helped him, but I will not risk the lives of my own for an outsider. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I won't" Derek whispered.

"What are they doing?" Scott asked in shock.

"Declaring war."

"We have a code!" Chris reminded Gerard. "There is a treaty with the Hale Pack that has been approved by the council! We have to leave them alone."

The hunter said. "Not when they murder my daughter." He stabbed the sword into the ground and turned to face the hunters. "No code! No treaty! Not anymore. From now on, these things are just bodies wanting to be cut in half. Are you listening? Because I don't care if they're wounded and weak, or seemingly harmless begging for their life with the promise that they will never, ever hurt anyone, or some desperate lost soul with no idea what they're getting into, or even a blood relative." He looked to Chris, whose eyes widened in horror. "We find them, we kill them, we kill them all."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Three nights later, it was a full moon.

It was easier than the last for some, thanks to the entire pack being there, but there were... complications.

Snarls and growls filled the Stilinski house. Stiles and Scott found themselves struggling slightly, mainly due to the upset of their pack mates. The pair had glowing eyes, but the others, minus Derek, were in all out beta shift.

"Calm yourselves!" Derek growled, flashing his eyes at the newer wolves. "Try to focus. pack, family, mates, whatever it takes! Repeat after me: Alpha, Beta, Omega! Say it!"

At their alpha's command, all the wolves repeated the mantra. "Alpha, beta, omega."

"Good, as you say it, you're getting calmer, okay? Again!"

"Alpha, beta, omega!" Isaac was visibly calming and stopped snarling, which helped Scott and Stiles.

"Again."

"Alpha, beta, omega." Although it worked for him, it had the opposite effect on Jackson, Erica and Boyd.

"Alpha," Erica snarled, "Beta," She struggled against her chains, "Omega!" with a particularly strong tug, she broke free from her chains and tackled the alpha. This enraged Stiles and he lost all control as he began to thrash. Boyd escaped his chains next and ran for the stairs. Stiles snarled and struggled, soon breaking free from his own restraints, immediately shoving Erica off of Derek, which angered Boyd, who turned and snarled at Stiles. Scott, Jackson and Isaac broke free then and chaos ensued. There was a flurry of flashing eyes and claws as the beta's thrashed and clawed at each other, their alpha struggling to gain control.

Derek bounded into action when he saw Isaac and Stiles slam Erica into a wall, only to halt when he realised that Isaac was chaining her back up as Stiles held her in place. Turning, he saw Scott doing the same to Boyd, but he was having more trouble, so he moved to help. They soon had the teen chained up, but he still struggled, more so when a thud sounded behind them and Erica wasn't struggling anymore. Derek wasn't sure who, but either Stiles or Isaac had knocked her out.

Derek glared at them, but they just shrugged. "That's not-" He froze and looked around the basement. "Jackson?! JACKSON?!"

The door to the basement opened and Lydia came rushing downstairs. "He's gone, we tried to stop him, but he got out. I'm sor-"

"Are any of you hurt?" Derek demanded.

"No, but-"

"Then that's all that matters. We'll find him, before he hurts anyone or anyone hurts him" Derek promised the Banshee. "Get Danny to set up a barrier of mountain ash around Boyd and Erica and tell Allison to gather as many non lethal weapons as she can." The girl ran off to do so, and Derek turned to his beta's "Isaac, I know you've found an anchor, but you have less training and experience. So, I need you to stay down here, make sure Danny is safe and able to set them free if something goes wrong. Scott, Stiles, with me." Derek was up the stairs in seconds, he bounded into the living room, Stiles and Scott close behind, along the way, they passed Danny, the Hawaiian wishing them luck and promising to make sure nothing happens to the others.

In the living room, tasers, ultrasonic emitters, wolfsbane mace, mountain ash, flash bolts and other things were being packed up.

"I said non lethal." Derek growled, gesturing to the arrowheads and Chinese ring daggers.

"These aren't for Jackson." Allison promised. "They're for if we need to slow down hunters."

"Fine."

"Alright," Lydia announced, her voice filled with conviction, tugging her gun into a hip holster. "Let's go save my mate."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

No one was surprised to see Gerard during their search, but what was surprising was that Victoria was there and Chris wasn't. Accompanying them were three other hunters.

"Well, Derek, I see you've been busy. Is it seven beta's you have now? Or have you made more? Victoria tells me that three of them are here with you, and there are four more, boy's?"

"Three boys and a girl." Derek stated, a hint of pride in his voice. He knew that Gerard knew everything that Victoria knew about his pack, so there was no point lying about it. However, there's no need to correct them about Allison, She didn't want them to know so he wouldn't say anything.

"Two, well, including the banshee, three girls and six boys, including yourself and the human? Isn't that a little unfair."

Derek hummed thoughtfully. "Actually, we have two human males, the sheriff is Pack too. Though, you're right, I should recruit some more boy's, give them a fighting chance against these three," He chuckled whilst the girls grinned triumphantly, Lydia walking over to Allison.

"Nah, they're fine for now." Lydia stated, hip checking Allison when she reached her. "And actually, Alpha, it's three girls and a boy against the six of you. Right Stiles?"

"Yup, sorry Der. You're my mate and I love you, but we have plans to take over the world." Stiles grinned.

"Now, this is all touching, really, but I'm afraid that we're going to have to cut this short, Derek." Gerard informed him, raising a gun. "I'm guessing one of yours got out tonight, we need to put it down."

"You're not going to harm any of my pack." Derek said confidently.

"And why's that?" Gerard demanded.

"Multiple reasons." Derek stated, stepping closer to the hunter. "One, you'd have the entire Sheriff's department after you for killing one of their own, the sheriff's son, and all of his friends." He took another step towards the group, ignoring the weapons aimed at him. "Two, if you kill any of them, the hunters council will cut down your family in a heartbeat for violating the treaty." Gerard's look darkened, if possible. "Three, I've distracted you long enough for the girls to arm their weapons." The hunters all looked to where the girls were, finding Allison aiming an arrow at Gerard. Lydia had gone for a gun.

"Try anything and you'll be ripped apart with arrows, claws and bullets." Derek announced, "Now lower your weapons and go home."

Victoria glared at Stiles and Scott, who were stood by Allison. "Very impressive, Derek." Gerard complimented. "I see you've got your dogs trained." Derek snarled at the hunter. "Now, now, no need for that, Derek. Let's be civil here."

"Civil? You come to my private property, threaten my pack, call us dogs, and now you want to be civil?" Derek asked incredulously.

One of the hunters adjusted his aim fixed on Derek's head, his finger slowly pressed down on the trigger, when a whistling noise sounded and he keeled over in pain, dropping the gun. He looked to find an arrow embedded in his thigh. He cried out in pain and Victoria snapped, and she charged.

She shoved Stiles into a tree and grabbed Scott. She held a gun to Scott's head, about to pull the trigger, when a shot sounded, followed by a sharp pain in her arm. Hunters yelled in anger and another gun went off behind her, another arrow flew through the air and another hunter cried out.

Looking down, Victoria saw blood oozing down her left arm, dripping onto the ground. Lydia still had the gun fixed on Victoria, only this time it was aimed at her head. "Consider that a warning shot." Lydia growled, quite impressively, glaring at the woman.

"You don't have the guts!" Victoria sneered, preparing to pull the trigger again, only to keel over and drop her gun when Lydia shot her in the knee.

"That's two. The strikes and you're out." Lydia glared.

Victoria was livid. "No, I won't stand for this!" She screamed, letting go of Scott and pulled something out of her pocket. Then she turned and shoved it in Allison's face. Nothing happened.

"W-what? But it should have-" Victoria's eyes widened in realisation. "You're still…"

"Yes I am." Allison stated as she wiped the remnants of the purple flower away with the back of her hand. "And now, I have to go make sure that I don't have Aconite poisoning. But first, I want you to leave. Now.

"Enough!" Stiles called out. "This is your last chance Gerard. Leave. I've contacted a friend who can get a hold of the council in five seconds flat." Stiles warned, eyes glowing yellow. "I want you to leave. Now. Or else, I'll let the council deal with you."

"Well played. We'll go." Gerard conceded with a nod. "But I must warn you, if we find the other one before you do, we will put it down."

Gerard supported Victoria and ordered the other hunters to retreat. One hunter was helping the one with an arrow in his thigh, the other was clutching his arm, which also had an arrow embedded.

Once the hunters were gone, Stiles spoke up. "Um, g-guys?" He stuttered, drawing everyone's attention to him, it was then that Derek noticed the scent of blood, that didn't belong to hunters. Stiles had a hand pressed to his left shoulder, blood flowing down his arm and over his hand. "Can we hurry up with finding Jackson? My shoulder kind of hurts."

"Shit." Derek gasping, rushing over to his injured mate. A pained howl sounded through the trees as a figure charged towards them. "He can smell your blood." Derek explained, reluctantly moving so that the beta formed Jackson, could see his pack mates wound. The wolf whined at the sight, moving to nuzzle the injury, but a flash of red eye's had him stepping back.

"Jackson." Lydia called in a comforting voice. Her mate rushed over to her, burying his face in her hair. "C'mon, let's go home."

"Lydia, get the first aid kit, Allison, a bullet and a lighter." Derek ordered as they walked through the door. "Scott, get Jackson locked up and tell Isaac and Danny what happened."

The three scattered to do as they were told, Scott tugging Jackson along, Derek picked up Stiles and carried him to the couch, gently setting him down.

"Derek, like you said I'm gonna be fine. You didn't have to carry me, you know." Stiles reminded him gently.

"I didn't even notice, Stiles!" Derek growled, although Stiles knew that the anger behind it wasn't directed at him. "Before you said something, I didn't notice."

"It's a graze, Derek, you had more importa-"

"Nothing is more important to me than you!" Derek pressed, eye glowing red as Allison approached. "I love the pack and they are close second, but you, Stiles, you will always come first."

"Same here, Der bear. Sorry Ally." Stiles grinned as the girl prepared the wolfsbane.

"Don't worry about it, it's the same for me when it comes to Scott and Isaac. I really hope that neither of them are injured at the same time, because I wouldn't be able to choose who to go to. I'd probably just end up curling in a ball on the floor and sobbing." There was no skip in her heart beat as she set the wolfsbane on fire.

"I'm the same for Jackson. Thankfully, I don't have to choose between boyfriends." Lydia announced, walking over and crouching by Stiles, and started to clean the wound.

"Why are you cleaning it? It'll heal once I get the wolfsbane."

"No exit wound." Was the explanation Lydia regretfully gave him. "I need to clean it, so it's easier to find the bullet and pull it out." She set down the wipe, and picked up a pair of tweezers. "Derek, hold him still."

"Oh crap."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Derek asked Isaac as they stood outside the boy's old house. "I can go get whatever you need."

"No, I need to do this." Isaac said firmly, taking a deep breath, then walked towards the house.

They went to Isaac's bedroom first, gathering up books, photo's and other personal items. Isaac didn't bother getting any of his own clothes, due to having more than enough thanks to Derek. He did, however, grab one of his father's sweatshirts. They went to the basement next and Derek could smell, old, stale blood. Isaac's blood.

"I didn't think I'd still be able to smell it." Isaac commented, "I came to get some of my mother's stuff, but I might as well show you, or I'm guessing you'll come back later to find out, right?"

"Yes." Isaac set the stuff he was carrying down on the floor.

"The first time it happened was just after my mum died." Isaac explained, leading his alpha through the basement. "I was eight years old, Cam had gone off to a friends house and dad was drunk and angry. But the school had noticed my injuries, so he couldn't beat me. Instead, he dragged me down here." Derek looked down, noticing scratch marks along the floor, the scratches came in sets of five and led to a white chest freezer. Derek's eyes widened in horror as realisation hit him. "I remember not really knowing what was happening the first time. One second I was being dragged across the floor, the next I was being shoved inside there. He locked it and left me in there all night. At first it was like every other month, for a night at the most. Then it happened more frequently. Sometimes a couple of nights a week, other times, like the week before I turned, I spent whole weekends there. He'd come down and throw in a bottle of water inside each night, then leave. Usually beating me before I went in and after I came out."

"I-Isaac-"

"I want you to tell the Pack for me, if you don't mind?." The blonde stated, turning to look at Derek. "We've got a bit of a prank war going on and the other day Jackson locked Scott in a closet. I uh- I kinda have a thing about small spaces, so I want them to know, because once they know, they'll never do that to me. Just knowing that I don't like small spaces won't be enough to stop Jackson, but the reason will. I'd tell them myself, but I don't want to go through it again, and I thought you should know first."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Derek gently pulled Isaac away from the freezer. "Come on, let's go get your things."

Isaac grabbed photos of his mother along with some of her things, such as books and jewelry and one of her black scarves. "Okay, that's everything." Isaac said looking around the living room, although his eyes lingered on several pieces of furniture.

"Are you sure? We can come back another day for any furniture, if you'd like?" Derek offered.

"Where would we keep it? There's not enough room at the house." Isaac asked with an adorable confused expression on his face.

"I have a storage locker, there's enough room for whatever you need." Derek explained and Isaac's eyes brightened. "Whether you use it or not in the future doesn't matter, but at least you know that it's there." Isaac nodded and smiled gratefully, Derek gave the pup a bright smile of his own.

Then, both wolves froze. Isaac went to speak, but Derek covered his mouth, looking behind the beta. Isaac slowly turned his head to look at who, or what was behind him.

It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. The creature, partially concealed by shadows, had glowing yellow eyes, but not like his own. It's eyes were a darker shade and slit, like a reptile's eyes. It's skin looked a dark green. And it had a long prehensile tail that looked to be about three feet long. The creature snarled at them, baring it's long sharp teeth. Isaac flinched as Derek grabbed his arm.

"Come on." He ordered as the creature prepared to leap at them. "Isaac, come on!" With that the two rushed to get out of the house, only to have the creature climb across the ceiling then land in front of them. In the better lighting, Isaac could see scales covering the creature, and the long claws. Derek stepped in front of Isaac defensively, and let out a loud howl.

The creature, clearly startled, smashed through the front door and disappeared into the night.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Stiles, I'm not sur-"

"Derek, we all need to have some fun!" Stiles insisted as he pulled his mate towards the bleachers.

"After what we saw the other night and the hunters-"

"We all need a break from the supernatural. Quit arguing and put on your skates!"

"This is great, baby!" Erica grinned, pressing her body against Boyd's "Thank you." She gave him a hungry kiss.

"Hey, some of us are here to have fun, not watch you two do it on the ice." Jackson snarked as he and Lydia walked past. Lydia laughed as Erica stuck up her middle finger, her boyfriend only rolled his eyes in return. Lydia sat next to Stiles to put on her skates, shivering slightly.

"Could it be any colder in here?"

Stiles reached into his bag and pulled out an orange jumper. "Here."

"I'm wearing blue." Lydia said with a 'seriously?' look. "Orange and blue, not a good combination."

Stiles looked at her with an offended look on his face. "But it's the colors of the Mets." At Lydia's look, he conceded "Okay, um, maybe orange and blue is not the best. Right, you know, um, sometimes there's other things you wouldn't think would be a good combination end up turning out to be, like, a perfect combination, you know, like two people together... Who nobody ever thought would be together... ever."

"No, I can see that." Lydia smiled. "You guys are cute together." Stiles chuckled and looked at Derek with a smile.

"Yeah, we are."

"Adorable." Jackson rolled his eyes. "You wanna know another perfect combination?" Stiles pulled out multiple packs of Reeses. "Exactly. Gimme one." He reached for a pack, only to have Stiles pull it back. "Please?" Jackson sighed and Stiles handed him a pack with a grin. Lydia and Derek grabbed a pack each.

"Can I have one?" Erica called over, she and Boyd were already on the ice.

"Yeah, I brought enough for everyone. Who else wants some?" The entire pack wanted them. "Alright, you can come over and get em from my bag when you're ready. If you want any of the other snacks, ask first." He ordered and made his way to the ice, carrying Reeses for Erica. "Think fast!" He yelled and threw the pack at the girl. Erica made a graceful leap, catching the snack mid air, landing on one leg and immediately moving into a spin. When she stopped spinning, she grinned at Stiles.

"Thanks."

Stiles rolled his eyes and started skating, Jackson skating alongside him as they raced around the rink.

Lydia was pulling off eccentric twirls and spins. Danny was helping Erica try to teach Boyd some moves, Allison, Scott and Isaac had yet to get on the ice, and Derek lazily skated around, watching his pack.

"Since neither of you have ever skated before, maybe I should give you a few pointers?" Allison offered her mates.

The two shared a look and a chuckle "Allison. Not that this is news to you or anything, but you remember the werewolf thing?" Scott grinned confidently.

"Super speed, strength and reflexes." Isaac reminded her.

Allison raised an eyebrow. "So a little ice skating should be no problem."

"Yeah." Scott stepped onto the ice "See? It's no problem." He went to move and immediately fell down. "ugh! Maybe." His mates giggled at his expense.

"Really Scott?" Isaac asked, also stepping onto the ice. "How hard can it be to- Woah!" Isaac followed in Scott's misfortune, and face planted the ice. Allison tried to suppress her giggles as she stepped onto the ice, carefully skating around her mates.

"No problem huh?" She asked as she helped them up. Derek skated over, "Mind helping me teach these two how to skate." She asked with a grin.

"Sure," Derek smiled, "I taught my younger sister and two of my cousins… When they were five." He teasingly chuckled. "Come on."

It didn't take long for Isaac to get the hang of it and start skating around with Danny. Scott took longer, hitting the glass and ice multiple times. The boy knew full well that if it weren't for his werewolf healing, he would be a walking bruise by this point, but his Mates and Pack Mates were all having a good time, so he simply kept getting up and trying again.

"Come on." Isaac said skating over to his mates happily. "Let's take a break. There's a photo booth over there," He and Allison helped Scott to the side as Derek called out.

"You might want to keep your eyes closed boys, or the flash will trigger them!"

"Oh." Scott sounded slightly disappointed.

"It doesn't matter." Allison smiled. "We can make it look natural."

The first picture consisted of all three squeezing their eyes shut, huge, cheesy grins plastered on their faces. The second had them all making 'roar' faces at the camera, only Allison had her eyes open. In the third, Scott and Isaac were kissing as Allison looked awestruck behind them. The fourth had Scott and Isaac kissing Allison's cheeks as she made a shocked face.

When the pictures came out, the trio was very happy with them. They made their way back to the ice, wanting to show their pack the pictures. When they got there, familiar music started playing from the speakers. Roar. The Katy Perry song.

"I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath, scared to rock the boat and make a mess. So I sat quietly, agreed politely." Lydia sang, skating with her hands behind her bag and a sway to her hips.

"I guess that I forgot I had a choice." Erica took over, grabbing Lydia's hands and skating backwards. "I let you push me past the breaking point, I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything"

"You held me down, but I got up, already brushing off the dust." Allison sang out, stepping onto the ice again. "You hear my voice, you hear that sound. Like thunder gonna shake the ground"

"You held me down, but I got up," Danny took over with a grin. "Get ready 'cause I've had enough."

"I see it all, I see it now." Erica flashed her eyes.

"I got the eye of the tiger," Stiles sang loudly "A fighter, dancing through the fire, 'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar!"

"Louder, louder than a lion, 'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar!" They sang out together, skating around gleefully. By the second chorus, Jackson, Isaac and Scott had joined in. Boyd and Derek opted to watch from the side of the rink.

"Our pack is insane." Boyd chuckled softly.

"Yes they are." Derek agreed with a smile. "But I wouldn't have them any other way."

"Me neither."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay, so- wait no- uh- oh, yeah- no, that's no good- um- uh-"

"Scott!" Melissa yelled. "I think you already know what you're trying to tell me." She said, gesturing towards Allison and Isaac.

"What? No! I-I mean, yes that is a thing, we are all together, but that's not what I'm trying to tell you now!" Melissa frowned, turning worried.

"What is it sweetie?"

"Melissa, you might want to sit down." Noah advised, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, god, please tell me Allison isn't pregnant!"

"No, mum" Scott assured, and a slight chuckle escaped his lips in spite of his nerves. "Nothing like that."

"Melissa." Noah said softly. The woman nodded, sitting down on the couch.

"Okay, please don't freak out! Well, you probably will, but that's why the sheriff is here. He's been through it, so he can help you." Scott took a deep breath, looked his mother in the eyes, said "Mum, I'm a werewolf." then shifted.

Melissa gasped recoiling slightly. "W-what- h-how?"

"A few months." Scott mumbled, shifting back. "The night Laura Hale's body was found. Stiles and I were out in the woods when we were attacked and bitten. The creature that bit us was a werewolf, an alpha. Peter Hale. Laura was the Alpha, when Peter killed her, he gained the power."

"Months?! Sweetheart why didn't you tell me?" Melissa demanded.

"I was scared of how you'd react." Scott admitted sadly and Melissa walked over, hugging her son.

"Oh honey. I'm shocked and honestly a little frightened, but not of you. There's this whole world that I didn't know about! I- I'm just surprised, Scott, it'll take me awhile to wrap my head around this. It may take a while, but no matter how long it takes, I will still love you. Always."

"Thanks mum." Scott's eyes were swimming with tears of joy and relief as he and his mother hugged. The others all smiled happily at the family, before Melissa beckoned them all over.

"This is a family hug, so get in here!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"My son is a werewolf." Melissa said out loud to herself later that evening. "My son is a werewolf. A real life, actual werewolf."

"Welcome to the club." Noah chuckled, he handed the woman a beer and gestured for her to sit on the couch.

"Thanks." She took a large gulp of the beverage before sitting on the couch. Scott had opted to spend the night at Erica's house, to give his mother time to process things without having to worry about him picking up on her emotional state. Erica's parents wanted to meet the pack, and thank Derek for gifting their daughter with freedom from her illness. Most of the pack would be going home after, except Lydia and Allison, so it made sense that Scott stay as well. Scott would sleep on the couch and the girls would stay in Erica's room.

"It's just so much to take in!" Melissa sighed. "A part of me wants to go running for the hills."

"Well, at least you react better than I did!" Noah shook his head at the memory, ashamed at himself for saying those things to his son. "I said some horrible things to Stiles, things that I'll never be able to take back. He's forgiven me, but I just can't forgive myself."

"So who else is in the group?" Melissa asked, trying to get the conversation away from the sore subject.

"Pack." The sheriff corrected. "There's ten, well twelve including you and I. Derek, the Alpha, Stiles, the Alpha's mate and Beta, Scott, Jackson, Erica, Isaac and Boyd, all Betas, Lydia, Banshee, Allison and Danny, human."

"Banshee?"

"Apparently, according to Danny. The ability is genetically passed, but her powers were suppressed until she got bitten by Pete whilst trying to trap him in a circle of mountain ash."

"What's mountain ash?"

"Some wood that acts as a barrier against all supernatural creatures, though you can get it in actual 'ash' form, which is what Lydia, Allison and Danny carry around in their bag's daily."

"Where can I get some?" Melissa asked thoughtfully.

"Lydia, Allison and Danny have already had the house fitted with mountain ash baseboards. See that urn over there?" Noah asked, pointing at the urn in question. "It's filled with mountain ash. Mountain ash is only effective if it's a complete 'circuit' if you will. If you're ever in supernatural trouble, take a handful of mountain ash and throw at the door, or just smash the urn."

"And that'll work?" Melissa walked over to the urn and tilted it to look inside.

"Only if you believe it will." Melissa hummed, taking a handful of mountain ash and walking to the door. She took a deep breath, then threw the ash at the door. She was pleasantly surprised when it landed in a smooth line.

"Nice." She grinned, turning to high five Noah, who chuckled at her.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Hey, mum I'm-" Scott froze as he realised he couldn't get past the doorway the next morning. "Um, I-I'm sorry, I'll just.." He turned to leave, devastated at the thought that his mother didn't want him around.

"Hey sweetie, wait, where are you going? Come in!" Scott turned to look at his mother nervously as she walked down the stairs.

"I can't." He gestured to the mountain ash by the door, that Melissa had forgotten to remove.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry sweetheart, Noah just told me about mountain ash and you securing the house last night. I was just testing it out, making sure it worked." She said hurriedly. "Uh, how do I let you in?"

"You have to break the line." Scott informed her with a relieved smile on his face.

"Really? That's it? Couldn't someone just kick it out of place or a gust of wind move it, then?" She asked incredulously as she knelt to break the line.

"No, it has to be done by a human and on purpose. Well maybe not only humans, because Lydia can do it." He explained as his mother stepped back and he was able to get into the house. "And maybe not on purpose, because that's how Kate died. Huh, I'm not really sure how it works, just that it does and wind won't blow it away."

"Interesting." Melissa commented, about to close the door, when she noticed three cars parked outside her house, faces watching from each window. "Uh, Scott?"

"Yeah?" He followed Melissa's look to his Pack. "Oh, they uh, they came to make sure I didn't get scared and back out of coming home, and also to comfort me if you freaked out."

"Ah," Melissa nodded. "Okay, well, invited them in for breakfast." The second the words left her mouth, the car doors were opening.

"They heard." Scott grinned.

"Of course they did" Melissa sighed, then began walking towards the kitchen. "That's gonna take some getting used to."

"Good Morning Mrs McCall." Allison greeted politely, "Would you like some help with breakfast?"

"Allison, please, there's no need to be so formal, call me Melissa, that goes for all of you except Scott." She said, giving her son a pointed look.

"Trust me, I've learnt my lesson." Scott assured, remembering the first (and only) time he called his mum by her first name. Not fun.

"And, there's no need, I've got my helper already, right Stiles?" She asked, turning to the boy, who was already tying an apron behind his back.

"Of course." Stiles smiled, walking to the fridge. "What's on the menu today, Mrs M?"

"I was thinking, McLinski Breakfast Buffet." She grinned, causing Scott and Stiles to whoop.

"Nice, you guys are gonna love it." Scott promised the pack with a grin. "Do you want me to call the Sheriff?"

Melissa raised an eyebrow as she turned on the oven. "I thought you werewolves had super senses? Or at least good observational skills." At her son's confused look, and his Pack Mates chuckles, she stated. "He's asleep on the couch."

"Oh."

"Now, be useful and make some coffee." She teased as she cracked an egg into a bowl.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It was around nine pm when the pack started to disband to go to their respective homes.

"Hey, Jacks, can give me a ride to the garage on your way home? Dad and Derek have the early shift tomorrow, so.." Stiles asked as Jackson, Lydia and Danny walked to the Porsche.

"Yeah, no problem, hop in."

"Thanks." He looked over his shoulder to see Allison, Boyd and Erica climbing into Allison's Toyota and waved goodbye to them. He then looked to see his dad, Derek and Isaac getting into the Camaro. "See ya at home." He called before wedging himself into the backseat beside Danny.

"So how much did it cost to repair? I mean, it's been damaged a lot recently." Jackson commented.

"I actually just need him to replace the starter, the thing's been off ever since Peter ripped it out of my car. Then he mentioned something about my exhaust system and estimated $1200 parts and labour, the jackass." Stiles sighed. "I think I might have to resort to threatening him a little, or knocking him out and driving away."

"That sucks." Jackson commented, sharing a look with Lydia, then Danny.

"Tell me about it." Stiles sighed.

Jackson dropped Danny off at home first, then minutes later pulled up to the garage. "Hey, is there a bathroom in there?" Jackson asked Stiles, purposefully not claiming to need the bathroom as Stiles would know he was lying.

"Yeah, I'll show ya where." Stiles responded, completely unsuspecting of Jackson's true intentions.

"Thanks I'll be back in a minute, Lyd." Jackson promised as he and Stiles got out of the car. Stiles pointed Jackson in the direction of the bathroom as he went to talk to the mechanic.

Jackson didn't go to the bathroom, instead, he hid and listened to the guy talking to Stiles.

"It's looking more like $1500." Lie.

"Why do I get the feeling you're overestimating the damage?" Stiles asked in annoyance.

"You know what, I actually think it's more like $1700." The mechanic lied again.

Stiles sighed, practically oozing anger, but it's not like he could tell the guy that he knew he was lying because he was a werewolf who could hear the man's heartbeat. Instead, he took a deep breath and mentally began plotting ways to destroy the man without physically hurting him. "Whatever, just finish! I'll be back here," He turned and walked away muttering. "Seething with impotent rage."

Stiles made a disgusted noise at something on the door handle, and Jackson took the opportunity to approach the mechanic.

"I think you're overestimating the charge." He stated casually.

The mechanic looked down at Jackson then scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Who are you? His boyfriend?"

Jackson grinned at the mechanic. "No, I'm his friend, Jackson Whittemore. You may have heard of my father, David Whittemore." He smirked as the mechanic paled. "He's a very successful lawyer and I think he'd agree that you're over charging my friend here."

The mechanic audibly gulped, then looked up at the Jeep. "Y-y'know, I actually think that I'll be able to get some discounts. Yeah." He nodded. "It'll probably come to $1200 ."

"Really?" Jackson asked looking up at the jeep. "Cause I know a thing or two about cars and I think it'll be about $500."

"I can't do that." The mechanic glared. "A grand."

Jackson glared. "You're not getting more than $800." The mechanic looked ready to argue, but changed his mind.

"$800." He grumbled before continuing his work on the Jeep.

"Sounds fair to me." Jackson smiled, walking over to where Stiles was. "Oh, and my father will be having some check you've done it correctly, so no shortcuts." He opened the door, grimacing at a slimy substance. "Gross." He muttered, walking through, wiping his hand on his jeans.

"J-Jackson." Stiles whimpered, Jackson then noticed that Stiles was on the floor. "I-I can't move." He gasped out, a sob following his words. "I c-can't- I can't-"

"Hey, hey, calm down, okay. I'll get you out of here and we'll figure this out." Jackson promised, forcing himself to stay calm, but internally, he was freaking out. He leant down and grabbed Stiles' arm. He was able to get Stiles in front of the door when his hands went numb.

"What the hell?" he muttered, he stood up straight and tried to regain feeling in his hands. His efforts were in vain as the feeling only spread.

"Jackson, there's something on the Jeep!" Stiles gasped out. Jackson caught a glimpse of a creature cutting the back of the mechanic's neck. As Jackson fell to the floor, he saw the mechanic do the same. Whatever was happening to him and Stiles, was happening to the mechanic too, only a lot faster.

Jackson used the last of his strength to dial 911 as he and Stiles watched helplessly as the creature slashed a pipe, effectively disabling the hydraulic car lift. The wolves fought to regain control over their bodies as the seconds ticked by, listening to the mechanic scream out for help, before the Jeep reached the ground, crushing the man beneath it.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott walked into the animal clinic the next day, to see an unexpected patient on the metal table.

"They're coming back, so we don't have much time to talk." Doctor Deaton's voice spoke up from behind Scott, startling him.

"What?" Scott's eyes were wide and his movements frantic. "Wh-who's coming back? Why is there a dead body on the table?"

"Hunters, the Argents." Deaton stated "Someone killed one of their own and they know that it wasn't Derek or any of you."

"Okay, how do you know all this? Actually, how... How do you know anything?" Scott demanded, Derek and Stiles were right. There is something up with Deaton, but Scott had no idea what.

"It's a longer story. What I can tell you, is that I know about your kind. Your kind? I can help. This." He gestured to the body on the table "This is something different."

"Well, do you know what did it?" Scott asked, semi-hopefully. On one hand, he wanted to know so that they could stop it. On the other hand, he wasn't sure that he was quite ready to learn about more than just werewolves and Banshees, the world was weird enough as it was.

"No. But the Argents will. And this is the crucial part, they'll have a record or book. It'll have descriptions, histories, notations, of all the things that they've discovered." Deaton explained and Scott had the sinking feeling that he wanted Scott to get the book.

"All the things? How many different things are there?"

Before the vet could answer, the Argents arrived and Scott rushed into hiding while Deaton continued his autopsy.

"I'm starting to think I need to buy a more prominent 'closed' sign." The vet stated dryly, turning to face the hunters. Freezing in surprise when he saw Gerard.

"Hello, Alan. It's been a while. The last I heard, you had retired." The elder Argent greeted

"Last I heard you followed a code of conduct."

"If you hadn't noticed, this body is one of ours." Chris pointed out with a glare.

"I did, I also noticed the gunpowder residue on his fingertips and the wound on his thigh. Which, I'd say, is from an arrow, your family's weapon of choice. So don't assume I will be swayed by your philosophy just 'cause I'll answer a few questions.

"He was only 24." Chris retorted, growing frustrated with the man

"Killers come in all ages." Was the reply.

"All ages, sizes, shapes. It's the last one that concerns us." Gerard informed the vet, showing that he wanted to get to business.

"How about you tell us what you found?" Chris requested,, although it was more of a demand.

Deaton turned the corpse's head, resulting in a sickening cracking sound. "See this cut? Precise. Almost surgical. This isn't the wound that killed him. This had a more interesting purpose."

"Relating to the spine." Gerard said knowingly.

"That's right. Whatever made this cut, it's laced with a paralytic toxin, potent enough to disable all motor functions. These are the cause of death. Notice the patterns on each side."

"Five for each finger." Chris observed

"Each claw." Gerard corrected.

"As you can see, it dug in, slashed upward, eviscerating the lungs and slicing through the bone of the rib cage with ease." Deaton made an example of the movement with his hands.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Gerard asked, keeping his expression neutral.

"No."

"Any idea at all what killed him?" Chris asked with an eyebrow raised.

"No." Deaton admitted, "But I can tell you it's fast, remarkably strong, and has the capacity to render its victims essentially helpless within seconds."

"If you're saying we should be cautious? We get it." Chris scoffed

"I'm saying you should be afraid. Be very afraid. Because in the natural world, predators with paralytic toxins use them to catch and eat their prey. This prey wasn't eaten. That means whatever killed him only wanted to kill him. In fact, killing may be its only purpose." Scott's heart was beating rapidly in his chest. That explains what happened to Stiles and Jackson, whatever that goo was that they mention must have been from the creature. It paralyzed them, that's why they couldn't move. He needed to tell Derek. Now.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay, never go anywhere alone. Understood? After training tonight, you will all work out a schedule for school. If someone has a class alone, two people will walk them there and meet them. I don't care that this thing has only attacked at night so far, that could change at any time, so be cautious." Derek informed the pack firmly as they sat in the Stilinski living room. He held up a vial of a gooey, clear substance. "This is the paralytic agent that took down the victims, and Stiles and Jackson. The creature can apparently administer it through a cut, but also leave it lying around. It set in in less than a minute for Stiles and Jackson, but works a lot faster via cut. If you get cut inexplicably, or touch something slimy or gooey, get out of sight, contact the pack and wait it out."

"I'm not sure if it's because we got it on our hands, but Stiles and both lost feeling in our hands first." Jackson informed the pack as Lydia cuddled him closer.

"Yeah, it was like a numb feeling, then it spread until I-we couldn't move at all from the neck down." Stiles shuddered at the memory, hating every second of it. Derek took his mate's hand in his own and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"This thing is dangerous," Derek stated, rather unnecessarily but the Pack weren't about to point that out. "It doesn't seem to have any purpose other than killing, making it unpredictable and pretty terrifying." He set the vial down on the table carefully before picking up a piece of paper. "Lydia made a sketch based off of Stiles and Jackson's descriptions. Take a good look." He handed the sketch to Allison, who took a good look before passing it to Erica. "Any questions?"

Scott raised his hand slightly. "Yeah, I have one." Derek nodded at him in a 'go ahead' gesture. "Why is my boss tied up in the corner?"

"Because we need him to answer a few questions." Derek stated simply.

"Why not just ask?" Scott demanded. "Why kidnap him? He could fire me!"

"He won't," Derek said confidently, giving the vet a heated look. "not if he values his life."

"Well, he could take away my raise!"

"He gave you a raise?" Derek looked at the vet again. "How much?"

"$2.50 an hour."

Derek nodded and hummed. "Not bad," He admitted, then looked at Scott curiously "Do you want more?"

"What? No! Derek!"

The rest of the pack couldn't help chuckling at the exchange. "Are we gonna torture him?" Erica asked, smiling evilly at the vet.

"No!" Scott yelled out.

"Maybe." Stiles countered.

"It depends on how easily he gives us information." Derek stated, walking over to the vet and removing the gag. "So. Tell us what you know."

"Sure, although Scott is right, you really didn't have to result to these measures." Deaton stated with a raised eyebrow. "I take it you don't remember me, Derek?" This caught everyone's attention. "I understand that we haven't been in the same room longer than 5 minutes since you were eight years old, but I would have thought you'd at least recognise my scent."

Realisation hit Derek like a train and his eyes widened. "You were my mother's emissary."

"I was." It wasn't long until Deaton was set free and telling them what he'd learnt about the creature they were dealing with.

"As far as I can tell, Gerard knows what we're dealing with, but for some reason, he hasn't told the other hunters, at least not Chris." Deaton finished telling the pack. "I'd say the best way of finding out what we're dealing with is to get our hands on that book."

"You want us to steal a book from the Argents?" Isaac asked incredulously. "Sure, let's just walk right into a house full of hunters and pray that we don't die!"

"I can do it." Allison suggested. "Now that they know I'm still human, I have an in. Dad wants me back anyway. We can stage a fall out or something, I'll go back and get the book."

"No." Derek protested immediately. "I admire your determination, Ally but I'm not going to let you walk back into a house of killers for a book. If you really want to go back, I can't stop you, but I'm not letting you do that just for something so small, it's too dangerous."

"I can protect myself." Allison informed him defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest

"I know that you can, I've never doubted that for a second, but you're Pack." Derek assured, thanks to Deaton's presence he didn't allow too much emotion to show, but his Pack knew well enough to know that he was practically begging her not to go back "I won't risk you getting hurt over this. Your father won't try anything, but Gerard will. The other night, your mother shoved wolfsbane in your face because she thought you were a werewolf. No, we'll find another way to get the book."

Allison wanted to protest, but she understood where Derek was coming from, so she didn't. "Okay, then what can we do?"

"I have an idea." Lydia spoke up. "It's a little crazy, but I think it'll work."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Monday morning, Allison was wide awake, feeling refreshed and ready to go to school and set the plan into motion. Lydia on the other hand… Well, Lydia was still in bed. Although it was new for the girl, Allison wasn't really surprised, as when she had gone to bed at eleven the night before, Lydia was still on the phone to Stiles, fine tuning the details of the plan.

"Good morning Mrs Martin." Allison greeted the older woman in the kitchen as she prepared breakfast. "Omelette?"

"Ohh, that smells wonderful, but I'm afraid I'm on a diet." The woman protested, though she kept eyeing the pan hungrily so Allison insisted.

"Come on, you don't need to diet, you're gorgeous. But if it makes you feel better, they're egg white." Allison grinned.

"Oh, go on then." The woman conceded after a few seconds. "Would you like some help?"

"No thank you, but Lydia is still in bed, so you might wanna wake her up." Allison giggled. "I think it's her way of protesting therapy today." Mrs Martin sighed, before making her way upstairs to get Lydia out of bed.

Less than a minute later, Allison heard a horrified gasp from upstairs. She quickly turned the stove off, before rushing up. When she reached her best friend's room, she saw Lydia's sheet's covered in blood and Lydia's mother inspected the girl's bloodied hand.

"Oh my god, Lydia! What happened?" Allison rushed into the room.

"Lydia, sweetheart, what did you do? What did you do to yourself?"

"I-I don't- I-I" Lydia froze when her eyes fell on her mirror, the object was smashed and bloodied in the center,

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"How long has this been going on?" Derek asked in concern as he inspected Lydia's hand after school that day.

"S-since the night he died." Lydia admitted softly. "I didn't say anything because I thought it was just PTSD mixing with this new Banshee stuff. Now I'm.. not so sure."

"It's okay, we'll figure it out." Derek promised smiling at the girl in reassurance. Lydia smiled back sadly. "But I'm going to need you to tell me, or any of the pack, when something happens and when. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good, so, how about we get you cleaned up, then go reserve the best seats to watch our pack kick ass during the game?"

Lydia laughed at that. "Sounds good to me. Thanks Derek, you make a great alpha."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Allison, thank you for coming to see me." Gerard smiled as he left his office to see the brunette waiting for him. "To be honest, I'm kind of surprised, after the other night."

"That's kind of why I'm here." She lied with a soft smile on her face. "I wanted to thank you for calling the others off. It could have gotten really out of control if you hadn't." That was true, she was scared to think just how badly it could have gone.

"Ah, well, I think my men were the only ones injured, along with your mother." Gerard smiled in a pleasant manner, a true juxtaposition to the words that had just left his mouth, and locked the office door.

"Stiles was shot." Allison informed him. "The bullet was embedded into his shoulder blade, we made a mess getting it out. Fortunately, the scent of a Pack Mate's blood drew our missing friend back to us. He was so concerned that we had to knock him out so that he wouldn't wake the entire town." Allison chuckled at the memory.

"That sounds entertaining." Gerard chuckled. "More so than this Lacrosse game."

"Oh, I don't know, Lacrosse is pretty good." Allison smiled. "A little violent, but definitely entertaining."

"Oh, are you off to the game tonight?" Gerard asked in faux surprise.

"Yeah, five of my Pack Mates are on the team, so.."

"Ah, of course. I'll admit, when I found out what they were, I was tempted to take them off of the team, in the name of fairness of course. But, for one, they were all on the team before turning and secondly, that and the swim team are the only competition winning teams in the school, even before gaining werewolves. Tell your friends that as long as they keep their grades up, keep winning and don't kill anybody, they can stay on the team as long as they want. Even after they graduate."

Allison laughed. "Yeah, I will." She wasn't stupid, she knew that he had something up his sleeve and was only being nice and trying to get close to her for his plan. Whatever it was.

"Now, I understand if you want to sit with your friends and not be seen all buddy-buddy with the principal, but I'd really appreciate someone talking me through what's going on."

"Yeah, of course." Allison smiled genuinely, he'd just made her task easier.

"Great, but you're going to have to be patient with me, I'm going to have a lot of questions."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

During the game, Allison managed to get her grandfather's coat, and gave the office key's to Erica slyly when the blonde walked past.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Coach Finstock asked Danny, who was holding an ice pack wrapped in a cloth to his head.

"Four?"

"Two, say two." Coach stated.

"Two?"

"Perfect, get back out there!" He patted Danny on the back and sent him on the field.

"You're still short one player coach." The ref informed him.

"Stilinski, get out there!"

"Yes coach." Stiles excitedly ran out onto the pitch. This was his first time playing since being turned and he was going to make the most of it.

"Great. Let's go!"

The whistle sounded and the match went on, only for Beacon Hills to lose another player. Coach frantically looked around, then pointed at Boyd. "You! Do you play Lacrosse?!"

Boyd looked to Derek, who said. "If you're sure you can stay in control, I don't mind. But the second you feel like you're losing it, I want you off of the field, understood."

"Yeah, thanks." Boyd grinned, then stood and removed his jacket.

"Yeah- oh, oh ho, oh oh, ohhh, we got ourselves a player!" Coach yelled excitedly when he saw Boyd's muscles.

Derek's phone pinged with a text.

From:  Erica
Message:  Nothing here.

He sighed, and continued watching the game as he waited for his Beta to get back.

On the field, Boyd took out 'The Abomination.' Gaining excited cheers from the Beacon Hills crowd.

"The bigger they are! The. Bigger. They. Are." Coach yelled, Derek turned to Lydia with a raised eyebrow.

"It's coach." Was the girl's only explanation.

Scott scored the next goal, only to be slammed into by another player from the other team. As he hit the ground, there was a sickening crunch of bone.

Isaac and Stiles got to him first, shortly followed by Allison, Jackson and Danny. Boyd however walked over to Derek with glowing yellow eyes.

"Erica," Boyd gasped "Something's wrong with Erica."

Derek took off in a sprint. He saw Erica running past the pool towards him. "Erica, what's-" Then he saw what was chasing her. The creature.

"Shit," he started running towards her as, but the creature beat him there, cutting the back of her neck. "Erica!" The blonde swayed on her feet before falling into the pool. The creature snarled at him, aiming for him next, but Derek didn't care as he drove into the pool to save his Beta. She was lying at the bottom, motionless, bubbles of air escaping her lips. Seeing the girl so helpless terrified him as he swam to save her.

He quickly pulled her up, relieved when she immediately gasped for air. "It's okay, it's okay, I've got you." He assured his Beta, his eyes were glowing red as they flickered from the girl to the creature.

"What's it doing?" She gasped as the creature circled the pool, but made no attempt to attack them.

"I don't know." Derek admitted, fighting to keep the fear out of his voice.

"Hey assbutt!" a voice called out, followed by a knife embedding itself into the creature's chest.

Derek looked towards the voice to see Lydia holding multiple throwing knives, flanked by Jackson. Derek used the distraction to move to the opposite end of the pool, when he got there, he and Erica were suddenly yanked out. Stiles was holding him, Boyd holding Erica.

"Boyd, get her out of here, we'll hold it off!" Derek whispered. "Go!"

Boyd and Erica left, then Stiles and Derek sprung into action. The fight was brief, ending when the creature saw its reflection and became confused and frightened, then it ran away.

"I know what it is." Derek announced. "It's called a Kanima."

"Uhh, that's great, but I have a question." Lydia spoke up, touching the back of her neck. "It cut me on the back of my neck." She stated, looking at the blood on her gloves. "So why am I not paralysed on the floor right now?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Chris and Victoria were in the kitchen, cooking dinner and drinking wine when the front door opened.

"Oh good you're back, dinner's almost ready." Victoria called out as she limped to the kitchen door.

"Great." Gerard smiled. "Do we have room for two more?" He asked as Scott and Allison hesitantly came into view.

"Hi." Scott greeted sheepishly. Chris immediately hugged Allison whilst sending Scott a glare.

"Allison." Victoria greeted tensely whilst rubbing her injured shoulder.

"Hey mum, how are your.. uh… injuries?"

"They're fine."

Dinner was tense, for the most part.

"Okay, why is everyone so quiet?" Gerard asked, looking around the dinner table. He and Chris were at opposite ends of the table, Scott and Allison were next to each other on one side of the table, Victoria on the other.

"Is it that uncomfortable that they're dating?"

"No," Victoria stated. "What's uncomfortable is that there is a werewolf in my house." Chris' eyes widened, obviously he didn't know that Victoria had told Gerard everything.

"Now, now Victoria, no need to be so harsh. I've come to.. an agreement with the Pack, haven't I Allison?" Gerard asked, ignoring Victoria's outrage at the news.

"Yup." She smiled. "Everything is okay. But, uh, can Scott and I be excused to grab some of my things from my room?"

"Yes, of course."

The two were able to break into the safe, only to find a cookbook inside. Then Allison realised something.

"I know where it is."

They quickly made an excuse to leave, Allison 'accidentally' grabbed her grandfather's coat on the way out and then the pair felt like they could breathe again as they made their way to the Stilinski house.

"I don't get it." Gerard smiled at the door as it slammed shut. "What's not to like?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"I've found something." Lydia announced. "It says here that the Kanima seeks a master."

"So whoever it is." Scott started, "Not only do they not know who, or what, they are-"

"They don't know what they're doing." Stiles continued. "Someones controlling them."

"Do you realise how much worse this is?" Derek asked in frustration, running a hand through his hair. "Before we were dealing with a random serial killing monster. Now, we're dealing with premeditated murders, committed by a monster, controlled by someone with an agenda that we have no idea about."

"How fun." Lydia sighed, sarcasm dripping from her words in measures that rivaled Stiles. "I'll try to find out what I can."

Notes:

Thanks for reading, I hope enjoy this chapter. The next one might be a little late as I'll be taking a few days off writing to celebrate my birthday! *Party poppers sound* I made opening credits for the series a while ago, but forgot to post the link, but here it is: http://bit.ly/1ItYZ9c

Chapter 21: You're Killing People, To Death!

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The Kanima and Kanima master are revealed, Stiles and Derek go on a date and Lydia is forced to deal with her Banshee abilities.

The Hale Pack: You're Killing People, To Death!

"How fun." Lydia sighed, sarcasm dripping from her words in measures that rivaled Stiles. "I'll try to find out what I can."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Did you see them?" Allison asked with a sigh of annoyance as she sat between Scott and Isaac in class.

"If you're referring to the security cameras all around school, then yes." Isaac informed the brunette "If you're referring to Derek and Stiles making out in the parking lot, yes again."

"I was talking about the camera's, but really?" Allison giggled.

"yeah, see for yourself" Isaac gestured to the window and sure enough, Derek had Stiles pinned against the Camaro in plain sight, as the two kissed passionately, utilising every second they had together before the bell rang to cover each other in their scent. All of the threats surrounding them had Stiles and Derek very possessive of the entire pack, but especially of each other.

"Isn't that, like, the fourth time this week?"

"Fith."

"And it's only Wednesday." Scott grumbled.

"Awww," Isaac teased, leaning onto Allison's desk, "Are you jealous? Would you rather it was you making out with one of us?"

"No!" Scott protested immediately, without thinking, cheeks turning red.

Isaac and Allison shared a look. "Well that's disappointing." Isaac sighed.

"Very."

"Wait- no- that's not what I-"

"Maybe you and I should just make out, seeing as Scott doesn't want to." Isaac suggested.

"Hmm, sounds promising." Allison nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, but I will miss that thing that he does with his tongue."

"Yeah, me too." Isaac sighed, then grinned wickedly, "But I'm sure we can find a way to compensate."

Allison looked intrigued as Scott looked worried, eyes darting between his mates as he tried to figure out if they were being serious or just teasing him. "What did you have in mind?" Allison asked with a lecherous grin

Isaac smirked seductively then leaned in closer to whisper in Allison's ear, so that only she and Scott could hear the filthy things he said.

It didn't take long for Scott to say: "O-okay, I-I I've changed m-my mind, I definitely want to!" Isaac and Allison shared a triumphant look as the bell rang, though those looks immediately vanished when their teacher walked in. This wasn't their usual teacher.

"I'm afraid your teacher was feeling ill today" Victoria Argent stated as she walked down the centre of the classroom with a slight limp. "and had to leave early." She leant on her desk and smiled at the class. "So unfortunately, you're stuck with me as a substitute. Can anyone catch me up to speed on where we are? Mr McCall, how about you?"

Well this was going to be a bad lesson.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So on another note," Lydia stated during lunch, after the trio told the pack of their encounter with Mrs Argent and everyone had expressed their opinions on the matter of course. "The reservations have been made."

"Oooh, date night?" Stiles asked with a smile. He was happy that his pups were making time to have fun, yet still being alert of any threats. Wait, pups? Where did that come from?

"Yup, but not ours." Jackson grinned, Stiles looked around the table in confusion, to find all of his pack mates grinning at him.

"Then who's?"

"Yours." Erica stated simply.

"What?"

"We've noticed that you and Derek have been devoting all of your spare time to the pack and the Kanima and the Argents," Allison informed him, not even blinking when she said 'The Argents' as if she had no connection to them. "You both deserve to have some fun and quality couple time." She smiled.

"But clearly you weren't going to sort it for yourselves, so we stepped up." Lydia grinned. "Your date is on friday. Tomorrow night, Danny and Allison are taking Derek shopping, Erica and I will be taking you."

"I'm not getting out of this am I?" Lydia raised her eyebrows at him, causing Stiles to sigh. "Alright but you have to tell Derek."

"Your dad is going to tell him today." Allison grinned.

"Of course he is."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After school, Stiles couldn't wait to rush over to Derek, who was waiting for him by the Camaro. The first thing he did was wrap his arms around Derek's neck and kiss him deeply.

"Hmm," Stiles half sighed, half moaned when they pulled away. "That never gets old."

"I hope not" Derek's voice was as he pressed his face into Stiles' neck but his mate heard him clearly. "How else will I keep you by my side?"

"Just keep being you, I love you Derek. Your kisses, your body, everything else, is just a bonus." He whispered into Derek's hair, as his mate breathed in his scent."You'll never have to worry about me walking away. But," He pulled away slightly to look Derek in the eyes. "If you ever hurt one of my pups, I will end you."

"Isn't that my line?" Derek chuckled, pulling away to open the passenger side door.

"Nope." Stiles grinned, sliding into the car. "I acknowledge and accept my fate." He sighed in faux defeat. "I am totally Pack mum."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

'Fake left, swing right, arms up, block, duck, don't charge in, have your opponent follow your lead. This is a dance. You must be the one to write the choreography. Don't be predictable, surprise yourself with you moves. Be graceful, yet fierce. Be a goddess of beauty, wisdom and war. Be everything you never thought that you could. Be a warrior, a survivor, you can do this.'

These were the thoughts racing through Erica's head as she trained, facing off against Jackson. She was pulling off stunts that she never thought she'd be able to do, she was flipping, gliding and twirling out of Jackson's reach.

Erica studied her fellow beta closely, hands held up to protect her face, one eye analysing Jackson, the other scanning her surroundings. Her senses were all focused. Focusing on a change in his heartbeat, a shift in the wind, any scent change that would indicate what was to come. She was focused and prepared.

She crouched low to the ground, causing Isaac to trip over her, rather than tackled her. She grabbed the curly haired beta's leg before standing. Erica spun Isaac around, full force, before releasing his legs and sending him crashing into Jackson. Before they were even on the floor, she was running towards them. She pulled Isaac off of Jackson before slamming him into the ground, pressing her claws into both of their necks. She retracted said claws then mimed slashing their throats.

"Excellent work Erica!" Derek complimented with a proud smile. "I could tell that you were focusing all of your senses, working off of instinct. I'm proud of you." He smiled as he helped the girl up. "Now boys, can you tell me what you did wrong?"

Isaac spoke first as he struggled to his feet. "I was focusing on attacking her, rather than anticipating what she would do."

"That's right. Jackson?"

"I did the same, but I also allowed myself to get distracted when she fought Isaac." Jackson shook his head at himself. "It was stupid."

"No, not stupid." Derek denied immediately, pulling Jackson to his feet. "It was a beginners mistake, don't berate yourself over it." He looked between both betas. "You're new to this, it takes a while to get a hang of all of your new senses. I don't know why, but it's easier for girls, both bitten and born." Derek told them with a shrug. "Maybe it's because girls are better at multitasking, I don't know." Derek suggested as the girls grinned in approval. "What I do know is that this is training. This is so you can figure out what you're doing wrong and fix it, or make up for it in real life situations. No one can get it perfectly. I bet even Erica, who 'won', is thinking of parts of the fight that she could have improved."

"It's true," Erica nodded. "For example, when I tripped Isaac, that could have gone wrong. He could have easily gotten the upper hand whilst I was crouched."

"Exactly." Derek agreed, "But you realised that, without any prompting or hints. You know what was good, what was sloppy and what could do with improving. That's good. Better to realise it now than out there." He smiled at all three happily. "Now, you two, go rest and heal, if anything needs setting, ask Melissa to do it. Then, when you're ready, weapons training with Chris. Erica it's up to you what you do. Weapons with Allison or hand to hand with Noah. Next up, Scott and Boyd. Let's go."

"Wait!" Danny called out from where he sat with his laptop, wide eyes fixed on the screen. "I found it! The connection between all of the victims!" The pack and Chris were by his side in seconds. "Swim team! They were all on it the same year. Isaac's dad was the coach."

"Why would someone be going after one specific swim team?"

"Because they almost killed someone" Isaac said, wide eyed. "Well, they technically did. They had just won some big thing, dad and Cam had brought them back to the house to celebrate, they had been drinking. He came round to do a comic book exchange. Th-the team, they thought it'd be funny to throw him in the pool, but he couldn't swim. He just kept sinking, no one helped. I couldn't do anything, I was locked in my room, but I could see from the window. My dad pulled him out and revived him. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone. He told him that it was his fault for not being able to swim."

"Who, Isaac? Who is he? Who's the Kanima's master?" Derek asked urgently

"Matt. Matt Daehler."

"I knew there was something about him that I didn't like!" Stiles proclaimed, drawing unimpressed looks from the pack. "What? It's true. I've always thought that he's a shady little shit, right Scott?"

Scott nodded in agreement. "It's true."

"Okay, well Ally, Lydia and I have to go do a thing, we'll be back soon." (A/N: For those of you who don't remember, the 'thing' was originally mentioned in chapter 19 after dinner with the Argents, when Allison and Stiles went to pick up Allison's things.)

"What? What 'thing'? And I thought Allison was your only partner in crime for whatever it is?" Derek asked in confusion.

"There's multiple people in on the thing, Der, but Lyd and Ally are the ones I need right now."

Derek looked around at the pack. "Who exactly is in on it?" Lydia, Allison, Danny and Jackson immediately raised their hands, shortly followed by the Sheriff. "Seriously? What the Hell are you planning?"

"You'll find out when it's done."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"No." Lydia stated as she searched through various shirts."Boyd and Jackson are watching Matt's house, Danny has hacked his phone's GPS, Mr Argent has hunters patrolling for the Kanima and your dad has access to every camera in town. We've got this covered, you are not canceling your date!"

"but-"

"No."

"Try these on." Erica ordered, handing Stiles a pile of clothes, which Lydia then topped with at least a dozen shirts.

"Fine." Stiles grumbled, shuffling to the changing rooms. He came out five minutes later, dressed nicely in a pair of black skinny jeans, black and white flannel shirt with the top two buttons undone. "How's this?"

"That's a definite maybe." Erica stated, her eyes roaming his body appreciatively. They may both be mated to other people, but that doesn't mean she can't admire when he looks good. She admires all of her Pack Mates on a daily basis, and who could blame her? She's surrounded by extremely sexy people. Boyd doesn't mind as he knows she loves him and would never cheat on him.

"It does look great, semi-formal but still very you." Lydia commented thoughtfully, electing to ignore Erica's heated gaze. "But you should try on the other outfits to be sure." Stiles groaned as he disappeared back into the changing room. Half an hour later, he had finally tried on all of the clothes they had given him. Much to his frustration, the girls decided that the first outfit he had tried on was the best one for his date. They made him put it back on, along with his leather jacket, Lydia quickly snapped a picture of him and sent it to Allison. "That'll work. What do you think, Erica?"

"I approve." Lydia's phone buzzed and she showed Erica something. "Huh, that's perfect."

Stiles moved to look at the phone. "What is?" he asked as Lydia pulled the phone away from him before he could see.

"They already found something for Derek that'll match well enough that people will know you're a couple, but not so well that they think that you're one of those annoying, can't-be-apart-for-more-than-five-minutes couples." Lydia informed him and put her phone safely away in her bag, having grown tired of Stiles' continued attempts to get a look at the screen. "that you'll get to see tomorrow night. Now go get changed and then we'll find you some shoes."

An hour later, a blonde, a brunette and a redhead were sitting at a booth in the dinner, slowly munching on their food and waiting for Derek, Allison and Danny. They were allowed to put their shopping bags in the staff changing room, which they were immensely grateful for, because Erica and Lydia had decided to buy themselves a few extra outfits, along with some extra outfits for Stiles. They were halfway through their meals when the others showed up. Danny walked over to the booth as Allison and Derek went to put the shopping bags in the back room.

"Sorry we're late, Allison and I got into an argument with Derek, because he wanted to wear all black. Remember that shirt we showed you?" Lydia nodded as Derek and Allison walked over. "They had it in black too, so Derek wanted that one."

"Please tell me you didn't get it!" Lydia glared at Derek.

"No," Allison stated, sitting down. "We argued for almost an hour, when Danny noticed that they didn't have the black one in his size."

"Actually," Danny started to correct. "They did, until someone came along well you were arguing and took the last one. I didn't say anything because Derek would have chased the guy down until he found him and got the shirt."

"We ordered your usuals." Stiles announced before Derek could say anything. "Janie should be bringing them out soon. We told her that we didn't know how long you'd be, so she said that she'd get the preparation done then actually cook it when you get here."

"That's great, thanks." Allison smiled, then started to stand. "Actuall, while we're waiting I'm just gonna go check next week's schedule and see when I'm in. I'll be right back." With that Allison made her way through the 'Staff Only' door, muttering to herself about how she should have checked the schedule when putting the bags down.

"So, are you going to tell us where we're going on our date?" Derek asked Lydia whilst stealing a fry from Stiles' plate. Ignoring Stiles' indignant 'hey' of protest

"Of course!" Lydia stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "At 6:30 tomorrow."

"Which will give you just enough time to get there for your 7 o'clock reservation." Erica grinned. Derek sighed, then went to grab another fry.

"Stop, they're mine!" Stiles protested, slapping Derek's hand away.

"Seriously? Come on Stiles I'm starving!"

"You should've thought about that before wasting time arguing over a shirt!"

"But you love it when I wear black."

"True, but I also like it when you wear other colours too!"

"Like what?" Derek asked, seeming to be genuinely startled by the revelation

"Grey, you know I love those grey henleys that you wear! And blue! Like that dark blue shirt you wore to meet my dad!" Stiles pointed out, he intended to point out the other colours he enjoyed seeing Derek wear, but Danny intervened before he could.

"You like him in grey, huh?" Danny asked, giving Derek a look.

"Shut up, I didn't know." Derek mumbled.

"Hey Ally, Stiles loves Derek in grey!" Danny announced when he saw the girl approaching with three milkshakes.

"Are you serious?" Allison asked as she glared at the Alpha.

"Oops?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next night found Stiles pacing in his room, stopping to look in the mirror every few seconds. "I don't know why you're so nervous, you're off on a date with your boyfriend, not a total stranger." Erica reminded Stiles, inspecting her nails casually.

"Because, I only just realised that this is our first real date!" Stiles flailed his arms around whilst pacing, not stopping to glance at the girls.

"What? No it isn't!" Allison rolled her eyes.

"It kind of is." Stiles finally stopped pacing and ran his hand over his hair. "That night at Lydia's party, we weren't actually dating, it was a cover story, bowling was a group date, I'm not sure if the dance counts, and any meals we have are usually with Pack, or my dad at the end of the table."

"In that case, he better bring flowers." Lydia stated. "Now come here and let me sort out your collar."

Lucky for Derek, he did bring flowers. White lillies, Stiles' mother's favourite flower. "You remembered." Stiles smiled as Derek stood in the doorway, grinning like a loon.

"Of course," Derek grinned, leaning in to kiss his mate. "What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

"Me. I don't know your mother's favourite flower." Stiles frowned as he made his way to the kitchen.

"That's because I haven't told you." Derek reminded him with a chuckle as Stiles found a vase.

"True. So what was it?"

"Believe it or not, wolfsbane." Stiles eyebrows shot up at that, causing Derek to chuckle. "I know, I thought the same thing when she told me. She obviously didn't keep it in vases around the house, but she said that she liked it because as much as hunters can use it to poison us, we can use it to cure ourselves."

"That is actually pretty cool." Stiles smiled, placing the vase of lilies on the table. "Well, I'm sorry, but I won't be buying you any bouquets of wolfsbane."

"Good." Derek grinned, wrapping his arm around Stiles waist. "You ready to go?"

"Yup, as soon as we find out where we're going."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Their reservation turned out to be at a nice restaurant in the centre of town. It was small and well lit, but not overly so. It was fancy enough to require better clothes than jeans and t-shirts, but not too fancy that you needed a tie. Plus, Stiles was able to understand the menu. The Pack really did choose the perfect place for them.

"So, Mr. Hale," Stiles grinned, leaning forward slightly. " tell me about yourself." Derek looked confused, so Stiles continued. "Well, this our first official date, so.."

"So it is." Derek chuckled. "Wow, over three months and this is our first actual date with just the two of us." Derek shook his head. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know." Stiles laughed. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"Right, well, my name is Derek Hale, I am 22 years old and I work as an assistant deputy at the BHPD. I live with my boyfriend, who is the most caring, thoughtful, loving, devious, hyperactive spaz in the world, and I love him more than anything." Derek smiled at his mate, who had turned red at the compliments and declaration of love, though really he should be used to it by now. "How about you?

"My name is Stiles Stilinski, before you ask, Stiles is just a nickname but my first name is impossible to pronounce. I am 16 years old and attend Beacon Hills High School. I live with my father, my boyfriend and my best friend's boyfriend. My boyfriend is incredibly hot! And I mean hot like burning! He's a couple of years older than me, but we don't let it get between us. He loves to wear black all of the time. His hobbies include running, lurking, brooding whenever I'm not around, stalking high schoolers and making me insanely happy."

"I do not stalk high schoolers." Derek protested immediately. "If anything, they stalk me!" He argued, as the waitress set down their drinks. "I come home and find a group of teenagers in my living room, or sometimes in my bed."

"Puppy piles, Der Bear." Stiles grinned and the waitress chuckled.

"You two are so cute together." She complemented with a smile.

"Thanks, Heather. I haven't seen you in a while." Stiles smiled at his childhood friend.

"I know, it's been too long, Stiles, I heard you had a hot, older boyfriend, but I didn't think it was true." The girl, Heather, chuckled. "It's nice to meet you, Derek was it?" She asked, holding out her hand for him to shake, which he took.

"Yeah, nice to meet you Heather. So how do the two of you know each other?" Derek asked politely.

"Our mums were best friends." Stiles explained before taking a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, we were really close, too." Heather smiled. "We used to take bubble baths together. It's crazy to think back on, huh?"

"Absolutely. So, are you seeing anyone at the moment?"

"Nah." Heather shrugged. "I haven't really met anyone that caught my attention and it seems that whenever I do, they're taken or not interested." She sighed and Stiles nodded sympathetically.

"It was the same for me, until I met Derek. But don't worry, you'll find your perfect someone someday."

"Thanks Stiles," Heather grinned. "Although, I may need a little help finding him."

"When I find him, I will bring him to you in a heartbeat." Stiles smiled, remembering the promise they made at the age of seven. "Because friends help you find your prince charming."

Heather smiled at the memory. "I wish I could return the favour, but you found yours before I did." She pulled out a notebook and pen. "Anyway, are you guys ready to order?"

"I like her." Derek announced after they had ordered and Heather walked away

"Yeah, me too. It's a shame we grew apart, but something tells me that our friendship could easily be rekindled."

"Yeah, I think so too." Derek smiled at his mate. "Now, back to us, this is our night, after all."

"So it is." Stiles smiled. "Right, uh, so I beat Erica at wall climbing in P.E. today."

"Really?"

"Don't sound so surprised!" Stiles laughed, softly kicking Derek under the table then grinned as an idea.

"No, no, it's just because it's Erica, she is the fastest in the pack." Derek defended himself with a chuckle and raised his hands in defense.

"True, but I have longer limbs." Stiles reminded him and to prove his point, he stretched out his leg once more. Rather than kicking his mate, this time Stiles began a game of footsie. "Oh, Allison beat Scott."

Derek laughed outright even as he joined Stiles in playing footsie. "Really? I mean Allison is great and damn fast for a human, I'm not denying that, but Scott is-" Suddenly remembering that they were in public, Derek grew quiet. Stiles smiled at his mate reassuringly, reaching out to grab his hand.

"I know, Allison was ahead of him, so she paused to let him catch up, he used 'admiring the view' as an excuse so she climbed again, telling him to 'admire from afar' then he used his abilities to pass her, so she kicked his foot, causing him to fall off the wall."

Derek laughed again, thankful for his mate's silent reminder that he didn't have to worry so much. It was unlikely that anybody heard his slip up, and he didn't need to stop speaking just because of it. "That's hilarious, I'm proud."

"Me too." Stiles grinned. The rest of their evening was pleasant, they enjoyed their meal and time together. Although, there was a small argument over who would pay, until Heather informed them that the food was already paid for by a 'Mr. J Whittemore'. They thanked Heather and gave her a tip, then left the restaurant hand in hand, leisurely making their way through the car park.

"So, I was thinking-" Derek began as they walked to the car, only to be cut off by Stiles.

"Uh, oh."

"Haha," Derek responded sarcastically and rolled his eyes. "Nevermind." He muttered, he successfully put on a mask of annoyance, but his eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Wait, no, tell me, tell me, please!" Stiles rushed out, turning to face Derek.

"I don't know.." Derek teased as he unlocked the car. Stiles cupped his face and turned it towards him. He pressed a soft kiss to Derek's lips. He pulled back, lightly tugging on Derek's bottom lip, with his eyes half lidded and his voice low and husky, Stiles breathed out a "Please?" that had Derek's trousers tightening.

"I was going to suggest that, since your dad is home tonight, we could rent a hotel room." Derek suggested, causing Stiles' eyes to light up."Just the two of us, all night."

"Hell yeah."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Life's too short for shitty sex and bad relationships. So go in there and find someone who fucks you right and treats you how you deserve to be treated." Erica smirked, patting Danny on the back. The pack, minus Noah and Melissa, stood outside of The Jungle. Derek was reluctant about being there, but was persuaded by Stiles. Danny had just broken up with his cheating boyfriend, so the pack took him out to cheer him up.

"Okay, but if he is here, one of you better punch him for me." Danny stated, not the pack needed asking to do that.

"Uh, guys?" Scott spoke up, staring at the building. "We have a problem." The pack followed the beta's look to see a scaly tail disappearing through a window.

"Shit, was that-?"

"The Kanima."

"There goes our fun night." Lydia sighed.

"Not necessarily" Stiles said thoughtfully. "I mean, we can't exactly run in all claws and fangs, and we can't say 'hey, there's a homicidal lizard monster running around, so we need you all to leave so we can find him'. I say our best bet is going in, keeping an eye out, dancing a little, acting normal and keeping it from killing anyone."

Derek thought for a moment, weighing his options, before he decided that Stiles was right. "Okay, but no one will be standing alone."

Twenty minutes later, the pack was in the club. Danny was dancing with a cute guy and ignoring his ex, Isaac and Scott dancing close by. Allison, Erica and Lydia were grinding against each other, having a lot of fun as Stiles and Jackson watched on from the bar in amusement. Erica looked like she was having the time of her life between the two girls and kept sending Boyd suggestive looks. Stiles knew that if Erica had her way, the pair would be spending the night at Boyd's house. Boyd was standing next to Derek by the exit, the stoic pair watching the crowd carefully.

"That one's paid for." The bartender informed Stiles, pointing to a gentleman a little older than him at the other end of the bar. The guy in question smiled at Stiles and raised his drink and Stiles repeated the gesture.

"Won't your boyfriend get jealous?" Jackson asked with a smirk as he sipped his drink. "First you get swarmed by drag queens and given their numbers, now you've got guys buying you drinks."

"Absolutely," Stiles grinned wickedly. "when he's jealous, he doesn't hold back." Stiles winked at Derek from across the club, who looked a mix of embarrassed and annoyed, the wolf members of the pack looked grossed out, except for Erica. Stiles didn't want to think about the look on her face.

"Can you not?" Jackson practically begged with a grimace. "Ugh, it's like hearing my parents talk about sex."

"That's cause I'm totally the Pack Mum." Stiles grinned, sipping his drink.

"Huh. Yeah, I guess you are." Jackson agreed thoughtfully. "Just don't expect me to start calling you 'mum' anytime soon."

"Lighting beams." Allison's voice cut through the background noise of the club. Stiles looked up to see the kanima crawling across the aforementioned beams, glaring down at the crowd. The pack sprung into action, trying to bring down the creature. Unfortunately, it was able to paralyse multiple people, including Danny, before escaping.

"Jackson, Lydia, stay with Danny!" Derek ordered as he raced out of the club. In the alley, hunters were waiting, shooting at the kanima relentlessly.

After multiple bullets and claws cutting through it, the Kanima went down. Of course, the hunters, minus Chris, decided to turn their weapons to the pack next.

"Don't!" Chris yelled. "We have a treaty!"

"Who cares about some stupid treaty? They're animals! They need to be put down." One of the hunters stated, pointing a gun at Allison.

"Actually." Allison piped up. "I'm human. Just ask your friends, I recognise some faces from the night my own mother shoved wolfsbane in my face." Evidently, Chris hadn't been informed of that part of the story, made clear by the horrified and apologetic look on his face.

"You may be human," Another hunter spoke up before Chris could say anything, Allison recognised him as one of the ones she had shot with her arrows that night. "but you run with wolves! And you shot me with an arrow!"

"You were threatening my pack." The brunette shrugged. "The hunters council signed the treaty and agreed to peace with our pack, you're the ones who violated it. Our actions were merely self defense." During the exchange, no one noticed the kanima crawl away. No one except Erica. The blonde tugged on Stiles' arm and gestured to where the creature previously lied.

Stiles slowly pulled the girl away from the pack, whilst everyone was distracted, following a blood trail to the parking lot. When gunfire started up, they ran. They found the kanima lying in between two cars, except it wasn't the kanima anymore.

"Isn't that-?" Erica gasped in shock.

"Yeah, that's her." Stiles sighed. "That's Tammy."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles' phone rang loudly as he and Erica stood in the woods around midnight.

"hey Der-"

"Where are you?!" Derek demanded, worry and anger clear in his voice. "Is Erica with you? Where did you go? Are you injured?"

"Derek, calm down. We're both fine. We're in the preserve, near the cliff. Just before the hunters started shooting, Erica noticed that the kanima was gone, so we followed the blood trail and found her. Rather than deliver her to hunters, we took her and have locked her up."

"Her? You know who it is?!" Before Stiles could reply, his dad's voice came over the speaker.

"Stiles, please tell me that you have nothing to do with the stolen prisoner transfer bus."

"Uhh…" Stiles scratched the back of his head nervously. "Do you want me to answer honestly?"

"Ah Crap." Stiles could imagine his dad running his hands over his face then looking up with a 'why me?' expression on his face. "Alright, I'll put it down to misfiled paperwork. But you better have a damn good story for kidnapping someone!"

"Who exactly have you kidnapped?" Lydia asked. "Who is it."

"Tammy." Stiles told them. "Tammy Harley."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"How's Danny?" Stiles asked Lydia the next day as he sent a text to Tammy's parents from her phone.

"He's fine, no longer paralysed. He said that the only thing that made it bearable was the fact that his ex was paralysed too." The redhead chuckled.

Before Stiles could say anything, a grumble sounded from inside the van. "Ah, our little lizard is awake." The two climbed into the van to see the girl struggling against the handcuffs. When she saw them, her expression turned from scared to annoyed.

"Seriously? Is this some sort of joke?!" She yelled at them, trying to lunge forward. "Fine, I get it, I won't say anything about you or your friends, okay? Now let me go."

"This isn't about what you said," Lydia explained, sitting opposite the girl. "This is about what you are."

"Seriously? You're friends with Boyd, who, in case you haven't noticed, is the same colour as me!"

"This isn't about the colour of your skin, Tammy." Stiles sighed. "This isn't about your race, it's about your species."

"What? Are you high? I'm human! Like you!"

"Are you sure about that?" Lydia raised an eyebrow at the girl. "So nothing has happened recently? So you haven't been bitten by anything?"

"Or anyone?"

Tanny's eye's widened. "Y-yeah. That night that you were attacked, the second time. Just before he died. That psycho Peter Hale came running out of nowhere, covered in blood, and bit me." She shook her head stubbornly. "But what does that have to do with you kidnapping me?!"

"Everything." Stiles said, "You see, that bite, it changed you. Peter wasn't human, now, you aren't either."

"Oh really?" Tammy drawled, she tried to maintain an air of indifference and hide the fear that was taking over her, but her voice quivered when she asked: "Then what am I?"

"A Kanima."

"And what's that?"

"Well, according to legends, it's a werejaguar from south America." Lydia explained, ignoring the girl's scepticism. "But your form is reptilian, like a giant lizard."

"Oh really? Like scales, a tail, all that?"

"Yup." Stiles announced, popping the p casually. "You also have this paralytic substance that's released from your claws and tail."

"Interesting, really." Tammy rolled her eyes, less frightened and more annoyed now that the pair had said their piece. "Now, if you've had your fun, can I go now?"

"You think this is fun for us?" Lydia asked incredulously. "We found you naked, I put those clothes on you, sweetheart, one item at a time, okay? Being up close and personal with your lady parts wasn't exactly the highlight of my day."

Tammy's head shot up. "Why the hell was I naked?"

"We're guessing that your clothes were shredded when you transformed." Stiles shrugged, trying to sound sympathetic, but not overly so.

"Right, of course."

"God, you still don't believe us." Stiles sighed, "This is serious, alright? You're killing people! To death! Okay?" Tammy just rolled her eyes, so Stiles flashed his eyes at her, causing the girl to recoil in horror.

"W-what are you?"

"Me? I'm a werewolf." Tammy started hyperventilating, eyes darting back and forth.

"You're remembering, aren't you?" Lydia urged. "What is it? What do you remember?"

"I-I oh God, I, I killed people! I- n-no, no, I couldn't have, this is some sort of sick trick! Y-you did something to me, I, I couldn't, I couldn't!" The girl burst into hysterical sobs. "Oh God, what did I do? What did I do?!"

Lydia immediately moved to sit next to the girl and wrapped her arms around her, temporarily forgetting the things that the girl had said about her pack. She may have said some horrible things, but nobody deserved this. "It wasn't you." Lydia whispered to the girl, who began sobbing into her shoulder. "You were being controlled, it wasn't you."

Tammy was cooperative after that, advising Stiles what to write in texts to her parents. She spoke to the sheriff when he arrived, and told him what she remembered. Unfortunately, she never saw Matt's face, so she couldn't identify him. All she ever saw was a hand at a car window and the faces of people that she was instructed to attack.

When Stiles and Derek arrived the next night to take over from Allison, Scott and Isaac, they were horrified to see the doors to the van open, hand cuffs snapped and no Tammy in sight.

They found their pups asleep in the back of Allison's car, naked. Stiles banged on the window in annoyance, startling the trio awake. "You better come see this" he snapped as they moved to cover themselves.

They apologised profusely, but Stiles was too annoyed to accept it just yet. Tammy was out there, unable to control herself while being forced to do unspeakable things. They needed to get her back and stop Matt.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Matt invited me to a rave on friday." Allison mumbled bitterly as she sat at a table in the library with Scott, Stiles, Erica and Jackson. The five of them, along with Matt and Tammy had gotten detention. As Allison and Erica were changing after gym, Tammy, but not really Tammy, attacked them. Stiles, Scott and Jackson heard the commotion and came rushing in. The locker room was mostly destroyed. A sink was ripped off of the wall by Erica, multiple lockers were knocked over, the door was completely destroyed and at least half of the floor tiles were cracked. Matt was 'passing by' when Mr Harris was handing out detentions, and wound up being dragged down with them.

In the time that she was 'missing' Tammy, but not really Tammy, had killed two more people, a couple. The woman was pregnant, but the baby was thankfully saved. Although, the ordeal triggered Jackson into having a panic attack. Stiles talked him out of it, using methods that helped him. Afterwards, Jackson explained to the pack what happened to his birth parents, including how he had to be taken out of his mother's lifeless body via C-section. That night it had been his turn at the center of the puppy pile.

"What did you say?" Scott asked nervously.

"I told him that I am in a committed relationship and very much in love." Allison assured with a soft smile. "Then he insisted that it would just be as friends, so I told him that I'll think about it."

"It could be a good idea." Jackson said. "We can all be there to make sure that nothing happens, and maybe we can trap him."

"That actually is a good idea." Erica commented with clear surprise in her voice, earning her a glare from Jackson, then her phone pinged.

"What is it?" Scott asked urgently.

"Danny," She informed them. "A member of the old swim team is going to be at the rave, she's the DJ."

"Looks like I'll be going with him after all." Allison sighed. "Can I shoot him?"

"Not in public" Stiles grinned. Any conversation was stopped when Tammy shot up from her seat looking pale and ill, before rushing out, followed by Harris, who ordered everyone to stay in their seats.

Once he was gone, Allison stood and walked over to Matt with a smile. "Hey." She greeted, sitting down opposite him, "So, I was thinking about your offer for Friday, and I'd love to, but just friends right?"

"Right" Matt smiled, "Are your boyfriends okay with that?"

"Yeah, It's cool." Allison smiled forcefully. "Anyway, how much do I owe you for the ticket?"

"Oh, no, don't worry about it." Matt insisted, once over his shock, but the wolves could sense his annoyance and jealousy. "I'm dragging you away from your boyfriends for a night, what kind of friend would I be if I made you pay too?"

Allison giggled. "Fair enough, but, uh, Erica wants to take Boyd, so.."

"Ah, okay, well they're $75."

"Hey, Ally!" Stiles called out. "Get your butt over here, you're good at history and we all suck!" That was a lie, Erica was great at history, but it was a good excuse to get away from Matt.

"Alright, I'll be right there." Allison called before looking at Matt again. "Sorry, but I gotta go back, otherwise, they start fighting. Believe me, when they fight, history's greatest wars look like child's play."

"Ah, I get it. Besides, I have calculus homework to do."

"Damn, that sucks. We turn to Lydia with all of our maths related problems, so we're saving that for after detention."

"Ally!"

"You better go," Matt chuckled, showing no signs of the anger rolling off of him in waves. "Before your friends go all monsterous on us."

Allison returned to her seat, just before Tammy and Mr Harris walked in.

"I don't like him." Jackson whispered. "Let's kill him."

"I'm in." Erica agreed.

"No, we're not killing him." Scott protested.

"Possibly not."

"Stiles!"

"Probably not."

"Dude!"

"I'm just being realistic!"

"Well try to be optimistic!"

"Nah, that's your job."

"Are you two done?" Jackson snapped. "Cause you're giving me a headache." Then, two hands smacked him around the head.

"Better?" Scott and Stiles asked in unison then laughed as Jackson flipped them off.

"Am I the only one who picked up on it?" Erica asked raising an eyebrow. "He said 'boyfriends', plural. He actually said it twice, so he clearly knows. Tammy must have seen the three of you doing it in the back of the car, so Matt would have seen it though the link or whatever." Scott and Allisons eyes widened in horror at the thought of Matt seeing them like that. "I still say we kill him. Or at least kidnap him" Erica suggested as she casually inspected her claws.

"Erica!" Stiles hissed, pushing her hand down.

"Relax, Harris isn't looking!" The blonde rolled her eyes.

"No, but the camera's are." It was then the recognition hit the girl and she immediately retracted her claws.

"That's right, you wanna play Catwoman? I'll be your Batman."

"What about Derek and Boyd?" Erica teased as she leant forward on the table.

"They don't have to know." Stiles winked as Allison and Jackson rolled their eyes at them, Scott just looked disturbed.

"That's not very 'pack mum' of you, Stiles." Allison teasingly scolded him. "I expected more from you."

Stiles scoffed at that and rolled his eyes, somewhat teasingly at the girl. "It's me Ally, you really shouldn't set the bar too high."

The pack frowned at Stiles' self-deprecating tone. Jackson was about to say something when Harris got up to leave. Everyone started to do the same, when the teacher laughed and rudely informed them that they wouldn't be leaving yet. The teens begrudgingly started the reshelving.

Then all hell broke loose.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"The girls locker room and the library?! Are you completely insane?!" The sheriff yelled.

"Hey, that totally wasn't our fault! It was Matt!" Erica defended, clearly disgruntled as she held her still injured arm, but it didn't diffuse the situation.

"Matt wasn't present during the changing room incident! And he was unconscious during most of the library destruction!" Noah argued, refusing to blame anybody without hard proof.

"Yeah, but he's controlling Tammy!" Stiles argued. "He made her do those things!"

"Why would he make her knock him out?"

"To throw suspicion off of himself." Stiles flailed "He must know that we know it's him!"

"Are you sure that it's him?" Noah demanded. "There's no proof! Tammy never saw his face, we don't know for sure."

"I know dad, it's him!"

"How do you know?"

"I just know!" Stiles yelled. "Trust me on this! It's him!"

"I'm sorry Stiles, but evidence trumps instinct. Every time." Noah yelled. "You can't just make up the law, Stiles! There are procedures that I have to follow! I can't just arrest some kid because you think he's suspicious!"

"Can't you just trust me this once?!" Stiles screamed. "Come on, the guy has motive and means! People are dying, dad, he-"

"You think I don't know that?!" Noah screamed, face red in anger. "You think I don't notice people in my town dropping like flies because of an endless list of supernatural creatures?!" The sheriff took a deep breath, trying to force himself to calm down. "Just let it go Stiles. This isn't your fight." Noah stated, turning away from his son.

"Are you kidding me?!" Stiles yelled, all self control lost. His eyes were glowing against his will as he screamed at his father. "This is entirely my fight! I can't just sit back and do nothing when this, all of it is all my fault!"

"What are you talking about?" Noah demanded, tone slightly softer due to the concern flooding him at the look in Stiles' eyes.

"If I hadn't dragged Scott out into the woods that night, he would never have been bitten! Then he wouldn't have hunters on his ass! Allison wouldn't have had to leave home because her family were out to kill her boyfriends! Lydia never would have been attacked and now have to deal with Peter's ghost or whatever the hell it is! Peter wouldn't have attacked Erica and bitten Tammy out of revenge! There would have been no Kanima, Isaac's father would have been locked away, rather than killed. All of those people would be alive! My pack wouldn't be in the middle of a life or death situation, and would be able to enjoy the change! And you wouldn't be ashamed of me! So no, I can't let it go! I have to fix this!" When he finally stopped screaming, no one said anything. The pack were staring at him in shock as he stood, red faced, with tears flowing down his cheeks.

Stiles was visibly shaking as he looked at the Pack, when he realised just what he had said he tried to run out of the room, but his dad stopped him by grabbing his arm. Noah opened his mouth to say something that would assure Stiles that he wasn't ashamed of him, anything that might comfort his son, but no words came out. Stiles roughly ruled his arm from his father's grasp, but by then he knew that he had no chance of leaving the room thanks to his Pack. Feeling defeated, Stiles slid down to the floor and curled into a ball, not caring if he looked pathetic, and continued to sob. Derek immediately knelt down and pulled his Mate against him, allowing Stiles to sob into his chest, and tried to find the words to comfort him, but couldn't seem to find them.

"Are you serious?" Jackson asked after a few moments, finally breaking the tense silence. "Are you serious right now? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!"

"Jackson!" Derek snapped. Sure, he agreed that absolutely everything Stiles had just said was completely wrong, but his Mate was distressed and needed comfort, not to be ridiculed. Clearly though, Derek should have had more faith in his Pack as Boyd spoke next and elaborated on Jackson's point.

"No, it's true. You've got it all wrong, Stiles." Boyd agreed, crouching down in front of the boy. "It's true that Scott wouldn't have gotten bitten that night, but someone else would have. Someone who might have joined Peter! Or someone without a best friend like you to help them through it! And with Scott still human, with asthma and no heightened reflexes, he would have sucked at Lacrosse, kept his low self esteem and probably never asked Allison out. If Allison hadn't dated Scott, She, Lydia, Jackson and Danny would have never sat with you two at lunch, gone on a group date and become friends with you! Peter would have still been out killing people, Lydia wouldn't have had anyone to turn to when she saw that picture, Jackson would have continued to be a douche and Allison would have been manipulated by Kate! We all know that that's what Kate was trying to do when she started to show Allison things about the Argents. Can you imagine it? Our Ally, being trained by Kate, manipulated into thinking all werewolves are monsters? Our sweet, strong, independant Allison, being turned into a miniature Kate?" Everyone looked horrified at the thought and Allison realised that it could have happened. She doubted that she'd have had the strength to leave the Argents without a pack to lean on.

"He's right." Erica agreed, joining them on the floor and cautiously laid a hand on Stiles' knee. "Maybe Peter wouldn't have attacked me, but had Allison and Scott never dated, I wouldn't have become friends with you all, because there wouldn't have been a pack day out without a pack. I would have been lonely, insecure and wary of everyone. I'd either be human and crippled by my epilepsy, or lying in a coffin six feet underground, or a very bitchy werewolf."

"My dad wouldn't be in jail, Stiles." Isaac informed him next. "I would never have had the guts to admit what he'd done to me. Even if I had still been turned." He glanced at his mates, before looking back at Stiles. "I wouldn't be with Scott and Allison. I would have continued to be beaten every night, spending each morning trying to cover as many injuries as I could. I was so terrified of him, I dreamt of the day that I got away. I never thought that I could be so happy, and that's because of you and the pack."

"I'd still be pretending to be someone I'm not." Lydia piped up. "I'd be surrounded by fake friends, hiding my intellect and feeling miserable, counting down the days until I graduate, so I can get out of this town and go off to a great college. Now I'm so much better than who I was and so much more than who I could have ever hoped to be." Lydia bit her lip and smiled. "I never thought I'd be worried about going to college, because I never thought I'd have to worry about leaving behind so many people that I love. If it wasn't for you I'd still be that shell."

"I'd still be the 'grumpy asshole' that I was when we met." Derek finally spoke, having collected himself enough that he knew he could speak in a comforting manner and not give away the devastation he felt at hearing the words coming from his mate. "Without you I-I I'd still be living in the burnt out shell of my old home. I wouldn't be a deputy, I wouldn't be an alpha, or if I was, I'd be a hell of a lot worse. Remember that I tried teaching you and Scott about using pain to control the shift? I'd still be doing that. I wouldn't have thought of the better methods that you did. I'd be breaking bones as a lesson, using fear as a method of control. I'd be awful." Derek gently placed his index finger under Stiles' chin and guided the boy to look at him. Derek felt his heart shatter as he looked into Stiles' tear filled eyes, but he didn't allow himself to break down as his Mate needed him to be strong. "I would still be miserable. Blaming myself for my family's deaths, hating everything and everyone. I never thought that I could be happy again, Stiles." Derek wiped the tears from Stiles' cheek tenderly. "I'd have no family, no home and no hope without you. Maybe a couple of bad things have happened since the night you were bitten, but so many more amazing things have happened too. Without you, we wouldn't have our pack. Maybe you were content with how things were before, but given the choice between that life and this one, which would you pick?"

"This one." Stiles admitted softly, "But tha-"

"What about the rest of you? Be honest and raise your hand if you'd rather live that other life. The one without our Pack, without Stiles." Unsurprisingly, no one raised their hands. "You see? No one here, not even Scott, wants to go back to the way things were before."

"I don't blame you Stiles, I could have held my ground and said no. Yeah, at first, I hated it. I thought that the bite was a curse rather than a gift, but now, now that I've gotten used to it, it's one of the best things that has ever happened to me." Scott told his best friend firmly. "I have everything that I've wanted and more. I always thought that I'd never find someone who loves me as more than a friend. I thought that it'd be just you and me forever, that we'd go off to college together, live together, right up to old manhood. Side by side in a nursing home cheating at bingo together. And you know what? I still see most of that, but rather than just us, the entire pack. I can't thank you enough, Stiles. It was a stupid decision to go out that night, but it was the best mistake we ever made. And I wouldn't change it. Ever."

"What would I do without you guys?" Stiles asked, he wiped away the rest of his tears and smiled at his Pack before he stood up to hug them all properly.

"Crash and burn." Erica teased, causing the pack to look at her wide eyed.

"Erica, no! Dammit, now you have to be in the middle of the puppy pile to make sure that you don't end up on the ceiling." Allison sighed, sounding as though the blonde had just spoiled the ending of her favourite tv show. "It should be Stiles' turn, but no, you have to go and say that!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" The sheriff asked in confusion before shaking his head. "You know what? I don't want to know. And another 'puppy pile'? Really?"

"I need my pack tonight, dad."

"Right, of course. Sorry. But you and I will be having a talk tomorrow, Stiles. I don't like knowing that you're having these negative thoughts about yourself. Okay?" Noah insisted, pulling his son in for a hug.

"Okay, dad. Thanks."

When they pulled apart, Noah looked at his son apologetically. "Also Derek needs to go to work in an hour."

A soft frown took over Stiles' face as he nodded reluctantly, "Fine, but I'll be waiting up."

"We all will." Scott promised.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It was five pm on friday night. The girls of the pack were in Allison's room, the boys and Mrs. McCall were at the animal clinic, getting supplies from Deaton.

"I can't believe I'm going to the rave with Matt!" Allison groaned, flopping backwards onto her bed. "If I was going with Isaac and Scott, I'd know exactly what to wear. But with Matt, I don't want to wear something that seems flirty, but I want to dress right for a rave, but I also need something that I can fight in. I'm supposed to pick him up in two hours! Please help." She begged as she ran her hands over her face.

"Sit up." Lydia demanded, "Erica, start on her hair, just wash it and comb through it for now, whilst I look through her wardrobe."

Erica grinned and pulled Allison to her feet, then led her to the bathroom. "Have you picked out what you're wearing Erica?"

"Yup!" Erica replied. "Although, I could use a little advice on what makeup to wear with it. It could go with either bold or subtle, so once I'm dressed, could you give me your opinion?"

"Of course." Lydia grinned, pulling a dress from Allison's wardrobe to inspect it ruther. "I'll need you guys to help with my hair, though. The style I want is not a one woman job."

Lydia picked out a nice grey dress for Allison to wear. She took it to the bathroom to show her. "This." She stated, causing Allison to open her eyes and sit up slightly and squint, trying to look at the dress but also avoid getting water in her eyes.

"Nice," Erica commented, one hand combing her fingers through Allison's hair, trying to remove the last of the shampoo, the other hand holding the shower hose. "It'll go nice with a leather jacket. I'd go with the black one with zip up pockets."

"Ooh, yeah." Lydia grinned, a thought occurred to her. "You can also wear black leather boots. Flat ones though, 'cause we'll probably have to fight tonight."

"What, you can't fight in heels? Weak." Erica teased with a grin.

"Not all of us have werewolf reflexes." Allison defended, trusting that Lydia would give a playful glare on her behalf, which she did. "And, yeah Lyd, that's all fine, except, what about weapons? All of my holsters are too bulky to be concealed by that." Allison commented as Erica started to condition her hair.

"That's right, I haven't shown you yet, have I?" Lydia asked then ran out of the room.

"Shown me what?" Allison called out, but the redhead didn't reply. Allison risked glancing up at Erica, who simply shrugged in response.

A few minutes later, Lydia returned with something in her hands. "Is that a garter?" Erica asked in amusement.

"Technically." Lydia grinned. "It's also a gun holster. That's why I chose that dress, it's long enough to conceal this." She walked over to the pair, to show them the garter/holster.

"It's a shame that I'm wearing jeans tonight." Erica commented.

"It is, because this is literally perfect for our handguns. Concealed thigh carry for up to 2 firearms and 1 magazine or it can be used to carry pepper spray, tasers, knives, money or lipstick. You can use right hand, left hand or cross-draw, the gun pockets feature magnetic weapon retention, to stop the gun from falling out while you're fighting. The garter itself has silicone "Tactical-Grip" edging, meaning that you don't need a garter belt. There's a 3-row hook & eye closure for a comfortable, perfect fit and 5″ military-grade elastic that conforms to your body!" She proclaimed happily. "Plus, it looks good. They're all black, with different laces. There's black, blue, pink and purple. I got three of each, so there's no need to worry about colour co-ordination."

"Nice." Allison whistled in appreciation. "Where did you get it?"

"A self defence website." Lydia informed her. "I got other stuff too. Other concealed holsters, lock pick sets, knives, knife sharpeners, gun cleaning sets, regular ammo. Stuff like that. I got a set of tank tops, sports bras and female boxer briefs that have concealed holsters sewn into them, so you can use one of those, Erica."

"Cool, but I got distracted by 'lock pick' and I suddenly want to learn how to pick locks."

Allison grinned, then offered "I can teach you, my dad taught me how to do it when I was eleven, but then he confiscated my old lock pick set after I used it to break into his office, steal his car keys and meet up with friends when I was fifteen."

Her two best friends laughed at that revelation. "Are you serious?" Erica gasped out as she turned off the shower.

"Yup, I wanted to go to the cinema to see the new Harry Potter movie, but he didn't want me out late" Allison explained as Erica drained her hair. "and it was the midnight premier. I did what I had to do. Funny thing is, he didn't realise I was gone until after the movie. He and mum were out on a date night and took her car. They came home early when they got a call saying I wasn't home, and ended up pulling into the drive at the same time I did."

"Okay, we need to hear the full story, now." Erica demanded as she wrapped Allison's hair in a towel. The three made their way to Allison's room again, to get dressed as Allison told the story.

"Alright, so, we'd been in town around two months and I had made sort-of-friends with a group of people in my English class. We hung out a few times and all agreed to go see the midnight showing together. I told my dad that I'd be going out. I didn't tell him what movie or which cinema, but because it was a midnight showing, he said no, but I had been waiting to see that movie since I read the book, I'd be damned if I was missing out! The thing is, whenever they go out on a night I want to go out, my dad has 'colleagues' watch the house. There are four at a time. Every two hours, they take it in turn for breaks. One will go on a break for fifteen minutes, and another will take over watching both 'sections'. When the first person came back from break, they'd take over the next person's section. Then they'd take over the next and so on. It was very routine. After my parents left, I waited an hour before getting the keys, just in case they came back for something. Once I had them, I had to wait for an opportunity to sneak out. My window was at the front of the house, so I waited til that guy went on break, climbed out of my window and hid in the car. I waited until the first guy came back and took over for guy two. I kept the headlights off and drove away to meet my friends at a cafe before guy four came to check on things. Apparently he didn't realise that the car had been there, because no one knew I was gone until guy one went to the front again and freaked out over the missing car." Lydia and Erica were cracking up over Allison's story.

"What happened next?"

"One of them called my dad and told him that I'm not home, then he called me, just as I got in the car after the film, and demanded to know where I was. I go 'Where do you think? Don't worry though, I'll be home soon' then hung up. I then drove back as fast as I could without breaking any laws, well except for driving without a licence, of course. Anyway, so, I'm driving down the street and I saw my mum's car driving towards me and I knew that they saw me too, the house was halfway between us. However, I didn't want them to corner me on the driveway for everyone to see, so I sped up, now over the limit and they started to speed up too. We were getting closer together, it felt like we were gonna crash. So I hit the breaks and made a sharp turn onto the drive, so fast I got slammed into the door and the tires squeaked so loudly, I'm pretty sure I woke up half the street. The car barely managed to stop in time, only just avoiding the garage door. So, I'm in the driveway, the hunters are standing outside the house looking at me all shocked and pissed off. I quickly got out of the car and tossed the keys to guy number one, then my parents pulled up. When they got out of the car, before they had the chance to say anything, I put on my 'confident face' and said: 'Hey guys, how was your date? Oh, Dad, you were right, the food at that cafe is great! But- uh- your colleagues aren't, getting past them was child's play, but then again, so was picking your office lock.' then I just walked inside and heard my dad yelling at the guys, demanding to know how I snuck past them."

Lydia placed a hand on Allison's shoulder, looked the brunette in the eyes and said "Allison, you are my hero."

"I'll just add lockpicking to the list of things you need to teach me." Erica grinned at the brunette, tugging on the boxer briefs/holster.

"Wormhole theory, motorcycle riding and lock-picking. I've got this." Allison grinned, as Erica threw her head back and let out a full bodied laugh.

"You've been spending too much time with Stiles." Lydia commented and rolled her eyes.

"You're one to talk." Allison giggled. "Don't think I haven't noticed you flailing and wearing plaid lately."

"Only plaid skirts!" Lydia defended

"Still plaid."

"Oh god, he's literally contagious." Erica gasped, widening her eyes in mock horror. "We're all doomed."

"Stop talking like Jackson and get your butt over here so we can do your makeup!"

An hour later, all three girls were dressed with their hair and makeup done. "So, Lyd, how come Stiles is your date to the rave and not Jackson?" Erica asked curiously as she holstered her gun.

"Jackson is still having trouble with his sensitive hearing, he's prepared to go inside if necessary, but he's not willing to be inside the whole night, but we all agreed to go everywhere in pairs, and I am not sitting out tonight." Lydia explained as she picked up a stun baton. "Besides, we have business to discuss."

"Have either of you seen my stun baton?" Allison asked as she placed her crossbow in her bag. "The collapsable one?"

"Which voltage?" Lydia asked. "950 thousand, two million, five million or ten million?"

"I was hoping for the one million?"

"It's not here"

"That's because it's broken." Erica informed them casually. "Remember when the two of you and Stiles left training early to sort out that 'thing'? Well, whilst you were gone, there was a pain tolerance test and Scott ended up snapping it in half."

"Ugh, dammit, fine, I'll take the two mil."

"Good, 'cause I've already claimed the five." Lydia grinned as she handed Allison the baton.

"Are you ever going to tell us about this 'thing'. You guys have been secretive for weeks!" Erica groaned in annoyance. "It's driving me crazy."

Lydia and Allison exchanged a look, then Allison nodded. "Okay, we'll tell you, if you promise not to say anything, not even to Boyd!"

Erica looked unsure, so Allison continued, "You'll be able to talk about it to me, Lydia, Stiles, Jackson, Danny and the Sheriff, but that's it. Deal?"

"Deal."

Allison beamed. "Okay, so here's the thing-"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison walked into the rave with Matt by her side. The boy kept checking her out in the car and tried to hold her hand, she already knew that it was going to be a long night. Lydia was already there with Stiles, Scott and Isaac were also there. Boyd and Erica had left just after Allison, so they should be here soon. Jackson and Derek were patrolling the building, watching for hunters and waiting for the signal for Mrs. McCall and Danny to set up the mountain ash barrier. The sheriff was on duty and anxiously waiting by the phone in his office for news.

Allison faked a smile as she danced with Matt, forced a laugh when he told a bad joke and when she danced with him, she sent exasperated looks to Erica and Lydia, and longing looks to Isaac and Scott. But she knew that she needed to get through this, so she pushed thoughts of who she'd rather be with aside, and focused on distracting Matt so that they could save Tammy.

"Hey, you want a drink?" Matt asked, raising his voice to be heard over the music.

"Yeah! Thanks!" Allison replied, giving him a real smile this time.

"Okay, I'll be right back!" With that, he started to walk away, unaware of Boyd following him. Once Matt and Boyd were out of sight, the other pack members rushed over.

"Please kill me!" Allison begged as her mates wrapped her in their arms around her. The two began scent marking her, trying to get rid of as much of Matt's scent as possible.

"Sorry, Ally, but we'd miss you too much." Lydia smiled sympathetically and patted the girl's arm.

"How are things going on your end?" Allison asked, glancing around the room for Tammy. "Is she here yet?"

"Yeah," Erica confirmed. "She arrived about five minutes after you did. Jackson came inside to keep an eye on her. Mrs. McCall and Danny set up the barrier, Derek tested it, it definitely works." There was a soft frown on her face and her eyes were downcast.

"Hey, don't worry." Allison assured. "We've got this, don't worry. When is it time for Ketamine?"

"Soon, Isaac, are you ready?" Lydia asked the boy who was still nuzzling his cheek to Allison's neck.

"Yup."

"Remember, find a vein." Lydia reminded him. "The neck will be the easiest, so find the vein, press the needle in, then pull back on the trigger." Isaac nodded, then Stiles' phone buzzed. "Oh crap." he gasped as he read the text message, then informed the pack. "Derek just texted me, the hunters are here. Gerard, Chris and a bunch of others."

"Okay, uh, I'll go, see if I can help." Scott announced. "Maybe my mum has enough mountain ash to let me out then reseal it." He turned to his mates. "Be careful, both of you."

"We will." Allison promised, giving Scott a soft kiss, Isaac did the same, before Scott rushed off.

Stiles turned to Isaac "Okay, Isaac, go find Jackson and wait for the signal, I'll go keep an eye on the DJ and let you know if anything happens." The pack nodded in agreement.

"Be careful!" Allison told Isaac before he and Stiles took off to complete their tasks.

"Don't worry, I doubt I'll even slightly hurt her." Isaac assured as he looked at the device in his hands.

"I'm talking about you." Allison rolled her eyes. "I love you, I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine I promise." Isaac gave his mate a soft kiss before walking away.

Lydia looked at her two best friends "Right, I've been putting on a brave face all night, but it's just us, so I'm gonna say it." She announced. "I'm terrified." Allison and Erica sighed in relief, both admitting that they were too.

"God, this is insane." Allison laughed humorlessly. "We're just a bunch of teenagers, how are we supposed to handle this?"

"By sticking together." Erica told her firmly. "If we were regular teenagers, we'd lose it. But we're more than that. We're pack." She grabbed each girl's hand. "We're family, in all of the right ways. We can do this."

"Yeah we can." Lydia agreed with a brilliant smile, linking her free hand with Allison's.

"You're right." Allison nodded. "We've got this. Let's kick ass."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles walked into the room that Tammy was being held in. "Woah, it's just me!" He yelled when Erica moved to attack. "Are you guys okay?" He asked his pups in concern. "Where are Boyd and Lydia?"

"Boyd is with Derek" Erica told him hesitantly "looking for Scott and Lydia."

"What?!"

"No one can find them." Jackson informed him in a pained voice. "Scott never arrived to help Derek, so Boyd and Lydia went to help find him. Lydia resealed the mountain ash while Boyd went to Derek, then she just disappeared."

"What about Danny and Mrs McCall?" Stiles asked urgently.

"Danny took Mrs McCall home, he called when they got there and told us that the mountain ash barrier was set up, they're both fine." Isaac informed him, eyes downcast.

"Okay, Uh… How about her?" Stiles asked gesturing to Tammy.

"Well, let's find out." Isaac stepped forward, he lengthened his claws and moved to slash at Tammy, only to be stopped by the girl's hand shooting up and grabbing his wrist. Isaac gasped in pain as he fell to his knees. Tammy twisted the beta's wrist back, Stiles made a move to help, but Tammy then let go and Isaac immediately scurried away.

"Okay, no one does anything like that again, Okay?" Stiles ordered and the three nodded in agreement. Stiles turned to Isaac. "Here let me see." The curly haired beta held his wrist out for Stiles to inspect.

"I thought the ketamine was supposed to put her out?" Isaac groaned, glaring at the girl.

"Well apparently, this is all we're gonna get." Stiles shrugged. "It's not broken, but it might be fractured. You'll be okay, it won't take long to heal. Just try to keep your wrist straight and as still as possible. Okay?" Isaac nodded as Stiles released his wrist. "Okay. Now, let's just hope that whoever's controlling her decided to turn up tonight." Stiles announced, although he was convinced that it's Matt, they needed him to think he was in the clear. If he feels secure in anonymity, he'll get confident, when criminals get confident, they get sloppy and make a mistake. They always make a mistake.

Apparently the ruse worked as Tammy's eyes flew open and her head jerked. "I'm here." She announced, but it didn't sound like her. Her voice was deeper and had a slight echo to it, like two people were talking at once. "I'm right here with you."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"I think I've stopped healing." Boyd gasped, pressing his hand to his stomach in pain.

"The bullets, they're laced with wolfsbane." Derek informed him with in pain filled hiss. "You gotta go, take the car. Get to Mrs. McCall, she can help." Derek ordered.

"What about you?" Boyd asked. "I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Don't worry about me. Okay? I need to find Scott and Lydia, I can't go yet. Besides, I heal faster than you do, I'll be okay. I promise."

"Don't make promises that you can't keep."

"I can keep this one. Do you really think I'd leave you all without an Alpha? No way. I'll be fine, just go. Go!" Boyd hesitated for a second before rushing off, leaving Derek alone.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Matt recoiled in pain, hand flying up to his bleeding nose. "What the fuck, Matt?" Allison screeched angrily. "I'm in a committed relationship! I should never have agreed to this! Stay the fuck away from me, asshole." Allison stomped away and out of the warehouse. How dare he kiss her? What a swine! Allison was pissed off and needed to blow off some steam, she started to make her way to the room Tammy was being kept in, when Derek's car pulled up beside her.

"Allison!" Boyd gasped, rolling down a window.

"Boyd? Oh my god what happened?" Allison could see dark pools on his shirt, blood. "Where are the others?"

"Derek's back there, he's alone against the hunters. He told me to go to Mrs. McCall. Scott, he- Scott and Lydia are missing. We were looking for them. Isaac, Erica, Jackson and Stiles are with Tammy. Where is Matt?"

"The asshole kissed me! And- wait, did you say missing?!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"No, don't be, it's not your fault."

"I left Lydia alone! I went to help Derek and I left her alone to close the mountain ash circle!" Boyd protested, practically radiating guilt. "I left her alone and vulnerable!"

"First of all, You couldn't have known, Okay?" Allison assured. "Second of all, a woman is only vulnerable when her nail polish is drying, and even then she can still pull a trigger." Boyd chuckled and nodded, vulnerable definitely wasn't a word to describe Lydia, or any of the girls in his life. "Now, was there any blood or signs of struggle where you last saw her."

"No." Boyd frowned, suddenly confused, if Lydia had been taken, there's no way she would have gone down without a fight. There would be some indication of it. So what happened?

"Maybe something Banshee related happened." Allison suggested. "It's Scott I'm worried about. Lydia is armed and willing to fight, but we all know that Scott would try to avoid hurting someone, even if it meant getting hurt himself." Allison sighed, then her eyes widened and she noticed that Boyd's injuries weren't showing any signs of healing, and the blood was getting darker, almost black. "Oh god, you're getting worse. Shit. Do you need me to drive you?"

"No, I'll be okay, just go help Derek and find Scott." The look on his face showed no room for argument.

"I will." Allison nodded as she reached through the window and squeezed Boyd's hand, smiling at him softly before rushing away to help her Alpha. "Go to Melissa, she'll patch you up."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles, Erica, Jackson and Isaac stood opposite Allison and Derek, a line of mountain ash separating them. "So, uh we kind of lost Tammy inside, but uh-" Stiles started, but stopped when he heard a pained howl, a far too familiar pained howl.

"Scott." The wolves gasped in unison. "Allison, break it!" Derek demanded, gesturing to the mountain ash as Isaac ran off.

"What? But Tammy-"

"Scott's dying! Break it!" He yelled, and Allison didn't hesitate in dropping to the ground and breaking the line, then followed Derek and Isaac, running to Scott. "Look for Lydia!" Derek ordered Jackson, Erica and Stiles over his shoulder.

Isaac got to Scott first, only to be stabbed in the back by Allison's mother. Derek arrived next and shoved the woman away from his beta. When Allison arrived and saw her mother, she was devastated, but she wasn't shocked. She ignored the fight, and rushed over to Scott, she used all of her strength to pull Scott to his feet and started pulling him out of the room. Isaac soon rushed over and helped her, once they were out, she released Scott to Isaac completely then rushed back inside, gun raised, just in time to see Derek's teeth pierce her mother's flesh.

"No!" Victoria cried, trying to pull her arm away, but she knew that it was too late. Derek let go and stepped back, looking at Allison worried. Not that she was physically hurt, but to see if she hated him. There was no hatred in her eyes, only grief and hurt. "Allison." Victoria gasped. "How can you stay with them? He's just killed me."

Allison shook her head. "Hunting killed you. My alpha was defending my mate. If your body rejects the bite, that's not his fault. If you turn and take your own life because of some barbaric tradition, that's not his fault either. I love you mum, I always will, but I won't turn my back on my pack because of you. You promised to try to accept them, instead you tried to kill them. If you decide to end your life then I will mourn you, but I won't make you into a martyr. Now, if this is who you're going to be, then get the fuck out of my life." Allison grabbed Derek's arm. "Scott needs help." She reminded him, then they left the room, leaving the bleeding woman behind. Although it broke her heart to do so, Allison refused to look back.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia was completely still as she sat in Beacon Hills Cemetery, next to an unmarked grave with a dead man whispering in her ear.

"I am so sorry Lydia, all of this must be terribly confusing. You're a strong girl, personally I think you're gonna pull through this with a minimal amount of post traumatic stress and maybe a few years of profoundly disturbing nightmares." Lydia stayed silent and turned her head away as Peter continued talking, going on about some plan that he had and how she was his backup.

"Okay, this is all very interesting, are you done? Cause I want to go check on my pack." The girl snarked, hoping that her voice didn't give away any of her fear.

"Oh, please, they're not your pack. They'll never be your pack, Lydia. You see, Banshee's don't have packs. You need to stop deluding yourself into thinking that you can truly fit in with them." Peter's tone was casual, as if he were talking about the weather. "You can play the role all you want, but you will never belong with them. They'll never understand you, so they'll never be able to fully accept you."

"You're wrong." Lydia replied, without a single drop of doubt, looking at the burnt man again. "They all know who I am and they love me for it. Just like I know who they are and love them all. Maybe Banshee's don't have packs, but I am more than just a Banshee. I am a girl who runs with wolves, I stood by them before you sunk your teeth and claws into me and awoke my Banshee abilities. I may not have claws or glowing eyes or super senses, but I am pack and I will be until the day I die. Nothing you say will make me doubt that. Ever." She expected him to make a witty remark or something, instead he opened his mouth wide and screamed in her face. Her mind went blank and it was like she wasn't her anymore. Like someone else was in charge of her body. She became aware of the fact that she was holding something, so she parted her hands to reveal a purple flower.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon
I wanted to write more, but it’s 4.30am and I’m tired. Sorry that this chapter is late, but I got distracted watching all of the DVD’s that I got for my birthday. Sorry.

Chapter 22: Worm Moon

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The pack set a plan into motion, Allison talks to her mother and Lydia celebrates her birthday.

The Hale Pack: Worm Moon

Lydia became aware of the fact that she was holding something, so she parted her hands, revealing a purple flower.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"What do you remember?" Derek asked Lydia softly. Jackson, Stiles and Erica had followed Lydia's scent to the cemetery whilst Derek was dealing with Victoria. They found her sitting next to Peter's grave, staring at a wolfsbane flower. It took ten minutes to get her out of her, for lack of a better word, trance, and bring her back. The Pack was at the McCall residence so that Melissa could help with their injuries.

"I remember going with Boyd to help you find Scott and sealing the mountain ash barrier, then the next thing I know, I'm in the cemetery, holding wolfsbane." Lydia replied. "It must be something Banshee related, since I wound up next to Peter's grave." She shuddered involuntarily at the thought of the man. "But I don't remember seeing him or hearing his voice."

"Okay, if you remember anything, you'll let me know?"

"I promise." Lydia smiled. "But, I need to steal Stiles, Erica and Allison tomorrow." She grinned. "Shopping for outfits to wear at my birthday party."

"Ah, that. Uh.. Are you having it on the night of your birthday?" He asked hesitantly.

"Of course."

"Well, then, Jackson, Erica, Boyd and I won't be able to go." He informed her ruefully.

"Why not?" Lydia demanded, rising to her feet, glaring at her Alpha, thought it lacked any true anger. "I mean, I know it's a full moon, but they've all gotten way better at self control!"

"True, on regular days but not on a full moon." Derek reminded her patiently. "I'll tell you what, if they can stay under control and not shift for two hours, they can come by for an hour."

Lydia looked like she wanted to protest, but the look in Derek's eyes showed that it was the best offer she was going to get. "Fine." She huffed, "But I'm still bringing Erica shopping, if she has to miss my party, she should at least get a hot new outfit."

Derek sighed and pulled out his wallet. "Here's five hundred, get something intimidating."

Lydia smirked at him and took the money gratefully. "As you command, oh, Alpha mine."

"Be careful, okay?" Derek urged, tone serious again.

"It's just shopping, Derek." Lydia grinned teasingly.

"You know what I mean, Lydia. We don't know what he's planning, we don't know what your abilities can do or what influence he has over them and you." Derek set his hand on Lydia's shoulder and looked the girl in the eyes. "You're Pack. Family. If anything happens to you-"

"Nothing will." Lydia assured, "I'll be fine, I don't really understand any of it, but nothing bad has happened to me so far, I haven't been physically hurt. I don't think he can do anything except bug me and sometimes, make me feel like I'm losing my mind." She admitted softly. "But I know that no matter what, I have my Pack to turn to. You don't have to worry about me."

"Yes I do." Derek smiled. "It's my job to worry about all of you."

"Fair enough, but you don't have to worry about me any more than the rest of the Pack. Okay?"

"Okay, I'll try."

"Really? C'mon, isn't Stiles the one you're supposed to be worrying about the most?" Lydia asked in exasperation.

"Stiles isn't being haunted by the ghost of a psychopath." Derek gently reminded her.

"True."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The Pack were sitting in the Stilinski living room the following evening, watching a movie and waiting for the pizzas to arrive. About halfway through the movie, the doorbell rang. Allison stood and began walking towards the door. "I'll get it." She heard the wolves of the Pack call out for her to wait but by then she had already opened the door, and found herself face to face with her parents.

"Allison." Victoria greeted with a soft smile, a far cry from the hostility she had shown during their last few encounters. "May we come in? We are unarmed, you may check if you'd like."

"Come on in Mr and Mrs Argent." Derek's voice called from behind her. The couple stepped into the house and Allison led them to the living room. The couch had been cleared and the Pack was scattered around the room. Once her parents were seated, Allison stood next to Derek, her mates right behind her. The girl folded her arms, held her head high and kept her expression neutral as she stared down her mother and waited for her to speak.

"I know that I have no right to come here after what I did." Was Victoria's opening line. "I know that what I did was horrible. I wasn't thinking clearly, which is no excuse, I was convinced that if I got rid of her Mate, Allison wouldn't want to be a part of the Pack anymore. I was hoping that I'd be able to hide what I'd done so that Allison would come home. I should have known better, even before finding out about Isaac. The reality of what I'd done and tried to do didn't set in until afterwards, when I told Chris what had happened. His reaction was..." She looked down in shame before clearing her throat, then she was back to being the headstrong Matriarch they all knew her to be, looking at them with a steely expression. "That's when I realised how wrong I was, how I was slowly turning into a monster. I'd just tried to kill an innocent teenage boy, and end a peace treaty. I realised that all the things I thought were wrong. I wholeheartedly believed humans were good and the supernatural was bad, but every one of you has more humanity in your little fingers than most hunters, myself included, have in our whole bodies. I see that now. I know that doesn't even begin to make up for what I've done, but I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence around the room as everyone took in what Victoria had said.

"You're right," Stiles began, with a slight nod. "It doesn't make up for it, but what you said is a start. I'm glad that you're seeing the truth and trying to change, for Ally's sake. We will help you with shifting and controlling your abilities, but if it's a Pack you're looking for, it's going to take a lot more than words."

Victoria shook her head. "I could never ask to join your Pack after everything. However I would like to take you up on helping me control it, and ask if you could help lock me up on the full moon. We obviously have containment units available, but I fear that Gerard or the others will try something. Gerard already tried to talk me into killing myself, and I would have, had I not come to my realisation. He is under the impression that on the night, I will be taking my life, but I won't."

"Of course." Derek agreed almost instantly. "But you must know that you'll be joined by Jackson, Boyd and Erica, for at least two hours. Maybe the whole night." Victoria agreed and thanked him, as did Chris.

"I'm glad that you're not going to." Allison whispered with tears in her eyes. She meant every word that she had said at the rave, but the thought of her mother actually committing suicide hadn't really occured to her until just then, before it was just hypothetical and completely insane. Her mother was always somebody who criticised those who commit suicide, refered to them as weak. But here she was confessing that she was prepared to do so rather than become a werewolf Victoria was immediately on her feet, and wrapping Allison into a hug. The hug lasted a few minutes before they parted, and Allison wiped her cheeks. "Something needs to be done about Gerard."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, you think that Gerard is here to force Derek to give him the bite so he can be cured of cancer?" Doctor Deaton asked Scott in the Animal clinic the next day.

"Yes." Scott nodded as he cleaned out a cat cage. "Mr and Mrs Argent have picked up on things. Like, when Gerard was trying to convince Mrs Argent to kill herself, she said her new enhanced hearing kicked in and his heart was beating like crazy when he said that it was 'the right thing to do' and 'all hunters should do it'. Indicating that he doesn't believe that." Scott explained to the doctor as he stood up. "And even if we're wrong, we got a hold of his medical files, and Lydia says that his cancer is so severe that the pills he's taking probably won't do a thing. So what we're planning won't make a difference, at least not unless he gets the bite."

"And what exactly are you planning?"

"Swapping out his pills for mountain ash. Stiles' idea."

Deaton nodded, and looked impressed for a split second, before his expression turned neutral again. "That's smart, and Miss Martin is right, those pills won't be helping him in any way. But I fail to see why you need my help when you already have everything figured out." Scott turned slightly nervous.

"Uh, the thing is, we have everything sorted in theory, but we don't have the means to pull it off. So we were hoping that you'd be able to supply us with mountain ash, lots of it. We would ask Mr Argent, but we don't want to risk one of the other hunters noticing it missing and catching on and Gerard finding out, so it's best that they don't know just yet."

"Alright." Deaton nodded. "I'll have it all ready for you by the end of your shift."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that day, Allison, Lydia and Stiles were in the Argent house, in Gerard's bathroom.

Allison opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out several bottles. Lydia took a bottle from her and glanced at the label. "I was right." The redhead stated. "Gerard is past chemotherapy. These supplements really don't do much of anything."

"And yet, he downs them like M&Ms." Allison commented as she emptied the medicine cabinet of everything but aspirin and ibuprofen.

"How long do we have?" Lydia asked as she opened one of the bottles.

"At least two hours." Allison stated as Lydia poured the pills into a pile on the counter. She screwed open one of the capsules and emptied it into a Ziploc bag, then filled it with mountain ash. Lydia was holding the bottom half of the capsule still as Allison carefully filled it with mountain ash, then Stiles would place the cap on and hand Lydia the next capsule, whilst listening out for anyone entering the house. It was painstaking work, and they moved slowly.

They had filled half of the capsules from the fifth bottle, when the front door opened. "It's just your parents." Stiles assured.

"Oh good." Allison smiled, then called out. "Hi mum, hi dad!"

"Allison?" Chris called, and the three heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Stiles heard Victoria tell Chris where they were, within seconds, the couple was standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"Poisoning Gerard." Allison told him casually as she continued filling the capsule.

Chris blinked at her, then he blinked at Lydia, then at Stiles. He looked at the pile of pills then he looked at Allison again, "Okay." Chris nodded. "Need any help?"

"Nah, we're good, but we could use a little extra mountain ash?" She asked, holding up the almost empty bag.

"Allison, if that was full, you would have at least a kilogram." Chris stated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, but we've replaced half of his medicine cabinet!"

"Really? Well done. Wait, how long have you been here?"

"Around three hours." Allison stated as she placed all of the full capsules into a tub.

"Actually, it's closer to four now." Lydia corrected, looking at her watch.

Chris gave the group a calculating look, then shook his head and left the room, but Victoria stayed.

"So the full moon is tomorrow," Allison commented. "How are you feeling?"

"A little on edge." Victoria admitted after a moment's hesitation. "Like there's an unbearable itch that I can't scratch."

"I get that too." Stiles told her with a reassuring smile. "It'll be worse tomorrow, but it does get easier. Especially when you find your anchor."

"I've heard of anchors, but I've never fully understood what it means." Victoria told him, slightly embarrassed for needing to ask for help. "Could you explain it to me?"

"Yeah, of course, uh. An anchor is what keeps you human." Stiles explained as Chris walked in with more mountain ash. "For me, I think about my dad, Derek, my Pack, all of the people that I care about, I think about how it would feel to lose them. How much it'd hurt if I lost control and did something to them. I think about my mum, watching over me. I think about how disappointed she'd be if I lost control and hurt someone." He explained softly. "And that gives me incentive to stay in control, to not let the wolf win."

"I think I have something."

"Remember, it won't give you complete, immediate control, but it will make it easier." Victoria nodded and thanked Stiles.

"If you'd like, Stiles," Chris started. "I can take over with the pills, and you can teach Victoria some self control techniques?"

"I'm fine with that." Stiles agreed. "How about you?"

"I'd like that very much, thank you." Although she refused to let it show, the Argent Matriarch was startled by how forgiving and helpful the Pack were, especially after everything she had done. She wasn't naive enough to miss the wary looks shot her way every now and then, but they were giving her more of a chance than she ever gave them. They had never hurt anybody and yet she regarded them as monsters and tried to kill them, or at least severely hurt in some cases, even her own daughter! She shoved wolfsbane in her daughter's mouth, believing it would poison her, and for what? For 'Humanity'? Principal? For the safety of others? Because it was 'the right thing to do'? No, all the reasons she had given herself were bogus and she knew that now. It was prejudice. Plain and simple. But enough was enough. No longer would Victoria Argent be hateful and vindictive. From now on, she would take a page out of her daughter's book and help people, all people. Werewolves, Humans, Banshee's, whatever. If they were good, she would protect them. If they were bad, she would stop them. If they were somewhere in the middle like her, she would try to keep them on a positive path. It was time to make a change.

And what was a better way to start becoming a better person than accepting help from somebody she once looked down on?

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night, Stiles was home alone. The hunters were searching for the Kanima that night, so the Pack decided to stay out of their way. His Dad, Allison, Melissa and Derek were at work, Lydia was helping Scott with homework, Danny and Jackson were doing something together, and Isaac was spending time with Erica and Boyd. Stiles didn't really mind though, it gave him time to sort through things.

He'd just gotten off of the phone with Jackson's adopted father, and was pleased with the progress that he had made. He sat at the kitchen table with papers spread all over, his laptop in the middle, and his phone next to it. Being sat like that made Stiles feel nostalgic. Although he had never done something as big and elaborate as this, he had finalised many plans and schemes at that table over the years. Sitting there then, he missed his glasses. He missed the inconvenience of having to push them up every few minutes. He missed being able to slam his hand on the table in frustration, without having to worry about breaking it. He missed a lot of things, truth be told. He missed poking himself in the eye every single morning, trying to get his contacts in. He missed the simplicity of his life before, when all he had to worry about was school, Harris, his dad, Scott, Melissa, and making Lydia fall in love with him. He missed all of it. He missed being overly focused because he'd taken too much adderall. He missed waking up at his computer desk after a late night studying. He missed all of the little things that used to bug the hell out of him.

But he wouldn't give up his Pack for it.

Looking back, he can't remember how he got by without them. His life before turning feels like a dream. Like he wasn't really living, just going through the motions, taking all of the right steps to get to this point.

He can't imagine not having sarcasm battles with Isaac, not planning to take over the world with Lydia, or nerding out with Boyd, making fun of the Pack with Erica, talking computers and play flirting with Danny, discussing weapons and battle strategies with Allison, arguing with Jackson in a teasing, friendly manner. It's hard to picture a life without them. He can't even contemplate life without Derek.

He sighed and shuffled his papers into a pile, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to focus anymore. He placed all the A4 sheets into a manila folder, then rolled up the larger sheets and secured them with a rubber band.

Stiles then opened the music folder on his laptop, set it to shuffle and started preparing some food. He had just gotten all of the ingredients together and was about to start the preparation, when it started playing.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Ugh! This is useless!" Scott groaned, slamming his head on Lydia's desk. "I suck!"

"No, you don't suck." Lydia assured. "You're just having a hard time focusing. Hey, I have an idea, come on." Before Scott could say a word, Lydia grabbed his hand and pulled him from his seat.

"What? Where are we going?"

"To see Stiles! He knows how to keep you focused."

Ten minutes later, the pair pulled up outside the Stilinski household "Do you hear music?" Lydia asked as they walked into the house, to hear singing coming from the kitchen. When they reached the doorway, they were greeted with the sight of Stiles dancing around the kitchen, pausing every now and again to drum on the side with wooden spoons, and singing at the top of his lungs. Lydia immediately pulled her phone out and started recording.

"-not the same boy you knew back then!" He sang, whilst drumming on the side rapidly, but in time to the song. "Cause I can break down these walls, I built around myself! I wanna fall so in love with you, and no one else, could ever mean half as much to me as you do now!" He lifted one of the spoons and used it as a microphone. "Together we'll move on, just don't turn around! Let the walls break- I can't breathe, my body's shaking!" He drummed in time to the song as he sang out the bridge, it was when he got to the chorus again that he noticed them. "Oh, shi-" He dropped the spoons, and tried to look as nonchalant as possible. "Uh- h-hey- hey guys uh h-how long have you been there?"

"Since the end of the second verse." Lydia grinned as she pocketed her phone. "Of all the All Time Low songs you could have picked, you chose the cheesy love song? Really Stiles?" The genius chuckled.

"Hey! 1) I didn't choose it, shuffle did! 2) In my opinion, that's the regular love song, the cheesy love song is 'My Only One' and 3) I didn't know you know of All Time Low!"

"Yup, but now's not the time, I need your help keeping Scott focused."

"I've got this." He grinned. "Just let me finish making food first, you guys want anything?" He asked, and the pair immediately said yes, so Stiles made enough for three. Well, in normal settings, it'd be enough for ten, but who cares. Half way through preparation, Stiles froze, a panicked look on his face and he looked at Lydia. "You're, uh- Y-you're going to delete that video. Right?"

"Ha, no way!" Lydia laughed as Scott chuckled. "Now I have something to blackmail you with!"

"Lydia! Come on!"

"Hey dude," Scott began, changing the subject. "We haven't jammed in a while, once all of this craziness is done with, we should have a jam session again!"

"You guys play? What instruments?" Lydia asked with a grin.

"I play drums, Scotty here plays guitar and sings." Stiles grinned with pride.

"Nice." Lydia hummed "I play piano and keyboard."

"Aren't piano and keyboard the same thing?" Scott asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No." Lydia stated immediately, sending Scott a firm glare. "Once everything is sorted, I will tell you the exact difference, but for now, you need to learn algebra. Let's eat, then we'll get to work."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day was Lydia's birthday and it had gone on without incident, well at least without anything Kanima related. Jackson, Erica and Boyd were remorseful about having to miss a part, possibly all, of Lydia's party, Jackson most of all.

"Jackson, it's one birthday party. It doesn't matter." Lydia assured. "You have spent all day with me and gave me three amazing presents, you have nothing to be sorry about."

"I promise that I'll try to make it."

"Me too," Erica announced, from where she was perched on Boyd's lap in the Martin living room. "I'm feeling a lot more in control this time, I'm so glad I had my period last week."

Scott, Jackson and Isaac made disgusted noises, whilst Derek, Boyd, Danny and Stiles looked uncomfortable. "Oh grow up!" Lydia rolled her eyes at them. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get dressed."

"I'll help with your makeup." Erica offered, standing up. "It's the least I can do."

"Okay, Ally, come on."

"Alright, the rest of you can go get ready for Lydia's party, but stay alert. Matt and/or Tammy may show up. Lydia, Allison, I want you armed with non lethal weapons. Non lethal. Got it?" Derek instructed firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"Got it." Allison smiled, "Although I doubt Matt will show up with a black eye." She smirked.

"I wonder who did it." Isaac commented with a smirk. "What I wouldn't give to congratulate them."

"Go ahead." Boyd grinned and gestured to Allison. "She's right there."

"Really?" Derek glared. "Why? I mean I know what he's done but we can't let him know we're on-"

"He doesn't know, okay? I had a completely separate, valid reason for punching him." Allison defended. causing the Pack to look at her curiously.

"And that would be?" Derek asked expectantly, eyebrow raised as he stared at the girl, expecting an answer along the lines of 'he was a creep' or that he'd said something shitty about the Pack.

Allison hesitated for a second, sending a worried look to Scott and Isaac. "He kissed me!" She finally announced and Derek was prepared to kill Matt himself. "We were sat talking at the rave, everything was fine, then he just turned and kissed me, knowing full well that I'm in a happy, committed relationship. So I shoved him off, punched him, then stormed out and came to find you. Then I saw Boyd, and he told me what was going on, so I forgot all about it. Kind of." Isaac and Scott were silent, but you didn't need super senses to know that they were livid.

"Can we kill him?" Isaac growled out and Scott didn't protest this time. Allison walked over to them, sat down so that she was balanced on both of their laps and wrapped her arms around them both.

"No, he's not worth it. I think a broken nose got the message across, if not, I'll let you at him. Okay?"

They begrudgingly agreed, "That goes for everyone else, too." Derek announced, causing the others to groan in annoyance. "We all want to hurt him, but we can't take the risk right now. Although Scott and Isaac are welcome to threaten him a little bit, as long as there's no eye flashing, claws, growling or mention of anything supernatural involved."

A wicked smirk appeared on Isaac's lips. "I can work with that."

"You do that, I'm gonna go get ready." Allison smiled, moving to kiss both of her mates then jogged upstairs with Lydia and Erica. Scott, Isaac, Danny, and Stiles, also went to get changed. All of them had returned just over twenty minutes later.

"Alright," Derek spoke to the Pack. "We" He gestured to himself, Jackson, Erica and Boyd, "Need to go home and get ready for the full moon. Have a good night and don't kill anyone, we'll try to come by later. Alright?" He smiled apologetically, that smile disappeared a few seconds later. "Allison, give me all of your weapons" He instructed Allison, a firm glare fixed on her.

"But you said-"

"I said non-lethal." Allison went to argue, then sighed and pulled out a crossbow, a handgun, a dozen Chinese ring daggers, and a hatchet from her bag.

"I said ALL of them, Allison!" The brunette girl proceeded to pull a pistol from her ankle holster which was concealed by her boot. Along with three butterfly knives, all in a different place on her body, and her belt buckle, which concealed a knife. She placed them all on the living room table, but Derek wasn't satisfied, and gave her a stern look. Allison rolled her eyes and pulled her favourite gun from the holster on her thigh, slammed it on the table and glared at Derek. "Stiles, could you please go grab the compound bow, arrows, rifle and katana from her car and put them in the Jeep, please? Danny, please go lock up the chest in her closet."

"Where's the trust?" Allison snapped as Stiles and Danny walked past her.

"I trust you Allison. I trust that you'd do anything to protect the Pack, but if you use lethal weapons tonight, and Matt dies, you have dozens of witnesses who know nothing of the supernatural. They'll probably think that the Kanima was a prank and you killed Matt in cold blood. If that happens, not even Noah or Mr Whittemore could protect you. I can't let that happen. I cannot lose another Pack member. I can't."

"Okay." Allison nodded, understanding clear on her face. "No lethal weapons, I promise."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia handed each Pack member a glass of punch with a smile. The party had started out a little thin, due to all the recent deaths, and the fact that the Pack had often been found in the middle of it all. But then, Scott used his co-captain status to get the lacrosse team there, and Stiles called the drag queens he had met at the jungle not long before. The team had brought other people from school, and the queens had brought their own friends and the party was soon alive.

"Mmm, this is good." Stiles complimented as he sipped the drink. "Did you make this?"

"Yup, my very own secret recipe." She informed him with a proud smirk on her face. She stood in the right position to keep them from seeing the bowl, and the wolfsbane flowers floating in it, without looking suspicious. "Now, who wants to dance?"

"I do," Danny started, looking away from the group as he placed his glass down on the table without having taken a sip. "But Matt and Tammy just walked in."

"We'll keep an eye on them." Stiles announced, "But they're probably just here to taunt us. not one here is on the list. Let's stay alert and have fun."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Isaac was weaving through the crowd to get more punch, when he froze in shock.

"Isaac." Mr Lahey yelled. "I didn't give you permission to be here!"

"I'm sorry, I just-" He tried to think of an explanation, looking around for his Mates and his Pack, anyone who could help him.

"You just thought you could do whatever you want and get away with it?" Lahey yelled, grabbing Isaac's arm firmly. "Not on my watch!" He dragged Isaac away from the crowd. The next thing Isaac knew, he was in the basement. "Get in the freezer!"

"N-no, I don't w-want to!"

"I said, get in the freezer!" Lahey screamed and shoved Isaac, causing him to stumble backwards. Lahey shoved him again, and Isaac fell into the freezer and began screaming in terror, the lid was shut seconds later.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Allison were dancing, but not as carefree as they were a minute before. "Isaac should be back by now." Allison commented with a frown.

"You're right." Scott agreed and grabbed Allison's hand and led her towards the house. "I'll search upstairs, you look down here. Okay?"

"Yeah."

With that, Scott gave Allison a soft kiss before walking away to find Isaac. Allison wandered through the house, searching for Isaac, when she noticed a woman in a black hoodie, walking with a crossbow.

"No, no, not here. Scott! Isaac!"

Allison doubled over in pain as an arrow pierced her stomach, and the woman walked over. The woman lifted her head, and Allison felt like she was looking into a mirror.

"Look at you, calling for help." Allison's own voice taunted. "Always yelling for help. It's pathetic, Allison. You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to this!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles walked around the party aimlessly until he heard his father's voice. "Why am I wearing black? What are you, any idiot? I just came from a funeral, people wear black at funerals!"

"Dude chill! It was jus-"

"Chill? Get out of my face!" The sheriff yelled and shoved the kid that he was talking to. He then turned and noticed Stiles and raised his hand to point a bottle of whiskey at his son. "It's you." He stated. "It's all you. You know everyday I saw her in that hospital, slowly dying. I thought 'how the hell am I supposed to raise this stupid kid on my own?' This hyperactive little bastard who keeps ruining my life!" Stiles tried to fight back tears, but it was useless. Everyone around stared at him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Not whilst his father was saying the things he had always feared. "It's you, Stiles," Noah spat the name like it was venom on his tongue. "you killed your mother. You hear me? You killed her! And now you're killing me." The Sheriff threw the bottle at Stiles' head, and the boy immediately ducked and covered his face with his arms.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

As Scott got to the bottom of the stairs, he felt light headed. He paused and leant against the wall, when he heard a noise. He looked up to see Isaac lying on top of Allison as they made out. "Oh, you found him. I thought you were looking downstairs."

Allison sighed and turned her head to look at him. "And we thought you'd figure it out by now."

"Figure what out?"

"That we don't want you, Scott." Isaac sneered causing Scott to flinch back as though he'd been physically hit. "God, I don't even like boys. I tried, because we're mates, but I just can't stand you."

"And why would I want you when I have Isaac?" Allison laughed. "I mean, he's better looking, he's never lied to me, and he's much more.. adventurous. At least I don't have to worry about him in a fight, but you're too much of a wuss to fight back. So afraid of hurting people. I had to save you from my mother for crying out loud!"

"Just go Scott, we don't need you."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek had gotten everyone settled in the basement and made his way to the living room, where Chris was pulling on his jacket.

"Everything okay down there?" The hunter asked.

"Yeah, they're all fine. Your wife is doing well, but she still has a long way to go." Derek informed him. "Going somewhere?"

"Gerard called, demanding to know where Victoria is." He explained. "So I'm going over there to let him know that Victoria and I will be having nothing to do with them anymore. And that once the Kanima situation is over, he and his hunters better leave town." Chris went to leave before pausing and turning to Derek. "If he's still alive that is."

"I can't imagine him leaving town before forcing me to bite him, he's gone through too much effort and planning to just give up."

"I agree." Chris nodded. "But that only makes things worse. Gerard is dangerous enough, but now that he's dying-"

"He has nothing left to lose." Derek stated knowingly, and Chris nodded. They spoke about the plan a little more, then exchanged farewells and Chris left to face his father. Derek was sitting alone for ten minutes before the door opened, and Lydia walked in.

"Hey, is everything okay? Why aren't you at your party?" Lydia didn't say a word as Derek stood and walked over to her. "Lydia?" She still didn't say anything, simply lifted her hand, opened it and blew the purple substance in the alpha's face.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott ran through the house, almost crashing into Allison. "Hey did you find him?" Allison asked immediately.

"No, but we have something else to worry about." He informed her.

"I'd say so." Isaac agreed walking over to the pair. "I just found myself in the bathtub, thinking I was in the freezer in my dad's basement."

"I just thought I'd been shot in the stomach with an arrow." Allison told them.

"I saw something too." Scott stated, "and I think it's because of Lydia. We need to find her."

They made their way outside, and saw the wolfsbane in the punch. They then found Stiles sat against a wall next to the pool, and Scott tried to sober his best friend up.

"Stiles, look at me. Drink the water." Stiles grumbled, still out of it. "Stiles, drink it! Something's happening and I need you to sober up right now!"

A girl from school, Danielle, walked over. "What do you think you're doing? If you want to sober him up fast, that's not the way to do it." She stated.

"You can do better?" Isaac asked incredulously.

"I can do best." Danielle grinned, then grabbed Stiles' arm and shoved his head under the water for a few seconds. "How do you feel?" She asked once Stiles was sitting up straight again.

"I think I might have to revisit my policy on hitting a girl."

"Yup, he's sober." Danielle grinned, feeling proud of herself.

"Tell Heather that all of her friends are insane!" Stiles glared.

"You're her friend too."

"I'm aware of that."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"I can't find her, and guys, anyone who drank that crap, they're freaking out!" Stiles announced when he met up with the trio again, this time with Danny.

"We can see that." Isaac snarked.

"I can't swim!" They heard Matt call out as two guy's carried him towards the pool. "No, no, no, don't I can't swim! I can't swim!" The guys ignored him and threw him in the pool anyway, apparently thinking he was lying. Matt fought to get to the surface, calling out each time he did, but he soon sank. Everyone was too shocked or drunk to help. Well, almost everyone.

Tammy reached out and pulled Matt from the pool. "What are you staring at?" Matt demanded before storming away. He stopped to glare at the Pack, before leaving, Tammy right behind him. Then, sirens sounded.

"Cops are here, party over!" Danny yelled and everyone scattered. The Pack also made their way out front, following Matt. When they got there, Matt was standing in the middle of the road, glaring at them. Tammy was in Kanima form by his feet, her tail wrapped around him protectively. Danny quickly snapped a picture to show the sheriff. Then a crowd of people ran by and when they cleared, Matt and Tammy were gone.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek regained consciousness as Lydia dragged him over grass. "Lydia." He called out weakly, still suffering from the effects of the wolfsbane. "Lydia. Lydia stop." She stopped once Derek was lying beside Peter's dug up grave. She dropped Derek's arm and got to work. "You don't know what you're doing." Derek gasped as Lydia placed his wrist in Peter's cold hand. Lydia stood and positioned a mirror against a gravestone. The moonlight hit the mirror and bounced to multiple others that were already in position. It didn't take long for Peter's eye's to snap open, and his claws to dig into Derek's flesh. Soon, Peter was rising from the grave.

"I heard there was a party." He grinned. "But don't worry." He smirked at Lydia. "I invited myself."

"Sucks for you." Stiles growled from a few feet away. "Because that party has a 'no zombies allowed' rule." He sneered, then pounced.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek was practically carried through the front door by Stiles and Lydia. "I'm so sorry, I-"

"Lydia, stop apologizing." Derek insisted. "You were being controlled. I don't blame you."

"What happened?" Allison asked, rushing over to them. "Oh, god, you're hurt. What happened?!"

"We found out what Peter wanted." Lydia all but growled as she helped carry Derek to the couch. "He used me to bring himself back to life, and I had to use Derek to do it."

"It's not your fault, Lydia!" Derek insisted as he was placed on the couch.

The entire Pack was there, watching with wide eyes. Chris was with them and only Victoria remained in the basement, seemingly unconscious. "Well I was the one who poisoned everybody with wolfsbane, dug up Peter's body and took you to him, nearly getting you killed!" Lydia argued stubbornly and uncharacteristically stubborn. "So it feels like it's my fault."

"So, he's back?" Scott asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Stiles frowned. "I followed Lydia and Derek's scents to the cemetery while you guys got my dad and mrs. McCall, but by the time I got there it was too late. I fought Peter off, injured him a little, then grabbed Derek and Lydia and got the hell out of there."

"Great." Isaac sighed sarcastically. "Like we didn't have enough problems!"

"But none of us blame you Lydia." Allison assured her best friend as Jackson hugged the girl. "Like Derek said, you were being controlled."

"But it was still me!"

"And it was still Tammy who killed people." Stiles stated with a shrug.

"That's different!"

"How?" Stiles challenged, raising an eyebrow in a manner derivative of Derek.

"She didn't have a choice!" Lydia argued firmly. She may not Tammy's biggest fan but the girl shouldn't be held accountable for what Matt was forcing her to do.

"And you did? You chose to poison everyone? You chose to bring Peter back to life?"

"No but-"

"Then how is it different?" Lydia froze, for once in her life, the genius was at a loss for words. "Exactly. This isn't your fault. We'll deal with Peter later and when we do, you can throw the first punch." Lydia nodded, then decided to change the subject.

"Okay, so what happened after I left?"

Isaac then explained what happened, from the hallucinations to seeing Matt with Kanima Tammy. Then Danny showed everyone the photo, starting with the Sheriff.

"Okay, but we still need to find more proof. We take this into the station and everyone thinks we're nuts or it's a prank." Noah stated, then turned to Stiles. "I'm sorry that I doubted you."

"It's okay dad." Stiles promised, then hugged his dad.

"So what did you all see?" Danny asked. "In your hallucinations? I didn't drink any punch, so I didn't have one."

"My father." Isaac informed him. "He was yelling at me, then he locked me in the freezer. Well, I thought he did, but I was actually in the bathtub."

"I saw myself." Allison frowned. "In hunter gear with a crossbow. I thought that she, I, shot me with an arrow. It felt so real."

"I don't want to talk about it." Scott muttered when everyone looked at him next.

"Me neither." Stiles stated, eyes downcast. The Pack looked at them in concern, knowing that whatever they saw really got to them.

"Wait, this is the kid who's controlling the Kanima?" Melissa asked with wide eyes as Danny showed her the picture.

"Yeah, why?" Scott asked.

"Because I saw him the day that the pregnant woman, Jessica, died. I stopped him to tell him that he was tracking mud through the halls." She informed them, causing Noah's eyes to widen.

"We have footprints outside the couple's trailer. If we can get the footage and compare the prints, we can tie it back to him! If we can't get a clear picture of his face, are you willing to come forth as a witness?" The Sheriff asked hopefully.

"Hell yes."

"So that puts him at the scene of three murders, the hospital, the trailer and the rave!" Stiles announced triumphantly.

"Actually four." His dad corrected. "When we first found out that it could be him, I checked the evidence. There's a credit card receipt for an oil change, signed by Matt at the garage where the mechanic was killed."

"When?"

"Just a few hours before you got there."

"Okay, dad, if one's an incident, two's a coincidence and three's a pattern, then what's four?"

"Four's enough for a warrant."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"It's two in the morning!" The deputy commented with a raised eyebrow as the Sheriff, Melissa, Stiles, and Scott walked into the station.

"Believe me, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't extremely important." Noah sighed as he walked past her and towards his office. "Alright, do you remember what time you stopped him?" He asked Melissa as he started his computer.

"Around ten thirty." Within minutes, they found the footage, and were able to get a good shot of the foot prints. Noah printed the picture off and handed it to Stiles, along with a photo of the prints from outside of the trailer.

"Take this to the front desk, tell her to send it off for analysis as soon as possible. Scott, call Allison, ask her to come in and give her an official statement about that night at the rave, if she parted with Matt before the death, he doesn't have an alibi." Scott immediately pulled out his phone and Scott left the office. He went to the front desk, only to no longer see the deputy.

"Hello?" He called out as he looked around, and heard a muffled voice call out for help. He found the deputy, lying on the floor, completely still, and her gun was missing. Her eyes showed absolute terror as she looked at Stiles. Stiles turned to go back to the office for help, only to come face to face with a gun, which was held by Matt.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"She's on her way in." Scott told the elder Stilinski, but the man was looking behind Scott. "Sheriff?" He then turned to see Stiles walking into the room with Matt behind him, pressing a gun to his back. Matt pushed Stiles forward then lowered the gun to his side.

"Matt." Noah started cautiously. "It's Matt, right? Now whatever's going on, I can guarantee there's a solution that doesn't involve a gun."

"You know, it's funny you say that, because I don't think you're aware of just how right you are!" Matt chuckled.

"Fine, a solution that doesn't involve a gun or a Kanima." Stilinski corrected himself. "I know you don't want to hurt people."

"Actually, I want to hurt a lot of people." Matt corrected. "You four weren't on my list, but I could be persuaded. And one way is to try dialing somebody on your cell phone like McCall is doing." Scott immediately froze and took his hand out of his pocket as Matt chuckled darkly. "That- that could definitely get someone hurt. Everyone." He gestured around with the gun. "Now!" They all took out their cell phones and placed them on the desk.

A car pulled up outside. "Sounds like your girlfriend is here, McCall."

"Matt, please don't do this!" Scott begged, but Matt just rolled his eyes. "I'll tell her to go home, say that we didn't find anything!"

"If you don't move, I'm going to kill your mum first, then the Sheriff, then Stiles, then Allison." Matt threatened, gesturing with his gun to emphasise his point. "You do as I say, and I won't hurt any of them."

When Scott opened the door, Allison wasn't there, but Derek was. Scott felt a second of relief before the Alpha was thrown to the floor, revealing Tammy standing behind him. Scale covering half of her face, reptilian eyes, and claws on display.

"This is the one controlling her? This kid?" The alpha asked feigning scepticism, deliberately antagonising the boy, trying to rile him up enough that he'd become sloppy.

"Well Derek, not everyone's lucky enough to be a big bad werewolf." Matt sneered, though he kept a cocky smirk on his face the entire time. "Oh yeah, that's right, I've learned a few things lately." He chuckled. "Werewolves, hunters, banshees, kanimas, it's like a friggin Halloween party every full moon. Except for you, Stiles." He taunted. "What do you turn into?"

"Abominable snowman." Stiles smirked and gave him a look, as Scott, Derek, Melissa and Noah looked confused. Matt rolled his eyes.

"I know that you're the alpha's mate, but as far as I've seen, you're just human." He taunted gleefully. "It must really suck, being surrounded by incredibly powerful people without anything to offer of your own." He was clearly trying to antagonise Everyone in the room in one fell swoop, but all he succeeded in doing was making Stiles laugh.

"What?" Stiles laughed outright. "I guess Tammy has figured out how to keep certain things from you." Stiles shifted and glared at Matt. "I'm a werewolf. And Tammy know's that."

"What?!" Matt demanded and looked to Tammy in shock. It was then that he noticed the pained look in the girls eyes, the slight twitch in her fingers as she fought for control. Matt gave the girl a fiery glare and her hand suddenly shot up and Stiles fell on top of Derek.

"Get him off of me." Derek demanded, while he was usually very happy to have Stiles on top of him, this was definitely not the right circumstances. Especially given that in that particular position, if someone were to attack the pair, Stiles would be the one getting the brunt of it and would just not do at all,

"Oh, I don't know Derek, I think you two make a pretty good pair." Matt chuckled, then his tone turned dark. "It must suck though, to have all of that power taken away from you with just a little cut to the back of the neck. I bet you're not used to feeling this helpless."

"I've still got some teeth." Derek stated. "Why don't you come a little closer, huh? See how helpless I am."

"Yeah, bitch!"

Before Matt could reply to the pair, a car pulled up outside. "Is that her?" He asked in excitement, and Scott, Melissa and Noah had worried looks on their faces. "Do what I tell you to and I won't hurt her." Matt promised. "I won't even let Tammy near her."

"Scott, don't trust him." Stiles yelled, angering Matt. Matt reached down and roughly pulled Stiles off of Derek, he tossed the boy onto his back then stepped on Stiles' throat.

"This work better for you?"

"Leave him alone!" Melissa cried out as tears pooled in her eye.

"Get off of him!" Derek growled out, eyes flashing red as anger flooded him.

"Get off of my son!" Noah yelled, his voice overlapping with Derek's, he could barely keep himself from lunging at the teenager who dared to harm his son.

"Stop!" Scott snapped at Matt, his eyes were glowing amber but the rest of his features were still completely human. It was only the fear of Matt hurting the people he loved that allowed Scott to maintain enough composure to keep from completely wolfing out.

"Then do what I tell you to!" Matt ordered, adding more pressure to Stiles' throat

"Okay! Alright! Just stop!" Scott agreed, a pleading edge to his voice and Matt finally took his foot off of Stiles' throat. Stiles gasped for breath, tears swimming in his eyes as he did so. Derek wished that the paralysis would hurry up and wear off as he was longing to reach out for his mate. Noah and Melissa also felt the urge to check on the boy, only resisting out of fear that Matt would hurt him again if they did.

"You," He gestured to Tammy. "Keep an eye on them." He pointed to Scott next. "You. With me."

It wasn't long until Allison walked through the front door. "Allison." Scott called out hesitantly.

"Oh, hey, you scared me." She grinned, turning to face him. "Where is every-" The smile vanished from her face when she saw Matt aiming a gun at Scott's head.

"Ally, just do what he says, he promised he wouldn't hurt you." Scott assured the girl, but it didn't make her feel any better, especially when Matt smirked and nodded his head in agreement.

"He's right." Matt stated, causing Scott to turn to look at him. When he did, he shot Scott in the stomach, and Allison screamed in horror.

"Scott!? Allison!?" Melissa called out, fear evident in her voice. "What happened?!"

"But I didn't say I wouldn't hurt you."

Minutes later, Melissa was in a holding cell and Noah was handcuffed to a wall. Scott was leant against a wall, applying pressure to his wound, and Allison was forced to stand next to Matt, her hands cuffed behind her back and a gun pressed between her shoulder blades. Tammy was watching over Derek and Stiles in Noah's office.

"Look, the evidence is gone now, why don't you just go?" Scott asked with a pained hiss.

"You think the evidence is that important?" Matt scoffed. "No, I want the book!"

"What book?" The sheriff asked, drawing Matt's attention from Scott.

"The bestiary!" Matt announced as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And not just a couple of pages, I want the whole thing!"

"I don't have it." Scott told him immediately.

"Neither do I!" Allison announced, glaring at the boy. Matt chuckled and dug the gun harder into Alison's back.

"Now, now, Allison, didn't your father teach you 'don't speak unless you're spoken to'!" Allison scoffed, angering Matt. "Allison, behave." He leant in close, pressing his face in to her neck. Scott growled and Allison tried to pull away. "Don't make me hurt you Allison. You see, I want you, Allison. I want you to be mine. And if I can't have you.." He started kissing her neck as she squirmed to escape, but Matt grabbed her chin and moved so that their lips were inches apart, resulting in the gun being moved away from her back. "No one can." He announced and leant in to kiss her.

Suddenly, the gun was out of his hand and pressed to his head. He looked to see Stiles, grinning at him wickedly. "Psych."

Allison headbutted Matt in his moment of distraction, feeling satisfied at the sickening crack of bone, and the blood running down his face. As he stumbled backwards, she immediately kneed him between the legs and followed it with a roundhouse kick to Matt's head. The boy fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Stiles, grab the keys!"

Soon, Matt was the one in the holding cell, Tammy was in human form and the sheriff, Melissa and Allison were set free.

"Wait!" Melissa called out as the sheriff was about to lock the holding cell door. "I saw something." She announced, and cautiously stepped into the cell. She crouched next to Matt, and after a moment's hesitation, lifted his shirt. His right side was scaley, the same colour and texture as the Kanima's skin.

"So that's why he wants the book." Scott commented. "He wants answers to that."

"The book's not going to help," Derek told them, he took advantage of the fact that he had regained the ability to move by holding his mate close, one hand around his waist, the other gently stroked the rapidly fading bruise on Stiles' throat. "you can't just break the rules, not like this."

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked in confusion.

"The universe balances things out. Always does."

"Is it because he's using Tammy to kill people who don't deserve it?" Stiles asked, catching on to what Derek was saying.

"And killing people himself."

"So, Matt breaks the rules of the Kanima, he becomes the Kanima."

"Balance."

"Okay, so that's all interesting." Noah spoke up as he locked the cell door. "How do we fix it?"

"I'm not sure that we can." Derek admitted with a frown.

"Then what do we do?!" Scott demanded.

"I don't know."

"What about me?" Tammy asked with a shaky voice. "I don't mean to sound narcissistic, but I don't want to be like this forever!"

"We'll do everything that we can to help you, Tammy." Stiles assured. "I promise! There's no cure for the supernatural, but there are ways to control it. I'll admit that it'll be different for you, but we won't give up. I swear."

Tammy nodded, a grateful smile on her face. "I believe you." Suddenly, Tammy doubled over in pain. A harsh laugh sounded from the holding cell, alerting them all to the fact that Matt had woken up.

"Tammy?" Derek called out in concern. "Tammy what's wrong? Tammy, look at me!" When she did as the alpha asked, her eyes were reptilian and scales were starting to appear on her face.

"I- I c-can't stop it!" She gasped. "I'm trying, but I can't! Please help me! I don't want to hurt anyone else! P-p-pl-please help me!" Derek tried to step closer, but the Kanima snarled at him and raised it's claws.

Tammy fought against the creature trying to control her body. It was confusing and looked insane. Then everything froze. It took a second for anyone to realise what happened, to notice Tammy's own claws digging into her stomach. It took a moment longer to register the blood pooling around her hands and dripping onto the floor. When it struck, they all rushed towards Tammy as the girl fell to the ground.

"Someone give me a belt!" Melissa yelled as she knelt beside the bleeding girl. She removed her own jacket and pressed it to Tammy's wound. The second someone placed a belt in her hand, she started wrapping it around the girl, trying to keep as much pressure on her injury as possible. "It's okay, sweetheart, you'll be okay." Melissa assured gently, stroking the girl's hair.

"I can't- I can't take your pain." Derek told her in confusion as he held her hand.

"That's because it doesn't hurt." Tammy told him softly. "It doesn't hurt. It should hurt. After everything I've done, it should hurt. I should be in agony, like they were. I should hurt."

"Tammy, that wasn't your fault, none of it was your fault. It wasn't you." Melissa told her firmly, hoping that the girl would believe it.

"It doesn't matter. People are still dead. Killed by my hands." A tear rolled down Tammy's cheek as she stared at the ceiling. "I've still said horrible things to people, I'm not a good person. This is for the best. Better me than someone else."

"Tammy, just hang in there, okay? You'll be alright, ju-" Stiles tried to assure, but Tammy cut him off.

"Tell my parents that I'm sorry and to think of me when they're lonely." More tears rolled down her face as she turned to look at her classmate. "Te-tell them that it was quick. That it didn't hurt, and I wasn't scared." She gasped out and her heart rate slowed "But I don't want to go. T-tell them that I didn't want to leave them. That I wanted to stay." She let out a heartbreaking sob. "I want to stay. Please Stiles, why- can't I- stay?"

She let out a final breath, then her heart stopped and her hand slipped from Derek's grip, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It was almost four in the morning when the Pack got home. Matt was being held at the station, and Noah and Melissa took Tammy's body to Deaton's office. The girl was still covered in scales, so it wouldn't be wise to leave her for the coroner to find. It was a very chaotic day and Scott was relieved to be in his bed, wrapped around his mates.

But something was wrong. He tried to ignore it, tried to push the feeling down, but it was in vain. Allison sighed next to him and sat up, Scott opened his eyes to see Isaac turning on the lamp and Allison staring down at him intensely. "Scott, we need to talk." The girl stated firmly.

Scott shot up so fast that he felt dizzy. Those simple words had his heart pounding in his chest, his mind replaying the horrible hallucination from earlier, in full detail.

"Hey, hey relax!" Isaac soothed, sharing a worried look with Allison. "Scott, you're shaking."

"I'm fine." Scott insisted, but the words sounded false to his own ears.

"Scott, please don't shut us out." Allison all but begged, running a hand over his arm.

"What was it?" Isaac asked softly. "Your hallucination. What was it?"

Scott wanted to insist that it wasn't important, that he barely even remembered it, but with their concerned looks fixed on him, and the worry hitting him in waves, he told them. He told them every detail and how it made him feel, how he was scared that they might feel that way. By the end, tears were rolling down his face as Allison and Isaac looked at him in shock.

"That's insane, Scott." Isaac finally blurted. "If I didn't have romantic feelings for you, I wouldn't lead you on. I wouldn't tell you that I love you and I definitely wouldn't have completed the bond. I love you and I love Allison. Equally. If one or both of you said that you didn't feel the same way, it would hurt like hell, but I would fight to keep you in my life, even if it's just as friends! I would never turn my back on you Scott. Ever!"

"Neither would I!" Allison insisted. "When I moved to Beacon Hills, I set a rule for myself, no boyfriends until I graduate because I move too much. Then we met, and I knew that I was going to fall in love with you. Then when I found out about the supernatural, I was shocked but I wasn't angry at you for keeping it from me, I understood why. Once Peter was gone, I thought that everything was perfect, I had a great boyfriend, great friends and no more lies, then we met Isaac. At first it scared me, I never thought I'd feel the way I did about anyone else, and I never thought that I'd fall for two people at the same time, but I did. I was terrified that I'd have to choose between the two of you, because even now, I wouldn't be able to pick. Then, you told me you had feelings for him too, and Lydia told us about having more than one one mate- words can't even describe how happy I was. Even if he only fell for you, I knew that I wouldn't have to lose you." She smiled at the memory, a gentle tone in her voice as she turned to Isaac. "Then, he fell for both of us. I would never give this up, Scott. Never." She finished firmly, looking the crooked jawed boy in the eyes. "Okay?"

Scott looked at Allison, then Isaac. "I love you both so much."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Peter stood in the preserve, waiting patiently. It wasn't long until he was surrounded by hunters and face to face with Gerard Argent. "It was very foolish of you to come out here." Gerard stated as he glared at the wolf.

"Foolish, or intentional?"

"If it's intentional, then you're an idiot. Do you really think that I am to let you just walk away, after you murdered my daughter?"

"Yes, I do." Peter said confidently. "Because you and I both want something, and we need each other to get it."

"Oh, really?" Gerard asked with a sneer. "And what exactly do I need you for?"

"A cure for terminal cancer." Peter grinned. "But my nephew would never give it to you. However, you help me capture my nephew so that I can kill him, and I will do it."

Gerard looked thoughtful, whilst the other hunters either looked confused or shocked. "Do we have a deal?" Peter asked with a grin, already knowing the answer.

"Deal."

Notes:

I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think!

Chapter 23: Showdown

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The BHPD are told the truth about Beacon Hills, the Pack gain unlikely allies, and Stiles shares a secret.

The Hale Pack: Showdown

Gerard looked thoughtful, whilst the other hunters either looked confused or shocked. "Do we have a deal?" Peter asked with a grin, already knowing the answer.

"Deal."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek stood quietly in the animal clinic, it was difficult to be in there, while Tammy's parents sobbed over her lifeless body. They had been confused and angry when Derek told them about the supernatural and what Tammy was. He didn't tell them that she was the one killing people, but they figured that out for themselves when he mentioned that Tammy was being controlled. They tearfully told Derek that they had noticed that Tammy wasn't herself, but they wrote it off to teenage drama. Derek knew that they'd regret that for the rest of their lives.

Derek stared at the ground, trying to block out the loving words Tammy's mother was whispering. "-and I love you sweetie. Never forget that." A loud gasp sounded, followed by a high pitched scream. Derek looked up and saw Tammy sat up on the table, gasping for breath. Gone were the scales and reptilian eyes, now replaced with werewolf ridges and glowing blue eyes.

"T-tammy? Sweetie?" Tammy's father called out and the girl shifted back to human and scampered off of the metal table, away from the couple.

"D-dad? Mum?" Tammy whimpered, "N-no you can't be here, you can't be!" She cried out with a sob. "You can't be here, you can't know. You can't know what I've done!"

"Sweetheart. That wasn't your fault!" Her mother assured, stepping closer to her daughter.

"But I did it! I killed people! I couldn't stop it! I tried and tried, but I couldn't. I-if you knew what I've done, you wouldn- If you could see what he made of me!" Tammy broke down, her body shook as she sobbed. Her knees gave in from under her and she fell to the floor. Her parents didn't hesitate to rush over and wrap her up in their arms. Whispering reassurance.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So what's going to happen to her?" Scott asked once Derek had finished Informing his Pack of what happened to Tammy. "Is she joining the pack?"

"No. I offered, but her parents, understandably, want to get her away from Beacon Hills and everything that happened." Derek explained, to the packs disappointment. "But they understand that she needs a pack, so once the school year is over, they'll be moving her to south America. There's a pack there that I know and trust. Once they're settled I'm, I'll go down and introduce them, and explain to the pack why her eyes are blue, and why it's not her fault."

"Why are her eyes blue?" Erica asked curiously. "I mean, I know that your eyes used to be blue too, but I thought that it was because you were born a wolf, but Tammy wasn't."

"No, I'll tell you why, but I need all of you to let me explain before you react. Okay?" The teenagers immediately agreed, and Derek took a deep breath. "Okay, for werewolves, blue eyes are the sign of a killer. That's why Tammy's eyes are blue, because she killed innocent people, even though she wasn't in control, they died at her hands. When I was younger, my eyes were the same as yours, but when I was fifteen, I met a girl. Her name was Paige and I fell for her. We dated for a while, but I was worried about having to tell her what I am, and how she'd react. I spoke to Peter about it and he convinced me that the only way I could stay with her was if she was like us. I was young and stupid and I believed him. He contacted an alpha named Ennis and convinced him to turn Paige. At the last second, I changed my mind, and I tried to stop him, but it was too late, Ennis had bitten her." Derek's eyes were clenched shut, his hands balled into fists, and pain evident in his voice. "But she didn't turn, her body rejected the bite. She was in so much pain, I-I couldn't stop it. And she begged me to. She begged me to make it stop. I-I had to. So I told her that I'm sorry, and I'll never forget her. Then I kissed her. Then I killed her. She was an innocent, and I killed her, so my eyes turned blue." Derek refused to look up at his pack, afraid that he'd see hatred in their eyes. Within seconds, a pair of arms wrapped around him, followed by another pair, and another, and another. Derek opened his eyes to find his pack embracing him, some with tears rolling down their cheeks.

"Wai- what?"

Lydia scoffed, the sound muffled due to her head being pressed to Derek's shoulder. "What? Did you think we'd hate you or something?"

"If you'd killed her in cold blood, then we'd be wary of you," Erica stated softly. "But you didn't, I don't need super senses to know that."

"I don't know what I'd do without you guys."

"Well, don't worry, cause you'll never have to find out." Stiles assured.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day was rather hectic. Everyone who worked at the station had a lot of questions about what exactly happened, rightly so. As the event was too big to cover up, the Sheriff called a staff meeting and informed everyone of the supernatural. After being shown proof, courtesy of the Hale Pack, the police of Beacon Hills accepted it. Of course, they were shocked and slightly scared, but they didn't find it that hard to believe, as they had all seen impossible things in that town.

Noah was glad that his deputies were aware of the supernatural, so that they could properly defend themselves and the citizens of their town. Chris had volunteered to give them all specialist training, supply suitable weaponry and supplied Noah with the numbers of people who specialised in anti-supernatural weaponry.

They had all been informed that the Hale Pack was strictly off limits, and there were no complaints against that. There were a few questions about Tammy, as multiple deputies had seen her face that night, but after Derek stepped forward and explained why it wasn't her fault, and why it shouldn't be held against her, they understood. Well, kind of.

"That's terrible!" Tara cried in outrage. "This Matt kid forced her to kill these people against her will! And now she's forced to live out the rest of her life remembering all of it? That poor girl will probably blame herself and have nightmares for years! Juvie is too good for Matt!"

"I agree, Tara, but unfortunately we can't do anything about it." Noah Stilinski sighed, running a hand over his face. "The only thing we can do is not say anything about her. If we bring it up that Matt didn't physically kill anyone except Jessica, his lawyer will try to get him out in a couple of years, and lock Tammy away. We keep our mouths shut, kids in juvie till he's 18, then jail for life. If anyone has a problem with that, speak up now."

"No way!" A male deputy called out. "It wasn't her fault, the way I see it, she was just the weapon, Daehler is the one who pulled the trigger. You don't blame the gun, you blame the person aiming it." There was a chorus of agreement and Noah smiled, he chose the right people for this job.

"Right, starting tomorrow, your new training will begin. Mr Argent," The sheriff gestured to Chris who stood stoically. "is a professional supernatural hunter. He will be teaching everyone how to fight against different supernatural creatures. You will then practice fighting against the pack." Noah gestured to Allison next. "Allison here will be teaching you all how to shoot a bow and arrow. Now you're probably thinking 'Why do we need to learn that when we have guns?' Well, many supernatural creatures have advanced healing, and can heal from many injuries in seconds. But, with an arrow, they can't heal until it's taken out." He made a 'come here' gesture to Stiles and Lydia, who moved to stand next to him. "Lydia will be showing you how to use mountain ash." Lydia opened her hand to reveal a small pile of mountain ash. "Now, mountain ash blocks supernatural energy, no supernatural creature can escape it. However, you have to believe that it will work, and it has to be a complete circle, trapping the creature. All you need is a handful and you can protect a whole building if you want to, or just trap one creature. Lydia, if you could demonstrate." Lydia threw the ash into the air, and the deputies were all surprised when it landed in a perfect circle around Stiles. They were even more surprised when Stiles pressed his hand against the air and a blue shield appeared. When he pulled his hand back, it disappeared.

"As you can see, I'm completely trapped." Stiles stated, "I cannot get out of this circle. The only way I can get out is if the line is broken. Now, it can't be broken by a gust of wind of anything that simple, it needs to be broken by someone human." Lydia knelt and made a single line in the ash. "That's all it takes," Stiles stated, stepping out of the circle. "A single break in the line."

"Although, in contrast to what Stiles just said, it doesn't have to be a human to set and break the mountain ash." Lydia stated, sending the lanky boy a pointed look. "See, I'm what's known as a banshee, and I was able to handle it just fine. Whereas other supernatural creatures can't even touch the stuff. Not even in human form."

"But that's because banshee's are omens of death!" Stiles argued. "They don't actually hurt anyone. Before you, I doubt anyone has needed protection from a banshee." He then turned to face the deputies. "I'm serious, do not threaten or say anything bad about our pack in front of her! She will kick your ass, then call Allison and Erica to do the same. Once they're done, you'll be terrified to ever open your mouth again, and they won't have even broken a nail."

"Okay Stiles, enough scaring the deputies." Derek rolled his eyes, walking forward.

"I was just being honest." Stiles chuckled, walking back to the rest of the pack, pausing to give Derek a peck on the lips.

"Okay, so, back to werewolves." Derek announced, ignoring the shocked looks, flickering from him and Stiles to the sheriff. Half of the deputies were expecting to see Noah shoot Derek, but the man didn't even blink. "Unlike the rest of my pack, I was born a werewolf. Almost all of my family were werewolves. The rest of my pack were bitten. Now apart from better control in most born wolves, it's difficult to tell the difference. But you can tell what rank they are by their eyes." Derek closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, they were glowing red. "My eyes are red, because I'm an alpha, meaning I am the leader of this pack." He gestured to the pack, all of his beta's had their eyes glowing, Allison, Lydia and Danny all looked bitter that they didn't have glowing eyes at the moment. "Their eyes are amber because they are beta's, but omega's also have amber eyes. An omega is a lone wolf, you can recognise them as being rabid. In human form, they often look unkempt and ragged and they're often confused for being homeless, then again most of them actually are. They are dangerous, driven to insanity without a pack." He blinked and his eyes were normal again. "Blue eyes are what you need to look out for. A werewolf with blue eyes is a killer, however, we have learnt that it's not always as straightforward as that. Tammy has blue eyes, she might not have been in control, but she has killed people. Even though it wasn't her fault. So if you come across a werewolf, of any eye colour, I ask that you try to trap it, rather than kill."

"So, they were all bitten? Did one turn then bite the others, or..?"

"No. Only an Alpha can turn people." Derek stated. "However, I didn't turn them all. I turned Erica, Isaac and Boyd, after telling them everything and asking their permission." Derek explained. "An alpha doesn't have to ask permission to turn someone, but most prefer to. The bite is dangerous, it can either turn or kill. Teenagers are more likely to survive. Which is why Peter, the previous alpha, targeted Scott and Stiles the night that my sister died. He also bit Jackson before he died. He turned all three of them against their will." The deputies all looked horrified, Tara especially. "Most in this situation, try to fight the change, making it more difficult for them to control it. This means that they are more likely to become out of control. The bite can either turn a person, or kill them. The only exception we know to this rule is Lydia. That night when he killed Kate Argent, Peter attacked and bit Lydia and awoke her Banshee abilities. Peter was the one who bit Tammy, but rather than turning into a werewolf, she became the Kanima as sometimes the form you take is a reflection of the person you are." Derek explained, then stepped back and the sheriff took over again.

"I trust that all of you know of Peter Hale, whom Derek was referring to?" when everyone nodded, he continued. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it: He is alive again." All of the deputies started talking at once and Stilinski held his hand up to silence them. "I understand that you are all upset, I am too, but this is no time to argue. Peter Hale is dangerous, he was able to bring himself back to life, for crying out loud! He is too dangerous to live, but if we kill him again, he'll probably just bring himself back. Our best option is to capture him, keep him confined until we can find a way to keep him from coming back. Now, we're not sure how to do this yet, so any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. So tonight, I'd like you all to put some thought into it."

"We have another issue." Chris spoke up, moving to stand next to Noah. "Gerard Argent. He's a ruthless hunter, unlike myself, he doesn't follow any code of conduct, he will not hesitate to kill any supernatural creature he comes across. The only reason he hasn't killed any of the pack, is because he knows that if he does, Derek won't give him what he wants."

"And what does he want?" A deputy asked.

"To become a werewolf." Noah stated. "Gerard is dying of cancer. Terminal, and he's not ready to die just yet."

"You're right." A voice called from the back of the room, near the entrance to the station. Everyone looked to see around fifteen men dressed in all black. "And he's teamed up with Peter Hale to get what he wants." The man at the front spoke again.

"How do you know this, Merrick?" Chris demanded.

"Because I was there when they made the deal." The hunter, Merrick, told Chris, a hint of shame in his voice. "So were Barakat, Dawson and Gaskarth. The others just agreed with our decision."

"And what decision would that be?" Noah asked suspiciously.

"To stop working for Gerard, we thought that he knew best, but he was just manipulating us." Another hunter named Gaskarth stated. "None of us are ready to just join ranks with werewolves, like Chris is, but we're willing to fight alongside them, to stop Gerard. We swear that we won't harm any of them"

"We'll tell you everything that we know. All we ask for in return is to be allowed to leave when it's over. Not just town, but the Argents. You'll never hear from us again, and you'll never hear of us killing innocent creatures." The first hunter spoke again.

"Alright." Noah agreed. "But if you give us false information, or break your promise, there's nowhere on earth that you'll be able to hide. Understood?"

"Completely."

"Great." Noah smiled. "Why don't you come up here and tell us what you know."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"What a day!" Stiles groaned as he flopped onto his bed that night. Derek chuckled as he removed his shirt.

"Tired?"

"So tired!" Stiles grumbled, holding his arms out. "Come cuddle me!" Derek chuckled again and walked over to the bed. "You're moving too slow!" Stiles had barely finished his sentence, when he was maneuvered onto his side, a pair of strong, familiar arms wrapped around his waist, and familiar chest pressed against his back.

"Better?" Derek teased in a hushed tone, lips brushing the back of Stiles' neck.

"Much." Stiles grinned and turned his head to face Derek then gave his mate a soft kiss. They pulled away a few seconds later, and Stiles let out a content hum. "So, how does it feel to have all of the deputies fighting over who gets to be your partner?"

"Scary, I really thought that Posey was gonna shoot O'brien for a second."

Stiles laughed. "No way, their bromance is too strong!" Stiles shook his head. "O'brien might have shot Sharman, though."

"Probably." Derek agreed. "Your hair's getting longer."

"Yup, I'm growing it out."

"Do you want to? Or is it just because I asked?"

"I want to, Der. Don't worry."

Derek smiled and peppered kisses across Stiles' neck. "Alright then." He paused when he reached the faded bite mark on Stiles left shoulder. Derek had a similar mark on his own shoulder. The pair had created the marks when completing the mating bond, and they haven't faded completely, but if the lore Derek heard growing up is true, they never will. Derek pressed a soft kiss to Stiles' mark, smiling as his mate let out a soft moan. "Is it sensitive?"

"Only when you touch it." Stiles smiled. "But you already knew that." Derek didn't say anything, instead, he placed another kiss to Stiles' mark, then nipped at it lightly. "Fuckin' tease."

"What did you see?" Derek asked softly, and Stiles' immediately turned tense. "In your hallucination, what did you see?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does to me."

"Derek." Stiles growled. "Drop it." He clenched his eyes shut, trying to force away the memory that was trying to claw its way to the surface.

*Flashback*

Ten year old Stiles Stilinski carefully walked across the roof of Beacon Hills hospital, towards the brunette woman in a hospital gown, who was standing on the edge of the building. "Mummy?"

"Don't call me that!" The emaciated woman sneered, spinning around to face him. "You don't deserve to call me that, you monster! You're trying to kill me!" Claudia Stilinski screamed, her hair hung in ropes, deep circles were set under her eyes, her cheeks hollow and bruised. Her limbs were deathly pale and looked like bones.

"I'm not mummy, I promise!" Stiles cried, tears rolling down his face.

"Yes you are! You come to see me every day just to taunt me! Prove that you're winning! And when you're done with me you'll go after my husband!" She screamed, taking a step backwards, so that the heels of her feet were hanging off of the edge. "How is he supposed to deal with you on his own? How is he supposed to handle this hyperactive little bastard, who keeps ruining our lives?!" Stiles' little body shook as tears poured down his face. "Don't even pretend to care! You've won! You've killed me, Stiles, now you'll kill him." With that, Claudia leant backwards and disappeared from Stiles' sight, the boy screaming as he fell to his knees.

*End Flashback*

Stiles was crying in Derek's arms when Noah ran in. "What happened?" He demanded to know as he climbed onto the bed.

"I-I don't know. I asked him about his hallucination and he just broke down."

"It-it wasn't just a hallucination, it w-w-was based off of a mem-ry." Stiles sobbed, then explained his hallucination, then told them the memory that triggered it. Noah and Derek listened in horror, tears flooding both of their eyes. "I-I killed mum!" Stiles cried, finishing his story.

"No, you didn't!" Noah insisted immediately, he grabbed his son's chin and for him to look him in the eye. "You. Did. Not. Kill. Claudia. You hear me? She had a disease!" Noah insisted with tears spilling from his eyes. "What that disease made her say and do isn't your fault!" Noah pulled his son to his chest, whispering "It's not your fault." Over and over again as Derek quietly stood and slipped out of the room.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Sunday was devoted to training. Derek wanted his pack prepared for the next attack, especially now that they knew that Peter and Gerard were working together. So the hunters that weren't working for Gerard were helping out and learning to fight with the pack, rather than against them. Although Derek and Stiles were apprehensive about allowing the hunters to know where they trained. Once they knew where it was, they'd be able to find it whenever they wanted to, at least until Deaton gathered the necessary ingredients to reinforce the warding.

"Then blindfold us." One hunter, Barakat, suggested.

"Kinky!" Erica commented from the backseat of Allison's car, winking at the hunter who had made the suggestion.

"Hunters are trained to memorise routes." Derek stated with his arms folded over his chest, electing to ignore his Beta. "Even if you can't see the way, you're taught to memorise turns, distances, land textures and elevations."

"Then fuckin' carry us if you have to." Gaskarth sighed in annoyance. "I don't see any other options here! You, understandably, don't want to train at any of our facilities, but we need to train together if we want to stand a chance."

"You don't trust us. Fine. We don't trust you either, but we all trust Chris." Dawson spoke up next. "And we all want Gerard and Peter gone. There's twelve of you, not counting Chris and his wife. Four are human and one is a Banshee without any supernatural strength, healing or reflexes. There are fifteen of us. Gerard has thirty men in town, Lord knows how many more he can bring in. We need each other in this. So it's up to you, we can train where you usually do, and you can use whatever means you want to get us there, or we can train somewhere else, of your choosing, or not work together at all. What's it gonna be?"

Derek and Stiles shared a look, then Stiles nodded and they both looked at the hunters again. "Gather your men into cars then follow us." Derek stated, then turned away and walked to the camaro.

"Alright," Stiles began, glaring at the hunters. "We're trusting Chris' judgement on this, but I swear to God, whether it's tomorrow or in twenty years, if you ever hurt anyone of them, I will find you and I will pay you back for everything that you did, with interest. Be it my dad, Derek, Melissa, any one of my pups- actually, anyone in this town. Unless they have been killing, at their own free will, with evidence. If that happens, you must contact us before you come to town or make any move to harm them. Otherwise, you won't live long enough to brag to your buddies over a beer. Understood?"

The hunters visibly gulped at the fire in Stiles eyes and the venom in his voice, "Got it." Merrick agreed with a nod

Then Dawson spoke up. "Damn kid, you're scarier than my mum."

Stiles simply smirked. "That's because I'm Pack mum. Now, I believe my mate asked you to gather your colleagues. We'll be waiting in the car."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison smirked as she aimed her bow at a hunter, her foot on another one's throat. Lydia was just behind her, with a gun in each hand, aiming at two other hunters. A shot rang out and Allison's bow was broken. As the hunter she was aiming at moved forward, Allison threw the broken bow at him, used her right arm to grab a gun from her hip holster and aimed it at him. As she did that, she used her other hand to reach over her shoulder, put the arrow back in it's quiver then pulled the Katana from its sheath and held it out to her left in one graceful movement, just in time for the hunter that shot at her to freeze and narrowly avoids running into it.

Allison glanced around and made a mental calculation. Five with her and Lydia, three with Erica and Isaac, two with Boyd, and Stiles, Scott and Jackson had one each. That's thirteen, but no more hunters in sight. "There's two missing!" Allison called out urgently.

Immediately, Stiles subdued the hunter he held captive and dragged him over to Allison and Lydia, the others quickly followed his lead. Within minutes, the hunters were disarmed and in pairs, face to face, arms handcuffed behind their backs and their feet tied together.

"Alright, teams of two." Stiles ordered quietly, so that the hunters couldn't overhear. "Fast and strong. Alright? So: Scott and Boyd, Isaac and Jackson, Allison and Erica, Lydia, you're with me. Lydia and I will call my dad and Derek, and watch over the hunters until they arrive. Scott, Boyd, the two of you will search the grounds of the north sector, Okay?" The pair nodded in agreement. "Alright, Isaac, Jackson, south sector, grounds. Erica, Allison, I need the two of you to find a high vantage point and long range weapons, alright? Keep an eye on everything and if you see anything, howl! Or in your case Allison, tell Erica and get her to howl. Okay?"

"Quick question." Jackson stated. "What do we do if we're overpowered and they're forcing us to howl to set a trap?"

"Good thinking, Jacks." Stiles paused for a second, thoughtful. "Right, Howl twice, three seconds each. If any of you are hurt, howl as long and loud as you can. Lydia, Allison, if Erica or I are hurt and can't howl, scream. Understood?" It was a unanimous agreement and shortly after, everyone had gathered up weapons and engaged in their tasks.

Stiles pulled his phone out and dialed a familiar number. After two rings, the phone was answered. "Hey, we've got two missing hunters, the rest are all captive." He paused as the other person spoke. "Great, thanks, see you later." He hung up the phone and rang a second number. "Hey, Der, we have two missing hunters, so we need back up." He paused as Derek replied "Great, see you in a minute. Love you, bye."

"Everything sorted?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Stiles smiled reassuringly, then glanced around for any sign of the other two hunters. "Dad and Derek are on their way and the text should be coming through an min-" Stiles' phone cut him off, signalling a text. "-ute now."

Lydia immediately moved to look at the screen, "oh."

"Alright everyone, come back." Stiles called out

"Why are you calling them back?" A hunter asked. "There's no way you've found our men yet."

"Actually, we have." Stiles smirked. "You see, our resident techie, Danny, got his hands on these tracking devices, extremely tiny, and very difficult to see. During the fight, you each had one attached to you. Which is how we know that your men are hiding under Derek and Jacksons cars." Scott and Jackson walked into the clearing, shortly followed by Boyd and Isaac, then Erica and Allison, Derek and Noah arrived a few minutes later.

"Why are they face to face?" Noah asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are their feet tied together?" Derek asked, unintentionally mimicking the sheriff's expression.

"They're face to face so that they can't undo each other's handcuffs, and their feet are tied together so that if they try to stand, one of them will break the others feet." Stiles explained with a grin. "And before you ask, the last guy is hog tied because there's an uneven number of them."

"Right." Noah sighed. "Just, untie them."

"Do we have to?" Erica grinned, "Can't we draw on them first or something?"

"Ooh, in permanent marker!" Isaac agreed with an excited smile.

"I think that one would look good with a unibrow." Allison giggled, pointing to the hunter that shot her bow. "He owes me a new bow anyway."

"I want to give someone cat whiskers." Lydia stated, sending Merrick an evil smile.

"I wanna write 'assbutt' in big block letters on someone's forehead." Jackson smirked.

"Ooh, yes, I'll write 'Jerk' on another." Scott grinned.

"He looks like Sam." Boyd noticed, pointing to a hunter with shoulder length hair.

"He can be 'bitch' then." Erica decided.

"No." Stiles stated. "There will be no drawing on any of the hunters faces." He ordered, fixing his pups with a glare. "We need their help against Peter, Gerard and the others. I doubt that they'll want to go in public with any of those things on their faces, let alone help us. If they try to double cross us, or don't hold up their end of the deal, then you can draw on them. Until then, it's best behaviour. Understood?"

There were grumbles of agreement and Stiles smiled. "Thank you, now, if you'll all kindly untie these gentlemen, I'll go home and get dinner ready, we have guests tonight."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Come on in." Stiles invited politely, stepping to the side so that the man could walk in.

"Thank you, Mr Stilinski." Doctor Alan Deaton walked into the Stilinski household with a polite nod. "Although, I am unsure as to why I've been invited over for dinner."

"To discuss territory and your knowledge of the supernatural." Stiles explained as he shut the door. "And also to determine your value, whether you're worth considering to be our emissary. You may have been loyal and valuable to Talia, but you might not be to her son, we need to find out."

Deaton nodded, looking mildly impressed. "That's very wise. I can see why you are the Pack mother, rather than just simply the alpha's mate."

"I'm also Pack mum because I won't let anything or anyone harm my pups and get away with it." Stiles stated, flashing his eyes at the doctor for good measure. Deaton didn't even blink.

"I can see that, you, Stiles, are the right kind of pack mum. I believe that had you not been turned or not been Derek's mate, you'd still have taken over this role."

"I think so too." Stiles smiled at the doctor. "Now, if you'd follow me to the kitchen, dinner's almost ready."

In the kitchen, the pack worked as a well oiled unit, Derek and all of the teens helping to prepare their feast. Scott and Jackson were setting up the table, being passed plates and cutlery by Erica as she used her other hand to stir something in a pot on the stove. Next to her, Boyd was slicing a large joint of meat, occasionally reaching out to steady the pan for his mate. Close by, Lydia and Allison were serving various steamed vegetables into bowls as Derek took something out of the oven. Danny was putting boiled potatoes into bowls, and Isaac was mashing said potatoes.

"If you'd like to talk to my dad, Melissa, and Mr and Mrs Argent, they're in the living room, I need to help my pack." Stiles informed the doctor, and listened to Chris complain about having to stay in the same house as Gerard, before walking over to the oven, where Derek was.

"Hey." Stiles smiled, as he picked up a pair of tongs. "No! You can't just stab them with a fork! They'll deflate!"

"They're just popovers, Stiles." Derek rolled his eyes and Stiles gasped in outrage, then hit Derek with the tongs. "Ow! Stiles! What was that for?!"

"They are not popovers, you heathen! They are yorkshire puddings!" Stiles announced, pinching Derek's arm with the tongs for good measure.

"What's the difference?!" Derek glared in annoyance as Stiles gestured for him to move the pan to the table.

"Yorkshire puddings are softer, and are made with hot fat dripping from roasted meat! You pour it into the center of the batter, like I did earlier, then bake them. They're made to go with roast beef and gravy! Popovers use butter and are crispier. Yorkshire puddings have fluffier centers, to help absorb the juices!" Stiles explained heartily as he carefully transferred the food from the pan to the plates.

"Wow, you really know your food." Allison commented with a soft smile.

"Yup, I take it very seriously." Stiles grinned, sending a small glare to Derek. "How's that gravy coming, Erica?" He asked once he'd emptied the pan.

"Smooth, but I'm not sure if it's too watery." The blonde commented, staring at the pot with a soft frown.

"Let me see." Stiles requested, walking over to her. Erica stepped to the side, allowing Stiles to look into the pot. He stirred the gravy, then scooped some of it up with the spoon, and tasted it. "That's pretty good." He hummed with a hard to read expression on his face. "But you're right, it's slightly too watery. Could you hand me flour, beef stock, and salt, please?" The blonde did as he asked and within two minutes, Stiles was smiling at the pot. "Here, try this." He held the spoon up to Erica's lips.

"Oh my god, that's perfect!" She smiled happily.

"You did great!" Stiles told her honestly, his voice and expression filled with pride.

"No, you did. You fixed it."

"You can't fix what was never broken, it just wasn't finished yet. Give yourself the credit you deserve." Stiles smiled and patted the girl on the back, then turned to check on the rest of the Pack's progress with their assigned tasks. "Alright, is everything else ready?"

Ten minutes later, the pack and their guests sat around the table, enjoying their meal. "This is delicious." Chris complemented with an amazed look on his face. "You all made this from scratch?"

"Yup," Stiles announced proudly. "All of the ingredients are fresh from the farmers market this morning. We had to go pretty early to get the beef too, because it took eight hours to cook."

"But didn't you have training today at nine?" Victoria asked curiously.

"Yes, but I did all of the preparation beforehand and had my glamorous assistant, Danny, put it in the oven at exactly nine o'clock, and gave him detailed instructions on what to do."

"When he says detailed, he means detailed!" Danny announced. "There were four things to do, and he took up six pages describing each and every step! With hand drawn diagrams!"

"Hey, don't mock me!" Stiles cried indignantly, flicking a fork full of peas at the teen. "Take a bite of that beef, and tell me it wasn't worth it." Stiles defended waving his fork at him.

"I can't." Danny admitted in faux defeat, wiping a pea from his shoulder,

"Exactly."

"It amazes me how you can go from completely serious and mature pack mum, to immature, carefree teenager in two seconds flat." Melissa chuckled with a fond shake of her head.

"It's a gift." Stiles beamed at the woman. "As is the ability to cook beef so well.

"Alright, enough about the beef." Noah chuckled with an eye roll. "Although, it is good. I was worried that it'd be too raw."

"Haha!" Stiles drawled.

"Anyway," Noah turned to Deaton "we have business to discuss."

"Of course." Deaton nodded. "What would you like to know?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

They didn't hear anything about or from Gerard for a couple of days, but the pack didn't let their guards down. Especially with the Lacrosse game the next night, which the entire pack would be at, as would Gerard.

Erica and Boyd were running through the woods, they'd just been on a date, and had ended up arguing over who was the faster runner. So, after dinner, they skipped the movie and opted to go straight to the car, change into the spare training clothes that they kept in there and had a race through the woods. "Hurry up slow coach!" Erica laughed over her shoulder as she weaved through tree's letting out a joy filled laugh.

The sun was starting to set and the air was nicely chilled. Erica prefered running in weather like this, she found it more relaxing. But that relaxed feeling soon went away. The blonde let out a shriek as strong and familiar arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her off of her feet. "Boyd!" She squealed. "Put me down!" She demanded with a giggle, trying to pry her mate's arms away.

"Nope." Boyd grinned. "You may be faster but I'm stronger, so I think I'm just going to carry you all night."

"No! Put me down!" Erica laughed, trying to wriggle out of Boyd's grasp. Then they heard something and they both froze, and Boyd immediately put Erica down.

"Do you hear-" Boyd was cut off by the sound of another wolf howling.

"We have to tell Derek!" Erica announced, grabbing Boyd's hand. "Come on."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"There might not be any wolves at all." Chris stated. "Hunters sometimes use recordings of wolves howling to lure in omegas, or wolves who are unhappy with their current pack."

"That's awful!" Allison muttered in disgust.

"It is." Derek agreed. "But now we know that we aren't alone in the woods. So no going out there alone, alright?" The pack members nodded. "Alright, unless anyone has anything to add, that's all for tonight, so you can all go home and rest up for the big game tomorrow."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Melissa cautiously walked into the boys locker room, to wish her son and his pack good luck before the Lacrosse game.

"Good morning," Coach Finstocks voice boomed out through a speaker. "In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind."

Melissa looked around the room in confusion. "What?" She asked out loud in disbelief, but none of the players seemed fazed. She noticed Stiles and walked over to him.

"'Mankind.' That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be-"

Melissa hit Stiles on the shoulder, gaining his attention "What the hell is he talking about?" She asked as Coach continued the speech.

"He does this every year." Stiles sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"-We are fighting for our right to live." The rest of the team burst into cheers.

"Wait." Melissa began as realisation dawned on her, "Is this-?"

"Yeah, it's the speech from Independence Day." Stiles confirmed.

"-but as the day the world declared in one voice:-"

"It's Coach's favourite movie." Stiles explained.

"'We will not go quietly into the night!'"

"He doesn't know any sports speeches?" Melissa asked, raising an eyebrow because, surely, there were better speeches out there to motivate a high school lacrosse team with.

"I don't think he cares." Stiles replied honestly

"Today we celebrate our Independence Day!" Melissa shook her head as the team burst into cheers and applause. But it quickly died down when Gerard stepped into view.

"Well spoken Coach. I might have chosen something with a little more historical value, but there's no denying your passion." Boyd, Isaac and Danny crept closer to Stiles as Gerard spoke "And while I haven't been here long, there's no denying my pride in having a winning team for this school. I know you'll all be brilliant tonight, even with only one co-captain leading you." Over on a bench, Scott's head shot up and he stared at Gerard in shock and suspicion. "Now, I am your principal, but I am also a fan, so don't think I'll just be content for you to merely beat this team. Get out there and murder them!"

"You heard the man!" Coach yelled as Gerard walked away. "Asses on the field!"

"Coach!" Scott yelled, running over to the man. "Are you benching me?"

"It's not my decision." Coach stated solemnly.

"But I have to play!"

"McCall, you're failing three classes and you haven't made them up, like you did for the dance. 'Academics come first'." Coach Finstock stated, somewhat mockingly, with a frown. "Principal's orders."

"Coach. You don't get it, you have to let me play!"

"McCall, not tonight." Coach shook his head sadly. "Tonight, you're on the bench."

Scott sighed and turned to see his mum and pack mates were the only ones left in the room, looking at him sadly.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Stilinski, put on your helmet and get out there!" Coach demanded, walking over to Stiles, who was sat on the bench. "You're in for Greenberg."

"What? What happened to Greenberg?" Stiles asked, looking around.

"What happened to Greenberg?" Coach laughed. "He sucks, you suck slightly less." Coach used his hands to represent scales to demonstrate the marginal difference he believed was between Stiles' abilities and Greenberg's.

"I'm playing?" Stiles asked in shock and excitement. Yes, he'd been on the field once before, but he never actually got the ball, hopefully this time it would be different. "On the field? With the team?"

"Yes." Coach laughed. "Unless you'd rather play with yourself."

"I don't need to, I've got my boyfriend for that."

"Get the hell out there!" Coach demanded and Stiles fumbled for his equipment, then ran out onto the field.

Over on the bleachers, Noah sighed when he saw Stiles run onto the field. "Oh no, why is my son on the field?"

"Because he's on the team." Melissa reminded him in amusement.

"He is." Noah stated, eyes widening slightly. "He's on the team, he's on the field." He said, standing up, then yelled "My son is on the field!" excitedly, with a smile.

"Oh dear god." Stiles whispered, looking over to the bleachers to see his pack holding up homemade signs. One for Isaac, held by Allison as she sent a sympathetic glance to Scott. A sign for Jackson was held by Lydia, one for Boyd was held by Erica, one for Danny was held by Melissa, Derek wasn't there yet as he was still working, but Lydia promised that Derek would be holding a sign for Stiles too.

"Scott, can you hear me?" Gerard asking in a low voice. Glancing to his best friend, Stiles saw Scott's head shoot up. "Ah, you can. Good. Now, listen closely, because the game is about to get interesting." Looking around, Stiles could tell that all of the wolves were listening. "Let's put a real clock on this game, Scott. I'll give you until the last thirty seconds. When that scoreboard clock begins counting down from thirty, if you haven't given me Derek, then one of my men is gonna kill someone. So, tell me Scott. Who's gonna die tonight? Should it be your mother, who so bravely came out to support you? Or the sheriff, your best friend's father? Or how about the pretty little redhead who managed to survive the bite of an alpha? Or maybe one of these innocent teenagers, with their whole life ahead of them?"

"Oh god." Stiles repeated, sensing the anger and worry rolling off every wolf, which was just adding to his own.

"Or should I do everyone a favour and kill that ridiculous Coach? It's up to you Scott, but you are going to help me take Derek down." Gerard stated confidently. "Because if you don't, I'll have my hunter cut someone's head off, right in the middle of the field, and drench everyone you love or care about in blood." The whistle sounded, making Stiles wince, then pour all of his focus into the game. Stiles was immediately passed the ball, only to be tackled.

The game continued to go pretty badly, as Stiles refused to use his enhanced abilities. People were booing him, and Derek, his dad, Melissa and the rest of the pack looked so ashamed. At some point, Scott disappeared from the bench, But then, it turned around. Stiles got the ball. Everyone else was at the other end of the field, and started to run towards him, but he ran towards the goal. He froze about a meter from it, and turned to look at the herd of players running towards him. He heard everyone yelling at him to shoot, but it wasn't until Derek's calm and soothing voice broke through the noise, gently telling him to shoot, did he do so. So he stepped back then flung the ball forward, at full force, sending it past the goalie, into the net. And the crowd burst into cheers.

"I scored a goal!" He yelled excitedly. "I scored a goal!" Then he scored again, and again, and again, until the scores were tied. Then, as the clock ticked down and he scored the winning goal, just as the timer hit thirty. The seconds ticked away as Scott pushed through the crowd to get to the field, seemingly the only one to notice the man, fully dressed in black, stepping onto the field.

The buzzer hit zero and the whistle sounded, but nothing happened. At least, not at first.

One by one, the lights went off, leaving the field in darkness, then someone screamed. The lights soon came back on, and Scott saw a group of people, gathered around a body. He ran over, to see who it was. The hunter.

Noah ran over to see the hunter dead, he felt a moment of relief when he knew that it wasn't his son, but that relief went away when he realised that he couldn't see Stiles anywhere.

"Stiles? Where's Stiles? Where is my son? Where the hell is my son?!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Wait, you're saying that this hunter killed himself?" Lydia asked incredulously.

"It looks that way." Melissa told her as she, Allison and Erica waited by the bleachers for the male members of the pack to return. "There was a stab wound in his stomach and a bloodied knife in his hand."

"Why would Gerard have one of his hunters kill themselves in the middle of the lacrosse field?" Erica asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Gerard had his hunter kill himself as a diversion." Noah all but growled, rather impressively for a human, as he walked over to them,

"So that he could get Stiles." Derek growled out, far more intimidating with his eyes flashing red.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Is that everyone?" Scott asked Isaac once Coach had left the locker room.

"Yeah, I think so." Isaac stated, not even flinching when Scott ripped the door off of Stiles locker, and pulled out a shirt. "You're gonna find him by scent?"

"Yeah." Scott nodded, then gestured to Boyd and Jackson. "All of us are. Except for you Danny."

"Of course." Danny nodded. "I'll try to trace his cell, but chances are it's turned off. If he even has it with him."

"How come you get his shirt and I get his shoe?" Isaac asked in annoyance, but Scott was distracted. By Peter.

"We need to talk." The former alpha said in lieu of a proper greeting. He was not met with a warm welcome.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles woke up in a basement, hanging from the ceiling, wires tied to his wrists, electrocuting him. He tried to shift, but couldn't.

Soon, Gerard came down the stairs. "There's no use trying to struggle, Stiles. The electricity keeps you from shifting."

"What are you doing with me?"

"At the moment, just keeping you comfortable. There's no point in torturing you, you won't give Derek up. The instinct to protect your alpha and mate is too strong. But that urge goes both ways. He will come find you, and when he does, I'll get what I want."

"No." Stiles shook his head. "You won't."

"Yes, I will, Mr Stilinski." Gerard assured. "Because, for every day he doesn't come for you, I will take another of your pack. Starting with the pretty little redhead."

"Actually, she's strawberry blonde." Stiles corrected with gritted teeth.

"Is that so?" Gerard chuckled, walking over to what looked like a control panel. "What else do you know?"

"That you're going to regret messing with my pack."

"I have to disagree with you there," Gerard chuckled, then turned a dial. Stiles hissed in pain, thrashing against the restraints. "I said that there's no point torturing you Stiles, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Jackson surged forward and grabbed Peter by his shirt collar, slamming him against a locker.

"Danny, get Derek." Scott ordered, and the Hawaiian rushed away to do so.

"Scott, who is that?" Isaac asked his mate in concern.

"That's Peter, Derek's Uncle. Little while back, he tried to kill us all, and then we set him on fire, and Derek slashed his throat." Scott said simply, eyes fixed on Peter watching for any sign he was about to attack. Of course, Isaac knew about everything Peter had done already, Scott mainly brought it up to remind Peter of what they were capable of. Of course, Scott usually abhorred violence and killing, but there were certain occasions where he was willing to make an exception.

"Hi."

"This is the guy that had Lydia bring him back to life?" Isaac asked in a tone that was somewhere in between surprise and disbelief. That reminder of what Peter had done to Lydia had Jackson snarling.

"Relax, she's a strong girl, I'm sure that the post traumatic stress is minimal."

By the time the others arrived, Peter had blood all over the bottom half of his face, and a quickly fading black eye. Boyd was now holding back one of Jackson's arms, to stop him from hitting Peter again, but he made no move to make Jackson let go of the man.

"You." Lydia sneered, she immediately pulled a gun from her bag and aimed it at Peter.

"Hello, Lydia, I know that the last time we saw each other was stressful for everyone, but there's really no need for the gun." Peter stated coolly.

"Are you serious?! 'No need for a gun'? You made me bring you back to life, poisoning my friends and hurting my alpha in the process! You made me feel like I was going crazy." Lydia seethed, stepping closer to the wolf, aiming the gun at Peters head.

"Lydia. Calm down." Derek soothed, placing a hand on the redhead's arm. "Let's not do something that we could get arrested for."

"Trust me, we won't get arrested because there will be no evidence." Lydia stated with a dark glare.

"But there are plenty of witnesses." The sheriff gently reminded her. "And we need him alive. He's working with Gerard, so he can help us get Stiles back."

"I am not actually working with him." Peter insisted "I am pretending to do so, in order to get close to him and find out what he wants, so that I can tell you what I know."

"Oh, so that's why you asked for his help capturing me, so that you could kill me and become the alpha?" Derek asked with a disbelieving look on his face.

"I only said that so that he would trust me." Peter stated, seemingly unphased that Derek knew of that particular conversation. "Do you really think that I want to become alpha again? The last time ended in my death, I am in no hurry to repeat that."

"Well, I am." Jackson stated, flashing his eyes.

"Jackson." Derek sighed. "Let him go."

"But-"

"Now." Jackson sighed, and reluctantly let go off Petter, stepping back and wrapping an arm around Lydia, who finally lowered the gun. Derek then glared at Peter. "Where is Stiles?"

"I don't know." Peter stated, straightening his clothes.

"Wrong answer." Derek growled, the next thing anyone knew, Peter was being hurled through the air, and sent flying into a wall. "Let's try that again."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Just under an hour after the match, Scott got a phone call from Gerard. "He said that if we ever want to see Stiles again, I have to take Derek to a warehouse, he texted me the address." Scott explained. "He also said to go alone."

"No way." Noah stated, "you're not going alone."

"I have an idea." Lydia stated, drawing everyone's attention to her. "But it does involve some people sitting out."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Chris had just finished threatening a hunter, telling him to stay the hell away from his wife, when he got the text. The text telling him that Gerard had kidnapped Stiles. Chris told Victoria, then the lights flickered and he knew. A few minutes later, Victoria told him that she could smell Stiles' blood. It took every ounce of self control either of them had, not to run down there and let Stiles go. But they knew that they had to wait until Gerard was gone.

It was almost an hour later that Gerard finally left the house, taking all of the hunters with him. "Alright, I'll go get Stiles, listen out for if they come back.

In the basement, Stiles struggled to keep his eyes open. Sweat dripped down his forehead and it to his eyes. Gerard had turned the electricity back down, but Stiles still couldn't shift. He also wasn't healing as fast as usual. Gerard had decided that throwing knives would be fun to use. They really weren't. Neither was the baseball bat.

Stiles forced his eyes shut when the door to the basement opened, trying to appear unconscious.

"Oh my god." A familiar voice gasped in horror, and Stiles opened his eyes.

"Chris." He sighed in relief. "Thank god." The man rushed over to the control panel, and Stiles felt the electricity stop. Within five minutes, Stiles was set free and being practically carried up the stairs by Chris. "Thank you." Stiles whispered. When they got to the top of the stairs, Victoria was there and started to help support him. "Thank you." He repeated, then felt his eyes slip shut.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott led Derek into the warehouse with a guilty expression on his face. "What are we doing here Scott?" Derek growled for appearances. "I don't smell Stiles' scent!"

"That's because he was never here." Gerard chuckled as hunters left the shadows and surrounded the two wolves. "Thank you Scott, your assistance is greatly appreciated."

"You've been helping him?!" Derek demanded, glaring at the beta with red eyes, feigning outrage at the situation.

"I didn't have a choice!" Scott defended. "He threatened my mum and Isaac and Allison. What was I supposed to do?!"

"You were supposed to trust me!" Derek yelled.

"Now, now, Derek, no need to get angry." Gerard stated.

"Where's Stiles?" Scott demanded. "I've given you Derek, now give me Stiles back!"

"I will, Scott, don't worry." Gerard assured. "After I get what I want."

"What you want?"

Gerard rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm. "The bite."

"No way." Derek growled immediately.

"Ah, Derek you don't have a choice." Gerard chuckled. "Scott, if you want Stiles back, I need the bite."

Scott hesitated for a moment then grabbed Derek by the back of the neck. "Scott, don't!" Derek yelled as Scott forced him to walk towards Gerard. "Scott!" Scott forced the Alpha's mouth to Gerard's arm, letting go when Gerard hissed in pain.

"Thank you, Scott." Gerard smiled, once Derek let go and fell to the floor. Gerard smirked at the Alpha by his feet, then spoke to his hunters. "Kill them." He ordered predictably, but before any of them could move there was a whistling sound, then an arrow was embedded into a hunter's shoulder. Gerard looked up at the support beams to see Allison shooting another arrow, hitting a second hunter. He saw the brunette smirked at something opposite her, and he turned to see Boyd and Isaac flip off of another beam and start fight hunters. Gerard then noticed that Derek was no longer on the floor, and he and Scott were fighting hunters, side by side. Then the doors flew open and fifteen of his own men ran in, but rather than fighting the werewolves, they attacked the other hunters.

Suddenly, in the middle of all the fighting, Gerard felt light headed. He looked at his arm to see that his blood had turned black. Realisation dawned on him, and he pulled his pill bottle from his pocket. He took a pill out and crushed it in his hand. "Mountain ash!" He cried in anger, glaring at Scott and Derek, both of whom simply smirked at him.

"What? You didn't really think I'd betray my Alpha, did you?" Scott asked rhetorically, he shared a nod with Derek as the pair worked in tandem. It didn't take long for the pack and their allies to knock out the hunters. With the chaos cleared, Gerard could see that Allison had come down from the support beams, and at some point the sheriff and Lydia had arrived.

"Where's my son?" Noah demanded, putting a fresh ammo clip in his gun.

"I'll make you a deal, sheriff." Gerard coughed. "You keep me out of prison and I'll tell you. Otherwise, you'll never find him." Noah began to raise his gun, but a shot sounded and Gerard swayed on his feet for a second, before falling to the floor with a bullet hole in the center of his forehead. Everyone turned to see Chris lowering his gun.

"Stiles is at your house, Sheriff. Being patched up by Melissa. He is hurt, but it shouldn't take too long to heal." Chris informed him, and stepped towards Noah with his arms outstretched. "Do you need to arrest me?"

"For what? Self defense and saving my son?" Noah asked with a raised eyebrow, then turned to the pack. "Get home, the lot of you, make sure Stiles is okay. You can give your statements tomorrow."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When they got home, Stiles was asleep on the sofa, shirtless, and covered in bruises and cuts. Melissa, Jackson, Erica, Danny, and Victoria stood around him. Derek immediately ran to his mate's side and dropped to his knees, gripping Stiles' hand tightly.

"He's healing slower than usual, but he is healing." Melissa assured gently. "I'd say he'll be fully healed in two days at the most."

Derek nodded and thanked her, eyes never leaving Stiles.

A/N: I hope that you've all enjoyed this chapter and are happy with the outcom

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.
A/N: I hope that you’ve all enjoyed this chapter and are happy with the outcome! Virtual cookies are available for anyone who can figure out why I’m moving Tammy to south America.

Chapter 24: Home Is Where The Pack Is

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Stiles get's good news from coach, the big plan is revealed, and Derek reunites with someone he never thought he'd see again.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

The Hale Pack: Home Is Where The Pack Is

"He's healing slower than usual, but he is healing." Melissa assured gently. "I'd say he'll be fully healed in two days at the most."

Derek nodded and thanked her, eyes never leaving Stiles.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Derek, I'm fine!" Stiles insisted as his mate carried his school bag to the car for him. Again. "I can carry my own bag!"

"Stiles, you were tortured!" Derek reminded him in a pained voice. "You need to take it easy! Speaking of which, are you sure this early morning practice is a good idea?"

"I've been taking it easy for two weeks, Der! I'm completely healed, and I want to play! I finally got a chance to play, and I was good! Without using my abilities! But if I keep missing practice, Coach won't put me on first line. I want to be on first line, Der. I promise you that I'm okay, sure there's some emotional trauma, but nothing I can't handle, with you by my side." Stiles stated softly. "But it's hard to move on when you're treating me like a breakable little doll."

Derek sighed as he pressed his forehead to Stiles' "You're right, I'm sorry. I just hate that I wasn't there for you, that I didn't protect you."

"Derek, it's not your job to protect me and it wasn't your fault!" Stiles insisted, placing a hand on Derek's cheek "Sure, you could blame yourself for not stopping it, my dad could also blame himself, I could blame myself for not being alert, or, we could all grow up and place the blame where it belongs: On Gerard."

Derek nodded, and repeated. "You're right."

"Of course I'm right!" Stiles grinned. "Now give me a kiss, and give me my bag, I've got to go to school."

"But-"

"Nuh uh, I've finally got Roscoe back, I am driving him today!" Stiles announced, with a determined look on his face and Derek chuckled.

"Fair enough." Stiles grinned triumphantly, then leant in to kiss his mate goodbye. Derek grabbed Stiles' hips, intending on deepening the kiss, only to be interrupted when the horn from the Jeep sounded. "Mum! We're gonna be late!" Isaac called from the passenger seat.

"I'll be right there pup!" Stiles replied, then gave Derek one last kiss and grabbed his bag. "I love you."

"I love you too." Derek smiled, then looked to Isaac as Stiles jogged to the jeep. "Love you, pup."

"Love you too, dad!" Derek smiled and waved goodbye as the pair drove away.

The mum and dad thing was fairly recent. Although everyone had accepted those two roles a while ago, it wasn't until Stiles woke up the day after being tortured that it was first said. Isaac had hugged Stiles and, in an emotional state, said: "I was so worried mum!" No one really noticed that he said it at first. It wasn't until the sheriff came home and asked why the Pack were calling Stiles and Derek, mum and dad, that it registered. They didn't mind, in fact they both liked it, but some of the pups, such as Allison and Scott, found it weird, so never called them it consciously. Others, like Isaac and Jackson, were more than happy to refer to the pair by those titles.

Derek was happy either way, as long as his Pack was happy, so was he.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Stilinski! Get over here!" Coach ordered during Lacrosse practice. Stiles sent a hopeful look to Scott, who simply grinned at him, as he jogged over to Coach, he noticed that most of the team were grinning at him.

"Hey Coach, what's up."

"First, I have to ask, you're alright, right? I know that you were beat up by a bunch of sore losers, but you're fine now, right?"

"Yes Coach." Stiles nodded, hope taking over.

"Good, that's good. Cause after your performance the other night, I want you on first line." Coach grinned and a huge smile took over Stiles' face.

"A-are you serious?!"

"As long as you carry on playing like that and keep your grades up, of course." Coach promised with a grin. "What do you say?"

"Yes!" Stiles agreed immediately, barely containing his excitement. "Thank you, Coach!"

"Thank me by grabbing your gear and showing me what you've got!" Coach ordered and clapped Stiles on the shoulder, "Alright everyone, line up!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, Hale," Deputy Posey greeted, sitting on the alpha's desk. "What's up with you and the sheriff's kid?" He asked with a grin as the other deputies, not so subtly, turned to listen.

"He's my mate." Derek told him simply, the sheriff knew and was fine with it, so there was no point in lying. "Like regular wolves, werewolves mate for life. Most wolves only have one mate, like Stiles and I, but others can have two. Those mates are also mated to each other." Derek explained. He'd heard the others whispering about Scott, Isaac and Allison, and the trio gave him permission to tell the deputies, if it was ever brought up.

"Ah, so is that what's going on between McCall, Lahey and Argent?"

"Yes."

"What about the others?" Tara asked curiously. "Are any of them mates as well?"

"Boyd and Erica are, as are Jackson and Lydia." Derek explained, feeling like he was back in high school, dishing out gossip.

"Is it weird? Dating a teenager?" Sharman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"At first, yes. But once the sheriff knew and accepted it, it was less so." Derek said thoughtfully, then paused before adding. "And it doesn't really feel like I'm dating a teenager. He may have his immature moments, but those aren't very often. He's more focused on Pack, and protecting the people he cares about." A fond smile appeared on Derek's face and he momentarily forgot where he was as he spoke about his mate. "He's the most stubborn person that I've ever met, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. When I was convinced that pain and anger were the only things that could control the shift, he showed me another way. When I thought I could never love again, he proved that I could. When we all felt defeated and thought we couldn't stop Gerard, he came up with a plan. He is brave, and smart, and loyal, and determined. He made me realise that I wasn't at fault for my family's deaths. Something that my sister couldn't accomplish in six years, he did in two months. He is the best thing that's ever happened to me, I just hope I can make him at least half as happy as he makes me."

The deputies stood and stared at Derek in shock. "Wow." Posey spoke up. "Can I date him?" Derek's eyes turned red and he growled at the man. "Woah, woah, I was only kidding!" Posey defended immediately, stepping backwards, hands raised in defense, and Derek's eyes went back to normal, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

During lunch, the Pack sat at their usual table to eat, listening with a range of emotions as Scott was bragging over how well Stiles did at lacrosse practice.

"You should have seen it! He scored four goals in a row and dodged every tackle!" Scott told the girls with a proud smile.

"Okay, Scott, you can stop now." Stiles muttered, red faced.

"No, I can't! They all got to see you kick ass at the game, and brag about it. I was busy trying to find Gerards hunter, so I missed it! It's my turn to brag." Scott defended, then continued bragging like nothing had happened.

'I have taught him well' Stiles thought with a fond smile.

"So, when's the next Pack night?" Lydia asked Stiles, blocking out Scott's rant.

"Saturday, dad said no for tonight, and Derek's working night shifts for most of the week, but he has Saturday off." Stiles explained, with a slightly sad look on his face. "But on the bright side, it means I have more time to finish working on the thing."

"True," Lydia nodded in agreement, then a thought occurred to her. "Oh, Erica knows now."

This caught the rest of the Packs attention. "What? Erica knows? Why does Erica get to know, but I don't?" Scott whined in annoyance.

"Because your a blabbermouth." Stiles stated simply, taking a bite of food. "And, besides, it's good that Erica knows." He stated, then looked at the girl in question. "What night are you free next? I need your help with something."

"Well, my parents are both home tonight, so we're having a family night, and Boyd and I have a date tomorrow, so how about wednesday?"

"Sounds good, oh, hey. Isn't tomorrow your one month anniversary?" Stiles asked with a smile, and the couple linked hands and nodded. "Congratulations!"

"Congratulations! Right, so Wednesday?" Lydia began. "Great, we can make a night out of it. Planning, make up, movies. It'll be great."

"Ooh, yeah!" Allison agreed excitedly. "We can finally watch the new Iron Man!"

Stiles chuckled, as the other male members of the Pack looked either amused or annoyed. "Who says you're invited?"

"Yeah Ally, maybe me and Batman just want some alone time." Erica grinned wickedly, winking suggestively at Stiles. She knew that Boyd wouldn't be worried. She always made it clear that he was the only person that she wanted to be with.

"We're inviting ourselves." Lydia stated. "And we're bringing food."

"Fine." Stiles jokingly conceded with a sigh. "But only because you're bringing food."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After lunch, Stiles was excused from his fourth period class to see the guidance counselor, miss Morrell. He didn't want to, but apparently, once you've been kidnapped and tortured by a psychotic geriatric, therapy wasn't optional. At least, not when you have a sheriff for a dad, and an overprotective alpha werewolf for a boyfriend. Plus, Lydia had given the french teacher her stamp of approval, so that was something. Deaton had also informed the Pack that Morrell was his younger sister, and also a druid, meaning Stiles didn't have to hide any supernatural related details from her.

To be honest, Stiles was actually glad that he'd been forced into it. He'd never admit it though, because that would mean admitting that he hadn't mentally recovered from what happened as well as he made out to the Pack.

"You know, when you're drowning, you don't actually inhale until right before you blackout." Stiles explained, threading his lacrosse stick. "It's called voluntary apnea. It's like no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your head's exploding. Then when you finally do let it in, that's when it stops hurting. It's not scary anymore, it's… it's actually kind of peaceful."

"Did they do that to you?" Morrell asked calmly. "The ones who kidnapped you. Did they drown you?"

Stiles hesitated for a moment before answering. "Yeah." He admitted without her eye. "Yeah, he did."

"He?"

"Yeah, uh, you probably already figured this out, but it wasn't angry lacrosse players who kidnapped me." Stiles stated, fiddling with the lacrosse stick.

"Then who was it?"

"Gerard Argent."

"Because of what you are?"

"Partially." Stiles stated, hesitating for a second before continuing. "Partially to anger Scott and Derek." Stiles sighed, not meeting the woman's eyes. "Things have been kinda tense since then. Scott told us that Gerard had threatened his mum and mates and forced Scott to work for him, we knew the second it happened, because Scott came home and told us. It's just-" Stiles sighed, becoming more aggressive as he threaded the lacrosse stick. "Derek always had a problem with it. Not so much Scott pretending to work with Gerard, because he told us and only fed him information that we wanted Gerard to know, to lead him on."

"Then what was the problem?" Morrell asked politely with a raised eyebrow.

"It's the fact that Scott felt that he had no other choice but to help Gerard. Or, at least pretend to help him." Stiles explained sadly, hating the problems within his Pack. "Derek feels like Scott doesn't trust him. At least not enough to count on him to protect his mum and mates, and that hurts Derek."

"Do you think that Scott really feels this way?" Stiles' eyes widened at that question.

"God, no!" Stiles protested immediately, leaning forward and almost dropping the lacrosse stick. "Not at all. Scott's not good with being subtle or hiding his feelings. If he didn't trust Derek, or doubted him, we would all know." Stiles told her confidently, not a single trace of doubt in his mind. "He's also not very good at picking up on other people's emotions, so he probably has know idea that Derek is worried about Scott's trust. I want to give Scott a hint and talk to him about it, but Derek would figure out that it was me and be upset, thinking that Scott was only saying things to make him happy. Even when he can hear that Scott isn't lying, and I can't ask anybody else from the Pack to talk to Scott about it for the same reasons."

"So what you need is for Scott to know, but without interference from anyone in the Pack?" Morrell asked vaguely, and Stiles could tell that the woman had an idea, and wasn't going to let him in on it.

"Yeah."

"Okay then." Morrell nodded, then changed the subject. "How about we get back to you." Stiles looked down at that, avoiding the councilors gaze. "Stiles?"

"I'm fine." He insisted, looking up at the woman, but the look on her face showed that she wasn't buying it, and wasn't going to let it go. "Yeah, aside from the not sleeping, the jumpiness," Stiles ranted. To be honest, he was tired of keeping things in. Tired of having to pretend that he was okay when he really wasn't. Sure, he'd spoken to the Pack and his dad when everything built up too much, but this was different. He told them those things because he couldn't bottle it in any more and he couldn't stand the worried looks. Talking to Morrell was easier, she was the guidance counselor, it was her job to listen and not judge. Well, she had to judge a little in order to get an accurate read on his emotional and mental state, so he could accept that. But Pack… The Pack worry about him, they might even question his ability as Pack mum. No, they could never know how he felt about this. If he kept talking to Morrell, he could let out all of the things that were bothering him, then he wouldn't break down in front of the Pack. "the constant, overwhelming, crushing fear that something terrible is about to happen."

"It's called hyper vigilance. The persistent feeling of being under threat." Morrell informed him, no tone of judgement or pity in her voice.

"Maybe it's not just a feeling though, it's…" Stiles explained, knowing the horrid feeling from experience. "It's more than that, like with all of the supernatural mixed in. It's like I'm not even myself anymore, like I've completely changed. On one hand, I like it, I like the more mature person that I've become. I love having my Pack, my mate but.."

"But?" Morrell pushed when several moments had passed without Stiles saying a word.

"But I feel like, sometimes, they'd be better off without me. I'm the reason that all of this has happened. I dragged Scott out into the woods that night, I got all of my friends dragged into all of the supernatural craziness. More than that, I've dragged the only remaining parent I have into it. Because of me, he's in far more danger now than he was as just a sheriff. I hate the thought that one day, I could watch him die because of a supernatural creature, or because of someone like Matt. A kid who went off the handle and found the supernatural through chance." He let it all go, every deep dark thought and feeling that had sneaked into his head over the last few months. "It's like it's a panic attack. Y'know, like I can't even breathe."

To her credit, Morrell didn't bring up what he'd just said about the supernatural, which Stiles was happy about because he really didn't want to talk anymore about that. Instead, she focused on the panic attack comment. "Like you're drowning." It wasn't really a question, more of a statement, but Stiles felt the need to answer anyway.

"Yeah."

"So, if you're drowning, and you're trying to keep your mouth closed until that very last moment… what if you choose to not open your mouth? To not let the water hit?"

"Y-You do anyway, it's a reflex."

"But… if you hold off, until that reflex kicks in, you have more time, right?"

"Not much time." Stiles shrugged, not really getting what the woman was trying to say.

"But more time to fight your way to the surface" Morrell stated.

"I guess."

"More time to be rescued."

"More time to be in agonizing pain. Did you forget about the part where you feel like your head's exploding?" He exclaimed, anger slipping into his voice. Stiles could never be rescued, not from this. "That's the difference between Tammy and I, or even between myself Isaac, or Boyd, or Erica. There is no escaping what holds me under."

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Morrell asked, not a single hint of curiosity in her voice, like she was only asking for the sake of asking.

"I have felt like he was drowning since my mum died, since my dad started drinking himself into a grave right beside her, since my own dad was scared of me because of what I am. Since I was paralysed and helpless, watching an innocent man die right in front of me. Since the pressure of the world, both human and supernatural, started to crush me because I can't handle it all. The pressure to be a good student, a good friend, a good mum, a good player, a good werewolf, one who doesn't randomly kill people. And since I first realised how little I care about myself in comparison to others. Since I realised how insignificant I am."

"Insignificant?" Morrell asked. "You see yourself as insignificant? I don't. Can I tell you what I see when I look at you, Stiles?" Stiles shrugged and the woman took it as a yes. "I see a young man with so much potential and far too much pressure. I see a young man who, even before learning about a whole other side of the world, is loyal, determined, courageous and independent. I see a young man who could have turned out much worse. A lot of people who have been through what you have, at any age, often take a different route, allowing their depression and anger at the world to take them over."

"You think I'm depressed?"

"Perhaps not at this moment in time, but I believe you were. Possibly just after your mother's death and at the start of your father's drinking. I find it highly unlikely that a ten year old could deal with all of that without suffering with a bout of depression. The trouble with depression is, once it hits, you never completely get rid of it. It cannot be cured, it's always there, in your head, lurking waiting for a chance to take over. With the thoughts and struggles that you're currently going through, I believe that it could show itself again."

"so, what? More pills? Cause they don't exactly work anymore." Stiles sighed, frustration taking over.

"No, I don't want it to progress that far." Morrell informed him calmly. "What I do want to do is see you regularly. Once a week would be preferable."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Yeah, I know I'm not really showing it right now, but talking about all of this is helping." Stiles admitted, trying to push back his frustration.

"That's why I believe in you Stiles, so many in your situation wouldn't admit that they want help. So scared of seeming helpless, not realising that the feeling will only grow if they continue to hold themselves under. Continue to let themselves drown."

"It's just that I don't know how much longer I can handle this." Stiles stated, "The 'not letting the water in'. There's just so much agony."

"If it's about surviving, isn't a little agony worth it?"

"Maybe not." Stiles wanted to agree to make her happy, but he knew that Morrell would just see right through it, so instead he asked, "I mean, what if it just gets worse? What if it's agony now and… then it's just hell later on."

"Then think about something Winston Churchill once said:'' Morrell replied, as if she'd anticipated the question. "If you're going through hell, keep going." Stiles didn't speak as he processed the words. In a way, they reflected Stiles' own way of coping, way of living. He's going through hell, he can't breathe, he wants nothing more than to open his mouth and let the pain go away. To have peace, but he refuses. Instead, he lives with the pain, because other people need him to survive. His dad, Derek, his pups, Melissa. No matter how worthless and insignificant he feels, they don't view him the same way. In fact, they feel the opposite. Stiles doesn't know why, but he knows that it's true.

So Stiles is willing to deal with agony and the hell, because he cares about those he loves more than he cares about himself. He'll live in hell if it means everyone he cares about gets to live. He will carry on, and maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to make it to the surface. Maybe he'll get out of the water and be able to be the person he really wants to be, the person the Pack see's him as. Maybe he'll be able to breath again.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Hello Scott." Miss Morrell smiled at the crooked jawed boy, who shuffled uncomfortably.

"Uh, hi?"

"I'm sure that you're wondering why you're here." Morrell stated, either not noticing the boy's uncomfortableness, or just not caring. "I've called you here because of something that Stiles said in our session."

"Isn't that supposed to be confidential?" Scott asked, annoyed that the woman was betraying his best friend's trust.

"Usually, yes. However, Stiles expressed wanting someone to talk to you about this, but knew that it wouldn't be a good idea for you to hear it from someone in the Pack."

Scott was worried now. Was he being kicked out of the Pack? "A-about what?"

"Concerns that only you can put to rest." Before he could ask anything else, the woman explained what Stiles had told her, assured him that Stiles didn't agree with any of Derek's fears and informed Scott that the only reason that Stiles hadn't told Scott himself, was because Derek wouldn't believe any assurance Scott gave if he had learnt Derek's fears from Pack.

"So you're telling me so that I, and the Pack, have plausible deniability when I tell Derek that all of his fears are completely wrong?" Scott asked for confirmation.

"If you choose to talk to him, I wouldn't phrase it that particular way, but yes." She stated, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Thank you." Scott smiled slightly at her, standing up and grabbing his bag. "Any chance you can get me the rest of last period off, so that I can think over what I'm going to say?" He asked hopefully, giving the woman his best puppy dog look.

"Alright, but just this once."

"Thank you." Scott repeated, then rushed out of the room.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Once he had thoroughly thought over what he wanted to say, Scott texted Derek, asking the alpha to come over to his house to talk in private. Halfway through practicing in the mirror, for the third time, Scott heard Derek's car approaching. He took a deep breath, then walked downstairs to let the man in.

"Scott. Is everything okay?" Derek asked in concern when the beta let him into the house.

"Yes." Scott lied. "Actually no, we need to talk." Scott stated then nervously gestured to the Coach for Derek to sit down. Once the alpha did, Scott sat opposite him, everything he had thought through and planned had gone from his brain and the two sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Scott?"

"Do you trust me?" Scott finally blurted, throwing the alpha for a few seconds.

"Yes." Derek said honestly. "Absolutely."

"Do you trust me when I say that I trust you?"

"Did Stiles talk to you?" Derek asked with a sigh.

"No." Scott stated honestly, and Derek listened again. "He hasn't said a word, but this isn't about Stiles, or any of the Pack, really. This is about you and me. I need you to know that I trust you. With my life, my mum's life, even my mate's lives. I didn't agree to work, or pretend to work, for Gerard because I didn't trust you, I agreed because I trusted you. I trusted that you could use it to your advantage. I trusted that you would be able to use that inside access to end what happened with Gerard and you did." Scott insisted, maintaining eye contact and being completely honest with his alpha, knowing that Derek was listening to both his words and his heartbeat. "At first, I thought that you were just acting, when we were in the warehouse and you were angry at me for working with Gerard. I thought that you were just saying those things to make it more believable for Gerard. I never thought for a second that you actually meant them, that you actually thought that I trusted Gerards word more than I trusted you. Then I thought about it over and over again, and I realised that there was no skip in your heartbeat and that I could smell the sadness and betrayal coming off of you. I hate that, I hate that I've given you reason to think those things and I promise that I will do everything that I can to prove to you that I trust you. Please, Derek, give me a chance to prove myself." Scott finished, tears in both his own and Derek's eyes.

The older wolf, simply stood up, walked over to Scott, tugged the boy to his feet then pulled him into a reassuring hug, and Scott knew. He knew that his alpha didn't hate him, his alpha believed him, believed in him. But Scott still planned to prove himself. He had no intention of giving his alpha reason to doubt him again.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek crawled into the bed he shared his mate later that night, feeling more content than he had in years. Stiles was already curled up, but not sleeping.

"Hey." Stiles whispered, looking over his shoulder at his mate, rolling to see him fully.

"Hi." Derek grinned and leaned forward to give him a soft kiss. "How was your session with Morrell?"

"Good, it helped." Stiles admitted softly causing Derek to smile.

"That's good." Derek smiled happily. "I'm glad. Are you going to see her again?"

"Yeah, she wants to make it a weekly appointment." Stiles admitted semi-nervously. Worried that it might make Derek think less of him, or worry about his mental state, but Derek just smiled.

"I didn't want to say anything, but I think it's good that you're talking to someone about all of this. Especially someone who knows about the supernatural." Derek admitted, burying his nose in Stiles' hair. "It's not good to bottle things up, I've learnt that the hard way."

"so have I." Stiles whispered. "Are you going to talk to anyone?"

"I do, sort of... I talk to dad a lot. At first it was a little weird, because he's your dad and my boss, but it really does help." Derek informed him, and felt Stiles grin against him. "What?"

"You called him dad." Stiles smiled, pulling back to look up at Derek, who had turned bright red. "About damn time, too. He's wanted you to since the night the two of you hung out when I was with Ally and Lydia."

Derek looked surprised at that. "Really?"

"Dude, he liked you so much, that he invited you to live with us the next night!" Stiles exclaimed. "And not just in the guest room, he let us share a room. Do you really think he'd do that if he didn't trust you or see you as family?"

Derek stammered for a few seconds, before finally speaking. "Don't call me dude." Stiles burst into laughter, burying his head in Derek's chest.

"You're such an idiot." Stiles stated, shaking his head. "Now kiss me, dumbass."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After school the next day, Noah, Chris, Allison and Lydia were helping Victoria and Tammy with self control and teaching them how to fight. Well, mainly teaching Tammy how to fight, and helping Victoria with her technique. Derek wasn't there as he had to get ready for work, and the rest of the boys, except Boyd, had lacrosse practice. Boyd had convinced Coach to excuse him from practice for his anniversary. He had to lie and say it was one year rather than one month, but it still worked.

"Why do they still have practice if the season is over?" Tammy asked curiously, taking a swig of water.

"It's Coach." Lydia reminded her in explanation.

"True." Tammy shrugged, setting down her drink. "Okay, I'm ready."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"How are they doing?" Derek asked Noah when the man walked into the station later on.

"They're doing good." Stilinski told him with a smile. "Of course, we'll have to see how they do on the next full moon, but they've both pretty much mastered everyday control."

"That's good." Derek agreed with a nod. "How are you?"

"I've got my self control mastered. Mostly."

"You know what I meant." Derek chuckled.

"I'm good, son." The sheriff assured him. "A little stressed about the Daehler trial, next week."

"Is this the one where they determine what's going to happen to him after Juvie?"

"Yeah." Noah sighed, rubbing his forehead. "In theory, it could run smoothly. But it could also go badly." Derek raised an eyebrow in question. "He could say that Tammy did it all, thanks to Danny there's no evidence to support that, but if he mentions a Kanima-"

"They could plead insanity and get him institutionalised." Derek stated in realisation.

"Not that that's necessarily better, but depending on where he goes, he could have a better chance of escaping." Noah explained. "Or he could convince people in an institute of the supernatural, making them a hell of alot worse."

"Or there could be someone who knows of the supernatural on the jury, and they could contact hunters and send them after Tammy." Derek stated worriedly and Noah sighed once again.

"I didn't even think of that."

Derek started to speak, only to be interrupted by Deputy McDougall, who was currently working with dispatch. "Sheriff, we have a robbery in progress."

"Thanks Jenna." Noah replied as Derek stood up and grabbed his gun and badge. "We'll talk at home."

"Of course, dad." Derek nodded, then walked past the shell shocked sheriff.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Really? Again?" Stiles sighed as Allison walked over to him with nail polish. "That stuff stinks, and I just pick it off every morning, so your efforts are in vain." He argued, shuffling backwards on Lydia's bed to put some distance between himself and the brunette.

"It's still fun." Lydia grinned. "And you won't be picking it off tomorrow because you'll be with one of us in every class, and we will stop you."

"Oh, come on!" Stiles groaned, but the grin's on each of the girls faces showed that he wasn't going to get out of this. "Can you at least make it more manly this time then? So no pink!"

"Alright." Allison agreed. "We can work with that."

"So, Erica, how did the date go yesterday?" Stiles asked, trying to distract himself from the thought of having his nails painted.

Half an hour later, Erica had just finished telling them about the date, and Stiles was halfway through painting Allison's nails, doing quite well, if he did say so himself. Allison had painted his nails whilst Lydia painted Erica's. Now Erica was painting Lydia's, Stiles prefered this to being tag teamed by two girls, then having to help paint both of their nails, so he wasn't going to complain… much.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"If you see my dad or Derek, tell them I'll be home late after school." Stiles sighed as he opened his locker.

"Why?" Boyd asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Harris gave me detention and confiscated my phone."

"What for this time?" Jackson smirked, expecting an answer like 'talking back' or 'texting in class' or something.

"For 'highlighting too much' apparently." Stiles grumbled, shoving books into his locker and pulling out his maths textbook.

"What?" Boyd growled, "That's ridiculous."

"Tell me about it."

Jackson opened his mouth to offer to threaten Harris, only to pause then ask. "Are you wearing nail polish?" He laughed and Boyd's lips tugged upwards, Stiles simply blushed.

"Blame your girlfriend!" He muttered, then looked at Boyd. "Yours too."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles shuffled into his house a little after five o'clock, to find Scott in his living room. "Hey man, what's up?"

"Nothing, I just felt like hanging out, is all." Scott shrugged. "You're home late."

"I know." Stiles sighed, dropping his bag on the floor and flopping onto the sofa next to his best friend. "Blame Harris. That asshole really hates me."

Scott chuckled at his best friend. "Well I think I can cheer you up. I brought over some video games, movies and snacks. I also ordered pizza like half an hour ago, so it should be here any minute now. My treat." Scott promised with a grin.

"Aww Scotty, that's so sweet!" Stiles teasingly gushed. "Y'know, this new found chivalry is making me very attracted to you. You wanna try making out for a second?" He asked jokingly as a knock sounded at the door. "Just to see how it feels!" He called as Scott stood and walked to the front door, chuckling slightly.

He returned a few minutes later to see Stiles searching through the DVD's. "You got Star Wars!" Stiles grinned, looking over his shoulder at Scott who shrugged.

"I got sick of you going on at me about it." Scott stated. "Did I get the right one? Cause, I remember you saying that 'A New Hope' is the first one, but it says number four… So.."

"Yeah, it's the right one buddy." Stiles assured as he set up the DVD.

"Then why does it say four?"

"The numbering didn't show up until The Empire Strikes Back and then was added retroactively to A New Hope. The reason 'A New Hope' became number four, was because the other three were prequels, so in the Star Wars universe they, technically, came first." Stiles explained, looking at Scott, who nodded, but still looked slightly confused. "The numerology isn't important, just the fact that these are amazing movies." He stood and walked over to the Coach. "So sit back and relax, while you still can, because these movies will have you on the edge of your seat!"

"Okay, sur- Dude why are your nails blue?"

"Blame your girlfriend."

"Oh… My… God." Scott whispered two hours later, staring at the screen in shock as the ending credit began to roll. "That was…"

"I know, right?!" Stiles beamed.

"Dude, I wish I had gotten the second one!"

"I have it." Stiles told him immediately, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it kinda was. "It's in my room. Want me to go get it?"

"Yes!" Scott agreed immediately, a huge grin on his face.

"Alright, I'll go get it, you grab us some snacks and drinks." Stiles half heartedly ordered, chuckling as his friend nodded enthusiastically.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Isaac and Allison shared and exasperated, yet fond, look as Scott rambled on about how amazing Star Wars is. He was literally running off of adrenalin as he and Stiles had been up all night watching all of the movies. According to Derek, he and the Sheriff had arrived home a little after six am to find the best friend's sat on the couch, watching 'Revenge of the Sith', surrounded by empty pizza boxes and junk food wrappers, staring at the tv screen as if their lives depended on it.

"How are you even still awake?" Isaac asked incredulously, cutting off Scott's rant.

"I have no idea." The crooked jawed boy admitted with a shrug, his eyes wide as they walked into the cafeteria. "Although, I did start to fall asleep in Economics, but then Coach blew the whistle in my ear, and I was fine, apart from my ears ringing. I got over it though and-"

Isaac shook his head and shared a smile with Allison as the trio made their way over to their table.

Stiles and Lydia were already sitting at the table, talking animatedly about something, fading off when they noticed the others approaching.

"Hey." Stiles greeted with a grin once his Pack mates sat down. "So are you smiling to try to trick your body into thinking that you want to be awake, too?"

"Absolutely." Scott nodded. "I usually enjoy this new metabolism, but I hate that it makes coffee useless."

"Me too." Stiles agreed with a slight groan. "I could really do with a red eye right now."

"That's what you get for not sleeping." Lydia smirked, munching on a piece of cafeteria chicken. "It's really bad for your health to not sleep."

"Lyd, it's not just us." Stiles rolled his eyes. "Everyone's experienced the fatigue, short temper and lack of focus that often follow a poor night's sleep, or lack thereof."

"An occasional night without sleep makes you feel tired and irritable the next day, but it won't harm your health." Lydia agreed as Jackson and Danny walked over. "However, after several sleepless nights, the mental effects become more serious. Your brain will fog, making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions. You'll start to feel down, and may fall asleep during the day. Your risk of injury and accidents at home, work and on the road also increases. If it continues, lack of sleep can affect your overall health and make you prone to serious medical conditions, such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes." By the time she had finished, Erica and Boyd had joined them, and Scott was looking at her bug-eyed.

"Okay, so no more late nights watching Star Wars." Stiles stated with a nod and Jackson groaned.

"Really? Star Wars. What's the big deal about those movies?"

"Dude! They're amazing." Scott insisted immediately.

"They sound lame."

"Sound?" Stiles asked with an unreadable expression. "You haven't seen them either?"

"No, and I don't plan to."

"The only people in the universe who have never seen Star Wars are the characters in Star Wars and that's cause they lived them, Jacks, that's cause they lived the Star Wars." Stiles announced, flailing his arms wildly. "Yesterday I would have forgiven you, but even Scott has seen it now, you will be the next!" He looked around at the rest of the Pack "Who else hasn't seen it?" He demanded and Danny raised his hand.

"In my defence, I wanted to, but my parents hate Sci Fi and Jackson wouldn't watch it with me. By the time I could make my own decisions, I had other priorities, such as getting laid." Danny semi joked with a grin.

"Okay, you're forgiven for your crimes." Stiles jokingly sighed. "The same can't be said for your best friend."

"Well, I guess we know what the movie will be on Pack night." Erica told Stiles with a chuckle.

"Oh, yeah. It's my turn to choose." Stiles remembered with a grin, and Jackson groaned again, hitting his head against the table, regretting his confession with every fibre of his being.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Danny sighed as he and Stiles walked to Maths together, the slightly shorter boy ranting the entire way. "Are you nearly done?"

"No! That guy was-"

"Hitting on me, so what?"

"Well, A) You can do so much better than him, and B) He was talking to you like you were a piece of meat! If anyone had spoken to any of us like that, you would have yelled at them and told them to show some respect!" Stiles all but growled as they walked. "Why is it different when it's you?"

"Because I like dominant guys."

"There's a difference between being dominant and being a douche." Stiles stated knowingly. "For example, Derek is dominant. That guy was a douche."

"I guess you're right." Danny admitted, besides, the rest of the Pack didn't like him either, all of them glaring at him the entire time he stood by their table made that clear. So that guy would not be getting a date with him. "Alright, I won't go out with him. If you agree to tell me exactly how dominant Derek is." He bargained as they arrived at the classroom.

"Deal." Stiles grinned easily. He always wanted to talk about Derek's sexual side, but most of the Pack didn't want to know about it. The girls did, though Allison never wanted too many details, but Stiles knew that Danny, like Erica and Lydia, would want to know everything.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The weeks flew by to summer break. It was exactly two months since the showdown with Gerard and now the town was almost completely cleared of hunters. The ones that were still around respected the treaty and left the Pack alone. The Pack had enjoyed the downtime and spent a lot of time together, but now it was time to say goodbye to Tammy. They hadn't gotten to see her much apart from classes and training. Her parents made her come home for lunch everyday, and tried to spend every waking moment with her. They still felt guilty over what had happened, like if they had paid more attention, they could have stopped Matt somehow. Derek tried to explain that had they figured out what was going on, Matt would have just forced Tammy to kill them, then sped up the time between kills, ending a lot more lives. Unfortunately, this did nothing to ease their guilt.

Matt's trial came and went without any mention of the supernatural or Tammy, and Matt had been sentenced to Juvie until he was 18, then life imprisonment. The Pack was very happy with that outcome.

"Okay, if you don't like the new Pack, you're more than welcome to come back here." Derek reminded the family, again.

"We know, Derek, thank you, but I really think we could do with some space from Beacon Hills." Tammy's father told him politely, as the Pack helped put the last few boxes into the moving van.

"Of course." Derek smiled. "But if you have any problems, please don't hesitate to call me." The elder man nodded at Derek's request, and sent him a grateful smile. "Alright, uuh, I'll be down in a few days, once you've settled in, and I'll introduce you to the Pack."

"Thank you." Tammy's mother smiled, walking over to the pair, having heard what Derek said. "So, just as a refresher, when we get there, Tammy needs to leave something with her scent on it, slightly buried behind the town's welcome sign?"

Derek nodded. "Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it's so that the Pack can start to familiarise themselves with her scent. Also so that if an Omega comes through before you are introduced to them, they know not to attack Tammy." The couple nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I think that's everything." Tammy's mother said with a sad smile as the final box was placed in the van. "Let's go."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was cuddled up with Derek as the Pack sat in the Stilinski living room, watching The Notebook, when his phone rang. Stiles untangled himself from his mate and went outside before answering the call. "Hello?"

"Hello." A deep voice came through the speaker. "I'm calling for… uh… Mr Stilinski?"

"Speaking."

"Hi, I'm Jake Hardy from PCL, I'm calling to let you know that the work has been completed."

Stiles' face lit up in an excited smile. "Thank you, that's wonderful. I will come round tomorrow for inspection and payment. I understand that you and your men will be tired, so what time is best for you?"

"Is noon alright for you?" The man asked with a chuckle.

"Great. Thank you. See you then Mr Hardy, Have a good night."

"You too, Mr Stilinski."

Stiles smiled, then hung up the phone. "Yes!" He cheered, pumping a fist into the air, before heading back inside. When he got back to the living room, he found that the Pack had paused the movie and were all staring at him curiously.

"What was that about?" Derek asked curiously.

"Uh, the first part of the thing is finished." Was his reply, causing Danny to cheer. Allison and Erica followed suit, as Lydia laughed at the three of them, and Jackson rolled his eyes.

"This is great!" Allison smiled. "I am so coming with you to check it out!"

"So am I" Lydia stated, and Erica did the same.

"Alright," Stiles smiled, but the others just looked annoyed that they didn't know what was going on.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Two days before Derek was scheduled to travel down to South America, Stiles called a Pack meeting. Scott, Boyd, Isaac, Derek, Melissa, Jackson and Erica were sitting and listening. Stiles was standing in front of his Pack with Allison and Danny to his left, Lydia and his father to his right.

"Okay." Stiles started, he tried to appear confident, but you didn't need super senses to know that he was nerve racked. "So, uh, I know that you're all curious as to what it is we've been hiding from you, and why I've told some about the plans, but not others." As he spoke Lydia and Allison collected some papers and held them out to Stiles. "We've been planning this for a while, and I hope that you all like it and don't hate me." He took one of the rolls of papers from Allison and set them on the table, spreading them out for the Pack to see.

"These are the blueprints for the official records."

"Blueprints?" Derek asked in slight shock

"For the new and improved Hale house." Stiles announced nervously

"You have spoken about rebuilding it, so the Pack can have a place to hang out and relax." Allison continued happily.

"And you, Isaac, my dad and I can move in straight away, I told dad when I first thought of it and he understood that we would want to live together, but he doesn't want to live away from me yet, and I don't either, so... yeah. The others will all have their own rooms for when they want to stay over and stuff. Or if any of them want to move in permanently."

The Alpha hummed as he flicked through the well drawn plans. "Did you hire somebody to make these?"

"No." Stiles informed him, pride clear in his voice. "Lydia made them. She did a great job" The redhead preened at the praise

"Jackson's dad got us the planning permission and things. Allison and I worked on the design," The Banshee explained next, far more confident than Stiles was that Derek would be happy with their work. "Stiles thought of the layout and structure and the sheriff was in charge of making sure no one outside of the Pack and working crew knew about it, so that it could stay a surprise. Of course, we had to be wary with the construction crew, but thankfully gave us this magic herb mixture to slip into their drinks-"

"Please tell me that you didn't kill them." Derek all but begged, causing the girl to roll her eyes at him.

"No, the herbs just made sure that they can't tell anyone. If they ever try to, they will become disoriented and forget what they were going to say, instead their minds will jump to the official plans, without the secret tunnels. The same thing will happen if they ever come back to the house, it's irreversible." Lydia explained and Derek nodded, impressed at how thought out it all was. "Danny has been working the security angle and Erica has been running interference whenever you guys are on your runs, keeping you from seeing it before it was ready, she also helped with the design a little, mostly with hers and Boyd's room."

"You've done a good job." Derek stated. "I can't see where these tunnels are meant to be, though. What I do is that there are a lot of large rooms here, especially in the basement. Maybe we could make a panic room of sorts?"

Stiles, Allison and Lydia looked to each other, proud of the idea they'd had while designing the layout for the house "Like we said, those are the official blueprints," Allison stated and handed Derek the second roll. "These are the actual blueprints."

Derek nodded, looking through the plans. There were no more too large rooms, but discrete tunnels running through the house. In the basement, there were two rooms in the space Derek had thought of for the panic room, one of which was written as being made of mountain ash. The most noticeable thing was the extra page.

"Two basements?" Scott asked, speaking for the first time.

"Yes, the second one will be a panic floor, connected to twelve tunnels, but six have been filled in from the inside. They're still there, and the exits to the sealed tunnels are in easier to find places. That way, people can think that they've found a way in, only, when they get close to the house, they will be met with several layers of dirt, stone, mountain ash, concrete and titanium. The six that aren't filled in, require a member of the Pack to use their claws to access it. The members without claws will be given an alternative."

"What kind of alternative?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we've been discussing it with Deaton, and he recommends artificial claws, infused with Pack DNA and magically altered to only work for those who are actually Pack. So if they ever get stolen by hunters or something, they won't work." Allison explained with a smile we have prototypes made." She held up her hand to show off the simple silver band on her index finger. "Danny helped create them using nanotech." She used her thumb to tap the side of the ring three times in quick succession, immediately the ring morphed itself into a new shape. It coated her hand like a glove, tipping earache of her fingers in silver claws, amazing the pack members who hadn't seen it before.

"That's amazing." Derek commented with awe, turning to look at Danny. "Well done!" He then looked at the other pack members involved individually. "All of you, this is amazing."

"That's also part of why we needed Erica," Jackson stated from where he was sitting, trying to keep the joy out of his voice that was caused by his Alpha's compliment. "We needed to make sure that all Pack could get access, Stiles, Allison, Erica, Danny and I each gave a drop of blood to ensure that."

"As each of us, except Danny, are mated with someone, our blood will allow them access." Stiles explained, all traces of nervousness gone thanks to Derek's positive response, replaced with excitement and confidence. "So, my blood will give Derek, and my dad access to the tunnels. Allison's gives Scott, Isaac, Chris and Victoria access, we got some of Scott's blood, so Melissa has access too. Although, the family thing gave us a little trouble, as we had to find away to exclude Peter and any other Argents who get turned, but we got that sorted." Stiles stated, a glare appearing on his face at the thought of the former Alpha and the rest of the Argent family.

"Wait hold up." Scott jumped in. "How the hell did you get my blood?"

"Remember that time that Derek accidently cut you during training, and I helped clean the wound before it healed?" Allison asked sheepishly and Scott nodded, realisation dawning. "Yeah, then."

"I set up an electronic security system." Danny spoke up before Scott could say anything, a proud grin on his face. "It runs on my own private network and has a direct, secure line to the sheriff's station. Motion sensors, camera's, all of that. Dr Deaton did give me a little magical help, so that the motion sensors trigger a silent alarm and send an alert to the station and each of our phones the second someone who isn't Pack steps onto our land."

"Wow, that's great." Derek praised, pride clear in his voice. "When will it be ready?"

"Now." Stiles said sheepishly, and Derek's eyes widened. "The construction was completely finished on Saturday, Danny, Deaton and I have been going in for the last two days to set up the security. The girls have started up the decorating, that still needs completing once everyone decides what they want, and furniture needs to be put in, but the kitchens and living rooms are finished."

"Rooms? Plural?" Isaac asked curiously, trying to hide his excitement over having a home. His father's house hadn't felt like home since the abuse started. The Stilinski house was close to home, and he loved it there, but something just didn't really feel right. He hadn't even seen the new house yet, and it already felt like where he belonged.

"Yeah, the second basement will be kind of like a bungalow, ish, mixed with a panic room." Stiles stated an edge of uncertainty in his voice. "Sorry I can't think of any other way to describe it."

"I think that's probably the best we're going to come up with." Allison stated with a shrug. "It's split into multiple rooms." She pointed to two identically sized rooms in the center of the basement. "The one on the left will be a training room. The one on the right will be the sleeping quarters, we all talked it over and decided that because we will only ever sleep there in case of emergency, we'd all be better off in the same room."

"That's probably a good idea." Scott hummed in appreciation. "What about the rest of these rooms? I get that one is gonna be a bathroom and another is gonna be a kitchen, but what else is there? There's a lot of rooms."

"Weapons rooms, living room, library, a pantry, a theater room, a closet room and a laundry room." Stiles listed thoughtfully, trying to remember if he had left anything out. Lydia answered that for him.

"And a game room. For, you know, if we get bored." The redhead shrugged. "Depending on the threat, it might not be wise to leave the property, so we're better off having everything we could need."

"What if they cut the electricity?" Isaac asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" Danny grinned. "The second basement runs off of it's own generator and has a private phone line."

"Where will this generator be?" Derek asked, looking intently at the plans, counting the rooms. He realised then, that they had listed twelve rooms, and there were thirteen.

"Here." Stiles said, pointing to the smallest room in the north west corner. "A generator and a boiler will be in here. The boiler has a direct pipeline to the lake. The pipeline was already there, from the old house, except it previously went upwards and supplied the entire house. Now, where it used to go up, it's split into two pipes. One for the basement, one leading up to the whole house."

"When can we see it?" Isaac asked.

"Now, if you'd all like to."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The first thing Derek thought when he saw the house was that it was big. Way bigger than the house he grew up in. Not that he minded, growing up with such a big Pack, they had always been short on space. He doubted that they'd run into that problem again. The house was three stories tall, the walls to the house were made of stone rather than wood, and painted a nice white colour. There were two curved staircases, leading from the ground to balconies on the first floor. There were two more balconies on the second floor, but they weren't accessible by stairs. There were a lot of windows, which concerned Derek slightly until Stiles spoke up. "Bulletproof glass has been used for all of the windows, double glazed."

The second thing he thought was 'of course they put in a pool' between the entrance to the clearing and the house, was a large pool, already filled with clear blue water, protected by a clear plastic covering. Comfortable looking lounge chairs were set around the pool in an organise fashion.

"A pool?" Isaac and Scott asked excitedly in unison.

"Yup," Stiles grinned, leading the Pack around said pool, towards the house. "It was Lydia's idea. Summer is coming up and a lot of people go to the public pool or the lake, by having our own pool, we can keep cool and let our supernatural sides out, without having to worry about other people seeing us." Jackson peered over the edge, into the pool.

"How deep is it?" The boy asked, this was the first he'd heard about the pool, so he wanted to know if it was deep enough to practice for swimming competitions. After all, as the team captain, he needed to stay in shape.

"Ten feet at the deepest end, three feet at the shallowest." Lydia stated, pointing to the side of the pool they were walking past. "That's the shallow end, and you can see steps at the bottom. Those steps bring you down to five feet, the there's a black line represent the start of the slope that gradually brings the pool to ten feet." She had moved her hand so that she was now pointing towards the deep end. "As you can see, we have a diving board over there, Ally's idea."

"Alright, enough about the pool." Derek snapped playfully. "Can we see inside the house now?"

"Yeah, of course." Stiles grinned. "Follow me." When they reached the double glass doors, Stiles pulled out his keys, and searched through them, before stopping on a silver key, with the letter 'H' embroidered into it. As Stiles unlocked the door, Derek found himself excitedly looking through the glass, at his new home. Stiles put his keys back in his pocket, and set a hand on either handle, looking over his shoulder at the Pack with an excited smile. "Welcome, to the Hale house."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back in Stiles and Derek's bedroom at the Stilinski house, three hours later, Stiles closed the bedroom door, then turned around only to be shoved against said door by Derek.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Derek all but growled, eyes glowing red.

"B-because I-I I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Stiles." Derek let out, in a sort of growl/sigh combination. "I wish you had told me before you'd done it."

"I'm sorry." Stiles whispered, trying to fight back tears, he thought Derek was happy about what he'd done. He'd sure played it well.

"God Stiles, I know I said I wanted a new home, and I'm happy with what you've done, but I wish that you hadn't blown your money on it, it must have cost a fortune!" Stiles' eyes widened as realisation hit him.

"No! I-I mean yes, it did cost a lot, but it wasn't my money, not all of it at least." Stiles defended immediately, hoping to calm Derek down.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked, eyes fading back to their normal colour.

"Well, dad and I paid for the paint and flooring, Jackson and Lydia both contributed towards part of the construction cost and bought some furniture, but most of it was uh.."

"Yes?"

"Most of it was your money." Stiles blurted nervously, looking horribly guilty. "Hear me out, I'm sorry, okay, but you said that I could use it for anything, and you've still got loads left and-" Derek cut the boy off with a kiss, and Stiles eyes went wide, before fluttering closed as he melted into this kiss. "You're not mad?" Stiles asked in confusion when they pulled apart for air.

"No." Derek chuckled, shaking his head. "Although, I wish you had only used my money, rather than your own, and Lydia's and Jackson's" Stiles looked confused, so Derek explained. "As alpha, it's my job to look after the Pack, that includes providing them with shelter. I know how you and dad struggle for money, so I didn't want you putting yourselves out, just to do something that I should do." He explained, still pining Stiles to the door. "And like you said, I've got plenty of money, and a job."

"If you're not mad, why am I still pinned to the door?" Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because it's fun." Derek grinned, and kissed the boy once again.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Two days later, Derek was driving into a small town in South America, following the directions to Tammy's family's new house. A familiar scent was drifting in through the open car window. It wasn't Tammy or her parents, Mr and Mrs Harley, it was someone else, but it was too faded and overpowered by other scents for him to place it. It was driving him crazy.

Within twenty minutes of arriving, he had met up with the Harleys, and was now pulling into the grounds belonging to the Jardine Pack. As they got further into the grounds, the familiar scent got stronger. Derek forced himself to push it to the back of his mind and focus on the task at hand. He pulled over when he saw a proud brunette woman standing, flanked by four male werewolves. Once the car had come to a stop, he looked to the family and gestured for them to get out of the car, before doing so himself.

"Alpha Jardine." He greeted with a pleasant smile, once he was close enough, he held out his hand and bared his neck for the alpha. "It's a pleasure to see you." He stated, then stayed still as the woman shook his hand and sniffed his neck. It felt wrong to bare his neck as an alpha, but this wasn't his territory so he needed to be respectful.

"Alpha Hale." The woman greeted, then let go of his hand and stepped back.

"So this is her?" She asked, gesturing to Tammy.

"Yes." Derek nodded. "I understand that you may be hesitant to take her, especially giving the colour of her eyes, but as I said over the phone, that was not her fault. She is a good kid and deserves a good Pack."

"You don't have to worry, alpha Hale." Jardine assured him with a smile. "I know of the situation and, no offense to you, did some research to find the full extent of the situation. Therefore, I understand that this girl shouldn't be held responsible for what happened, at least that's how I see it." Derek smiled at her gratefully. "I'll admit that I was surprised to hear from you, I believed that you had perished in the fire, like most of your family."

Derek shook his head, then paused. "Most? Who are you referring to?"

"Your sister." The alpha said cautiously "Are you aware that she is alive?"

"I'm sorry but she's not." Derek told the alpha sadly, and the woman looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Laura and I lived together in New York for six years, but she passed away six months ago." The alpha opened her mouth to say something, but a fresh wave of the familiar scent hit Derek, and a switch flipped in his mind. "Cora?" He gasped, his head snapping to the side to look at the girl.

"D-Derek?" A brunette girl, who looked to be about sixteen called out in shock. "Is it really you?" She asked, cautiously walking over to him.

"It's me, Cor." The girl squealed excitedly and ran over to her brother, wrapping him into a hug. "Wow, I think this is the first time you're willingly hugged me." Derek teased as tears flooded his eyes.

"Don't get used to it." Cora teased, but Derek knew that she was crying too.

"I thought you were dead." He told her, breathing in her scent like his life depended on it.

"I thought you were." The girl replied, taking a deep breath as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Did anyone else make it out?"

"That's a long story, I'll tell you all about it later." Derek promised. They continued hugging for a few minutes before alpha Jardine spoke up.

"I assume this will now be an exchange, rather than a drop off?" The alpha asked, a hint of amusement in her voice, rather than the anger that Derek had expected.

"Wait." Cora gasped, pulling out of the hug to look up at Derek, when the realisation hit her. "You're the new alpha? The up and coming alpha in Beacon Hills?" Derek nodded and flashed his eyes at his baby sister. Cora gasped, a huge grin appearing on her face. She then looked at the female alpha with a semi-nervous, hopeful look on her face. "Tay?"

"If you wish to go with him, you may. I won't keep you from your family." Cora's smile grew wider, if possible as she turned to look at her brother.

"How long will it take you to pack?" Derek asked, a grin taking over his own face.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Wow, seriously?" Stiles asked in shock. His phone was on speaker on the floor of the main hall in the new Hale house. The entire Pack, except Derek of course, were there painting the walls.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, but she's here, she's alive." Derek's joy filled voice came through the phone.

"That's incredible. I'm so happy for you." Allison called out, a big smile on her paint splattered face.

"We all are." Lydia stated.

"Thank you."

"Wait, we're not moving to South America, are we?" Jackson asked cautiously, causing Derek to chuckle.

"No, but Cora will be coming back to Beacon Hills with me, if you're all okay with that?"

Everyone made a sound of agreement, and Stiles stated. "As long as she's nothing like Peter, we're all cool with it."

"Alright." Derek chuckled, then there was a sound of shuffling. "Okay, I- uh I'm gonna go and catch up with Cora and help her pack her things. I may be here a little longer, but I love you all, stay safe, and don't do anything stupid. Okay?"

The Pack agreed and said their goodbyes before the call cut out.

"What do you think she'll be like?" Scott asked, wiping the back of his hand across his brow, spreading more paint there.

"Like a female Derek." Jackson chuckled.

"Hopefully less grouchy than Derek was when we met him, though." Stiles commented with a fond eye roll.

"I hope she has a better fashion sense than him." Lydia stated, a thoughtful look on her face. "Sure, his look works for the 'I don't give a damn' bad boy thing, but it's not that great, especially when it's the only thing he wears." She rolled her eyes. "Let's hope that Cora has a wider range of colours."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It turned out that Cora had the exact same fashion sense as her brother. That was clear when the two Hales showed up at the new Hale house, four days later, wearing near identical outfits. Both Hales were wearing black jeans, but Cora's were skinny jeans. The pair wore black leather jackets, trainers and grey tops. Derek wearing a henley and Cora wearing a tank top.

"Derek, you're home early." Stiles beamed as he weaved past Scott and Isaac who were carrying a king size mattress towards the stairs. He lept into his Mate's arms and hugged him tight before reluctantly letting go and turning his attention to Cora. "You must be Cora, I'm Stiles." He grinned, holding out his hand for the girl, who gave him a firm handshake.

"Yeah, you're Derek's mate, right?" Cora asked, taking a whiff of his scent, probably catching the still rather strong scent of Derek on him. "I've heard a lot about you. All of you." She informed them, glancing around the room, where the Pack had begun to gather to reat her.

"Yeah, that's me." Stiles grinned. "Whatever you've heard, it's all lies."

"Oh, really?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, and boy did her eyebrow game rival Derek's. Stiles could already imagine having conversations with her eyebrows, like he did with Derek. "So, you never went out in the woods to look for my sister's body, and got bitten by my psychotic uncle in the process?"

"Uh.."

"-Or help Derek track down said uncle and get justice for Laura?"

"Well-"

"-Or give my brother a home when he was living in the burnt out shell of our old house?"

"Um-"

"Or help him open up, let go of his man pain, and finally stop blaming himself for things that weren't his fault?"

"I-"

"Or-"

"Okay, so he may have been telling the truth, sheesh, woman!" Stiles exclaimed, flailing his arms at Cora. "And I thought I could ramble!"

"I heard about that too." The girl smirked. "I just wanted to prove that I can out ramble the rambler. Don't get used to it." She said with a soft glare.

"Wow, you are so Derek's sister." Stiles chuckled, shook his head, then gestured around the room. "We're obviously not finished yet, but would you like a tour?"

"Sure."

"Great, oh Derek, here." Stiles called out then tossed his mate his keys. "Could you take Isaac to your storage locker to pick up some stuff? There's a trailer attached to my jeep that you can use."

"Sure thing." Derek smiled, and turned to Isaac, "Are you ready, pup?"

"Yeah dad." Isaac smiled and started walking towards the door.

"Wait." Lydia called out, stopping him in his tracks. "On your way back, can you swing by the Locksmiths? The extra keys are ready."

"Yeah, no problem." Derek smiled, then walked over to Stiles and gave him a soft kiss goodbye. "Love you all."

There was a chorus of 'Love you's' before Derek and Isaac left, and everyone's attention returned to Cora.

"Okay, so who would you like to show you around?" Stiles asked politely. "Batman, Clark Kent, Banshee Queen, Sassy Katniss, Catwoman, Teal'c, Daredevil or Dannyboy?"

Cora gave him the second greatest bitch face he has ever seen, only losing to Jackson. He sighed and shook his head and explained while pointing to each member of the Pack as he said their names. "I am Batman, Scott is Clark Kent, Lydia is Banshee Queen, Allison is Sassy Katniss, Erica is Catwoman, Boyd is Teal'c, Jackson is Daredevil and Danny is Dannyboy, obviously. So who would you like to give you the tour, whilst everyone else continues working?"

Cora hummed as she looked around at the Pack thoughtfully, eyes lingering or Erica and Boyd, looking the pair up and down appreciatively before returning her attention to Stiles. "I'm gonna have to go with you, Batman, I want to get to know my brother's mate."

"Fair enough, follow me."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

By one o'clock the next morning, the ground, first and second floors were almost completely furnished, only the kitchen and Cora's bedroom needed completing. Cora's bedroom had been painted already by Allison and Lydia, once Cora told them what colour she wanted. The second coat of paint would be put on the next morning, then hopefully the carpet could be put down in the afternoon, then they'd move her furniture and personal effects in.

For now, the Pack, including Cora, were huddled together in a puppy pile, the air con on full blast whilst they watched Avengers Assemble. The buzz of the machinery was slightly irritating the wolves, but that was the price they had to pay for bulletproof glass.

"How are they all talking to each other?" Cora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That is the question that the directors hoped would never be asked." Stiles stated, eyes fixed on the screen, a content smile on his face.

"I guess," Cora stated, trying to shrug whilst being wedged between Derek and Erica. "It's stupid though. You would think that with the budget they had for this movie, they'd be able to afford some small pieces of plastic to pose as ear pieces."

"Shush! We're trying to watch the movie!" Jackson whispered in annoyance, he flicked popcorn at the pair, some of which landed on Derek, who was sandwiched between them.

Derek let out a sigh of annoyance. "Children." He muttered and seconds later, was met with a rain of popcorn.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, I hope that you’ve enjoyed this chapter! xx

Chapter 25: Bruised And Bloodied

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Lot’s of dates, the pack is attack, Melissa learns a new skill and Lydia talks to her mother.

The Hale Pack: Bruised And Bloodied

Derek let out a sigh of annoyance. "Children." He muttered and seconds later, was met with a rain of popcorn.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It had been two weeks since Cora and Derek returned to Beacon Hills and things were going well. The Hale house was completely furnished, including the second basement. Cora, Isaac, Stiles, Derek, the Sheriff, Boyd, and Jackson had all moved into the house. Allison had moved back in with her parents, the family leaving their old house in favour of an apartment closer to the preserve, and Scott, Lydia, Danny and Erica chose to stay with their parent(s). Although Melissa and Scott were talking about moving but that was still undecided.

But it didn't really matter, as the members who didn't live there, still spent the majority of their time there. At that moment in time, the Pack, minus Danny who was on vacation with his family, were cooling down from the hot weather, most of them in the pool.

"Jackson!" Erica shrieked from the boy's arms. "Put me down!" She demanded, but her Pack Mate just took her further from the deck chair and sun umbrella. "Jackson! I said. Put. Me. Down!"

"Alright, as you wish Blondie." Jackson stated with a smirk, before dropping his friend into the pool. He let out a loud laugh as the blonde hit the water, sending water all around. Jackson then ran and cannon-balled into the water, just in time to splash Erica as she resurfaced.

"Jackson!" Erica seethed, flashing her eyes at her fellow beta. "You're gonna pay for that!" She growled, then pounced, rather impressively seeing as she was in water, at Jackson and dunked his head under the water.

"Catwoman!" Stiles scolded from his position beside Scott at the opposite end of the pool.

"He started it!"

"That does not mean that you're allowed to drown him." Erica sighed and released Jackson, and the boy immediately shot up and began gasping for breath, then growled and flashed his eyes at the girl. Erica rolled her eyes and swam over to Boyd and Cora, who were having a conversation and floating a few metres away from her.

"It's amazing that reminding people not to kill each other has become a regular part of our day." Scott chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"All part of being in a werewolf Pack, Scotty." Stiles grinned as Allison and Lydia drifted past on floats, both with sunglasses on, and splatters of water decorating their bodies. "How did you not fall off with all of that splashing about?"

"Practice from spending summers at hotel resorts, Stiles." Lydia stated, without looking at him. "The amount of annoying kids there, who try to knock you into the water without touching you, is astounding."

"Eight years gymnastic, Stiles, I'm pretty good at balancing." Allison stated, a small smirk tugging at her lips, but like Lydia, she didn't look at him, just kept lounging. Until Isaac ran from the house to the pool, jumped over Scott and Stiles, landing in a cannonball between the two girls, hitting both of their floats in the process, flipping them over. Both girls gasped for breath when they surfaced, looking murderously at Isaac. "Isaac!" Allison seethed, taking off her sunglasses to give her mate a real glare. "Why did you do that?"

"Because it's funny." Isaac grinned, then swam away, over to Scott and Stiles. "Hey." He smiled, ignoring Lydia and Allison's angry cursing behind him as he kissed Scott.

"Hey," Scott greeted with a goofy smile. "You realise that she and Lydia are probably going to get revenge, right?"

"Yes, but it's worth it."

"I don't know."

Stiles chuckled at the pair, looking around at the Pack, when he noticed Derek walking over. Wearing joggers rather than swim shorts. "Der, I know that you're new to the whole 'fun' thing, but swimming is usually done in a swimsuit, not joggers."

Derek rolled his eyes at Stiles. "I'm not going to swim, I'm off out." He announced and the Pack went quiet, wondering where their alpha was going.

"Where are you going?"

"Hunting for deer to leave for you on the porch." Derek stated casually as he walked past the pool, towards the woods.

"Okay coo- wait, what?" Stiles demanded with wide eyes

"Just kidding, I'm going for a run." Derek grinned proudly, and everyone stared in shock for a few seconds, then Stiles burst out laughing, shortly followed by Scott, then Cora, then everyone else. "I'll be back soon." Derek promised.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When Derek returned to the house, things had gone to hell. "What happened?" He demanded, looking around at his injured Pack and the destroyed pool furniture.

"Uhh," Stiles winced as Boyd helped him to his feet. "Would you believe us if we said pixies did it?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles, Erica, Lydia, Jackson and Isaac were being supported, or full out carried, by the Pack to the hospital. Melissa was with them, as the Pack had called her to help set their injuries. However, after an hour, and no signs of them healing, Melissa insisted that they go to the hospital. Derek had protested, saying that they could heal at any time, and cause a lot of questions. Then Melissa reminded him that the entire police department knew, so the hospital staff should too, so that in cases like this the Pack, or any of their supernatural allies, could go and get the medical help that they need without having to worry. After a call to Stiles' dad and another half hour of no healing, Derek agreed and took his Pack to the hospital.

"You know, when you offered to carry me, this isn't what I had in mind." Stiles huffed from where he was slung over Derek's shoulder.

"What's wrong with this? I'm carrying you aren't I?" Derek retorted as they walked through the front door, to see the Sheriff and four deputies, talking to the head doctors, all of whom looked shocked and disbelieving. "You told them?"

"Yup," Noah stated, looking worriedly at his son and the other injured Pack members. "But they're having trouble believing, so..."

Derek sighed then shifted into beta form, the uninjured beta's did the same. "That enough proof for you?" When the doctors nodded, Derek continued. "Good, now, fix my Pack."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Really? Pixies?" Stilinski asked in exasperation, as he and Melissa joined the Pack for dinner. They had invited Allison's parents, but they were having a date night. They had offered to help with the pixies though, but Derek assured them that their help wasn't necessary yet.

"Yes, dad, pixies!" Stiles exclaimed, waving his fork around. "But don't say that in front of them, that's what Catwoman did, and they got angry!"

"Pixies aren't friendly." Cora stated, as she picked at the last of her food. "Our mother dealt with some when I was nine, they damn near tore down the preserve."

"They also nearly tore off your arm!" Derek reminded her, glaring at his empty plate, like it had personally offended him. "and now they've tried to do it again!"

"Derek, I'm fine." Cora told him with an exaggerated eye roll. "They failed, just like last time."

"Any chance these are the same pixies that attacked you last time?" Isaac asked curiously, subconsciously rubbing his now healed shoulder.

"No." Derek and Cora stated in unison.

"Those pixies are dead." Derek told them confidently.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup." Cora grinned. "The one who injured me was the first to go. My very first kill." She smiled proudly.

"Wait if you've killed, then why aren't your eye's blue?" Scott asked, giving the girl a half curious, half suspicious look.

"Because your eyes only turn blue if you kill an innocent, and those things are far from innocent." Derek reminded him, and the crooked jawed boy nodded in understanding. "Now, back to the pixies."

"Yeah, the pixies." Jackson jumped in, angry at the creatures that hurt his mate. Lydia was still injured, due to not having supernatural healing. Luckily, her wounds weren't that bad, but she wouldn't be able to fight for a few days, at least. "How do we kill them? They may be small, but they kicked our asses earlier dad."

"Because you underestimated them." Derek told them, taking a second to look each member of his Pack in the eyes. "Now you know better, and I will teach you how to fight them."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day, Melissa and the Sheriff were drinking coffee at midnight in the Hale house, cell phones and a first aid kit in front of them on the table. They were waiting for their kids to call them back, because neither boys were answering and they just hoped to god that the Pack could battle a pixie army and come back in one piece.

"Grounding?" Melissa suggested. The pair were trying to come up with an appropriate punishment for their son's. Not for fighting, that couldn't be avoided, but for not answering their phones. Sure, both parents knew that it wasn't the boy's faults, it's difficult to find time to answer your phone in the middle of a battle, but they were worried. Talking about this helped distract them from thinking the worst. "We could put mountain ash on their windows, I'll lock Scott in his room, you can lock Stiles in a guest room."

"They'd just get Allison or Lydia to let them out." Noah reminded her, a slight frown on his face.

"True."

"Oh, we could block their phones." He suggested with a shrug. "Make it so that they can only call or text us and the station."

"Yeah, but now that school's out, they all see each other everyday." Melissa stated, before taking another swig of coffee.

"Damn you're right." Noah sighed, then his head shot up. "Oh, how about-" Noah was cut off by the sound of the front door opening, followed by the sound of shuffling feet. The pair looked up to see their son's walk in, followed by the Pack. Every one of them was covered in a smelly purple goo.

"Oh my god, what the hell is that?" Melissa gagged and used her fingers to pinch her nose, trying to block out the stench.

"Pixie blood." Scott grumbled, looking disgusted. "I'm gonna go shower."

"Me too." Allison stated, turning to go upstairs.

"Me three." Isaac announced, and the trio made their way upstairs.

"Is Scott okay?" Melissa asked in concern, eyes staring at the stairs her son had disappeared up.

"He just feels guilty." Stiles assured her. "He tried to simply fight them off, but he had no choice but to kill one."

"He'll be fine Mrs McCall." Derek assured the woman, "He's strong, he'll get through it." Melissa smiled gratefully. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go get this junk off of me."

"I'll join you." Stiles stated, and soon, the two parents were alone in the kitchen again, the sound of multiple showers running became background noise. No one noticed that Boyd and Erica had gone to separate showers. Nor had they noticed that the couple hadn't spoken since leaving the hospital. Nobody except Cora.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Erica sighed as she flopped, face first, onto her bed, ignoring the sound of her parents calling her name.

"Erica, sweetie, I know that you can hear me." Her mother stated from the doorway. "With those super senses of yours, you'd be able to hear me if I was in the back garden, whispering. So, please talk to me."

"Boyd and I had a fight." She grumbled, rolling onto her back then sitting up to see both of her parents.

"What about?" Her mother asked cautiously, moving to sit next to Erica.

"Do you want me to shoot him?" Mr Reyes offered.

"Jake!"

"What? Hayley, this boy hurt our little girl! Besides, he'll heal!"

Erica giggled, wiping the tears from her face. "You don't have to shoot him dad, I'm hoping we'll be able to get past this. We are mates after all."

"So what happened, sweetie?" Hayley Reyes asked in concern, trying to look her daughter in the eyes. "What did you argue about?"

"Cora."

"Cora?" Jake asked in confusion. "That's you're alpha's sister, right?"

"Yeah." Erica nodded, wiping more stray tears from her cheek.

"Did he flirt with her or something?"

"No, I did." The girl stated, her parents both looked shocked so she explained, "I felt drawn to her, the way that I am to Boyd. I spoke to him about it, and he is too. So we asked Isaac, Allison and Scott, and they explained what a triad mate bond feels like and we knew. Cora is our mate. I wanted to flirt with her, try to figure out if she could feel the same towards us, to make sure, y'know?" Hayley nodded, trying to shake off her shock and focus on helping Erica. "But Boyd didn't want to 'cause he was worried about how Derek would react. I said that he wouldn't mind as long as all three of us are happy, but he still refused. But I really wanted to, so while we were in the pool, I flirted with Cora. She started to reciprocate, but then those damn pixies attacked. Afterwards Boyd wouldn't talk to me. I finally got him to and he said that I shouldn't have flirted with Cora. I tried to explain that I did it because I want to be the kind of person who goes after what I want. I want him and I want Cora. So I will go after both. Then-" A sob escaped her lips, and a fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. "Then he said that I must want Cora more, if I'm willing to do something he's not comfortable with to get her." Erica broke down in tears, leaning against her mum as her body shook.

"Oh honey." Jake sighed, walking over and wrapping his arms around her. "We all know that your mum is better at comforting than me, so how about, I go out and buy you ice cream, chocolate, pop corn, tissues and anything else you want, whilst your mum does the actual parenting?" Erica and Hayley giggled, and Erica nodded gratefully.

"Okay." Erica offered her father a watery smile. "Thanks dad."

"No problem, honey. I'll be right back."

Once the man was gone, Hayley spoke to Erica in a conspiratorial whisper, "If you want a new phone, now is the time to ask." Causing her daughter to burst into laughter. Once she calmed down, her mum spoke again. "Are you going to text him, at least say that you want to try to make things work?"

"No," Erica shook her head firmly. "No, a part of me wants to, but I'm scared that if I do, I'll go back to being who I was."

"What do you mean, sweetie?" Hayley asked in concern.

"The girl I was before I became friends with the Pack. The shell of a girl who was too afraid to defend herself." Erica explained, with a frown on her face and determination in her voice. "I don't want to be the girl who chases people anymore. I've learnt that I'm here, and I'm important. I'm not going to run after people to prove that I matter anymore. No matter how much I love them."

"That's good sweetie, and I'm proud of you"

"But?"

"But sometimes, that's not the best thing. I mean, what if someone you hold close and dearly have the same mindset? Who will be the one to make the first step, if you're both too proud to do so. Chasing people who are important to you isn't weak, it's one of the bravest things you can do."

"You're right." Erica smiled at her mother's wise words. "But I'm gonna be proud for one more night. I'll text him in the morning."

Twenty minutes later, Erica was curled up on the sofa in between her parents. She felt like she was five years old again, and she loved every second of it. They were watching one of the many movies Erica had wanted to watch when she was growing up, but couldn't as they could trigger her epilepsy. Now, that wasn't an issue.

They were half way through the movie when her head shot up, and she looked in the direction of the front door with a huge smile on her face. "It's Boyd!" She announced happily, just as a knock sounded on the door. "He's here." She stood from the couch and tried to rush to the door, only to be stopped by her father.

"Uh, uh. No! I'll be answering the door. This boy hurt you, now he has to deal with me." Jake stated, then marched over to the door.

He swung the door open and fixed a glare on Boyd. The wolf was standing there with a bouquet made up of Erica's favourite flowers, dry tear streaks stained his cheeks, and a remorseful and heartbroken look was etched on his face.

"What do you want?" Jake asked in an angry tone, though it became a lot less genuine when he saw how upset the boy was.

"Please, I-I need to talk to Erica." Boyd all but begged. He absolutely hated showing weakness, he loathed it. But he was willing to swallow his pride and let it all out to get Erica back. "I made a huge mistake! I love your daughter, more than words can say, and I don't want some stupid fight to ruin everything." Boyd exclaimed, looking the man in the eye to show his sincerity. "I will do anything to prove how much I love her. I will do anything to get her back."

Jake Reyes opened his mouth to say something, only for Erica to push past him and press her body against Boyds. Erica kissed Boyd, startling him for a second, before he grinned, then kissed her back.

"Hey, hey, you two stop that!" Jake ordered, an edge of disgust to his voice. Boyd tried to pull away, only to have Erica wrap her arms around his neck, preventing him from doing so. "I said stop it!" Erica simply jumped slightly and wrapped her legs around Boyd's waist. "Aw, c'mon! I don't wanna see that!" Jake whined, and turned to see his wife leaning against a wall, awing at the couple. "Hayley! Make them stop!"

"Nah, I think it's cute." The woman smirked. "Alright you too, at least take it to the bedroom, and stop scarring my husband."

"What, no, you are not going upstairs!" Jake protested angrily, "Nuh uh, no way." He shook his head firmly as his wife pulled him into the living room.

"We'll be leaving for a hotel in ten minutes." Hayley informed the couple, who pulled apart to look at the woman. Hayley smiled at them despite her husband's protesting "Use protection!"

"What?!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison spent the next day teaching Melissa how to shoot a crossbow, "Okay, no, don't squint. Yeah, that's good, alright. Focus, breath, and… Shoot!" Melissa pulled the trigger, shooting the arrow at the target. The woman was pleasantly surprised when the arrow actually hit the target, hitting the inner blue ring.

"Yes!" Melissa cheered, and Allison giggled happily, holding up her hand to Melissa, who gave her a high five.

"Great job! Are you sure this is the first time you've done this?" Allison semi-teased, handing the woman another arrow.

"Yeah, this is actually my first time with a weapon that's not a baseball bat."

"Well, you're a natural." Allison complimented, then looked over her shoulder at Scott, who was sat watching a few metres away. "Right Scott?"

"Huh, what? Oh yeah." Scott agreed distractedly.

"You okay sweetie?" Melissa asked in concern.

"Yeah, it's just this." Scott gestured between the pair wildly. "You learning how to use a crossbow. It's both awesome and terrifying." The two women chuckled, sharing an exasperated look.

"Anyway," Allison chuckled "Speaking of baseball bats, has Lydia given you the mountain ash one yet?"

"Yeah, I keep by my bed, in my car or in my locker at work so I'm never without it." Melissa explained as she loaded the crossbow again.

"That's good thinking." Allison smiled, happy that her kind-of-mother-in-law was being cautious. "Do you carry anything else? Like regular mountain ash, or wolfsbane?"

"Yes to both." Melissa told her with a smile, then aimed the crossbow at the target again. "Although, the wolfsbane is mainly for if one of the wolves are injured and I need to treat it." The woman explained, then focused on the target before pulling the trigger. This time, the arrow landed in the outer red ring.

"You're getting better!" Allison stated excitedly, handing the woman another arrow. "Is the hospital going to start stocking wolfsbane?" She asked as Melissa shot the target again, the third arrow landing right beside the second one.

"Yes, they're also fitting the place with mountain ash baseboards and keeping bags of mountain ash next to each fire alarm." Melissa informed Allison, whilst loading the crossbow again. "There's also an abandoned ward in the basement, which they're talking about renovating specifically for supernatural patients. The dangerous ones, at least."

"Really?" Scott asked in surprise. "That's a good idea, but won't it cost a lot?"

"It would, but Chris and Alan have volunteered to use their connections to help get what we need. Making it a lot cheaper and easier than it would have been."

"Wait, Alan?" Scott asked with wide eyes, looking at his mother in shock. "You're on a first name bassist with my boss?!"

"Well, yeah, Scott, he's my friend." Melissa informed the werewolf, shaking her head fondly.

"But what if you guys fall out? He could fire me!"

Allison rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "Scott, he didn't fire you after Derek kidnapped and interrogated him, so I highly doubt he'd fire you over a fight with your mum."

"Derek did what?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Hey Cor," Derek greeted his sister as she walked into his study. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I need to talk to you about something." Cora stated, causing her brother's brow to furrow in worry. "I've come to the realisation that I have two mates." She stated simply, and Derek's eyes widened slightly before he closed the book he was reading and set it down on his desk.

"Let me guess, one female with blonde hair, one male with dark skin, both werewolves."

"Yes. To see if they felt the same way towards me, I flirted with both of them and she reciprocated. Before I could act further, the pixies arrived. After we killed the pixies, I went to talk to them again, only to hear them arguing. She wanted to talk to me about being their mate, but Boyd didn't because he was worried about how you'd react. So, I need you to tell them that you give your blessing so that I can be with them." She told him, leaving no room for Derek to argue, not that he would anyway. He knew how important a Mate bond was and he'd never get in the way of that. Unless one of the Mates wished for a platonic bond and the other wished for a romantic one, then he'd get involved to make sure nobody did anything they'd regret.

Derek stared at her for a second, before sighing and grabbing his phone and dialed a number, after a few seconds, Erica picked up. "Hey, is Boyd with you?" He paused as the girl replied, then spoke again. "Good, I need the two of you to come to the house, it's nothing bad, I just need to talk to you. Okay, come straight to my study when you get here, see you soon." After he hung up, the two Hales silently stared at each other as they waited for Erica and Boyd to arrive.

"Uh, hey." Erica greeted cautiously as she and Boyd walked into the room ten minutes later. "Is everything okay?"

Derek finally tore his stare from Cora to look at the pair. "Cora tells me that she believes the three of you are mates." Derek stated simply, causing Erica to beam and Boyd to look nervous. "I don't care how you go about this, as long as no one gets their heart broken. Got it?"

"Wait." Boyd stated in confusion. "You don't mind us dating your sister?"

"No, as long as all three of you are happy, and I don't have to see or hear anything, I'll be fine." Derek informed him with a shrug then looked at his sister once more. "Now, if that's all that you wanted, I'd like to get back to my book."

"Of course." Cora grinned, before marching over to her mates. "We'll see you later Der." She grabbed their hands and led them to her room. Once there, she sat on her bed, and gestured for the other two to do the same. Once they did, she looked Erica in the eyes. "Okay, before we start anything, I need to ask you something." Erica nodded slightly nervously, wondering what the question could be. "We've been friends for a few weeks now, but I forgot your name the first time we met and I keep hoping that one of the Pack will say it while you're around but they all just call you weird nicknames, like Catwoman and Blondie, so seriously who are you?"

Erica stared at the brunette for a few seconds, before bursting into laughter. Seeing that the girl wouldn't be answering any time soon, Boyd chuckled and stated. "Her name is Erica."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles groaned as he hit the ground, then quickly rolled away from the claws swiping at him. He tried to crawl away, but glowing red eyes surrounded him. He was outnumbered, four to one. Four alpha's to one beta. Seriously? Why the hell were four alpha's traveling together? One of them appeared to be blind, he didn't think that that was possible for werewolves, but apparently it was. The blind one chuckled as the weird monster wolf grabbed his ankle and dragged him backwards. He was flipped onto his back, then a fist met his face. Then it happened again. And again. And again. It only stopped when the monster wolf moved back and separated into two bodies, so that the woman could grab Stiles by the throat, pull him from the ground and hold him in the air, cutting off his oxygen.

"Now, now, Stiles. There's no point in running. Each one of us is faster and stronger than you." The blind alpha stated, how the hell did he know Stiles' name? "Besides, we're not going to kill you. We just want to send your alpha a message."

Stiles tried to scream as claws cut into his back, but the female alpha just squeezed his throat harder. He tried to reach up to pull her arm away, only to find himself incapable of doing so. He looked as best as he could to find the two that separated from the monster wolf holding one of his arms each. Behind the woman, the blind alpha stood smiling. Which meant that the other male alpha was the one tearing open his back.

After a few minutes, the claws left his back, only for two sets of claws to slash at his sides, then he was dropped to the floor. He didn't dare howl or call out for help, afraid of what they would do. So he just laid there. Completely still. After what felt like eternity, he heard a voice, but his ears were ringing too much to make out who it was or what they were saying. He felt himself being lifted from the ground and carried somewhere, but he couldn't open his eyes. He couldn't move a muscle. He opened his mouth to say something, ask who was holding him and where they were taking him, but a garbled noise was all that came out. It was then that he noticed the metallic taste on his tongue and the warm, sticky liquid pouring out of his mouth, down his cheek. He felt like he was choking on the blood, like it was suffocating him. His chest tightened and he felt a familiar sensation, one that only comes at the start of a panic attack. The person carrying him seemed to notice, as they started to move faster. Stiles felt more blood running down his face and it became increasingly difficult to breath. The ringing in his ears got louder, the person carrying him said something, but he couldn't make it out, the more time that passed the further he drifted from reality. The pain was too much, the ringing was too loud. Then it all went away, it all went quiet.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Hey." Cora greeted gently as she sat opposite her brother in the hospital waiting room. "Have you heard anything yet?"

"The- uh- the wounds on his side have started to heal, but the cut on his back hasn't yet." Derek told her as the rest of the Pack, minus Lydia and Jackson who were already sitting with him, walked over. "I told them that it was caused by alpha's, and wounds from alpha's take long to heal. So, they think that it'll take an hour or so, based on how long it took the other cuts to heal."

"How do you know that it was caused by an alpha?" Isaac asked, trying not to show how scared he was for Stiles.

"Because of what they carved on his back." Derek stated bitterly, then nodded to Lydia. The girl pulled out her phone and showed them the picture she had taken of Stiles' back. It was partially obscured by the nurse who was cleaning it, but you could still make out what it was. "It's their symbol. It means they're coming."

"Alpha's?" Jackson asked worriedly. "Plural?"

"A Pack of them. We don't know how many there are, but they're dangerous. Each one of them killed their old Packs. It's a part of their sick 'initiation'." Derek growled, and the Pack, minus Cora, looked confused. "Deucalion, the leader of the alpha Pack, was the first to do it, now, he travels, searching for other alpha's to join his Pack. He makes them all kill their old Pack before he let's them join him. Rumor has it, he doesn't take rejection well, and tries to force the alpha to join them."

"Why?" Lydia asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to hide her discomfort. The redhead hated hospital, but as much as she hated being a patient, she hated being a visitor even more. "If he wanted to run off and make a new, stronger Pack he could've just left the old one; he didn't need to kill them, nor does he have to make other alpha's kill their Packs, so he must have a reason."

Cora nodded at the Banshee. "There's a rumour, although it's not spoken of very often, I only know about it because I overheard Deucalion tell alpha Jardine about it when he tried to convince her to join him, six months ago. Deucalion said that he discovered something, that extra power that can be gained by killing one of your own." There was silence as that sunk in.

"Jesus," Jackson eventually said. "No wonder they keep that quiet. No need to give your Alpha ideas."

"An Alpha shouldn't care," Derek hissed out angrily. "You don't hurt your Pack. Ever." Scott laid a hand on his alpha's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"We know that you'd never hurt any of us Derek." Scott assured, trying to get Derek to meet his eye. "We know that you'll never join them."

"Now we just need to make them realise that." Erica stated determinedly. Before anything else was said, Noah arrived at the same time that Melissa walked out of Stiles room.

"He's awake."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia pinned her sketches on the walls in the sheriff's station, as Derek gathered the rest of the staff working there. They were warning everyone who knew about the supernatural of the alpha Pack. Unfortunately Stiles hadn't gotten a good look at the separate faces of the monster wolf, as the only time he actually saw their faces was when he was being strangled and cut. He knew that they were males, because of their bodies, but that was all. Fortunately, he remembered all of the others.

While they were telling the station about the Alpha Pack, Melissa and Jackson were telling the hospital staff, showing them photocopies of Lydia's drawings. Noah was staying with Stiles. Derek wanted to, but he had a shift at the station, sure he could switch with someone, but Lydia needed someone to help her talk to the deputies, and it would be better to have someone on the force helping. And as much as Derek wanted to be with Stiles, he couldn't ask a father to leave his injured son.

The rest of the Pack were scattered around town. Scott, Boyd and Allison were all at work, Scott was also consulting with Deaton, finding out what he knew and finding out if the druid could do anything to help. Erica and Isaac were having a video call with Danny, to warn him, and ask if he had a way to run or create a facial recognition software that would be able to bypass the glare of werewolf eyes. Cora was talking to her old alpha, as the woman had had first hand experience with the alpha Pack, and her Pack had lived to know about it.

Everyone had a role to play. Most (all) of the teenagers had initially protested, wanting to instead hunt down the alpha's who had hurt Stiles, but Derek had reminded them that the Pack was stronger, faster and far more ruthless than any of them. He reminded them that the alpha's wouldn't hesitate to do to them what they did to Stiles, possibly worse given that none of them were Derek's mate. Scott pointed out that the alpha's should have realised that hurting Stiles would only anger Derek, and make him less likely to join them. To which Derek replied that they probably hoped it would make him angry enough to lose his temper and lash out at the Pack. Maybe even hurt one of them.

Lydia turned to face the gathered deputies. She tried to force the memory of Stiles, pale, bruised and bloodied from her mind. She and Jackson were the ones to find him. They were on their way back to the house when Derek sent out a group text announcing that something was wrong with Stiles. But he didn't need to, Lydia knew. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. Jackson tried to lead her the faster way to the house, but her body wouldn't listen, she took a long, winding route, a route that led them to Stiles.

It had to have been a banshee thing. Stiles' scent was already all over the woods, as was the rest of the Pack's, which made it difficult to track each other by scent in there. But Lydia found him. Without even thinking about it, she found him bloodied and beaten on the ground. Too scared to call out for help. When he was finally ready to, he choked on his own blood. It was a horrible and terrifying sound. Lydia had never been that scared before. Not when she fought Peter, not when she knew something was wrong in her head, when Peter was manipulating her, not when they were attacked by pixies, not even during her numerous visits to the hospital as a patient in the past few months, nor the whispering voices she heard directing her to Stiles. Nothing had scared her as much as the thought of losing Stiles. One of her best friends, her Pack mate, the person who helped her accept who she was. Lydia clenched her eyes shut, trying to shake away those thoughts. He was alive, he was fine. The voices lead her to Stiles. Not Stiles' corpse. He was fine. He was fine.

Lydia jumped slightly as a hand gently grabbed her shoulder, her eyes flew open to see Derek looking at her in concern. "I'm fine." She immediately assured her Alpha. "I'm just worried about him."

"Me too."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next afternoon, Stiles was completely healed and the Pack, Melissa, Noah and the Argents were searching the woods. Not for the alphas, but for Stiles' phone. Stiles had apparently dropped it the day before, and went to go get it. However, none of the Pack wanted him out of their sight, so it turned into a group expedition.

"Dad, can you call it?" Stiles asked, his eyes fixed on the ground as he walked. "I hope the battery isn't dead."

"I'll call it." Lydia stated, and hit number 4 on her speed dial. Stiles tried to protest, but it was too late. His phone had already started ringing.

"And all those things I didn't say were wrecking balls inside my brain, I will scream 'em loud tonight, can you hear my voice this time? This is my fight song! Take back my life song! Prove I'm alright song! My power's-" Before the song could play anymore, Stiles had lunged forward, grabbed Lydia's phone, and disconnected the call.

"That's your ringtone?" Allison asked with a chuckle, pulling out her own phone. "Oh, I've gotta hear that again!"

To the Pack's, minus Melissa, Noah and Scott, surprise, the ringtone was different. "I am a woman on a mission whoa, Nothing can stop me, I'm stronger than ever, I'm gonna see this through. I am a woman on a mission whoa, whatever it takes I will do what I gotta do." Allison hung up the phone, looked at Stiles, blinked, then said "I approve."

"So 'Fight Song' is specifically my ringtone?" Lydia asked with a raised eyebrow. When Stiles nodded, she grinned. "Good." Lydia called his phone again, and the Pack followed the sound, to find his phone a few meters away from where Jackson and Lydia found Stiles. "Banshee Queen? That's what you saved me as?"

"Yeah, it used to be red queen." Stiles stated with a shrug and the girl rolled her eyes.

"Of course it was." (A/N: Everyone else's names and ringtones can be found here) Lydia sighed and shook her head.

"What's mine?" Scott asked, however, before Stiles could reply, a familiar, but unwelcome voice interrupted.

"My, my, are my eyes deceiving me, or is that Cora?" Peter asked, approaching the Pack casually. The wolves all growled at him, The Sheriff, Chris and Lydia pulled their guns, whilst Allison armed the compound bow she had brought with her and Melissa raised her mountain ash bat. Peter raised his hands defensively. "There's really no need for that. I understand that last time I saw any of you weren't exactly the best circumstances, but I'm better now, and simply ask for a chance to redeem myself."

"No way." Allison seethed angrily. "If you had only killed Kate, then maybe, but all of those other people were innocents who were manipulated into helping. They should have gone to jail, not the morgue! Then you used Lydia to bring yourself back to life and nearly killed Derek in the process."

"Not my finest moments." Peter agreed with a nod, looking apologetically at Lydia. "I regret putting you through that, Lydia. However, you must understand that I wasn't myself then. I had been in a coma for six years. Do you have any idea what that's like for one of us? It's not a peaceful sleep, you are completely conscious in a body that you cannot move or control. All that you can do is listen to your own thoughts driving you deeper and deeper into insanity."

"That still doesn't excuse what you did." Derek argued, "You could have reached out for help. You were sane enough to fake a comatose state when I came to visit you. You were sane enough to target specific people."

"You were sane enough to kill my sister!" Cora growled, flashing her eye's at the man.

"And I regret that deeply." Peter stated "But-" He didn't get the chance to finish, as Cora lunged at him, and punched him square in the face. Peter's hands flew up to his bloodied nose, only to double over when Cora punched him in the gut. She then kicked him in the face, and Peter fell to the floor. Cora immediately climbed on top of him and kept punching. "You - killed - Laura! -You Killed - my- sister - you - bastard!" She screamed in between punches. After staring in shock for a few more seconds, Derek ran forward and pried Cora off of their uncle.

"Cora, Cora stop!"

"He deserves it, he killed her!" Cora screamed, glaring at Peter. "He killed Laura! I could have seen her again! The three of us could have been together again! I could have my sister back if it wasn't for him! I could- we could- she-" Cora broke down in tears as Derek pulled her close to him.

"Go." He growled at Peter, flashing his eyes red for emphasis. "Or I'll kill you myself. Again."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

A week later, there had been no signs of the alpha Pack or Peter, and Danny was returning home from vacation. The Pack was very happy to see Danny. What they weren't happy about was the fact that he didn't smell like them anymore. Which is how Danny ended up buried beneath the rest of the Pack in the puppy pile, completely unable to see anything other than Lydia's hair. He didn't really mind though. He missed his Pack as much as they missed him. "How was vacation?" Stiles asked, his voice muffled by the layers of people between them.

"Not bad, hooked up with some guys, but I couldn't enjoy as much as usual because I missed you losers too much." Danny replied honestly, ending up with strands of red hair stuck to his tongue.

"Good." Derek stated, and Danny could hear the smirk in his voice. "You're not allowed to have too much fun without us. If you do, you might never come back."

"Please," Danny scoffed and rolled his eyes, no longer caring about the hair in his mouth. "Like I'd ever want to leave you guys. My life would be so boring."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Of course, all good things must come to an end. The next day, alerts were sent to each of their phones, notifying them that the silent alarms had been triggered by someone approaching the house. Danny immediately accessed the security cameras, so that the Pack could see who it was. Peter. Derek ran outside and growled at his uncle. "Get out of here." He ordered, flashing his eyes at the man.

"This is my house too, Derek."

"No it isn't. The land went to me after Laura died, and this house was built by my Pack for my Pack." Derek informed him, barely keeping himself from attacking Peter. "You have no claim over it."

"On the contrary, I have sentimental claims." Peter stated calmly, completely unfazed by Derek's anger, or the many eyes glaring at him from the various windows of the house.

"You have no sentiment."

"That's hurtful Derek." Peter said in mock offence, placing a hand over his heart. "I understand that you will be wary of me after what I'd done, but we're family, I had hoped you'd be able to find it in your heart to let me redeem myself."

Derek stared at the man for a few seconds, then turned his head to look towards the house, had a silent conversation with the Pack, then turned back to Peter. "We don't like you."

"Fair enough." Peter stated with a shrug, then turned to walk away.

"However," Peter paused, and turned to face Derek again. "you're on a two months probation." Derek stated, causing Peter to smile. "You can't live here yet, but that will be reviewed after the two months." He informed the man, with a heavy stare. "If you prove to be useful, and sane, we'll discuss you possibly moving in, if you want to. Until then, no coming here unless invited by myself or the Pack. You are never to be closer than five feet from Lydia or Jackson. For your safety, only. If you get closer than that, don't be surprised if you are maimed or killed. Understood?"

"Does that mean I can't use the pool?" Derek simply glared and Peter rolled his eye's "Understood. Thank you." Derek nodded, then turned and walked back to the Pack, knowing that Peter wouldn't try anything. At least, not with the Pack glaring at him the way that they were. If looks could kill, Peter would be back in his grave.

Once he reached the house, the Pack surrounded him. "Thanks." Lydia smiled gratefully. "I'm all about second chances, but I'm glad you told him not to come near me. I appreciate it."

"I hate to pry." Cora lied, cutting into the conversation. "But you never really told me the full story about what he did to you." She informed Lydia and the girl tensed slightly. "I can tell that it was more than just having you bring him back, It's not hard to see that there's a bigger back story. Do you mind telling me?"

"Yeah, of course." Lydia agreed, with a nod of her head. Cora was not only Pack, but her alpha's family, the girl deserved to know everything that they did. Especially when it came to Peter.

"Alright." Stiles spoke up. "You guys do that, I'll get started on dinner. Isaac, be my helper?" Isaac grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, the rest of you, do what you want, I'll let you know when the table needs setting."

"Who's turn is it to pick the movie?" Erica asked hopefully.

"Uh…" Stiles pulled out his phone and checked the schedule. "Cora."

"I thought it was your turn." Jackson stated with a slight frown. "I thought Danny had the last go, and we circled back around to you, and go through the schedule again."

"That was before Cora moved in." Stiles explained calmly, "She's Pack, so she should get to pick a movie too." Jackson nodded at that and Cora smiled gratefully, then the Pack separated to get on with their tasks.

"Okay, pup," Stiles began, tying an apron behind his back. "what do you feel like cooking today?"

"Umm, how about Hunter's Chicken." Isaac suggested with a hopeful smile. "My mum had a really good recipe and she taught it to me before she died." He explained sheepishly. "I have it written down."

"That sounds great," Stiles assured his pup with a grin. "How about you go get the recipe and wash your hands, and I'll get out the basic ingredients, then you can tell me what else we need, okay?"

"Okay." Isaac agreed, before running off to get the recipe from his room.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Two nights later, Stiles and Derek were on a date, without any prompting from the Pack. They went for a picnic by the lake, and sat beneath the almost full moon, looking up at the stars. Derek had picked this for their date because it was romantic, and they were still close to Pack.

"This is perfect." Stiles announced softly, eyes not leaving the sky.

"Yeah it is." Derek agreed, and Stiles threw his head back and let out a full bodied laugh.

"Oh, thank God!"

"What?"

"The second I said that, I became terrified that you were gonna go all cheesy on me and say 'yes, you are' or something like that." Derek shook his head at his mate, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yeah right, like I'd ever say something cheesy." Stiles immediately stopped laughing and looked at Derek with wide eyes.

"You always say cheesy stuff!"

"Like what?!"

"Just last night, you said: 'your lips look lonely, would they like to meet mine?' And you're saying that isn't cheesy?" Stiles asked incredulously.

"That doesn't count."

"Why not?"

"Because you asked me to tell you the cheesiest pickup line I know!" Derek reminded him, causing Stiles to roll his eyes.

"Fine, I'll let you off that one, but there's still loads more!" Stiles stated, picking up a fork, then used it to stab a piece of chicken. "Such as last week, when you asked me 'did you sit in a pile of sugar? Cause you've got a pretty sweet ass.' Very cheesy and it kinda killed the mood. Oh and at the library the other day, when Lydia was looking for something, you said to me: 'I haven't got a library card, but do you mind if I check you out?' oh, and on the way here, you said: 'your hand looks heavy, let me hold it for you.' Remember?"

"Those were jokes!" Derek insisted, his cheeks turning red. "Besides, you are way more cheesy than I am! Remember when you asked me 'Do you have a bandaid? Because I just scraped my knee falling for you.' and if you wanna talk about killing the mood, I specifically remember you telling me that I'm hotter than the bottom of your laptop! Do you remember that?"

"Yes I do, but the difference between you and I, is that I admit to my cheesiness." Stiles pointed out with a grin. "You don't."

"Because I'm not cheesy!" Derek insisted. "Anyone who says otherwise will get hurt."

"Oh really? And what would you do, big guy, huh? Punch them in the face?" Stiles asked sarcastically, with a mocking growl.

"I'm thinking about punching you in the face." Derek retorted with a blank expression, looking Stiles dead in the eye.

The lanky boy gasped in mock outrage. He knew that Derek would never hurt him, but it'd be fun to play along. He stood up and folded his arms across his chest. "Well then." He huffed with a pout. "I think I should leave." He took two steps before strong, familiar arms wrapped around his waist.

"Uh, uh." Derek mummered, a soft, commanding growl underlining his voice. "You're not going anywhere."

"And why not?"

"Because I'm your alpha, and as your alpha, I order you to stay." Derek ordered playfully, not putting any alpha command into it.

"Alright then." Stiles playfully sighed in resignation. "I guess I have to stay, then." He turned his head to look at Derek, biting his lip semi-flirtatiously. "Can I at least get a reward for being a good beta?"

"That depends," Derek hummed, maneuvering Stiles so that they were chest to chest. "What kind of reward do you have in mind?"

"Why don't I show you?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay," Derek grinned as the couple walked back to the house a few hours later. "I agree with your rewards, but I think that they should be exclusive to you."

"Oh, good!" Stiles exclaimed with a huge grin. "Because if you did that with any of them, our relationship wouldn't go so well."

"Well, don't have to worry about that."

"Neither do you."

-Teen Wolf Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Hey, how was the d- oh my god. Go shower!" Was what Cora said when they arrived home.

"Hi, Cora, nice to see you too." Stiles greeted teasingly with a grin. "The date was great, thanks. How was your evening?"

"Ugh, it was fine, please go take a shower." She all but begged, pinching her nose, trying to block out the smell.

"Fine." Stiles sighed, dragging out the 'i' and grabbing Derek's hand. "Come on Der. Let's go shower."

"Separately!" Cora yelled after them.

"Nuh uh, that wasn't part of the deal!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day, Peter came for a visit, having been invited by Derek, much to the Pack's dismay. "Hello." The older wolf greeted with a smirk. "What a lovely house you have here."

"My Pack designed it." Derek bragged with a proud smile, leading Peter to the living room, where Cora, Erica and Boyd were sitting. "You know Cora, but I don't think you've been formally introduced to the rest of my Pack. This is Erica and Boyd." Derek introduced with a smile. He wasn't smiling because his Pack was meeting Peter, no. He was smiling because he got the chance to show off his Pack. "They're Cora's mates."

"Interesting." Peter hummed. "So you have two triad's in your Pack?"

"Yes."

"Lucky you." Peter commented, then smiled at Cora. "Hello Cora."

"Go away."

"Oh, come on, Cora, it's me. Uncle Peter."

"Uncle Peter who killed sister Laura." Cora pointed out with a heavy glare.

"Look, I am deeply sorry for that. You've already beat me and yelled at me, can we try to move past it?"

"No."

Before more could be said, Lydia walked into the room with a gun in her hand. "Hey." She smiled at Derek and the triad casually, walking over to the couch. Remembering Derek's warning, Peter stepped backwards, keeping the required distance from the girl, who smirked at his actions. Lydia didn't say anything else though, simply walked and sat on Erica's lap. No one blinked at that, Erica merely chuckled and shifted slightly so that the redhead could get comfortable.

"You know, there's plenty of space." Cora pointed out, glaring lightly at the girl sitting in her Mate's lap. "Why do you always insist on sitting in one of our laps?"

"Wolves are warm and comfortable." Lydia explained with a grin, casually loading the gun.

"Then come sit on my lap." Jackson said as he walked into the room with Danny, sending a dark glare to Peter. He sat next to Erica, and patted his lap, but Lydia just snuggled into Erica more, as Danny sat next to Cora, Boyd was wedged between the two girls.

"But I'm comfy!" Jackson just rolled his eyes and pulled Lydia away for the blonde girl, setting his mate down on his lap. "That's just mean." Lydia stated, casually inspecting her gun.

"I am mean."

"No loaded guns in the living room." Stile announced as he walked through from the kitchen. "If he tries anything, everyone will hold him off for the two seconds it takes you to load."

"Fine." Lydia sighed, taking the clip out of her gun.

"The one from the chamber, too, Lydia." Stiles demanded with a pointed look. "But if it makes you feel better, you can take out your throwing knife. Y'know, the one in the holster on your thigh."

Lydia grinned at him, "You know me so well."

"Can I hold on to my crossbow?" Allison asked politely, walking in with Scott and Isaac. Her two mates sat next to Danny, thigh to thigh, Allison sat on Scott's lap sideways, resting her legs on Isaac, Danny and partially on Cora.

"As long as it's not loaded." Stiles informed her, "But you're more than welcome to keep the arrows close by."

"Can't I get a little bit of trust?" Peter asked with a slight chuckle.

"Sure." Stiles smiled. "When you earn it. Will you be joining us for dinner?"

"Sure, I'd love to get to know you all."

"Great." Danny grinned, standing from the couch, casually lifting Allison's legs and ducking under them. and walking over to Stiles. "We're having lasagna." He announced with a grin, causing smiles to appear on their Pack's faces.

"Danny and I both have great family recipes for lasagna." Stiles explained, trying to push the thoughts of what Peter had done to the back of his mind for now. "So we're kind of doing an experiment. We're going to try to combine the best parts of each of our recipes to make the ultimate lasagna. It'll either turn out amazing-"

"Or fail miserably." Danny finished with a smile. "But, I have faith in us, so I'm voting that it'll be incredible."

"So am I." Stiles grinned. "So what does everyone want to go with it?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Things were going well for the Pack. They were enjoying their summer, and Peter was proving himself to be useful. They were still looking for the alpha Pack, but there were no signs yet.

At that moment in time, Derek and part of his Pack were standing in the McCall basement, watching and listening in awe. Before their eyes, four of their Pack mates played their instruments. Scott sang and played guitar, Boyd also played guitar, Stiles played drums and Erica played bass.

The group was covering the song 'What's my age again' by blink 182. Very well, if Derek did say so himself. Of course, he didn't actually know the song, save for when he'd overheard Stiles listening to it. Regardless, his Pack did a good job of covering it. When they finished, Lydia walked over to a keyboard, and she immediately launched into a new song, one that Derek didn't recognise at all. It was just the keyboard at first, then Scott started to sing. "When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city, to see a marching band-"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Where are you going dressed all fancy?" Stiles grinned, looking at his father with his arms crossed over his chest. Noah looked like a deer caught in headlights, his eye's darting between his son and the front door. "Did you really think you'd be able to sneak out of a house full of werewolves."

"I was hoping." Stilinski admitted uncomfortably, tugging on his tie. "But if you must know, I have a date."

"A date?" Scott demanded, swinging the front door open, bounding into the house excitedly. "My mum has a date tonight, too!"

Stiles' eyes widened and his grin turned to a huge smile. "You and Melissa?!"

"Yes" Noah admitted after an uncertain pause.

"Finally!"

"Now Stiles, hear me ou- wait, what?"

"Finally! Scott and I have been trying to get the two of you together for years!" the lanky boy exclaimed excitedly. "Seriously, do you really think I only forgot my pillow when sleeping at Scott's the nights Melissa wasn't working?"

"And do you really think I'd constantly forget my pajamas when I come over?" Scott asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Or that I always accidentally made too much food whenever Melissa dropped Scott off? C'mon dad, you're the Sheriff, you should know better." Stiles chuckled and shook his head. "Wow, dad."

"Well, in my defence, i-"

"No," Scott jumped in, raising his hands in defence. "No time for excuses, you have a date with my mum." The Sheriff nodded and straightened his tie again

"How do I look?"

"Absolutely dashing." Lydia grinned as she jogged down the stairs, a bouquet of flowers in her hands. "Here, I ordered these for my mum's birthday tomorrow, but they sent the wrong kind. They're going to send the right ones for free, so I was going to throw these out, but you can have them."

Noah smiled gratefully, and sighed in relief. "Thank you Lydia, I didn't have time to pick any up earlier."

"You're welcome, now go! Don't keep the woman waiting."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

A few days later, Danny sat alone in the public library, flicking through an old book. It was so old that the pages were yellowed and slightly torn at the edges. It was one of the few accurate books on the supernatural, not just werewolves, but hundreds of other creatures. He had read this book several times before, but this time he was memorising it. With more threats coming after him and his Pack, learning about them and their weaknesses is a good idea. Unfortunately, due to the age of the book, he couldn't check it out. So, he had to settle for sitting in the library for a couple of hours every day. But the knowledge he got out of it made it worth it.

"So you like the supernatural, huh?" a low voice chuckled, causing Danny to look up. Towering over him, was an attractive, well muscled teenage boy.

"You could say that." He smirked, switching into flirt mode the moment he laid eyes on the boy. "I'm Danny."

"Ethan." He introduced, holding out his hand for the Hawaiian to shake. "Pleasure to meet you."

"You too." Danny nodded, then gestured to the seat opposite him. "Care to sit?"

"Sure." Once the boy sat down, Danny leant forward slightly,and asked in a quiet tone, "So.." He looked directly into Ethan's eyes, pausing for a second to be sure, then asked: "Got any plans for tomorrow night?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia grinned as she ran. Weaving through the trees of the preserve, her earphones were blaring music. The wind was beating against her skin, dirt splattered against her legs with every step she took, her heart was pounding in her chest but she didn't care and willed her body to run faster.

Lydia had lost track of how long she'd been running, the sun had started to set and it became increasingly difficult to see. She ignored it all, and kept her pace. At some point, she decided to change her course and started to head back to the house. Mind set on a hot shower. Ten minutes later, she came to a stop. She leant forward, setting her hands on her knees , gasping for breath, opting to take a moment, before starting her cool down exercises. However, when she stood up straight, she was surprised to find that she wasn't outside of the house. Instead, Lydia found herself looking out at the lake. More specifically, the lifeless body floating in it.

Gasping in shock, she took a step back, and, against her own will, let out a high pitched scream

Less than twenty minutes later, Stiles, Jackson, the police and the medical examiner were there.

"I was running through the woods, and started to head back to the house, then suddenly found myself here." Lydia explained in exasperation. "I don't know how, but I'm guessing it's a banshee thing." Stiles placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"We'll figure this out." Stiles promised with a reassuring smile.

"We will." Noah agreed with a nod as Jackson gave Lydia his jacket. "Well, I think that's enough for tonight, but I will need you to give an official statement tomorrow, if that's alright?" Lydia nodded, brow furrowed, and narrowed eyes staring into the distance, a thoughtful expression on her face.

After Noah walked away, Derek rushed over. "How are you feeling?" The Alpha asked urgently, his eyes wide as he looked over Lydia, trying to get a read on both her physical and emotional state.

"I'm fine, just a little freaked. I'll be fine, though." The redhead assured the man with a weak smile. "But, uh, I won't be staying at the house tonight. It's about time that I finally talk to my mum about all of this."

"I'll go with you." Jackson offered, looking at his girlfriend determinedly. "Moral support, or evidence if she doesn't know anything."

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe you should postpone that talk, for tonight at least. You've been through a lot."

"I've been postponing it ever since I found out what I am." Lydia explained, shaking her head. "No, I need to do this. Tonight."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-

"Oh my goodness." Lydia's mother gasped, looking at Jackson, who had allowed his features to morph into his beta shift. "I'm a terrible person, your poor grandmother."

"Grandma? What are you talking about." Lydia all but demanded as her mother tried to wrap her head around things. It took a few minutes, but the woman eventually answered.

"As you know, your grandmother passed away in Eichen House, but what you don't know is how she got there." Natalie stated, taking a deep breath. "You may want to sit down."

Natalie then informed the teens about Lydia's grandmother, how she had predicted the death of the woman she loved, how she spent the rest of her life trying to get another prediction, even went as far as finding someone like her. Meredith Walker. Lydia listened, completely submerged in the story. Soon the world around her faded away and Lydia found herself living the story as her mother told it. She could hear the words her grandmother had said, the rain, the voices. All of it. When her mother stopped talking, Lydia returned to her living room and took a second to think, before asking to see the room. The soundproof room at the lakehouse that was meant for Banshee's.

That room is where Lydia spent the rest of her night. Watching the record spin, listening to the voices. Whispering to her, telling her things. Names. Lydia whispered, hoping Jackson could hear her, requesting a pen and a piece of paper.

Thankfully, he did hear. Once she had the items, Lydia closed her eyes, listened to the voices, and allowed her hand to glide over the paper.

It felt like an eternity before she opened her eye's, and looked down at the paper. It was a list. She had written a list, consisting of five names:

Deucalion Emery

Kali Terrell

Ennis Wade

Ethan Steiner

and Aiden Steiner

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Are you sure that you don't want one of us to tag along and keep an eye on this guy?" Derek asked Danny, as the Hawaiian walked towards the living room door.

"I'm sure, Derek! I'm going on a date, not swimming with jellyfish."

"I think you mean 'swimming with sharks'" Scott corrected with a raised eyebrow and slight chuckle.

"Nope, I've been swimming with sharks I'd rather do that than swim with jellyfish."

"Okay?"

"So what's his name?" Allison asked with a grin, from the doorway.

"Ethan. Ethan Steiner"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles and Isaac shared a large bowl of popcorn in the living room of the Hale House, both of them had their eyes locked on the tv as they spoke to one another. "You know, after this, we should work out a little, with the Alpha Pack, and lord knows what else, we need to stay in shape and prepare for the next attack." Stiles suggested, before shoving another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"Okay." Isaac agreed. "That's a good idea." The pair was alone because Danny had a date, Erica, Boyd and Cora were on a date, Lydia and Jackson were talking to Lydia's mum, and everybody else was working. "Oh, did you hear that the diner is going to double as a coffee house soon? Officially, I mean."

"Huh, no I didn't know that." Stiles hummed, tilting his head slightly. "it makes sense though, they make the best coffee in town, but I know that a lot of people don't try it, because they think it'd just be bad diner coffee."

"Yeah." Isaac agreed. "I'll admit, I used to think that too. Which is why I used to always go out of my way, to get coffee from the Chamber after practice. Even though it was more expensive."

"No, no, no, you should never just go for the most expensive thing just assuming it'll be better. Maybe it sometimes works out that way but not always." Stiles shook his head at his pup in disapproval. "Sometimes things that are expensive are worse."

"Hey, I've learned the error of my ways mum, thanks to you." Isaac grinned, holding up his hands in playful self-defence.

"And you're welcome for that." Stiles smiled, shoving another handful of popcorn into his mouth. After a few more minutes of chatter, Isaac decided to ask the question that had been on his mind for the past ten minutes.

"Hey mum?" Isaac began, Stiles hummed in response to let Isaac know that he was listening. "Are we gonna turn the tv on? Or just keep staring at a blank screen while eating popcorn?"

"We're definitely just gonna keep staring at a blank screen while eating popcorn."

"Good to know."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Boyd, Cora and Erica were walking through the woods after their date, when suddenly, Cora froze."Do you smell-?"

"Werewolves. The alpha Pack." Erica whispered. "We have to go, now." Boyd nodded and the turn turned to leave, only to come face to face with a large male alpha, who had his eye's glowing red and a dark grin on his face. They looked around to see more alpha's closing in on them. They were completely surrounded.

"What we have here," The leader, Deucalion spoke up, stepping into view. "is not simply three betas. No, no they're much more than that, they're leverage."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Where are they?!" Derek roared the next day, pacing around the living room.

"I don't know." Lydia admitted with a worried frown on her face. "I really don't know."

"What are we going to do?" Isaac demanded, "The longer we wait, the more likely they are to kill them!" Isaac yelled angrily.

"They won't kill them!" Derek growled, "They'll try to use them as leverage, or weapons to make me join them. We will get them back before that happens!"

"How are we supposed to do that by sitting around? Huh?!" Isaac screamed. "And just because they won't kill them, doesn't mean that they won't hurt them! Boyd and Erica and Cora could be being tortured right now, and you are doing nothing!"

"Isaac-"

"Why won't you help them? You claim to love us like family, but you don't even care enough to-"

"You think I don't care?!" Derek roared, spinning to face Isaac. "You think that this is easy for me?! To just sit back while three of my own are being held by psychopaths? Psychopaths who want me to kill everyone I care about!" Isaac stepped backwards, away from the alpha, guilt clearly written on his face. "They are my Betas! Cora is my sister. I promised to take care of them, and I failed! There's nothing I want more than to run out right now, find them and bring them home, but I have no idea where they are! I have no way to track them or any leverage over the alphas to get them back safely. If I make one wrong move, they'll kill them. Just to piss me off. I wait, they'll make a move, then we can get them back."

"I'm sorry." Isaac whimpered and Derek's eyes softened, then he pulled the pup into a hug.

"No, I'm sorry pup, I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. We'll get them back, I promise."

"So what are we going to do?" Jackson asked cautiously from the doorway, reminding the pair of the rest of the Pack's presence.

"We plan." Stiles announced firmly. "Let's go to the Library."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Three weeks. It had been three weeks and nothing. The only lead they had were the names from Lydia, which lead nowhere. Of course, Danny was shocked to see the name of the guy he liked, even more surprised when said guy called and asked him out on a date. He had agreed, much to the Pack's protests. Danny wasn't doing it because he liked Ethan though, no. He did it because this was an opportunity. An opportunity for them to learn more about the alpha Pack. Yes, he was using Ethan, but Ethan was using him too. He'd picked up on Ethan, very subtly, fishing for information on the Pack. Danny doubted that he would have noticed, had he not been doing the same.

Nevertheless, it wasn't all bad. Sure Ethan was a psychopathic, murderous alpha werewolf, who could merge with his, apparently twin, brother to form a weird monster alpha werewolf. And sure, he was working with other murderous alpha's, who were planning to get Derek to kill Danny and the rest of the Pack, but at least he made for a good booty call.

Plus, Ethan had let small details slip about where he was staying. Enough so that the Pack were able to find it, and send Chris in to set up surveillance. They chose Chris because he is, officially, a security consultant, therefore had a valid reason for setting up the camera's, had he gotten caught.

That was two weeks ago. The footage had been pretty mundane, the microphones picking up pointless conversations, nothing of value. Until just minutes earlier, when the word 'Vault' was brought up. It wasn't long until it all came together. The symbol Danny had noticed sketched in Ethan's notebook, wasn't a symbol at all, but a logo.

"Beacon Hills First National Bank." Noah stated the seconds laid eyes on the sketch, via a picture Danny had taken. "It shut down a while back due to a robbery."

"It's the perfect place to keep them." Jackson sneered, every ounce of anger and hatred towards the alpha's rose to the surface. The very thought of the Pack made his blood boil.

"Gather any weapons you need then we're going." Derek ordered, and the rest of the Pack agreed, except for Stiles.

"Woah, woah, woah, we can't just rush in there without a plan." Stiles stated, stopping his mate and pups in their tracks. "They're my pups and I want them back too, but if we don't think this through, someone else could get hurt."

"It doesn't matter, we can help them." Isaac stated determinedly.

"He's right," Scott agreed, "they're Pack, we can't just sit back and do nothing."

"It's worth the risk." Allison added with a determined look on her face.

"No one gets left behind," Lydia declared, head held high.

"We're all willing to do whatever it takes to make sure they come home safely." Jackson announced.

"If something looks like it's going wrong, I'll make sure our pups all make it out and hold the Alpha's off. My life for theirs." Derek stated. The Pack looked at Stiles with confidence and determination, thinking he'd be proud, but he stared back at them, disbelieving. Unshed tears flooded his eyes as he shook his head at them all.

"You see, that's the problem. You don't care about getting hurt. But do you know how I'll feel? I'll be devastated, and if a single one of you dies, I will literally go out of my freakin' mind." Stiles took a deep breath and clenched his teeth as his mind drifted to his mother. "You see, death doesn't happen to you, it happens to everyone around you, okay? To all the people left standing at your funeral, trying to figure out how to live the rest of their lives without you in it!"

His voice grew louder as he went on, a crescendo of pain and anger, his arms waving wildly as the Pack looked on, startled by Stiles' reaction. "I mean come on, We all love Erica and Boyd and Cora, but I wouldn't trade any of your lives for theirs. I'm not giving up, I will make sure we get them back, but I'm not sacrificing anyone else to do it! Imagine what it would do to them, huh? Get out of a vault after three weeks, reuniting with their Pack, only to learn that someone they love and care for unnecessarily gave up their life for it? How do you think that would feel?" Derek opened his mouth to say something, but Stiles kept talking "What if I went out right now, stormed the vault, set them free, but died in the process, how would you feel? You've got Erica, Boyd and Cora back so that's all that matters, right?"

"Stiles, that's different, you're my mate and Pack mum, if you died-"

"If I die, the Pack would still have an alpha, and there's no wolf in this room who isn't mated. Literally everyone has completed the mate bond, yet you're all willing to die and leave your mate, or mates, behind. Allow your mate to suffer the agony and heartbreak, allow them to blame Erica and Boyd and Cora for your death, allow the three of them to blame themselves, allow the Pack to grieve and mourn." Stiles scoffed and shook his head. "No, actually, you know what, you're right, no need to waste time coming up with a plan and make sure we all survive, let's go." He walked past the Pack, heading for the front door. "What are you waiting for? Come on let's go get ourselves killed unnecessarily." Noah walked over and placed a comforting hand on Stiles' shoulder. The Pack had the decency to look abashed and regretful as Stiles' words sank in

After a few moments of tense silence, Scott spoke up.

"So, anyone have any ideas?"

"You mentioned the vault? If that's where they're being kept, we won't need to go through the front door to get to them." The Sheriff stated, then went on to explain how the robbers broke in, and how it could benefit them. As he did, Lydia and Danny sat side by side, each typing avidly on their laptop's. Danny was searching through live security camera footage, just because they had a way into the vault, doesn't mean they should take any chance with the alpha Pack catching them. Lydia, however, was learning everything that she could about the vault itself.

Once Noah had finished explaining the break in, Lydia gained everyone's attention. "Hey, I found something." Within seconds, the Pack were gathered around the redhead "According to this, the walls of the vault are made out of Hecatolite, also known as Moonstone." Lydia announced, eyes wide in shock and realisation.

The others just looked confused. "And that means?" Scott asked, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"The stone has been blocking the natural moonlight from reaching them, keeping them from transforming for these past three weeks!" The girl exclaimed urgently, and the Pack started to understand. "With this information, and lack of appearances from the alpha's, I'm guessing that they didn't want us to find them yet." Derek nodded thoughtfully, it made sense. Why else would the alpha Pack go silent for weeks when they had leverage? "Think of it like starving lions in the coliseum. So deprived of what they thrive on that they are far more vicious and bloodthirsty. I'm thinking that they planned to keep them a lot longer. Possibly as long as a few months. The pent up energy from all those missed transformations would mean Boyd , Erica and Cora would lose all control when the moonlight reached them."

"It wouldn't take much either." Stiles stated, standing up straight and looking at the Pack. "From what I've heard, Hecatolite is very reflective. All it'd take is a single beam of moonlight, and it would bound from wall to wall, until the entire room was lit up."

"Meaning they'd lose control instantly, attack anyone who got in their way." Allison stated, a look of horror on her face as she thought about how bad that would be.

"Including us." Jackson stated, voice barely above a whisper. Had there been any other noise in the room, the human members of the Pack wouldn't have heard him.

"Yes, but it hasn't been months." Derek reminded them, trying to assure both his Pack and himself. "Although, this is the longest any of them have gone without shifting, so we should be careful. But we have an advantage, we know what to expect. We know that it'll be more difficult than we initially thought. We also know that they are our Pack, and we won't let them do anything they'll regret, there are three of them, we can handle it."

"Alright," Scott jumped in, clapping his hands together. "So how are we doing this? I think we'll need at least four of us going in, and of course we'll need at least two people staying here, to organise things. As much as I hate to say it, we're going to have to restrain them."

"You're right." Derek nodded in agreement, a proud smile tugging at his lips. "Danny, Lydia, Allison, I want the three of you staying here. Before you girls protest, let me explain. The two of you need to set up everything for when we return. Danny needs to watch the security cameras, to warn us if the alpha's come back. If they do start to head our way, we'll need some interference. The two of you are more adequate with long range weapons, meaning you can distract and hurt them, without getting too close." Derek explained and the two girls gave him disbelieving looks. "I will admit, your lack of supernatural healing does influence my decision." Lydia and Allison exchanged a look, before sighing in defeat and agreeing. "I'll be getting Peter along the way, I'll need all of the help I can get. Stiles, Isaac, Scott, Jackson, are any of you willing to come with me to the vault?"

"No, we're just gonna let you face three of our feral Pack Mates alone." Jackson drawled sarcastically, which filled Stiles with Pride, and gave the alpha his best bitch face. "What do you think?"

"You really don't need to ask." Isaac stated with a soft smile.

"We know what we signed up for, Derek, and we're all in." Scott stated and Stiles nodded in agreement with his pups, then Stiles turned to his father.

"Dad, any chance you can get some deputies to wait outside of the bank with prisoner transfer vans? Preferably three, but two would probably work," Stiles asked hopefully, and Noah sighed.

"I'll head down to the station, round up some back up."

"Once you're outside, I'll call you." Danny promised, typing furiously on his laptop. "I'll guide you through the bank and warn you if the Alpha's decide to make an appearance."

"Thank you." Derek nodded, "Allison, call Erica's parents, tell them what's going on and warn them about what state Erica will be in." Derek ordered, looking more determined than the Pack had ever seen him. "Now, let's go save our Pack." With that, everyone sprung into action. Of course Stiles had to ruin the dramatic moment, by nudging Derek's shoulder and teasing, "Aren't you glad you listened to me?"

"Shut up."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

They did it. They freed Cora, Erica and Boyd. Without running into the alpha Pack! Sure, the three of them lost control a little and there was a little property damage along the way, but still. They did it. That should count for something, right?

"Three broken windshields, five lampposts knocked down, a hole in the side of a prisoner transport van, arrows and bullets are embedded in at least thirteen cars, and a dozen calls to the station about three monstrous dog people running down the streets of beacon hills, one of them naked! What do you have to say for yourself?!" Noah demanded, looking his son in the eyes, in front of everyone at the station.

Stiles cringed, shrugged his shoulders slightly, then replied: "Oops?" Noah turned red in the face, but before he could yell, Tara spoke up.

"Why was Erica naked?"

"Well, the three of them are mates." Stiles began awkwardly. "They needed some way to keep themselves occupied. Erica just hadn't put her clothes back on before we went in to rescue them." He then turned to his dad, and said. "I'll pay for the damages."

"You mean, Derek will pay for the damages?" Noah retorted with a knowing look. "Nuh uh, you have to get a job."

"But I've already declared myself a stay-at-home mum!" Stiles protested, and his father just glared "Fine." the boy sighed, hanging his head in defeat.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day was spent at the house, everybody coddling Boyd, Erica and Cora. The trio knew that they wouldn't get any time alone for a while. To be honest though, they didn't really care. They had all missed their Pack, so much. The only thing that made the last three weeks bearable was having each other, and the knowledge that the Pack would find them.

"I was so worried, sweetie!" Erica's mother sobbed into her daughter's hair. "I missed you so much! Your father did too! We understand that your Pack will want to spend time with you, but we don't want you out of our sights! We have each booked time off of work and will be staying here for a couple of days! Derek gave us the guest room closest to your room!" Hayley babbled, still not releasing Erica as Jake made his way down the stairs and towards his family, quickly joining in on the hug.

"Our belongings are in the room." He stated, before placing a kiss to the top of Erica's head. "It's a great room, I think we should move in, Hayley! This place is incredible!"

"Don't tempt me!" Hayley chuckled. "All it took was one look at the pool and I wanted to live here."

Erica giggled at the conversation, shaking her head slightly. "Seriously sweetheart." Jake exclaimed with a perplexed look on his face. "Why are you still living with us when you could live here?"

"Because I love you both too much to leave." Erica responded honestly. "At least, until I'm 18."

"Okay, it's settled, we're moving in. Hayley, Pack the photo albums, I'll get the waffle iron." Jake announced, pulling out from the hug as Stiles walked into the room.

"We have a waffle iron, y'know?" Stiles informed the man, clearly amused.

"Ah, but does it imprint my name into the waffle?" Jake asked, pointing an accusing finger at Stiles, who chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid it doesn't"

"Then I will be retrieving mine." He announced, then turned back to his wife and daughter. "Okay, Hayley, c'mon. We'll be back soon Erica." Hayley finally released Erica, and set her hand on her hips, raising an eyebrow at her husband.

"Wait, are you being serious?" Jake nodded and Hayley glared. "No. We raised Erica in that house, I am not moving."

"But honey!" Jake whined, giving his wife puppy dog eyes. "A pool!"

"No."

"C'mon, you know that Erica wants to live here with her Pack! But she won't do that unless we come with her!" Jake argued.

"Yes, but if we move in, Erica won't get her own room, she'll just stay with Cora and Boyd. They'll share a bed. In a soundproof room. All night. Every night." She taunted, taking a step closer to her increasingly horrified husband with each sentence. Erica and Stiles tried to suppress their laughter at Mr Reyes' expression but failed miserably. Either way, Erica's father changed his mind about wanting to move in.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Then next time Danny saw Ethan, he expected him to be upset, or tense, or angry, but he was the opposite. Ethan seemed lighter, like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"Hey." Danny greeted with his winning smile, giving the wolf a hug, before sitting down. The pair were at a restaurant. A very nice, rather expensive, restaurant in the centre of town. "You seem happy."

"Yeah." Ethan agreed, sitting opposite the hacker, a large grin on his face. "Not only do I get to see you, but some people I know just got out of a bad situation." Ethan explained vaguely, but Danny knew that he was referring to Erica, Cora and Boyd. "The person behind getting them there wasn't happy, but I am. I hate what he's doing, I wish I could get away." Ethan confessed, looking down at the table. Danny frowned, glancing over to Jackson and Lydia who were sitting a few tables away, keeping an eye on him. Jackson nodded slightly, looking confused. Ethan was being honest. Danny leant forward and set his hand on top of Ethan's comfortingly.

"Why don't you?"

"My brother." Ethan said, looking up at Danny. "He believes Deucalion's promises, and unlike me he doesn't have a reason to leave." Ethan took a breath, then stated. "I know. I know that you know what I am and who I'm working with, but I swear, I don't want to!" Ethan swore, looking Danny in the eyes, hopeful that the Hawaiian believed him. "That's why I told you as much as I did. I knew you'd find where I was staying. I knew you'd see the sketch of the logo. I knew you'd free them. I need your help Danny. I need you to talk to your Alpha. I need you to tell him that I want us to work together. I'll help you against the Alpha's if you help me save my brother." Ethan promised, sitting up, looking serious and determined. Over his shoulder, Danny noticed Jackson on the phone, probably talking to Derek. "So, will you help me?"

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.
A/N: I hope you guys are happy with this chapter! I am so sorry for the delay, but I’ve had a few personal issues. But I’m back, and already working on the next chapter! xx

Chapter 26: I Don't

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The pack go back to school, the Darach appears and makes a daring move and causes problems in the pack, and the twins train with the pack. *Trigger Warning* This chapter covers the events of Motel California, therefor suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts and self harm are mentioned. It is stated when the events start and finish, so if you are uncomfortable with it, you can easily skip those events.

The Hale Pack: I Don't

"I'll help you against the alpha's if you help me save my brother." Ethan promised, sitting up, looking serious and determined. Over his shoulder, Danny noticed Jackson on the phone, probably talking to Derek. "So, will you help me?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"How do we know that we can trust you?" Derek demanded the second Ethan set foot on the Hale premises.

"I don't expect you to trust me, yet. I know I'll need to prove myself. But I need you to trust that I'll do anything to save my brother and that I don't break my promises' ever." Ethan stated before baring his neck for Derek.

Derek cautiously moved forward and sniffed Ethan's neck before stepping back and nodding. "What about your previous Pack? The one you killed?"

"I promised I'd get revenge." Ethan stated with a shrug. "Aiden and I weren't the alpha's of them. We were Betas but they treated us like omegas. Worse than omegas, they treated us like a pair of freshly bitten omega's who'd stumbled onto their territory and started howling at the locals. Our ability to merge didn't sit well with the others, and they never let us forget it. They literally tortured us for the sake of it. I'm not saying that they deserved to die, I never wanted to kill them. I swear. But when Deucalion showed up, we saw an opportunity. Aiden and I were convinced that it was the only chance we'd get to escape them. So we killed them. I regret killing them, I do, but I don't mourn them. Out of the Beta's, every one of the guys and two of the girls had blue eyes, the other three girls didn't, but they weren't exactly innocent either. They were all monsters." Ethan explained honestly. Looking the alpha dead in the eyes as the rest of the Pack listened. "I don't regret becoming an alpha. I don't regret leaving that Pack. What I do regret is becoming a killer. I thought Aiden did too, but the others are getting to him, changing him. Convincing him that he is a monster, and that being a monster is a good thing. I don't want that for him. For us. But I can't save him alone."

Derek looked around at his Pack, some of them giving him a small nod. "We'll help you." Ethan sighed in relief, but before he could say anything, Derek spoke again. "However, if Aiden makes a move on us, tries to hurt or kill one of us, we will fight back. And we won't go easy on him."

Ethan nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't expect anything less. He won't though, once he sees that I've chosen to work with you, he'll join me. I can't tell him but he'll know something's up, but he won't confront me in front of them. Whenever we're together, one of the other's is always listening in. They'll try to kill us the second they find out, Aiden wouldn't risk my life like that."

"You're scared of them." Jackson stated in slight surprise.

"If you aren't, you're stupid." Ethan replied immediately. "They're all ruthless killers. They enjoy the kill. Yes Aiden and I used to go hunting, but we hunted animals. They prefer to kill people."

"They must have weaknesses though." Scott pointed out knowingly. Causing Ethan to nod in agreement.

"Kali and Ennis are each other's weaknesses. They're not mates, but they're in love. Deucalion's weakness is a physical weakness. He isn't always blind."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The days had passed easily, Ethan had the alpha's convinced that he had gained the trust of the Hale Pack. As far as they knew, he had told the Pack was an omega werewolf, previously a Beta who's last Pack had died. As he had actually told the Hale Pack that, the other Alpha's appeared to believe him. Except Aiden. Aiden knew him well enough to know that something was off.

True to Ethan's prediction, Aiden didn't confront him in front of the other alpha's. Instead, he waited for Ethan to go out on his 'date' with Danny, told the others he was going for a run, and promptly followed his brother. He watched, from just outside of the clearing as Ethan walked up to the front door of a large, white stone house and knocked on the door. He wasn't really surprised when Derek answered the door, but he was surprised when Derek immediately asked what new information Ethan had on the Alpha Pack. He felt betrayed when his twin started telling Derek of the newest installation of Deucalion's plan as he walked through the door.

He waited until the door closed, and their silhouettes faded away before standing and stealthily making his way over to the house. Aiden had made his way to the bushes to the right of the pool when the front door swung open. He immediately ducked, only to feel like an idiot when Ethan poked his head out the door and called out "Aiden? Are you coming in or not?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"I don't need saving." Aiden protested, glaring at his brother.

"Yes you do!" Ethan argued immediately. "We both do! We never should have joined them in the first place. You know we don't belong there, Aiden."

"And what? We belonged with our old Pack?"

"No, far from it, but we shouldn't have killed them. I said this to the Hale Pack, now I'll say it to you. I don't feel bad that they're dead, but I feel guilty that I killed them. I'm not a killer, Aiden. That's not who I want to be. I know that that's not who you want to be either." Ethan stated, looking his brother in the eyes, desperately searching for the person he grew up with. The person who would stand by his side no matter what. The person who he could trust to have his back. The person he would kill for. The brother he'd die for. He searched for any flicker of that person, and he wasn't disappointed.

"I don't" Aiden admitted, his eyes glistening with shame and regret. Had they been alone, Aiden would have admitted everything he felt to his brother, but with the Hale Pack in the next room, he bit his tongue. "I don't want to be a killer, Ethan. I hate what we did. I always swore to myself that we'd never sink to their level, but we did. We killed them. All of them. For a Pack we didn't really want to join, with people who'd happily kill us if it meant getting more power." Aiden couldn't stop his eyes from glowing. "I want out."

"So do I." The brothers shared a hug, before leaving the room and reuniting with the Hale Pack.

"Thank you." Was the first thing Aiden said when he came face to face with Derek. Despite his instincts, he bared his neck for the man. Once the basic introductions were done, Aiden was informed of the full details of the deal Ethan had made with the Pack.

Unfortunately for the twins, they couldn't just up and leave the alpha Pack. They had to wait. The Hale Pack was kind enough to offer them a place to stay when they do leave the Alpha Pack. Although Derek warned them that if the twins did anything to hurt any of his Pack, or prove themselves untrustworthy then the kindness ends and they're on their own. Once that was done with, Aiden was given a tour of the house, excluding the secret tunnels and second basement of course, and he was shown the room he would be given, as long as he keeps up his end of the deal.

The twins stayed for dinner, and as much as Aiden didn't want to admit it, he had a great time. He didn't feel comfortable enough to call them 'Pack' but this is the closest he had felt to anyone that wasn't his brother. The Hales were kind, but made it clear that they wouldn't completely trust the brothers without being given indisputable reason to.

Aiden had surprised himself by wholeheartedly apologising to Stiles, without prompting from his brother. When he brought it up and apologised, Lydia launched into a play by play, fully detailed account of how she found Stiles, the blood, the fear, the fact that Stiles started choking on his own blood. All of it. Aiden had lived with guilt for a while, but nothing hit him as hard as that. Seeing Stiles in front of him, alive and well, gave him such relief and such guilt. The guilt of causing someone so much pain and leaving them to live with it. Forcing his Pack, his family, to deal with seeing him like that. The twin's previous Pack was killed quickly. None of them had any connections outside of the Pack. No one to miss or mourn them. They didn't suffer long and no one suffered from missing them. But this was different. They say murder was the worst thing that you could do. If that was the case, why did this make Aiden feel so much worse?

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

With more and more dangers coming to town, Boyd had decided to warn his parents. Which included telling them about what he was. He still spoke to them, and he still contributed towards the bills, and stopped by every week to fill up the kitchen. Thanks to Derek's need to pay for everything, Boyd no longer needed to supply himself with lunch money or college savings or anything like that, so the entirety of his paycheck went to his parents. Not that they were happy about it. They appreciated his help, but felt guilty that he had to do it. They wished that they could support their son, they wished he could enjoy his youth rather than have to worry about losing his house.

Thinking about it, Boyd wasn't sure that they realised he had moved out. With their busy schedules, they probably assumed he was out with friends, or working extra shifts. Regardless, they were about to find out.

With the extra income from Boyd, his parents felt secure enough to take a day off, after a little prompting from Boyd, so he took the opportunity to sit them down and tell them everything. "So, I have something to tell you." Boyd stated, handing his parents a cup of coffee each. His mother took a sip, before putting her hand up and stated.

"We think we know what you're about to say, Vernon." The woman stated. "We've noticed how little you've been around, how much of your stuff is missing, how many new clothes you have. We've not idiots, sweetheart, we just hope that whatever you're doing is legal."

Boyd couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. "I haven't got a new job or anything mum, and I haven't gotten a raise or extra hours or anything like that." Boyd stated, but it only made his parents grow more suspicious and concerned.

"You see, a few months ago, the night of the homecoming dance, I learnt about something. Something I didn't think was real or possible. The girl that I went to the dance with, Erica, she used to be epileptic, severely. Then one night, she changed and thanks to that change, her epilepsy was cured. The night of the dance, she told me how she changed. And what she became. She was bitten by an Alpha werewolf, turning her into one. Then, the day after the dance, the same alpha bit me." Boyd stated, then shifted. He expected his parents to gasp, or recoil in horror, or something.

What he didn't expect was his father to turn to his mother and say "I told you so."

"What?"

"Dammit, Vernon, now I owe your father $20." His mother huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"What?"

"Oh, come on honey, you're the one related to druids! Two of them live in town." His father chuckled, rolling his eyes. "You should really know better."

"Well, I'm not a druid, so excuse me for not knowing!"

"What?!" Boyd exclaimed, looking at his parents in shock.

"What?" His mother blinked. "You think we'd live here without knowing about all of the threats?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I dunno." His father shrugged. "It never came up."

"So, sweetie." His mother stated, setting her cup down on the table. "Tell us about your Pack."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

A few hours later, Boyd was leading his parents up to the Hale house, smiling at the look of awe on their faces. The thing that stood out the most, was the new decoration. A huge banner reading 'Welcome Mr and Mrs Boyd' in large, multi coloured letters, was hanging from the first floor balcony. "I'm guessing Stiles and/or Isaac are responsible for the banner...but yeah, here we are. Prepare for the insanity that is my Pack" Boyd chuckled, leading his parents past the pool and into the house. The second they stepped inside, Erica bounded over, dragging Cora with her. "Mum, dad, this is Erica and Cora. My mates." Boyd introduced with a proud smile on his face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr and Mrs Boyd." Erica greeted with a grin, holding out her hand. Boyd's mother took it first.

"Please, sweetheart, call me Sheila." The woman insisted, a friendly smile on her face, then withdrew her hand and held it to Cora. "You too, Erica." Cora chuckled and corrected the woman.

"I'm Cora, she's Erica."

"Mum." Boyd sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Really, Sheila?" Her husband laughed. "We went over this. Erica's the blonde, Cora's the brunette."

"We did not go over it, sweetheart. The closest thing we got was that Cora is the alpha's sister. How am I supposed to tell who the alpha's sister is, if I've never met the alpha?"

"Still, you should have asked their names!"

"If I asked, I'd feel bad. My way I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right!"

"But you got it wrong." Boyd's dad stated, then turned to the girls. "I'm Richard by the way." He smiled, shaking Cora's hand first. "It's a pleasure to meet you Cora." He said pointedly, then turned to shake Erica's hand. "You too, Erica."

"Okay, we get it Dick." Sheila smirked and Erica couldn't hide her giggles whilst Richard looked annoyed.

"I asked you not to call me that!"

"And I asked you not to show me up."

"You showed yourself up."

"You little-"

"Hello Mr and Mrs Boyd." Derek interrupted as he walked into the room, a grin tugging at his lips. "I'm Derek Hale, your son's Alpha."

"It's wonderful to meet you Derek." Sheila beamed, she started to raise her hand, then suddenly stopped and bared her neck instead. Derek smiled before going through standard procedure. When he had finished, he looked at Richard, who seemed unsure and wary.

"It's merely a sign of respect, and a way for me to familiarise myself with your scent. It's basically just a way of showing that you respect my role of Alpha and that you won't threaten me or my Pack" He explained casually. "Although, we can stick to a handshake, if you'd prefer." The man hesitated for a moment, then bared his neck. Once it was done with, Derek led the couple through to the living room, where the rest of his Pack were waiting and stated making the introductions.

"Mr and Mrs Boyd, this is my Pack. This is Danny," He introduced first, pointing to the boy in question. "Human, and a computer genius and a straight A student. No pun intended." The Pack chuckled at that, as Boyd informed his parents of Danny's sexual orientation. "This is Jackson, one of my beta's, co-captain of the Lacrosse team and captain of the swim team. Next is Lydia, Jackson mate, a Banshee, all out genius and a wonderful artist. Next we have Allison. Expert marksman, fluent in french, and incredible with a bow and arrow. Scott, one of Allison's mates, another beta, the other co-captain of the Lacrosse team, probably the most morally inclined person I've ever met and he's a wonderful singer and guitarist. Isaac, beta, Scott and Allison's mate, a wonderful tracker, kind, caring and an incredible runner. Melissa McCall, a wonderful nurse, and a great friend, she was really understanding when she found out about all of this. Noah is like a father to me," Derek smiled at the older man, who wore a bright smile proudly. "He's also a great friend and damn good sheriff. Erica, beta, confident, cunning, she's great at coming up with plans and schemes. Don't be surprised if she, Lydia, Allison and Stiles take over the world one day." The four of them grinned at that, Erica sending a wink to her coconspiritors. "Cora, my sister, beta and as you know, Boyd and Erica's mate. Brave, strong, independent and one hell of a fighter. Obviously, I don't need to introduce Boyd, and this-" He grinned, walking and wrapping an arm around Stiles. "is Stiles, my mate and beta. He's brave, loyal, stubborn, devious and completely insane."

"Hey, that's no- yeah, actually, that's pretty accurate, but I wouldn't say completely insane." Stiles sighed, scratching the back of his head. The looks his friends gave made him defensive. "No, really! Yes, I'm a stalker, I'm crazy and totally paranoid, but I still wouldn't say completely insane!" The Pack just kept giving him that look. "I'm gonna go make dinner."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day, Sheila and Richard met Hayley and Jake. The two couples were sitting in the Reyes' kitchen, Sheila and Hayley quickly built up a friendship, the two women finding a lot in common, other than just having a werewolf child. Amongst conversation topics, was the Pack. Specifically, their children wanting to live with their Pack, but not wanting to leave home yet. Yes, Boyd had, technically, moved into the Hale House but he still spent a lot of time at his parents house, so much so that they hadn't even realised that he had actually moved out.

"My only issue is Erica sharing a room with Boyd and Cora." Jake pointed out with a disgusted frown. "It's nothing against your son, it's just-"

"I get it." Richard jumped in, face void of emotion. "None of us want grandchildren yet."

"Absolutely not."

"Even so," Hayley began looking around at her kitchen fondly. "We raised Erica in this house, we have so many memories here. I do want her to live with her Pack, but I don't want to move house."

"That's it!" Sheila blurted happily, an excited smile on her face. "Move the house!"

"She just said we don't want to-" Jake stated in frustration, only for Hayley to cut him off, realising what the other woman was suggesting.

"No, no, she's not suggesting that we move house, she's suggesting that we move the house."

"Like, move the house? The entire house?! Just pick it up and move it to the Hale property?" Jake asked with wide eyes, a grin tugging at his lips, Richard was looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, you two can do it as well." Hayley suggested happily, clapping her hands together, then she noticed the other couples worried looks. "It may cost a bit, but we have plenty of money now that Erica doesn't need medication anymore. Even if we didn't, Derek will happily give us the rest of the money, you don't have to worry about a thing. Just focus on selling the land that the house is built on."

"We can't ask you to do that." Richard protested immediately. "We don't need charity, we'll figure something out."

"It's not charity." Jake stated, a wide grin on his face. "It's purely selfish, you see, if we only moved our house, Erica would be upset when she finds out that it was your idea. So, by helping you, Boyd is happy, and if Boyd is happy, Cora will be happy, and if Boyd and Cora are happy, Erica will be happy. Then, she'll be ecstatic that she gets to live with her Pack, but not have to leave her childhood home. We get to live with our daughter, you get to live with your son, they get to live close to their Pack without sharing a room. It's a win win!"

Richard and Sheila share a look, apparently coming to an agreement. "Thank you, we'll find a way to pay you back." Sheila insisted with a grateful smile.

"No, no. There's no need." Hayley assured, holding up a hand in a 'stop' motion. "We're friends now, more than that, our children are Pack. From what I know about Pack, you do whatever it takes to help each other."

"I understand that, but I don't like feeling like I'm indebted to someone, and if I don't pay you back, I will feel that way. So please, allow us to make it up to you." Sheila explained, and Richard nodded in agreement.

"If you feel so inclined," Jake began, a wide smile on his face and Hayley looked at him worriedly. "Boyd mentioned something about red velvet cupcakes?" Hayley rolled her eyes at Jake's childlike excitement.

"Yes." Sheila chuckled, "I used to make them every week, Vernon loved them."

"Okay, did Derek invite you to Sunday meals with the Pack each week, too?" Jake asked and the couple nodded, seeing where he was going. "So, you bring those infamous red velvet cupcakes, each time you come over, and we'll call it even?"

"Fair enough. You've got yourself a deal."

The Boyd's and the Reyes' approached Derek the next day about their idea. Expecting him to be pleased or thoughtful about the idea, they were, kind of, but not really, surprised when his entire face lit up in a brilliant smile. None of them had super senses, but they knew that Derek's heart was beating rapidly in excitement.

"That's a wonderful idea!" He exclaimed, mind working a mile a minute. Boyd and Erica would be so happy, which would make Cora happy. With their Pack mates happy, the rest of the Pack would be happy, which would make Derek happy. "I'll make some calls, feel free to take a look around, see if there's anywhere in particular that you want your houses, and which direction you want them facing."

"Do you guys hear this?" Jackson chuckled as he and the rest of the Pack jogged towards the house from the woods. "Derek is babbling!"

"Stiles is really rubbing off on you, huh Derek?" Allison chuckled, as she and the others slowed down, soon coming to a stop.

"You have no idea, Ally." Stiles chuckled, sending Derek a flirtatious wink. "So, what's going on?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Two weeks had passed, and the Reyes and Boyd's had moved their houses to the Hale property. Sheila and Richard felt guilty about using the Reyes' and some of the Hales' money to help move their house, but in the end, they couldn't be happier. Derek was two steps closer to having the Pack together permanently. There was still the issue of Lydia, Scott, Melissa, Danny and Allison not living there, and Allison and her parents had recently moved to a new place, making them less likely to move again. Scott and Melissa were seriously considering moving, they were just unsure whether to move their house, like the other families had, or just move to the Hale house.

It was Sunday, and the Hale dining table was completely covered with food. The twins, Peter, Lydia's mum, Scott's mum, the Reyes, Boyds and Argents had all come over to join the Pack for dinner. Derek was sitting at the head of the table. To Derek's right was Stiles, next to him was Scott, then Isaac, Allison, Lydia, Ethan, Aiden, Victoria, Chris, Melissa, then Noah. To Derek's left was Peter, next to him was Cora, then Boyd, Erica, Jackson, Danny, Jake, Natalie, Hayley, Sheila, then Richard. There was a stack of five chairs in the corner. Chairs that were usually around the huge table, but they had been taken away so that everyone could spread out and have a little more room.

The meal was going well, the twins and Peter were behaving themselves, and made for good company. All of the parents were getting along and sharing stories, both of their children and their working life. The Pack was cracking jokes, arguing over superheroes and movies. Ethan occasionally joined in, and Aiden would teasingly make fun of him and call him a nerd. Peter spoke to the other adults and Cora a lot, the girl finally starting to warm up to him. Derek joined in conversations here and there, but mostly savoured the food his Pack had made, and watched over them fondly.

He had spent the previous six years in isolation, allowing himself to drown in guilt and loneliness. He thought that he deserved it. When he went to college, it wasn't for himself, it was to make Laura happy. When he joined the police academy, it was for others, to keep them safe, something he couldn't do for his family. Every time he felt content, he buried himself in paperwork or some other task that made him miserable. Because he didn't think he deserved to be happy. Then he met Stiles. The second his eyes fell on the boy, he knew. He knew that Stiles was his mate. Had Scott been alone, Derek would have probably kept driving. But he couldn't. He couldn't resist the urge to talk to Stiles. To breathe in his scent. So he pulled over and offered his help. When he went home that night after burying his sister's body, he swore that he wouldn't start anything. He swore that he'd help Scott and Stiles, he'd take down the alpha, then he'd leave. The night of the full moon, he told Scott that they were brothers now, and the scent of Stiles' disappointment made his chest ache. Derek couldn't stay away from him. He'd park outside of the school for hours, listening to Stiles' voice and heartbeat. He told himself that it was to make sure the boy didn't lose control, but he knew that it was more than that.

The night Derek stayed with Stiles, in his bed, watching movies and eating junk food, Derek knew he was too far gone. He couldn't leave now. Not after knowing Stiles, after holding him in his arms. He couldn't let go. Then Stiles said the word. Mate. He claimed Derek as his. Derek could never walk away. He wouldn't. Then Stiles told Derek that he loved him. Derek's heart stopped. First in pure happiness, then in worry. Worry that he didn't mean it, but he did. Oh, he really did. He saw his mate take on protecting the Pack, caring for them, loving them, unconditionally. The best part was that Stiles didn't give himself up to do it. He grew, but still remained himself. Remained passionate, loyal, sarcastic, and stubborn. Some of those traits frustrated Derek, but he couldn't imagine Stiles any other way.

Then came the group date, and Derek met people who would later become a part of his Pack. Derek didn't really like Jackson back then, the arrogant, rich boy who was used to getting everything he wanted, but he understands now. The teen was just protecting himself, the mask of self confidence, the rich douchebag facade, it was to protect himself from being hurt. Derek worried for Lydia when she started to show her true self. He worried that Jackson would break her heart, that he'd leave the genius because he wanted the shallow, idiot girl. Derek learnt the truth though, he saw the way Jackson would look at Lydia, the love in his eyes, pure love. He watched Jackson let down his walls and show the Pack the real him. The good sides and the bad. Derek watched as Jackson slowly, piece by piece, took off his mask. Became himself, and let himself love the Pack, and accepted the love that they felt for him. Jackson, his beta. The determined, driven, cunning and loyal boy, finally free from the people trying to buy his love. Finally at home with his family, free from disguises.

He wasn't the only one who used to wear a mask, though. Lydia did too. Her mask was the most intricate of all, Jackson's hid almost all of himself, Lydia's only covered parts of her. She showed the fashionable, independant, leader side of herself. She hid the genius, caring, passionate side, with a vain, stupid, uncaring mask. She fooled so many people, even her parents and Jackson, but not Stiles or Allison. They knew. They saw the light inside of her. The humanity that she fought to cover. Derek didn't see it at first, and allowed himself to worry that Stiles still had feelings for the girl. Then came the day after Lydia and Jackson were attacked by Peter. The books, her attitude towards them, Stiles was right. There was more to the girl. So much more. Derek saw her determination to learn how to defend herself. He saw her thirst for knowledge. Her loyalty towards the Pack, even after her ties to them got her injured. Multiple times. He saw her efforts and caution every time someone new joined the Pack. He saw her relief when she finally found out what she was. He saw the worry and self doubt on her face when Chris asked what she was. He saw the guilt in her eyes after she was forced to bring Peter back to life. He saw her worried glances whenever the man was near. He saw that worry ease when the man did nothing. He saw her clutch the necklace that Allison gave her for her birthday. She'd clutch it whenever she was nervous or worried, and just smile.

Allison was a sweetheart from the beginning, she still is, now she's just more prepared to defend herself, and others. Derek watched her grow into that role. She took learning about the supernatural in stride. She had only known about it for a few minutes when she stood up to her father. When she defended them. She chose Pack over family when her own mother threatened to kick her out. She embraced the Pack, and didn't let it change her. She still remained friendly and kind and strong and brave, yet gained a hidden darker side. The side reserved for defending her Pack. And her mates.

Scott. Scott has probably grown the most. From the floppy haired boy who refused to believe what was happening to him. His stubbornness and determination to have a normal life is what made the change so difficult for him in the beginning. The person he became amazes Derek and fills him with pride. This confident, outgoing person. So brave and loyal to Pack. Yet like the others, he didn't lose himself. He kept his morals and was completely against hurting people if it could be avoided but Derek knew that if it came down to it, Scott would defend the Pack with his life.

Soon after the start of the Pack was established, Erica came along. The insecure, epilepsy ridden girl. So scared to live, to trust. Convinced that she'd never find friends who accepted her for who she was. He remembered her nervousness and unsurity at the start of their Pack day out, her worry that was all an act. Then, over time, Derek watched her grow more comfortable and at home with the Pack. He watched her fight alongside the Pack, when she was still human. He saw the guilt in her eyes in Lydia's hospital room, he saw the hope when he told her that he could turn her. He saw her determination when she explained why she wanted to turn. Why she needed to turn. He never regretted turning her. Not for a second. She was so much happier now. Far more confident and daring. During Pack nights, the girl would often babble about all of the things that she wanted to do. All of the places that she wanted to go. And Derek couldn't wait to take her, and the rest of the Pack, there. Watch them do everything they had ever dreamed of doing.

Isaac, the second person Derek turned. The broken, abused boy, with a big heart. He didn't deserve what he'd been through. None of them did. But Isaac... Isaac had literally been tortured. Left in a freezer for days at a time, beaten almost daily, he didn't deserve it, yet he's still suffering from it. He can't handle small spaces. Which is part of the reason why he has the largest space out of all of them, the largest bedroom, bathroom, and second largest walk in wardrobe. Other than the claustrophobia, he had done well to overcome what his father had put him through. He was seeing Morrell for any lingering PTSD, which Derek was grateful for. He didn't want any of his Pack to lock inside their emotions, like he had. He didn't want them suffering. Isaac is probably the most determined person in the Pack. Determined to better himself, to defend his Pack, to move past everything that's happened to him.

Boyd was the one Derek was unsure about turning. Derek wanted Boyd in his Pack, but the boy didn't need to turn. He just needed friendship. A family. Which Derek was more than happy to give him. But the boy had been determined to turn, so Derek did. And he hasn't regretted it at all. Yes, Boyd had a little trouble on the full moon, but he was a great wolf. His speed, his strength, his senses. All of it. Derek watched as Boyd fell in love with Erica, then Cora. He watched the boy come out of his shell, little by little. He was still the quietest of the Pack, but the others took that in their stride, and didn't let him sit out of activities. He watched the boy become at ease with the Pack, relax more, and start to call the Pack his family.

Danny. Derek didn't like Danny at first. Sure, it was mainly jealousy, but still. Then Danny revealed that he knew what they were, worrying Derek slightly, but the hacker soon proved himself trustworthy to the Pack. He proved that he was on the Pack's side. On Derek's side. Since then, the boy had become part of the Pack.

Derek was incredibly happy, thinking he had everything he'd ever need. Then he found Cora. Cora, his sister. He had mourned her, there was a gravestone with her name on it in Beacon Hills Cemetery. Well, there used to be until Derek had it ripped out and recrafted into a lovely birdbath. Cora had been alive, all that time. Living with another Pack. Mourning him. He had missed six years of her life. He missed her growing up into a strong, smart, independent young woman. Their mother and Laura would have been so proud. What he did get to witness, was her falling in love. Joining the Pack, making friends, and kicking the crap out of Peter.

Peter was still a flight risk in Derek's eyes. A killer. A monster. But Derek decided, after consulting his Pack, to give the man another chance. This was his uncle after all. One of his two remaining biological family members. It pained him to look at his sister's killer, but as much as he hated it, he understood the man. The grief at losing everyone he loved. Losing himself. None of them are the same people they were before, not even Cora. Laura hadn't been either. Losing Pack changed them, but he and Cora were given the chance to reinvent themselves back in Beacon Hills, with a new Pack. It was only fair that Peter be given that same chance.

It was the same for the twins. Derek still didn't trust them. He trusted their words, and their promises, but he didn't trust them. Not after what they did to Stiles. Derek kept a close eye on them. He saw Aiden's hesitancy to join in conversations, the guilty looks he sent Stiles. Good, Derek thought, he should feel guilty. He should be kept awake at night by his guilt, but he also deserves a chance to make it right. As did Ethan. Ethan, who was clearly head over heels for Danny. Who Danny clearly had feelings for. Even if the twins did prove themselves, Derek doubted he'd ever truly forgive them for hurting Stiles, but maybe he could learn to accept them. Maybe even trust them.

Just like he came to trust Chris and Victoria. Hunters. Yes, Victoria was a werewolf now, but she had been raised as a hunter. Raised to hate what they are. She even kicked her own daughter out of the house for being in the Pack. Derek remembers that night. He remembers hearing Allison call Stiles, asking to spend the night. He remembers her standing on the doorstep, reluctant to follow Stiles into the house, crying her eyes out, apologising over and over again for 'being an inconvenience'. That was the night he came to truly hate the Argents. Yes, he hated Kate and what she stood for, but he didn't blame the entire family, not completely at least. But that night, seeing the girl so heartbroken and vulnerable, made Derek hate Victoria. He warmed up to Chris though. Chris proved himself to Derek. First when helping them cover up Kate's death, then when he showed up, begging for a second chance to be a good father.

When Victoria turned, Derek was dubious about helping her. She had tried to kill Allison, mistaking her for a werewolf. She told Gerard all about the Pack, and tried to kill them multiple times. However, it seemed that being bitten was the eye opener the woman needed. Turning made Victoria a better mother to Allison, a better wife to Chris and a good friend to Derek, Melissa and Noah. She wasn't quite Pack, her own guilt preventing her completely forming bonds with them, but it was enough to keep her from reaching Omega status, and she was happy.

Melissa, Scott's mum, a nurse. In all honesty, the only reason Derek wanted Scott to tell Melissa about the supernatural was so that the woman could help the Pack out when they were injured. He didn't expect to consider the woman a friend, much less, Pack. The woman was funny, caring and made for good company. Plus, she made Noah happy.

Noah, Stiles' dad. The man had become a father figure to Derek too. Sure, sometimes it was awkward, seeing as the man was also his boss, but Derek didn't care. He was Pack to Derek.

Pack. Derek's Pack. Derek had been convinced he'd never have a Pack again. Never have a real home again. Never fall in love again. Never be loved again. He was sure that he'd never stop blaming himself. Derek was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong.

He can't even fathom life without his new Pack. Yes, he loved and missed family, but he no longer let the mourning take over his life. He allowed himself to live, not just exist.

His Pack made it possible.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"No!"

"It isn't optional, Cora. You're going!"

"But Derek!"

"Don't 'but Derek' me! You don't have a choice, you won't change my mind."

"I am not going."

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

"This isn't an argument, Cora. You're going, and that's that."

"What's going on?" Scott asked Stiles, as he and his mates walked into the house after their date. "What's Derek making her do?"

"Go to school." Stiles chuckled, watching the siblings argue. "Cora's upset 'cause she was homeschooled in South America, but Derek wants her going to lowly public school with the rest of us."

"Oh,"

Isaac laughed, earning him a glare from Cora. "Come on, Cor, it's not that bad."

"Yeah," Allison agreed with a nod and reassuring smile. "Besides, this way you can spend all day with Boyd and Erica. Plus, we get to threaten anyone who says something bad about our Pack."

Cora went to protest, but Derek's firm glare, and the hopeful look from Allison made her change her mind. "Fine." She sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "But if I have so much as one class without another Pack member in it, I'm dropping out."

"Fair enough."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Erica modeled a pair of skintight, distressed, black jeans for Allison, Cora, Lydia and Stiles. The five were picking out outfits for the first day of Junior Year, the next week. Well, Allison, Erica and Lydia were, Cora and Stiles were just roped in. "What d'ya think?"

"I think you might wanna put a shirt on if you plan to wear those in public." Stiles stated, gesturing to the blondes red lacy bra.

"I agree." Cora stated with a slight shrug. "I personally love it, but I'm going to have to fight people to keep them away from you. It'll be be hard enough as it is, so I'm gonna have to vote shirt."

"Hey, at least you've got Boyd to help you fight." Lydia pointed out, searching through a pile of clothes. "Anyway, Erica, yes to the jeans."

"Thank you." Erica smiled, rolling her eyes at Cora and Stiles, beginning her hunt for a top. "Besides, Cor, It's Boyd and I who will have to fight people over you. You're new, gorgeous and just dangerous enough to be the attractive kind of scary."

"It's true." Allison smiled, removing her own shirt. "However, you're starting at the beginning of the year, so you shouldn't attract too much attention."

"You're just happy that you're not the 'new girl' any more." Stiles smirked knowingly.

"Very true. Oh, Cora, try this." Allison all but demanded, tossing a tank top to the girl.

"Why am I even here?" Stiles asked, flopping down onto Cora's bed. "Why aren't I in Jackson's room, with the others?"

"Because, we're going to sort out your hair." Lydia stated with a distasteful look on her face. "The good news is, now that it's longer, you don't look twelve anymore. The bad news is, you need to style it now. So we're going to pick a look for you, then teach you how to do it."

Stiles groaned in annoyance, and the girls simply smirked at him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

A few nights later, it was the full moon. Thankfully, that one went without complications. With everyone in control, Derek decided to take everyone outside, now that the police force knew about the supernatural, Derek was free to have every full moon off of work without question.

The Pack were running around the training clearing, all of the wolves in full shift. Melissa, Chris, Jake, Hayley and Sheila were sitting on a fallen log, in the corner of the clearing, watching and chatting idly. Noah and Richard couldn't be there as they both had to work. Allison, Lydia and Danny were running around with the wolves, seemingly playing tag. Peter was amongst the wolves, but the twins weren't. They had been invited, unfortunately the alpha Pack wanted to discuss their progress with the Pack, and work on their plan.

Danny clearly missed Ethan, but he knew that it was better for the Pack. They need allies against the alpha Pack, who better than insiders?

After a while, an auburn furred wolf broke free of the group, and trotted over to the adults. Chris immediately recognised his wife and smiled. The wolf grew closer, and once she reached the trio she lay down, resting her head in her husband's lap. The man chuckled, and began petting her head.

Hearing a loud laugh, Chris looked up to see his daughter on wolf Isaac's back, her arms wrapped around the wolf's neck as he ran, the wolf Chris recognised as Scott running next to them. Victoria let out a strange bark, that Chris assumed was a laugh. Next to him, Melissa called out for them to be careful. Lydia and Danny seemed to think it looked fun, as they quickly climbed on a wolf each. Lydia went to Jackson, and Danny went to Boyd. A few meters away, Cora playfully tackled Derek, and the siblings started to wrestle.

Suddenly, Victoria sat up and gave Chris a look that could only be described as mischievous. She ran off, and before Chris could react, her head was nudging at his back. "No." The hunter chuckled. "No, Victoria." She didn't quit though, and minutes later, Chris was on the wolf's back, moving at an incredible speed. Not long after, Isaac was running beside them, Allison on his back.

"Race ya!" Allison yelled, and Isaac sped ahead, Victoria immediately sped up to overtake him.

Victoria won the race, though it was a close call. Shortly after, Allison switched to Scott's back, challenging her parents to another race, which Scott won.

"Where are they going?" Chris asked as he and his daughter walked to the tree stump half an hour later. He gestured over his shoulder to the wolves who were trotting off into the woods.

"Hunting." Allison stated casually, internally giggling at the look of shock on her father's face.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Two large tables had been pushed together in the diner. The Pack were devouring the mountain of food, feeling ravenous after the energetic night of running under the full moon. Stiles wouldn't be surprised if the diner staff now hated them, but it was worth it.

"Hey blondie, pass the salt!" Jackson called across the table.

"I'll trade you for the ketchup, Jackass." Erica replied, holding up the salt in offering. Her mother wrinkled her nose.

"Ketchup with breakfast?" She asked, and Erica just shrugged as Jackson spoke.

"Deal."

"Wait, I want ketchup." Danny protested, and Jackson looked torn, not noticing the smile playing on his best friend's lips.

"Your choice Whittemore." Erica smirked, shaking the salt slightly. "How badly do you want the salt?"

"Sorry Danny." Jackson stated, handing the ketchup to Erica, who slid over the salt.

"Y'know, I wouldn't have minded waiting, if Danny used it first." Erica told him honestly, ignoring Jackson's glare in favour of drowning her food in ketchup. Stiles chuckled as Danny mockingly berated Jackson until Erica passed him the bottle. Stiles looked to his dad, Melissa, Chris, Victoria and Peter. The adults were all getting along rather well, despite the glares between Peter and the Argents, though that was expected.

"Hey, dude!" Scott called out, gaining Stiles' attention. "What's for dinner tonight?"

"You haven't even finished this meal, and you're asking about dinner?" Melissa asked incredulously.

"Actually, I'd like to know too." Isaac admitted sheepishly. Jackson was the next to agree, then Erica.

"Well, most of us will be eating the Deer that we caught last night." Stiles stated casually, heart rate even. "Whoever doesn't want that can order pizza."

"You're eating raw deer that's been left outside all night?" Noah asked in a hushed, disgusted voice, causing the wolves to laugh.

"Of course not, we skinned and prepared them when we got in last night, they've been stewing in slow cookers all night." Derek explained, an excited smile on his face. "I haven't had Deer in a long time."

Cora grinned in agreement. "I had some about a year ago, in South America, but the Deer here were always so much better." She licked her lips, then stuffed a forkful of fries into her mouth. "The one Boyd got last night looked pretty good."

"That one had the most meat." Stiles agreed, enjoying the fact that all of the wolves were hanging on their every word, all over deer. "Took the longest to prepare, but something tells me that it'll be worth it."

"Will you be joining us for dinner tonight, Victoria?" Derek asked politely, and the woman readily agreed.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"I love Deer."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Hand to hand was Jackson's favourite way to fight. It just felt right to him. Fair. Anything that included distance or long ranged weapons felt wrong to Jackson. Fighting is personal. Up close.

That's why he was very pissed off when he was shot in the arm with a wolfsbane laced arrow. Then in the back. Then twice again in the arm. The hunter who had shot him was at least half a kilometer away. Jackson did his best to avoid the incoming arrows, but he was continuously nicked and cut. With each shot the hunter stepped closer to Jackson. With each shot, Jackson found himself growing weaker. The hunter was less than a meter away, aiming an arrow at Jackson. The wolf fell to his knees, eyes glowing amber. He glared up at the hunter defiantly, then let out the loudest howl that he could muster. He held it as long as he could, before a foot smashed down on his nose.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Blue eyes. Jackson now had blue eyes. The wolf curled up against Lydia, his mate, his everything, finding comfort in her embrace.

He didn't have a choice. The hunter was one of Gerard's men, he had escaped from prison mere hours before attacking Jackson. He took Jackson to one of Argents old warehouses. It didn't take long for the Pack to find him, unfortunately, the hunter had planned ahead. He wasn't working alone. The second his Pack stepped foot in the building, they were swarmed by hunters. They had defended themselves, and freed Jackson, but the hunters weren't giving up. They attacked, again and again. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything froze.

Jackson was face to face with the hunter that had attacked him. The hunter in question had Lydia captive. His gun pressed to the back of her skull, if anyone made a move, he could pull the trigger. He could kill Lydia. The Hunter turned with Lydia still in his grasp so that he was facing Derek. He began to threaten and insult the Alpha, but Jackson couldn't focus on that. All he could hear was his Mate's heart racing in fear. All he could see was the gun being held against her head.

No.

Not her.

Not Lydia.

Jackson's vision turned red, but he held himself back. Until Derek lengthened his claws. Seeing the look on his alpha's face, Jackson knew. They couldn't get Lydia back. Not without killing the hunter. Derek planned to do it. To keep his beta's from having to carry that burden, but Jackson couldn't just stand back and let someone threaten his mate. He couldn't. So he launched himself forwards at the hunters back. He didn't hesitate to grab the hunters wrist, and as the man's finger began to press down on the trigger, Jackson slashed his other hand over the man's throat. Jackson ripped the gun from his hand and tossed the body away from Lydia. Things around him were seemingly frozen as he embraced Lydia and breathed in her scent, until the body hit the ground with a thud.

After that, there was another fight, a couple more hunters died, but not by Jackson's hands. Derek and Chris killed the others. The remainder agreed to abide by the treaty, mainly because they only just found out that it existed.

Apparently Gerard neglected to tell them about it. Now that they know, they agreed to abide by it. Obviously, they weren't going to stop hunting, but Jackson was surprisingly unfazed by that. He felt bad for people like him out there that were being killed and tortured, but he was glad that it wasn't any of his Pack.

He knew that it was cruel and selfish, that those people had their whole lives ahead of them, but that's just the way it was.

He couldn't stand the thought of losing his Pack. His family. It would destroy him. Jackson clenched his eyes shut, trying to force back the tears that were forming.

"Hey." Lydia's tired, but comforting, voice spoke up and her hand started running through his soft, unstyled hair. "It's okay, Jacks. I'm here. You're okay. We're okay."

"I'm a killer, Lydia." Jackson all but sobbed, and looked up at Lydia, with glowing blue eyes. Lydia was looking at him with tear filled eyes. "He'd never killed anybody Lyd. I killed him without hesitating! I'm a monster. Scott hates me." Jackson tried to hide his face again, but Lydia stopped him. She grabbed his face and forced him to sit up and look at her. When they were sat, facing each other, Lydia spoke.

"You are not a monster, Jackson." Lydia stated firmly, she still had tears rolling down her face, but she also looked a little angry. "You had to do it, Jackson. I would have died if you hadn't. Scott was just feeling overly moral. He'll think it over, realise he was wrong, and apologise tomorrow. The fact that you feel guilty, just proves that you are still you! And maybe the hunter hadn't killed anybody yet, but he was about to kill me, Jackson. Would you rather have yellow eyes and a dead mate, or blue eyes, and me alive, spending my entire life with you, getting married, starting a family."

"I'll always pick you." Jackson stated as more tears fell. "I want to spend my life with you. I want to marry you, have children with you, grow old with you. But that doesn't change what I am."

"What you are, is a werewolf, and my mate." Lydia said calmly, her hands were still holding his face and she pulled him closer. "Scott will get over himself and things will be normal again. You and I will continue going strong. We'll face whatever comes our way, we'll graduate, go to college, get married, maybe build our own house on the property, have children-" She stopped suddenly and shook her head. "We'll have half werewolf, half banshee babies." Lydia commented with a chuckle.

"The tantrums will be fun." Jackson stated sarcastically, leaning forward and pressing his forehead to Lydia's. "But we'll handle it."

"Yes we will." She smiled. "Together."

When they went downstairs for breakfast the next morning, Derek immediately wrapped his arms around Jackson in a comforting hug. "I never wanted any of you to carry that burden." He muttered in the beta's ear, breathing in the boy's scent.

"I saw that you were going to do it." Jackson admitted softly, just loud enough for the humans to hear. "I knew you would have, but Lydia is my mate, mine to protect. I didn't want to, but I knew that I had to."

"I know." Derek assured, "You did the right thing."

"You did." Scott agreed, before hugging Jackson from behind. "I'm sorry I was a dick last night." The night before, Scott wouldn't look at Jackson, or talk to him, but the anger was clear in his scent. Thankfully, the next day, the scent was completely gone. "I was being horrible, and probably just made you feel worse. Honestly, if he had been threatening Allison or Isaac, I would have done the same thing." Jackson nodded, glad that his Pack mate didn't hate him.

"Thank you, Scott."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Tattoo's. Of course it had to be tattoo's. Stiles bit back a groan at the thought. He hated needles, but he did want one. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be just needles for the wolves, Derek told them that it would heal, so they needed to do something else to make it permanent. They had to burn it onto themselves. With flamethrowers! Fun.

Although, Scott had it the worst, as he had opted to get two tattoos. A pair of bands wrapped around his left bicep and a triskele on his back, in the same place as Derek's. The adults of the Pack hadn't gotten any, but all of the teenagers did, even the humans. All triskele's, to represent their Pack. Some had gotten it in the same place as Derek, but not all of them. Erica, for example, had gotten hers on her left wrist, as had Lydia and Cora. Allison got hers on the back of her neck, Danny got his on his right shoulder blade. Stiles got his tattoo on his right wrist, yes, wrist tattoos were very painful, but he wanted it in a place that everyone could see. He wanted to show off his Pack's symbol.

"Pin him down." Derek ordered Boyd and Jackson, sending Stiles an apologetic look. "This'll hurt." He warned his mate. Stiles was the first to undergo flamethrower treatment, as he had volunteered, wanting to get it over and done with. Stiles grimaced as Derek lit the tool and carefully approached him.

Fuck.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Junior year, first day. Erica wasn't nervous at all this time. Derek's little pep talk/speech was pretty much the same as the last time, just varied slightly for the newer members of the Pack. A lot of freshmen were staring at the group. To be fair to their fellow students, the Pack did look like they were a part of a gang or something.

They were all wearing leather jackets, most black, but Allison's was brown and Erica's was red. Allison had her hair tied up, making her tattoo visible. Cora and Erica had their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, showing off their tattoos as well. There were whispers from their classmates, some about the tattoo's, some about Cora and some about the Pack in general. Erica's favourite rumour being spread was that they were mafia, getting weapons and things from Chris and being protected by the sheriff. That everything with Kate and Peter was all a part of mafia warfare, the Pack had wanted to take over, but the others didn't want that, so they divided and were now rivals.

Some people had also heard about the renovations in the hospital and believe that the Pack bought it for private medical emergencies, and that they had a private doctor, one who can cure asthma and epilepsy. Erica personally found it hilarious. Hearing rumors about herself and not being self conscious about them was new for her, but she really did not care about what random people thought about her anymore. Sure, if they said anything really nasty and defaming about her, she'd threaten them on principle, but it didn't keep her up at night anymore.

"-And no alcohol, it won't help." Derek ordered half heartedly. "Got it?"

"Yes alpha." Was chorused, drawing more looks from the people walking past.

"And no stealing my Reeses!" Stiles added with a half hearted glare, causing the Pack to chuckle. "I'm serious, okay?"

"Okay mum." Was called, without a single hint of sarcasm, a freshman walking by stopped suddenly and did a double take at Stiles.

Stiles glared at the boy and called out "Yeah they call me mum. Problem?!" Derek chuckled as the kid shook his head rapidly and scurried away.

"Alright, don't kill anyone and try to have fun." Derek smiled, then stole a kiss from Stiles before the Pack made their way into the school, calling goodbyes over their shoulders.

Their first class was English, one of the classes that the entire Pack had together, the poor teacher was screwed.

On the way to class, they passed the principal's offices and noticed the former principal in there. "Better than Gerard." Lydia commented and the others nodded in agreement. The man in question was discussing the applications for the new 'Career Adviser' with Victoria and saying that whatever happened to the library while he was gone needed to be fixed. He was searching through the desk when he suddenly held up a long sword and demanded to know: "What the hell is this!?" Victoria's eyes widened and she glanced over to the Pack and gestured for the Pack to walk away. Which they did, not staying to hear the excuse she would give.

The Pack made steady conversation on their way to class, only to stop suddenly when they walked in the room.

In the front row, sat next to each other, grinning at the Pack, were the twins.

"What are you doing here?" Stiles demanded in a hushed voice, taking the desk next to Aiden whilst glancing around at the other students who were filling the room.

"Deucalion made us." Ethan stated quietly, sending Danny a soft smile.

"He thinks it'll help us gain your trust." Aiden continued, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Don't worry, we won't do anything."

"We were sent here to monitor you, that's all."

Stiles frowned at them for a second, before sighing. "Alright, it makes sense, I guess. But you should have told us. Even if it was just texting Danny 'I'm gonna be going to school with you this year, smiley face, two kisses' Alright? This alliance isn't going to work if you keep things from us."

"We know, we're sorry." Aiden nodded seriously. "It won't happen again."

The Pack took their seats and waited for the teacher to arrive. It wasn't long until every phone in the class went off. The text was a passage from 'Heart of Darkness', sent by their new English teacher, Jennifer Blake. Things were going fine, at least at first.

Before the end of class, a flock of birds attacks the classroom. At first it was just a single bird flying into the window, dying on impact and startling the class. Then another one met the same fate. Soon, hundreds of birds were colliding with the glass, applying too much force for it to withstand. It wasn't long before Stiles noticed cracks appearing. "Everybody get down!" He yelled, just as the window shattered.

Glass rained over everybody as the birds filled the room. All of the wolves, the twins included, used themselves as shields over as many humans as they could. Their efforts caused them several cuts and scratches, but nothing too serious. After a few minutes, everything went still. After a moment's hesitation, everyone cautiously stood and looked around at the damage.

Black feathers, and bird blood and corpses splattered the room. Desks had been pushed over or out of place. Paper was skewed and shredded everywhere. Some people, mainly the wolves, had torn clothing. Thankfully though, no one was seriously hurt, but most people, the teacher included, were freaking out. Stiles tried to comfort the woman, but couldn't quite focus for two reasons. One, he wondered what caused the birds to act like that. Two, the woman didn't smell right. Her chemosignals were telling him a different story to the way she was acting, and her scent in general wasn't quite… right. She smelt human, but with something else thrown in. Something familiar, but he couldn't place it.

He shook his head slightly as the principal burst into the room, looking around in shock. It wasn't long before his father and his mate arrived to investigate, and the class was sent to their next lesson, being called out one by one to see Morrell.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Close the door and take a seat Stiles." Morrell ordered as the lanky boy walked into her office. Stiles gave her a 'seriously?' look, but did it anyway. "What can you tell me about the incident?"

Stiles immediately nodded and launched into detail about what he'd learnt so far. "Well, first of all, this isn't the first strange incident involving animal behaviour this month. A few days ago, we were all driving home from getting tattoos. Lydia, Allison and Danny were in Lydia's car, Scott, Erica, Cora and I were in my Jeep, and Derek, Jackson, Boyd and Isaac were in Derek's car. We'd just stopped at a red light, and as we moved forward again, Erica and Scott started an argument over who, out of the two of them, had the hottest mates. The argument turned into a full on fight. Scott, who was in the passenger seat, was being hit repeatedly by Erica, who was in the seat behind me, with the heel of her six inch stiletto. So I did the responsible thing and stopped the car. Derek stops behind us. Lydia continued driving for a few seconds before realising we'd stopped. They were a little bit further up the road from us, and so distracted by looking back at us that they didn't notice the deer running up to them until it smashed the windshield!"

Morrell looked intrigued for a second, before she returned to her stoic state. "And have you researched it? Found out if it's common?"

"Yeah, I looked it up this morning."Stiles nodded, neglecting to mention the fact that he had mainly been researching it as a final, half assed, attempt to get out of school. "It's definitely not common. Yes, there have been a few Deer related car accidents in the area over the past few years, but nothing like this. They're all side of the road, or Deer running into the road incidents. Not one of them has the Deer running down the middle of the road towards the car."

"What else have you learnt?"

"The-uh, th-the birds." Stiles started, pulling his laptop out of his bag and opening it. "My dad said it seemed familiar, so he looked through his old cases- hang on." He paused as he found what he was after. "Here." He turned the screen towards Morrell. "Six years ago there was an incident involving birds at the hospital. This woman, sh-she was found in the woods, her face sliced. They took her into surgery and tried to save her. During the treatment a couple hundred birds flew into the window or the room. I-it's like they were-"

"Sacrificing themselves for her." Morrell finished knowingly. "This woman, what was her name?"

"Uh-, Julia B-"

"Julia Baccari."

"Yeah."

"She was a druid, Alpha Kali's emissary." The woman stated, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Is there anything else?"

Stiles nodded, and told her his bad feeling about Jennifer Blake. Once that was done, he finally got to talk about himself, finally let out all of the dark thoughts that had crept into his head.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

That night, the twins joined the Pack for training. They had discussed theories about what, or who, caused the incident earlier that day. However, they all drew blanks, so they got on with training, with Danny typing away on his laptop in a corner.

Unfortunately, the Pack 'forgot' to inform the twins of the wards that prevented the finding them with malicious intent, or leading the alpha Pack there. It's not that they distrusted or were suspicious of the twins, it was that they knew that, if forced to make the decision, the brothers would choose each other over the Pack. Which the Pack completely understood, as they'd all do the same. So, the Pack kept their passages and escape routes secret, and the twins did the same. No questions asked, no lies told.

The twins were good battle opponents for the Pack, showing the new strategy and defense methods they hadn't witnessed or learnt of. The Pack did the same for them. Both sides silently hoped to never have to seriously fight one another.

As Well as being worthy opponents, they made excellent teammates. Not only in their joined form, but individually, on opposing teams. When they were separated, they actually prefered to be on opposing sides. Derek noticed that they primarily fought each other. Derek supposed that it was for one of three reasons: 1) They could make sure the other didn't get seriously hurt, 2) They liked to fight and challenge each other for fun, or 3) It was a way to get rid of any tension or disagreements between them. Derek could understand number three. He and Laura did that a lot in New York. Derek had no doubt in his mind that he and Cora would too, someday.

After a few hours of training, Derek called an end to the session and announced that the wolves were now permitted to fully shift, which made the twins take on confused expressions.

Their confusion and surprise only grew when the wolves of the Pack started stripping right in front them. They then knew how others felt when they strip off to merge. Ethan gasped and Aiden's eyes shot wide as one by one, the Hale Pack started shifting into real wolves. Soon all the werewolves, except Derek and the twins, had shifted and the Hale Pack alpha smirked at the twins.

"Do you want to learn how to do this?" He asked and the brothers nodded quickly.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"They're hiding something!" Kali sneered at Deucalion, who was looking bored with the conversation. "We can't trust them!"

"I agree with Kali," Ennis informed the blind alpha. "Something is going on, and I don't think we can count on them anymore."

"You're right, we can't trust them. We can, however, still use them..." Deucalion stated in a calm voice that irked the other two alphas, then turned towards Kali and all-but growled. "To clean up your mess."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

A few nights later, Derek and the teenaged members of his Pack attended a house party, to celebrate Heather's birthday. A fair amount of people were already there when the Pack arrived, most of them from Heather's school, but there were a few familiar faces from BHHS. Such as Danielle, who was Heather's best friend. The pair were chatting animatedly, until Heather noticed the new arrivals. "Stiles!" She greeted cheerfully, bounding over and hugging the boy.

"Hey! There's the birthday girl!" He beamed, as she approached and embraced her in a bear hug.

"I'm so glad that you could make it!"

"Of course." Stiles grinned as they pulled away, then gestured to his boyfriend. "You remember Derek, right?"

"Of course, it's good to see you again, thank you for coming." She babbled and held out her hand. Derek shook it, sending the girl a soft smile and a small nod. Stiles then went on to introduce the rest of his Pack.

Once the introductions were done, Heather politely asked if Stiles could help her pick out a bottle of wine, and he had agreed. Once they were in the cellar, with the door firmly shut behind them, Heather spoke up.

"I need to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Well, as you know, I just turned seventeen today." She began nervously, staring at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "And, the thing I want more than anything, to be blunt, is to not be a virgin anymore."

Stiles' face jumped to an expression of surprise. "Oh."

"Yeah, and I was originally going to ask you to do it with me, but, obviously, you're in a relationship. So now I'm asking, as a friend, if you could help me find someone. All the guys at my school would call me a slut and tell everyone. I also don't want to go out and do some random guy who won't bother trying to make sure that it's as pleasant for me as possible. So, I decided to ask you to help me find someone who will be patient, understanding and won't make me feel uncomfortable. You're a great judge of character, so.."

"Yeah, I'll look. Do you mind if I tell Derek, though?" Stiles asked hopefully. "I don't want him to see me talking to cute guys and get the wrong idea."

"Yeah, of course, I don't want to cause any trouble for the two of you." Heather assured quickly, then paused thoughtfully before adding. "You can also tell Danny, if you'd like. He's got to know a few nice guys who are bi or straight."

Stiles chuckled and nodded. "Probably." He agreed as Heather turned and pulled a bottle of wine off of the shelf.

"Here, could you take this upstairs for me? I'll be up in a minute." Heather asked, holding out the bottle, which Stiles took from her.

"Sure, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's just that my feet are killing me." Heather assured the wolf honestly. "I just want to take a moment to get out of these killer heels." The blonde giggled, causing Stiles to smile at her.

"Do you want me to wait down here with you?" He asked, but the girl shook her head.

"No, go dance with your boyfriend and deliver the wine, I won't be long."

"Alright," Stiles smiled, taking a step backwards towards the stairs. "I'll see you in a minute."

"See you in a minute." Heather replied with a smile. She waited until Stiles had gone upstairs to kick her shoes off. She sunk to the floor and inspected the newly formed blisters. She groaned in slight pain, as she accidently pressed down on one of them. "This is why I don't wear heels." She groaned to herself, massaging her foot, not that it helped.

The girl froze when she heard a noise, then began looking around the room. "Hello?" She called out nervously. "Who's there?" She rose to her feet and backed towards the nearest wall. Suddenly, a bottle of wine shot off of the shelf, smashing to shards right by her feet. Heather shrieked in fear, taking a step backwards. Another bottle flew out and smashed, so Heather took another step back. Then it happened again, and again, and again.

Soon enough, Heather was standing below a window, her back pressed to the wall, and she had shards of glass stuck in her feet. Her heart was racing at a mile a minute. The window above her smashed and Heather felt something wrap around her neck, cutting off her air supply.

Heather struggled to break free, to breath, then she was hit over the head. She felt her world going dark, and right before she blacked out, she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Two nights later, Stiles collapsed in exhaustion on Lydia's bedroom floor.

"Are you okay?" Lydia asked, a hint of amusement seeping into her voice as she flopped onto her bed.

"Yeah, just tired." Stiles sighed, allowing his eyes to rest for a moment. "How about you, though? You're the one who found that guy." He pointed out, forcing himself to sit up, so that he could properly look at the redhead.

"I'm okay." She smiled slightly. "I didn't fight the pull this time." She admitted, a pleased smile on her face. "I let the voices guide me, and I got there in time. I saw that… thing. It was strangling him, and it was about to slit his throat." The girl shuddered at the memory before her smile returned. "But then I shot it, and it ran off, I saved him. If I had arrived just a few minutes later, it'd be too late." She looked Stiles in the eyes, unable to contain her smile. "I didn't fight it, and I got there in time. I helped save his life!" Stiles grinned back at the girl, feeling his heart warming at the look of pure happiness on her face. "And it feels… so good."

"Yeah, it does." Stiles grinned, wrapping the girl in a hug. They weren't sure how long they stayed like that, but they broke apart when Jackson jumped in through the window. The pair greeted the beta, who smiled at them.

"He's stabilized." Was the first thing he said, walking over and greeting Lydia with a kiss. "You did good tonight."

"Well." Stiles corrected without thinking, causing Jackson to look at him in slight annoyance and confusion.

"Well… What?"

"It's 'did well' not good." Stiles pointed out, earning him a giggle from Lydia and a glare from Jackson. "I'm gonna go." He stated after an awkward pause, gesturing towards the window. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." He waved goodbye, then jumped out of the window.

He landed in an easy crouch, right in front of Mrs Martin. The woman in question shrieked and jumped backwards, her heart racing in fright. "Stiles!" She gasped with a glare. "First Jackson, now you?"

"Sorry Mrs. Martin." Stiles apologised sheepishly, standing up straight.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Natalie." The woman insisted kindly.

"Alright Mrs- Natalie." Stiles smiled at the woman, then noticed the shopping bags in the woman's hands. "Oh, do you need help carrying anything?"

"That would be great thanks, there are more bags in the car." He helped the woman with the bags before leaving the property, and making his way to the sheriff's station.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay, so the girl and the lifeguard. Both strangled, hit over the head and almost had their throats slit. What's the connection?" Sheriff Stilinski thought aloud in the station, as he pinned their pictures to the investigation board. There was a moment of silence as everyone thought, some people typing away.

"They're different genders, ages, go to different schools, and live in different areas of the town. It seems random, but the cause of death is too precise. Too personal. The actions are close contact, meaning the killer wanted them to suffer. That's too personal to be random." Derek stated, a thoughtful and confused expression on his face. He was leaning against his desk, as Stiles occupied the chair, scribbling furiously in a notepad.

Theories were bounced around, some people would say what they were doing, search wise, while typing on their computers. This went on for a few minutes, but so far nothing had come up.

Suddenly, Stiles' head shot up and he all but yelled. "I've got it!" Around him, all conversation stopped, and all eyes shot to him. "They're both virgins!" He scrambled to his feet, sending the chair rolling backwards as he rushed to the board. "The lifeguard, uh, Kieran, h-he had a purity ring on! And I know that Heather's a virgin! She told me herself, but you can't tell her that I told you that. Anyway, it all makes sense now!"

Stiles was grinning wildly, but everybody else looked confused. "How exactly does it all make sense?" Tara asked curiously, leaning forward slightly.

"They were supposed to be sacrifices! The method the, uh, th-the thing tried to use, had they succeeded, would have been a threefold death. I read about it a while ago!" Stiles babbled as the employee's in the station hung on his every word, or the ones that they could make out at least. "But this sort of thing would require experience, deep, deep knowledge of magic and things. Li-like a-a-a-a,-"

"A druid." Derek stated knowingly and Stiles nodded.

"Yeah, you totally just stole my thunder, but yes. Kinda." Stiles stated turning back to the board, pointing to the question mark "This person started off as a druid, but now with the sacrifices and general badness, they've gone dark. Deaton told me that 'Druid' in Gaelic means 'Wise Oak' and Morrell told me today that a-a druid gone dark, is known as 'dark oak' and the Gaelic have a word for that as well…" He stated and picked up the board pen and wrote: "D-A-R-A-C-H-" He then underlined the word and turned to face the group of people, hanging on his every word. "Darach."

"Okay, that's all great," Deputy Posey spoke up gesturing to the board. "But how do we find this Darach thingy? I mean, they're human right? So how are we supposed to pick them out of a crowd."

"I actually have a theory about who it could be." He stated. "Six years ago this woman, Julia Baccari, was the emissary for Alpha Kali's Pack. When Deucalion came along, Kali chose to kill her entire Pack, including her Emissary. Rumour has it, though, that Kali and Julia were very close. Deaton, Morrell and I have theorised, via text, that perhaps Kali couldn't bring herself to deliver that final blow. Instead, she left her for dead. Julia, probably using magic, was able to stay alive long enough for help to get there." Stiles stated then gestured wildly towards his father. "The sheriff, then deputy, was the first one on scene."

"I was the one to find her, actually." Noah corrected, a hard to read expression on his face. "I was searching through the woods, looking for any clues in the Hale case, when I heard this… cry, kind of. It was strange, garbled. So I followed where it came from and I found her. She was leant against this huge tree stump. Her face was bloodied and cut us, part of her mouth was missing too. She barely even looked human. I called for an ambulance and back-up, and the woman, Julia was taken into surgery. It was during that surgery that things got strange." He stated, ignoring a deputy's remark of 'the chopped up face wasn't strange?' and continued. "Julia was dying, the doctors couldn't get her stabalised. Then suddenly, birds started flying into the windows, the more birds that flew into the window, the better Julia got. It makes sense now They were sacrificing themselves for her."

"So, the birds at the school, those were sacrifices too?" Deputy Deeks asked, as he wrote in a notebook.

"Yeah."

"So who was in the classroom?" The deputy asked thoughtfully, and Stiles picked up on what the man was thinking.

"The teenaged members of the Hale Pack, the twins, a dozen students and the teacher." Noah stated, purposely say 'the twins' rather than 'the alpha twins'. The staff obviously knew all about the twins, but the other Alpha's might be listening. And they needed the Alpha's convinced that the twins were actually undercover as omega's with the Pack.

"So, it could be a warning to the Pack and/or the twins, or the darach was in the room." Deputy Deeks suggested and Stiles nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense." Stiles stated. "Julia is probably powerful enough to glamour herself. We should do background checks on everyone in that room. I'd focus on anyone who came to town in the past six years, mainly caucasian females, but not exclusively. She could have made herself appear any age, gender, colour, anything."

Noah nodded in agreement and added, "Also, look for any similarities in their lives. Anything, birthdays, parents names, mother's maiden name-"

"Initials?" Derek cut in suddenly, and Noah nodded, so he asked. "Stiles, what did you say your english teacher's name was?"

Stiles' eyes widened in realisation. "Jennifer Blake. I knew there was something off about her."

"Alright, get me everything we got on Jennifer Blake!" Noah Stilinski ordered and all of his employer scurried to work. Stiles also moved to set up his laptop, but his dad pulled him back using the collar of his shirt. "Not you!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Cora was sitting in maths class, bored out of her mind. Why couldn't Derek let her be homeschooled? Maths was her least favourite class for multiple reasons. 1) She really didn't understand it. 2) Neither of her mates were there with her, and 3) The teacher was a bitch. Sure, Cora had a habit of provoking the woman, and annoying her class, except for Lydia. Lydia was the only other member of the Hale Pack in that class. It was an advanced class, Allison, Danny and Stiles were also taking advanced Maths but in a different classroom and with a different teacher. Cora wasn't really suited for the advanced class and was only in there because she refused to be in a class without a Pack member, and all of the other classes were full. So Derek had pulled some strings to get her in there.

Cora wasn't exactly pleased about that, but she dealt with it. She glanced over to the teacher, who was writing on the board and babbling on about something, then to Lydia, who was rapidly scribbling down her notes.

Thank goodness for Lydia's notes. Cora didn't want to think about how many classes she'd be failing if it wasn't for Lydia and her notes.

Cora smiled slightly, then glanced to the clock on the wall. The girl bit back a groan when she noticed that she still had over half an hour of lesson left, she gritted her teeth and tried to distract herself. Cora casually started drumming her pencil against the desk, she could sense the annoyance of the teacher and several of her classmates at the action, but she carried on anyway.

"Miss Hale." The teacher snapped after almost five minutes, glaring at the girl.

"Yeah?"

"It's your turn to solve the equation on the board." The woman smirked, Cora wasn't the best at maths, but even she could tell that it was an advanced problem. Something that they hadn't even begun to cover yet.

Cora didn't allow her nerves to show, however. She simply sent Lydia a look that the girl would understand as a request for help.

"Don't worry." Lydia whispered at a tone so low that Cora barely heard her. "I'll talk you through it." With Lydia's guidance, Cora was done in less than two minutes. The brunette set down the chalk, clapped the dust off of her hands, and smirked at the seething teacher, then strutted back to her seat.

Cora sent a grateful look, and a playful wink to Lydia, who was trying to hide her smile and amused expression.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, you cheated?" Derek glared at his sister, once the girl had shamelessly recounted the events to him.

"I prefer to think of it as teamwork." Cora smiled, which just caused Derek's glare to intensify. "After, all, isn't that what Pack is all about?"

"Cora!" Derek growled, but before he could say anything else, Allison poked her head into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," The Huntress blatantly lied "but Cora, it's time for studying." Cora grinned at the huntress and quickly left the room.

Group study sessions were a new thing for the Pack. At the end of the previous school year, according to Stiles, they had avoided them, thinking that it'd be pointless as everyone would get distracted. They were all proven wrong when a Pack night turned into a rapid study fest for an english surprise quiz the next day.

They had found out about it when Danny had found a file in Jennifer/Julia's cloud storage, containing questions about the book they were reading for class. It turned out to be their most productive study session up until that point.

They should have guessed it would work out like that. Lydia, Stiles, Allison, Erica and Danny were usually the tutors, but they all had trouble keeping some members of the Pack focused.

For example, Allison was the go-to girl for French, but she had a difficult time getting Erica, Jackson and Stiles to focus. Boyd, Danny and Scott were able to help keep them focused, and Isaac made sure Scott was still paying attention. Lydia made notes and little prompt/reference guides for extra support, and Stiles provided snacks.

All in all, it was so much easier studying together.

That night, they were working on economics homework, which all but Jackson found boring, but they managed to get though it thanks to each other and by remembering Coach's antics. Cora thought Coach was hilarious, she didn't quite believe the Pack's definition of the man before meeting him. She honestly couldn't believe that someone could be like that, but she was proven wrong.

Her first economics lesson was actually the only class she had enjoyed on her first day, meeting Coach wasn't even a funny situation, but had that been the only thing that happened in the lesson, she would have given him the 'best teacher' crown anyway.

She had just sat down when Coach had noticed her. The man squinted at her a few times, then loudly asked. "Who are you?"

"Cora Hale, I'm new" She explained and Coach rolled his eyes.

"Obviously." Then he frowned. "Hale? Like Stilinski's boyfriend?" He asked whilst sending a curious glance to said male, who nodded slightly.

"Yeah, Derek is my older brother." Cora confirmed with a nod. Coach smiled for a second before his eyes widened slightly and his face dropped. Then, a sympathetic look took over his face and he walked over to Cora's desk and crouched down, drawing curious looks from other students walking in.

"You're the Cora Hale." He said softly. "I was under the impression that you had passed away."

"Everyone did, and I thought Derek had. I've been staying with family friends in South America for the past six years." She explained carefully, but Coach just looked sad for her, not pitying. "It was only about a month ago that Derek and I found each other again."

Coach smiled sympathetically at her, "Well, welcome home." He smiled brightly this time. "I know it was a while ago, but it's a big thing, so if you ever need anyone to talk to, you can come to me." He assured kindly. "Or, if you're not comfortable talking to me, I can make sure you can talk to the guidance counselor, just say the word."

"Thank you, Coach." Cora stated genuinely, and Coach gave her one last smile, before standing and turning to face the rest of the class.

"Alright, you morons, sit down, summers over!" He then went on to start the lesson, occasionally cracking jokes and yelling at the class, mainly the athletes. Some guy called 'Greenberg' getting the most of it.

So, yes, Coach was definitely her favourite teacher. Mr Harris was her least favourite, without a doubt. Even beating out Miss Blake, who was in fact an evil druid who went around sacrificing people, or trying to, at least. Anyway, Harris was still her most hated teacher. Everytime he opened his mouth, Cora had the overwhelming urge to punch him, especially when he spoke to one of her Pack mates. Especially Stiles. She also got a bad vibe from him. Not just the regular 'you're-a-douchebag' vibes, either, but full on 'you-seem-like-an-evil-megalomanic-who-might-hurt-my-Pack' vibes. Therefore, she really didn't like Mr. Harris. At all.

Cora was drawn out of her musings by Erica kissing her cheek, bringing her back to reality. "Focus, Cor." She whispered softly with a small smile, which Cora returned before giving her attention to Lydia, who was explaining the economics homework to them.

Two hours later, they were done and preparing to go train. This time, however, they weren't going to the clearing. Instead, they would be using their private training room in the second basement.

Partially because they could do anything without being seen, but also because there was a storm outside, and they'd rather not risk the human members of the Pack falling ill because of training.

They had a lot of equipment, and it was a large room, with air conditioning and padding. They also had a changing room with showers next to it, which they all planned to use, to save having to go all the way through the house to get clean after training.

They were very rarely down there, except for the occasional night in the games room, so they mostly only had the air conditioning, fridges and freezers on, to keep everything the right temperature and to keep it from getting too dusty. Almost weekly someone would go down, either for extra cooking when the Pack was having an especially big meal, to run the taps and showers to keep them from clogging up, or when all of the upstairs washing machines were full, but they almost never went down all at once. So this was a nice change for them.

They all started their warm ups and stretches, waiting for Derek to tell them what to do. Even Danny was joining in this session. He refused to fight, being strongly against violence, but he would stay in shape and train with defensive tools and learn evasive maneuvers. For his own safety and to keep the Pack at ease.

"Danny, what distance equals to five laps around the clearing?" Derek called out as he powered up the treadmills.

"Roughly… One point three miles."

"Okay, everyone, you heard him. One point three miles on the treadmills, let's go." He ordered, claiming a treadmill for himself. Everyone moved to the treadmills without complaint, and started the run, some started at high speeds, and set it to uphill. Derek didn't say anything about those who started off at low speeds, they all knew their limits and what worked well for them, and he also knew that they wouldn't slack off. They all knew the importance of staying in shape, especially given what's going on in town.

One by one, the Pack stepped off the treadmills and flittered around the room engaging in other training activities, awaiting their next orders from Derek.

They all used the various machinery while taking turns sparring with Derek, who didn't hold back. He hated to use his full strength on the people he loved, but he needed to prepare them for the Alpha Pack. If he could, he'd take on the Alpha's himself and keep his Pack as far away from them as possible, but he knew that it wasn't completely up to him, the Alpha Pack would happily attack his Pack. Even if they didn't, his Pack would never let him face them alone. They were just as stubborn, overprotective and prone to self-sacrifice as Derek himself. He hated that about his Pack, yet he wouldn't have them any other way.

After a few hours of sparring and working out, the Pack decided to call it a night and hit the showers. By the time everyone was clean and refreshed, it had reached 8 o'clock. Stiles didn't feel like cooking that night, nor did any of the others, so they opted to order Pizza. There were of course jokes about how they probably should have eaten before working out if they were going to eat such an unhealthy meal, but nobody could bring themselves to really care.

They decided to watch a movie and as it was Derek's turn to choose, they ended up watching a comedy. Most of the Pack was surprised to discover that comedies were Derek's favourite kind of movie, though they really shouldn't have been. With the amount of pain and darkness Derek had endured, it was understandable that when it came to an escape from reality he often chose something funny and light-hearted. Although, he did still enjoy the sci-fi and fantasy movies his Pack often gravitated towards. Sports movies were enjoyable for him too, as were romance movies, and even the occasional documentary. He wasn't so keen on horror movies or thrillers, especially given the recent occasions where his Mate has been tortured, but he could stomach them to make his Pack happy. Plus, Stiles always cuddled him during those movies which helped him remind himself that it wasn't real, that his Mate was safe and sound in his arms. Stiles meant the world to Derek, and he would do anything to keep him safe and happy.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

A month later, Derek finally met Jennifer officially. He managed to remain civil and act like he didn't know who and what she really was. It was especially hard given that she had eventually managed to kill three virgins and abduct three warriors, one of whom had been found dead. Mr Harris had been abducted, he was the only one Derek didn't lose sleep over.

He had gone to the school to pick up his Pack on a friday. The twins warned them that the alpha's were gearing up for an attack, so he had gone to the school so that he could make sure they all got to the clearing okay. It wasn't unusual for him to meet them after school, so it wouldn't raise any flags. Unfortunately, as Derek was waiting Jennifer/Julia came to the car park, apparently to get something from her car.

When she noticed him, she smiled flirtatiously and walked over to him, apparently to make sure 'he wasn't a threat to the students' which Derek didn't need super hearing to know was a total lie. Either way, he smiled and played nice. Dropping comments about Stiles and the Pack, though obviously he didn't say Pack to her.

Soon enough the bell was to signal the end of the day rang out, and the woman scurried off to excuse her class.

When Stiles walked over to him and kissed him, Derek returned it easily, but something was off. It didn't feel right, and Derek couldn't get Jennifer out of his mind.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Something wasn't right. He didn't feel it anymore, the bond with Stiles. Their mate connection. It had seemed to have just vanished. Derek told Stiles as much that evening in their bedroom, despite every fiber of his being screaming that it was wrong.

All he could think about was finding Jennifer and being with her.

"What d-do you mean?" Stiles asked shakily, tears pooled in his eyes as he stared intently at Derek, who avoided his eyes stubbornly.

"I mean, I don't love you anymore." Derek stated casually. His wolf screamed at him, hell, his heart screamed at him, telling him to take it back, that it wasn't true, that he loved Stiles, but he couldn't bring himself to muster up any emotions, it was like his brain refused to register any feelings for Stiles as it was focused entirely on Jennifer "I don't feel the mate bonds or anything. I feel nothing for you." He looked at Stiles, expecting to feel guilt at the heartbroken expression on the boy's face, but still, there was nothing. "I'll be staying at the loft in a building I own. Don't come looking for me, if I want to see you, I will" He stated simply, and stood, moving to grab some clothes, but Stiles jumped up and grabbed Derek's arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"I-I don't understand."

"Get off of me!" Derek roared and flashed his eyes, causing Stiles to whimper, and back away from Derek until he was cowering on their- no his bed.

"Whatever I've done wrong, I can fix it!" Stiles promised, pleading with his eyes for Derek to give him a second chance. "Anything, I swear, I'll be a better Mate, a better Pack mum, I promise! Whatever is wrong with me, whatever you don't like, I'll fix it, just please, don't go." Stiles begged with tears streaming down his face.

"There's nothing you can fix Stiles." Derek replied, unable to stop himself even as his wolf fell apart inside, howling and fighting to take control and comfort their mate. "I'm just done with you."

"Derek, please…" Stiles all but begged as the door opened and the Pack, who had picked up on Stiles' distress and came to check on him, cautiously listened on. They were utterly shocked at what they saw and heard. "I love you."

"I don't." Derek replied simply and coldly. Stiles went to say something, only for Derek to cut him off "God, just shut up!" He sneered as the Pack scrambled over to the bed to comfort Stiles, every one of them looking confused and hurt. "Do you have any idea how annoying you are? You never shut up, it's irritating and-" A circle of mountain ash surrounded him, he looked to see Lydia's hand still raised. "Lydia!" He growled. "Let me out!"

She ignored him and turned to Stiles. "So, what could override a mate bond?" And it clicked for Stiles. Derek was under some… spell or something. It didn't erase the pain of the words Derek had said, but it helped him calm down and get his rational, research state of mind on.

Stiles sniffled, and attempted to wipe his tears away, only to find both of his arms pinned down by the Pack hugging him tightly. He rolled his eyes fondly, then finally answered Lydia. "It'd take a pretty powerful love spell." He said, to the Pack, all of whom were ignoring Derek's angry growls and demands to be released. "But it has to be more than that, the Pack bonds are too strong for him to just leave, yet he's pretty intent on moving out. Also, he's changed his views on me, so whatever it is, it's powerful. Which means whoever's behind this is powerful."

"It has to be the Darach, right?" Noah asked, trying to ignore his instincts to shoot Derek for making his son cry and breaking his heart so callously. It was only the revelation the the Darach cast a spell on him that kept him from doing so. "She wants Derek for something."

"Probably." Stiles agreed, nodding slightly. "The real question is, why? Why does she need Derek separate from us? What does she need him for?"

"And why does she think we're stupid enough to believe Derek would suddenly have a complete personality switch?" Erica added. "Sure, at first, we'd all be too upset to question it, except Lydia, as she's the rational one, but Jennifer had to have known we'd figure it out eventually."

"Maybe she hoped to have leverage over us before then." Scott suggested thoughtfully. "I mean, with Derek by her side, she'd definitely have us in the palm of her hands. None of us would ever hurt him."

"And she'd have an alpha." Jackson added from somewhere behind Stiles. "At least it'd be an even playing field against one of the other alphas."

"So, how do we undo this… spell or whatever?" Cora asked, a growl clear in her voice as she spoke. Some bitch messed with her brother, and that bitch had to pay.

"I'll call Deaton." Scott announced, digging out his phone.

"I'll call my dad." Allison stated, doing the same.

Danny stood and headed towards the door, "I'll grab my laptop, see if I can find anything useful online."

Stiles untangled himself from the Pack and informed them that "I'll go grab some books from our library, there has to be something useful." Lydia stood with Stiles and announced that she'd join him, to translate anything in archaic latin, or another language that she knew and he didn't.

They made their way to the ground floor of the house, and to the library side by side, both trying to block out Derek's angry yells that echoed down the stairs. Stiles winced as Derek screamed something about him being pathetic.

"How are you doing?" Lydia asked sympathetically once they were settled in the, thankfully soundproof, library. "This can't be easy for you."

"It's not." Stiles admitted sadly, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. "But now that I know it's not really him saying these things, it's a little easier. I'm just worried about Derek once this is over."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you were there, at the beginning. You saw how guilty he was, blaming himself for everything. This-" He gestured around upwards to indicate the bedroom, where they knew Derek was still yelling. "-is just going to set him back. He'll feel guilty about this for so long, and I won't be able to fix it."

"You're right." Lydia nodded in agreement, setting the book in her hands to the side and moved towards Stiles. "But you won't be alone in helping him heal. We will all work together as a Pack, as a family to make sure he's okay." Lydia assuredly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but it did little to help Stiles' mood.

"But what if we can't." Stiles sighed, running a hand over his face before continuing. "What if we can't beat this, the Darach. She's already killed at least four people, Lydia. Yes, we were able to save some people, but we can't save everyone. What if we can't stop her before she has killed the number of people that she needs to? What if we can't break whatever the hell she hit Derek with." A tear escaped and rolled down Stiles' cheek against his will as he looked up at the girl who has become one of his best friends. "You all call me 'Pack Mum' and with Derek out for the count, I have to make the big decisions, the hard decisions. But I don't know what to do, I don't know how to handle this. I'm barely holding myself together, so how the hell am I supposed to hold the Pack together? How am I supposed to handle it?"

Lydia wanted to say that it wasn't all on him, that the others would understand, but it'd be a huge lie. Although they would understand, their instincts tell them to turn to Stiles. Hell, Lydia's instincts tell her to turn to Stiles. With Derek effectively unfit to run the Pack, Stiles is the closest to an alpha that they have, Pack bond wise.

Even when the 'spell' breaks, Derek will be withdrawn, guilty, so Stiles will be in charge for a while. Already, the pressure was weighing down on him. Not knowing what else to do, Lydia hugged him. "We'll get through this." She whispered. "We have to."

They hugged for a few minutes, before Stiles pulled back and said. "Thanks, but we need to research."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night, Derek was rendered unconscious by a stun baton and sent to one of the 'holding cells' for supernatural creatures in the second basement, so that Stiles could spend the night in his own bed without being sneered at. He had opted to spend the night alone, because although a puppy pile would've been comforting, he knew that in the morning it would hurt more to wake surrounded by others and realise that his mate wasn't there.

Stiles curled up on his 'side' of the bed, and held one of Derek's shirts close, inhaling the scent as he tried to remind himself of happier memories. He tried to focus on the night they had spent together watching Batman and eating ice-cream while discussing how much of an idiot Scott was being. He tried to think about the morning after that night when they had been sparring and Stiles realised that they were mates. He tried to focus on their first kiss, their first date, the night they completed the Mate Bond. He willed these memories to play in his head, but his efforts were futile. The sneers were seared into his mind, the memory of Derek telling him that he didn't love him, that everything he felt for him was gone, it was killing him. One of his biggest fears came true. How would he cope with it? How would Derek cope with it? The aftermath will last a lot longer than the event itself. Stiles knew that.

He feared that it would cause a rift between him and his mate, which would cause rifts in the entire Pack. He didn't want that. He needed to find a way to get through it. Fast.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

School was hard to get through. Realising that they couldn't keep Derek locked up forever, they let him out for work, and he refused to come back. They really didn't want to lock him up again, so they let him be.

'Letting him be' proved to be more difficult than they expected, especially when they'd be at the school, and spot him somewhere, kissing Jennifer.

It made more sense now. She didn't remove Derek's connections to the Pack, she just, in basic terms, 'tricked his mind into thinking he felt that for her', as Jackson put it. Just seeing Jennifer in school every day was difficult, but seeing Derek there with her? It broke them a little bit more every time.

It was two weeks before anything big happened, aside from a few more sacrifices that they were unable to stop. It was the day before a big track meet that most of the Pack had. Allison and Isaac were at the Argent apartment, and Scott was heading there to meet them for a meal with Allison's parents. In the elevator, he met Deucalion, and things just went downhill from there.

Derek was dying. He had followed Scott and the Pack to the bank where Deucalion wanted to meet, and tried to attack the alpha's. A battle broke out, despite the fact that they outnumbered the Alpha's, the Hales were losing. Things took a bad turn when Kali caught Erica, and was about to kill her. When the twins noticed what was about to happen, they stopped 'fighting' the Pack and turned on Kali instead, saving Erica's life. The Pack then got their groove back, without having to worry about 'fighting' the twins, and easily held their own. Then Derek and Ennis started fighting, and during the struggle, the two fell off a ledge and fell several stories. Stiles lost it.

He let out a pained howl and charged at Deucalion, eyes glowing as he ran, he lept into the air once he was a few metres from the alpha, and shifted into full wolf form, surprising Kali, who quickly called out a warning to Deucalion, but it wasn't enough.

As he wasn't expecting an actual wolf, Deucalion wasn't prepared to fight Stiles, and quickly went down, as did Kali once she was alone against the Pack and the twins. They didn't kill the pair, just subdued them long enough to take them to the new supernatural holding cells at the station. Whilst half of the Pack did this, the others and the twins took Derek and Ennis to the hospital, both of them were close to death and not looking good.

On the bus to the track meet the next day, Stiles was checking his phone every few seconds, waiting for updates on his mate.

"Dude, relax, he's gonna be fine." Scott assured quietly, sending worried glances to Stiles' torso. "You're still not healing though."

"It's from alpha claws, Scott, they take longer to heal." Stiles reminded him with a wince, not looking at his best friend.

"The rest of us are fine." Scott pointed out, gesturing to the other Pack members on the bus, all of whom kept looking to Stiles in concern. Jackson, Danny, Isaac and Boyd were there, as all LaCrosse players were forced to join the team. Erica and Ethan were there too, as they had joined the track team. Allison and Lydia were following them in a car, and Aiden, Cora and Peter were with the adults of the Pack, keeping an eye on things.

"Yeah, well, just give it time."

"Stiles." Scott sighed, sending his friend a pleading look.

"I'm fine." Stiles snapped, finally looking at Scott, who now had the expression of a kicked puppy. "I'm sorry, I'm just worried about Derek."

"I know, we all are, but he'll be okay." Scott stated, without a single drop of doubt in his mind. "He'll heal, we'll break the spell, or whatever it is that he's under, and we'll help him move past whatever guilt he has. Then we'll be Pack again." Stiles smiled slightly.

"Ever the optimist, Scotty."

"Well one us has to be."

The journey continued on and, rather than healing, Stiles got worse. His blood was turning black, as though he had been poisoned with wolfsbane. The Pack desperately tried to get the Coach to stop at a rest stop, but the man refused.

Stiles finally accepted that he wasn't healing, and decided to call Lydia and Allison.

"What can they do?" Isaac asked incredulously as he and the other Pack members crowded around Stiles, all of them looking confused and concerned.

"Yeah, they're back in Beacon Hills with Cora." Erica stated, trying to hide her fear as Stiles rolled his eyes, and turned to look out the back window.

"No they're not, they've been following us for hours." He stated, dialing Lydia on the phone and put the phone on speaker, so that the others could hear, others being Danny, the only one without super hearing. After a few seconds, Lydia picked up. "Hey, Stiles, can't really talk, we're just about to walk into a movie, y'know, popcorn and all that-"

"I know you guys are right behind us, put me on speaker."

"I-a-uh-no- yeah, okay."

Stiles waited a few seconds then spoke again. "I'm still hurt, and we need your help."

"Still?" Allison asked in concern. "You still haven't healed from last night."

"No, he hasn't." Scott spoke up. "In fact, he's getting worse."

"Yeah, the bloods turning a black colour." Jackson added, voice trembling slightly at the though of Stiles being seriously hurt. What if he never heals from this? What if he has some sort of infection that will kill him? How would any of them cope with losing him? Jackson was drawn out of his dark thoughts by Lydia's voice.

"That shouldn't be happening unless he's been in contact with wolfsbane." Lydia stated, a thoughtful edge to her voice. "Or it's psychological."

"You mean, like in his head?" Allison asked in confusion, and before Stile could protest, the redhead spoke again.

"Yes, tell me about his chemo signals." Lydia all but demanded.

"He's in pain, worried, there's some guilt as well." Scott said, sniffing at Stiles.

"Guilt?" Lydia asked. "Stiles, why do you feel guilty?"

"I don't." Stiles tried to protest, but the others clearly didn't believe him.

"He definitely does." Isaac told the girls. "Scott's right, there's definitely guilt there, along with some anxiety."

"He's really pale, too." Danny observed "A lot paler than usual."

"Okay, I have my first aid kit with me, get Coach to pull over, do whatever it takes." Lydia ordered, then hung up the phone, undid her seatbelt and crawled over to the back seat.

"What are you doing?" Allison asked, looking back at her best friend, who was pulling down one of the back seats, so she could access the trunk of the car and grab the items she required.

"My first aid kit is in the trunk, I need to get it. And I'd rather get it now and have everything prepared for when we pull over, rather than have to search and keep Stiles waiting even longer." Lydia explained as she rummaged.

"Okay, when did you put your first aid kit in my trunk?" Allison asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A couple of months ago, Well, one of them. I've put one in every Pack member's trunk, or bag, and my main one is usually in my bag, but I left it with Cora this morning, some of her wounds hadn't quite healed."

"Have they healed now?" Allison asked immediately, turning to look at Lydia, or rather, Lydia's back.

"Yeah, they finished healing over two hours ago, and hers never went black. I only gave her the kit so that she could cover the wounds, to stop anything from getting into them." Lydia explained, and Allison couldn't help but smile at the fact that Cora was well, but then she felt guilty, because neither Derek nor Stiles were.

"Right, can you hand me the duffle bag?"

"You mean the duffle bag with all the weapons in it?"

"Yeah, I know we're not in any danger right now, but- I don't know, I just- I have a bad feeling."

There was a slight pause before Lydia admitted: "Me too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's like, I feel like I'm constantly on edge of fight or flight, like there's someone watching me, waiting to make a move, like-"

"You're never alone." Allison finished knowingly. "Even when there's no one in sight, you can just feel that someone is there, watching your every move."

"Yeah." Lydia admitted softly. A few seconds later, Lydia pulled back out of the trunk, and handed the duffle bag to Allison and gave her a soft smile, then retrieved her first aid kit. Lydia pushed the seat back into place, before resting in the seat, sorting out the things she'd need, then began sterilizing a needle. As she did this, Allison set the duffle bag down on the passenger side seat, and began pulling out various weapons, whilst occasionally glancing up to see if the traffic was moving yet. Both girls remained silent.

Back on the bus, Jackson was arguing with Coach to pull over into a rest stop, but the man stubbornly refused. Ten minutes later, the pair were still arguing and Coach continuously blew his whistle in the werewolf's face. The rest stop was in sight, so they needed to convince him quickly, before they passed it, but it was clear that the argument was going nowhere.

Stiles sighed audibly, then began hauling himself to his feet, despite the Pack's protest. Stiles buttoned his plaid shirt, to hide the blood that was staining the t-shirt beneath, "I have to do everything myself." He sighed half heartedly and began making his way up the bus. He soon took the seat next to their classmate, Jared, who was looking just as pale as Stiles was, but for completely different reasons. "Hey Jared," He greeted kindly, causing the boy to look at him warily. "How you doing?" He asked with an evil smile.

Minutes later, the bus pulled into the rest stop, and everyone scrambled off as Coach sprayed air freshner and yelled out the window. "Jared, you suck!" He then went on about a mop and a new bus, but the Pack weren't paying attention. Scott and Jackson were supporting Stiles, and practically carrying him to the restrooms. As they did, Allison and Lydia pulled in behind the bus and ran over to them. Lydia glanced over Stiles and had to contain her gasp of horror.

"Scott, Allison, you two are coming with me to patch up Stiles. Isaac, get Stiles' bag and find him a clean shirt. Erica, call the sheriff, tell him what's going on. Danny, check on Cora, see if there are any updates on Derek. Jackson, Boyd, get Ethan, the three of you have the hardest job of all: Distracting Coach." She said, slipping into her natural leader role. There was a unanimous agreement with her plan, then she, Allison and Scott carried Stiles to the restroom to try to heal him.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Erica asked out loud to the Pack.

"I think" Danny began, drawing all attention to him. "that Stiles is far too stubborn to leave us just yet."

"But without Derek, what's his motivation to keep fighting?" Isaac asked sadly without thinking.

"Us." Boyd answered, sending a soft, reassuring smile to his Pack mate. "He know's we'd all probably kill each other without him. He's not going anywhere."

The others chuckled, and Isaac allowed a small, genuine smile to grace his face. "Good point. Now, come on, we all have orders to follow."

Half an hour later, Stiles walked out of the rest room, flanked by Allison, Scott and Lydia. He was wearing a new, clean shirt and had gained some colour in his face. The Pack and Ethan immediately surrounded him and talked over each other, trying to ask Stiles questions about how he felt.

"Guys, calm down, I'm fine now, I promise." Stiles assured his pups, but the Pack remained close to him anyway.

"Where did you two come from?" Coach's voice boomed, and the Pack looked to see him looking at Allison and Lydia in confusion. "You're not on the track team."

"No, we're not." Allison agreed. "But our friends left some important revision material at home, y'know, maths, english, economics and some other stuff, so we followed and waited until you guys pulled over so that we could give it to them." She lied easily, after sorting out what they needed, she and Lydia came up with an excuse to tell Coach.

"You must really care about your education." Coach commented "So where is it?"

Lydia opened her bag and pulled out several textbooks. She had brought them for a little light reading, and they really came in handy. "Coach, we were hoping that you have two spare seats? The car is out of gas. We called Allison's father, and he said he'd pick up the car on his way home from a business trip, but until then we-"

"Yeah, sure, just get on the bus, we gotta go." Coach cut her off then turned to yell at the rest of the team. "Everybody on the bus! We are not missing this meet! Move!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

*Start of Motel California*

The group ended up staying at a Motel for the night, a motel that gave Lydia a really bad feeling.

To make things worse, the Pack had to separate into pairs for the night. Well, the girls convinced Coach to let the three of them share a room, so no one had to stay alone. It was same sex pairings only, otherwise they would have stayed with their mates. Scott and Stiles shared a room, as Scott didn't want Stiles out his sight, which Isaac understood. Isaac ended up sharing a room with Boyd and Jackson, as Danny was with Ethan. Things were fine at first, then things started getting strange. The wolves were all Hallucinating.

It happened to Jackson first. He was lying on the bed he was sharing with Isaac, when he heard a noise. Isaac was in the shower and Boyd was out getting snacks, so he cautiously stood and went to investigate. What he found was a man and a woman, both without face, claiming that they were his parents. He backed away from them and ended up passing a mirror. The reflection caught his eye, and he turned to see himself without a face. He scrambled away in fear, he soon made his way to the closet, and sat, curled up in the corner, the door closed as he started rocking back and forth.

Next, Erica was affected. She, Lydia and Allison were sitting on one of the beds and talking when all of a sudden, she started seizing. Lydia immediately went through all of the procedures that she knew, and yelled at Allison to call Melissa for help. After a few minutes, there was no sign of the seizure stopping, and Erica started begging her friends to make it stop. They told her that they were trying, and Melissa, over the phone, tried to calm her down. When nothing worked, Erica lengthened her claws and went to stab them into her chest. The girls stopped her, but she kept trying to hurt herself. It wasn't until she burnt her hand on the radiator, that she snapped out of it.

Within ten minutes, the blonde was asleep on the bed, and Allison left the room to talk outside. "What the hell just happened?" Lydia asked in shock as Stiles approached them.

"Somethings up with Boyd, he just put his fist through the vending machine!"

"Erica just started seizing and tried to kill herself." Allison told him, and Stiles immediately tried to go into the room. "She's fine now, she's sleeping, but something's definitely going on."

Stiles went to say something, but Lydia spoke before he could. "Do you hear that?" She asked, staring at the door to the room next to theirs.

"Hear what?" Stiles asked in concern, as he and Allison exchanged a look. Lydia gasped in horror, as she jumped backwards suddenly.

"Gunshots. A-a couple committed suicide in there." Stiles wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed, then a buzzing sound started. "I hear something else, like a ha-"

"A handsaw?" Allison asked, staring at the door. "I hear it too." Without hesitating, Stiles kicked the door open, revealing Ethan, about to push a handsaw into his stomach. The trio quickly got it off of him, but he kept lunging for it again, until he was burnt by a space heater.

When they were sure he was himself again, they allowed him to return to his room, and Stiles informed Danny of what happened, and instructed him to keep an eye on the wolf.

"So that's twice now, and both of them were brought back by being burned." Allison commented thoughtfully from where she sat on the free bed in their room, as Stiles paced and Lydia looked around, allowing her instincts to guide her.

"Maybe it's a sacrifice thing?" Stiles suggested, with a shrug. "Like, first three virgins, then three warriors, now three werewolves?" Allison hummed and agreed that it was a possibility, they exchanged a few theories before Lydia spoke up. She showed them the bible, and all of the articles in it, articles of all the suicides that had taken place in that room.

They then went down to the front desk to question the woman who worked there, when Lydia pointed out that the counter which read the number of guest suicides, had gone up by three.

Allison rushed off to check on Scott, Isaac, Boyd and Jackson, as Lydia and Stiles walked into the car park, Lydia was shaking her head in denial at something Stiles had said.

"Lydia, think about it. This has happened before, at your birthday party!"

"I didn't do this!"

"How do you know that?"

"I just do!"

"You were being controlled by Peter, and you had no clue. It's possible that the Darach cou-"

"No it's not!" Lydia seethed, spinning around to face him. "The reason he was able to get into my head was because he knew more about my abilities than I did, and I was fighting them. I'm in control now. It's not just something in my head anymore, I am the banshee. I know what I'm capable of, I know how to control my abilities, and nobody can control me anymore!" She stated, glaring at Stiles, who simply nodded. He went to say something, but she held up her hand to stop him. "I hear something." She whispered, and closed her eyes, listening to the words. Her eyes shot open as realisation hit her. "Someone's drowning!"

Boyd. They found him in his bathtub, a safe weighing down on his chest. Stiles immediately pulled the safe off of him, and pulled the boy out of the water and shoved him into the radiator. Boyd roared in pain, but soon came back to himself. As Stiles comforted Boyd, Lydia found Isaac under a bed and Jackson in the closet, both looking terrified. Stiles tried to lure them both out, but they were too afraid, and dragging them to the radiator would probably freak them out even more. Eventually Lydia managed to get Jackson out and to the radiator, but Isaac didn't move. They considered calling Allison, but Scott was missing and they needed to find him, and Isaac was safe, at least for the time being. If they couldn't think of a solution before he started freaking out and trying to hurt himself, then they'd call her, until then, they decided to deal with it on their own.

Then Lydia came up with the idea of using the flares that were on the bus, and soon Isaac was fine, and they were meeting up with Allison to look for Scott. When they found him, he was holding one of the two remaining flares -Stiles had the other- and covered, head to toe, in gasoline.

"There's no hope." Scott stated when he noticed them.

"What do you mean Scott? There's always hope." Allison tried to convince him, forcing a smile onto her face, despite her tears.

"Not for me." He said, then looked Stiles in the eyes. "Not for you. Not for Derek."

"What's happening to Derek isn't your fault." Allison insisted. "You know it's not your fault!"

"Every time I try to fight back, it just keeps getting worse." Scott stated bitterly, as more tears rolled down his cheeks. "People keep getting hurt. People keep getting killed."

"Derek isn't dead!" Lydia reminded him, taking a cautious step closer to Scott.

"He might as well be. He's not himself anymore." Scott argued.

"And neither are you." Stiles argued, hoping that he could get through to Scott. "This is the Darach inside your head, telling you to do this."

"What if it's not, though, what if this is just me? What if doing this is actually the best thing that I could do for everyone else?" Stiles couldn't stop his own tears as he watched Scott break down. "It all started that night, the night we got bitten. Do you remember how it was before that? You and me?" Stiles nodded slightly, taking a cautious step closer to his best friend. "We- we were nothing! We weren't popular, we weren't good at LaCrosse, we weren't important. We were no one. Maybe I should just be no one again. No one at all." He raised the flare, but Stiles spoke before he could do anything else.

"Scott, just listen to me, okay?" Stiles insisted, stepping closer to his best friend. "You're not no one, okay? You're someone… Scott you're my best friend. Okay? And I need you! Scott, you're my brother." All four of them were crying as Stiles stepped closer to Scott, and Lydia and Allison looked terrified, unsure of what to do. "Alright, so," Stiles stepped into the puddle of gasoline and reached out for the flare. "So if you're going to do this, then.." He wrapped his hand around the flare. "I think you're just gonna have to take me with you, then." After a few seconds, Scott released the flare to Stiles, who threw it away. They all stood in silence for a few seconds, until Lydia heard a whisper and noticed the wind pushed the flare rolling it back towards the puddle of gasoline.

"No!" She cried out as she ran forward and pushed them both out of the way. As they hit the ground, she felt the heat of the fire against her back, she turned and looked at the flames, or rather, the creature within them. The Darach, in her true form, pale flesh and sliced up face.

Lydia kept watching until the creature disappeared, then pushed herself off of Stiles, so that he and Scott could get up. She turned to make sure Allison was okay, but before she could say anything, the girl was rushing over, and checking on Stiles and Lydia, before pulling Scott into a bone crushing hug, and sobbing into his shoulder.

Just under an hour later, the Pack and Ethan were all sitting on the bus, as none of them wanted to stay in the motel. Scott had taken a shower, to wash away all traces of the gasoline, and change his clothes, and was now cuddling with his mates on the back row. All of the other couples were cuddling together, whilst keeping a close eye on Stiles.

He was the only one who hadn't tried anything. It was strange, and though they probably should be relieved that he hadn't, it was disconcerting. What made him.. immune?

Stiles wondered that himself. He sat there, staring at nothing as his mind wandered. He didn't feel any different. He didn't feel the urge to end his life. That's a lie. A voice sneered in his head. You want it all to end, you want the pain gone. It was true, Stiles thought to himself, he did want the pain gone, he wanted the harsh words Derek said to be erased forever. He didn't want to get out of bed each morning, he didn't want to wake up, ever again. But none of that was new. He had been feeling like that since the night everything fell apart. He never did anything, though. He couldn't leave his Pack behind, suffering. He couldn't leave his dad all alone, sure he had Melissa, but that's not the same. So he held on. Yes, he wanted the pain gone, but he didn't want to pass it on to someone else.

With a start he realised that he probably had been affected, but he was so used to those feelings that he barely noticed. Glancing around, he saw the Pack watching him carefully, obviously the wolves heard his heart rate increase. Lydia, however, was looking at him calculatingly. Shit. She'll figure it out. She'll figure out whatever caused this, and then somehow realise that Stiles had been infected too. He had to have been. He couldn't have them finding out the truth, about how he really felt about everything that had happened.

Making up his mind, Stiles lengthened his claws in preparation. He allowed himself to drift off in his mind, and soon he inevitably thought of that night. Stiles gritted his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut, and balled his hands into fists, digging his claws into his palms. The wolves immediately smelt the blood and rushed over, Jackson lit a flare along the way. Stiles immediately snarled and tried to get away. He wasn't himself anymore. The pain triggered something, and all his reasons for hanging on went out of the window. After a short struggle, Stiles was pinned down in the bus aisle, by Boyd, Scott, Jackson and Isaac, whilst Erica pressed the flame to his cheek, as it was the only part of his skin that she could get to. Stiles roared in pain, but, somehow, he felt calmer, and he stopped struggling, and let his Pack take care of him.

He soon drifted off to sleep, hearing Derek's voice whisper apologetic and loving things to him.

*End of Motel California* (Well the possible trigger parts at least)

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next morning, Coach and the rest of the track team filled onto the bus, some of the team kept glancing back at the scorch marks on the ground nearby. "I don't wanna know" Coach stated as he looked at the Pack and Ethan, who were slowly starting to wake up. "I really don't wanna know, but in case you missed the announcement, the meet's canceled, so we're going home. Pack it in. Pack it in!" He yelled, before walking off the bus again to talk to the other students. The Pack rearranged themselves, so that there was more room for everyone else and made idle small talk as they did so.

When Coach walked down the bus, Lydia's eyes fell on his whistle, and she leant forward, drawn to it. "Hey Coach, can I see your whistle for a second?" She asked as she took it from around his neck.

"Hey! I'm going to need that back!" Coach stated before walking down the bus.

"What is it?" Jackson asked curiously as Lydia covered part of the whistle, then blew into it. When she pulled her hand away, it was coated in purple dust.

"Wolfsbane." She said, showing her hand to the Pack.

"Wait, if the wolfsbane was in the whistle," Erica started as realisation dawned on her. "Then, each time Coach blew the whistle-"

"The wolfsbane went into the air-" Jackson continued, in slight shock.

"-and we all inhaled it." Scott finished, looking around his Pack mates in shock.

"You were all poisoned by it." Allison added, biting her lip as she looked at her mates. She could have lost them last night. Both of them.

"That's how the Darach got in our heads." Stiles stated, "That's how she did it." He then leant forward and grabbed the whistle from Lydia, then turned and leant over Scott, then threw it out of the window, just as the bus started moving.

"Stilinski!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

A few hours later, back in Beacon Hills, Ennis and Derek were both fully healed, and Ennis had been transferred to the supernatural cells in the Sheriff's station.

At some point during the night before, Derek -still unconscious- started lashing out in his sleep, and dug his claws into his palms at some point. No sedatives worked on him, not even when mixed with wolfsbane. Though, thankfully, after a few minutes, he stopped struggling, but not before crying out in pain. He spent the next hour whispering things, at a volume too low for any human to make out. After the whispering stopped, his supernatural healing finally kicked in, and by the morning, he was completely fine.

It was mid afternoon when The Pack returned, and Stiles went to the hospital to see Derek.

"He's still asleep." Melissa told Stiles as she led him to Derek's room.

"That's probably for the best." Stiles muttered, he hoped Derek stayed asleep while he was there. He really didn't want to be sneered at, but he had to see that Derek was okay. Physically, at least.

Once Stiles had settled in a seat beside Derek, Melissa left the room. Stiles let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding as his eyes roamed over Derek's body. There wasn't so much as a bruise tarnishing his skin. Stiles bit his lip before setting his hand on top of Derek's. The second they touched, Derek's eyes shot open.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Kali was pissed off, pacing restlessly in her cell, until they brought Ennis in and put him in the cell next to her. "He's alive." She gasped, looking up at Sheriff Stilinski in awe. "Thank you."

"Thank me by leaving the Hale Pack and their associates alone." Stilinski replied immediately.

"Okay." Kali replied honestly, much to the surprise of the station staff and Deucalion.

"Kali?" Deucalion growled angrily.

"This has gotten way out of hand." Kali growled back, turning to glare at the blind alpha. "Julia is my problem, I will clean it up, then I'm done." She then turned to look at the Sheriff. "Ennis will come with me, we have been thinking about leaving ever since we realised that Alpha Hale would never join us. I will take care of Julia, but I will need help. If the Hale Pack is willing."

Noah nodded as Deucalion yelled profanities and called Kali a traitor. "I will discuss it with them, if you are being genuine."

"I am." Kali swore. "I want out. Once Julia is dealt with, Ennis and I will leave, and we will never bother any of you ever again. We will leave this town and never come back."

Noah nodded in agreement. "I'll have to hear Ennis agree the same, and myself, and the Pack will have to believe you. But if you so much as make one move against the Pack, it's over and you will be stuck in a cell for the rest of your life."

"Of course." Deucalion began trying to break through the cell to get to her, anger radiating from him. Noah rolled his eyes, pulled out his stun baton, slid it through the mountain ash bars, and electrocuted the man, who then fell to the floor screaming and writhing in pain.

"Great, I'll talk to the Pack tonight and I'll hopefully have an answer for you tomorrow." Noah smiled kindly, then turned and left the room, heading to his office to call his son.

Chapter 27: Come Back Home

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The Pack get their groove back, plans are made and the Darach makes a move.

The Hale Pack: Come Back Home

"Great, I'll talk to the Pack tonight and I'll hopefully have an answer for you tomorrow." Noah smiled kindly, then turned and left the room, heading to his office to call his son.

Once in his office, Noah sighed, and decided to call Melissa first, after a few rings, she picked up.

"Hey."

"Hey." Noah smiled at the sound of her voice. "How's work?"

"Rather uneventful at the moment, but that could change at any second." Noah hummed in agreement at Melissa's words. "How about you?"

"Well, I just came back from talking to Kali. Apparently she and Ennis want to leave the Alpha Pack. They're willing to help us with the Darach, then she swears they'll leave and never come back. I just need to talk to the Pack about it and make sure Ennis is actually willing to do as she says."

"Wow, first the twins want to leave, now Kali and possibly Ennis, it's not much of Pack, is it?" Melissa commented. "Do you believe her?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Okay. then I'm sure that the others will all agree."

"I hope so" Noah muttered. "Anyway, the main reason I called is because I sorted out the reservations for our date on Wednesday." He grinned, feeling proud of himself, he had managed to get them reservations at one of the fanciest places in town. Scott had told him that Melissa had wanted to go there for a long time, but hadn't had the time or money.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Melissa asked in exasperation, causing the Sheriff to chuckle. "You know that I hate surprises."

"I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to wait and see." Noah grinned at Melissa's sigh. "I will tell you, though, that it's pretty fancy."

"So jeans and a t-shirt aren't going to cut it?" Melissa asked with a chuckle.

"No, I'm afraid not." Noah stated, then looked at the clock. "I'm sorry, but I have to go, I need to call Stiles and talk to him about Kali."

"Okay but he won't answer." Melissa stated. "He's here, visiting Derek, so his phone is off."

"Right." Noah sighed, running his hand over his face. "Can you let him know that I need to talk to him as soon as possible, and ask him to call me when he can?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, I'll talk to you later."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back at the Hale house, the Pack, the Argents, Peter and the twins were sitting around, waiting for news from Stiles about Derek. Chris was telling everyone about a 'spell' he had found, that was likely the 'spell' that Jennifer cast on Derek.

"According to what I've found, we can't break the spell, Derek has to be the one to trigger it, but once it's broken, she can't cast it on him again."

"Is there any way we can help him break the spell?" Allison asked hopefully.

"Remind Derek of who he really is, remind him of how he really feels about you." Chris told her with a reassuring smile. "That's really the only thing you can do."

"That'll be difficult." Cora muttered bitterly. "Last night, when he started freaking out, his eyes opened and it was like he didn't even know who I was."

"He was freaking out?" Isaac asked in surprise.

"Yeah, he started digging his claws into his palms and thrashing about, then he just stopped, it was weird, he got this-"

"Burn?" Erica jumped in with wide eyes. "On his cheek?" Cora nodded, eyeing her Mate curiously as the members of the Pack who were at the motel looked to each other in shock.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The night before, Alan Deaton had been stood in the animal clinic, muttering words in a language that definitely wasn't English. In front of him, on the metal table, were many herbs and trinkets, along with lit candles, an old, leather-bound book and a large black bowl, with smoke floating from it. He continued reciting foreign words as he picked up a handful of mistletoe, Jennifer's weapon of choice, and dropped it into the bowl as he yelled the final words. Almost instantly, the mistletoe went up in sparks and the flames on the candles doubled in size. In the bowl, all but two of the ingredients were completely charred. The two unharmed ingredients rose to the top, the crimson a stark contrast to the dark ashes. Two drops of blood, one came from Stiles, the other from Derek. As the flames on the candles shrunk down, the drops moved closer together, and when they finally collided in the center of the bowl the flames went out and darkness enveloped the room.

Meanwhile, Derek was lying in the hospital, trying to fight his injuries. His head told him to go to Jennifer, that she could help, but his body refused to move. Besides, it wasn't Jennifer's voice he kept hearing. It was Cora, Noah and Melissa, and even Peter. They all kept saying Stiles' name.

Stiles.

His face flashed in Derek's mind.

He saw Stiles on the side of the road, outside the school, in the Jeep, in his arms, in their bed, in their home. He saw Stiles cooking for their Pack, he saw Stiles cleaning their pup's wounds, comforting them.

He saw the pain in his mate's eyes when Derek told him that he didn't love him.

He saw Stiles, stood in a car park, crying, light dancing off of his face. He then saw Scott, soaked head to toe, an empty canister of gasoline by his feet and a lit flare in his hands. He heard Scott's anguish, as the boy blamed himself for Derek being hurt. He felt Stiles' fear as they watched Scott break down.

Derek couldn't move as Stiles started to talk Scott down, his heart started racing when Stiles stepped forward into the puddle, and told Scott that he was going to have to take Stiles with him.

He felt the heat from the fire, and the weight of Lydia on Stiles' back. He felt the relief when Stiles realised that his Pack was safe.

Derek was mostly calm after that, watching the events unfold, then Stiles began freaking out. Stiles dug his claws into his palms, and Derek did the same. Stiles thrashed around, trying to escape those surrounding him, and Derek did the same. Stiles stopped trying to hurt himself after being burnt on the cheek, and Derek did the same. Stiles drifted off to sleep, hearing loving whispers, and Derek was the one whispering to him. Things were rather quiet in Derek's mind after that as his body healed. The most noticeable thing was that he no longer felt the urge to seek out Jennifer, but he did feel the need to find Stiles.

Derek remained in a state of restless sleep for hours, unable to force his eyes open. Until Stiles arrived. He began returning to consciousness when the scent hit him, his fingers twitched when he heard his mate's voice, and when their hands touched, his eyes shot open.

He immediately looked at Stiles, who's eyes were wide in shock. He went to pull his hand away, but Derek grabbed it firmly, but not hard enough to hurt Stiles. "I'm so sorry." He croaked, just then noticing how dry his throat was, but he didn't care. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"Derek?" Stiles gasped, gazing into his mate's eyes finding relief in the guilt and love he saw there.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, and a huge, watery smile spread across Stiles' face as he lunged forward and hugged Derek. Derek pulled Stiles so that he was fully on top of Derek, and buried his nose in the boy's hair, breathing in the familiar scent. "I love you, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Stiles replied immediately, trying to take in as much of Derek's scent as physically possible. "I love you. We'll be okay." He assured honestly, he refused to say that it was okay, because it wasn't, but in that moment, in Derek's arms, he knew that Scott and Lydia were right, they'd get through this. It may take some time, but they would get through it, together.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

An hour later, Derek was allowed to go home. Stiles had called his dad to give him the good news and learnt about Kali's offer, then he called the Pack and told them about it and that Derek was himself again, and his pups gleefully told him that Jennifer wouldn't be able to do it again. The amount of joy and relief in that phone call was immeasurable. The Argents, the Twins and Peter had left to give them some privacy and the Pack anxiously waited in the living room, wanting -no, needing- needing to see for themselves that Derek was himself again. They wanted to go to the hospital to see him, but the Sheriff argued that Derek would be happier at home. So they stayed, tidied up around the house, freshened up Stiles and Derek's room, trying to get rid of the strong scent of loneliness and hurt. By the time they had finished, the scent was barely there, and Stiles and Derek were pulling up to the house. They all ran to various windows of the house, watching as the pair climbed out of the car. Derek's eyes fell on his Pack smiling at him, and his face lit up.

They heard Stiles say "I told you so." As Derek all but ran to the house. The Pack rushed to meet him at the door and tackled him into a hug. Derek immediately began breathing in their scents, and scent marking them.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Stop that right now." Cora ordered immediately, attempting to glare at her brother through Erica's hair. "This is not your fault."

"But the things I said and did, I-"

"Don't." Jackson whispered, pressing his face into Derek's shoulder. "Please don't."

*Flashback*

The Pack was at school, and walked into their English classroom, and froze in shock at what they saw. Jennifer was leaning against her desk and Derek was pressed against her, kissing her as if his life depended on it.

A fresh wave of hurt and grief rolled off of Stiles, drawing Derek's attention to them. He groaned, and pulled away from Jennifer, but still kept her pressed against the desk. "What are you doing here?"

"We have class." Jackson growled, glaring at the alpha, but there was no anger towards Derek in his scent, only sadness. The Pack and the twins proceeded to take their seats, trying to ignore the 'couple' in front of them.

It was mostly fine as the rest of the class trickled in, then Jennifer announced that Derek would be 'observing' the lesson. There were curious glances from Stiles to Derek, and whispers of "Isn't that Stilinski's boyfriend?"

The Pack knew that Jennifer was doing it to mess with them, so they tried to not let it get under their skin. That didn't work out too well.

Halfway through the lesson, Jennifer brought up the subject of Romeo and Juliet, and how it could be seen in many different ways.

"Most people see it as a tragic love story, or a story about two people who were destined to be together, but the world didn't have a place for them." She explained casually, walking around the classroom, she slowed her pace tauntingly when she passed Stiles' desk. Letting him catch a good whiff of Derek's scent on her. "I see it differently." She stated once she reached her desk again, and fixed her eyes on Stiles. "I view it as a story of an impossible relationship. The pair of them should have known it would never work out, and when it all fell apart, they should have let it go rather than chase a fantasy."

"I disagree." Lydia spoke up calmly, causing Jennifer to look at her, with a fake smile on her face.

"Pardon, Lydia?"

"I said that I disagree with your views." Lydia stated, locking eyes with the woman. "I don't think it was an impossible love, in fact, I believe it was a destined love. It was other people getting in the way and trying to take what wasn't theirs that messed everything up." Jennifer went to say something, but Scott spoke up before she could.

"I agree with Lydia. It was the meddling of others that turned the love story into a tragedy." The crooked jawed boy began, surprising some of their classmates. "Take Paris for example, I understand that in those times, marriage was about status and not love, but he claimed Juliet as his own without any second thought. Had she not faked her death, then actually died, she would have been forced to marry him, despite loving Romeo. She had no choice in the matter. She and Romeo could have had a wonderful, happy life together, but the meddling of others led to their downfall, leading to their deaths."

"Those are interesting views, Miss Martin, Mr McCall, but I didn't ask for a debate." Jennifer replied, a fake smile still plastered on her face.

"Then why bring it up at all if you don't want us to think about it and come up with our own ideas?" Jackson asked incredulously, with his best bitch face on, and most of the class made some gesture or noise of agreement.

"Isn't the whole point of school to learn?" Danny spoke up with a raised eyebrow. "How are we supposed to learn without hearing other ideas and interpretations? If you stick to one view, that's all you'll ever see. You need other opinions, other perspectives to be able to see the bigger picture, the other meanings. Without them, the world is going to become pretty boring, pretty fast."

"I think you're all being rude." Derek glared at the Pack. "She is your teacher, you should respect her."

"We didn't say or do anything to disrespect her, Derek." Cora argued, glaring at her brother defiantly.

"I think questioning her teaching methods counts as disrespecting her." Derek glared, and Cora rolled her eyes, as did several other Pack members.

"Right, sure."

"If questioning something means disrespect," Allison began, with a faux confused expression. "Does that mean scientists disrespect gravity? That people disrespect life? The earth? As human beings, we question everything, that doesn't mean that we disrespect it. It just means that we want to understand it."

Erica nodded in agreement with Allison as she kept a glare fixed on Jennifer. "As a teacher you're here to educate us, Miss Blake. I would have thought you'd be happy that we want to learn, and have proved that we have an understanding of the material." Jennifer was struggling to keep the smile on her face, but then Derek spoke.

"Jen, may I take some of your students outside for a word?" Derek asked the Darach kindly, and she nodded in agreement. "Stiles, Scott, Lydia, Allison, Jackson, Isaac, Danny, Erica, Boyd, and Cora, come with me." He ordered, using the last thread of Alpha control he had over them to force them to go with him. They all stood from their seats and grabbed their bags and books, then followed Derek into the corridor. Once the classroom door was closed behind them, Derek spoke to the Pack. "Leave her alone." Derek all but growled at them.

"That's kinda hard to do considering she's our teacher." Jackson drawled easily. There was a part of him that still told him to bare his neck and obey his alpha, but he knew that this wasn't truly Derek anymore, his wolf knew it too, which made it easier for Jackson to treat Derek like he would any other person who was opposing their Pack.

"Stop showing her up, stop disrespecting her, stop-"

"We weren't doing any of those things." Lydia stated, folding her arms over her chest. "We were sharing our opinions on the material that she presented. We did not say that her views were invalid or of lesser value than ours. The most we did was question something we didn't understand, the way we have always been taught to, therefore we neither showed her up nor disrespected her."

"Alright Lydia, you can shut up now, nobody likes a know-it-all." Derek sneered at her, angering the Pack. "Oh, give it a rest, like any of you stand a chance against me." Derek rolled his eyes and spoke to the Pack one by one, starting with Scott. "Scott, you're so afraid of hurting me, that you'll go down without a struggle. Allison, you may come from a big bad hunter family, but you knew nothing about it less than a year ago, your little arrows won't be able to save you. Isaac, all I need to do is lock you in a closet and you'll be crying like a baby. Danny, you're a wuss, the worst you could do is send me an angry email. I know you're already a murderer, Jackson, but the way you cried afterwards really shows that you wouldn't be able to bring yourself to kill me. Lydia, you'd probably freak out if you broke a nail. You'd just mess up, Erica, and leave yourself exposed. Boyd, you're far too slow to even compete with me. Cora, you don't even stand a chance, your time in South America really degraded your fighting skills. And Stiles, you're nothing more than a hyperactive spaz, you really need to move on and accept that I don't love you. Hell, I don't even like you." Derek's eyes were fixed on Stiles, who was fighting back tears. "There you go again, crying. It's pathetic, Stiles. Pack mum? Yeah right, you don't have what it takes. You can barely keep yourself together, how do you expect to do it for the Pack? Huh?" Stiles turned his head away from Derek, who was stepping closer to him, despite the warning growls from the Pack. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He growled. "You worthless little-"

Derek's words were cut off as a loud smack sounded and his head shot to the side. Scott still had his fist raised when Derek looked at him again. "Fuck off." He ordered darkly, glaring at the older wolf. "If you talk to any of them like that again, especially Stiles, we will end you, despite what you may think. Nobody talks badly about my brother, my Pack, my family. Not even you." Derek growled, eyes flashing red as he wrapped a single hand around Scott's throat and lifted the wolf off of his feet. Barely a second had passed before Derek was attacked from all sides. He released his grip and Scott fell to the floor, gasping for oxygen. Isaac and Allison immediately rushed to help their mate to his feet, as the others eyed Derek cautiously, ready to defend themselves.

Erica tore her eyes from the alpha, and looked around to see if anyone had seen anything, there were no people around, but a security camera was pointing straight at them. She panicked for a second before her phone pinged. It was a message from Victoria regarding the footage, saying that she'd 'take cake of it'.

When she looked at the Pack again, Jackson was in front of Derek. "You better stay away from us." Jackson warned before he turned and walked away, most of the Pack followed, but Stiles stayed behind.

"Tell your Darach friend that we won't be in for the rest of the day." Stiles managed to say, looking directly at Derek with a stony expression. "I may not be the best Pack Mum, but I will always stand by my Pack. No matter who tries to make me doubt myself, I will carry on supporting them, I will be there for them because they are the most important people in my life, so are you. You can say whatever you want but you will not get me to abandon them. Ever. When this.. spell, or whatever, breaks, you can come straight home and we will welcome you, the real you, with open arms. But until then, stay away from us. You may be stronger than us individually, but when we work as a team, it's you who doesn't stand a chance. The real you knows that."

Stiles then turned and marched towards his Pack, not letting Derek see the broken look reappear on his face.

*End Flashback*

"You're back." Allison mumbled. "That's all that matters."

"Thank you." Derek replied, he wanted to argue, to say that they should be angry at him for the things that he had said and done, but he knew there was no point. "I didn't mean any of it."

"We know." Isaac replied softly. "Your heart rate would always change whenever you were forced to say something nasty to us." He stated, surprising Derek.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Boyd confirmed. "It was kinda weird. Other than your heart rate, and the fact that we all know you, there was nothing to indicate that you didn't believe what you were saying." Derek was torn between frowning and smiling at that, but before he could decide, Boyd continued. "But we could tell, honestly I think it's one of the few things that kept us going." There were noises of agreement from his Pack as Derek processed the words.

"I wish I could take it all back, but I don't know how. I remember saying those things, doing things," He shuddered at the memories of himself and Jennifer, doing things he should have only ever done with Stiles. "But it was never really me. There was my wolf and a small echo of myself there, in the back of my mind, but I couldn't- I couldn't-" Arms tightened around him as the Pack, somehow, grew closer together. Derek knew that he didn't need to explain himself to them, that they all knew. Maybe not the specifics, but they knew enough to know that he wasn't to blame. He knew that he wasn't to blame, but Derek still felt guilty, and felt like he owed them an explanation. They deserved an explanation. "I tried, but I couldn't gain control. I know that this isn't my fault, I know that she is to blame, but I still feel the need to make up for it. I'm going to try, you can't convince me otherwise. So, I need to ask you all to allow me to make it up to you."

"You don't need to." Scott replied immediately. "But if it's what you need to help you move past this, then fine. As long as it doesn't include me getting my nails painted or anything, I'll accept it." There was a pause, before Derek let out a chuckle. That chuckle turned into a laugh, and soon, they were all laughing. It wasn't even over what Scott said, not completely. It was more the fact that with Derek back in his rightful place and mind, a weight had been lifted, and they could laugh again.

Nothing else was said after that for a while. About ten minutes later, the humans were getting tired of standing and were cramping up slightly from lack of movement, so they broke the group hug.

"So, what are we doing now?" Erica asked, not speaking to anyone in particular. "I mean, we still have Jennifer to take care of." She sent a cautious glance to Derek, who flinched at the woman's name.

"We won't have long until she figures out that her spell has worn off, if she doesn't already know." Derek told them quietly, but they all heard him easily. "But she won't try anything yet, she wants to take out the alpha Pack, so once she knows that the majority of them are in prison, she'll try to figure out a way to get to them and that'll take a few days at least." He commented, finding it easier to talk the more he went on, which relieved the Pack. "So, if you all want to, I was hoping that we could have a Pack night tonight, start repairing the bonds. Then tomorrow, continue our training?"

"That sounds perfect." Stiles smiled happily, and the rest of the Pack eagerly agreed to Derek's plan. They all knew that they should probably focus on Jennifer, on taking her down before she could make a move, but they also knew, even without Derek telling them, that she wouldn't make a move that night. She wasn't stupid and had to know that anything she may have planned to do that night would just anger the Pack, and likely result in her death at the hands of Derek.

Isaac, Erica, Lydia and Danny went to the kitchen to start making a meal for them all, Stiles offered to help but they insisted that he stay with Derek like they all knew he wanted to. So Stiles and the rest of the Pack accompanied Derek as he scent marked the house, finally making it smell completely like home again. As Isaac and Erica were setting the table, the adults of the Pack returned, along with the Sheriff. They all ate their meals as the Sheriff informed them of the details of his conversation with Kali, and it was a unanimous agreement to give her the benefit of the doubt. After the meal, the Argents and Peter left and the twins joined the Pack for a movie, before leaving too. The Pack relocated to Stiles and Derek's bedroom, and piled onto the huge bed.

"I've missed this." Derek told them softly, finding comfort in the scent of Pack, the ease of being home, finally after far too long apart.

"So have we." Jackson informed him quietly, trying not to wake Danny, who had fallen asleep the second he closed his eyes. "We tried it a couple of times while you were… away, but it just wasn't the same."

"Is it bad if I say I'm glad?" Derek asked cautiously. It's not that he was glad that they didn't enjoy those puppy piles as much, it was that he was happy that they preferred it with him there. It made him feel less… replaceable.

"Not at all." Lydia assured, a sleepy slur edging her voice. "If I missed out on a puppy pile, I'd want to know that I was missed."

"Of course you would be." Stiles chuckled, opting not to tell her about the puppy pile they had without her the night Kate died. "We're Pack, when one of us is missing, we all feel it, and things don't feel right until they're back."

"Yeah, just think about when Danny went away during the summer." Scott reminded them, before letting out a big yawn. Within minutes, he was asleep. Half an hour later, everyone except Stiles and Derek were asleep. The mates were curled together, Stiles had his head resting against Derek's chest, an arm tossed over his waist and a leg tossed over him (His other leg was being used as Cora's pillow.) and Derek had an arm wrapped around him protectively.

"Do you think we can get past this?" Derek asked in a tone so soft, Stiles barely heard him.

"Yeah. I have no doubt that we'll be okay. It might take a while, but we'll be okay." Stiles replied softly. "I believe that."

"Me too." Derek admitted, and there was a small pause before he spoke again. "What is it?"

"What's what?"

"The thing you want to ask me."

"I don't-"

"Stiles."

"Did you-" Stiles swallowed around the lump in his throat before asking. "Did you sleep with her?"

"No." Derek told him immediately. It was true, he hadn't, thankfully. It was bad enough that he'd kissed her, but if he'd done that, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

"Good," Stiles sighed in relief. "I'm glad you don't have to go through that again." He commented, surprising Derek. That's what Stiles was worried about? Not that Derek had slept with someone else, but that he'd done it against his will? Stiles had always been upset about what happened with Kate, Derek knew that, but somehow he didn't consider that Stiles was mainly upset about the Jennifer situation for the same reason. Derek went to say something, but stopped when he realised that Stiles had fallen asleep.

Derek sighed softly, and took a deep breath and listened to his Pack's overlapping heartbeats. He allowed his eyes to drift shut, and joined his Pack in a restful slumber.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day, the Pack decided to talk to Kali before training. They took the twins and Chris with them, for backup and further assessment of Kali's honesty, Along with Ennis' now that he had come to. Deucalion had been rendered unconscious to prevent him from influencing the others in any way.

Noah had just finished explaining Kali's offer to Ennis. "I'm in." Ennis agreed without hesitation. "This whole situation is a little too messy for me, if I continue to work with Deucalion, I'm just risking my own life for nothing. I'll join Kali in helping you with the Darach, then we'll leave."

"And you don't want anything?" Noah asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're not going to try to bargain for anything?"

"No, you saved my life, I owe you and I'm still asking for my freedom once this all over. You have every right to arrest me for the crimes I've committed here, as well as the others I've committed elsewhere. Yet, you're willing to let me, and Kali, go because you're an honorable man, Sheriff, so I'm not going to bargain. I'm not going to try and get anything else from you, I promise." Ennis looked Noah in the eyes the entire time he spoke, assuring the man of his honesty. Noah turned to look at the Pack and their associates, all of the wolves and Chris nodded at him, so he turned to look at Ennis again.

"Alright." Noah said as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. "But if anyone of us gets so much as a suspicion that you or Kali are planning to turn on us, the arrangement is off, and you are straight back in a cell beside Deucalion." Ennis nodded in agreement and Noah undid the specially made handcuffs. "You're free to leave the station now. Kali will be released within half an hour, then you and she need to be at the Hale property tonight at seven to discuss planning. Understood?"

"Understood. You won't regret this, Sheriff."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek hit the ground hard, letting out a pained noise as he did so. He looked up at Lydia in shock, who was turning towards Jackson, who was charging at her. She let out a scream and pushed her hands out, and Jackson went flying. Derek watched in awe as Lydia took down her Pack mates with ease, using a mix of fighting and her voice. She was using her voice as a weapon, something Derek didn't even know was possible. Soon, Lydia was the only one standing. "How did-" Derek began, but Lydia cut him off.

"Danny read about it." She told him with a grin. "It took me a few days to learn how to do it, but now that I've found my way, it's so easy, I can't believe I haven't been doing it forever."

Derek just nodded at her, unsure of how to respond.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Kali and Ennis arrived at the property at exactly seven and were surprised to find not one, but three houses there, along with a pool.

"This place is huge." Ennis commented as they walked up the drive. "Which house do you think it is?"

"This one." Ethan's voice called out from the porch of the largest house. The pair of Alpha's turned to see both of the twins standing on the porch watching the couple, clearly amused.

"This is the Pack house, the others belong to two of the Pack member's parents." Aiden explained, as he had been given permission to tell them that.

"You're just in time, dinner is just being served." Ethan said as he turned to walk into the house, confusing the couple.

"Dinner?" Kali asked in surprise as she and Ennis climbed the steps to the porch. "I thought this was a meeting to plan what we're going to do about Julia."

"It is." Aiden confirmed with a nod. "But no one wants to plan on an empty stomach."

"Come on." Ethan urged from inside the house. "Stiles made steak, it's his specialty."

"And his homemade curly fries are incredible." Aiden told them with a grin, before turning and walking into the house. The couple shared a look before following.

The inside of the house was just as impressive as the outside, if not more so. Kali closed the door behind her and followed the twins to the dining room, admiring the house as she did so.

"Alpha Kali, Alpha Ennis, we're glad you could make it." Melissa greeted with a smile. "I'm Melissa McCall, I'm Scott's mother."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ennis smiled genuinely. "Though I have heard your name before. You're the doctor who saved my life."

"Well, technically, I'm the nurse who helped." Melissa corrected with a soft smile. "I'm glad to see you're okay." Kali bowed her head to Melissa for a second, then looked her in the eyes whilst grabbing Ennis' hand.

"Thank you."

"There's really no need." Melissa assured her with a smile. "Now, please take a seat, dinner's ready."

An hour later they had all finished eating the wonderful meal, and relocated to the living room. Kali told them about how, when she was her Emissary, Julia/Jennifer liked to draw on Telluric currents for more power. As it turned out, Danny had been searching said currents for a school project, so he brought out his research to help them out. They discovered that the abduction and body dump sites all ran on Telluric currents.

"So, what does this mean, exactly?" Scott asked aloud. "I get that these enhance her power or whatever, but what's her endgame? She has to be building up to something!"

"The Nemeton." Chris stated and Deaton nodded in agreement.

"The what?"

"The Nemeton. It's a sacred meeting place consecrated by druids. Druids would pick the largest and oldest tree in the grove, which would become the centerpiece of their rituals. The tree represented the world. Legend has it that if any harm came to a Nemeton, the surrounding towns and villages would suffer misfortunes. The Nemeton contains powerful magic and is fueled by ritual sacrifices." Deaton explained, causing looks of horror to appear on some faces, and confusion on others.

"So, what you're saying is..." Stiles began, running a hand over his face in frustration before continuing. "Every time she kills someone, not only is she powering herself, but the Nemeton too?"

"Yes."

"And what happens then?" Jackson asked impatiently. "What happens when you... power up this Nemeton?"

"It's like a beacon," Chris stated, glaring at the map, as if it was to blame. "for supernatural creatures."

"It's how the area got its name." Deaton told them. "It was cut down a few years ago, but it didn't lose it's abilities. It's just out of power at the moment."

"Think of it like a battery." Chris took over from Deaton. "Each sacrifice adds a little more fuel to it, more energy, power. The more sacrifices she commits, and the more power the sacrifices had, the more power it gets."

"Once it's 'fully charged' it'll be able to become self-sufficient. It'll draw other creatures here, from all over. Pulling them in like a magnet. Their presence will not only provide the town with more supernatural energy, but more chaos as well. Creatures will want this land for themselves, and will challenge you all for it. Be it them, or you, who survives, there are more sacrifices, more energy it gains. It will never stop."

"So, as long as we keep her from committing any more sacrifices, it'll be fine?" Allison asked hopefully, but she knew that it was just wishful thinking.

"I'm afraid not." Deaton told her, earning several groans of annoyance. "She has killed six people, so far. That's a fair amount of energy. Enough to lure in creatures from nearby towns."

"And by luring them here, the Nemeton get's more power from their energy." Lydia sighed in realisation. "So, it's practically already self sufficient."

"Basically, yes."

"How can we… shut it down?" Derek asked through gritted teeth. "There has to be something we can do." Chris and Deaton shared a knowing look. "What is it?"

"You can't shut it down, but there is something you can do."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"That's a terrible idea!" Noah exclaimed, slamming his hands down on the table.

"Dad-" Stiles sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's the only thing we can do that doesn't end with a ton of people dying. This is our best option!"

"Stiles, you're seventeen years old, you can't-"

"Yes, I can and I will." Stiles cut in, frustrating his father further. "This is something that I have to do. I didn't tell you to ask for your permission, I told you so that I didn't have to lie to you."

"You really are your mother's son." Noah sighed, startling Stiles. "Once she set her mind to something, there was nothing I could do to stop her." Stiles smiled as his father so easily spoke of his mother in a way he never could before. "She'd have been so proud to see the brilliant young man you've become." Stiles felt tears form in his eyes as his dad wrapped him up in a hug.

"She'd be happy for you, too, dad. I think she's smiling down at us, glad that you're finding happiness again." Stiles told him softly.

"I think you're right." Noah smiled, pulling back to look at his son. "Come on, let's get this crazy plan of yours sorted."

"It's not that crazy." Stiles defended as they began to walk to the living room.

"Yes it is."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next night found Stiles and Derek alone in their bed for the first time in weeks. Derek wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, he was happy to finally be able to hold Stiles in his arms through the night, without anybody else there again, but on the other hand, he felt like he didn't deserve it. Stiles was so easily letting him in again, trusting and loving him like nothing had happened, and Derek felt like he shouldn't.

He felt like Stiles should be pushing him away, forcing him to work for that love, not just giving him it for nothing.

But here they were, lying in their bed, Stiles wrapped up in Derek's arms, just like they used to. The only difference was that Derek couldn't relax, and Stiles noticed.

Stiles twisted in his mate's arms until they were chest to chest. "Derek," Stiles sighed, looking Derek in the eyes.

"You should hate me."

"No, I shouldn't." Stiles replied immediately, causing Derek to sigh in frustration.

"Stiles." He sighed.

"Derek, listen to me, okay?" Stiles began and Derek nodded. "I'm not going to pretend that I'm okay with everything that happened, or that it doesn't hurt. And I'm not going to pretend that I'm not terrified that something like that might happen again. There's no point in lying, but what I can say, that is true, is that I don't blame you and I don't hold you responsible. Blaming you for this would be like blaming Lydia for bringing Peter back to life, or blaming Tammy for all of the people who were killed by the Kanima." Derek opened his mouth and went to protest, say that it was different, but Stiles wouldn't let him. "If you had the chance, would you go back and still spend those weeks with her?"

"No!" Derek immediately assured, eyes wide as he looked Stiles in the eyes.

"Exactly." Stiles stated, unfazed by Derek's frantic response. "It wasn't really you. That man, the one who told me he didn't love me wasn't you, wasn't my mate. He was a puppet wearing your face. That's not the man I love. The man I love, is the one lying here with me. The man who would do anything to protect me and our Pack. The man who would never intentionally hurt me, the man who is stubbornly determined to punish and blame himself for everything bad that happens around him, even when it's not his fault. I'm not going to let her come between us."

"How did I get so lucky to have you as my mate?" Derek smiled lovingly at Stiles, who was looking at him as he had hung the moon.

"I wouldn't call it luck, I mean, you've seen me in the mornings, right?" Derek chuckled and softly kissed Stiles for barely a second. The look of pure happiness on Stiles' face made Derek's heart melt.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Stiles gently placed a hand on Derek's cheek and gazed at his mate with pure adoration. He moved slowly, giving Derek plenty of opportunity to pull away if he wanted, leaning in until their lips met again, this time their kiss was far more passionate. The need to reaffirm their bond as Mates took over and soon enough they were making out heatedly and scrambling for each other's clothes.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

A few days later, one of Melissa's co-workers went missing. She was on her way into work, when she vanished, her car was found, still running, rolling down a road. Chris announced that Jennifer was now targeting Healers, causing them all to worry for Melissa's safety. The Pack took turns watching over her, which rather started to irritate the woman, but she put up with it.

Even when she'd wake up to find werewolves staring at her from the foot of her bed. Though, sometimes they weren't staring at her. One morning, Melissa awoke to find Scott, Allison and Isaac all sleeping on her bedroom floor. She watched in amusement as they argued over who had been on watch last, which ended with Isaac realising.

"I might have been on watch last."

The nurse tried to argue that she wasn't a doctor, but her son responded that healer didn't have to mean doctor. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to assuage worry with letting herself be 'protected' by the Pack, Melissa let them continue, hoping they'd eventually ease up. However, their protectiveness only grew with each day that passed, especially after another person went missing. Then, the Darach tried to take Deaton. She had covered the windows with insects, enveloping the room in darkness. Fortunately, as this happened, Chris and Derek were walking up to the building. They managed to get there in time to save Deaton, but in the distraction, she ran off, and later took someone else. Nine down, apparently out of fifteen. According to their research Philosophers and Guardians were to be the next targets.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The following Tuesday night, Derek and Tara cautiously entered the High School, both Deputies placed their hands over their weapons at the sight of an open door. They continued forward, quickly drawing their weapons when a bang sounded. They exchanged a look as they moved forward, quietly making their way through the building. They suddenly turned when footsteps sounded behind them, only relaxing at the sight of students rushing past.

"What are you guys doing here?" Tara all but demanded as she and Derek lowered their weapons.

"Practicing for our recital tomorrow." Danny explained, glancing between the pair curiously.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Derek sighed, with an unimpressed look on his face.

"I didn't think it was important." Danny shrugged. "Why? Is something wrong?" He asked as his eyes fell on their weapons at their sides. "There is something wrong, isn't there?"

"Someone made a nine-one-one call." Tara began, trying to express the importance of the situation. "All of you need to leave now."

"If you see anyone else, tell them the same thing." Derek continued, putting an edge of Alpha command in his voice, directed at Danny. Danny nodded in understanding, then led his fellow students out of the building.

"Dispatch, this is unit ten, do you copy?" Tara asked into the walkie-talkie, getting only static in response. "Dispatch, do you copy?" She asked again, and once more, got no response. So Derek tried through his walkie-talkie, and got the same response. Then, an odd chanting sounded through both of their speakers simultaneously. The chanting cut off with a sudden static, before a bang rang out behind them. They turned to see a pair of legs, seemingly being dragged, disappearing through a door. Derek moved in front of Tara, and began walking towards the door, Tara following closely behind him. They soon found themselves in the locker rooms. "This is Deputy Graeme-"

"And Deputy Hale-"

"Come out with your hands up!" Tara ordered, both she and Derek were on high alert. With no signs of someone corresponding with their demand, the pair continued forwards. "This is the Sheriff's department, come out now!"

They soon found themselves at the showers, and Derek noticed a body, slumped against the wall. He moved forward to get a better look, as Tara noticed it too. Soon, he was able to see the face- Tara's face. He quickly spun around, just in time to see the Darach try to strangle Tara. He roared, and the Darach looked at him, seemingly surprised, as if she hadn't known he was there. Taking advantage of her shock, Derek lunged forward.

As this played out, Lydia, Allison, Scott, and Stiles pulled up at the school. They had intended to go to the store to pick up some snacks and stationery for a study session. When Lydia changed course, no one questioned it, only mentally prepared themselves for trouble. "I'm sorry, but it's the same thing as before. I can't ignore it."

"It's okay Lydia." Stiles assured as he followed the redhead to the entrance. "We could save someone tonight, that means a lot more than a slightly later study session."

"Hey, isn't Danny here?" Scott asked suddenly with wide eyes. "The recital practice, it doesn't finish for another ten minutes, right?" His observation had them all moving faster.

The group rushed past the school's sign, and towards the main door, jumping in surprise when the door suddenly opened, then sighing in relief when they saw Danny and the rest of the music class walking out. "Derek's in there." Danny told them immediately. "He and Tara were responding to a nine-one-one call, and Derek said for everyone to get out."

"It's the same thing as the pool and the lake." Lydia told him, confusing their classmates, but causing a look of realisation to dawn on Danny's face.

"Well, I told you to leave, I wasn't told to make you." Danny smiled softly. "I'll make sure everyone else gets home alright, then I'll meet you at the House."

"Okay, just text us when you get in, okay?" Stiles half asked-half demanded, and Danny nodded. Soon, he and the other orchestra members were gone, and Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Allison were making their way through the school, the boys following Derek's scent. They soon found their Alpha and Tara in the boy's showers, arriving just in time to see Derek charge at the Darach, who was strangling Tara. The Darach simply flicked her wrist, and Derek flew backwards into the wall. The moment she laid eyes on the creature, Allison pulled her folding crossbow out of her bag, set it up, loaded it, aimed it at the Darach, then, as Derek hit the wall, she pulled the trigger. The Darach cried out and released her hold on the Garrote, allowing Tara to break free, then spin around and kick it in the gut. In a flurry of motion, the woman was gone.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day at school, the teenagers of the Pack were sitting in Jennifer's class, feeling quite smug over having Derek back and having saved Tara. Jennifer had been pretending everything was fine, but they could all see that she was irritated and frightened. All confidence from before had left with Derek.

"Idioms, analogies, metaphors, similes; All tools the writer uses to tell their stories." Jennifer called out in her usual friendly tone as she walked around the class. She paused when she reached Lydia's desk, looking down at the redhead's drawing. "Lydia, I wasn't aware you had so many hidden talents."

"You and every guy I've ever dated." Lydia commented, smiling sweetly at the woman. Jennifer seemed thrown by that response.

"Well, that was… an idiom… by the way." Lydia said nothing and looked away, returning her focus to her drawing. Jennifer shook her head slightly, then continued walking. "Idioms are something of a secret, to the people who know the language-" She announced, stopping next to Stiles' desk. "Or the culture." She glanced nervously between Scott and Stiles, both of whom were glaring at her.

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you." Cora muttered, causing Jennifer to look at the ground nervously.

"They're phrases that only make sense, if you know key words. For example saying 'Jump the gun' is meaningful, only if you know of the starting gun in a race. Or a phrase like; 'seeing the whole board.'"

"Chess." Stiles called out, not looking at the woman.

"That's right, Stiles." The teacher said in slight surprise, looking at him curiously. "Do you play?"

"Oh no, my father and boyfriend do." Her expression faltered for a second, but her fake smile quickly returned.

"Now, when does an idiom become a cliche?"

Scott turned to look at Stiles, once Jennifer had moved away. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Stiles assured with a soft smile. "It's just… She tried to kill Tara. I mean, how many times has she helped me with my math homework, when I've had to wait at the station for my dad?"

"Yeah, but she failed. Okay? Tara's fine."

"I know, but now a security guard is missing. My dad told me about it this morning, he was only 22, Scott." A knock sounded on the classroom door, and a second later, Morrell walked in.

"Excuse me." She began, meeting eyes with Jennifer, who shifted uncomfortably. "I need to speak with Stiles, please. Privately."

"Of course." Jennifer nodded, and looked to the boy, who was putting his notebook away. "Stiles." He just nodded to her, then stood, nodding slightly at his Pack, who returned the gesture, then he left the room.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was walking through the school grounds, looking for somewhere quiet to sit and think. He'd had a rather emotional session with Morrell, and needed to be alone for a while. As he walked, he noticed someone walking towards him. He went to turn and walk in the other direction, but then he noticed who it was, and, okay, maybe he didn't need to be completely alone. "Oh, thank god," He sighed, and rather than walking away, Stiles ran towards Derek, who stopped and waited to catch his mate, who all but jumped on him. They hugged for a few seconds, breathing in each other's scents, before Stiles pulled back slightly, so that he could kiss Derek.

The kiss was needy and passionate, and lasted several minutes, until the bell rang, and Stiles reluctantly pulled back. Sighing, Stiles closed his eyes and spoke. "Ugh, sometimes I want to rip that bell out and destroy it." Which caused Derek to chuckle.

"Why not just come home with me?" Derek asked softly, running his hands up and down Stiles' sides.

"What happened to 'your education is important, Stiles.' Huh?" Stiles asked teasingly, leaning closer to Derek, so that their lips were almost touching again.

"Hmm, I changed my mind." Derek grinned, closing the gap between them. They continued kissing softly, before Stiles phone began ringing. "She was so shy, til' I drove her wild. I make them good girls go bad-" Derek gave Stiles a curious look as the boy fished his phone out of his pocket.

"Hey Catwoman, what's up?" Stiles greeted, answering his mate's unspoken question.

"Where are you?" The blonde asked worriedly. "Miss Morrell said you left her office ten minutes ago!"

Derek chuckled, and leant forward to speak into the phone. "Sorry, Erica, it's my fault." There was a hum of understanding, and a distant chuckle through the phone, and they both knew that the girl was smirking.

"Okay, you're lucky it's free period, Stiles. But you can't ditch the rest of the day, we've got a pop quiz in Economics." Stiles sighed in annoyance, as it had completely slipped his mind.

"Alright, you guys start studying without me, I'll be there as soon as I can." Stiles hung up the phone and pocketed it, then buried his face in Derek's shoulder.

"So, you're not coming home with me?" Derek asked with a chuckle.

"I'm afraid not." He mumbled, the sound muffled by Derek's jacket. "I wish I could, though."

"Me too." Derek murmured with a kiss to the top of Stiles' head. "This is probably for the best though. Dad's home too."

"Ah, so you were willing to take me to a place where my dad was, when I'm not supposed to be there, and risk getting me grounded?"

"Well. when you put it like that..."

"Mm hmm." Stiles rolled his eyes and kissed Derek once more. "I'll see you after school." He promised softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." With one last chaste kiss, Stiles turned away from Derek and walked away with a smile on his face. Derek watched his mate go, smiling softly.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia walked down the otherwise empty corridor with Jackson and Danny as they made their way to the library. They had been idly chatting, when suddenly, Lydia froze. Jackson and Danny both turned to look at her when they noticed, and saw her bending down to pick up a piece of chalk. "Lydia?" Jackson asked cautiously, and the girl shushed him as she tilted her head slightly and the pair of boys realised that it was something Banshee related.

They watched her closely as she moved on autopilot into a classroom, walked to the board and wrote '2' in the symbol drawn on it. She stepped back, looked at it, then screamed.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison gathered her weapons, planning which ones to take with her that night. "It's just a recital." Isaac pointed out in amusement, form where he and Scott were perched on their bed.

"A recital organised by Jennifer Blake." Allison argued without looking at them. "I'm not taking any chances." Isaac chuckled as Scott shook his head at them, and laid back on the bed.

"You okay?" Isaac asked with a chuckle, as he looked down at his mate.

"M' tired." Scott mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. Isaac chuckled as Allison turned to watch them. Isaac grinned and moved, arranging himself so that he was hovering over Scott. "What're you doin'?"

"Waking you up." Isaac grinned, before pressing his lips to Scott's, the crooked jawed boy made a noise of surprise, but quickly got over it and returned the kiss eagerly. He wrapped his arms around Isaac's neck and pulled him in closer. Allison bit her lip as she watched them, feeling extremely tempted to join them.

They continued like this for a few minutes, before parting for air. "Well, that's definitely my favourite way to wake up." Scott told Isaac with a grin and Isaac just gave him a look. "Okay, second favourite." He amended. "Maybe if you did that when I'm actually asleep, I wouldn't mind waking up so much."

"I'll keep that in mind." Their lips met again, and across the room, Allison finally tore her eyes away from them and continued arranging her weapons. She started to put them in her bag, when Isaac broke the kiss to address her. "You could join us, y'know."

"And interrupt your time together? No, there's plenty of time for that later, you two carry on." She turned to give them a knowing smile and a heated look. "Besides, I've got to talk to Stiles and Lydia." She stated as she strutted over to their bed, smirking at the lustful looks she was receiving from her boys. "Now, if you both wouldn't mind, give me a kiss before I go?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, Mr Westover and the security guard, uh… Jason." Stiles began as he, Lydia and Allison looked over the evidence photos (Which they obtained completely legally, of course) in the library of the second basement. Though the collection was smaller than that of the main library upstairs, it was far older and in depth. This library only had three of its four walls covered in bookshelves, the fourth wall was covered with a giant cork board. All of the bookshelves were filled with the Hale Packs collection of accurate supernatural texts. The cork board was covered in crime scene photos, news clippings and articles relating to all the cases currently active in their town, along with strings to represent the various stages in the investigations, and connections between the cases. There was a large table in the center of the room, just next to the table was a portable transparent glass board, to which Stiles was sticking the photos. Lydia stood next to him with a marker in hand.

"With Jason and the attempt on Tara, I thought it might be Guardians, but Mr Westover suggests philosophers. Although, Tara used to be a teacher, so..." Stiles trailed off thoughtfully, Allison went to say something, only for someone to beat her to it.

"It's philosophers." Cora said confidently, as she walked into the room. "Apparently, Jason was a tutor, mainly for people with mental illnesses. Not just learning disorders, but people with depression, eating disorders, etc. He would help them get back on track with their work and get a handle on things. He had really low prices too, according to his mother, he'd lower the rates a little every time he got a new student. She said that he only charged to pay his way through college, once he'd found his right income to manage comfortably, he worked his prices around it, not wanting to take more than he needed from people." She informed them as she sat down at the large metal table, in the centre of the room. "He was a good person."

"And she killed him in cold blood." Lydia muttered angrily as she wrote the word 'Philosophers' above the photo's of the victims and intended victims. "All to further her power, so that she can attack a group that isn't even a group anymore, let alone a threat."

"We could hand the Alpha's to her on silver platters and she'd still kill to get more power." Allison said thoughtfully. "This isn't about revenge anymore, this is about showing them that she can beat them. This is about her showing them that she has power, enough power to kill them."

"I don't think we should worry about what she wants to do to them," Stiles jumped in, drawing confused looks to him. "We know what she wants now, she wants to commit sacrifices, gain power and kill the alpha's, but what then? What happens after that? When she has all this power, and the Nemeton is fully functional, what happens then?" Silence spread across the room as the four of the exchanged looks. None of them had a clue as to what she could want, and none of them really wanted to find out.

"At least we already have our own plan for the Nemeton." Lydia pointed out, trying to reassure them all, herself included. "And we know the kind of person she's after, teachers, educators. They're all going to be at the recital tonight. Sure, it's easier for her to get to one, but it's also easier for us to watch them all."

Cora nodded in agreement. "She's right. We can split into teams, organise ourselves around the school. Make sure we have eyes on her at all times. We can do this."

"You're right, you're both right." Stiles agreed with a nod. "Alright, Allison, gather weapons, Cora, Pack meeting in twenty minutes, tell the others. Lydia, come on, we're going to the training room. Tonight, you might have to use your voice."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"I can tie my own tie." Danny protested softly as Ethan worked on said item for him.

"Yeah, badly." He teased as he finished his work. "There, that's perfect." He said, then started to arrange Danny's hair. The Hawaiian looked around cautiously as Ethan pulled a tub out of his pocket, he then held up a breath mint. Rather than taking it, Danny opened his mouth and allowed Ethan to slip it through his lips. "Still nervous?"

"All good." Danny assured with a smile, which Ethan returned.

They continued to smile at each other for a few seconds, until Erica walked past, rolled her eyes at them and said "For the love of god, just kiss already." And lightly pushed Danny forward into the werewolf's arms. They looked at each other for a second, before giving in and allowing their lips to meet in a soft kiss for the first time since Ethan revealed his identity to Danny.

At the back of the room, Derek and Stiles stood side by side, "Finally." Stiles chuckled when he noticed the pair in front of the stage. Derek just glared. "Come on, they're clearly crazy for each other, and I really don't think Ethan will do anything to hurt Danny. If he does, you know I'll be the first one to kick his ass. Until then, just be civil, alright?" Derek sighed, but nodded and Stiles beamed at him. "Thank you."

Derek looked around the room, finding comfort in seeing his Pack and allies there. He had been hesitant about having the twins there, in case Jennifer tried to attack them, but he couldn't stop them, and knowing that they had his back was actually comforting. His eyes scanned the crowd, focusing on the potential victims.

Soon, the lights dimmed and the music started. It was fine at first. Then Lydia received a text from Jackson, who was positioned outside of the school with Boyd, watching to see if anyone arrives late or leaves early.

From: Jackson x (19:08)
Message: Need to see you right now! Life or death!

Lydia grew worried at the message and quickly turned to Scott, who was standing beside her. "Hey, Jackson just texted me, he needs me to go see him, I'll be right back."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Scott asked in concern, whilst digging out his own phone, to check for any messages.

"No, it's fine, I'm armed, I'll be okay." She assured with a smile, "I just needed you to know so that you can calm Derek if he freaks out when he sees that I'm not here." Scott nodded in agreement then Lydia smiled at him one last time before turning and making her way out of the room. Little did either of them know, just outside of the school, Jackson was frantically searching his pockets, looking for his missing phone.

Lydia made her way through the school, finding herself drawn to an empty classroom. Worried that it might be the next abduction site, Lydia entered, grabbing her gun as she did so. Back in the auditorium, Derek's eyes scanned the room, and his heart skipped a beat when he noticed that both Lydia and Jennifer were missing. "Where's Lydia?" He demanded, causing Stiles to snap into battle stance. Scott noticed and rushed over to them.

"Don't worry, she got a text from Jackson, asking her to meet him." He assured, and the pair relaxed for a second, until Stiles phone pinged. He read the text and his heart rate sped up in panic.

"Boyd just texted me, Jackson's phone is missing."

Back in the classroom, Lydia felt panic prickle under her skin when an odd chanting sounded. "You recognise it, don't you?" Jennifer asked as she emerged from the shadows, startling Lydia. The Banshee raised her gun, but with a flick of Jennifer's wrist, it flew out of her hand and smashed into her head, rendering her unconscious.

Noah, Scott, Stiles, Derek, Victoria and Cora rushed out of the school, meeting up with a panicked Jackson and Boyd. They quickly made a plan for who was going to search where and set off to find their missing friend. The remainder of the Pack reluctantly stayed in the auditorium, in case it was a diversion and to watch over Danny.

Allison stood beside Isaac and her father, on edge and wishing she was out there looking for her best friend. However, it was soon made apparent that something else was going on in the auditorium too. The band had changed from their soothing classical piece to the strange chant that had been heard on a recording a while back. Most of the people in the auditorium were confused, but those who knew of the supernatural became very worried.

In the classroom, Lydia soon came back to the land of consciousness, and immediately pressed her hand to her aching forehead, When she pulled her hand away, it was coated with blood. With a start she remembered what happened. Her vision focused and she finally noticed Jennifer knelt in front of her, preparing the Garrote. "What are you doing?" Was the first thing that came out when she opened her mouth.

"What's necessary." Jennifer replied easily. "I'm still surprised that none of you seem to get that. You call them sacrifices, but you're not… understanding the word." Jennifer stated as Lydia slowly managed to gain focus on her surroundings. As Jennifer rattled on about the meaning of the word 'sacrifice' Lydia mentally prepared her battle plan to get away. "-A necessary evil. And you don't know the alpha's like I do"

"It's not necessary." Lydia argued, looking the woman in the eyes. "The alpha Pack isn't a problem anymore, Deucalion is locked up, and the others aren't a threat anymore. "

"But they'll be others, people, monsters, who will go around killing people for power-"

"Like you're doing?" Lydia snapped, and Jennifer just smiled condescending at her, like Lydia was a child asking why the sky was blue.

"I'm doing this to protect people! So that I can fight back against threats." Jennifer told her confidently.

"No, that's what my Pack does, you're just a murderer."

"I thought you were smarter than this, Lydia." Jennifer sighed, as she stood up and walked around Lydia until she was standing behind her. "It doesn't matter though, you're not a sacrifice, you're just a girl who knows too much. Actually, a girl who knew too much." Lydia took a deep breath as Jennifer prepared the garrote. "One last Philosopher." She said and went to wrap the device around Lydia's throat. The redhead allowed her to do so and leant forward. Her research told her about things that could give extra power to a Banshee's scream, being close to death was one of them. She reminded herself of this as her body struggled, fighting for oxygen. When the whispers became screams and dizziness prickled at her, she threw herself back, loosening the wire around her neck, she quickly grabbed it before Jennifer could strangle her again. "Lydia, don't!"

She ignored the woman, took in a deep breath and let out a powerful scream. The windows in the classroom shattered, sending glass everywhere. All over the town, werewolves doubled over in pain and covered their ears, trying to block out the sound. When the scream faded off, the members of the Pack who were looking for her jumped into action, moving towards where the scream came from.

Back in the classroom, Jennifer let go of the device and walked so that she was in front of Lydia. "Unbelievable." She gasped, gazing at the glaring girl in awe. "The Wailing Woman. A Banshee, right before my eyes. You're just like me Lydia." The girl scoffed at that.

"I am nothing like you."

"But you are. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it." Lydia just kept glaring, making no attempt to escape. She had a plan now, and Jennifer was following it perfectly. "It's too late though." Jennifer stated as she pulled out a large knife.

"Yes it is." Lydia agreed. "For you." With that she raised her hands and screamed again, sending Jennifer flying through the classroom. When the woman stood again, blood was dripping from her ears. Lydia let out another screech, knocking the woman back onto the ground.

In the Auditorium, the Darach's chanting symphony continued playing. All of the band looked aggressive as they played. Then suddenly, it all stopped. A piano string had snapped and slashed open the pianist's throat. There were screams of horror as the crowd fled, the band members all looked horrified and confused.

Allison rushed to the front of the room to look at the body. Once she reached it, she noticed something in the blood. "Mistletoe."

Back in the classroom, Jennifer staggered to her feet once more, this time, holding Lydia's gun. She aimed it at the Banshee, who had taken on a battle stance, and was now wielding a throwing knife in either hand.

"Drop it!" A voice called out, and Jennifer looked to see the Sheriff aiming a gun at her. She smirked and quickly shot him in the shoulder. He dropped his gun and fell to the ground, but Jennifer wasn't in the clear yet, as was proven by the angry howl Stiles produced.

He charged at the Darach, who dropped the gun with a confident grin. He went to hit her, but she easily dodged it, but in the distraction, Lydia was able to get close and stab the woman in the shoulder. In the exact same place that Jennifer had shot Stilinski. "Nobody hurts my Pack." Lydia hissed in the woman's ear, before Stiles punched the brunette with all of his strength, rendering her unconscious. Lydia pulled her knife out, and allowed the woman to drop to the floor.

Stiles rushed over to his father and helped him up.

"Guess you didn't need us, huh?" Scott commented from the doorway, trying to lighten the atmosphere. The Sheriff chuckled as Stiles took his pain.

"I could use your help getting out of here." He stated softly, using the desks as support. "After I've rested a second." Stiles helped his father rest in the desk chair that Lydia had previously occupied. The aforementioned girl was currently pulling her first aid kit out of her bag as Jackson hovered by her protectively.

"Let me take a look, Sheriff. Of course, you have to go to the hospital, but we really should wrap it up now, to prevent anything from getting into the wound." She explained as she approached him. Jackson took over taking the man's pain as Stiles called Melissa. Victoria called Chris to find out how things were on their end, and Scott, Derek, Boyd and Cora prepared to move Jennifer.

However, as Cora stepped towards the woman, a wave of dizziness washed over her. "Cora?" Derek asked in concern, and it was the last thing she heard before collapsing.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day, Jennifer woke up in a metal cell in the sheriff's station. She smirked as she stood and looked around, the room was empty. She rolled her eyes at their carelessness. She walked confidently over to the cell door and flicked her wrist. Nothing happened. Okay, magic proof, that didn't matter. She gripped two of the bars tightly and began to pull. Once again, nothing happened. It was then that she noticed them, the tiny runes etched into the metal. She growled in frustration and suddenly, Derek marched into the room. She immediately put a scared expression on her face, it was a long shot, but she had to try. "Oh, Derek! Thank God, you have to help me! I don't know why I'm in here, they-"

"Save it." Derek growled, eyes glowing red. "Tell me how to save Cora." She dropped her facade immediately, and folded her arms over her chest.

"Let me out of here, and I will."

"No way. This isn't a negotiation. You have two choices. Save Cora, and spend the rest of your life in a nice, cozy prison, or spend every day being beaten until you save her. If she dies, it'll only be worse for you." Derek warned, voice low and dark as he glared at the woman. "I won't kill you, I won't give you the release of death, no. I'll show you how much it hurts to lose your Pack. Except, your pain will be physical. And to use Cora's analogy, losing Pack is like losing a limb. Will you be able to cover that with a glamour?" Jennifer glared at him as he raised a challenging eyebrow at her. When it was clear that he wasn't going to budge, Jennifer sighed before giving her answer.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles coughed, trying to push the smoke out of his lungs as he staggered through the building. There was fire everywhere, he could barely see, barely breathe, but he had to keep moving, he had to find his Pack. The flames licked at his skin, the burns faded within seconds at first, but were soon replaced by new ones. The further he walked, the more he was burnt, and the longer it took to heal. Stiles had lost track of how long he'd been walking through the burning building, trying to avoid being hit by falling foundation. Just the day before, the Pack had Jennifer and Deucalion held captive, they had powerful allies on their side and were close to finding a cure for Cora, and now…

Now Stiles was stumbling through a collapsing, burning building, looking for his Pack. Jennifer was free, and probably kidnapping someone at that very moment, no one knew what on earth happened to Deucalion, Cora was dying, with no hope in sight, Erica and Boyd were losing their minds in worry, and their town was in danger.

How the hell was Stiles going to fix this?

Notes:

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think!

Chapter 28: The Oncoming Storm

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The pack race to save Cora, they make a daring move, and new, and old, faces come to town.

The Hale Pack: The Oncoming Storm

Now Stiles was stumbling through a collapsing, burning building, looking for his pack. Jennifer was free, and probably kidnapping someone at that very moment, no one knew what the Hell happened to Deucalion, Cora was dying, with no hope in sight, Erica and Boyd were losing their minds in worry, and their town was in danger.

How the hell was Stiles going to fix this?

15 hours earlier

At the Hale house, Lydia and Natalie Martin were in Lydia's bedroom. After the events with Jennifer, Natalie didn't want her daughter out of her sight, but neither did the pack, so the woman had spent the night at the Hale House and was helping her daughter get ready for school. Lydia insisted on going back, and was able to convince her mother by reminding her that Jennifer wouldn't be there and her pack would.

The Martin duo sat in front of Lydia's vanity and Lydia was looking at the bruise on her neck in the mirror. Natalie noticed this and began searching for the concealer and foundation. "Okay sweetheart, this is not a problem. Having gotten my share of hickeys in high school, I developed some patented cover up methods." She assured and she opened a container, but Lydia reached out and stopped her. "If you don't want to go to school, honey, you don't have to." She assured, internally hoping that that was the case.

"That's not it." Lydia said quickly, unintentionally slashing her mum's hopes. "It's just… someone tried to strangle me, and I survived." Natalie couldn't help but smile at that, watching her daughter lift her head up high. "I don't need to hide that." Blinking back tears, Natalie ran a hand through Lydia's hair, turning her head and looking at the young woman directly, with pride.

"No. No you don't." She agreed, kissing her daughter's head. Lydia closed her eyes as she did, taking herself back to the times her mother would do that when she was a little girl. When she opened her eyes, Natalie spoke with a grin. "But we're still gonna do your hair, right?"

Lydia rolled her eyes at the asinine question, then spoke in a 'duh' tone. "Of course we're doing my hair." Her mother giggled at that, causing a genuine smile to appear on her face.

"Alright."

Twenty minutes later, the pair made their way downstairs and to the dining room, where the pack was serving up breakfast. They were all more solemn than usual, and missing a few members, but they put on smiles and tried to make the most of their day. They wouldn't be helping anyone by moping around.

Stiles smiled at them as they sat down. "Morning." He greeted them, and Natalie smiled at him as Lydia returned the greeting. "So, uh, Derek and my dad are at work, and Erica and Boyd will be going to the hospital to be with Cora, so we'll be changing up the travel methods." He told them all as they settled at the table. "I will be taking Allison, Lydia and Danny in the Jeep, and Scott, Jackson and Isaac can either go in a car, or take their bikes. Or one of you can come in the Jeep too, of course." The three quickly decided to take their motorbikes. "At school, we will still be going to classes in groups, but with some slight changes. After English, Scott and I will be accompanying Lydia to her math class, in Cora's place, before heading to our own math class. Afterwards, Danny and Jackson will walk her to art, where she will be with Allison and Isaac. Things are normal from there until fifth period, when Scott and Jackson will walk Danny to and from Music in place of Boyd. Is everyone okay with that?" There was a unanimous agreement from the pack. "Great, Mrs Ma- Natalie" He corrected himself when the woman gave him a pointed look. "Will you need a ride to and from work? There's room in the Jeep."

"No, I brought my car." She told him with a smile. "But thank you for the offer."

"Wait, didn't you start at seven?" Lydia asked suddenly, eyes wide in worry and she looked at the clock, which showed 7:15. Natalie chuckled and shook her head.

"That's right, I didn't mention it." She muttered to herself. "No, I'm starting a new job today." Lydia's eyebrows shot up quickly, looking at her mum in surprise, and slight annoyance that she wasn't told about it. "I'm taking over mr. Harris' chemistry class." She then looked to her daughter and said, "I haven't taught in a while and I want this to go well." She told her, then teasingly added. "So try not to embarrass me."

"If you don't want to be embarrassed, then you might want to change your shoes." She said sweetly, smiling innocently at her mother, causing her pack mates to chuckle. Natalie just gave her an unimpressed look. "Love you."

"So what's going to happen to us?" Erica asked suddenly. "During the eclipse, what will happen?"

The rest of the pack looked to Stiles and Lydia for the answer. Stiles quickly swallowed his food, then answered. "We'll all be powerless." He told them simply. "We derive our power from the moon, during this eclipse, it will be completely covered for fifteen minutes. During that time, we won't be able to access our wolves. We'll be completely human."

"Well, that's gonna suck." Jackson grumbled. "Especially if we need to fight."

"Wait a second." Boyd interrupted, "The eclipse, when it occurs, and Erica becomes human again, will she- will-" He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, trying to muster up his nerves. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again. "Will her epilepsy return?"

Lydia quickly shook his head. "No, that is completely gone. Removing your power doesn't undo what has been healed. The same goes for Scott's asthma." She assured, calming everyone. "However, it will remove Cora's enhanced healing." She told them solemnly.

"So…" Jackson tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "If we can't heal her before then…"

"Don't say it." Scott warned. "We will save Cora. We have to."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek sighed as he sat down at his desk. Jennifer was trying to get a deal. She was trying to convince them to take her to the hospital to save Cora, rather than bringing the girl to her. As much as Derek wanted to agree, it gave her a window of opportunity to escape. She may have set up escape routes just in case, contingency plans for if she got caught. Taking her to the hospital could mean taking her to where she needed to be to hatch her plan, so Derek had sent Chris in. Hopefully the hunter would be able to… persuade her to change her mind. Though Derek doubted that he'd be successful.

Danny, Stiles, Lydia, Victoria, Deaton and Morrell were all devoting their free time to searching for a way to help Cora, who was being cared for in the Supernatural ward of the hospital. Boyd and Erica weren't allowed to stay with her the night before, as the nurses were running tests all night, and Derek refused to let them stay at the hospital overnight. Now that they were allowed to see her, they were refusing to leave her side, so Noah pulled some strings to allow them to do their work outside of school.

The rest of the pack still had to go, but given the circumstances, none of them complained about it, just constantly asked for updates on their pack mate. Not that there was much to update them on.

A heavy hand clapped down on Derek's shoulder, startling the alpha, but it was only Noah, so he relaxed quickly. "We'll figure this out." The man assured him with a soft smile. "Cora's going to be fine." Derek nodded, forcing a weak smile onto his face, which his father-figure saw right through. "You don't have to pretend to be fine, Derek. You have every right to be worried and upset. You should go home." He insisted, not for the first time that day.

"No, I need to be here, at least whilst the others are at school." Derek protested firmly, looking Noah in the eyes. "If I'm alone, I'll over think things and that won't do anybody any good." The Sheriff nodded in understanding, knowing what that was like all too well.

"Alright son. I've got to go to my office and work on some paperwork, but don't hesitate to come and talk to me, about anything, okay?" His tone and expression left no room for arguments, so Derek nodded and agreed. Noah smiled at him once more, and squeezed his shoulder lightly before walking away.

Derek sighed again, then dove into research mode, looking for anything that could help save his sister's life.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the school, the pack went about their day, forcing themselves to get the school work done. Lydia was sitting beside Aiden in chemistry, and the wolf was trying to ask her about Jennifer. "She can't get out, right? She's done?" He demanded in a whisper, distracting Lydia from her notes.

"Yes." Lydia sighed in exasperation. "She's done, she won't accept it, but she's done."

"What do you mean 'She won't accept it' is she-"

"Mr Steiner." Natalie called out, cutting him off and causing the class to look at him. "Something you'd like to share with the class?" Aiden cleared his throat, trying to not let his embarrassment show on his face.

"No ma'am, sorry." She gave him a warning look before continuing her lesson and Aiden turned to whisper to Lydia again.

"I'll tell you everything later." Lydia promised in a voice so low that only wolves could hear her. "Now, let me focus."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At lunch, Derek went to the school and told the pack about Jennifer's 'offer' which she was still sticking to. He expected Stiles to protest or be annoyed at the woman, he didn't expect Stiles to just agree. "What? You seriously want to go through with this?" He asked incredulously, idly wondering if his mate had lost his mind.

"It's not that I want to, but this could be our only way to save Cora!" Stiles argued in a determined tone, shocking the rest of the pack. "I don't trust her to not try to escape, but we can't just let Cora die. I think we should have my dad, Chris and the twins take Jennifer to Cora, while you and I go with Deaton and Morrell to the Nemeton. Everyone one else will be spread around the hospital and Preserve, for if she manages to get away."

"You mean-?" Scott asked with wide eyes, looking terrified.

"Yes." Stiles confirmed confidently. "But we can't risk doing it before she saves Cora. The four of us will set up at the Nemeton and when we get the call from dad, either saying Jennifer escaped or that Cora is fine, we go through with the spell either way. Then it's all done. All of the power Jennifer took will be taken from her."

"And given to the Nemeton!" Derek reminded him with a hiss. "It will be fully powered by then!"

"It will be soon enough, anyway." Stiles pointed out calmly. "But with our plan, we can influence it."

"I'm not sure about this." Jackson admitted as he shook his head. "You talking about connecting yourselves to an old magical tree! Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?"

"It's the best plan we have." Lydia argued for Stiles. "If we allow Jennifer to do it, the Nemeton will be unstable, shooting out a constant signal of 'Hey Supernatural creatures! I'm here, come and find me' but if they do this, they can tell it to send all of its excess energy to the town itself. Send it to the lake, the tree's, everything. Not only that, but we will all be connected to it through our pack bonds. It'll further our own abilities, too. Even the humans, it'll make us all faster, stronger, more perceptive."

"It'll also mean we're protected." Stiles added, sending Lydia a grateful smile. "The Nemeton can hide itself, to protect it, when we connect to it, it'll see us as an extension of itself. So it'll protect us too, hide us, if necessary."

"I didn't know all of that." Derek admitted softly.

"We told you we would research it." Stiles reminded him softly.

"That you did." Derek smiled as he ran a hand through his hair. "So, I know where Stiles and Lydia stand, but what about the rest of you?"

"I'm in." Allison told him with a nod. "You say it will protect us, right? So, if Jennifer doesn't hold up her end of the deal, if she doesn't save Cora, maybe the Nemeton will do it for her." One by one the others agreed, some looking unsure, but deciding to trust their Pack Mates judgement.

"Alright then. I'll call Deaton."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night, a storm was raging as Jennifer was being taken to the hospital. The twins were gripping one of her arms each as they rode the elevator to the basement. Jennifer rolled her eyes as she looked around to see both Chris and Noah glaring at her and aiming their guns at her. "Why isn't Derek here?" She asked innocently, trying to get a rise out of them. "It's his sister, after all."

"He's busy." Was all Noah said as the elevator doors opened. Jennifer sighed and allowed them to lead her to Cora's room. The girl's mates were there, and Jennifer could practically feel the anger and hatred rolling off of them, all of it directed at her. She rolled her eyes once more.

"I'm not doing this because I have to, you know that right? I'm doing this because I want to. I don't want Cora to die." Jennifer told them as she walked to the hospital bed.

"Just help her." Boyd all but growled at the Darach, his eyes glowing against his will. The anger and fear pulsing through him had him on the edge of shifting, and he was barely hanging on. Jennifer nodded, then got to work.

Within minutes, Cora was visibly better and she soon opened her eyes. "Erica? Boyd?"

"Hey." Boyd greeted softly with a brilliant smile as Erica sobbed in pure happiness. "We're here. You're okay."

Jennifer smiled at the scene in front of her as Noah pulled out his phone. He tapped at the screen a couple of times before lifting the device to his ear. "Hey, she did it. Cora's fine." He said, then hung up. "Right, you." He pointed at Jennifer. "Let's go." They passed Melissa on the way out, who smiled at them, except Jennifer, before going to see Cora.

The five of them waited for the elevator to arrive in silence. The elevator dinged and as the doors began to open, she sprung into action. She sent an elbow into Aiden's gut at full force, causing him to lose his grip on her. She then flipped Ethan over her shoulder, turned and, in one swoop, kicked Noah and Chris' guns out of their hands. She then kicked Chris in the gut, sending him flying down the hallway. She grabbed Noah and turned to face the elevator again, just in time for the twins to finish merging. Sighing, she released Noah for a second as they growled and charged at her, but she dodged it, then wrapped an arm around their neck and pulled.

There was a sickening crack.

Erica and Boyd ran out into the hallway in time to see her drop the body. "What's that line Coach likes to say? The bigger they are…" She grinned before kicking the body hard, sending it hurtling through the corridor and crashing into the pair of wolves. Noah had tried to get away, but she grabbed him again before he could get too far and pulled him into the elevator.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

As this unfolded, Derek and Stiles were sat face to face on top of the Nemeton, gripping each other's hands. They each had their eyes closed as they fell into a kind of meditation. A state between awake and unconscious, allowing them to find a deeper part of themselves, hidden in their subconscious. Accessing this part meant opening themselves to a whole new spectrum of their abilities, allowed them to better communicate with their inner wolves, and also allowed them to let the Nemeton in. They felt the power of the Nemeton, the energy of the town and everyone in it, all of it was coursing through them. Around them, the chanting of Morrell and Deaton was drowned out by the rushing wind. The further into the spell they got, the more the weather picked up.

Rain hammered down against them, but the candles that the two druid's held stayed lit. Stiles lost all measurements of time as power of the Nemeton wrapped around them, shielding them from everything and everyone.

Lightning crackled in the sky, thunder clapped, and the sky opened, and Stiles and Derek were oblivious to all of it. The energy of the Nemeton reached out to them, and dug into them like roots. It then followed their energy to the rest of the pack and connected itself for them too.

Their energies linked, the Nemeton claiming the pack as a part of it. Protecting them as it would protect itself.

Across town, in an abandoned warehouse, with an unconscious Stilinski at her feet and Deucalion chained up in the corner, Jennifer felt the power leaving her. Everything she'd worked so hard to gain was being taken. Any previous connection she had to the telluric currents was gone.

At the Nemeton, the two druids had just finished chanting when a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, hitting the centre of the tree stump dead on.

The storm slowed to a stop.

The candles went out.

Stiles and Derek were lying on the tree stump, unconscious, and without pulses.

Morrell and Deaton rushed over to help them, and Jennifer screamed in anger as her glamour faded, revealing her true face.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the hospital, ten minutes later, Erica woke up in a hospital bed, her eyes glowing of their own accord. She pushed herself to her feat as Melissa walked in and tried to stop her. "Help the twins." She ordered Melissa as she pulled a hair tie from her wrist and pulled her blonde locks into a ponytail.

"What? They're-"

"They're alive." Boyd told her as he walked in, carrying them in his arms, his eyes were also glowing without his input. As if on cue the 'body' began to twitch. Boyd quickly placed them down on the bed Erica had previously occupied, just in time for Aiden to fall out of Ethan, returning them both to their own, separate bodies.

"We're going to get the sheriff." Erica told her confidently. "We know where he is."

"How?" Melissa asked in bewilderment and relief and the two shared a look.

"We can… feel him." Boyd explained the best he could, but it only confused Melissa further.

"Wh-"

"It's like we're connected to everything in the county, we know exactly where everyone is." Erica told the woman. "The spell worked, and we know where the Sheriff is." She then pointed to the twins again. "Now help them." Melissa nodded and rushed beside the boys whilst calling for help.

As she did this, Erica and Boyd went to Cora's room, to see the girl throwing up black blood. "Help!" Erica yelled over her shoulder. "Somebody help her!" She and Boyd rushed to Cora as nurses approached. "That bitch! I'm going to make her save you for real. I promise!"

"Go!" Cora ordered weakly, trying to push her mates away as the nurses gathered around. "Save the Sheriff, I'll be fine." The pair tried to protest, but the nurses pushed them back. "Go!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The entire pack except for the twins, Cora, and the parents arrived outside the warehouse at near enough the same time. "So it worked." Danny commented with a grin. All of the wolves had glowing eyes, unable to hide them away at that point in time. The power flowing through them made their wolves excitable and ready to come out and defend their land.

"Yeah, it did." Stiles smiled back in a hushed voice, glancing at the building warily.

"Not for Cora." Erica growled. "Jennifer didn't really heal her, when we were forced to leave, she was puking black blood!"

"We'll find something else, she'll be okay." Stiles promised with a determined look on his face. "We'll take down Jennifer, heal Cora and save my dad. I promise. Danny, could you get the Jeep and-"

"I'll be the getaway driver."

"Thank you." Stiles smiled gratefully, then Derek took over to give everyone else their tasks.

"Isaac, I need you to look for any back exits, if there are any, block them, if not return here and make sure everything is ready for a quick getaway. Scott, I need you to stick by Danny, keep him safe if necessary and when he takes Noah to the hospital, you need to wait in the SUV for when the rest of us come out. Erica, when we get in, I need you to grab Noah and get out, then leave with Danny, to protect them both. Lydia, Allison, I need the two of you to stay by the door, Allison, bring your bow, Lydia, warm up your voice. Peter, you stay with them at all times, protect them, make sure nothing gets to them. Boyd, Jackson, the two of you will take Deucalion. Stiles and I will help Ennis and Kali take care of Jennifer. Everyone okay with that?" The pack nodded.

"Where are Kali and Ennis?" Allison asked, just before she heard the quiet rumble of a distant car engine. "Nevermind."

Within thirty seconds, the couple were climbing out of their car and walking towards them. Stiles quickly told them their part in the plan and they agreed. "Remember, the eclipse will start in ten minutes and last for fifteen. During those fifteen minutes, all of us wolves will be powerless, so be careful." Stiles warned them firmly.

Isaac rushed off to search for any exits as the others waited and carefully listened out for any signs that Jennifer knew they were there. Less than a minute later, they were springing into action.

In the warehouse, Jennifer had sealed herself and Noah, who was unconscious and restrained, in a circle of mountain ash and was screaming angry words at Kali. Unfortunately, before she trapped herself, she had set Deucalion free and had restored Deucalion's sight, to show him what he had caused. Then, left the pack to deal with the demon wolf, whilst trying to convince Derek to help her still. "Derek, he's a monster, help me stop him!" She tried. "We're good together."

"There's no 'we', Jennifer." Derek growled, flashing his eyes at her. "That wasn't me, I'd never willingly choose you over my pack."

The scarred woman sighed, as if this was an inconvenience. "You know, Derek, I really thought you were different." She shook her head at him. "But I guess all alphas are the same."

Deucalion had shifted into his half werewolf/half wolf, alpha form. His Alpha form was vastly different to Peters, his skin being darker and almost leather like. He was also larger, Stiles could see why he was called the Demon Wolf. The blind alpha was attacking Jackson, Erica and Boyd. Ennis rushed to help whilst Allison and Lydia ran over to the Darach, flanked by Peter, to try to break the mountain ash barrier. As they grew closer, Jennifer lifted her arms. as she did, stones and rocks levitated off of the ground. The girls froze in shock, and Kali took a cautious step back. "You didn't think that I lost all of my power, did you?" The woman asked, her torn face twisting up in an odd, terrifying version of a smirk. She suddenly thrusted her hands forwards, pelting her enemies with the stones, most of them directed at Kali. Some of them though, hit the Huntress and the Banshee, sending them both diving to the ground and covering their heads.

Then, the eclipse started.

The wolves all fell to the ground as their power left them, some of them being forcefully turned back to humans. Jennifer used the distraction to escape the circle and grab Kali by the throat. "Look at me Kali!" She screamed in the alpha's face. "Look at what you've done!" The woman opened her eyes and looked at the woman. Truly looked at the remnants of the face of the woman she vowed to protect, the woman who used to be her closest friend.

"I should- I should have-" She began as she tried to pull in oxygen. Jennifer loosened her grip slightly, allowing the woman to speak. "I should have ripped your head off!" She yelled and Jennifer screamed in anger, squeezing Kali's throat tighter as her rage increased. But strangling wasn't satisfying her anger, or her pain, it wasn't enough. Jennifer began slamming Kali's head against the ground, hitting it repeatedly until the woman was bleeding.

Suddenly, hands landed on Jennifer's shoulders and she was roughly pulled off of Kali and tossed to the ground by Ennis. Even without werewolf strength, the man was still rather strong.

As this happened, Lydia broke the mountain ash circle and Erica rushed over to Noah and set him free. She helped the now conscious man to his feet, and after a moment's hesitation and a nod from Lydia, she half carried/half dragged him out of there and to the waiting vehicle.

Outside, Scott and Isaac were pacing frantically, desperately wanting to go inside and help their pack, but Derek had given them strict orders. They looked towards the warehouse at the sound of approaching footsteps. Erica looked tired as she supported Noah, so the two males rushed to help. Within thirty seconds, they had Noah in the back seat of the Jeep. "Thank you." Erica said gratefully. "Allison's fine, by the way, they all are."

"For now." Isaac muttered bitterly and Erica frowned at him. "Sorry, just get out of here, make sure the Sheriff is okay." Erica sighed but nodded. She exchanged good luck wishes with the pair before climbing into the Jeep and telling Danny to drive.

The two males rushed to get the other cars ready, slower than usual without their supernatural speed. Back in the warehouse, Jennifer was fighting Ennis aggressively as Boyd went to help Kali.

Stiles told Lydia and Allison to get back to the door, and sent Peter with them. He then told Boyd to get Kali out of there and to the hospital. Jackson was watching over Deucalion when they all got their powers back. Jackson looked down at his hands and flicked his fingers out, feeling satisfied when his claws were drawn. However, when he looked back at Deucalion, the alpha was swinging a fist at him. Jackson fell to the ground in pain when the hit landed, Stiles roared in anger and ran at Deucalion, only to be thrown across the room, and crashed into a pile of petrol canisters. Allison fired an arrow at the alpha, hitting him in the shoulder and causing him to stumble away from Jackson.

As this happened, Jennifer froze when a hand gripped her wrist, preventing her from hitting Ennis again. "Your fifteen minutes are up." Derek told Jennifer, releasing her wrist, right before Ennis threw her across the room. When she landed, the woman didn't hesitate to pull out a handful of mountain ash and encase herself in another circle.

She smirked as Derek, who had been running towards her, skidded to a stop. "You know, I don't need the sheriff here to kill him, Derek." She taunted. "Remember the recital?" the alpha growled, slamming his fist against the mountain ash barrier. "Your mate's dad is going to die, Derek, and there's nothing that you can do to stop me." Derek growled and pushed against the barrier with all of his strength. "Really?" She asked in disbelief, scoffing at him. "That's not going to work, you're not strong enough. Stilinski is going to die and it's all your fault. Maybe I won't get the Nemeton, but I can still gain power from him, enough to do what needs to be done."

"Derek." Stiles warned, as Derek pressed more force against the barrier. All fighting froze as everyone in the warehouse watched Derek do the impossible. Jennifer's smug expression dropped to a look of shock and panic as Derek's hand pierced through the shield. He glared at the woman with red eyes. They shone a brighter red as he forced his way through the barrier. There was a blinding flash of light as Derek broke through and destroyed the circle.

"Ho-how?" Jennifer gasped looking up at Derek in shock and fear. "How did you do that?" She demanded.

"I'm an Alpha, and I won't let anybody hurt my pack." He told her in a warning voice. "Whatever you had planned, forget it. Heal Cora and leave this town without harming anybody else. Or I'll kill you myself."

"Let me do the honors." Deucalion sneered, leaving Jackson in favour of approaching Jennifer, and before anybody could react, swiped at the woman.

Lydia screamed when Deucalion moved to tear the Darach's throat out. When she screamed, she forced the alpha away from the Darach, but also shattered the lights. This in turn, set off a spark, which ended up igniting a leaking petrol canister over in the corner, next to Stiles. Said canister was amongst a pile of canisters.

That's how the fire started.

The second Peter realised what was about to happen, he spun around and threw himself at Lydia and Allison, using himself as a kind of human shield for them. Derek did the same for Jackson, and Stiles threw himself as far away from the canisters as possible. The force of the explosion sent them all flying.

"Get out of here!" Derek ordered Jackson urgently once he was able to stand again. He looked around and saw Peter and Allison rush out of the warehouse, dragging a struggling Lydia away from the flames, she was yelling something, and though Derek couldn't hear her over the roaring flames, he knew she was calling Jackson's name. "Lydia needs you, go!"

"Bu-"

"Go!" He ordered again, this time putting in Alpha Command. "I'll be right behind you." He promised in a softer tone. The beta in front of him sent him a pained look before nodding then scurrying out. He stayed silent as he left, because anything he could have said would've sounded like a goodbye. "You too." He told Ennis. "Go, I'll find Deucalion and Jennifer."

"I'm not leaving you behind." Ennis stated firmly. "I made a promise to help you, I'm not breaking it."

"Then help me by making sure my pack is safe." Derek insisted before coughing, the smoke in the air had gotten into his lungs. "The longer we stay here talking, the more likely it is that Jennifer and Deucalion will get away, so go!" He flashed his eyes at the man instinctively, and surprisingly the man complied.

Ennis sighed in frustration before giving up the argument, and rushing outside to find Kali. Derek looked over to where Deucalion was previously, and the man was gone and Derek couldn't pick up his scent over the smell of smoke.

His mind flashed back to that night. Coming home with Laura to see the house on fire. They heard the dying screams of their family, their pack. They desperately tried to get to them, but couldn't get past the mountain ash. They couldn't save them.

Derek felt his chest tighten, but it had nothing to do with the smoke. He hadn't had a panic attack in years, but this one had him trapped in a vice-like grip.

Across the warehouse, Stiles coughed, trying to push the smoke out of his lungs as he staggered through the building. There was fire everywhere, he could barely see, barely breathe, but he had to keep moving, he had to find his pack. The flames licked at his skin, the burns faded within seconds at first, but were soon replaced by new ones.

The further he walked, the more he was burnt, and the longer it took to heal. Stiles had lost track of how long he'd been walking through the burning building, trying to avoid being hit by falling foundation. Just the day before, the pack had Jennifer and Deucalion held captive, they had powerful allies on their side and were close to finding a cure for Cora, and now…

Now Stiles was stumbling through a collapsing, burning building, looking for his pack. Jennifer was free, and probably kidnapping someone at that very moment, hoping to get her power back. Though, he couldn't sense her anywhere.

No one knew what on earth happened to Deucalion. Stiles had seen him get thrown by the force of the explosion, but he never got up, and he wasn't there anymore. When he briefly tapped into the town's energy, he couldn't find Deucalion or Jennifer anywhere. It was as if they just vanished.

Cora was dying, with no hope in sight, Erica and Boyd were losing their minds in worry while trying to focus on everything else as well, and their town was in danger. Yes, they now had the Nemeton, but Jennifer was relentless in her revenge, she could still hurt people, she threatened to kill his dad, after all.

How the hell was Stiles going to fix this?

He was searching for any of his pack, or their enemies, but he wasn't having much luck. He was about to give up and leave the warehouse, when he felt it. The all too familiar clutches of a panic attack, but it wasn't his. Mentally cursing, Stiles felt out for Derek and soon found him.

Derek was on the ground, desperately gasping for breath, and the flames that surrounded him were burning him mercilessly. "Derek!" Stiles called out, but the alpha didn't seem to hear him. He stepped forward, closer to his mate, but a beam fell down from the ceiling, blocking his path. "Derek!" He tried again, louder and more desperately.

Derek was trapped in his mind, remembering how it felt to have those pack bonds snap, one by one. To feel the people he loved die, disappear from the world, some before they had even had a chance to live. 'It should have been me' he thought in anguish.

Derek couldn't hear anything over the roaring fire. He could feel a constant tugging at his skin. Each time he was burnt his body desperately tried to heal itself, only to be burnt again. He felt another pain, as well, a pain that wasn't his own.

"Derek!" Stiles roared, putting all of the pack-mum and Mate command he could into it. They weren't as strong as an alpha's command, even when used together, but it was enough. With a start, Derek snapped back to reality.

"Stiles." Derek gasped, followed by a cough. He staggered to his feet and looked for a way to get to Stiles.

Working as one, the pair were able to get out of the burning warehouse. Once they were out, they gasped in clean air as their pack and allies surrounded them.

"Isaac took Kali and Ennis to the hospital." Scott told Derek, who was looking around frantically for the boy. "Erica, Boyd, Danny and the Sheriff are already there."

"Jennifer and Deucalion are gone." Derek coughed out, warning them.

"We know." Allison told him, her phone clutched in her hands. "I called my dad. He and the police are going to search for them whilst we all go get checked up at the hospital."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

They all arrived at the hospital a little over half an hour later. When they arrived at the supernatural ward, Melissa, Erica, Boyd and Danny rushed over to them. "I'm glad you're all alive. The twins are recovering well, do any of you need check ups?" Melissa asked hurriedly, looking them all over for any visible injuries.

"Stiles and Derek will need a little check, they inhaled a lot of smoke." Lydia informed the nurse quickly. "But the rest of us are fine. What about everyone else"

"Where's Cora?" Derek asked. "I want to see her, and Noah, Ethan and Aiden, before I get checked up."

Melissa smiled and nodded towards the girl's door. "She's in there, the boys are next door, Noah's across the hall, there." She pointed to each door in turn and Derek thanked her, then Erica and Boyd led the pack into Cora's room. When they walked in, they saw Cora tugging on her clothes.

"You're back, are you all okay?" She greeted them when she noticed them staring at her in awe.

"Cor, you should really li-" Derek tried with a relieved smile as he walked over to the brunette

"No." Cora cut her brother off with a glare. "I'm fine, I'm okay, I promise." She finished dressing and stood up. "The nurses think that my last wave of nausea was just my body getting rid of the poison. I'm fine now, so, you can either take me home with you when you go, or I'll walk there myself, but no matter what, I'm getting out of here today." Seeing that they wouldn't be able to change her mind, Derek sighed.

"Fine." His sister smirked triumphantly. "But if you even seem a little bit ill, we're dragging you straight back here."

"Deal." Cora readily agreed, doubting she'd fall ill again. "So how is everyone and when can we leave?"

"Well, we're all fine, though Derek and I need to get checked up first, as we inhaled a lot of smoke. Then we need to see the twins." Stiles informed her with a soft smile. "So an hour at most."

"Alright, I'll let the rest of you guys see the twins before me, as I was in there a few minutes ago." Cora told them as she picked up her jacket and tugged it on. "For now, I need to go talk to Melissa about my release forms."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Two days later the pack, including the twins who were no longer alpha's, were running through the preserve. It had started off as training but somehow turned into a race.

Ennis and Kali had left town the day before, as there was no sign of Jennifer or Deucalion anywhere. Though the couple promised to return in either of them did show up.

The twins had woken up just before the pair left, meaning they were able to say goodbye in person. They all may have had their differences, a lot of them, but close or not, they had been a part of the same Pack, and had spent a lot of time traveling together. There was some form of bond there, even if it wasn't that strong, so it didn't feel right to just leave without a real goodbye.

It was shortly after the Alpha's left, that the twins realised something was different, and they quickly discovered that they weren't alpha's anymore, but somehow, neither of them were too upset about it. Jackson found an odd serenity in the knowledge that the twins had blue eyes when shifted now, he thought he should be uncomfortable with the fact that they had killed, but he didn't. It made him feel less like the odd one out. Sure, Derek used to have blue eyes, but he's an alpha now, and that's not the same. Peter also had blue eyes, but he wasn't fully pack yet, in Jackson's eyes, not after what he did to Lydia. So, it was nice to have pack members with the same eye's as him. Yes, pack. The twins, upon waking, found that their connections to the pack were a lot stronger. It wasn't just an ally connection anymore, it was the beginning of complete pack bonds. They were further along than Peter's, but not as strong as Victoria's yet.

Deaton theorised that they lost their alpha status due to the amount of energy their bodies used to repair their broken necks. He also suggested that the reason their bonds to the pack were strengthened was because the pack now completely trusted them, after they'd basically given their lives for them. Though, personally, Aiden disagreed. He thought that it may have been because, despite truly wanting to be a part of the pack, his own alpha instinct made him partially want to lead it, and if he felt that, the other's probably worried that he would do it, and that there would be a power struggle. Now that his alpha ability was gone, there was less resistance between them, allowing them to form those bonds. The twins were invited to live with the pack that night.

There was a discussion about what happened to Derek in the warehouse. His eyes still glowed brighter than before and he was stronger, faster, improved in every way, and it was from more than just the Nemeton. "It's called a true alpha." Deaton explained. "It's extremely rare and the only prior recorded cases included an omega or a beta rising to the status through sheer force of will. In this case, however, it seems that your determination to save your pack, brought out the true alpha within." The majority of the pack were surprised to find out about true alpha's, but none of them were really surprised that Derek was one.

The next day, with everyone healed and energised, Derek took the pack out for training. The twins found that they worked a lot better alongside the pack, now that the bonds were stronger. They did work well together before, but this was… different, better.

After they got all of the combat and weapons training out of the way, they took off on a run, which turned into a game. They had all thought that they were taking their regular route, and allowed their bodies to lead the way. Which is how they soon found themselves at the Nemeton, looking down at Jennifer and Deucalion's bodies.

"The level of decomposition suggests that they have been dead for days." Lydia pointed out knowingly as she inspected the bodies.

"That must be why we couldn't sense them." Jackson suggested with a shrug.

"There's no visible cause of death from this angle." Scott added, lately, he'd seen his fair share of dead bodies, so his mum taught him a few things about looking for injuries and clues without disturbing the body, or, in some cases, the crime scene. "No bruising or open wounds. It's like they just dropped dead."

"No." Derek shook his head knowingly, and the pack turned to look at him. "They were killed." He told them, nudging his head to indicate the Nemeton. "They were a threat to us, and by extension, the Nemeton. This is it's way of eliminating the threat." Derek informed them, causing worried looks to appear on some faces.

"Don't worry." Stiles assured quickly, trying to calm them all. "It won't just kill anyone who isn't on our side, nor will it kill every threat. When we were researching the ritual, I read about this sort of thing. The reason the Nemeton killed, well, 'sacrificed' them was for multiple reasons. 1) It had just gained a new part of itself, a powerful part that contains a whole lot of supernatural energy, and it'll want to keep us safe, as it benefits from us. 2) When the explosion took place, I believe that the Nemeton wanted to make sure that no one would stand in our way of getting out of there, so it brought them here to keep them from stopping us from getting out. And 3) Even though the Nemeton has us now, it doesn't get all of our power like it would from a sacrifice. No, they weren't guardians in the way we interpreted it, but both of them guarded themselves, protected themselves. It didn't need all three sacrifices, but it did need more than it can safely take from us. So, it makes sense that it killed them, as it benefits the Nemeton in multiple ways." Stiles theorised with a shrug. "That's my theory, at least."

"What do you think, Lyd?" Jackson asked, not that he doubted Stiles' theory, but it's always a good idea to look into multiple perspectives from different people who know a lot about the subject at hand. Unfortunately, Lydia was distracted. "Lydia?"

"There's something else." She announced as she walked around the stump. "Something it wants us to see."

"Could it be this?" Erica called out as she looked down at something. A hatch.

Derek took the lead from there, stepping in front of the blonde to open the hatch. He then led the pack down the steps into a root cellar. Derek gasped as he realised where he was, his heart racing in his chest.

"Derek?" Stiles asked in concern, placing a hand on Derek's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"This place, it's- Paige, it's where I…" He faded off, and the pack members who knew the story, looked sympathetic for him. Stiles didn't say anything, just gave Derek a soft, comforting kiss. After a second, they pulled apart and Derek looked to Cora, Ethan and Aiden. "I'll tell the three of you about it later." He promised them.

"I've seen this place before." Lydia spoke in a dazed voice, Looking around, running her hands over some of the roots before pulling her backpack off.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked in concern as the girl unzipped her bag. Lydia said nothing as she searched through her belongings. She bypassed the water bottle and snacks, instead, pulling out the notebook she had brought to keep herself entertained during their rest breaks. She flicked through the pages, until she landed on a drawing of a tree. Except, it wasn't a tree. She turned the notebook upside down, walking around until she found the right angle.

When she found it, she held the notebook up again. The roots of the Nemeton were a perfect match to Lydia's drawing. "Didn't Jennifer see you drawing that in class?" Danny pointed out, then his eyes widened in realisation as Lydia nodded. "Of course! She was surprised when she realised you're a Banshee! What was it she called you before that? A girl who...?"

"A girl who knew too much." Lydia recounted in a shocked whisper. "She recognised the root cellar I was drawing, that's why she wanted me dead." She realised, subconsciously lifting a hand to the -now yellowish- bruise on her throat. Within seconds, Jackson had an arm wrapped around her. "I'm fine, Jacks." She assured him with a soft smile, but leant into his embrace anyway. "Can we just get out of here, please?"

They quickly climbed out of the cellar, and stood around the Nemeton again. "What do we do about them?" Aiden asked, gesturing to the bodies.

"We call it in." Derek said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Then we go home. We'll finish training in the basement."

"The basement?" Ethan asked with a perplexed look on his face, which his brother was unintentionally mimicking. Danny smirked as he placed a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"There are a few parts of the house that you haven't seen yet."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Aiden was lying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a soft smile.

His thoughts were quiet for once. He wasn't worrying. He wasn't scheming. He wasn't angry, or upset, or on edge. He was calm. For the first time in his life, he felt completely, and utterly at peace. Today, he and Ethan had spent the entire day with their pack, and the bonds were even stronger than before. The pack had shown them the tunnels and second basement. It surprised Aiden how right it felt. They had been officially part of the pack for barely two days, and it already felt right, like this was where they belonged.

He had been a part of two other packs, each for longer than he'd known the Hale Pack, yet nothing ever compared to this. Maybe it was because of how they treated him, and his brother. Despite all of the horrible things he'd done, some of which he'd done to them, they were willing to give him a second chance. They let him prove himself, they forgave him and accepted him as one of their own. They didn't care that he was damaged, because they all were, in some form or another.

They all had their regrets, their dark sides, but they accepted each other anyway. They saw past the bad and reached out for the good. Sure, some of them were more willing to forgive than others, but none of them were completely shut off to letting people in. Not anymore.

There was a gentle tap on the door, before it was slowly pushed open, bringing Aiden back to reality and Ethan poked his head in. "Hey." Aiden greeted quietly as he sat up. "What's up?"

"We've been invited to join a puppy pile in Stiles and Derek's room." Ethan told him with an excited smile.

"A what?" Aiden blinked as Ethan rushed forward and began dragging him out of bed.

"Come on!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The nightmares started a few weeks later. Derek was drawn from his sleep by the sound of Stiles' racing heart and terrified whispers. "No, no, no, no," He whispered over and over again, as Derek sat up and looked at him in concern. "Don't let them in."

"Stiles." Derek tried as his mate rolled around. Sweat dripped from Stiles' forehead, and his head thrashed from side to side as he kept whispering.

Stiles felt light beaming across his face in streaks, he opened his eyes to find that he wasn't in his bed. He was in a locker, at the school. He tried to push it open, but it didn't budge, panic prickled under his skin as he slammed his hand against it repeatedly.

Stiles allowed his wolf to slip through, putting in all of his strength into the next hit. The door swung open and Stiles stumbled out. He looked around at the familiar locker room in confusion.

He left the locker room and walked through the school cautiously, finding himself drawn to an open classroom door. He slowly crept into the room, as his heart was beating rapidly in his chest, his breath hitched at the sight before him.

The Nemeton.

The tree stump sat in the center of the room, as if it had always been there. It pulled Stiles in like a magnet, and he couldn't resist reaching out for it. Before he could, however, thick vines shot up from the tree, and wrapped around Stiles' wrist, holding him captive.

Stiles shot up in bed, gasping for breath. Derek immediately sat up next to him and began running a hand over Stiles' arms. "Are you okay?" Derek asked worriedly, looking at Stiles in concern. "Stiles?"

Stiles took a few breaths, forcing himself to calm down, before answering. "Yeah, I was just dreaming." He assured his mate, "It was weird, it was like a dream within a dream."

"A nightmare?" Derek asked with a frown, setting his other hand on Stiles' knee.

"Yeah." Stiles sighed, placing his hand on top of Derek's own, running his thumb over Derek's knuckles. Stiles looked up and sent Derek a soft reassuring smile, but it quickly faded when he noticed the posters on the wall. They didn't have posters on their bedroom walls. And their bed was supposed to be in the centre of the room, not at the side. With a start, Stiles realised where they were: in his old bed, at his old house.

He looked back to Derek, who was smiling at him, in a way that just didn't seem like Derek. "Wait a second, Derek. What are we doing here?" Before he could answer, a creaking sound flooded the room as the door slowly opened, by itself. "Hang on." He whispered as he moved to get off of the bed, but Derek grabbed his arm.

"Stiles, where are you going?"

"I should close the door." Stiles said, and Derek wrapped an arm around him.

"Just go back to sleep." Derek tried to pull Stiles back but the lanky boy pushed forward.

"No, no, I should close it."

"Don't worry about it."

"What if someone comes in?" Stiles asked as he finally stood up from the bed and walked towards the door.

"Like who?" Derek asked as Stiles walked forward. "Just come back to bed, Stiles."

"No, what if they get in?" Stiles whispered, feeling terrified suddenly. He didn't know what he was afraid of, who he was worried about 'getting in' he just knew that he needed to close the door.

Behind him, Derek was desperately yelling for him to stop, and come back to bed. Cautiously, Stiles wrapped a hand around the door handle, but instead of closing it, he pulled the door open. Ignoring Derek's yelling, he stepped through.

He was in the preserve, looking out at the Nemeton. Bright lights turned on with a buzz around him, reminding Stiles of the lights on the Lacrosse field.

Lacrosse. These lights are from the Lacrosse field. They don't belong here. His old bedroom door didn't lead here.

This wasn't real, he realised. "Okay," He said aloud to himself. "This is just a dream. Okay, just a dream, so get it out of your head Stiles. You're dreaming! Alright, so wake up Stiles! Wake up Stiles!" He hit his head, trying to force himself back to reality. "Wake up!" He screamed and the next thing he knew, he was waking up in his and Derek's bed, with his mate gently shaking him awake.

"Hey," Derek smiled softly as stiles blinked up at him in confusion. "You need to get up for school."

An hour later, Stiles recounted the dream to his pack as they made their way through the school yard. "And you couldn't wake up?" Scott asked in shock and concern.

"No, and it was beyond terrifying." Stiles sighed, running a hand over his hair.

"It sounds like sleep paralysis." Lydia commented with a concerned frown and Stiles nodded in agreement.

"That's what I thought too."

"And what is this 'sleep paralysis'?" Aiden asked.

"Well, have you ever had a dream where you feel like you're about to wake up, but you can't move or talk?" Stiles asked and multiple pack members nodded.

"Yeah, I've had that." Jackson confirmed to move the conversation along.

"It happens because during REM sleep, your body is basically paralysed." Lydia took over the explanation. "It's called muscle atonia, which is a loss of muscle tone." She explained easily, but with the more she recounted, the more concerned she became for Stiles. "It prevents motor movements, that way, if you dream about running, you don't actually start running in your bed."

"That makes sense." Scott shrugged, not fully getting what they were trying to say.

"Yeah, but sometimes your mind can wake up before your body does." Stiles explained, and Scott started to catch on. "So for that split second, you're actually aware that your body is paralysed."

"And that's the terrifying part." Scott realised with a nod.

"It turns your dream into a nightmare. You can feel like you're falling,"

"or you're being strangled-" Lydia gave her example, unintentionally gesturing to her, now healed, throat.

"Or in my case, like in the centre of a grove of magical trees where human sacrifices were committed."

"Do you think that means something?" Boyd asked as they walked into the school, frowning at Stiles.

"What if what Derek and I did that night is affecting me?"

"It did say that the ritual could 'unlock something in you'. Maybe that has something to do with it?" Lydia suggested, covering her concern with a mask of intrigue, as if she was trying to convince herself to see it as a science project.

"Then why wouldn't we be affected too?" Cora asked with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, it connected all of us to it."

"It did, but they were the ones who went through the ritual." Lydia explained, pausing with a thoughtful look for a second, then continued. "They were the ones who created the conduit between the Nemeton and us. They had all of the energy surging through them as the Nemeton was finding us. Now that it has 'rooted' to us, it doesn't need to pass through them anymore, but theirs are still the stronger, and technically older, bonds because of all the energy it took to establish the roots. A bond being forced open like that can cause you some damage." She paused again, trying to think of anything else she had learnt, before deciding she was done, and nodded to symbolise this to the pack.

"What, like PTSD?" Scott asked as they walked into the English class, thankfully Jennifer free.

"Something." Stiles mumbled as they all approached their desks and sat down. "You wanna know what scares me the most?" Stiles asked as they all settled, he waited until they were all looking at him. "I'm not even sure this is real."

Stiles shot up in bed screaming. Arms wrapped around him, and his bedroom door shot open.

He kept screaming until he heard two familiar, comforting voices in his ears, telling him it's okay.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next morning, Derek was sorting out his things for work, as he worried for Stiles. He picked up his bag and turned to leave the room and find Stiles. As he reached out for the door handle, he noticed his shadow. More specifically, the claws on his shadow. He looked down to his hand, only to find it completely human. He looked back to his shadow, and the claws were still there. Keeping his eyes on the shadow, he closed his fist, and the shadow did the same. When he felt no claws, he opened his hand again, and the shadow finally matched his physical appearance.

Derek shook his head, and finally opened the door, revealing Stiles about to do the same, the Sheriff behind him. "Morning." Stiles greeted as he walked in, and headed to where his bag sat, in the corner. Derek and Noah exchanged a look as Stiles went about packing his bag, like nothing had happened the night before.

They noticed as Stiles became apparently fixated on one of his books, and ran his fingers over the title.

"Hey." Noah called out to draw Stiles out of his musings. "You alright?" He asked when Stiles turned to face him. Rather than answering, Stiles looked at the book again, and Derek could feel his relief and confusion. "You ready for school?"

"Yeah." Stiles nodded, putting the book in his bag. He zipped it and slung it over his shoulder as he turned to them. "Yeah." He said again, nodding as he walked towards them. "Yeah, I'm good." The two older males gave him unconvinced looks. "Seriously, I'm fine, it was just a nightmare." He assured before his eyes fell on the box in his father's hands. He pointed to it and asked; "What's that?"

"Oh, it's just a few files from the office." Noah explained with a shrug.

"It says 'Sheriff's Station: Do not remove'."

"Well, yeah, unless you're the Sheriff." He told his son in amusement.

"Alright." Stiles jokingly raised his hands in defence.

"Get your butt to school. Alright?" He half ordered his son. "Derek, meet me in my office when you get to the station, I need to show you something." He then left the room, leaving the couple alone.

Stiles had noticed Derek's elevated heart rate as he made his way to their room and knew something was up. He quickly finished packing his bag, slung it over his shoulder and turned to face Derek.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Derek looked behind him at this shadow, seeing a fully wolfed out silhouette. He turned back to Stiles, who glanced at his shadow and didn't react in any way other than confusion.

"Yeah." He nodded in response to Stiles' question, but his mate saw right through it.

"Well you don't look alright, Der." Stiles told him with a frown. "It's happening to you too, isn't it? You're seeing things, aren't you?" Derek nodded. "Okay, I don't know if I should feel relieved or even more terrified."

"I'd recommend a healthy amount of concern." Derek stated as he wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist. He tugged the lanky boy closer, until they were chest to chest and their noses were touching.

"Since when have I ever done something the 'healthy way'?" Stiles countered with a raised eyebrow.

"Fair point." Derek agreed with a weak smile. "But we'll figure this out."

"Since when were you such an optimist?" Stiles teased with a grin.

"I've been spending too much time with Scott, Allison and Danny."

"Excuse you?" Stiles gasped in mock outrage. "Why would you spend time with those losers, when you could be spending time with me?"

"You do remember that these are your best friends and pack mates that we're talking about, right?"

"They'll get over it."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek ran through the doors of the police station frantically, freezing when he noticed where he was. He looked to the door again, and confirmed that he was definitely in the station.

But, he was just at the morgue, right? He just saw…

He saw Laura, but not exactly Laura.

"Hey man," A voice pulled Derek from his thoughts, and he turned to see the new recruit, Parrish, looking at him in concern. "You okay?"

Derek nodded quickly. "I'm okay." The other Deputy didn't seem convinced, and pointedly glanced down. Derek looked at his hands to see his claws on full display. He looked back up and found that the deputy seemed only slightly surprised. "Sorry. You've been filled in on this?" He asked for confirmation, as he withdrew his claws.

"Yeah, yesterday. I could tell it wasn't a joke, but up until just now I didn't fully believe it."

"Yeah, that's the general reaction around here, that and disbelief and fear." Derek told him with a soft smile. "But you're doing well."

"Thanks." Parrish smiled gratefully.

"Derek!" Noah's voice sounded and both Deputies looked to see the Sheriff leaning out of his offices."When you've got a minute, I could use your help."

"Yeah, I'll be right there." Derek called back, then returned his attention to Parrish, "Well, it was nice to meet you, but-"

"Yeah, of course. It was good to meet you too, Derek, right?"

"Yeah, Derek Hale."

"Jordan Parrish." The two males shook hands before Derek made his way to Noah.

In Noah's office a few minutes later, he and Derek were looking through old cases, specifically, old cases with connections, or possible connections, to the supernatural.

"I should have done this when I found out about all of the stuff." Noah commented out loud as he pinned a picture of a young girl next to an old calendar, with the full moon circled on it. "But I was so caught up in everything that I didn't even consider it." Derek could sense that the sheriff was annoyed with himself, so tried to ease the self-guilt.

"You're doing something now, that's what matters." Derek assured him "You're trying to do the right thing, which is more than a lot of other people can say." He told him whilst reading the name on the picture. "Malia Tate?"

"Eight years ago, I was elected Sheriff of County, my first official duty was to tell a man that not only had his wife and two kids died in a car accident, but, as best we could tell, the body of his eight year old daughter had been dragged from the wreck by coyotes." The sheriff recounted. "We didn't find the car until three days after the crash. They had driven off the road into a pretty deep ravine. Two bodies that were still in the car were covered in bites and slashes."

"Werewolves?" Derek asked and nodded to the full moon marked on the calendar. "But coyotes scavenge, right? So, couldn't they have just left the bites and the slashes?" He suggested with a shrug.

"Maybe, but my gut tells me otherwise." Noah told him with a sigh. "From the beginning, something about that case felt wrong, but I didn't know about all of this back then. I didn't think of anything but 'Car accident' and 'Coyotes' but now…"

Derek nodded, and clapped a hand on the older man's shoulder. "So, where do we start?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Well, well, look who's no longer the crazy one." Lydia couldn't contain her teasing smile as she walked in front of her pack mates as they entered the school.

"We're not crazy." Stiles defended with a sigh, causing Lydia to stop and turn to face him.

"Hallucinations, sleep paralysis, yeah, you and Derek are fine." She said sarcastically, irritating Stiles.

"You guys did go through that whole ritual and got struck by lightning." Scott pointed out cautiously. "That's got to have some side effects, right?"

"Plus, you were technically dead for like, two minutes." Jackson added, gritting his teeth at the thought. "I'm pretty sure resurrection isn't something you just get over in a few weeks."

"We can all keep an eye on the two of you." Ethan suggested after slight hesitation, still not quite used to being part of the pack and therefore, unsure if his input was welcome. "If we notice that you're getting worse, we can try to do something. If not, maybe it'll fade away with time?"

Stiles nodded in agreement, sending him a grateful smile. "That's a good idea, thank you." Ethan preened as the bell rang. "Alright, come on, we've got class." He half ordered as he began walking again. "And Lydia, stop enjoying this so much."

"What?" She asked innocently with a smile.

A few minutes later, Scott, Stiles, Cora, and Erica were in History class, looking up at their new teacher.

"Good morning everyone." The man greeted. "My name is Mr. Yukimura and I'll be taking over from your previous history teacher." He informed them with a smile. "My family and I moved here three weeks ago, I'm sure by now you all know my daughter, Kira, or you might not, as she's never actually mentioned anyone from school, or brought home a friend, for that matter." He said casually, and at the back of the room, a girl sighed and hit her head against her desk, drawing attention to herself. "Either way, there she is." He grinned, pointing at her, and Erica realised that had she not drawn the attention herself, her father would have done it for her.

Kira slowly raised her head and smiled weakly as several of her classmates chuckled. Erica sent the girl a genuine, kind smile, knowing how much it sucked to be the center of attention in an embarrassing situation. Seeing a friendly gesture perked Kira up a bit, so she sat up straight, adjusted her hair, and returned Erica's smile.

The blonde felt pleased with herself for cheering the girl up, and gave herself a mental pat on the back as she returned her attention to the teacher.

A little later that day, Scott and Stiles walked over to the latter's locker. "Maybe you just need a little time to get back to normal." Scott suggested as Stiles fiddled with the lock.

"Yeah, try not to forget that we hit the reset button on a supernatural beacon for supernatural creatures, and connected ourselves to it in the process." Stiles reminded his best friend snarkily. "There's a pretty good chance of things never going back to normal." He pointed out and tugged on the lock, but it didn't budge. He tried again, only to get the same result. He looked at the lock, and felt his heart begin to race. Gone were the usual numbers, they were now replaced with symbols and shapes. "What?"

Scott didn't notice this though, as he was distracted by his enhanced hearing picking up hushed voices down the corridor. "I thought you said you wanted to make friends." Mr. Yukimura pointed out.

"Not like that!" An annoyed hushed voice replied. Scott looked to see the teacher and his daughter, Kira, walking down the corridor.

"You said you wanted to be noticed!"

"I could set myself on fire and be noticed." Kira retorted, spinning around to face him.

"Well, then you'd be dead." The man sighed, mirroring her movements.

"Exactly." She said and turned, catching Scott staring at her.

She paused as Scott looked away, and hid himself from her view, by ducking behind Stiles. It looked as though he had been listening to their conversation, but how could he have heard them from all the way over there?

"Kira." Mr. Yukimura spoke calmly, but she was still fixated on Scott. "Kira."

Scott blocked them out and returned his focus to Stiles, who had given up on opening his locker. When Stiles looked at Scott, his eyes were glowing. "Dude," Scott began, as he frantically looked around to see if anyone had noticed. "Your eyes!"

"What about them?" Stiles asked urgently, looking around as his inability to keep still kicked in. Scott grabbed his shoulders, holding him in place.

"They're starting to glow." He informed him, trying to keep calm and figure out what to do. "Come on, you need to stop."

There was a pause as Stiles tried, but he failed and began to panic more. "I can't. I can't control it." He told him, lifting a hand to cover his eyes.

"O-okay, just- uh, just keep your head down, okay? Come on." He pulled Stiles to an empty classroom, drawing odd looks from students nearby, including Kira.

Scott shut the door behind them as Stiles staggered away from him, fighting for control. The crooked jawed boy moved closer to his best friend. "Stop!" Stiles all but growled, using his influence over Scott to keep him in place. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Stiles, it's okay." Scott assured, pushing past the command that his wolf was trying to obey.

"Get back!" Scott stayed back against his will, but after a full minute of no results, he decided to take action. His mind took him back to the first time he truly lost control, in the locker room with Stiles. It was Stiles' pain that snapped him back to reality. Well, the fact that Scott caused Stiles' pain, but clearly Stiles was fighting not to hurt him, so Scott took matters into his own hands, literally.

He lengthened his own claws, and after a moment's hesitation, dug them into his own palms. The second the first drop of blood appeared, Stiles' head shot towards him. In a second, Scott's claws were removed from his palms and Stiles was taking his pain, completely human.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Stiles demanded as Scott's skin knitted itself back together.

"Do you remember back when we first turned? When I lost control during Lacrosse practice and attacked you in the locker room?" Stiles nodded, a confused look etched on his face. "I turned back after I hurt you. Your pain and the smell of your blood brought me back, I thought that maybe my pain would do the same for you." Scott explained. "And it worked, so…" Stiles blinked, having only just realised that he had his control back.

"God, you are such a martyr." He shook his head at his best friend. "Alright, you're fully healed, just please don't do that again."

"If it means helping you, I'd do it a million times over." Scott grinned, causing Stiles to sigh. "Come on," He started as the both stood up. "We're supposed to be meeting the others for lunch, remember?"

Stiles nodded and picked up his bag and followed Scott out of the room. Before he left, however, he glanced over to the blackboard which was covered in writing, and he couldn't make out a single word.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After school, Stiles went to the station, after stopping by the florist, to meet his dad and Derek. They had made arrangements to visit Claudia's grave together, Derek felt like he would be intruding when they first mentioned it, but Stiles insisted. "It's about time I introduce my mum to my boyfriend." He had said, so Derek caved.

"Hey, Posey." Stiles greeted the deputy at the front desk, but when the man turned around, it wasn't Posey. "Oh, sorry man, you're the new deputy, Parrish, right?" He asked, setting the flowers on the counter and holding out his hand.

"Yeah," The man confirmed with a smile as he shook Stiles' hand. "And, you are?"

"Stiles, I'm the Sheriff's son." Parrish gained a look of realisation on his face.

"Yeah, I've heard of you, it's nice to put a name to a face."

"Likewise." Stiles grinned. "So, uh, is my dad in?"

"Yeah, he's in his office." Parrish told him. "But one of the other deputies is in there with him, so you might not be able to go right in."

"Which one?"

"Hale."

"Oh, it's cool, Derek's my boyfriend, so I'll be fine. And if any of our kids stop by, can you let them know that Derek and I will be at the Cemetery with my dad until five? Thanks." Stiles told him, grinning at the Deputy's shocked look as he picked up the flowers. "It was nice to meet you Parrish." Stiles grinned as he started moving to his dad's office, passing Tara along the way. "Hey Tara, the new deputy seems nice."

Tara glanced over to Parrish and sighed at the shocked look on his face. "Stiles, he's been here a week and you're already trying to scare him off?" She yelled over her shoulder, causing Stiles to laugh as he made his way to his father's office.

He walked in without knocking, and immediately placed the flowers down on the desk "You know, the last time we bought one of these to her grave, it was stolen the same day. Hundred bucks down the drain." He sighed, then froze as he realised neither his dad nor Derek were actually sitting at the desk. Hearing a noise, he peered over to find both men on the floor, surrounded by files "Hey, Dad? Derek?" Both of them looked up at him "Hi, what're- what are you doing down there?"

"Working." Derek replied, then returned his attention to the files.

"And hey, if somebody wants the flowers that badly, they can have them. It's the gesture." Noah spoke up as Stiles looked around at all of the file boxes in shock.

"Hey, Dad, what is all this?"

"I've been looking over some old cases from a more illuminated perspective, if you know what I mean."

Stiles picked up a file and read the reported sighting. "Strange sighting of bipedal lizard person sprinting across freeway."

"Kanima pile." Derek stated, taping the pile in question. Stiles dropped the file onto said pile then crouched down next to the two elder males and spoke to his dad.

"Dad, you're not going back through all your old cases seeing if any of them had something to do with the supernatural, are you?"

"I admit the recent opening of my eyes to the greater mysteries of the universe has got me… reassessing." Stiles ran a hand over his face in frustration "There's at least 100 cases here, where I look at the details and I can ask myself, If I knew then what I know now"

"Right, but are you sure you wanna go down that path?"

"Do I have a choice?" The sheriff asked with a raised eyebrow, then went on to explain the Malia Tate case. During his explanation, Stiles tried to argue that it could have just been Coyotes, but his dad didn't accept that.

Stiles sighed in frustration, and hit Derek on the arm. "How can you encourage this?"

"I think it's a good idea." Derek defended with a shrug. "Not only does dad get credit for solving these cases, but the families will be able to get some peace of mind."

"By learning about the supernatural?" Stiles asked incredulously, then shook his head. "Never mind, just.. where are all these going, anyway?"

"Yeah, we, uh." Stiles followed his father's gaze to a label. A label reading 'Agent McCall' "We probably need to talk about that."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott, Allison, Isaac and Melissa were setting up for dinner at the McCall house, chatting easily to one another, until the doorbell rang. "Who could that be?" Scott asked aloud as he made his way to the door. He paused at the somewhat familiar, but also foreign, scent, before finally opening the door. He stared in shock at the man on the other side.

"Hi Scott." His father greeted him with a soft smile, and Scott heard his mother's heart rate rise. "Can I come in?" Scott said nothing, simply slammed the door in the man's face.

"Scott!" Melissa scolded, rushing into the hallway.

"I don't like him." Scott told her with a shrug, well aware that his father could hear him.

"Who is that?" Isaac asked and Allison looked to Scott curiously.

"My father." Scott told them with a grumble as Melissa opened the door.

"Hello, Rafael." She greeted her ex-husband curtly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you and Scott." He told her. "I miss you."

"Well, that sucks for you." Scott all but growled at the man, who looked at him in shock. "Mum has moved on and is in a happy, committed relationship, I have my own incredible relationship, and we have everything we could want, or need, with our true family. That doesn't include you."

"Scott, that's no way to talk to your father." Rafael reprimanded, stepping past Melissa and into the house.

"You are not my father, you gave up that role when you walked out on us." Scott told him, forcing himself to keep his wolf in line. "You don't get to waltz in here out of the blue, after all of this time, and just expect us to welcome you back with open arms. You also don't get to 'correct my manners' or try to parent me in any way. Mum raised me, she kept me sheltered and fed and clothed, she made me the person I am today and if you think you can just show up and slot right back into our lives and give out orders, you have another thing coming."

Agent McCall blinked in shock at his son's assertiveness. Scott had always been rather shy and reserved as a child, clearly that had changed. "You're right, I'm sorry." He apologised honestly. "I have no right to come here and expect things to be the same as when I left, or even how they were when you stayed with me, before I moved to Washington. But I do want to be a part of your life again, even if I haven't been a good father, you are still my son and I want to get to know you again. So maybe we could start over?" Scott looked unsure for a second, before he nodded and Rafael smiled. He glanced at Allison and Isaac, who were standing awkwardly behind Scott, looking out of place and unsure of what to do. "Could you introduce me to your friends?"

Scott's face lit up in a brilliant smile and he immediately grabbed them both and tugged the forward. "Agent McCall," The man winced at the title. "This is my girlfriend, Allison Argent," He announced proudly, gesturing to the brunette girl, causing Rafael to smile. "and our boyfriend, Isaac Lahey." The agent's smile dropped to a shocked look as he stared at the trio, trying to figure out if they were pulling a prank on him, or something. When he saw no trace of a bluff on his face, he realised this was completely true. He looked to Melissa to see if she knew about it. His ex-wife looked to be a cross between proud and smug of her- their son and his… partners.

Rafael's first instinct was to argue it, say they were too young to enter into something like this, but he realised that, although it was true, he was being tested. "Okay," He said instead. "If all you're all" sure about this, "happy, and being safe, then there's nothing" I can do to stop you. "to get in the way of." He felt bad for lying, but the pleasantly surprised look on Scott's face made him realise that it was the right thing to do. Besides, if they miraculously could make it work, or if it fell apart, Rafael could be there for his son, every step of the way. If they did work out, maybe he would come to accept it, or, at the very least, become accustomed to it.

"Alright." Scott said with a nod, a small smile tugging on his lips. He exchanged a look with his mother and partners before speaking again. "Would you like to join us for dinner?" He invited and Rafael smiled.

"I'd love to." They led him to the dining room, and he exchanged proper introductions with Allison and Isaac. As they served up the food, Rafael spoke again. "So, Melissa… Scott mentioned you have a new boyfriend?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day at the school, the Pack were sitting outside around a bench, discussing what was happening to Derek and Stiles. Stiles had just finished telling them about his 'dream' that he apparently had whilst he was awake, and what he wrote in his notebook, during said 'dream' and it had turned into a group discussion.

Stiles, Scott, Isaac (With Allison half on both of her mate's laps) and Aiden were sat on one side, and Lydia, Jackson, Ethan (With Danny on his lap) and Cora were on the other. Boyd had pulled up a chair on the end next to Aiden and Cora, and Erica did the same next to Stiles and Lydia.

"Okay," Scott began, tapping a pen against the table. "so what happens to a person who has a near death experience, and comes out of it seeing things?" He asked with a worried frown.

"-and is unable to tell what's real or not?" Stiles added.

"And is being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives?" Cora added, having remembered Derek mention seeing Laura.

"They're both locked up because they're insane." Isaac muttered, but everyone at the table heard him.

"Ha. Can you at least try to be helpful?" Jackson asked, with his best bitch face on. "Please?" His frustration at not knowing what to do to help his pack was riling him up.

"For half of my childhood, I was locked in a freezer, so being helpful is kind of a new thing for me." Isaac retorted, with a glare. He knew Jackson didn't mean it, but he wasn't in a good mood either.

"Okay, are you still milking that?" Jackson scoffed as Scott dropped his head against the table in frustration.

"Yeah, we are still milking that."

"Guy's please-" Stiles began to try to sooth his pups, but was interrupted by a timid voice.

"Hi." They all looked to see the new girl, Kira stood behind Erica, looking unsure of herself. "Hi, sorry, I couldn't help overhearing what you guys were talking about." She told them nervously and the pack exchanged nervous glances. "And I think I actually might know what you were talking about." Stiles gestured for her to go on. "There's a Tibetan word for it, it's called Bardo. It literally means 'In-between state' The state between life and death." She explained shyly, fidgeting nervously.

"And what do they call you?" Cora asked, semi-rudely, not wanting to be nice until the girl proved that she deserved it.

"Kira." Erica stated, smiling up at the girl, who smiled back. The pack looked at her in surprise and some, Cora, gave her a questioning look. "She's in our history class." She shrugged in explanation causing Kira to smile again, looking down as her cheeks flushed.

"So," Lydia began, drawing Kira's attention from Erica. "are you talking Bardo in Tibetan Buddhism or Indian?" As she spoke, Erica stood and offered her chair to Kira.

"Uh, either I guess." Kira told her as she sat down, and Erica walked to the other end of the table, and sat on Boyd's lap, and used Cora as a footrest. "But all that stuff you guys were just saying, all of that happens in Bardo." She said, glancing over to Erica, who nodded for her to continue. "There are different progressive states where you can have hallucinations. Some you see, some you just hear. You can be visited by peaceful or wrathful deities."

"Wrathful deities?" Isaac asked, leaning forward slightly, the best he could with Allison on his lap. "And, uh, what are those?"

"Like demons." She said casually.

"Demons?" Aiden asked with wide eyes, then sighed and looked around at the pack. "Why not?"

"Hold on," Allison interrupted thoughtfully. "If there are different progressive states, then what's the last one?"

"Death." Kira shrugged, clearly not realising how serious the situation was. "You die."

"Seriously?" Stiles groaned, then slammed his head against the table, startling Kira.

"Sorry, I-"

"No, no, it's not you." Erica assured her with a smile. "Just some personal things going on." She said and Kira's eyes widened in realisation.

"Oh, you mean, someone you know is actually going through Bardo?" No one said anything, but they didn't have to. "I'm sorry, if I'd known, I woul-"

"Don't worry about it." Stiles assured, lifting his head from the table. "We wanted to know, you didn't do anything wrong." He held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Stiles."

"Kira." She smiled, shaking his hand. "which you already knew, so I don't know why I just told you." Stiles chuckled as he withdrew his hand, and Lydia introduced herself next.

"I'm Lydia, and this is my boyfriend, Jackson." She introduced with a friendly smile, gesturing to the boy in question, who shook Kira's hand politely.

"I'm Allison, and these are my boyfriends, Scott and Isaac." Kira blinked in surprise, but shook all of their hands anyway.

"If you don't mind me asking, is this polyamory or an open relationship?" She asked curiously. "Of course, it's none of my business, and you don't-"

"It's fine, Kira." Scott assured the girl with a chuckle. "It's poly, the three of us are in a relationship." Kira sighed in relief that they weren't upset at her for asking.

"Okay, cool." She smiled. "You guys must all really care about each other to make this work in high school." She commented thoughtfully. "I don't think I'd be able to share someone I'm in love with, but then again, I've never loved two people at once, so I wouldn't be able to accurately guess." She rambled, then cut herself off as she realised what she was doing. "Sorry."

"Stop apologising!" Allison giggled, leaning forward to playfully shove the girl's shoulder. "If you were calling us freaks or anything for being together, we'd be mad. But you're not, you're just asking questions and you're not undermining us or our relationship, so it's fine."

Kira smiled happily as she relaxed in her seat. "Erica, Boyd and I are together." Cora told her, gesturing to the pair in question. There was a small trace of disappointment coming off of Kira, but it quickly disappeared. "I'm Cora, by the way."

"I'm Ethan, this is my boyfriend Danny, and my brother Aiden."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Kira smiled genuinely.

"So, Kira." Boyd began with a smile. "Care to tell us a little about yourself?"

Chapter 29: Wise Men Say

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The Pack help Kira and Malia, Peter and Victoria receive troubling news, new threats arrive in Beacon Hills and the Pack grows.

The Hale Pack: Wise Men Say

"So, Kira." Boyd began with a smile. "Care to tell us a little about yourself?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"When is a door not a door?" Derek asked incredulously from their bed, looking at Stiles, who was sitting at his desk.

"When it's ajar, apparently." Stiles retorted as he typed on his laptop, he looked up when he felt Derek's gaze on him and found his mate giving him an unimpressed looked. "I don't know, okay? I don't know why my subconsciousness is telling me riddles, or why it's telling me them in languages that I don't even know, and had to have Deaton translate. Hell, I don't even know how my subconscious knew what it meant." He sighed, and tried to force himself to focus on the document loaded on his laptop. "What I do know is that we need to close these doors in our minds, somehow."

"We'll figure it out. What are you working on?" Derek asked, changing the subject as he stood then walked over to the lanky boy.

"The Malia Tate case." Stiles told him as Derek stood behind him, a set his hands down on Stiles' shoulders. "So far though, I haven't found much." Derek hummed to confirm that he was listening, rubbing soothing circles into Stiles' shoulders. "I was- hmm-" Stiles hummed in pleasure as Derek's actions eased some of the tension he had built up. "I was thinking about checking out the crime scene. Dad said that the wreckage was still there, so there might be something to find, or follow. Maybe we can find out what happened to Malia."

"So, the other day, you were getting annoyed at me for 'encouraging' dad, now you're helping him solve the case?" Derek asked with a chuckle as Stiles allowed his eyes to flutter shut, and sank back in his chair.

"I didn't know the stakes at first." Stiles replied, letting out another hum. "I won't let Asshole McCall get my dad fired."

"I think you should tell Scott." Derek said, looking down at Stiles. "He deserves to know what his dad is really doing here."

"Yeah." Stiles mumbled as his breathing slowed, but before he could fully drift off to sleep, Derek stopped his actions and picked Stiles up in bridal style. "Wha-"

"You were about to fall asleep in the chair, Stiles." Derek informed him quietly as he carried him to their bed.

"Eh, I've done it before." The boy muttered his protest, but pressed his face into Derek's chest anyway. Derek just chuckled as he set Stiles down on their bed, then pulled off his own shirt before climbing in next to him.

"As long as I'm here, you won't again." He promised in a whisper as Stiles snuggled against him before drifting off to sleep. He couldn't help but wonder how many times Stiles had done that, rather than sleeping in their bed, while Derek was… away.

The elder male barely suppressed a shudder as the memories of his time with Jennifer pushed to the forefront of his mind. His stomach twisted uncomfortably as he remembered kissing her, holding her, sharing small, intimate moments with her, moments that were meant for him and Stiles only.

Derek didn't understand how Stiles had forgiven him so easily. Sure, it wasn't really him, per se. He hadn't, in his right mind, chosen her over his mate and Pack, but it still happened. Derek left his Pack alone, without an Alpha. He forced Stiles to go through the pain of mate separation, and lead the Pack, as well as continue with his Pack mum duties.

Derek knew that he would never get over how strong Stiles was, how much he was capable of taking on, and remain standing. Stiles dealt with being attacked and bitten, turned into a werewolf against his will. He coped incredibly with the change, taking to it easily, far better than most. Where most would deny and fight the change, when it came on suddenly like it had for him and Scott, Stiles embraced it, and used his abilities for good. He tried to help people whenever he could, even when it meant risking himself.

He was paralysed and left to watch a man die, he was held captive by a psychotic classmate, he was kidnapped and tortured by a renowned, ruthless hunter, he was beaten and left for dead by a Pack of Alpha's, had his mate taken from him by a spell, and was forced to watch Derek be with someone else, and he went through a dangerous ritual, that ended with his death, even if it was temporary. Now he was dealing with the side effects of that death, and he was still trying to help others, specifically Malia, a girl he didn't even know.

And all of that was after being turned, before that he'd had struggles, like watching his mother slowly lose her mind and become riddled with delusions, convinced Stiles was out to get her, then he watched her jump to her death. Then there was his father's drinking, bullies, school, and through it all, Stiles remained standing. He didn't give into his pain, he didn't give up when he had so many reasons to. He saw so much darkness and suffering at such a tender age and he didn't let it rule him, kept his smiles and his sarcasm.

He kept his light.

Yes, he had his difficulties at times, and he went to see Morrell weekly, but he kept fighting. He never gave up.

Derek smiled down at the sleeping male in his arms, his mate, his beta, his everything. He didn't deserve him. Stiles was far too good for him, but there was no way he was going to be able to convince Stiles of that, and Derek didn't have the strength to leave him. So Derek would have to better himself, strive to become the person Stiles deserved.

Until he became that person, he'd settle for being there for Stiles, and comforting him when he needed it. Whether Derek deserved to be there for him or not.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

In the room that they used as a library in the Hale house, not the one in the basement, Lydia, Danny, Erica and Allison were sitting around one of the tables, each focused on a task relating to Stiles and Derek's conditions. Danny and Erica each had their laptops out, and Allison and Lydia were reading old books, Lydia's written in Archaic Latin, and Allison's in French. The door was left open in case anyone needed to talk to them, because the room became soundproof when the door shut, unless the coms were pressed on.

"I heard that!" Erica yelled suddenly, startling the other occupants of the previously silent room. "Jackson just called us the 'Nerd Squad' when Scott asked where everyone was." She explained in response to the questioning looks.

"Hi Scott!" Allison called with a smile.

"Isaac's back too."

"Hi Isaac!"

"Jackson, honey," Lydia began with a faux innocent voice, without lifting her eyes from her book. "Call us nerds again, be it maliciously or jokingly, and you'll learn what a month without any sex feels like." Erica cracked up at that, and Allison and Danny also chuckled, imagining the look on Jackson's face.

"He said he's sorry." Erica told the redhead after she'd caught her breath. "Oh, also, we shouldn't yell because Derek and Stiles have gone to bed."

"Oh, good, they both need to rest." Danny spoke as he returned his attention to his laptop. "Let's just hope that we can figure out a way to help them soon."

"We'll figure it out." Lydia said confidently. "They're our family, our Pack, and I know that I won't give up on finding a way to help them."

"Neither will I." Allison stated firmly, determination clear in her features. "I also have my dad collecting any information he can find that could help, he's gotten in contact with other, honorable, hunters and they've agreed to look for information for us. Mum's still in Mexico with Peter looking for answers on this, and whatever 'artifact' it is that Derek and Peter were talking about."

"Has anyone heard from them yet?" Erica asked curiously. The pair had gone to talk to the Calaveras family, a group of hunters who had cooperated with the Argents in the past. They had sent Victoria as she was the Argents matriarch, and Peter went with her for backup if necessary. Most of the Pack had protested sending two wolves there, but the Sheriff and Deaton both had duties to attend to in town, and Chris needed to deal with any hunters that still passed through on occasion. The treaty with the hunters council had a clause that they could send hunters to make sure that Chris was doing his job. They weren't allowed to hunt anything or anyone whilst they were there, though, so it wasn't too bad. It just meant that Chris couldn't leave town whilst they were visiting until Allison turned twenty one and could take over as the Argent matriarch. Until then, she couldn't be seen as eligible for the role of town protector, and because Victoria was a werewolf, she couldn't either.

"Not yet." Allison frowned. "But the check-in isn't scheduled until tomorrow night, so there's no need to worry yet." She tried to convince herself, with little success.

"Well, how about the council?" Lydia asked curiously. "How do they feel about the notorious Argent family changing their code after all of these years?"

"They're actually happy about it." Allison stated, surprising the others. "Apparently more than a few members of the council thought the old code wasn't as prominent as it once was. And with everything that happened with Gerard and Kate, they agreed that a new code, and a new way of hunting could be beneficial to the community. None of them want innocent blood on their hands, which is why they agreed to the treaty in the first place, and why they were more than happy to approve the code."

"What is the new code, anyway?" Erica asked curiously.

"Nous protégeons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger eux-mêmes."

Lydia smiled, then translated what the brunette had said. "We protect those who cannot protect themselves." She nodded approvingly.

"I like it." Erica grinned and reached over, squeezed the elder girl's shoulder gently then pulled her hand back.

"Me too." Danny nodded in agreement before changing the subject. "Deaton and I have been searching through old texts and lore." Danny told them as he typed on his laptop. "He gave me the links to some accurate websites on the supernatural, run by real emissaries and supernatural creatures. It's incredible how few there are compared to the masses, and they just fly under the radar because people tend to think it's all fake, or based on fiction, like Supernatural and Twilight and all of that."

"You've been talking to Deaton a lot lately." Erica observed, tearing her eyes from her screen to look at him. "At first I just thought it was for the house, and mixing the magical security with the electrical, but now…" She trailed off as the other two girls also looked to Danny for an explanation, and the Hawaiian shuffled in his seat slightly before speaking.

"He thinks I have the potential to be an Emissary." Danny confessed as he looked at them, trying to gauge their reactions. "He's been giving me information and advice, and he might even train me, if I can handle everything. He thinks, and I agree, that, if I do in fact become a druid, and can handle the responsibility, I'd be a better option than him for the position of Pack Emissary. He has no issues with being our Emissary, or anything, but I do have a greater bond to you guys, obviously, therefore, I'd be more inclined to make decisions that benefit the Pack, whereas he'd lean towards benefiting the town. Of course, I'd still ensure that the town was safe and protected, but I would also consider the Pack, more than he would." Danny explained, trying to make sure that they understood that Deaton wasn't disloyal to them, or trying to just pass them off, but was genuinely thinking of what would be best for the Pack. Fortunately, they seemed to understand this. "Besides, learning all of this gives me a way to defend myself and you guys without having to fight or hurt anyone."

"That's wonderful," Allison beamed happily. "Deaton is a great man, and a good Emissary, but I agree that you'd be the better option for us. You know us, and what we'd want in a difficult situation, better than he ever could." Danny couldn't contain his smile at that, but before he could say anything Lydia beat him to it.

"It's true, besides, you already know the basics. Add that to your computing capabilities and I can't imagine that we'd be safer with anybody else." The Banshee told him honestly, causing Danny's smile to widen. "So, we already know that you can handle mountain ash, and create circles with a handful and everything, but what else does it take to be a druid?"

"Well, this, for one thing." He stated, before he stood up, and moved a few paces away from the table. He held up his hand, showing that he wasn't holding anything, then closed his eyes and focused, then through his hand up, and a circle of mountain ash was suddenly surrounding him.

"Woah!" Erica gasped, rushing over and reaching out to the boy, a wide grin spreading across her face when the blue shield appeared. Quickly, Danny flicked his wrist again and a small line appeared, and her hand went through. With a gasp, Erica pulled her hand back and Danny repeated the motion, and the circle was complete again. "You created that out of nothing!" She gasped, a look of awe on her face as Isaac, Jackson, Scott, Cora and Aiden walked in, looking at Danny in awe. "Danny's a wizard!" She announced cheerfully, bouncing on the spot excitedly.

"I'm not a wizard." Danny corrected with a chuckle.

"Yer a wizard, Danny." Erica made a poor attempt of impersonating Hagrid, but she did succeed in making the others laugh.

"But I'm just Danny!" Danny joked in a high pitched voice, before continuing in his normal tone. "I just have the potential to be a druid."

"And you didn't tell me this, because?" Jackson asked with a raised eyebrow and his bitch face on point.

"Because it wasn't certain." Danny told him with a shrug. "I wanted to be confident about it first, before I got anybody's hopes up."

"And you're confident about it now?" Lydia prompted curiously.

Danny hesitated for a moment, before he slowly nodded. "Yeah, I really think I can do this."

"So Merlin," Cora began teasingly with a grin "care to show us what else you can do?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day, Noah pulled up to the Tate residence with a solemn expression on his face. He was about to tell a man that the death of his family may have not been an accident, and potentially set him back miles in his grieving.

The man let him into the house easily, and led him to the living room, where he was unpacking boxes of animal traps. "I've been having a coyote problem." The man told him as he opened one of the boxes and pulled a trap out. "The population is up around here, they get into everything."

"That doesn't exactly look big enough to catch one."

"It's a rat trap. Take away the coyote's source of food and they leave you alone. And these days, to be honest, I'd prefer to be left alone." Mr Tate explained, giving Noah a pointed look. Noah nodded, knowing how that felt.

"I understand. Just a couple of questions and I promise I'll leave." Mr Tate sighed and nodded slightly, unaware of what was going on on the back porch.

Scott and Stiles carefully stepped over rat traps and made their way to the back door of the house which led into a bedroom. Stiles reached the door first, and cautiously turned the handle, and pushed the door open, cringing when it squeaked loudly. He paused, shared a look with Scott, then tried again, and the door groaned. Realising that they wouldn't be able to do this quietly, Stiles pushed the door open quickly, rushed inside, and motioned for Scott to do the same. Once they were both inside, Stiles closed the squeaky door, then set to work. The pair immediately began sniffing pillows and cushions, but couldn't pick out any human scents.

"All I'm getting is some animal smell." Scott sighed in frustration as Stiles through a stuffed animal onto the bed.

"Yeah me too, like a-" He was cut off by a low growl. Both wolves turned to see a dark furred dog standing in the doorway.

"Dog." Scott finished for Stiles, looking at the dog warily. Stiles quickly hid the toy horse he was holding under his jacket, as if that would appease the animal.

"Hi, puppy." Stiles tried, hoping to appear friendly, but the dog kept growling. "Get rid of it." He whispered to Scott.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Glow your eyes at it, something." Stiles ordered, staying as still as possible.

"Why not you?"

"I can't. I don't have control." Stiles reminded him, and Scott sighed before slowly approaching the dog with one hand held out. The dog snarled and opened its mouth wide, so Scott flashed his eyes in warning. The dog stepped back slightly, before sniffing the air, then tilted its head, looking confused. "Shift!" Stiles ordered his best friend quietly.

"What?" Scott asked in confusion, looking at Stiles like he'd lost his mind. "Why?"

"To make the dog understand that you're not some human burglar. Do it!" Scott sighed, then pulled off his clothes quickly, handing them to Stiles before shifting into wolf form. The dog, startled, let out a single bark, but his owner yelled for him to 'shut up' and Scott flashed his eyes again, and it relaxed. Slowly, the dog approached him, and began sniffing him.

Stiles rolled his eyes when Scott began playing with the dog, but left Scott to it as he continued sniffing different objects, searching for a scent. After a few minutes of searching, he gave up with a sigh. He took a picture of the photograph of the two girls on the dresser before whispering to Scott. "Dude, I can't find anything let's go." Scott looked up at him, and man, his kicked puppy look was bad enough when he was a human, but as a wolf? There was no way Stiles could say no to that. "Fine, but when you hear my dad leave, you have to go. Alright?" Wolf-Scott nodded, his mouth curling in an odd reminiscent of a smile. "Can you close the door in this form?" Wolf-Scott nodded again, on the way out, he'd only need to pull it shut, and he was tall enough in this form to wrap his mouth around the door handle. "Okay, have fun. I'll wait in the car with your clothes"

Back in the living room, Mr Tate had a heartbroken look on his face as he spoke to the Sheriff "Murder? I spent eight years thinking that it was an accident and now you're telling me that it could be murder? Who the hell would want to murder my wife and girls? My whole family?" He asked in a choked voice as tears swelled in his eyes

"That's what I want to find out." Noah told him with a slight stutter.

"I don't." Mr Tate stated, shaking his head firmly. As he went on, Mr Tate's voice grew louder and angrier. "I don't want to redefine this entire nightmare as an unsolved murder. Just leave me alone with 'tragic accident'. Because that's what I've spent eight years getting used to. Accident. Not murder." He sat down in an armchair, hiding his face in his hands.

"I apologize."

"Just go!" The man yelled angrily, so Noah nodded slightly, and apologised again before showing himself out.

A few minutes later, Stiles and the now fully dressed human Scott met up with the sheriff near the entrance to the preserve.

"I'm sorry. We tried as hard as we could." Stiles apologised sadly.

"If it wasn't so long ago, we might have been able to do it." Scott said and the Sheriff smiled softly at them. "But the only scent we could find was the dog."

"It's okay." Noah assured "It was a long shot. In fact, it was a pretty terrible idea. I think I just ripped a wound open in that poor man. I never should have brought you guys here. I don't know what I was thinking. Thanks for trying, all right?"

"Yeah." Scott nodded apologetically and Stiles attempted to smile at his dad, but it wasn't convincing. The man climbed into the police cruiser, and started the car.

"See you at home." With that, he drove off, heading back to the station.

"Aren't there a lot of cases that go unsolved?" Scott asked, hoping to cheer Stiles up.

"Yeah, I just think this is one he felt like he could've figured out right now." Stiles explained, staring at his dad's car until it was out of sight.

"Why is it so important now?" Scott asked curiously, and Stiles hesitated for a second before answering.

"He wants to be able to solve one more while he's still Sheriff."

"What do you mean, 'still Sheriff'?" Scott asked both confused and concerned, Stiles placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder and looked him in the eyes, a regretful smile on his face.

Later that evening, Melissa came home after work to find her ex husband and son arguing in the living room.

"I'm trying to help." Rafael declared, keeping his voice as even and diplomatic as possible.

"That doesn't make any sense, Dad. Who are you helping? Just get out!" Scott yelled, pointing to the front door.

"Scott-"

"What?!" He demanded with an angry glare on his face, silently daring his father to come up with an excuse. When the man said nothing, Scott continued "I can't believe that you'd do this to my best friend."

"I'm not doing anything to your friend. I'm doing my job." Rafael explained calmly as he saw an opening to defend himself, and hopefully ease Scott, but he just riled the teen up even more.

"Your job sucks." Scott all but sneered at the man who merely shrugged in response.

"Some days I can't argue that."

"Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on?" Melissa asked urgently and the two males turned to her.

"He's trying to get the Sheriff fired." Scott told his mother, his voice softer than when he was arguing with his father.

"No. That's not true." Rafael protested immediately.

"What are you doing?" She asked in shock, knowing that Scott wouldn't just make up something of that measure. Her ex-husband appeared nonchalant as he responded.

"Conducting a case for impeachment."

"That sounds a lot like getting him fired." Melissa glared at her ex, who stared back at her unflinchingly.

"The lack of resolution and ability to close cases is what's going to get him fired. My job is just to collect the information." He turned to look at the furious Scott again, hoping his words would get through to his son "And it's the job my superiors have given me."

"Your job sucks." Melissa repeated her son's words.

"It's not the Sheriff's fault!" Scott growled at his father as if his mother hadn't spoken, shocking the man and concerning Melissa. "And he's solved loads of cases! Even the ones that seem impossible! The Kate argent case, the Matt Daehler case, the Jennifer Blake case-"

"In the Argent and Blake cases, the suspects ended up dead outside of police custody!" Rafael argued. "Blake escaped custody, during an improper and unexplained visit to the hospital, and was found dead in the preserve! That's not the work of a good Sheriff."

"He is a great Sheriff!" Scott yelled, and purposely turned his eyes amber causing Rafael to stagger away from his son in fear, and Melissa to look at Scott in worry. "You see this?" Scott demanded, gesturing to his eyes. "I'm a werewolf, and I'm not the only one! And werewolves definitely aren't the only supernatural creatures in town, either! Jennifer Blake was a dark druid who sacrificed people for power! She magically poisoned a member of my Pack! The Sheriff had to take her to the hospital to save the life of an innocent person! Yes, she escaped, and yes, she died, but that is not the Sheriff's fault! And he couldn't reveal the supernatural in his reports, because he needs to protect me, my Pack and our town!" Scott roared angrily, as Melissa placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him down. It didn't work.

"So don't you dare call him a bad Sheriff, when he is the best Sheriff ever. He has done what very few others would do." Scott continued, locking eyes with his father, making sure that the man was paying attention. "When some would flee and hand the job off to someone else after finding out about all of this, he stayed, he made sure that his deputies knew the truth about the town and how to defend themselves. When some people, like Kate Argent, who was a werewolf hunter, wouldn't hesitate to kill someone like me because of what we are, he tried to help. He protects us and helps us make sure that we don't hurt anyone." Scott allowed his eyes to fade back to their normal colour, and took a step away from his father, causing Melissa's hand to fall off of his shoulder. "He is an amazing man and an incredible Sheriff, he's even going over old cases that may have connections to the supernatural, in the hopes of finding new evidence, and bringing closure to the families of the victims. Maybe he doesn't have a 100% closure rating, but he tries. He can't always catch the bad guys, because the bad guys are sometimes supernatural, and have to be put down. That's not his fault, that's just the way it is. So when you're 'investigating' him and questioning his capability as Sheriff, keep that in mind."

With that, Scott sent his father one last glare and his mother a small smile, before heading towards the front door, removing his jacket and shirt along the way. "Where are you going?" Melissa asked, biting her lip in concern at the look of complete and utter shock of her ex's face.

"To see my Pack." Scott told her as he kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his boxers. "And let them know about him." He nudged his head towards his frozen father. "I'll be spending the night there, I'll see you tomorrow." With that, Scott pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek then shifted into his wolf form, just to freak his father out further. Melissa barely refrained from rolling her eyes at him as she opened the door for him, then Scott left, not even sparing another glance to his father.

"So, Raf," Melissa began, bringing the agent back to reality as the front door closed."When did you plan on telling me that you're investigating my boyfriend?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles, Aiden, Isaac, Allison, Jackson and Lydia were sitting in the living room, listening to Scott rant about his father. The rest of the Pack were scattered around the town, either working, or on dates. "Do you think Derek will be mad that I told him about me?" Scott asked worriedly after he'd finished explaining what happened.

"No." Stiles assured immediately. "You had every right to tell your dad about you."

"Though he might be a little concerned that you revealed it the way that you did." Lydia added thoughtfully. "Although you didn't lose control, your anger did get the best of you, so he might worry that you'll regret telling him."

"Are we talking about Derek or you?" Scott asked with a knowing smile.

"I just want to make sure that you're okay with him knowing." Lydia told him with a soft smile, and the others nodded in agreement.

"She has a point." Isaac agreed, sending Scott a mildly concerned look. "Are you sure that you're okay with this?"

"Well, even if I wasn't, it's too late now." Scott shrugged. "But I don't regret it. I'm glad that he knows. Knows that he has missed out on so much, that I am not the same shy little boy who would desperately fight for his father's approval. I'm glad that he knows that I'm strong now, and I've got my own family that doesn't include him." Scott scoffed suddenly, rolling his eyes at himself. "I can't believe that I bought that bullshit excuse of 'wanting to reconnect' I knew that it wasn't completely true, I just hoped that it was. I'm so stupid."

"Hey!" Allison glared immediately. "You are not stupid! You wanted to believe that your father had changed, that he really wanted to get to know you. That doesn't show a lack of intellect, it shows that family is important to you and there's nothing wrong with that!"

Scott nodded and sighed in resignation. "You're right." He then clapped his hands and changed in demeanor completely. "Alright, anyway, I'm going out, who's coming with me?"

"Where are you going?" Stiles asked cautiously, he had known Scott long enough to know that when he suddenly switched moods like this, he had found something to focus on, and nothing could get him off of that path. In some cases, he was worse than Stiles with his stubbornness.

"To find a body." He told them determinedly. "A dead body."

A little later in the evening, the seven Pack Mates were walking through the preserve, searching for the wreckage. "Y'know, if my dad's right, that means that there's another werewolf in town that we haven't met yet." Stiles stated as he stepped over a fallen branch easily. "If it turns out to be something like triplets that form into, like, a three-headed hound of hell, I'm seriously not up for that."

Aiden rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Don't worry, apparently what Ethan and I can do is pretty unique."

"That doesn't mean it's not possible." Jackson countered. "Being a true Alpha is unique, but Derek isn't the only to ever exist. Hell, a year ago, I didn't think that werewolves were possible, let alone two werewolf twins merging into an uber wolf."

"Can you still do that?" Isaac asked curiously. "You haven't done it since The Incident."

"We haven't tried." Aiden admitted with a frown. "Ethan hasn't said anything, but I think he's afraid that we won't be able to, like I am, so we've been putting it off."

"If you don't want to try it's fine, but it would be beneficial if this is a werewolf." Stiles told him with a frown. "We don't know what they're capable of."

"We may not necessarily need to fight a werewolf." Lydia countered as she white-knuckled the flashlight that she was holding. "It was years ago, if it was a werewolf, they could be long gone by now. Either they skipped town, or they could be dead."

"Hopefully" Allison added, looking around cautiously, clutching her bow in one hand, the other prepared to spring for an arrow. "Though, personally, I would rather find a werewolf than a coyote."

"What's wrong with coyotes?" Aiden asked the huntress with a hint of amusement.

"They're creepy."

"I agree." Stiles nodded. "They always sound like they're mauling some tiny, helpless little animal." As if on cue, a distant coyote howled, startling Stiles. The boy stumbled, and fell onto Scott causing him to drop his phone. The device rolled down a dirt hill, and landed in a puddle. "Sorry, buddy."

Scott rolled his eyes at his best friend. "Deja Vu." Stiles furrowed his brows in confusion. "Inhaler." Scott said in explanation, and realisation hit Stiles, causing him to laugh.

"What?" Jackson asked with a raised eyebrow. "How does dropping your phone in a puddle remind you of your inhaler?"

"The night we were bitten." Stiles began nostalgically, smiling slightly to himself. It may not have been the most pleasant memory but it led to all of this, so it was worth it in his mind. "We were out here looking for Laura's body, and Scott ended up dropping his inhaler."

"Ah, no! You fell into me when the deer came running and my inhaler got knocked away! That was so not my fault" Scott argued with a laugh as he went to retrieve his phone.

"When the deer left and I asked what you were doing, you said, and I quote 'Looking for my inhaler. I dropped it.' So don't go blaming me or the deer for your pre-wolf butterfingers."

"Whatever." Scott rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he picked up and checked his phone. "It still works!" He announced happily as the others followed him.

"Good, and by the way I still find it hilarious that you were wearing your red hoodie that night." Stiles told him with a chuckle. "Maybe you should be Little Red Riding Hoodie, not me."

"Says the guy currently wearing a red hoodie." Jackson pointed out with a smirk.

"Shush you, Scott's wearing a red shirt!" Stiles protested half heartedly.

"That's not the same though." Aiden countered, sharing a grin with Jackson.

"Hey, I think this is it." Stiles said suddenly, charging forward.

"Why wouldn't they move it?" Isaac asked curiously as they approached the wreckage that had become intertwined with nature. "Isn't it evidence?"

"It's probably just too much of a pain in the ass to tow out." Stiles shrugged as he inspected the vehicle. "Hey, look at this. Lydia, could you-" Lydia shone the light on the wreckage, focusing on where Stiles was gesturing to. Thanks to the light, they could all see the claw marks carved into the vehicle, Stiles traced the marks with his hand.

"If it was an animal, the claws would be closer together, right?" Scott asked, though he already knew the answer, he just needed to hear somebody else confirm it.

"Yeah," Lydia nodded sadly. "A lot closer. It was a werewolf."

"What's that?" Jackson asked, reaching out for something in the car. When he pulled back, he was holding a doll. They all stared at it for a second, before an electronic voice sounded.

"I'm hungry." The voice said, and Jackson dropped the doll as Lydia, Stiles and Isaac yelped (Screamed) in surprise.

"Well, that was sufficiently terrifying." Isaac gasped out, staring at the doll as if he was expecting it to come to life.

"I think I just had a minor heart attack." Stiles gasped as they all panted for breath. Before anything else could be said, they all heard a dangerous growl.

"Please tell me you guys see that." Stiles whispered, eyes fixed on something in the trees.

"I see it." Aiden nodded, as the others all turned to look, then Scott ran off.

"Scott!" Stiles yelled, chasing after his best friend. "Scott wait!"

Scott chased the creature through the preserve, his Pack Mates following closely. The wolves, except Stiles, followed Scott in the jump across the hills, Stiles, Lydia and Allison stayed behind. Scott flashed his eyes at the coyote as they stared at each other, and the coyote's eyes turned blue. "Malia?" Isaac asked in shock. The coyote seemed surprised before she ran away, and the Pack was too shocked to stop her.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

In a dark, weapon filled room somewhere, Peter and Victoria were strung up against metal fencing, being electrocuted. On a table a few meters away, Victoria's phone buzzed with frantic texts from her husband and daughter. As the electricity pulsed through her, Victoria turned to glare at Peter.

"Why are you looking at me like this is my fault?" The man asked incredulously.

"Because it is your fault!"

"Yeah you're probably right." Peter agreed, before the voltage was increased and the both thrashed in pain. In the room with them, a man sat in front of a set of equipment.

"You see this equipment? Very old. The settings are not quite accurate anymore. So it's hard to tell just how far to turn the dial." The man told them tauntingly. His voice was deep, and held a strong accent.

"I think it's a little high." Peter informed him, so the man, obviously, turned up the dial. Victoria glared even harder at Peter as she dug her teeth into her lower lip, the other wolf gritted his teeth as the pain intensified.

"I've seen some crack their teeth." The man continued, not even glancing at them "Others, they just shake and shake even after their heart stops. Sometimes we don't even know they're dead." He turned off the electricity and moved towards them at a tormentingly slow pace until he was standing in front of the two wolves "But nobody wants to play a guessing game. So, why don't you just tell us? Where is la loba?"

"We don't know where la loba is." Victoria stated.

"No?" The man asked, walking over to them "Maybe you need a different method of persuasion? Maybe we cut one of you in half, the other talks?"

"I would love to be the helpful volunteer," Peter spoke as he panted for breath, "but we really don't know what you're talking about. And honestly, isn't bisecting people with a broadsword a little medieval?" The hunter chuckled in response

"Broad sword? We're not savages." Peter felt a moment of relief, before the hunter looked at one of his colleagues, and the other man powered up a chainsaw. Victoria glared at Peter once more, as the hunter spoke again. "We all wonder how far your little healing trick goes. What do you think? Can you grow back an arm? We're pretty sure you can't grow back your head." He taunted, moving the tool towards Victoria's throat.

"Boys." A female voice called, in the same accent as the man. The woman, who Victoria knew to be Araya Calavera, walked into the room through the beaded door confidently. She spoke again, this time in Spanish, and the hunter reluctantly turned off the chainsaw and set it down.

"No hablo espanol." Victoria tried, but Araya chuckled at her.

"Tu hablas mucho idiomas, loba. You know exactly what I'm saying." Victoria gave no response, but apparently, the huntress didn't need one. "And you know exactly who we're looking for, so tell us. Where is the she-wolf?"

"Maybe if you gave us a few more details, we'd be able to help. I am a loba, but clearly it's not me you're looking for." Victoria told her, trying to keep her voice as even as possible. She had prepared for situations such as this, so she knew she had to keep a level head and try to negotiate. "In fact, we know a few she-wolves, so perhaps a description would help."

"Well aren't you the negotiator, Victoria?" Araya chuckled "If only you were still human, we could have gotten along."

"Human or not, I'm still the Argent Matriarch until my daughter comes of age." The redhead reminded the huntress as she held her head high, trying to not let her pain show. "I came to you to request your help, I contacted you beforehand and I explained why my husband couldn't come in my place. The only reason I brought him" She nudged her head towards Peter. "with me, is because, as a Hale, he has the right to the box, as it is, technically, his."

"Ah, the box." Araya smirked at the woman. "Tell me, Victoria, why should I give you both the box and the information you require, for nothing in return?"

"Who said you get nothing in return?" Victoria countered, intriguing the woman. "The duffel bag." She nodded to the bag in question, that was sat on the table, next to her phone. Araya nodded to the man who was sitting at the table, so he opened it, revealing several blocks of money. "Fifty thousand. Count it and check its authenticity, if you must. " The man immediately set to work, as another man left the room, presumably to find something to confirm that the money wasn't counterfeit.

"And what did you plan to spend this money on?"

"Well, originally, that was going to buy us the information, and we were going to take the box." Victoria told her honestly. "But it's clear that you won't just give us our rightful property back, so we'll make you a deal. The money for the box and its contents, and we will tell you everything we know about your La Loba in exchange for the information we want." Araya looked thoughtful for a second, before turning to one of her hunters, who was standing in the corner.

"Let her down and take her to my office." She looked back at the two wolves in front of her as he walked over to the control system to turn down the electricity first. "However, Hale stays here until our arrangement is done." Peter looked annoyed, but didn't say anything, as he knew it would only cause him more pain. Victoria nodded in agreement, and had to bite back a sigh of relief when the electricity was turned off. The hunters were not gentle in getting her detached from her confinements, but she said nothing to them.

"Try to keep your mouth shut." Victoria cautioned Peter before she was led out of the room. "Your voice has a habit of compelling people to hurt you." The born wolf rolled his eyes, then groaned in pain when the electricity began coursing through him again, though thankfully at a lower voltage.

"I doubt he will stay quiet, this one loves the sound of his own voice." Araya chuckled.

"You should hear me sing." Peter smiled flirtatiously

"I want to hear you scream." The hunter who had just finished counting the money told him with a sinister grin.

"No one ever wants to hear me sing." Peter complained as he frowned at Victoria, she just rolled her eyes at him.

"There is fifty thousand, señora." The hunter confirmed and Araya smiled.

"Then please bring me the box, Severo. Now, Victoria, let's see if we can benefit each other." She said as she led Victoria out of the room with a smirk. "Behave, boys."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day at school, the Pack were walking down the corridors between classes, discussing the events of the previous night and trying to think of a way to help Malia. "I can't believe him." Scott complained, referring to his father. The night before, the man had arrived at the crime scene/coyote den, with Mr Tate. He had apparently left the McCall house shortly after Scott had, and decided to visit Mr. Tate when he heard about the discovery over the police scanner. "Why can't he just back off? He had no problem staying away these past few years"

"Because he's your father, Scott." Stiles said softly. "He may be an asshole, but he's still your father. In his messed up mind that gives him a right to control you and your life whenever he feels like."

"Well he needs to realise that he doesn't." Scott all but growled. "How are we supposed to help Malia, or anyone, if he keeps getting in the way?"

"Can't we just use our connection to the Nemeton?" Cora asked. "I mean, shouldn't we be able to feel her if she's in town."

"It doesn't quite work like that." Lydia explained, in her tone of voice that was reserved for educational lectures. "When we first established the connection we felt everything and everyone in town because it was so raw. The Nemeton was focused on establishing the bonds, so it didn't restrict that ability from us, now it has."

"Why?"

"Because it's too dangerous." Stiles took over. "If the Nemeton didn't shut us off from that ability, we'd all be in a lot of danger. We'd feel everything, and I mean everything. Every time someone stubbed their toe, broke a bone, had a baby, died, we'd feel it all. Their pain, physical and emotional, we'd feel the grief and heartbreak of everyone in town." The Pack listened, staring wide eyed at Stiles, then did the same towards Lydia when she picked up the explanation again.

"All of that, feeling it all on top of our own emotions and pain, it'd overwhelm even the strongest of us. At best, we'd die."

"That's the best option?" Erica gasped in horror, eyes wide in fear.

"The alternative is our bodies shutting down." Lydia told her, eyes downcast, a shudder going through her at the thought, even as she tried to remain neutral. "We wouldn't be able to talk or move, or do anything. We'd be paralysed from the pain, trapped in our minds, feeling it all, screaming out for it to stop but not being able to make a sound." A chill ran through them all at the thought, and Erica almost wished she hadn't asked, but Lydia wasn't finished yet. "After a while, we wouldn't be able to differentiate between what we were feeling and what others were feeling. We'd lose all thought and reason, lost to the agony. Completely insane."

"It's similar to what happened to Peter." Stiles continued. "During his coma, he was trapped inside his own mind. Body paralysed but brain fully functional. Unable to properly grieve for his lost Pack, while at the same time, feeling the grief of the survivors. All he could do was lie there and think of them. His thoughts then turned to revenge, it consumed him. Changed him. That's why he was the way he was when he woke up."

"Right." Erica nodded slowly, before looking up at the ceiling. "Thank you, Nemeton, for saving us from insanity!" A gentle warmth overcame her for a moment, which she interpreted as a 'You're welcome'.

"Anyway." Danny cut in, unaware of what the blonde was experiencing. "What about Malia?"

"Well, we found her den." Stiles pointed out.

"She won't go back there now." Lydia stated as she walked. "When we went in our scents would have gotten everywhere. She won't feel safe there anymore."

"And Coyotes don't like wolves." Allison added. "They're really smart too, if they don't want to be heard, they actually walk on their toes."

"Coyotes tip-toe?" Stiles asked in surprise, with a hint of amusement in his voice. Allison rolled her eyes at him fondly, but nodded.

"They tip-toe."

"If she won't go back to the den, where will she go?" Aiden asked with a frown.

"The den was right in the middle of a hiking trail." Allison pointed out. "That could narrow it down as Coyotes usually travel on fixed trails."

"If you tell me where the trail was, I could bring up a map of all of the connected trails." Danny offered, gesturing to his bag. "I have my laptop with me, so I could get it done during class."

"You're such a nerd, when don't you have your laptop with you?" Jackson asked teasingly at the same time Isaac spoke.

"Alright, that's all great, but what do we do when we find her?" Isaac asked. "How do we turn a coyote back into a girl, when she hasn't been a girl for eight years?"

Jackson put on a mock scowl. "Oh, fine just talk right over m-"

"I think Derek howling is our best option." Scott stated with a shrug, so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realise he'd spoken over Jackson, who was looking at his Pack Mate in utter betrayal. "He's an Alpha and an Alpha can force someone to shift, right?"

"Have I gone mute or something?"

"Though that is true, Derek isn't her Alpha." Lydia countered Scott with a pointed look, deciding that messing with her mate would be fun. "And she's not even a werewolf, she's a werecoyote, it might not even work."

"Et Tu, Lydia?"

"We should still try." Scott argued, determined as ever to help someone in any way he could.

"Are you all going to ignore me today?"

"No one is saying we shouldn't." Stiles assured his best friend, resting a hand on his shoulder. He also opted to ignore Jackson, deciding it would be funny. He also wanted to see how long it would take before one of the Pack caved and spoke to the beta. "I think that what Lydia is trying to say is that it might not work, so we shouldn't make it our only play." Stiles explained and Lydia nodded in confirmation.

"Alright, I get what you're saying." Scott told them understandingly.

"But apparently nobody gets what I'm saying." Jackson grumbled bitterly, glaring at the Pack.

"Right, this is us," Stiles announced, gesturing to himself, Erica, Scott and Cora as the Pack paused outside of their history class. "We'll continue this conversation later." Just as he said that, the bell rang so they exchanged quick goodbyes before heading their separate ways. Jackson being teasingly ignored the entire time.

Inside the classroom, Kira approached the group as they prepared to take their seats. "Hey, I'm Kira." She greeted with a nervous smile, before her face dropped and she shook her head. "You knew that. I knew you knew that, I don't know why I just told you that again." Scott and Erica smiled at her, whilst Stiles looked amused, and Cora rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. "Anyway, I have something for you guys."

"Us?" Scott asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Yeah, about the Bardo." She told him, the smile returning to her face. "My explanation was kind of all over the place, so I did some research for you and printed it out for you."

Erica chuckled at the girl, "You didn't have to do that."

"It only took a couple hours." Kira told her, trying to be reassuring, as she searched through her bag.

"Wow, then you really didn't have to do that." Scott told her with wide eyes, shocked that she'd give up a large portion of her free time just to help a group of people she barely knew.

"I swear I printed it out!"

"Kira," A voice interrupted and the girl turned to see her father holding a stack of paper. "You forgot all of that research you did for that group you want to befriend." He told her simply, causing her to look at him in disbelief and embarrassment as she took the papers from him and gave him a pointed look. Mr Yukimura simply sent a smile and a small wave to the group behind his daughter before turning and walking away. Kira slowly turned to face the Pack again, to find them looking at her in a mix of surprise and joy.

"So…" Erica started slowly, unable to keep the grin off of her face. "You want to befriend us?" Kira nodded sheepishly.

"Oh, good!" Scott all but yelled in exaggerated relief, drawing curious looks from the other students in the room, but the Pack mates ignored them. "Because we totally want to befriend you too."

"Really?" Kira blinked in surprise. "Why?" She asked without thinking, then panicked slightly when she realised what she had said. "I mean, why me? I'm not cool or popular or-"

"Stop!" Cora interrupted with a firm glare fixed on the girl. "First of all, don't talk badly about yourself. There are plenty of strangers out there who will do it for you just to make you feel bad, so why add to it yourself?" She asked rhetorically with a raised eyebrow. "Second of all, you are the first person outside of our social circle to not judge us for the decisions, over relationships or otherwise, that we make. I mean, it's clear that you're curious about how it works for us, but we can all tell that you aren't judging us for it, and you're not gossiping about us, so it's cool."

"Also, you're wearing Marvel leggings!" Stiles pointed out with a grin before Kira could say anything in return. "I'm more of a DC fan myself, but I am no hater to the Marvel universe."

"We're all total nerds." Erica informed Kira with a grin. "And you're not scared of us, so that's a plus." At Kira's confused look, Erica explained. "We weren't always friends, and we didn't always dress the way that we do. Before everything changed, I always wore baggy clothes. I never wore what I do now, because I didn't have the confidence, but thanks to my friends, I do. And because of the sudden change, not only with me, but most of our group, the rumor mill started turning. With the leather," She gestured to her jacket. "the red," She gestured to her lipstick. "and the tattoo's," She gestured to her wrist. "people became convinced that we were in a gang or mafia or something," Erica chuckled as she rolled her eyes "and started to avoid us. Sure, you're new and probably haven't heard all of the rumors yet, but you're not avoiding us because of how we look, and that means a lot to us."

"I'd never judge a person based on how they look." Kira told them honestly. Scott smiled, and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Kira's father called out, telling everyone to take their seats. He closed his mouth again and gratefully accepted the research that Kira was holding out

"Thank you." Kira nodded in response then gave them all one last smile before sitting down.

"Alright, everyone, let's get started." Mr Yukimura began once everyone was seated "We were just talking about internment camps and prisoners of war. There's a passage in our reading that I'd like to go over in more detail. Who would like to come up and read aloud for us?" When no one volunteered, he looked around for a second, before settling on Stiles "Mr. Stilinski, how about you?"

Stiles looked up in surprise and shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. "Oh, m-maybe someone else could."

"Everyone participates in my class, Mr. Stilinski." Although he didn't actually say the word 'no' it was pretty clear that Stiles wouldn't be getting out of it.

"Okay." Stiles sighed in defeat and rose to his feet. Mr Yukimura moved out of the way and allowed Stiles to stand by the wooden podium that held the book. Stiles tried to focus on the page in front of him, but the letters wouldn't stay still. They rolled down the page as Stiles gripped the podium, feeling the all too familiar clutches of a panic attack. He gasped for breath, trying to force himself to calm down as his Pack mates stood, and cautiously approached, having picked up on his emotional state.

"Stiles," Scott began softly as he, Erica and Cora approached Stiles. "are you okay?" Stiles attempted to stand up straight and nod, only to stumble. He tightened his grip on the podium momentarily, until he felt his claws begin to slip out. He immediately let go and closed his hands into fists. Without anything to hold onto he fell to the ground. Within seconds, Erica, Cora and Scott were around him. "Hey, Stiles." Scott called again, looking at his best friend in panic. "Look at me man, is this- is this a panic attack?" He asked, he was right next to Stiles, but the lanky boy barely heard him.

Scott's voice was unclear due to Stiles' heartbeat pounding in his ears. His head was throbbing and his hands tingling due to slowed circulation caused by his hyperventilating.

"We should take him to the nurse's office." Erica said, looking up at the startled teacher who nodded in response. However, as they tried to help him to his feet, Stiles' legs gave out beneath him. His Pack mates tried to keep him standing but didn't want to grip him too hard in fear of hurting him while in this vulnerable position, they also didn't want to show too much strength in front of their classmates. So, Stiles ended up back on the floor.

"It's a dream." Stiles whispered to himself, but the room was deathly silent, so everybody heard him. "It's a dream. This is just a dream."

"No it's not." Cora told him, trying to get him to look at her. "This is real, you're here, in school." She said glancing warily at the students staring at them. "You're here with us."

"Okay what do you do?" Scott asked his Pack mates, ignoring everyone around them. "I mean, like, how do you tell if you're awake or dreaming?"

"Your fingers!" Stiles gasped. "You have extra fingers in dreams."

"Okay, Stiles, look at me!" Erica ordered as she held up her hands. "Count with me, okay? Count my fingers. One," She began, lifting one finger.

"T-two" Stiles gasped, they counted together, up to ten. Stiles' eyes darted to and from both of Erica's hands, making sure that what he was seeing was true, before his breathing began to even out.

"Can we still take him to the nurse, to calm down?" Cora asked Mr. Yukimura, and the man nodded rapidly.

"Of course. Take all the time you need." He assured and watched as the three teenagers helped Stiles to his feet and supported him as they left the room, leaving their bags behind.

The group headed to the nurse's office, where Melissa was filling in for a while. With Victoria out of town, there were no adults of the Pack at the school, which made them all a little uneasy after the events with both Gerard and Jennifer. Add that to all of the new staff, many of whom were from out of town, and the adults of the Pack were all cautious of the teenagers being without a trusted authority figure who could help them with supernatural problems in school.

Morrell was currently working at Eichen House, and would continue to do so for at least a few weeks, and Natalie Martin wasn't that well adapted to the supernatural yet, nor did she have much knowledge of it. So, Melissa volunteered to step in. She originally planned to be the receptionist, but as she was more qualified than the actual school nurse, she took over there, and the regular nurse went to reception. After explaining the situation to her superiors at the hospital, they agreed to allow her to count those as part of her logged hours, as it also helped them in that most injuries that occurred at the school -usually a sprained ankle or something similar- could be handled by her, rather than spending extra money on ambulance fuel whilst picking up the student and taking them to the hospital. It also helped the school in that they didn't have to keep calling ambulances, because the nurse was actually qualified to treat such an injury. All in all, it benefited everyone.

When they arrived at the office, Scott quickly explained the situation to his mother, who ordered Stiles to lie down. "What the hell is happening to me?" He asked as he lay back on a medical bed.

"We'll figure it out." Scott promised unwavering as Melissa gathered the required equipment to check his vitals.

"You're going to be okay." Erica added with a soft smile.

"Am I?" Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow. "Is Derek? Neither of us can transform, Derek is being haunted by a demonic version of Laura and I… I'm straight up losing my mind." He shook his head at himself. "We can't do this, we-we can't- We can't help Malia, we can't help anyone." He whispered as he shook his head in defeat.

"You're right. You can't." Cora agreed, earning her disbelieving and slightly annoyed looks from the McCall's and Erica. "Not alone." Cora added before anything could be said. "But you're not alone. You have us, your Pack, and we won't give up on you, or this town." She promised, looking Stiles in the eyes. "When I first met you all, I thought that you were all a bunch of stupid, teenaged wanna-be-heroes. Running around, thinking you could stop people from getting killed. I believed that all you'd do was show up late and find the bodies." She admitted softly, and Stiles hung his head in grief over those that they hadn't saved along the way. Then, Cora spoke again, causing Stiles to look at her as she spoke with great determination. "But, you proved me wrong. You showed me that we can make a difference. We can help people, we can save people. We've saved so many. And even though we have lost a few good, innocent people along the way, we haven't let them die in vain. We made sure that those who killed them could never hurt anybody else. We will help Malia, and we will help you and Derek. I am not losing any more of my Pack. You set me down this hero path, Stiles, and I can't see it through without you. So, either sit here, feeling sorry for yourself and stop trying to help others, or you can get up and finish what you started."

After a few seconds, Stiles nodded slowly. "Okay." He said finally. "I'll try."

The remainder of lesson time was taken by Melissa checking over Stiles, and the other three Pack members trying to help him find ways to focus on reality. When the bell rang, Melissa finally released her patient.

"Lunch time!" Stiles announced with a grin jumping up off of the medical bed eagerly. "Where's my bag?" He asked as he looked around rapidly.

Erica groaned and smacked her hand against her forehead in frustration. "In the classroom, with ours." She sighed. "I'll go get em, and I'll meet you guys in the cafeteria."

"I'll go with you." Scott stated with a small smile before hugging his mum and leaving with the blonde.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Do not forget the chapters on President Carter and the Commission on Wartime Relocation." Mr Yukimura reminded everyone once the bell went and the students began to get up.

Kira took her time leaving, and her eyes fell on the bags left behind by Scott, Stiles, Erica and Cora. She hesitated for a second, before putting all the belongings into the correct bags, then gathered them all and scurried out of the room.

Kira wandered the quickly clearing corridors, opting to search for the nurse's office, rather than heading to lunch, in order to return the bags. It wasn't long until she froze in shock.

After passing through a doorway, she saw a set of steps in front of her and at the top of those steps, stood a coyote. She stopped her movements when she saw it, but it had already noticed her.

It slowly moved closer to her, sniffing the air as it did so. Then, it's mouth stretched open as it snarled at her and it's eye's seemed to glow. "Oh my god." Kira gasped, cautiously stepping backwards. The coyote suddenly leapt forward and ran towards her. Kira dropped two of the bags in place, then turned and pushed open the nearest door. She quickly shut the door behind her, and dropped the two other bags, as well as her own. Kira looked around and realised that she was in a locker room. Her first instinct was to hide behind a locker and hope that the coyote wouldn't be able to get through the door. So that's what she did. She hid behind a row of lockers, pressed her back to it and sank to the floor, knowing that her legs wouldn't hold her for much longer. So she tried to calm herself and listen for if the coyote got in.

It did. The coyote leapt through the glass panel in the door shattering it on impact. The animal landed easily, unharmed, and began searching.

Kira stayed in place, her heart was racing rapidly in fear as she listened to the coyote searching for her. The coyote's growls increased in volume as it grew closer to her. After a few moments, Kira peered around the locker, and saw the coyote looking directly at her.

She gasped, and turned away. She slowly rose to her feet and back away as the coyote continued growling. She crept quietly, but soon gasped in surprise and horror when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around to see Scott and Erica. Scott wrapped an arm around her protectively as Erica slammed a single hand against the lockers, sending the row tumbling, taking the other rows with it in a domino effect.

The growls faded, until Kira couldn't hear them anymore, and Erica and Scott cautiously lead her around the room. Kira sighed in relief when she didn't see the coyote, but the pair with her didn't seem as relieved. Erica looked concerned and battle ready as she continued looking around the room, and Scott was fixated on something just visible in one of the bags in the corner.

Looking closely, Kira saw a part of a doll's face.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Victoria was carrying the box when she was taken back into the room where Peter was being held, with Araya by her side. She instantly smelt blood. Then she noticed the single, severed, claw-tipped finger, with blood flowing down it stabbed into the table, it was then she noticed that Peter was missing a finger. "Boys," Araya called out sharply, "yo te a comportarse dije!" She snapped in annoyance.

"He wouldn't stop talking." A hunter, Severo, shrugged in response.

"Not that I don't appreciate your hospitality," Peter gritted out, trying to keep the pain out of his voice. "but do you think it would be possible to put that on ice? Maybe something for my hand? Extra-large Band-Aid? Perhaps some antibiotic ointment?"

"You may do that yourself." Araya told him, then turned to the hunter. "Let him down." She ordered. "They are both free to go. Victoria has told us what we need to know." It was then that Peter the dark, haunted expression on Victoria's face, so he stayed quiet as he was let down and retrieved his finger. "I will show you out."

Within minutes, they were outside of the compound with all of their belongings, except the fifty thousand, and heading to the vehicle they had arrived in. "What did you find out?" Peter asked as he wrapped some of the fabric he'd ripped off of his shirt around his hand. "Do you know who that she-wolf is? The one who they're after?"

Victoria didn't look at him as they walked, keeping her eyes fixed on the vehicle ahead of them. "Kate."

Peter froze.

"That's… not possible." He protested after a moment, then jogged to catch up with the woman. "Kate's dead!" He hissed. "I should know, I'm the one who killed her!"

"Well, clearly, you didn't do a very good job." Victoria sneered, unlocking the car then put her belongings in the boot. "She came back, the Calavera's took her body from the morgue, brought her here and gave her a blade to take her own life. She faked her death, and when they came in to take her body, she killed everyone who got in her way and escaped." Victoria explained as she opened the driver's side door. "She's a shifter now. Your claws turned her." The woman leaned over him and pulled the first aid kit from the glove box, then handed it to a shocked Peter. "And now, you're going to help me kill her for good."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The police had arrived at the school to investigate the coyote attack. Derek was checking the perimeter of the school with Parrish, searching for the Coyote, whilst Tara and another deputy interviewed students, and the sheriff told his son what they'd learnt so far.

"A couple of students said they saw it running across the field and back into the woods." Noah told Stiles as they walked down the school corridor, passing several Animal Control workers along the way. "Thank God, nobody got hurt."

"What happens if she does hurt someone?" Stiles asked, causing his father to sigh.

"Most likely they'll have to put it down."

"Put her down?" Stiles demanded, emphasising the word 'her'. "Dad, try not to forget there's a girl in there, one that you'll be killing." Stiles reminded his father who gave no response. "Come on, you aren't suddenly not believing, are you?"

Noah signed again, then turned and stood in front of Stiles. "I believe there are a lot of things I still don't understand yet. But that doesn't mean that everything and anything imaginable is suddenly possible. Now, are you 100% sure that this is a girl and not an animal?"

"Yes." Stiles stated without a moment's hesitation. "She responded to her name and her eyes glowed, dad. If it was just me who'd seen it, I'd be questioning it, just like you are, but it wasn't just me. Scott, Isaac, Jackson and Aiden all saw it too and they all believe that Malia can be saved, just like I do." He told his father firmly. "Malia is trapped in there, she doesn't know how to turn back and she probably feels a hell of a lot of guilt over what happened that night. Derek told me that born wolves don't start shifting immediately. They experience all of the heightened senses all of their lives, but the shifting doesn't occur immediately. For girls, it usually starts between the ages of six and fifteen, like puberty, but not always at the same time, though it's more common- never mind. Malia was eight, it fits. That was likely her first shift."

"But her parents weren't supernatural, right?" The sheriff asked in confusion. "So, how could she have been born a werecoyote?"

"We did some research. Mrs Tate was only ever pregnant once, with the younger girl." Stiles told him. "Malia was adopted."

Noah sighed again and ran a hand over his face, then nodded reluctantly. "All right, let's get this figured out. Come on." With that, the Stilinski's made their way to the locker room where the attack took place and found that Derek had just finished interviewing Kira, and then Melissa was checking her for injuries as she spoke to her father.

"Dad, seriously, I'm okay." The girl assured the man, not that it did any good.

"Why were you not headed to lunch like everyone else?" He all but demanded with a stern look on his face.

"They left their bags. I was just trying to do something nice." Kira defended herself with a shrug "You do something nice and you make friends. Or so I've heard."

"Hi," Erica's voice cut in as she walked over to the girl. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear what you guys were talking about," She shared a secret smile with Kira, who recognised the words as what she had first said to the group. "and I just want to say something. Kira, we really appreciate your thoughtfulness, but like we said earlier, we already want to be your friend. It'd be kinda hard to be friends with you if you're coyote food."

"Trust me, had I known the coyote was going to be there, I would have taken a different route." Kira told her, in an attempt at comfort. Erica chuckled and shook her head.

"What I'm trying to say is that you didn't have to get our bags. Not only must it have been rather difficult to carry five bags at once, but it also put you in danger. None of us want to see you hurt. Scott and I were actually on our way to get the bags when we heard the glass break, had we decided to ask our others friends to get them, or get them five minutes later, then you could have been really hurt. I'd hate to see you hurt." Erica told her honestly, causing Kira to blush. "So, if anything like that happens again, please, either just leave the bags, or go to the cafeteria where the others will be. Alright? I'd hate for you to be put in danger again because of us." Kira smiled at the blonde and nodded.

"Alright, I promise." Kira stated and Erica's smile widened. Mr. Yukimura glanced between the two curiously, before smiling to himself.

Across the room, Stiles walked over to Scott, who had been listening in on the conversation. "Scott." He began, drawing his best friend's attention to him. "I think I know what she was looking for." He said, and pulled the doll from out of his bag.

"You took the doll from the car?" Scott asked in annoyance, as Stiles had confirmed his suspicion as to why Malia had gone to the school, and why she had followed Kira.

"Yeah," Stiles nodded, unashamedly. "I thought you could use it, you know, for like her scent." Before Scott could reply, Mr. Tate's voice cut in

"Where did you get that?" He demanded and the pair turned to see him staring at the doll as he angrily marched over to them. "Where did you find this?" He asked louder this time as he snatched the doll from Stiles' hands, drawing attention from the people around them. "It belonged to my daughter." He spoke softly that time, looking at the doll longingly.

"I'm sorry," Stiles apologised honestly. "I found it last night. My friends and I found it in the car wreckage just before we found the den." He told him. "I-I didn't think much of it, and I completely forgot it was in my bag until now." He lied convincingly and Mr. Tate simply nodded but didn't say a word as the Sheriff walked over to them.

"Mr. Tate, I don't know how you heard about this. If you got your own police scanner or what but you can't be here." He said as he reached out for the man, who tried to move away before realising his mistake. He sighed and allowed the sheriff to move his jacket, revealing the gun on his hip.

"I have a permit." He said, but he knew it wouldn't do any good.

"California schools are gun free zones, permit or no permit." Noah told the man firmly, but quietly, as to not alert the crowd of students outside the door. "You need to leave, Mr. Tate. Now." He all but ordered, and Mr. Tate stammered for an excuse to stay, but the look on the sheriff's face left no room for argument. When a deputy moved to grab Mr. Tate's arm, the man gave up, and looked at the sheriff angrily.

"You find that animal. You find that thing." He sneered before turning and making his way out of the school.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

That day after school, Scott, Stiles and Isaac went to the animal clinic to get powerful tranquilizers from Deaton, as they did, Allison and Cora went to Allison's home to pick up a special rifle that would shoot the tranquilliser dart. Meanwhile, Chris, Lydia and the twins were trying to help Derek regain control, so that he could roar and, hopefully, turn Malia back to human.

"Xylazine." Deaton announced holding up three vials. "It's a tranquilliser for horses. For a werecoyote, expect it to work within seconds." He informed the wolves as he set the vials down on the metal table. "I only have three, so whoever's shooting needs to be a damn good shot."

"Allison's a perfect shot." Scott announced proudly, as Isaac nodded in agreement.

"She is." The curly haired beta confirmed, sharing a loving smile with Scott as they thought of their mate.

"Then you just need to figure out how to turn her back to human."

"Derek can do it." Scott said confidently. "He's done it to all of us before, on full moons and back when he first became an Alpha."

"This is a werecoyote, Scott." Deaton reminded him. "Who knows if it'd even work?"

"And besides, it's different now." Stiles argued. "He can't even shift into just a werewolf! How the hell is he supposed to Alpha roar, when he can't even reach his Alpha side?"

"That's why he's with the twins right now." Scott pointed out.

"They're not Alpha's anymore." Deaton reminded him, with a hint of confusion. "After what Jennifer did, almost killing them, it broke that part of them."

"But they know how to do it." Stiles said as realisation hit him. "They know how to reach that side and they were taught how to do it. Derek could do it, but he said it was more instinctual than anything else. Maybe that part is just… out of reach because of what we did. Maybe if he knows how to do it, it'll help."

"See." Scott grinned at Stiles' calculating look. "It's good to be optimistic."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

At the loft in a building Derek owned, the True Alpha was being tossed around like a rag doll. They'd chosen there as that was where he stayed whilst under Jennifer's influence, and hopefully those memories would anger him enough to help him transform. "I thought you were going to help me roar." Derek half groaned, half growled at the twins as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"We are, you do it by giving in" Aiden stated, looking down at his Alpha.

"Giving in and letting go, that's how Deucalion taught us control." Ethan added, in a softer tone than his brother as he helped Derek to his feet.

"Huh, it's funny." Lydia commented from the sidelines. "Stiles and I actually tried something just like this with Scott, using a heart monitor and Lacrosse balls. But you're right, beating the hell out of him is probably a lot better." She commented sarcastically.

"That's the plan?" Derek asked in disbelief. "You kick my ass?"

"You're afraid to turn."

"So we make you."

"You turn, then you kick our asses."

"And then you roar!" Aiden told him, before turning to face him in beta shift, and letting out a loud roar.

"You think you can't let go of this?" Ethan asked, shoving Derek towards Aiden.

"You think you're gonna hurt us?" Aiden continued tauntingly, shoving Derek right back to Ethan. The taunting and shoving continued for a few minutes, but with no signs of Derek shifting, Chris decided to step in.

"This isn't working." The hunter sighed, deciding to play his best card. If this doesn't work, he doubted anything would. "I'm calling Stiles."

"Why?" Lydia asked curiously as Derek's head shot towards Chris, the Alpha clearly wondering the same thing.

"Because if Derek getting the crap kicked out of him isn't working, maybe seeing it happen to Stiles will."

"No!" Derek growled immediately, and behind him the twins smirked, realising Chris' plan.

"That might work." Ethan commented with a shrug. Derek turned to glare at the boy as Aiden took over.

"Yeah, clearly Derek isn't going to defend himself. Maybe he'll defend his mate."

"Don't you dare touch him!" Derek growled in warning, not realising that his fangs were slipping out, but the twins did.

"Or what?" Aiden asked as he advanced on Derek.

"There's no Alpha command in your voice, Derek." Ethan added.

"What's to stop us?" Aiden asked before he punched Derek in the jaw, trying to send the Alpha over the edge. "We've done it before."

Derek snapped and charged at them, with his eyes glowing and his claws on display. He swiped at Ethan and blocked attacks from Aiden. Despite all of his efforts and partial shift, he still failed to fully access his Alpha side, and ended up on the ground again, bloodied and pained, the four who were trying to help him were looking down at him sadly.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Not long after, a familiar car drove up to the Hale house through a clearing of trees. Victoria and Peter were back.

"What happened?" Jackson demanded immediately when he smelt Peter's blood, as the older pair got out of their car.

"Peter couldn't keep his mouth shut." Victoria stated as an explanation as they approached the three teenagers. "But we got the box, the information and something else we didn't plan on." She stated as she handed over the triskele box to Boyd.

"What 'something else' exactly?" Erica asked warily as the group made their way into the house to help Peter.

"Someone who's supposed to be dead isn't." Peter told them through gritted teeth, clutching his injured hand to his chest. "Can't anyone in this town stay dead?"

"We were kinda hoping you would." Melissa jumped in as they entered the living room.

"Hey, Mel, can you grab the first aid kit?" Danny asked politely from the couch, noticing the bloodied bandages on Peter's hand. "Peter bandages need replacing."

"Actually," Peter began as he held up what used to be a bag of ice, but was now just cold water, with a finger floating in it. "I need my finger sewn back on." Melissa groaned in disgust but moved to get what she needed anyway.

Within five minutes, she was carefully sewing the finger back onto the freshly opened wound, ignoring Peter's winces of pain. "Don't you have any anesthetic?" He asked hopefully.

"Yup." Melissa grinned at him, then continued sewing, making it clear that he wasn't going to get any.

Peter sighed. "I don't know why you're so hostile to me, I never did anything to you."

"You bit my sons against their will." Melissa reminded him with a glare. "You also bit Jackson, Lydia and Tammy, turning Tammy into a vicious homicidal lizard who was forced to kill people and now she has to live with that guilt. You also killed your own niece, attacked my sons and their friends multiple times. You forced Lydia to bring you back to life, and nearly killed Derek in the process. And you're the reason all of this craziness in town has happened." She pointed out, adding unneeded pressure to Peter's wound, causing him to groan in pain. "Maybe some of your actions caused something incredible, like the Pack, but you've also caused misery and destruction. You may not have done anything to me directly, but you hurt people I care about and I won't forget that. Maybe I can forgive you, someday, but not without good reason. You may have fought alongside the Pack, and protected them, but you haven't outweighed the bad with good yet, not in my eyes. When you do, I will stop being 'hostile', as you put it, but not now. Not until I'm sure you deserve it."

"Understood." Peter said with a nod. There was no sarcasm or mocking in his response, he was being genuine. He may have a tendency to treat things like a big joke, and pretend that nothing affected him, but truthfully, it hurt. It hurt that the Pack didn't trust him yet, but he did understand why, and he didn't resent them for their attitude towards him. He doesn't resent them for it because he knows that he has a lot to prove. He knew that he couldn't just say that he'd changed and expect them to believe it. He needed to prove himself. He needed to show that he was a better man than before his death, and during and just after. He no longer wanted to be an Alpha again, he didn't want to be that powerful again because he couldn't handle it. He didn't have what it took to be an Alpha, he knew that now. He knew that Derek was far more suited to that role, even though neither of them were trained to be Alpha's, Derek certainly made for an impressive one, impressive enough to rise to a 'True Alpha' status.

Peter, upon returning from the grave, had initially sought to regain his Alpha status. However, when he saw how well Derek had taken to it, and seen how close and secure the Pack was, he realised the truth. He wasn't fit to be an Alpha, and he had no chance of taking over Derek's Pack. So, he abandoned his original plans and came up with a new one. The new plan included joining the Pack and earning their trust and their affections.

Seeing how well they worked together reminded him of his late Pack and family. He longed to have those connections again. He longed to feel secure and connected in their Pack. The new Hale Pack. He knew in his heart that that's where he belonged, and though he wasn't Pack yet, he knew he'd do anything to protect them without thinking. He'd lay down his life for them.

He just needed them to realise that.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Near the Coyote Den in the woods early the next morning, Scott, Stiles, Allison, Isaac, Lydia, Jackson, and Derek were gathered by their vehicles, dressed ready to fight, preparing to go through with the plan to save Malia. Erica, Cora, Boyd and Chris were all set up at different points, near the edges of the woods for if Malia evaded the others and tried to get away. The rest of the Pack were sitting that one out, taking the time to analyze the information they'd received from Kira and the Calaveras and try to find something to help Stiles and Derek, but were all prepared to step in if necessary.

"Anyone else think we might be doing more harm than good?" Lydia asked and an edge of nervousness and uncertainty could be heard in her voice as she looked around at the others.

"We're trying to keep a father from killing his own daughter." Scott stated determinedly sounding very confident and assertive, unfortunately not everyone shared his view on the situation.

"Actually," Isaac began to correct his mate with an apologetic look. "We're trying to keep a guy from killing a coyote, who is actually his daughter, who we don't know how to change back from a coyote to his daughter."

"Okay what is the point of him?" Jackson asked bitchily before anyone else could reply. "I mean seriously, what is his purpose? Aside from the persistent negativity and the scarf." Isaac rolled his eyes at the other wolf "What's up with the scarf, anyway? It's sixty-five degrees out!"

"It's called fashion, Jackass, look it up." Isaac retorted, the rest of the Pack seemed frustrated with them and Stiles sighed and ran his hands over his face.

Meanwhile, at the Tate residence, the sheriff slammed an animal trap down onto the table in front of mr Tate. "A jogger on her early morning run almost stepped right into this." Noah gritted out, trying to contain his anger. "Now, you wanna tell me exactly how many of those you put out there?"

Mr. Tate stared at the other man, remaining silent. Under the Sheriff's scrutinizing stare, the man shifted in his seat and made the mistake of glancing at another room. "Sheriff, hold on." He tried as the man moved past him and marched towards said room. Noah looked around in horror at the dozens of empty trap boxes.

"Oh god, some kid could get trapped in one of these!" He sighed, then turned and yelled at the grieving father who had followed him through. "Some kid could die in one of these!"

"My kid died!" Mr Tate reminded the Sheriff unnecessarily as tears swelled in his eyes. "Mine." Though Noah was sympathetic towards the man due to his loss, he couldn't bring himself to be comforting at that moment. Not when lives were at stake.

"You and me, we're going out there right now, and we're going to disarm every single one. I don't care if it takes all night." Mr Tate sighed before something caught his eye. Part of the back door was broken, as though something had charged through it,

"It's in the house." He hissed angrily before storming away and grabbing a shotgun. Noah followed the man through the house, and also pulled out his sidearm as a precaution. Soon enough, Mr. Tate saw the coyote and his anger flared when he noticed his late daughter's doll hanging from it's mouth. He chased after the animal in a fit of rage, the Sheriff chasing after him, but he wasn't fast enough. By the time he got out of the house, neither Malia nor her father were to be seen. Then, two shots were fired, the horrifying sound echoed through the woods.

Over where the portion of the Pack were gathered, they all turned to look in the direction of the sound. Scott immediately climbed on his bike and drove away, Isaac and Allison ran after him whilst the others desperately called his name.

Stiles immediately dug out his phone and called his dad. Noah finished barking orders to his staff through his radio before answering the call and filling Stiles in on what happened.

"She took the doll again?" Stiles asked incredulously whilst turning around to look at Lydia, hoping she'd have the answer to his next question. "What the hell is so important about this doll?"

"I don't know, but listen to me; There are traps all over those woods. Near the trail, probably near the car crash, and Tate is out there with a rifle. I want you to stay out of those woods. You got me?" Noah ordered , but Stiles wasn't listening due to the thought that had just occurred to him. "You hear me? Stiles?"

"It's the doll." Stiles announced suddenly, looking around at the others.

"Stiles?" Stiles quickly hung up the phone and looked around to make sure everybody was listening.

"It's the doll?" He repeated, this time looking confused.

As this unfolded, Isaac and Allison continued chasing Scott, but soon, he was too far ahead, and they stopped to catch their breaths. Suddenly, another shot rang out and they changed direction and took off again.

"Okay, but why would she go all the way to the school, then all the way back to the house for a doll? One that was in the car wreck in the first place?" He asked aloud as Lydia paced behind him, whilst their respective boyfriends shared a look. "We didn't find it in the coyote den!"

"It likes the doll!" Lydia sighed in frustration. "Who cares?"

"Yeah, she likes the doll a lot."

"What kind of doll is it?" Lydia asked thoughtfully after sighing, running a hand through her hair, deciding to go along and see if Stiles' instinct paid out, which it usually did.

"I don't know, it's a doll! It's got little arms and little legs, and-" Lydia rolled her eyes behind him, as he went on about the doll's 'big head' and 'soulless eyes'. "Actually, I took a pic." He remembered suddenly, and started searching through his phone for the picture. "Here." He said as he scrambled to show her.

"That's Malia?" Lydia asked, pointing to the older girl in the photo.

"Yeah." Stiles confirmed with a nod.

"Stiles!" Lydia repeatedly tapped the tall boy on the shoulder frantically. "She's not holding the doll!" Stiles' eyes widened for a second.

"That's Malia's younger sister." He stated aloud in realisation. "It's her doll."

"So, what does that mean?" Derek pressed, walking over to his mate and setting a hand down on his shoulder. He watched as Stiles' eyes darted back and forth, a sign that Stiles was thinking, and waited until Stiles was ready. A few seconds later, Stiles looked at his mate with a look of revelation on his face.

"I know what she's doing." He told him, but seemed rather grim about it. "I know where she's going." He made quick work of telling the trio with him about what he'd realised, then ordered Jackson and Derek to go on ahead whilst he and Lydia tried to contact the others before catching up.

Elsewhere, Isaac and Allison were running through the woods, but the huntress was having trouble keeping up with the werewolf, thanks to the rifle in her hands, and her lack of supernatural speed and stamina. She called out for her mate, but he didn't slow down . He did however, get distracted and ended up springing one of the animal traps and getting his foot caught in the steel clamp.

Isaac let out a howl of pain as he collapsed to the ground. The sound echoed all through the preserve. Jackson and Derek froze for a moment and looked towards each other.

"Go make sure Isaac is okay." Derek told Jackson, his voice held no Alpha command but his tone left no room for argument. Jackson nodded, leaving somewhat reluctantly as Derek continued on to find Malia, Meanwhile, Scott ended up skidding off of his bike before getting up and running in the direction of his mate, forgetting all about Malia and her father. The other wolves of the Pack froze what they were doing, then rushed to get any medical supplies, and tried to call to see what happened.

Allison rushed over to Isaac immediately, feeling her heart clench at seeing him hurt. "Allison," Isaac gasped as she crouched at his side. "There he is." He told her, nodding his head towards where Mr. Tate was standing with his own rifle. Allison stood and aimed her weapon, unfortunately, the shock of seeing one of her mates hurt and bleeding rattled Allison, and caused her hands to shake. "Hit Tate!" He all but ordered. "Use the tranquilliser on him."

"Okay." She nodded, before whispering to herself "Come on."

"Allison." Isaac spoke in a steady voice, noticing her nerves. "Breathe."

Allison nodded again and took a deep breath. "Nous protégeons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger eux-mêmes." She whispered, reminding herself of why she was out there and forced herself to focus on Tate rather than Isaac. Then, she pulled the trigger and shot the man with a tranquilliser dart, on the left shoulder. The man dropped his rifle then passed out. The pair shared a quick, victorious smile, before Allison looked through the scope of her weapon again, only to find that Malia was gone.

"Scott, it's me, you gotta call me back as soon as you can, alright?" Stiles ordered down the phone as he and Lydia walked through the woods, heading to the car wreck. "It wasn't Malia's doll, it was her sisters. Malia left it in the car for her sister, okay? It's like… bringing flowers to a grave. Okay, and we stole the flowers. So that's all she's trying to do, alright? Bring the doll back to the grave- to the car wreck! Derek and Jackson are heading there now, meet them, okay? The car wreck!"

"Stiles!" Lydia called out suddenly as Stiles hung up the phone, a clear edge of panic in her voice. Stiles immediately looked at her, freezing in horror when he saw how still she was, and realised that her left foot was pressing down on an animal trap. "Stiles!" She called again, though more frantically this time as the trap's steel jaws twitched as Lydia unintentionally began to shift her balance.

"Lydia, don't move!" Stiles ordered sharply, trying to not let his fear show.

"Look for a warning label!" Lydia told him quietly, as if she was afraid that speaking too loudly would spring the trap. "It contains instructions on how to disarm it."

"Lydia, why the hell would they put instructions on the bottom of a trap?" He asked in disbelief, eyeing the device fearfully.

"Because animals can't read!" The redhead reminded him, and he nodded before lowering himself to the floor to look for the label, and soon enough, he found it.

"Lydia, we got a problem." He told her as he stared at the label. "I can't read either."

Lydia pulled in a shuddered breath as panic surged through her. Then she reminded herself to stay rational and think of a solution. After a few seconds, she spoke again. "You don't need the instructions." She told Stiles honestly and she couldn't but giggle through her tears as something occurred to her. "When is the last time you have ever used instructions?" She asked rhetorically with a watery smile. "Like, when we were assembling the furniture for the house, you didn't even glimpse at them, and you got it done. You don't need them, because you are too smart to waste your time with them." Stiles looked up at her in awe at her words, and she smiled down at him. "You can figure it out." She said confidently, even as the tears rolled down her face "Stiles, you're the one who always figures it out. So you can do it." Stiles broke their eye contact and looked down at the trap again. "Figure… it… out." Stiles quickly wiped away a tear that was rolling down his cheek before drawing in a deep breath and focusing on the trap.

Suddenly, he noticed it. He quickly brushed the twigs and fallen leaves aside to get a better look. Yes, it was what he thought. A small wheel that connected to the spring of the trap. "Okay." He whispered. "Okay, here we go." He told Lydia in a louder voice as he reached out a shaking hand to the wheel. "Ready?" He asked, looking up at Lydia, who nodded in spite of her fear. "Okay, here we go." He repeated before turning the wheel, standing up and pulling Lydia off of the trap and into his arms. A single second later, the trap jaws snapped shut. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking at the redhead cradled in his arms.

"I'm fine." Lydia assured her best friend with a nod, then gestured towards the trees. "Go."

"What? No, you almost lost your foot like five seconds ago!" Stiles protested immediately.

"And you saved me." Lydia countered firmly, folding her arms over her chest. "I have no doubt in my mind that Jackson picked up on my distress and is on his way, Derek, however, is now on his own, going after Malia. He'll need you." As if to prove her point, the sounds of someone running became audible as the person drew closer. Within seconds, Jackson, having foregone going to Isaac as he'd seen Scott heading that way before he felt Lydia's fear, emerged from the trees and ran straight to Lydia and wrapped her up in his arms.

"You should go to Derek." Jackson informed Stiles as he nuzzled his mates neck and inhaled her scent. He then confirmed what Lydia had theorised "He needs you. He's still not shifting."

"You think I don't know that?" Stiles unintentionally snapped in response. "But how the hell am I supp-"

Lydia interrupted, told him exactly what he needed to do, as she had a theory. A theory as to how to save Derek.

Stiles listened, mentally kicking himself for not figuring it out himself, then nodded, then turned and took off, taking all of the shortcuts he knew in the hopes of finding Derek before the elder male reached the car wreck.

Derek kept chasing the coyote through the woods, as this went on, eyes fixed on her until he felt a presence beside him and smelt a familiar scent. Turning his head, he looked at Stiles, who was staring right back at him with an oddly calm expression. "You can do this." Stiles stated confidently, despite panting for breath as he ran. "I believe in you Derek. Just let go." Before Derek could respond, Stiles increased his pace.

"When we were trying to get him to turn." Lydia had told Stiles before he'd run off. "He reacted to Chris saying that he'd call you and use you as motivation."

Stiles didn't even care that he didn't have control over his wolf, he pushed himself to as fast as he could go, he leapt over branches and ducked under trees, using as many tricks as he could to catch up to the coyote.

"The thought of you getting hurt made him react far more than anything else."

Derek's brow furrowed in confusion as Stiles fell into line with Malia but didn't stop her, instead pushed himself even more to get in front of her.

"So you need to get hurt, Stiles."

As he was passing her, Stiles reached over and snatched the doll from Malia's mouth resulting in a furious snarl from the werecoyote.

"It won't take much"

Derek noticed the very second that Malia leapt forward towards his mate, jaws spread wide.

"His wolf wants to come out, it's just suppressed."

Her teeth dug into Stiles' ankle, sending him tumbling and let go of the doll, it went flying from his hands. Derek felt his rage spike to great levels.

"At this point, I believe that even a papercut from you would work."

He didn't realise that his eyes were glowing as he pushed himself faster, he swept Stiles up into his arms before he'd even hit the ground. Malia having released him in favour of going after the doll.

"Get hurt, Stiles, and Derek will turn."

Stiles looked up at Derek, who easily continued running with his mate in his arms, albeit slower than before. "You okay?" Derek asked, panting slightly, glancing down at Stiles who'd already started healing.

"Yeah, I'm good." Stiles assured him with a grin, causing Derek to glare down at him.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that my pain would help you shift." Stiles stated simply and grinned as Derek's glare somehow gained intensity. "And here you are with glowing eyes."

Derek blinked in surprise, suddenly becoming aware that he was in fact seeing red, literally.

"Trust me."

Stiles maneuvered himself, flipping himself over Derek and landing just beside him, ignoring the pain in his leg, he ran. Derek shook his head at the younger male, before deciding to talk about Stiles' self preservation skills, or lack thereof, once the current situation was resolved.

"He'll turn"

As they ran, Derek began to shift further, allowing his wolf to take over and didn't fight it anymore. Stiles simply grinned at his Alpha as Derek noticed Malia running not far from them. Knowing that he had to go faster if he wanted to get there first and stop her from getting caught in a trap, Derek made an impulsive decision. Derek turned and leapt over the car wreckage, and landed in a crouch. Malia stopped when she saw him and snarled. Derek looked up at her with glowing red eyes, then, he let out a powerful roar.

All across Beacon Hills, the wolves of the Pack heard the roar, and felt the power and command behind it surge through them. The three wolves pacing the perimeter of the woods all froze simultaneously, all looking with glowing eyes towards Derek, even though he was out of their line of sight. Chris too heard the howl, filled with power that even he could feel, and allowed a smile to grace his face.

At another part of the woods, Scott had just arrived at where Isaac and Allison were. The two wolves felt the power flow through them and their eyes glowed and Isaac suddenly ripped the trap off of his leg with a cry of pain.

Lydia and Jackson turned when they heard the sound, and Lydia smirked, feeling proud that her hypothesis had been proven correct.

At the Hale house, the twins heard Derek and felt their eyes glow in response to their Alpha. Danny noticed and allowed a hopeful grin on his face, looking between the twins for confirmation. "Was that-?"

"Yeah." Aiden nodded with a genuine smile.

"Derek's back." Ethan finished with an excited grin on his face.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Stiles exclaimed excitedly, pausing next to the car wreck, watching as the roar faded off and Derek's eyes returned to their natural colour.

Moving to stand by his mate, Stiles and Derek watched as the coyote shifted back into a (Very naked) teenage girl right before their eyes.

The girl looked at them both in shock as Derek stood up again, and Stiles removed his jacket, holding it out for her, and she appeared to become even more confused and looked down at herself. She held up one of her hands in front of her face and stared at it in awe.

Not long after, Noah, Stiles and Lydia were in Noah's police cruiser, taking the now dressed Malia to the Tate house. They were taking her home.

"Okay, Malia, I know that this must all be very confusing, but once you've settled and everything, please come and find us." Stiles requested gently from where he was sitting next to Malia in the back seat, and the girl tilted her head.

"Why?"

"Because just because you're human again now, that doesn't mean you're not a werecoyote anymore." Lydia explained gently from the front passenger side seat. "That's still a part of you and we can teach you how to control, and, if you want, shift back."

"I can… change back?" Malia asked curiously with wide eyes.

"Yes, once you know how, you can switch back and forth at will." Stiles stated. "You can also go into a sort of in between state. Well, we can but I'm sure you'll be able to as well." Stiles explained and the girl nodded.

"Okay." She agreed, after a slight hesitation. "How will I find you?" She asked and Stiles quickly picked up his back. He pulled out his notebook and pen then opened it to a clean page. He was about to hold it out to Lydia when he noticed it, the writing on the pen. The writing he could actually read. He looked up with a grin, and Lydia gave him a curious look. Stiles said nothing, simply showed her by writing on the paper and Lydia smiled when realisation hit her. Soon, Stiles ripped the page out and handed it to Malia.

"I'm Stiles, Derek is the Alpha of our Pack, the one who roared and turned you back, obviously my dad there is the Sheriff." Stiles explained as he pointed at the paper and his dad. "This here is Lydia, those are our phone numbers. This is the number for the police station and the address for it, if you didn't want to meet up with us at our house or didn't want to call us directly, and this here is the address where the majority of us live."

"How many of you are there?" Malia asked curiously. "Are you all… werewolves?"

"No, not all of us." Stiles informed her. "Overall, there are seventeen people who are like, central Pack, then there are another five people who are also Pack, but not as involved with the supernatural, then there's another person who is almost Pack, but not quite, then there are a couple of other people who we are close to and have a bond with, but not in the same way as Pack. Out of all of those people, twelve are werewolves, ten are human, though one of them is a druid-in-training, two people are druids and one is a banshee."

"That's a lot of people." Malia commented looking slightly dazed, though might have just been the whole being-human-again-after-eight-years thing.

"Yeah, but- uh, there'll always be someone to help you with anything you need." Stiles grinned easily, causing the girl to giggle slightly. "But, seriously, Malia, whatever you need, you can come to us. And if you want another female there are five adult women in our Pack, and another woman we know who is aware of all of this, who's also a therapist. Then there's four teenaged women in our Pack, if you want someone your age to talk to, well, your physical age at least."

"Thank you." Malia smiled genuinely, and the journey continued in a comfortable silence until they arrived at the Tate home. Malia's breath hitched as her eyes fell on her childhood home. She had just been there in her coyote form, but this was different, somehow. Looking at it then, it felt like the first time she'd seen it since she, her mother and her sister left that day.

"Malia?" The sheriff called gently, and suddenly, the girl realised that the car had stopped, and that the car door beside her was open. The sheriff looked at her in concern. "Are you ready?" She said nothing, simply nodded and undid her seat belt, before climbing out. As the Sheriff walked her to her house, she tugged the oversized jacket tighter around herself. Malia's heart raced as she walked (on two legs) up the porch steps. The sheriff gave her a reassuring smile before knocking on the door. After a few seconds, her father opened the door as Noah gently pulled Malia closer. "Mr Tate," The sheriff greeted, but the man was focused on the young woman before him.

He blinked a few times, trying to figure out if what he was seeing was real, and what he thought. Tears welled in his eyes with the more similarities he saw in the girl before him and the child he lost eight years before. "Malia?" He asked in a choked voice, barely above a whisper. The girl nodded with a grin as tears spilled down her cheek. Henry Tate pulled the girl into a tight hug, which she easily melted into. In the police cruiser, Stiles and Lydia shared a smile as Noah stepped away from the father and daughter.

The next day, Noah and his employees took the Tate case files to storage triumphantly as Rafael McCall watched from the corner. Noah slammed the door to his office shut with a smirk then turned to look at the FBI agent and waited for the other man to speak.

"How long have you known?" The agent asked quietly. "About… everything?"

"Since late January-early February of this year." Noah replied with a shrug. "Just after the death of Laura Hale, when Scott and Stiles were turned."

"Stiles?" Agent McCall asked with wide eyes, "He's a w- one of them too?"

"Yup." Noah replied casually, trying to keep the smug grin off of his face. Stiles had wanted to go and wolf-out in front of his best friend's father, but Noah had convinced him that him taunting the agent, with the Pack watching from home via the security camera that Danny had a line into, was a better idea. So, here he was. "They were bitten on the same night, by the same Alpha. But there's a new Alpha now, a great Alpha, a-a True Alpha, even. Stiles' mate, would you believe?" Noah scoffed , pretending that he didn't notice the colour draining from the other man's face. "Don't get me wrong, the age difference did bother me a little at first, but then I saw how much Derek truly cares about Stiles, and I got over it. He's a great guy, Derek, a great deputy and I really hope that I can call him 'son-in-law' some day, well, I already call him 'son' but you know what I mean."

"Stiles is gay?"

"Well, technically, he's bi, but I honestly can't imagine him with anyone but Derek." The sheriff smiled honestly, and sent a quick glance to the camera before returning his attention to McCall.

"Can you- uh- c-can you tell me about this… Pack?" The FBI Agent asked uncertainty clearly written all over him, as if he wasn't sure that he actually wanted to know, regardless, Noah nodded and gestured for the other man to take a seat, before delving into a very detailed, very complimentary, description of the Pack, McCall asking questions here and there.

Once the Sheriff had finished speaking, Rafael nodded slowly, trying to process the information "Okay, and Scott, he's… he's happy, right?"

"Yeah he is." Noah stated honestly with a smile. "I'm sure you've noticed how much more confident he is nowadays." Rafael nodded and the sheriff continued. "He didn't get that way until after he turned, but personally, I don't think it was solely because of the new abilities he gained from the bite, but the new friends, family even. They helped him find himself, and gain confidence. He has grown so much and that has a lot to do with the Pack and the support they've given him, don't get me wrong, Scott was the one who turned his life around and made himself the incredible person that he is today, but they inspired him to get here, they all inspired each other to become better people, hell, they even inspired me. I wouldn't have been able to cope with all of this stress and craziness of this job if I didn't have the Pack. They're crazy and eccentric, but they're also the most incredible group of people that I've ever met."

"But they're not people, right?" Rafael asked without thinking. Noah's expression darkened and he sent an impressive glare at the man, who quickly back peddled at the sight. "Not all of them, I mean, they're... werewolves and werecoyotes and banshees…" He rambled erratically, looking slightly confused and overwhelmed. "I mean, sure some of them are human, but the rest? The rest are more than that, right? They have better reflexes, senses and a far superior healing rate. So, what's to stop them from… overpowering us- us as in humans? Sure this Pack is good, but what about others? From what you've told me, this town has a hell of a lot of attacks by the supernatural. What's to stop t-the supernatural creatures of the world from taking over and treating humans like slaves, or even killing us?"

"You mean, what's to stop supernatural creatures from doing to humans what we've done to each other all throughout history? Hmm, I don't know McCall." Noah hummed faux-thoughtfully. "Maybe the Pack? Or our allies? Y'know, the hunters council, rogue hunters that we have an alliance with, then there's the various Packs and emissary's that we've helped out-"

"Alright, I get it." Rafael cut him off with a sigh. "These hunters, they're human?" Noah nodded. "And they can defend themselves against the… Supernatural?" Noah nodded again. "How?"

"Tomorrow night, wear something to work out in and go to the preserve entrance at six, a few deputies will be there too, for training." Noah stated just before someone tapped on the office door and they both turned to see who was there.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Two days later, the entire Pack were all the Hale Home, enjoying the unusual peace and quiet that didn't often occur in Beacon Hills. The entire Pack were there, taking some time to relax before Victoria and Peter were to set off and search for Kate, and before the next inevitable crisis occurred. So though they were hopeful for a relaxing day, none of them were surprised when they received alerts that someone was approaching the house.

"Who is it this time?" Erica groaned as she reluctantly paused the x-box game that she, Isaac, Stiles and Jackson were playing.

"Hang on, just a- huh." Danny looked surprised as he brought up the security camera feed on his laptop. "It's Malia."

"Malia?" Chris asked curiously from an armchair in the corner as he closed his book. "As in Malia Tate? The werecoyote?"

"One and the same." Danny confirmed. "She's coming to the door." Chris stood, and made his way to greet her. He opened the door just as she was about to knock, surprising her for a second.

Malia looked him up and down, then, without warning, punched him in the face. "Hello Peter." She sneered, glaring at him as he groaned in pain and lifted a hand to his bleeding nose.

"Chris!" Victoria called out, rushing over to her mate in concern. "Oh god, are you okay?" Chris nodded and moved his hand, showing that his nose didn't look broken, but it was swelling already and bleeding heavily. The majority of the Pack were gathered in the entrance hall now, most of them glaring at the wide-eyed Malia as Melissa rushed over with a first aid kit.

"Wait, Chris? You're not Peter?" She asked in shock.

"No," Chris groaned, tilting his head back and allowing Melissa to look at the damage to his nose. "I'm not."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were Peter." She apologised immediately. "My da- uh adopted dad said that he lived here. Peter Hale?" There were collective sighs from the group in front of her, and Cora turned towards the stairs.

"Peter, what the hell did you do this time?" She yelled in annoyance, before returning her attention to Malia, whom Allison had begun to speak to.

"Okay, I forgive you for punching my dad, because I can't blame you for wanting to punch Peter." She told the girl, ignoring her father's raised eyebrow. "What did he do?"

"I haven't done anything." Peter drawled as he made his way down the stairs. He looked at Malia with a mix of confusion, amusement and wariness. "I do not even know this girl."

"No, but you knew my birth mother." Malia told him as she stepped into the house, keeping her eyes locked on his. "The Desert Wolf." Peter's eyes widened in surprise as the gears turned in his mind, but before he could say anything, Malia spoke again. "Hi dad."

A few hours later, Malia had told them everything her father knew about Malia's birth parents and Lydia used Talia's claws, which were in the box Peter and Victoria had worked so hard to get, to find the memories the late Alpha had taken from her brother. That's when she found the truth. Malia definitely was Peter's daughter. Once the Pack had filled her in on her new found family, and introduced her to the Pack, she asked to be trained.

"It's only been two days, but I don't feel right, I kinda feel crazy." She had explained when Derek asked why she was so hurried to learn. "I need to know that I can still do it. I need to know that I can change back if I want to."

Derek had nodded in understanding and told everyone to change into workout clothes, the other girls agreed to lend Malia clothes. Then they went to the training clearing to teach Malia. The girl caught on quickly, easily accessing her claws, then excitedly showed the others, and nearly cut a few of them in the process. "I'm so sorry!" She apologised genuinely, despite the large grin on her face. "I did it!"

"Yes you did." Derek smiled at her excitement. "Now, you need to learn how to control it." Malia nodded seriously as Derek taught her to retract the claws, then lengthen them again. After that, she was taught how to shift her face, and some basic self defense maneuvers before the night was through.

While they were training, a far bit deeper in the woods there was a figure obscured by the darkness, they approached the Nemeton, pulled out a branch that was growing from it, tossed said branch to the ground, then walked away. Seconds later, hundreds of fireflies flew up and out of the tree, then moved together to form human-like shapes.

Over in the clearing, Lydia, Stiles and Derek all froze. "Something's coming." Lydia whispered. Everyone else froze and looked at the Banshee, then to Stiles and Derek.

"Who?" Jackson asked, walking over to his mate.

"Not who," Stiles corrected, voice barely more than a whisper. If the wind hadn't carried it, he doubted the humans would have heard him. "what." Lydia then began to walk towards the trees, allowing the voices to direct her feet on where to go.

The rest of the Pack followed, Stiles and Derek the only ones falling in line with her, not needing the Banshee's guidance as the Nemeton was telling them where to go. To it.

They arrived at the Nemeton within five minutes, and Malia's eyes immediately glowed. "Woah." She gasped, sounding breathless. "What is that?" There was a pause as everyone expected either Lydia or Stiles to answer, but they, and Derek, were staring at the same spot on the Nemeton, unblinkingly.

"It's called a Nemeton." Allison informed her, quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on the trio. "It's a beacon for supernatural creatures, it's tethered to our Pack now though."

"So, did this happen to any of you guys when you first saw it?" Malia asked, looking around at the wolves.

"No." Cora told her honestly, causing a bolt of worry to shoot through Malia. "But it did when Stiles and Derek completed the ritual to tie us to it. We also felt an increase in power, it was like-"

"Like you just got a bunch of energy from nowhere?" Malia asked hopefully. If that happened when the Pack connected to the Nemeton, maybe it meant she was connected to the Nemeton now too, and if she was, that meant she was Pack, right?

Cora smiled at her and nodded. She opened her mouth to say something, but Lydia let out a gasp, stopping Cora in her tracks. Stiles had leant forward and picked up something from a crack in the stump. A dead fly.

Stiles allowed it to drop from between his index finger and thumb, into the palm of his hand, and stared at it. "Ew." Allison muttered, and Lydia and Derek came out of their trances, but Stiles didn't.

"Stiles?" Derek called softly, but his mate didn't react. "Stiles." He repeated, louder this time, but still received no response. The next time, he put Alpha command in his voice, still nothing. Five minutes passed, and Stiles was still staring at the fly. Derek, beyond worried, and even more on edge thanks to the Pack surrounding him, also freaking out, decided to howl. Around him, Malia and the wolves all had their eyes glow in response, but Stiles' eyes remained their natural whiskey colour. He did look up at his mate though. "Stiles? Are you okay?"

Stiles looked back at the fly in his hand, then looked up at Derek, then blinked and dropped the fly back onto the Nemeton. "Yeah, I'm fine." He glanced around and could easily see that the Pack weren't convinced. "Really, I just got a little lost in my head. Anyway, there's no one here, whatever the Nemeton wanted us to see, it's gone now." He nudged his head in the direction of the clearing. "Why don't we get back to training?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The following Saturday evening found Malia sighing in frustration as yet another pen snapped in her hand and growled at the page before her. "I don't get it!" She announced to Mr Tate. The father daughter duo were trying to get Malia caught up with her school work so that she could join her new friends in high school. Mr Tate had been surprised that she had been so quick to get back to school, and concerned as she refused to talk about what happened to her. She was going out at odd times, sleeping on the floor in her room, curled up in her blankets rather than on her bed. Asking for food like deer and rabbits, growling at things, breaking pens with little effort, shattering glasses just by holding them too tight and not once getting hurt by the shards.

The night before, Malia shattered a glass again and her father could have sworn he saw some shards sticking into her palm and blood pooling around them. Before he could look, however, Malia rushed off to clean the mess up, not stopping until all the shards were gone, and when she finally let her father look, there wasn't so much as a scratch on her. It was all strange and the man didn't know what to do or how to help.

"Okay," The man began slowly, trying to think of a better way to explain the solution to the mathematical problem. They were now up to 6th grade work and Malia just wasn't getting it. It had also been a long while since Mr Tate had been in school, and he was pretty sure that he wasn't doing equations like that in the 6th grade anyway. "Why don't we-"

"I'm calling Lydia." Malia announced, shooting up from her chair and marching towards the landline phone that hung on the wall. Her father frowned in confusion as Malia pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from her jeans pocket.

"Who's Lydia?"

"She's one of the ones who found me, she gived me some clothes and offered to teach me stuff." Malia explained quickly as she lifted the phone to her ear.

"Gave." Her father corrected gently, "She gave you some clothes." Malia nodded in response, making a mental note of the correction before talking into the phone.

"Lydia? It's Malia. I need your help." Mr Tate cleared his throat, drawing Malia's attention, and sent her a well-practiced pointed look. "Please." Malia added, earning her a smile of approval and a small nod. The girl grinned back as she listened to Lydia. "No, nothing like that" She assured the redhead after a moment. "School work. I want to join you guys in high school, but I need to catch up first. I'm up to 6th grade work but I don't get it. You offered to help when I- when you found me. That's great, thank you so much, alright, see you then." She hung up the phone, looking happy and relieved. She turned to her father with a grin and explained the situation to him.

"Lydia's coming over to help and she's bringing Allison, Danny, Stiles and Erica." At her father's confused and slightly concerned expression, she elaborated. "Allison and Stiles were a part of the group who found me, Danny and Erica are their friends. Stiles is the sheriff's son by the way. They're the ones who are the best at teaching in the group and know more about certain subjects than the others, so." She shrugged, unable to think of anything to add.

Mr Tate was skeptical about allowing a group of strangers, who seemed to spend their free time searching the woods for coyote dens, into his house to tutor his formerly lost daughter. However, if it wasn't for these individuals, he may not have his eldest daughter back. Malia, the girl he and his late wife took in and looked after as their own. Losing her hurt just as much as losing his other daughter did, they gave him his child back, so they couldn't be that bad. Plus, the sheriff's son, he's got to be responsible, right?

Maybe this group was the reason Malia was going out so much, too. So getting to know them may help him reconnect with his daughter. His relationship with her is strained now compared to the relationship they once shared, after all this time apart and telling her about being adopted. He'd hoped that telling her the truth would help her reconnect with him, he thought that maybe, him opening up with her would help her do the same with him. It didn't.

That's when she started going out, disappearing without a word, and Mr Tate was terrified. Terrified of losing his little girl again. Terrified that she could get hurt again. It used to be so easy for him, being her father, but now he's too scared of saying the wrong thing, of driving her further away that he's not being the father she needs, the father that he is. He just needs to find a way to find a new normal with her, he just doesn't know how.

The pair sat together for a few minutes in silence until the group arrived. The group were very polite and well-mannered when he answered the door for them. They introduced themselves one by one, explained how they were going to arrange the session for the night, who was going to help her with what and quickly arranged a schedule for the evening. They were patient with Malia when she didn't get things, or forgot things that they'd previously explained. Four hours later, Malia was feeling much more confident in her ability to complete the work, hugging the group goodbye one by one, with a large, grateful smile on her face.

Mr Tate gave his own farewells and informed them that they were all welcome over anytime for anything. Stiles was the one who smiled and politely declined, stating that there were a lot of people in their group, and it wouldn't feel fair to leave the majority of them out of something more social. He did, however, continue to assure Mr Tate that they'd still help Malia study, and that both he and Malia were welcome over to the main house. Mr Tate did find it odd that a group of teenagers lived together in a secluded house in the middle of the woods, but some of their parents lived with them, apparently, and it did explain what they were doing out there that day. Plus, the pleading look Malia sent him showed that she really liked these people. So, he'd give them a chance.

The man accepted the invitation with a smile, and exchanged numbers with Stiles, then the group left with kind farewells.

Once the door closed behind them, Malia turned and pulled Tate into a large, strong hug. The man let out a noise of surprise as the action as the air was pushed from his lungs, causing Malia to quickly let go. "Sorry, I forget my strength sometimes."

"It's okay." Tate assured his daughter with a soft smile. "So, are they who you've been visiting when you sneak out?" He asked curiously. Malia's eyes widened. "What? You thought I wouldn't notice?" The girl opened and closed her mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. Her father sighed and led her back to the living room where both of them sat down.

"Listen, Malia, I know this must be difficult for you. I can't imagine what you went through out there, what you had to do to survive, but whatever you did, whatever you had to become, you're still my daughter. You're still the little girl who would come running down the stairs each morning, making as much noise as possible trying to get the first plate of breakfast. You're still that little girl who climbed up the drainpipe, onto the roof of the house, terrifying your mother and I, just to get her little sister's kite back and cheer her up. You're still my little girl, Malia, and I want to get to know you again" Both he and Malia had tears in their eyes, some of Malia's had fallen and begun rolling down her cheeks, which she quickly wiped away. "I'm not going to ask you to spend all our time with me rather than your new friends, because I can see that they're helping you. But, I was hoping-"

"Dad." Malia cut in, wiping more of her tears away. "Before you say anything else, there's something you should know, about me." Tate looked at her and nodded for her to continue, gripping her hand in an attempt of comfort. "There- there's a reason no one found me before now, a reason why I was gone for so long. I wasn't like.. This. I changed, in the car." Tate opened his mouth to say something, but Malia wouldn't let him. "Mum had upset me, over… something, I can't even remember what, and I lost control, I-It was a full moon, and I didn't know what I was then, I didn't know that I would-" A sob broke from her lips and her father's grip tightened on her hand. She looked up to see him looking at her in confusion and concern.

"Malia? What are you talking about?"

"I transformed." She all but yelled, standing suddenly, pulling her hand from her father's grip. "I couldn't stop it, I was so scared and it just… kept happening. Mum and Kylie were screaming, they were terrified of me. I was terrified too but I couldn't stop it, the car swerved and… and I lost control, I tore the car apart trying to get out then I just ran."

"Malia, I don't understand. Transformed?" He asked in confusion. "Whatever happened, it wasn't your fau-"

"Yes it was!" Malia cried, pulling off her jacket and throwing it on the couch next to the man. "Because of what I am!" She tugged off her shirt too, and her father immediately looked away.

"Malia, what are you-?" He began to ask, but Malia cut him off.

"Look at me!" She ordered and her father obeyed. She was standing in only her underwear so her father kept his eyes locked on hers, and Malia allowed them to glow a bright blue, causing her father to gasp out loud. She then shifted her whole face, then, when her father still hadn't run away screaming, fully transformed into a coyote, shredding her remaining clothes in the process. That's when Tate finally broke down, the tears that had built up finally fell, Malia hung her head as the man let out a heart wrenching sob. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the disgusted look on his face or watch her father, biological or not, walk away from her.

Arms wrapped around her, and a face pressed against her neck, dampening her fur with tears. "I'm so sorry." Her father sobbed, confusing Malia. "I tried to kill you. I tried-" Malia let out a soft whine and nuzzled her father's head. "I'm so sorry"

About an hour later, Stiles and Lydia returned, this time with Derek and the Sheriff. Malia had called them after they had both calmed down to explain the situation to her father in more detail.

"Hello again Mr Tate," Noah greeted kindly, holding out a hand. "How're ya doing?"

"Confused." The man admitted as he shook the sheriff's hand. "And please, call me Henry."

"Noah." He replied. "And don't worry, we're here to explain everything the best we can."

"Thank you, please, follow me to the living room, something tells me I'll need to be sitting for this."

Once everyone was comfortably sat in the living room, each with a drink provided by Malia, the explanation started. Derek began, telling the story of Peter's connection to Malia, and his family including the fire that killed most of them, then led up to Laura's demise, and the night he returned to Beacon Hills. That's when Stiles took over, explaining how he and Scott were turned. The story was then split between the four of them, told seamlessly over the following two hours. Stiles and his father ended the story with how Noah had begun re-evaluating cold cases that could have been connected to the supernatural.

"Thank you." Was all Henry could think to say once the information settled in. "Y-you- you've all been through so much and you- you put in all this effort to save my daughter, a girl you don't even know. If you hadn't- if you- she might have- I could have- I- I just- Thank you."

Stiles smiled softly as the man stuttered, trying to get a grip on his emotions. "You're welcome."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next night, an ambulance pulled up outside of Beacon Hills hospital and Rafael McCall jogged over to talk to the driver. "Bring him round back, and keep it quiet, no-one needs to know except for the people who absolutely need to know." The driver nodded, then took off to take the patient to the back entrance of the hospital.

Melissa was positioning a carved pumpkin on the reception desk of the hospital when she noticed her ex-husband, then her boyfriend flanked by Parrish and Derek, and she immediately knew something was up by the looks on their faces.

"Oh, here we go." She sighed as she approached them. Before she could say anything, Noah spoke to Rafael.

"Hey!" He began sternly, glaring at the agent. "He is not coming in!"

"This is the only hospital that'll take him." Rafael shrugged, as Melissa glanced between them warily.

"What about County?" The sheriff suggested.

"You'd be surprised how fast things fill up when a guy like this needs surgery." Rafael retorted.

"They turfed him to us?" Melissa sighed, knowing exactly who they were talking about.

"Yeah." Noah confirmed, sending her an apologetic look. "If the county doesn't want to operate on him-"

"Then somebody has to." Rafael finished for him just before the paramedics walked by. They were pushing a gurney with a man strapped to it, the criminal who needed surgery.

"Somebody needs to do the pre-op interview." Melissa stated out loud as she stared at the man.

"Who usually does that?" Rafael asked, and Melissa sighed once more and paused for a moment before replying.

"Me."

Later, after the clock hit midnight and it was officially Monday, Stiles, Isaac, Jackson, Cora, Erica, Boyd, Ethan and Aiden were spread out around the school, setting up pranks. As he worked, Isaac was on the phone to Allison, trying to get her to come to the school. Jackson was doing the same with Lydia, as did Ethan with Danny and Stiles with Scott.

"Get your ass down here now. We have a job to do." Stiles ordered down the phone as he made his way to his gym locker.

"Dude, I'm already in bed." Scott complained. "And aren't we getting a little old for this?"

"We do this for Coach." Stiles argued as he walked through the locker room with his flashlight.

"I thought we did this to Coach." Scott countered with a chuckle and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, okay? You know he needs this. He lives for this stuff. He loves it."

"But it's the middle of the night."

"Which means it's after midnight and officially Mischief Night/Day, and, by perfectly awesome coincidence, it also happens to be Coach's birthday." Stiles reminded him with a grin as he retrieved what he needed from his locker. "So if you are not down here in five seconds, I will destroy you. Okay? And I mean five, four, three, two-" He turned around to see a figure looming in the shadows with glowing amber eyes. Hey let out a yelp of surprise as he jumped back and dropped everything he had been holding. Scott stepped out of the shadows and looked down at his best friend with a huge grin.

"One."

"I hate you." Stiles grumbled without heat as he pulled himself up from the floor. "Now come on, we've got a lot of pranks to set up."

Soon enough, all of the teenagers of the Pack were reunited to set up the big prank in Coaches office. "Okay, so, what we're going to do is remove all the screws, bol-" Stiles ramble on, going through the details of the prank eagerly and soon enough, they all set to work, whispering to each other excitedly.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next morning, the teens of the Pack walked into the school and were immediately met with a roll of toilet paper flying at them. "That's my face!" Stiles yelled in annoyance and his Pack mates chuckled. "Okay, so quick reminder that Derek and I have a date tomorrow night, and the adults are having a 'Grown ups' night at the Reyes' so you guys will have to make your own dinner."

"Aww, c'mon!" Scott complained with a half-joking whine. "You of all people know how bad I am in the kitchen!"

"Yeah, c'mon mum," Jackson joined in with a grin, causing Stiles to roll his eyes. "don't let McCall poison us."

"Really mum, do you want us to die?" Isaac added with a faux sad expression.

"Hey, guys, you're overthinking this." Erica cut them off with a wide smile. "This just means that we can order take-out!"

"Or hunt for some deer." Cora told them. "We can barbecue it, lounge by the pool and let our wolves out a little without them here to hold us back or stop us sparring for fun." She grinned and sent a mischievous look to the others about sparring. They were only allowed to spar for fun on full moons, as it help calm their wolves, somehow, but both Derek and Stiles were very protective over their pups. Therefore, they didn't want them play-sparring very much as it often got rough, and someone usually got hurt. Only mildly, and they always healed in minutes, but it was enough to make Stiles and Derek wary, and say sparring was only for training and full moons.

"Yeah, let's do that!" Ethan agreed with a grin, and Aiden nodded along. All of them were trying to get a small rise out of Stiles, but he refused to give them what they wanted.

They were all concerned for him, although he had regained the ability to tell when he was awake, and read, he hadn't shifted at all. He hadn't even flashed his eyes, not even when Derek howled. Getting a rise out of him increased the chance of him shifting again. Sure, it wasn't the best idea to try it in school, but they were feeling desperate. He appeared to retain his enhanced senses and healing though.

"Then the three of us," Lydia joined in, gesturing to herself, Allison and Danny, trying to finish the job. "can order our own take-out, cause, I don't know about you two, but cooked or not, I don't really want to eat deer."

"Hey, look, there's Kira." Stiles pointed out suddenly as a distraction, pointing to the girl who stood at the opposite side of the corridor, opening her locker.

"Should we go talk to her?" Scott asked semi-nervously. "Do you think she'll want to talk to us?"

"Scott, buddy," Stiles sighed, grabbing his best friend by the shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "literally just last week, she told us that she wanted to befriend us. She carried four additional bags through the school for us, and even after being cornered by Malia, she still wanted to be our friends, and said she'd do it again, just avoiding the coyote." He reminded the crooked-jawed boy patiently. "So don't be nervous to talk to her, okay? You're a werewolf, an apex-predator, you're like the hot girl almost everyone wants."

"I'm the hot girl?" Scott asking, tilting his head adorably.

"You are the hottest girl!" Stiles assured, then winked at his friend before allowing his hands to slip from his shoulders, and stepping away and walking to his locker and few paces away.

"I'm the hot girl." Scott repeated, a tone of realisation to his voice.

"Yes you are." Allison and Isaac agreed in unison, surprising some people walking past. Their mate, however, looked overjoyed and a happy grin appear on his face, and a light blush dusted his cheeks. He adjusted his bag straps in a way that somehow looked insanely cute, before strolling over to Kira happily, some of his Pack mates following behind him, and the others walked over to Stiles, who was putting cartons of eggs, toilet paper rolls and other pranking supplies into his locker.

"Hey Kira." Scott greeted with a smile, Allison, Isaac, Erica, Lydia, Cora and Danny following with similar greetings.

"Hey." Kira smiled back, closing her locker. "How's it going?"

"We're good thanks, how about you?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"No more run-in's with coyotes?" Erica asked with a soft smile.

"No, none at all." She assured. "I did nearly get eaten alive again, though." She joked, causing concerned and confused looks to cross over her new friends faces. "My mum was livid when she found out. Going on and on about how I should be more careful." Kira stated as she rolled her eyes, the school bell ringing just after. Wordlessly, she and the group started to walk towards their first class of the day, which they all shared.

Cora snorted at Kira's response. "Right, like you knew the coyote was gonna be there when you took that route."

"Her mother was probably just worried." Allison defended. "Her daughter could've been eaten alive, it was probably just the fear of losing her." Kira went to speak, but Isaac spoke up.

"I get what you're saying, I do, but her mother should have been more focused on the fact that Kira was unharmed and been grateful over that, rather than getting angry over the situation." Allison smiled sympathetically, understanding why Isaac felt they way he did, but thought Kira's situation was different, and she voiced that opinion.

"You have a good point, but I don't think the situation was like that." She looked to Kira and asked: "Was your mother's anger directed at you?"

"No." Kira assured immediately, there was a look in Isaac's eyes that she recognised. A late friend of hers had had the same look. "She was more upset at the situation than anything. She tends to yell when she's upset, that's her way of coping, but it's never personal, and it's never more than that. She doesn't say anything hurtful either, it's basically just ranting about what happened in a shout."

Isaac nodded, a relief spreading through him. He didn't want anyone to experience even a fraction of what he went though with his father, not even his worst enemies. He liked Kira, so he definitely didn't want her to go through that. Thankfully, what she described was very different, when his father yelled, it was hurtful, and demeaning and the blame was always on Isaac himself. "That's good then."

Kira smiled, then changed the subject. "Right, so, speaking of the coyote… this is a little embarrassing." She blushed at the thought of what she was about to ask before continuing. "So, my dad told my mum about the whole thing, including how you guys saved me." Kira told them, looking at Scott and Erica as the rest of the Pack joined the group in walking to class. "And mum decided that she wanted to invite you both over for dinner as a thank you, then my dad went and told her about the rest of you guys and how Erica said that you all wanted to be my friends, so now they want to invite you all over. My dad is going to ask you, Scott, after class today, but I thought I'd ask first so that if you don't want to, you can prepare an excuse."

"Well, we can't go over to yours." Stiles said before Scott could reply. "We're having a meal tonight with the entire p- family. So, Scott, when Mr Yukimura offers, counter-offer them coming over to ours. Tonight, 7 o'clock. Okay?" Scott nodded without question, Stiles pulled out his phone and fired off a quick text to the Pack group chat about the potential change in plan, so that everyone who wasn't currently with him was aware.

"Just, don't mention that I told you, please." Kira requested sheepishly. "They didn't actually tell me, I overheard them talking in the kitchen last night and wanted to give you a heads up."

"Of course."

Malia text back first from the phone Derek had brought for her. The only numbers in it were for the Pack and her father, but that was all she needed.

Group Message: Pack
From: Wild Child
Message:  Does this mean we can't have deer for dinner?

Group Message: Pack
From: Wild Child
Message:  Dad told me it's not the usual human meal.

Stiles chuckled at the reply, and began typing out his own answer.

Group Message: Pack
From: Pack Mum
Message:  Sadly no :( But my cooking is gr8! ull luv it!

Group Message: Pack
From: Wonder Pup
Message:  Besides, we can have deer anytime, Stiles makes big meals a lot too, but as we're trying to impress Kira and her family, he'll go all out, which is something that doesn't happen often, and is always amazing when it does.

Stiles looked over to Isaac, who just smiled in response. "Anyway, do you want to sit with us at lunch today?" Erica asked suddenly, surprising Kira, before she could answer, however, Jackson took over.

"We have been meaning to ask for a while," He clarified, then sent a look over to Scott "But some people were worried that'd you'd say no and insisted that we only ask if you talk to us first."

"Until today, when he finally grew a pair." Cora teased, ignoring Scott's indignant 'Hey' and just smiled at Kira's giggle.

"If you do say no, that's completely fine." Danny told her with a gentle smile. "We're not going to shun you or anything, but it would be nice if you sat with us."

"I'd love to." Kira replied honestly with a pleased smile, which was returned by everyone in the group.

No more than five minutes later, Coach Finstock cautiously entered his office, glancing around rapidly, showing clear suspicion at everything around him. Before stepping through, he checked the door frame for trip wires or fake cobwebs. He cautiously flicked the light switch then scrambled back quickly, almost fearfully. The lights buzzed on and nothing happened, so he cautiously made his way into the room, looking and sniffing around for any traps or pranks, then, his eyes fell on a small box, decorated with shiny blue paper, and a light blue bow. He poked it with a few objects from a distance, then took a chance and crept over to it slowly. Once he reached it, he flicked the lid up a few times then carefully removed the lid.

He blinked in surprise at the box's contents as he set the lid down beside it. Screws and bolts… The box… was filled… with screws and bolts? He laughed as he dipped his hand into box and pulled out a handful of the objects. "Is that all you got?" He laughed aloud as he allowed the screws and bolts to slip between his fingers and back into the box. "That's it?" He asked, sounding slightly annoyed this time. Then he chuckled again, and slowly lifted the box from the desk, not noticing the zzp sound of a trip wire being pulled. Until, the box couldn't be pulled any higher, and the pictures on the wall behind him all fell to the floor. Shortly followed by many other objects around the room. In frustration, he dropped the box and slammed his fists down on the desk, causing two of the legs to fall out of place, leaving the table slanted, sending everything on it sliding to the floor. Coach groaned before dropping to the seat. A second later, the chair collapsed.

Coach's shout of "Son of a bitch!" could be heard by everyone in the adjoining classroom, causing them all to chuckle. Stiles sent a mischievous grin around at his Pack, all of whom were hiding their own mischief, some better than others, but he knew them all well enough to know their expressions.

It wasn't long until Coach stormed in, looking very angry. "Mischief Night, Devil's Night, I don't care what you call it, you little punks are evil." A few people in the class, including Erica, laughed again as Stiles looked very proud of himself. "You think it's funny every Halloween my house gets egged? A man's house is supposed to be his castle. Mine's a frickin' omelet!" He proceeded to yell at the class, before his eyes fell on a second present box, wrapped differently than the other. He then continued to yell, "Oh, this? We're gonna do this again?" he asked picking up the box and shaking it, causing Stiles' grin to widen further, if possible, and Scott to look at his best friend in questioning. "I don't think so." as he threw the box to the ground and stomped on it, until he heard a smash. He froze, then slowly lifted his foot from the, now crushed, box. Soon he held the broken remnants of a novelty mug with a picture of him on it along with '#1 Coach', and read out a happy-birthday note from Greenberg.

As he proceeded to look guilty, Danny noticed Lydia swatting the air around her. He stared in confusion until she noticed him. "What are you doing?"

"There's a fly!" She replied in a hushed voice, confusing the wolves.

"No there isn't." Erica countered, looking at the redhead with a half-confused, half-curious expression.

"You don't hear the buzzing?" The others shook their heads as Allison, who was sat directly in front of Lydia, leant back in her seat and whispered to her.

"Do you think it's something Banshee related?" Lydia frowned thoughtfully as Coach began the lesson. This hadn't happened in a long time, being unsure if something was banshee related or not. Usually, she could simply tell without having to think or focus. This was different, and that worried her. Lydia tried to block out the sound and focus on making her notes, but the buzzing only intensified.

Not long after, at the hospital, Barrow attacked a doctor and escaped, and Melissa was feeling quite shaken up. "Noah, I need to talk to you." She rushed out as she strode up to the sheriff as he spoke to Parrish and Derek, "All three of you." She added when she noticed the two deputies, ignoring her ex, who was thankfully on the phone as the three walked over to her. "These dead flies everywhere? They came out of Barrow. Out of his tumor."

"Is that even possible?" Parrish asked with a disgusted look on his face and Melissa shrugged.

"Maggots can come from the body, it's called myiasis, but from the stomach? It's not likely." Melissa stated, then looked all three of the in the eyes, one at a time to make sure they were listening before continuing. "And there's something else. Last night, he told me why he killed those teenagers."

"I know, I read the report: Glowing eyes." The Sheriff sighed before running a hand through his hair.

"Please tell me you're joking." Derek all but begged as Parrish looked concerned.

"He's specifically after people with glowing eyes?" Parrish asked with a worried frown, shooting a glance at Derek.

"Yeah, and we all know a few people who fit that description." Melissa added, also looking at Derek, who was pulling his phone out of his pocket with a frown. As he did this, agent McCall called out to everyone.

"Listen up, everyone. The stolen ambulance has been spotted. Corner of Truman and Spaulding." Noah swore under his breath.

"That's three blocks from the school." He stated out loud and Melissa looked panicked. He turned and charged towards the door, Derek and Parrish following closely by, and Derek called Stiles on his phone as he went. "Let's go. Go!"

Back at the school, the Pack were gathered in a secluded part of the school during their lunch break with Derek while the sheriff and multiple other deputies scoured the school, looking for Barrow. Derek had just informed them about everything he knew about The Shrapnel Bomber.

"He went after kids with glowing eyes specifically?" Isaac asked for clarification, with wide eyes, and an edge of a sigh in his voice, as if he couldn't decide between being worried or annoyed about the threat.

"Yeah," Stiles confirmed, decidedly annoyed over the situation. "And no one knows how he woke up from anesthesia, just that when they opened him up, they found a tumor" He shifted his gaze to Lydia "full of live flies."

Lydia sighed as the rest of the Pack, except Derek who looked confused, exchanged looks varying from panicked to curious to excited, depending on the person. "What?" Derek urged, looking put out at being the only one not in the know.

"All day I've been hearing this buzzing." Lydia told him, letting her frustration at the incessant noise known. "I was convinced it was a fly until the others told me that there were no flies around."

"So what does this mean?" Aiden frowned, folding his arms over his chest.

"I think," Lydia began, pulling in a shuddered breath to calm herself before continuing. "that it means that Barrow is here, in the school." She confessed honestly, and Cora frowned tilting her head curiously.

"What makes you so sure?" The brunette asked.

"Because usually, when I get these feelings, I feel the urge to go somewhere, to where the death is going to take place, but not this time. This time I feel like I need to stay here." Lydia explained and the others nodded, trusting in the Banshee and her abilities. There was also an air of panic around the Pack however, as like Lydia said, the Banshee in her is drawn to death, so, the question is: Who was Barrow going to target?

"Alright, Stiles, Allison, I want the two of you with Lydia, in case anything happens." Derek half asked, half ordered. "Jackson, Boyd, I'd like you to stick with the sheriff, keep vigilant for any signs of Barrow. Danny, I want you to look for him using any and all security cameras that you can get into, Ethan, stick with him just in case. The rest of you, I'd like to come with me to the basement, is everyone okay with that?" The Alpha asked and there was a mostly agreement from the Pack, except for Erica.

"Um, yeah, just give me a second, I need to text Kira." At Derek's raised eyebrow, Erica explained as some Pack members cursed as they remembered. "I asked her to sit with us at lunch today."

"No," Derek ordered immediately. "Stick with her, keep her safe."

"Safe?" Scott asked curiously, looking at Derek in slight confusion. "Why would she need protection?"

"I don't know." Derek admitted honestly, a small frown on his face. "It's just a feeling I've had since that day in the locker room with Malia." The Pack simply nodded, accepting it and willing to trust their Alpha's instincts. "Right, so Erica, Isaac, I want you to stick with Kira and come up with some excuse as to why the others aren't at lunch if she asks. Scott, Cora, Aiden, I'd like you to come with me to the basement, alright?" The trio nodded, and Derek smiled. "Okay, Parrish is on his way with Barrows prison uniform, so we can get his scent, then we'll get started."

Less than a minute later, the deputy in question arrived with a bag in hand. Each wolf made quick work of familiarising themselves with his scent, then split up to search the school.

"Alright Lydia, you getting anything?" Stiles asked as the trio walked through the oddly empty corridors of the school, sniffing for Barrow's scent, the Banshee listening to the whispers of the other Banshees and the buzzing noise, and the huntress kept her hand hovering near her bag, ready to reach in and grab the first weapon she came to. Her eye's darting about the corridor, analysing every aspect of her surroundings, fully prepared to fight.

"The buzzing is getting louder." Was Lydia's only response as she continued leading her best friends through the school, trying to focus on finding Barrow before he could hurt anybody else. They continued searching in silence for a few minutes until suddenly Stiles dropped into a faux relaxed stance and spoke.

"There's a group of students coming this way." He warned, and both of the girls dropped into seemingly relaxed stances. Allison reluctantly let her hand swing by her side, though her instincts were screaming at her to prepare to grab something. Lydia forced herself to act like she wasn't listening to anything other than Stiles and Allison, and fall in line with them, acting like they all knew exactly where they were going. The students passed, not giving the trio a second glance. They continued searching without trouble for another ten minutes when they finally made progress.

Suddenly, Lydia stopped dead in her tracks, Stiles and Allison quickly doing the same. The brunettes watched as Lydia turned slowly to look at the door she'd stopped outside of. Coach's office door. "Here." She whispered, and Allison quickly gripped the folding crossbow that lie in her bag while Stiles moved in front of Lydia and reached out to open the door. He gripped the handle tightly then looked to his companions one at a time in silent questioning, both of who nodded in return. Yes, they were ready. Yes, they were armed. Yes, open the door.

Stiles turned the handle and went to open the door, when "Hey!" Coach called out from behind them. The trio spun around wide eyed, Allison letting go of the crossbow and pulling her hand from her bag.

"Coach!" Stiles blurted in panic as he rapidly tried to think of an excuse. "We were, uh, we were just-"

"I know exactly what you were doing, Stilinski, one prank wasn't enough so you decided to ruin my office some more. Well tough luck kid, I caught you. It's you two that I'm disappointed in," Coach stated, shaking his head at Lydia and Allison. "profoundly disappointed. I thought better of you than that." He then gestured towards the corridor. "I'll let you off just this once though, go on get to lunch."

"But Coach-"

"Lunch or detention Stilinski." Coach Finstock barked and the lanky boy gave in reluctantly, then walked away with Lydia and Allison, all three glancing back at the man worriedly as they did so. Coach shook his head again, waiting a moment, before walking in the same direction to make sure they didn't double back. Moments after he was out of sight, the door to his office opened. William Barrow looked out at the corridor warily, looking for any signs of potential witnesses. Feeling confident that no one was there, the Shrapnel Bomber left Coach's office silently, while pressing down on his wound and made his way through the corridor, looking for somewhere else to hide and patch himself up.

It wasn't until Barrow had long left the office that Stiles, Allison and Lydia were able to return, this time with the Sheriff and Parrish. "I don't smell him." Stiles frowned slightly as Lydia sighed. "I'm sorry, all I smell is chemicals."

"He's not here anymore. The buzzing isn't as loud here, he must have left after we almost caught him." She sighed in frustration, a slight growl edging her voice. "We nearly had him."

"Hey, it's okay." Parrish spoke up to comfort the Banshee before either of her Pack mates could. "We'll get him, and just because he's not in there, that doesn't mean we won't find any clues." He reminded her softly with a kind smile, then gestured towards the door. "Shall we?"

As they searched for any evidence towards where Barrow may have gone, Stilinski received a call from agent McCall regarding Barrow. "We got a tip that puts Barrow at the train station." He informed them, then looked to Parrish. "We gotta go."

"He's not there." Lydia told him before either of them could make a move to leave. "I know he isn't. He's still here in the school."

Noah sighed, running a hand over his face. "Look, Lydia, I believe you, I do, but as part of my job, I have to follow up on this, if I don't, someone'll say something to someone and I could get in a lot more trouble. McCall may know the truth now, but I'm still being investigated because he can't tell his superiors the truth about Beacon Hills." Lydia nodded in response as Stiles frowned sadly at his father. "Look, the best I can do is leave Derek and send Tara here, and you guys can continue looking, but I have to go, and I'd like Parrish to come with me. The school is now on lockdown, nobody'll get in or out until 3 o'clock. That's the best I can give you."

"We'll get this taken care of." Stiles promised, and they all knew that he wasn't only talking about the Barrow situation."Oh, and dad? You need to get Allison out of the school." Stiles told him, gesturing to the huntress who nodded.

"Why?"

"I need to check the bestiary." Allison told him. "It's at my house and neither of my parents can bring it as they're both busy. Plus, it's literally a thousand pages long, if I'm going to find anything about flies coming out of people's bodies, it could take me all night."

"Alright." Noah nodded. "We'll say you're ill, get Melissa to sign off on you going home early. You two," He said, gesturing to Stiles and Lydia. "If you do find this guy, be careful, okay? Please don't flash your eyes, Stiles, we don't know if he has any idea if any of the students here actually have glowing eyes, let alone if he knows it's you, so be careful, okay?"

"Okay." Stiles promised seriously, looking his father in the eyes to show his sincerity. Besides, it had been so long since he'd been able to shift that Stiles was pretty much convinced he'd lost that ability for good.

"Good, right, Allison, let's go. You two, we'll see you later."

"Remember, we have dinner with the Yukimura's and Tate's tonight, and Allison, the Archaic Latin word for 'flies' is 'Musca'" Lydia responded firmly, Allison nodded then left with the Sheriff and deputy.

Following their departure, Stiles and Lydia continued their search. They were looking in an empty classroom when Lydia's eyes fell on a poster stuck to the wall. Thoughts were rapidly flying through her head when she asked "Cora and Derek are in the basement, right?"

Stiles turned and looked at her, then nodded. "Yeah, with Scott and Aiden. The plan is they meet in the middle, in the boiler room."

"Four of the wolves." She said in a low voice as the thought occurred to her. "Four of the ones with glowing eyes are in the basement at the boiler room?" Stiles blinked, then his eyes widened.

"Oh, my God!" He gasped, standing up straight and swinging around to face her. "An engineer could use a boiler room to blow up the whole school."

"We have to get them out of there!" She stated unnecessarily, panic and fiery determination burned in her eyes.

"We have to get everyone out." Stiles added.

"How do we do that? The school is on lockdown" Despite the situation, Stiles grinned, a wild and slightly manic grin, but a grin nonetheless.

"My time has come!" He announced, then took off in a sprint, Lydia blinked in surprise, then followed. Down in the basement, the wolves were searching for Barrow when the fire alarm began blaring. Cora and Derek stopped, looked at each other, silently debating whether or not to ignore it and keep searching. Derek shook his head slightly, then they made their way out of the basement, finding Scott and Aiden along the way.

Upstairs, Stiles was grinning as he watched everyone evacuate the school, his finger still on the fire alarm. Lydia was also smiling victoriously as she looked around, only to stop when she looked at Stiles again. Stiles continued to smile for a moment before he noticed her expression, then the scent caught him. His own smile dropped, and he turned to look behind him, flinching back when he found Coach closer than expected, staring at him.

Coach grabbed Stiles by his ear, and proceeded to practically drag him from the building, Lydia following silently. "Wow. Pulling a fire alarm on Mischief Night is one thing. Doing it when there's a mass murderer spotted nearby is insane!" Coach yelled before finally releasing Stiles, "If I was four years younger, I-I'd punch you." Stiles blinked rapidly and tilted his head in confusion - their age gap- even four years wouldn't-

"Coach, that doesn't even make sense." Stiles told him, flailing his arms slightly as usual.

"Oh, well, it does to me." Coach told him, mimicking the students' actions. Stiles and Finstock exchanged looks before the elder man walked away.

Stiles rubbed his aching ear while Lydia came up beside him, then they spotted part of their Pack. "Hey." Stiles called out, jogging over to his mate. When he reached Derek, he gave him a short kiss, then pulled back. "Find anything?"

"Nothing." Derek replied, shaking his head.

"No scent, no trail." Aiden added with a frown. "We did find some guys making out though, one of Danny's ex's and someone from the swim team."

"Ray. The guy who cheated." Scott told Stiles and Lydia, without them having to ask. "And the guy he was with is not his current boyfriend. Don't worry though, I got a picture."

"Wait cheated?" Aiden asked with wide eyes. "That dick cheated on Danny? Why would anyone cheat on Danny?"

"We think he might have suffered from a mental break." Lydia told him as she folded her arms over her chest. "You'd think being paralysed by a Kanima would make him think about changing his way, but no, still cheating on all of his boyfriends."

"Why does anyone still date him?" Aiden asked rhetorically. "Wait, what's a Kanima?"

"Better question," Stiles interrupted. "It's 3 o'clock, so school's over. If Barrow had planted a bomb, wouldn't he have set it off by now?"

"So, does that mean everyone's safe?"

"I don't know." Lydia replied, shaking her head slowly, mentally wishing for the buzzing to end. "I just don't know."

"Hey!" A voice called out, turning, Stiles saw Erica, who had spoken, with Kira and Isaac. "There you guys are."

"Hey." Scott greeted, giving Isaac an affectionate kiss, then turned to Kira. "Sorry that we didn't join you guys for lunch we-"

"Don't worry about it." Kira assured. "Erica explained the situation." Her eyes then fell on Derek, "Hello deputy Hale."

"Please call me Derek." The Alpha insisted with a smile. "So, I understand that you and your parents are coming over for dinner tonight?"

Kira blinked, clearly confused as to why Derek would be there. "Yeah." She replied anyway, not wanting to appear rude.

"Derek is my boyfriend, by the way." Stiles informed her, chuckling at the look of realisation crossing her face.

"He's also my brother." Cora cut in.

"Okay that makes sense." Kira said with a nod. "I just assumed that you were a good friend of the sheriff's or something." She explained with a smile. "Not that there's any reason that you couldn't be friends with these guys,or dating any of them, or related to someone, like you are with Cora." She blurted with wide eyes, as usual, worried that she'd said something wrong. "Just because you're older- Not that you look old or anything, it's just that you're a deputy and with all the training in the police academy and stuff, you have to be a couple of years older. Unless you're like a prodigy or something, in which case-" She cut herself off when Derek let out a chuckle, some of the other Pack members doing the same.

"You're going to fit in well with us." He told her honestly. Kira beamed at Derek, who smiled in return. Small talk was made easily amongst the group and it wasn't long until the rest of the Pack who were currently at the school joined them. They stood talking for a good half an hour until Kira's father exited the school and made his way to his car, spotting the group along the way.

"Kira?" He called out, gaining her attention. Kira held up one finger, signalling for him to wait a moment.

"Sorry, I've gotta go." She apologised, disappointment clear to even the humans.

"Don't worry about it." Boyd assured. "We'll see you tonight anyway, you know the address?"

"Yup." Kira confirmed, happier than she had been. "Erica told me."

"I gave your dad directions as well." Scott told her kindly.

"Thank you." Kira smiled before her father called for her once more. "Sorry, I'll see you guys tonight." Farewells were exchanged, then Kira walked away, to get a lift home with her father.

"You gave him directions?" Stiles asked Scott who replied in confirmation, then Stiles sighed. "They're so getting lost."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that afternoon, Derek and Noah returned home to find the teenaged Pack members arguing with Stiles. Stiles was clearly irritated as he tried to grab his phone back from Scott, who was protected by the rest of the Pack, as they all talked over each other saying that Stiles couldn't do something. Melissa, Peter, Hayley, Sheila and Jake watched on in amusement, and Malia and Mr Tate sat on the couch looking a mixture of bewildered, amused and concerned.

"Hey!" Derek yelled with an Alpha edge in his voice, effectively silencing the Pack and gaining their attention. "What the hell is going on here?" He all but growled, sure they had all had a rough day and were all frustrated and worried because they hadn't found Barrow, but that didn't explain or excuse this. The teens all started talking at once. "One at a time!" Derek ordered, causing them all to fall silent as they impatiently waited for Derek to decide who would speak first. "Scott, you first." He decided, given that the crooked jawed boy had been doing the least yelling and was the first to fall silent at Derek's command.

"Stiles is trying to cancel your date, so we took his phone to keep him from calling the restaurant, and tried to talk him out of it, but things got a little… heated." Scott informed him dutifully, waving the phone in question for emphasis.

"Give Stiles his phone back, Scott, of course we're canceling the date." Derek stated firmly, causing the Pack to protest, they had barely started speaking, however, when the sheriff spoke over them.

"No you're not." Noah told him firmly, confusing the Alpha and his mate. "I've told you time and time again, you can't keep putting your lives on pause because of the craziness in this town. We can all take care of ourselves, you don't have to worry as much as you do. The Pack'll be fine whilst you're on your date, we" he continued, referring to the adults of the Pack and himself. "will be fine and close enough to run over if anything happens." The adults decided that they should all get to know each other and Mr Tate better, so they miraculously found a night where they all had the night off from work and were going to spend it at the Reyes House. Well, they all had tonight night free too, but that was for Pack dinner. "You two are going out tomorrow, it'll be fine."

"But-" Stiles tried, looking at the Pack in concern, but his father sent him a look, and he promptly shut his mouth. "Fine, but if anything happens-"

"We'll call you and you can say 'I told you so' as much as you want." Noah promised without a moment's hesitation.

"Is it always like this?" Mr Tate asked Malia in a hushed tone, forgetting that most of the people there could hear him anyway.

"No." Malia replied. "The arguments usually last longer and involve at least someone flashing their eyes. Usually Jackson. He has a short fuse."

"No I don't!"

The Yukimura's arrived for dinner a little late, though they had been driving through the woods for about fifteen minutes, searching for the house. After it was clear to the Pack that the family were struggling to find the house, Isaac and Erica went out on a 'run', they took a few laps around the house before heading through the woods. They looped around so that it looked as though they were just heading back to the house from a run when they spotted the Yukimura's

"Hey." Erica greeted with a smile as she panted for breath. "And here we were trying to think up an acceptable apology for being late to dinner."

"Direct us to your house, and all is forgiven." Mr Yukimura smiled in return, then nodded his head to the back seat. "Hop in, save you running all the way back."

Isaac smiled in relief "Thank you." He said as the rear passenger side door opened, revealing Kira smiling at them somewhat nervously as she shuffled over to allow them in. "I'm exhausted from trying to keep up with Blondie over there." Sure, Isaac was a werewolf with advanced Stamina and speed, but so was Erica, and the girl was faster and in better shape than him, and trying to keep up with her could tire almost anybody out.

"Loser." Erica teased with a grin, causing Isaac to stick his tongue out at her in response. "Thank you for this."

"Of course." The teacher responded, "Thank you for inviting us over."

"Well, you invited us first." Erica reminded him kindly as Isaac made small talk with Kira. "We just didn't want any of our friends to be left out."

"That's very considerate of you." Kira's mother stated, speaking for the first time.

Erica shrugged. "It's just how we work, we don't like leaving anyone out." The family looked… impressed? Neither Erica nor Isaac thought there was anything that impressive about it, it was just Pack instinct. Had he thought about it more, Isaac would have later realised the there were many people in his biological family that he'd happily leave out of gatherings.

"Oh, it's a left here- middle fork- turn right at the elephant's butt-"

"It's a rock, Blondie."

"It looks like an elephant's butt!- Okay and another right- left here- and, here we are." The car drove out from the trees, onto the grassy clearing of the Hale property. "We'll be in the biggest house for dinner today." Erica informed them happily as she swung the door open before the car had stopped moving, then hopped out of the car, landing easily. "I'm just going to go to my house, well, it's my parents house, but I live there." The blonde pointed to the house in question. "The other house belongs to Boyd's parents by the way. Anyway, Isaac'll show you to the p- main house and I'll just be a minute, if that's alright?" Quick assurances were made before Erica jogged away to change back into the outfit she'd planned to wear that night and Isaac led the family to the Hale house.

Half an hour later, all introductions had been made, Isaac and Erica had changed, and the majority of the group were sitting around the dining table, as the others collected the food from the kitchen. Stiles walked through first, holding a tray of freshly made Tonkatsu in one hand and a tall pile of twenty-eight plates in the other.

"Okay, so we weren't sure of what you liked, apart from the fact that Kira loves Pizza, so we decided to make a little buffet style meal with various foods from various places, hopefully you like at least some of it." He grinned as he leant over Melissa and Chris to place the tray in the centre of the table. The Yukimura family watched warily as the pile of plates wobbled slightly, however, no one else at the table seemed even slightly concerned. "We would've just made Japanese food except Mrs Reyes is allergic to fish and Boyd just doesn't like it, Cora hates rice, Mr Tate can't eat anything with starch in it, and Peter is the world's fussiest eater." Stiles explained as his fellow Pack members walked through and started setting food down on the table. He carried on speaking as he set the clean plates down, one by one.

"Besides, we weren't sure if you all actually liked those foods. I have this online friend who's from Scotland but she doesn't like most traditional Scottish food, and-" Stiles rambled on as the food was brought out. By the time he'd finished speaking, all of the food had been laid out and everyone had a plate.

"Okay, If you want anything that's out of arm's reach, don't be shy, just say the word and someone'll pass it down. We have more of everything in the kitchen too, so if it's running low, feel free to finish it off and I'll go refill the plate afterwards." Stiles smiled before taking his usual seat next to Derek.

"Have you considered opening a restaurant?" Mrs Yukimura asked with a soft smile. "I have a feeling you'd be quite good at it."

"Aww, thank you, that's so sweet." Stiles gushed, as a blush coated his cheeks. "But, no, I plan to go into law enforcement-"

"No you're not." The central Pack members all called out at once.

"Sorry, they're very protective." Stiles told the Yukimura's, Tate's, and the adult Boyd's and Reyes', all of whom were shocked as they'd never heard the Pack reject something Stiles wanted to do so suddenly, including his more reckless plans.

"It's too dangerous, Stiles." Isaac told him, before eating another piece of Sushi.

"None of you have any problems with my dad or Derek-"

"Your dad has been working for the BHPD since before you were born, and has been Sheriff for years, and Derek, we do have a problem with, but he'd already been to the police academy before we met him, and joined the BHPD without telling any of us, except you and your dad, until the night before he started, so we couldn't stop him." Scott reminded him around a mouthful of lasagna. Ignoring his mother's call of 'manners' "You, however, we can."

"Besides, opening a restaurant could be awesome!" Erica grinned as she stared at her plate, trying to decide what to eat next. "Allison and I can be the mixologists, you, Danny, Isaac and Lydia can work the kitchen, Cora can be the person who sees everyone in, whatever you call them, Boyd, Ethan, Aiden, Scott and Jackson can be the waiters! We'll call it 'Hale's' and we'll have an hour each night for our band to play!" She finished, without even glancing up at anyone, before stabbing her fork into a sausage.

"You have a band?" Mr Yukimura asked with a big grin, as Kira groaned in preemptive embarrassment. When he received nods in return, he continued "Kira is an amazing singer, maybe she could-"

"Dad!" Kira sighed, shaking her head at him. "Stop!" However, her mother decided to get in on embarrassing Kira, and pulled out her phone and began playing a video of Kira singing a breath-taking cover of Elvis' Can't Help Falling in Love with You.

"Please join our band!" Scott all-but-yelled no sooner than the final note died. "You are so much better than me!"

"She is amazing." Lydia agreed. "But she can't be our only singer as we still need you for our Blink and MCR covers and the like." The redhead reminded him before turning to Kira. "Saturday, why don't you come over? We're having a jam session and we'll see how you fit in with our style."

Kira barely got out her agreement before Erica was rambling in excitement.

That conversation soon came to an end, but it wasn't long until a new one began. Started, by Hayley Reyes "So you guys moved here from New York?"

Ms Yukimura nodded and smiled at the woman. "I have family ties here. Several generations."

"That's cool," Danny grinned "Anyone we may have heard of?"

"I doubt it."

"Yukimura is Japanese, right?" Scott asked curiously, trying to learn more about Kira's family.

Ms Yukimura nodded once more and hummed her confirmation as her husband spoke. "Yes, but I'm actually Korean. When my wife and I married, I took her name, as she was the only surviving member of her family."

"You didn't want to take both names?"

"We were married in Japan, where the law says that the couple must share the same name. To belong to the same koseki." Mr Yukimura explained, using the same tone he used when he explained things in class. "My wife's lineage is quite unique. I was actually going to discuss it in class."

"Please don't." Kira practically begged, giving her father great puppy dog eyes that could rival Scott's. Her father frowned in disappointment and shook his head at her.

"You should be proud of your heritage, Kira." Her father stated.

"Hey, can someone pass the mash?" Stiles asked suddenly. Kira smiled as the bowl of mash was in front of her, she picked it up and passed it down the table.

"Could someone please pass the lasagna?" Kira asked in return, rather than responding to her father. "Thank you." She smiled at Erica gratefully, who had been the one to hand it to her.

"You're welcome," The blonde replied, then remembered something. "Oh! The trailer for the new season of Supernatural came out this morning!"

"You watch Supernatural?!" Kira asked excitedly with wide eyes. "Oh my god, that finale!"

"Oh, I know!" Allison took over with a huge grin. "We were all shocked, half of us literally gasped aloud when that happened."

"Well," Stiles countered, sharing a smug look with Lydia. "Not all of us were shocked."

"It was obvious something like that was going to happen if you think about it." Lydia continued. "With Amara's infatuation and capabilities, plus the show's history with that sort of thing, it was easy to figure out what they were going to do."

"Yeah, yeah, the two of you are psychic, we know." Scott grumbled in mock annoyance.

"Nope," Stiles beamed, popping the 'p' "I'm just really clever. Lydia is the psychic."

"Banshee, not psychic there's a difference." Lydia corrected automatically, rolling her eyes at him, earning her raised eyebrows from the Yukimura's.

"Banshee?" Kira asked curiously. No one panicked at the slip, just took it in their stride.

"Just wait til you hear her scream." Allison responded with a grin, not giving away in the slightest that it wasn't just a nickname or joke. "You'll understand."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that evening, Stiles and Lydia snuck away from the group, who were spread around the living room watching a movie that Kira picked, and locked themselves in the Library/Planning Room in the second basement.

"So," She began as she flopped backwards onto the sofa they kept in there. "Did you get detention for pulling the fire alarm?"

"Yup." Stiles replied with a sigh as he began pinning up pictures of Barrow to the glassboard they affectionately dubbed the 'Murder board'. "Everyday this week. It doesn't matter though, we were onto something."

"Were we?" Lydia retorted with a raised eyebrow, self doubt sinking in. "No scent, no bomb, we couldn't find any proof of him being there."

Stiles aborted what he was doing and turned to look at the Banshee. "Hey, Lydia. You've been right every time something like this has happened, okay? So don't start doubting yourself now." He all but ordered, his tone firm. Lydia nodded slowly.

"Okay, but," Stiles groaned, throwing his head back. Lydia narrowed her eyes and continued. "But, I still got you in trouble and we're no closer to finding Barrow." Stiles grabbed Lydia's hands and pulled her to her feet. "What are you doing?"

"We are going back to the school and we are going to follow your Banshee instincts and find Barrow." He explained as he pulled her towards the door.

"No, we're not!" Lydia argued, but allowed Stiles to direct her anyway. "Derek said to take the night off. You know he won't let us go out for this."

"So we sneak out through the tunnels." Stiles suggested with a grin. Lydia hesitated for a second, not wanting to go against her Alpha, but she did want to find Barrow, and she also wanted to use the tunnels.

"Fine, let's go."

They made their way to the 2nd tunnel as it led to the Hale Vault under the high school, grinning like Christmas came early. Lydia had never been this excited to be rebellious before (Well that wasn't really true, planning and developing the house probably took the lead, but this is a close second). They paused by the armoury along the way and changed into more breaking/entering and fighting appropriate clothes. Plus, Lydia always felt safer when she had at least three weapons on her person.

Across town at the high school 20 minutes later, Lydia suddenly stopped next to a classroom door, Stiles, who was holding the flashlight, froze too. The redhead looked to him and received a nod in return, she slowly turned the handle, then pushed the door open. "He was here" She stated, voice barely above a whisper. She moved slowly as she made her way to the closet at the back of the room, the buzzing sound a crescendo the closer she got.

She pulled open the door quickly, behind her Stiles gagged. "God, did he take a bath of chemicals in there, or something?"

"Or something." Was Lydia's muttered reply as she looked around the room. "Hey, Stiles, come look at this." She knelt down and shone the flashlight at the floor, illuminating a small pool of blood, and what appeared to be thread and a bloodied needle.

"So he was performing very minor surgery on himself." He commented, then looked up at Lydia. "You were right, he was here."

"Why don't I feel good about this?" Lydia responded rhetorically, but Stiles replied anyway.

"Probably because he was here to kill somebody." He shrugged, tone completely casual. Lydia just stared at him, so he continued. "So he was probably using the chemicals to make sure the wounds didn't get infected." Stiles theorised, looking around the small closet, trying to see any evidence that could lead them to the escaped criminal. "But the chemicals I smell… They're really strong, there's no way he needed all of that. So-"

"So either he spilled some, of which there'd be some sign or-" Lydia took over, mind running on the same train of thought.

"Or he was covering his scent." They locked eyes, both of them feeling their panic spike.

"He knows that there are werewolves in Beacon Hills." Lydia realised. "He knows that there are people here who can track him by scent."

"The question is, does he know who they are?" Stiles wondered out loud. As he thought, Lydia left the supply closet to think, the stench of chemicals was giving her a migraine. She couldn't fathom how Stiles could stand it in there. As she paced the room, her eyes wandered as she subconsciously looked for anything that could hint as to Barrow's location.

"Stiles." She called out and the lanky boy turned to look in her direction. "Come look at this." Lydia walked over to the blackboard at the front of the classroom, eyes fixed on the sequence of numbers written on it in somewhat familiar script.

"Numbers?" Stiles asked, furrowing his brows in confusion, squinting slightly at the numbers, as though he wasn't sure if he was seeing the correct thing. "What about them? Is it a formula or something?"

"Atomic numbers," Lydia corrected as she wrote their correspondents on the board. "and not really. The first two make Potassium Iodide, though."

"Potassium is 'K'?" Stiles asked in confusion and Lydia nodded in confirmation without looking at him.

"From Kalium, the scientific neo-latin name." She informed him as she wrote the letter 'I' on the board.

"So, what's Radium?" Stiles asked as Lydia paused, hesitating to write the letters down. "Lydia?"

The Banshee sighed in sadness as she wrote down the letters. "R-A."

"Kira."

Meanwhile, the Yukimura's were leaving the Hale house and exchanging goodbyes with the Pack. "Thank you again for having us." Ken Yukimura said as he shook Derek's hand on the porch of the house. "The food was incredible."

"Thank you." Derek responded, returning the smile. "And thank you for coming. I'm sorry that Stiles and Lydia ran off somewhere."

"Do they do that a lot?" Noshiko asked curiously, wanting to learn more about this group her daughter had befriended. Not far away, Kira and Malia were hugging goodbye. They'd had an emotional talk, during and after the movie, somehow forming a close bond with each other.

"No." Allison responded with a pout. "They don't."

"At least," Isaac took over, unable to contain his grin at his mate acting so childishly when she was usually one of the more mature ones. "not without Allison."

"I just don't get why they didn't invite me along." Allison responded, showing no hint of her internal pout, before her phone pinged to signal a text. She pulled her phone from her pocket, unlocked it, read the text, replied, a response came through almost immediately, to which she replied, then re-pocketed her phone and said nothing. Nobody thought anything of it, so carried on exchanging farewells with the Yukimura's. Soon enough, the Yukimura's left and the Pack returned to the house. Derek immediately tried ringing Stiles' phone, as did Jackson for Lydia, as Danny tried going over the town's security camera footage to see where they went. During this, while everyone was worriedly trying to think up where the pair had disappeared to, Allison used the distraction to sneak out. She smiled as she crept down to the basement, quickly changed, then took off through a different tunnel to the one Stiles and Lydia had used.

From:  Banshee Bestie
Message:  Stay neutral! Heading to Kira's house, she's the target. Sorry we didn't tell you we were sneaking out to investigate, you were with Scott. Stay with her. Don't tell the others. This'll require stealth. Dress to kill.

From: Archer Ally
Message:  She and her parents are just leaving now. Can't follow without tipping off the others. I'll change and meet you at her house. If I use tunnel 5 I should beat them there. Hopefully, Barrow will be scouting out the house too.

From:  Banshee Bestie
Message:  Okay, see you there. Bring weapons and a tracking arrow.

From: Archer Ally
Message:  Of course I'll bring weapons, you shouldn't even have to ask, what do you take me for? xD See you there.

When Allison arrived, Stiles and Lydia were already there. The pair immediately approached the huntress and began discussing their plan. "So, we've talked it over," Stiles began animatedly, "We don't know why Barrow is going after Kira, so, we believe our best bet is hiding somewhere and see what he does. If he tries to kill her, we stop him, if he tries to kidnap her, we let him."

"Wait, what?"

"And follow him." Lydia added, sending Stiles a pointed look, silently telling him to behave. "If she does have glowing eyes, it means she's supernatural. Clearly she's not a werewolf or werecoyote, otherwise somebody would have smelt it by now. We can find out now, though."

Allison nodded and the trio went over the plan in greater detail until the Yukimura's drove around the corner. Allison moved so that she was across the road from their house, Stiles was hiding around the side of the house, just visible behind the bins from where Allison stood. She didn't see Lydia, but knew the banshee was hidden somewhere nearby. As the vehicle drove closer to the house, Allison looked around for somewhere to hide before deciding that up a tree was the best option. She made quick work of climbing and found a sturdy branch to perch on.

Pulling out her collapsible crossbow, the huntress prepared herself, looking through the scope for Barrow as the family pulled up outside of their home. The family were discussing the Pack and the two adults seemed to approve of Kira's new friends. Kira volunteered to be the one to grab the leftovers that Derek insisted they take from the boot of the car. As she did, her parents went into the house. They had been inside less than a minute when Barrow came charging out towards Kira.

Notes:

Sorry for the huge delay, a lot has happened, but here it is, the next chapter is already in progress. Once again, so sorry for the delay. Thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 30: Lightning Strikes

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The showdown with Barrow takes place, the Oni make their first appearance and something is wrong with Stiles

The Hale Pack: Lightning Strikes

They had been inside less than a minute when Barrow came charging out towards Kira.

Allison watched through her scope as Barrow raised his wrench, then brought it crashing down over Kira's head. As he did, Allison found herself cringing at the violent action and mentally apologised to the girl. Allison watched reluctantly as Barrow slung the girl over his shoulder and trudged towards the rear passenger side door of her parents car. Wincing as he did so, Barrow opened the car door and laid Kira across the back seat. He then shut the door and boot, continuing to wince as he made his way to the driver's seat. Once he started the car, Allison pulled the trigger and shot the vehicle with an arrow fitted with a tracking device Danny had designed for her, only to gasp in horror when the arrow bounced right off. "Shit." She whispered to herself before leaving her hiding place to converge with her friends.

"Alright," Stiles began once he, Lydia and Allison were standing together in the middle of the road. "Right, okay, Danny should be here soon, he's going to sneak out once the others start cleaning. Clearly, this did not go as planned, but that's okay, we can still catch up with them and in our defence, why the hell do they have an armored car? But it's okay, it's fine, absolutely fine, we can fix this, we totally did not just present a mass murderer with his intended victim on a silver platter without any way for us to save her."

"It doesn't matter that the tracker failed, we just need to figure out where he's taking her." Allison stated with a slight shrug of her shoulders, forcefully pushing down her panic so that she could focus on saving Kira. "And get out of the road, before either a car comes, or Kira's parents do." The pair made sounds of agreement, before the three of them began walking in the general direction Barrow had gone. Stiles and Lydia were discussing theories (Argumentatively yelling theories would be more accurate, actually) as Allison trailed behind them, rolling her eyes in amusement, despite the situation, before cutting in when a thought occurred to her. "You guys do realise that we already know where they are right?"

The pair immediately stopped speaking and whipped around to face her. "Where?"

"You tell me." She retorted, causing the pair to give her odd looks. "I'm standing with two supernatural creatures right now. A werewolf who only needs to follow her scent, and a banshee who can listen to the flies she's been hearing all day and lead us straight to Kira. So, who's it gonna be?"

"I can't." Stile immediately protested. "I haven't shifted in weeks, my abilities are fading, the only things I still seem to have are my agility and healing." Stiles reminded them quickly, and unnecessarily, his annoyance at that particular situation made clear in every way possible, without actually saying it. "Besides, they're in a car, so even if I could pick up on it, the scent will be a lot milder, due to both the barrier that is the car itself and the speed at which they're travelling. It'll have faded by now." Allison nodded in acceptance then the two brunettes turned to face the redhead expectantly.

"I can barely hear anything over these damn flies. The volume isn't changing when I move anymore, it's just constantly loud" Lydia groaned, biting her lip in frustration. "It's never been this bad before, it's like they're flying around me constantly and I can't- It's so frustrating! " Allison and Stiles exchanged concerned looks as the Banshee gritted her teeth and tugged at her own hair harshly. "It-" She cut herself off suddenly and spun around to face her best friends, startling them both. A huge grin had taken over the Banshee's face when realisation hit her. No longer frustrated, Lydia's voice was instead filled with deliverance. "It literally makes me want to scream." The concerned expressions of her best friends immediately transformed into something else entirely.

"Then scream," Stiles insisted, as Allison covered her ears in preparation of what was to come. "Lydia, scream!" She didn't need to be told again. She turned slightly so that her scream wasn't directed at the pair. A long breath was pulled through painted red lips, held for a moment, then let out in a powerful scream. Stiles followed Allison's example and covered his ears, trying, and failing, to block out the deafening sound. The scream lasted a full ten seconds before fading off, leaving the Banshee lightly panting for breath.

Lydia smiled softly and let out a soft sigh of relief as she realised that the buzzing sound had faded. She could hear it for what it really was now, not the flies she thought it to be. "It's not flies." She spoke her realisation out loud so that her friends were also aware. The pair uncovered their ears and followed Lydia's gaze upwards, towards the street lamp. "It's electricity."

"Wait, Barrow was an electrical engineer " Stiles remembered suddenly, drawing the girl's attention to him. "He worked at a substation, if I remember which one correctly then it is in that direction, kinda, and imagine how much damage he could cause if he blew that place up."

"I'd rather not." Allison responded with a slight shudder travelling through her body against her will. "But you're probably right. How far away is it?"

"About five minutes max, driving." Stiles informed her. "We just need Danny to get here with the Jeep."

Allison nodded, then paused for a moment before making a suggestion. "We should probably start walking. Danny could get caught, or take a while. He can always track one of our phones if necessary to find us. How long would it take us to walk there?"

"Roughly twenty minutes."

"Are you kidding me?" Running her hand through her hair, Allison let out a sigh. Five minutes they could work with, but twenty? "He could have killed Kira, or blown up the place by then."

"Or both." Stiles helpfully offered.

"Then it's a good thing they're here." Lydia smirked, confusing the brunette pair beside her with her use of 'they', until they followed her gaze to see Stiles' jeep rolling up the road towards them, Scott riding his motorbike in front of it.

At the sight of his life-long best friend, Stiles scowled and grumbled "You've gotta be kidding me."

The two vehicles stopped beside them, Danny grinned at them through the windshield as Scott lifted his visor.

"Need a ride?"

The trio quickly got in the jeep, Stiles glaring daggers at Scott the entire time.

Within minutes, the five teens pulled up outside one of Beacon Hills' Power Stations, beside the Yukimura's car. "Alright." Stiles addressed his friends as he jumped out of the jeep. "I'm going in first, I'll scout out the building, see if I can find them, ladies, I need you to wait until I text you, then come in, head to the basement first and work your way up. Danny, you're going to stay here and prepare to be the getaway driver, and babysit Scott, he is not allowed in the building under any circumstances."

"What?" Scott demanded in outrage as Stiles glared at him firmly.

"There's a reason I only invited Danny, Allison and Lydia." Stiles told him sharply. "None of them have glowing eyes, so he's less likely to hurt them."

"But you-" Scott began to protest, only to be cut off by Stiles.

"Don't currently have glowing eyes. I can't even shift on purpose, so I'm not going to accidentally reveal myself, like you, or almost everybody else in the pack, might." With an even tone Stiles expressed his argument. His arms were folded over his chest and his head was held high. One look at his best friend and Scott knew he wouldn't be able to argue this. With a sigh, Scott nodded reluctantly. He dropped his head in disappointment, his chin damn near touching his neck. A hand dropped to his shoulder and he looked up to find Stiles smiling at him reassuringly. "I'll be fine. If anything goes wrong, I'll scream and you can come running."

"Alright." Scott agreed with a nod. If Stiles was promising that, then he was truly confident that nothing would go wrong, which filled Scott with the same confidence. Stiles was the most intuitive person Scott knew, he'd learned over the years to trust Stiles' instincts. "The same applies if Allison screams, or Lydia, right?"

"Of course."

"I have a question." Danny cut in, drawing the attention of his pack mates. "Why, exactly, am I stuck babysitting? When I could be in there making sure anything Barrow may have tampered with is safe, and not going to blow up?"

"Because," Stiles began as he abandoned Scott in favour of opening the boot of his jeep. "Lydia and Allison brought their own weapons," he leant forward into the boot, and when he drew back, he held an aluminium bat firmly with both hands. "And I only have one bat."

"What happened to my mountain ash bat?" Lydia demanded, raising an eyebrow at the lanky male. "And my duffel bag?" She glanced pointedly at the near empty boot.

Stiles chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head with one hand and he gripped the bat in the other, using it as one would use a crutch. "Yeah, I'll let Scott explain that." Stiles swung the bat carelessly as he backed away, suppressing a smile as the Banshee looked at Scott expectantly. Scott in turn was staring at the ground sheepishly. "Remember, wait for my text, do not come in even a second earlier. If you do, I will know and you will lose your best bow, Allison, and your favourite cattle prod, Lydia." Stiles warned firmly, confusing his friends slightly.

"Okay," Allison drawled, "but why would it matter if we-"

"Not a second earlier and that's final." Stiles barked suddenly, startling the others. "I won't be long." With that, he turned his back on them and ran into the building.

Scott was suddenly reminded of the fact that his best friend hadn't been acting like himself recently. Stiles had been… different. Wrong. Scott had taken into account Stiles' blackouts and the loss of his werewolf powers, but still, the old Stiles would have taken it in his stride the same way he had taken turning in the first place. He would have tried to find a solution, then adapted if he couldn't. Especially now that he had the pack to worry over. The comments and jives he was making about the situation were the right words, but the tone was completely wrong.

Once Stiles had disappeared from their line of sight, Scott sent a look to Lydia and Allison, trying to convey his worry. He was clearly successful, as the girls both returned his look and shared a look with each other. Their concern for his well being grew each day. Like Scott, Lydia could see that Stiles wasn't himself anymore. At least not all of the time. Most of the time, he was okay. He was clearly upset over the fact that he couldn't shift anymore, but otherwise, he was still Stiles. Other times, however, Lydia also felt that he was 'wrong' for lack of a better term. He was a stranger wearing a Stiles mask.

During these instances, he could have a conversation with somebody, in or outside of the pack, and they wouldn't notice a thing. He'd act like Stiles would act, he'd say what Stiles would say, but it'd be wrong. Like he was playing a role. He sounded the same but somehow, to a select few members of his pack, he still didn't feel like himself. He sounded the way he did when he read something aloud or quoted something he'd previously said. The words belonged to Stiles, but it didn't feel like Stiles was the one speaking them.

Of course, only Lydia, Scott, Derek, Allison, Noah and, potentially, Melissa had picked up on this so far. The others knew he wasn't the same, but Lydia doubted that they realised how far it went. 'Of course it was the six of them', she thought to herself, 'they knew him best'. Danny and Jackson may have known Stiles the same amount of time Lydia had, but she had grown much closer to him than either of them had. Knew him far better than either of them likely ever would.

Obviously Derek knew him better than anybody else in the Pack, Scott falling in a close second and the Sheriff not far behind in third, now that he knew about the supernatural. The redhead, though aware of Stiles, barely acknowledged his existence before the change. Unless it was to laugh at something mean Jackson would sneer about him and Scott to her, Danny and their 'friends'.

It wasn't until after Peter began his attacks that Lydia realised that she had greatly misjudged Stiles.

Rather than just being the weird loser who obsessed over her for her looks, he in fact had feelings for her because of who she was. Sure, those feelings were actually a different kind of love than he believed, but it didn't matter. She got over trying to be popular and focused on the truly important things, once she gained much needed perspective. She got the opportunity to know him and grew to love him too. Just like how she loved her mum, Scott, Allison, Derek, and the rest of the pack, excluding Jackson because of course the love she held for him was different.

Stiles Stilinski, he had somehow gone from someone she barely acknowledged to one of her best friends in a matter of weeks. He saw the true her before anybody else did. And once Lydia let him in, he supported her, he protected her, and he let her do the same for him. In return, Lydia let herself see him, beyond the masks and forced smiles that he projected to the rest of the world on bad days. Beyond the laughter and joy on the good days. And beyond the anxiety and dark clouds of the worst days.

Lydia got to know him, she spent time with him, and not just with other pack members. She would sit and talk with him alone, or they'd just sit together in silence doing something, or nothing. Hell, she'd even played video games with him. Since the ritual and offering himself to the Nemeton, things had changed. Lydia knew in her heart that there were moments where the person she saw, or spoke to, was not Stiles. She knew it. The person who just ran into that building was not Stiles. Therefore, she didn't have to listen to him.

"I'm going in." Lydia announced suddenly, five minutes having passed since Stiles had gone into the building.

Scott's panicked expression immediately transformed into a relieved smile as he rapidly nodded in agreement.

"He said to wait for his text." Allison reminded her, not realising that it was unnecessary. She wasn't quite protesting, eager to go inside and help as well, but she didn't Kira to be placed in more danger by their actions, on the off chance that their going in early interfered with Stiles' plan to save the girl.. "Why do you want to go in now?"

"I have a bad feeling about this." The Banshee admitted. What she didn't say was that she'd had that feeling since the second Stiles had entered the power station. She had tied her hair up into a ponytail two minutes in, and raised her bat after four. Then, four and a half minutes in, she had heard a violent crackle of electricity. It sounded as though someone or something was being electrocuted. It lasted twenty three seconds before fading off. Lydia had taken seven seconds to calm herself before making her announcement.

"Don't worry." Lydia assured easily, smiling softly at her worried looking human pack mates. Scott had returned to looking worried too, but Lydia knew that it wasn't directed at her. "We're able to predict our own deaths. I haven't predicted mine yet, so it's not tonight."

"Just because you're not going to die, it doesn't mean that you're not going to get hurt." Allison reminded the redhead, frowning in concern at her best friend. She feared for her. Hell, she feared for them all. Her pack. Her own blood relatives had proven that people existed in this world simply to cause hurt and pain and death. Some of them specifically target her friends, and people like them.

"I'll be fine." Lydia promised with a charming smile paired with caring eyes, she knew it would do the trick. Lydia looked her best friend in the eyes and promised; "If something happens, and I think I might be in danger, I'll let you know, and we'll tag team this bitch. Yeah?"

"Yeah." Allison agreed with a grin. Her grin disappeared when they all looked up as the street lamps around them, and all other sources of light they could see, began flickering. "Screw that, I'm going with you." She announced without a moment's hesitation, Lydia nodded then ran towards the building, Allison went to follow.

"So am I." Scott stated firmly as he took a step forward.

"No." Allison immediately stopped moving forward, spinning around to glare at her mate as she shoved her hand in her purse again. The next thing Scott knew, he was trapped in a circle of mountain ash. Before Scott could say anything in protest, the lights went out and seconds later, Allison's phone pinged with a text.

"It's Stiles." The Huntress announced with a sigh of relief as she read the message. "We have the go ahead, I'm not gonna lose my bow." She grinned softly, before quickly refocusing on the situation. "Watch him." She half heartedly ordered Danny, not that she needed to, before finally running into the building, thanks to being faster than the red head, she quickly caught up to Lydia. The Banshee had stopped running but still moved quickly through the station with her eyes closed, following the gentle buzz of electricity that was flowing in her head. Non-existent currents ran through the ground beneath her feet, leading her to Stiles and Kira. Allison followed, crossbow at the ready.

As this had unfolded, Stiles had walked into the substation, trying to use his basically human senses to find Barrow and Kira. The voice in his head, the one that he'd been hearing instead of his wolf, was whispering again. He knew it was dark, that he couldn't trust it, and he wanted it gone. Unfortunately, he couldn't get rid of it. He couldn't stop his body from following the directions. Saying what he was told to say, doing what he was told to do, going where he was told to go. Sometimes, Stiles was mostly in control, but no matter what he did or how hard he tried, he physically couldn't tell anybody the thing inside of him. The thing that he believed arrived after he and Derek connected the pack to the Nemeton. Whenever he'd try, he would suddenly find himself tongue tied or saying something else. Two days before he had tried to tell Derek for what had to be the hundredth time, only to deliver a ten minute rant about the difference between weather and climate instead.

The voice lead Stiles through the building, and soon enough, he found Barrow knelt in front of Kira, who had been tied up on the floor with what looked like dirty extension cords, whilst holding a large, sparking, power line close to her face as he rambled about people not believing him when he said he'd seen kids with glowing eyes. The dark voice in Stiles' head went unnervingly silent as he crept up behind Barrow. Kira had seen Stiles, he knew she had, but fortunately she focused on Barrow, as not to give away that Stiles was there. Stiles lifted the bat above his head as he grew closer, but once Stiles was close enough to consider bringing the bat down, Barrow spun around and lunged at Stiles, jabbing the power line into the teens abdomen. "NO!" Kira cried out, her voice trembling with the fear that was coursing through her body.

Stiles was stuck holding the bat above his head, convulsing and grunting in pain as the electricity coursed through him. It felt like an eternity to Stiles before Barrow finally pulled back, and Stiles dropped to his knees and found himself momentarily disoriented. Within seconds, Barrow turned back to Kira and attacked her with the same line. It was only a jab for her though, because the moment the sparks touched Kira, a white light pulsed out of the girl and sent her attacker flying across the room. When Stiles looked up, he could see her beyond the glow. Kira, now freed from her restraints and standing, held the line and took all of the electricity flowing through it into herself.

Stiles couldn't fully process what he was seeing as he had also been caught by the wave of light she had emitted, but rather than throwing him, it passed through him. It didn't hurt now. Stiles' eyes met Kira's through the light and sparks of electricity dancing around the room, but her eyes were different, glowing a magnificent orange/red hue. 'Just like fire' Stiles thought to himself, he felt as the electricity flow slowed, his vision began to fade as the sparks lessened, the light from Kira dimmed, then disappeared along with the sparks into the girl in question. Her eyes faded back to their natural color as the light dimmed.

Then everything went black.

When Lydia and Allison arrived, William Barrow was unconscious on the floor, and Kira and Stiles were standing together in the center of the room. Stiles was seemingly checking Kira for injuries. Stiles' bat was on the ground, forgotten. Frayed and scorched power lines were lying on the ground, dangerously close to Kira's feet, and Kira herself stood statue still wearing an odd expression, made up of a mixture of terror, awe and disbelief.

The Banshee and the Huntress looked around at the room in horror at the scorch marks on everything but the three occupants of the room. Lydia was the first to look at Stiles and demand to know; "What the hell happened?"

"Uh…" Stiles and Kira exchanged a look, the both of them struggling to find the words until Stiles merely pointed at Barrow and told them "He did it."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back at the Hale House, within five minutes of Scott and Danny disappearing whilst supposedly looking for Allison, Stiles and Lydia, the remaining pack members were trying to figure out where their wayward Pack mates had run off to. Isaac was feeling quite dejected that Scott and Allison had gone off without so much as a word informing of where they were going or what they were doing, so he had offered to go check the library. It was where all of Stiles' schemes had been thought up since they moved in, and he often left his notes lying around on the table in haphazard piles. Really though, Isaac just wanted some time alone. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out well for him.

He had only just reached the table and was reaching for Stiles' notepad when the lights went out. The door to the library slammed shut behind him. Isaac immediately sprinted to the door and tried to open it. Locked.

"Let me out, this isn't funny!" Isaac yelled through the door before knocking loudly. "Let me out!" Isaac's heart began racing as the horrible feeling of being trapped triggered a panic attack.

"Isaac?" He heard Erica call through the door. How he could possibly hear her through the supernatural soundproofing, he didn't know. And honestly, he didn't care, Erica's voice was serving as his anchor in that moment. Keeping him from losing it and completely descending into panic.

"Let me out!" He cried out between gasps for breath. The door handle rattled as Erica began pounding on the door.

"Isaac! I know you're in there, can you hear me?" Erica called, he could hear the panic in her voice as she tried to get the door to open. He repeated himself, forcing his voice to be louder this time, panic attack be damned, he needed to get out. She still didn't hear him. "Boyd, get Derek. NOW!" She yelled before her tone turned gentle and reassuring. "Isaac, listen to me. I know what you must be feeling right now, but we're going to get you out, okay? So just focus on me, okay? Breathe with me Isaac. Listen to my breathing, okay? My heartbeat okay?" She was breathing evenly, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Her heartbeat was faster than usual but still a hell of a lot slower than his was at that point in time.

"Are you listening?" He hadn't said anything, knowing that she wouldn't hear him, but for some reason unknown to himself, he'd nodded. "Good." She couldn't see or hear Isaac, but she knew he could hear her, he had to. "Now, I know it's hard, but please match me, Isaac. My breathing, my heart rate, make it your own. It's yours now."

She stopped talking after that, she just kept breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Isaac copied her. He didn't pay attention to the fact that it felt like the air wasn't going to his lungs, nor did he pay attention to the way his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest. He focused on Erica, his sister, who was on the other side of that door. Isaac moved so that his back was pressed to the wall next to the door. He leant all of his weight against it as he listened to Erica. His heartbeat and breathing soon matched hers, and he felt like he could breathe on his own again. He thanked her, even though she couldn't hear him. Unfortunately, he was only granted a moment of relief as his panic attack came back in full force moments later, just after Derek arrived with a key and tried to unlock the door. Nothing happened.

He heard Derek growl and though that would usually bring him some form of comfort, as it meant his alpha meant business, Isaac was too distracted by the shadows, and too afraid of them to feel relieved. First of all, there were no windows in the room, and no source of light except for Isaac's eyes, which had begun to glow when his panic attack hit, but they weren't enough to cast shadows. Secondly, the impossible shadows were moving.

There was a sudden loud thud that Isaac knew had to be Derek trying to break down the door. Isaac kept his back pressed to the wall as he slid down it, his legs didn't feel strong enough to hold him. Another thud occurred but the door didn't budge. Isaac was hyperventilating and paralyzed with fear when five creatures with silver masks, dark robes, and glowing eyes stepped out of the shadows.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

About an hour later, Stiles, Scott, Lydia, Allison, Danny and Kira sat in Sheriff Stilinski's office, being questioned by Agent McCall, with the Sheriff sitting at his desk watching and listening.

"When did you get there?" Agent McCall asked, pen poised over his notepad.

"At the same time." Stiles responded helpfully without missing a beat.

"At the same time as who?" He asked, lowering the pen as he realised that they weren't going to make the interview easy for him.

Stiles pointed towards Scott, who simultaneously made a gesture towards himself and Allison. "The same time as us."

"By coincidence?" McCall pressed.

"What do you mean 'coincidence'?" Stiles asked, placing a confused expression on his face.

"That's what I'm asking you." Rafael clarified, trying to remain calm as the two teenagers were clearly trying to make the interview as frustrating as possible for him. "If the two of you arrived at the same time, was that coincidence?"

There was a pause as nobody spoke, before Scott inquired "Are you asking me?"

"I think he's asking me." Stiles replied.

"I think he's asking both of you." Lydia countered.

"Okay, let me answer the questions." There was another pause as McCall thought about what he'd just said, the six teenagers looked at him expectantly, and Noah tried to contain his smirk behind the agent. "Let me ask the questions." The man amended, Stiles winked and shot a single finger gun at him in a teasing agreement. "Just so I have this absolutely clear. Barrow was hiding in the chemistry closet at the school. Someone left him a coded message on the blackboard telling him to kill Kira. Then Barrow took Kira to a power substation and tied her up with the intent of electrocuting her, which blacked out the entire town."

"Sounds about right." Stiles confirmed, the other five teens nodding their agreement.

"So tell me, how did you know that he'd take her to the Power Station?" McCall asked looking at the three he knew to be supernatural creatures with narrowed eyes, as if he were daring them to mention their abilities.

"Well, 'cause he was an electrical engineer, where else would he take her?" The lanky boy replied easily, a smirk resting on his face that had formed as he spoke.

"That's one hell of a deduction there, Stiles." McCall fired back, barely keeping sarcasm or his annoyance showing in his words.

"Yeah, what can I say? I take after my pops. He's in law enforcement." Stiles winked at his father, who finally cracked, but still tried to hide his chuckle behind his hand and a cough.

"Just answer the man, Stiles." Noah instructed his son once he'd calmed himself.

"We made a good guess." Stiles amended to appease the asshole-he means agent.

"What were you doing before that?" Rafael asked Kira who easily responded.

"I was getting the last of the leftovers from the car, when I heard someone running towards me, but before I could look, I was hit over the head and then I woke up at the power station." She flinched and shuddered lightly as she recalled the attack and waking up, but otherwise remained calm and collected as she spoke. A far cry from the shy girl from the day before.

"Leftovers?"

"She came over to our house with her parents for dinner." Allison told him easily.

"If you'd just had her over for dinner, how'd you know she was missing? Surely, her parents would have been the first to notice?" McCall asked, a ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips, convinced he'd caught them out.

"I'd left my phone at their house." Kira told him easily, looking completely innocent. Had they not known the truth, the pack members unable to hear her heartbeat would have probably believed her.

"Yeah," Scott agreed easily, not missing a beat. "Allison and I saw it shortly after she left, so we went on my bike to return it. When we got there, the car was gone and there was blood on the ground. I called Stiles, thinking he was still at home, so he could tell his dad."

"But by then, Lydia and I had already decoded the message and had left to go make sure she was okay." Stiles continued seamlessly.

"When Scott called," Lydia took over next "we started theorising where he could have taken her. We went to the jeep, where Danny was waiting for us"

At the mention of his name, Danny took over the story. "Stiles hypothesised that Barrow would take her to the power station. So I started to drive there while Lydia called Allison, so she and Scott could meet us there."

Lydia nodded, a mock-serious expression on her face "Y'know, safety in numbers and all that."

"We got there at the same time, Allison, Lydia and I went in first, telling Scott and Danny to call my dad. We got there and Barrow had Kira tied up and was going to electrocute her with a power cable. We acted, managed to subdue him, but something happened. Then all the lights went out." Stiles finished easily, none of them, except Kira, were worried about their alibi.

"Why didn't you call the sheriff first?" The agent asked, barely keeping the look of triumph off of his face. "Or Deputy Hale? You just said that you had the sense to call for help, why wait until you arrived at the substation to call the authorities?"

"Because, living with two cops, we know the procedure." Stiles replied. Knowing that the agent wouldn't be satisfied with just that, Danny interjected.

"They were both off-duty last night. They would have had to first report to the station before going to the substation. Yes, we could have called the station directly," Danny admitted wearing an expression of remorse that agent McCall seemed to believe, but the others all knew to be utterly fake. "but given that the entire Sheriff's department had been on a manhunt for Barrow all day and had chased a few dead ends, there was a possibility that they wouldn't take it seriously."

"And even if it did, the fact is that it takes 25 minutes to drive from here to the substation, we worried that they wouldn't get there in time to save her." Allison added, pulling out her best puppy eyes, not quite as good as Scott's, but far more effective against McCall, who had never seen her use them before. "She's our friend, we didn't want anything to happen to her."

"Do you believe any of this?" Agent McCall asked Sheriff Stilinski, turning to face the man. His disbelief was evident in his facial expression and the tone of his voice. He'd fully expected a story filled with supernatural nonsense and for the trio to claim Barrow had been a part of it all. Maybe he should have made the humans wait outside?

"To be honest, I haven't believed a word Stiles has said since he learned how to speak." Stiles nodded slightly, expression blank. "But I think these kids found themselves in the right place at the right time and that girl sitting there is very lucky for it."

Rafael turned to look at the teenagers again, this time focusing on Kira once more. "Is that how you remember it?" All eyes turned to her.

"Yes" The girl responded without any hesitation. "Can I have my phone back now?"

"Sorry, but no." Rafael responded, and Kira felt her nerves spike. She was in a bubble of worry in her mind when she was led out of the Sheriff's office. "Kira, a deputy is going to take you home. But we'll need you to fill out some paperwork first."

"I have a ride already." Kira immediately protested, snapping out of her thoughts. She glanced over to her friends for assistance, and Lydia stepped in.

"Stiles and I are taking her home." She responded easily, and Stiles nodded in agreement. Rafael narrowed his eyes, looking at the six teenagers he'd just interviewed.

"Six of you can't legally fit in that jeep."

"I'm taking my bike." Scott responded easily. "So it'll be the five of them. It's a five seater vehicle. Perfectly legal."

Rafael had to grit his teeth to keep his frustration from showing. He directed his next comment towards Kira.

"You'll be safer with a deputy."

"Perhaps." The girl agreed with a nod, and a victorious smile appeared on the FBI agents face before disappearing just as quickly when she countered "But, no offense, I'd feel more comfortable with my friends taking me home. Besides, we have a group, statistics show that people are less likely to attack someone who is part of a group."

"You were right." Lydia whispered to Stiles who was smirking as he watched Rafael trying to hide his frustration and come up with an argument. Stiles hummed to show he was listening and to express that Lydia should continue. "She's going to fit in well with us."

Once Kira had gotten the agent to agree to let the Pack members drive her home, she went to another room with Tara to sign the paperwork. Stiles and Lydia had gone to talk in the corner with deputy Parrish watching on, having been ordered by Agent McCall to 'keep an eye on them' and Allison and Danny were talking to Deputy Posey about the many uses of mountain ash. With the boy finally alone, McCall approached his son.

"I don't know what you're hiding Scott, or why Stilinski is content to listen to this crap. But try and remember something, if half this story about Barrow is true, then not only did someone help set him loose, but he was a pawn in their little game." Scott barely refrained from rolling his eyes. He knew this, better than his father did. Rafael continued on, either not noticing his son's hostility or simply ignoring it. "A mass murderer is bad enough. A mass murderer being controlled by someone? Far worse."

"I know." Scott responded, keeping his tone polite. "We're careful, we can take care of ourselves and our friends."

Rafael bit his tongue from saying what he really wanted. Instead he took a breath and said "Alright, you can go home, it's a school night."

"Thanks, but I'm going to wait for Allison the others." Rafael nodded, then began walking back into Noah's office, before pausing when Scott called out to him.

"Oh, by the way," Scott began, pausing until his father had turned to face him, so that the man could see the cheeky grin on Scott's face. "I know it's not my place to tell you how to do your job or anything, but I just have to advise that in the future, when interviewing people you think might be up to something, don't break L.J. Gibbs' number one rule."

Raphael narrowed his eyes at Scott, who was not only basically confessing that they hid something from him, but was insulting his capabilities and quoting somebody the agent had never even heard of. Despite his better judgment, Raphael found himself taking the bait and asking "And what rule would that be?"

"Never let suspects stay together." Scott grinned before sauntering over to Allison and Danny merrily.

Once they had all filled out the necessary paperwork, they were allowed to leave the police station. Allison opted to climb on the back of Scott's bike, leaving the four others in the jeep. Stiles drove, Lydia took the passenger seat, leaving Kira and Danny in the back. "I don't want to go home yet." Kira stated the moment Stiles started the engine.

"We know." The boy replied easily. "You want answers, so do we."

"We're taking you back to our house." Lydia took over, the tone in her voice left no room for argument. Yesterday, Kira would have been frightened by that, but today she simply agreed, feeling nothing but trust for the increasingly fascinating group.

A phone was suddenly being held in front of her by Danny, she looked at him curiously. "Call your parents." She couldn't tell if it was an order or a request, but she didn't care. "So they don't worry too much." Kira took the phone and dialed her home number, taking a deep breath in preparation.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When the group arrived back at the Hale House, the lights were on, thanks to the generators in the basement. Cora had texted Danny while they awaited interrogation and received instructions on how to reroute the power to supply the entire house.

Scott's bike was already there but he and Alison were nowhere to be seen. The front door had been left open and Derek stood in the doorway looking equal parts angry and relieved. Lydia looked to Stiles, hoping to share their usual 'We're in trouble' look but Stiles didn't even notice her gaze.

The four teens were quickly informed of what happened to Isaac during the night, Kira was clearly confused but said nothing, even at the mention of the creatures coming out of the shadows. The group walked into the living room, not even a little surprised to find Scott and Allison already wrapped around Isaac, whispering their love and apologies to their mate. The rest of the Pack were there too, except for the Sheriff, the elder Boyds and Reyes, and Mrs Martin.

Stiles, Scott, Lydia, Allison, Danny and Kira worked together to tell the story of what had happened the night before. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Pack, Stiles had left out the details of his electrocution. Kira didn't dare say anything in fear of upsetting her new friends, so she kept quiet as Stiles edited the story so that Barrow only attacked Kira. She couldn't help but look around at the Pack, to see if anyone was buying it. Derek, Scott, Lydia and Allison clearly thought something was up, which Kira made a mental note off. Melissa may have suspected something too, but her expression changed so quickly that Kira was unsure. Kira made a point not to look at anybody as Stiles told them all what happened to Kira when she was electrocuted, but it turned out that she needn't worry about her new friends judging her.

Once everybody was caught up on what had unfolded, it was Kira's turn to listen to a story, and by the time that story had finished, Kira was looking around at several pairs of glowing eyes, and for the first time since moving to Beacon Hills, she felt at home.

Hours of talking and theorising were concluded with a visit from a man named Deaton, Kira was told that she was something called a Kitsune. "A thunder Kitsune, I imagine, based on what you just told me." Deaton clarified looking at the girl curiously.

"That explains the fox." Erica commented with a grin, staring at Kira with glowing eyes and an expression of intrigue.

"Fox? What fox?" Kira asked curiously, as the humans around her also looked at Erica curiously.

"When we looked at you with our wolf eyes," Scott began to explain before Erica could, earning him a glare from the blonde. "you have what looks like… A fox made out of fire wrapped around you. Like it's protecting you."

"Can it be seen on camera?" Kira asked with wide eyes, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Given that werewolf eyes flare on camera when a flash is introduced, I imagine that it's possible." Stiles responded thoughtfully after a moment's consideration, looking to the Emissary for confirmation. Deaton simply nodded.

"Why do you ask?" Derek inquired from where he stood behind the couch, directly behind where Stiles was sitting, with his arms folded.

"Before Stiles got there, Barrow was taking pictures of me. On my phone. With the flash on." Kira explained.

"And the police now have your phone." Stiles exclaimed with wide eyes. "If someone from the FBI sees those pictures-"

"It would be bad." Scott cut Stiles off and finished for him before turning his head to look at Derek. "How likely is it that my dad will allow someone from the BHPD to search her phone?"

"The moment Barrow escaped, the feds took over." Derek informed him regretfully, shaking his head slightly before he looked at Kira with an apologetic expression. "They'll likely check your photos to see if he's in the background of any of them, to find out if he's been stalking you. The more they can prove his connection to you, the more likely they are to get a longer sentence."

"Okay, don't worry, we'll handle this." Stiles assured her with an easy smile. "Lydia, Erica, Cora, Danny, Kira and Malia, you're all coming with me to the Library. Everybody else has the night off." He ordered easily and everybody made a gesture or sound of agreement.

"Sure, but why are we going to the library?" Malia asked curiously.

"I'll tell you when we get there, in case we get caught, Derek can't know what we were planning." He explained with a mischievous grin then looked up to see the unimpressed look his mate was giving him.

"But it's okay to say that in front of me?"

"Absolutely." Stiles continued to grin as he stood up and turned, he leant forward over the couch to kiss Derek softly. "Love you."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Luckily for you, I love you too."

"And Allison-" Stiles began, pointing at the girl as he had intended to explain why she wasn't being included in the planning session, only to be cut off by the girl in question.

"No, I get it," She assured whilst snuggling her distraught mate, knowing Stiles well enough to anticipate what he was going to say. "I would have said no anyway, I need to stay with Isaac."

"You don't-" Isaac began to protest, guilt creeping up on him at the thought of keeping Allison from doing something she loved; scheming. Yet, once again, the brunette butted in before he could finish.

"Correction, I want to stay with Isaac." She stated firmly, holding on to the boy tighter.

After ensuring Isaac was alright, Stiles led his carefully selected team to the library in the second basement, amazing Kira and Malia, well mostly Kira.

"So, why exactly are we here?" Malia asked again, once the door to the library had been shut and they had all sat down.

"I'm wondering that too, given that Isaac was just attacked here." Erica stressed, looking around the room for anything suspicious.

"What happened to Isaac is horrible and we will get back at whoever did this to him. But Chris knows what we're dealing with and will not tell us, so we can't do anything to make them pay right now." Stiles explained with a lot of hand gestures. "Scott and Allison are taking care of Isaac and if he needs any of us as well, we're right here. As for why we're here, it's still the best place for planning, and they isolated Isaac, they wanted him alone. As long as none of us are alone, we'll be fine."

"You think." Lydia countered knowingly.

"I think." Stiles amended, glaring at the Banshee. "But we still need to be in here. We need to make a plan to break into the police station and delete those photos from Kira's phone."

"Not just her phone." Danny added. "Any cloud storage, or hard drives at the station. Chances are they're going to transfer all of her phone's data to a computer to review it."

"I can give you access to my cloud storage from here." Kira offered sheepishly, unsure suddenly if she was allowed to speak. Her confidence she felt at the station was replaced with her usual self doubt, fortunately the self doubt wasn't as crippling as it had been the day before. "It'd probably be better if you erased that from my laptop or something, so we don't have to spend as much time in the station."

"That's smart." Erica complimented with a smile. "More time we spend in there, bigger the chance we get caught."

"True, and we still need to sneak around the staff on night shift," Cora reminded, looking thoughtfully at the blank notepad, as though it held the plan already. "so the likeliness is we'll have ten minutes once we're inside, if we're lucky."

"Less than that." Lydia corrected. "The phone will be in evidence lock-up. There's someone guarding it almost constantly. It depends on who's working, once we know that, we'll know how long we have while they're on break."

"Right." Erica took over. "If it's Tara, we'll have about 3 and a half minutes, but if it's Posey, we've got the full five if not longer."

"Woah, woah, woah," Stiles cut in, waving his arms to signal a cease in conversation. "Now before we get ahead of ourselves, let me make one thing clear. I invited you all to help plan the mission, not all of you are coming with me." There was immediate protest from everyone, including Kira and Malia. "Shut it!" Stiles ordered, immediately silencing the group. "Seven of us will easily get caught, don't even try to fight me on this. No, I need Kira to get the phone and erase the pictures and I need Danny to erase any backups the feds may have made. I'll be look out and a distraction if necessary. I need Erica as our getaway driver and the rest of you will wait here and cover for us with my dad and Derek. Understood?"

"Why does Erica get to be the getaway driver?" Lydia asked, clearly annoyed that she doesn't get a role in the plan.

"She drives faster." Was the reason Stiles gave and Erica immediately defended herself.

"I don't give a fuck about the law or my safety, and I drive like it" Erica grinned proudly and, well, Lydia couldn't argue with that. Oh wait, she could.

"You don't even have a driver's license!" Lydia reminded the blonde. Due to her epilepsy from before turning being so severe that medication wasn't guaranteed to stop her seizures, Erica had been unable to apply for a driver's licence.

"YOLO" Erica shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant but failing thanks to the grin on her face.

"You did not just say YOLO-" Cora sighed, looking at her mate in shame.

"Yes I did, and so did you." Erica grinned before sticking her tongue out at Cora. Cora, ever the elegant one, simply stuck her middle finger up and glared at Erica, but the lack of any real heat behind her actions caused them to have no effect.

"Now, as you can see," Stiles cut in, trying to distract the two deadly women from continuing to bicker. They needed to focus and when Cora and Erica bickered… let's just say their favourite part about arguing was making up. And they didn't seem to care where they made up, as long as it was in the house, and didn't care if their Pack Mates were around when it happened. "I have the skeleton of the plan, but I need a little help with the details and you six are the most criminally devious minds in the Pack, excluding myself. Well, I get the impression that the two of you" he gestured to Kira and Malia. "will be good at this, and I'm usually right about these things. So who's in?"

Of course, everybody agreed to help. "What about Allison?" Malia asked thoughtfully as she recalled several stories the Pack had told her. "Isn't she also pretty good with this stuff?"

"She is." Stiles confirmed with a nod as he pulled his notepad close and opened it to a clean page. "But after what happened, Isaac needs her more right now."

The werecoyote nodded in realization and mentally scolded herself for forgetting that people need comfort after traumatizing ordeals like that. Suddenly Stiles and Allison's seemingly nonsensical conversation before they came to plan made sense to her. Sensing her cousin's rapidly dropping mood, Cora leaned over the table and touched Malia's hand comfortingly. "Hey, it's okay, you're still learning. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Malia smiled at Cora in thanks and nodded before speaking "I do have an idea about how you can get in there."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When the pack piled around the table for breakfast the next morning, they were joined by Kira and Malia, both of whom had spent the night. The scheming had gone on into the early hours of the morning, so the pair had opted to accept Stiles' offer to stay over. The pair had shared a bed in one of the spare rooms, despite being offered seperate rooms. It had been Malia's idea to share. Her reasoning was that Kira was the only person close to her own age who was new to the pack, if she even counted as pack yet, that Malia had met since turning human. Sure, Ethan and Aidan were relatively new to the pack, but they still were much further integrated into the pack's hierarchy than she was. Kira, however, had met the pack at the same time Malia had and was also only just truly discovering this other side of herself and would probably need training to learn how to control it. Just like Malia. And, she wasn't a werewolf. Sure, she wasn't a werecoyote like Malia was, but she was something different, just like Malia.

They were both outsiders looking for their place in this family that had readily opened their arms to them, and this journey of discovery they were embarking on didn't have to be done alone. They could do it together, help each other, right? Stiles said that that's what pack do. It's what friends do. And Kira had told her last night that she was happy she'd started to find her friends here. So Malia asked if she and Kira could be friends too, Kira had smiled and blushed and told her that yes, they can be friends.

Kira wasn't quite sure exactly why the coyote had wanted to share with her, or why she had even agreed, but it was the best night's sleep she'd had since moving to Beacon Hills. Even though Malia had terrified Kira in her Coyote form, she felt safe with the shifter, she felt something close to giddiness bubble inside her when the coyote asked if they could be friends, the bubbling eased into something softer but equally dizzying when the look of pure joy on Malia's face when she said 'yes'. When Malia spooned her after a few minutes of them both tossing and turning, Kira felt something new and… odd. But nice. Definitely nice.

What wasn't nice was waking up to Malia's phone ringing, the Coyote groaned as the shrill ringing of the device pulled her from her unusually pleasant sleep, she leant over the slowly waking Kira to grab the offending item. She frowned when she didn't recognise the number, but answered anyway.

"Hello?"

"Who is this? And where is my daughter?" The voice on the other end demanded furiously.

"This is Malia, and I have no idea." The coyote responded bluntly, too tired to be polite. "Who is your daughter?"

"Kira." The voice replied, no less angry. "Where is she?"

"Oh." Malia responded blankly, then held out the phone to the girl who was wiping the sleep from her eyes "It's for you." The Coyote informed the Kitsune, who looked from Malia to the phone in question. "It's your mum."

Kira groaned in response as she took the phone from Malia. "I'm so dead." She muttered, causing her bedmate to chuckle before lying back down, draping her arm back over Kira unthinkingly, watching with intrigue and shamelessly listening to both sides of the conversation. "Hi mum." Kira greeted, and with that, her mother was yelling at her down the line.

"You are in so much trouble young lady! Your father and I have been worried sick! First we go to check on you when you didn't come inside only to find you and the car gone! Then we get a call from the police saying that you had been kidnapped and held hostage by an escaped mass murderer and that you were being interviewed before a deputy would bring you home, then you called from a random number saying that you were going to you friends house and would be back later, and then we don't hear from you for the rest of the night!"

"I sent you a text" Kira grumbled a feeble defense, sitting up in bed, causing Malia's arm to fall from her waist. "telling you where I am."

"At 2.30 in the morning!" Noshiko shrieked down the phone, causing Kira to grimace and pull the phone away from her ear.

"I'm sorry, we lost track of time, I didn't feel safe walking home at that time of night and I didn't want to ask for a ride from one of my friends at that time, and all of the adults were asleep. Malia offered to lend me her phone to text you again, and let me sleep in her room. I did what I thought was best in this situation. I'm sorry if I worried you."

Kira heard her mother sigh into the phone and could picture clearly the expression her mother was wearing. "I'm disappointed, Kira, that you let it get so late before contacting us, especially after what happened. I'm also upset that after such an ordeal, you immediately went to your friends rather than coming home. I expect you to come home with your father tonight. As soon as you get to school, go to his classroom. Understood?" Noshiko ordered, causing Kira to sigh in disappointment. "Kira? I said, do you understand?" The woman pressed when her daughter didn't answer as quickly as she liked.

"Yes." Kira confirmed. She had wanted to hang out with the pack again after school, but she could understand why her mother didn't want that.

"Good, I'll see you tonight. I love you, Kira."

"I love you too, mum." With that the call disconnected, Kira handed the device back to it's rightful owner with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, not the nicest way to wake up."

"Given that over the past eight years, I've been woken up by predators trying to eat me, or steal my den, or food, or by hunters shooting at me, I'd say that really wasn't the worst awakening." Malia told her matter of factly, causing Kira to laugh softly.

"Well, when you put it like that…" Kira grinned, looking down at her hands nervously, to find them toying with the pristine bedding. "Thanks for sharing your bed with me, by the way."

"Oh, it's not my bed." Malia corrected, patting the mattress. "Not really, I just sleep here when I don't want to stay at home." She explained with a shrug.

"How come you don't like staying at home?" Kira asked without thinking, her eyes went wide as soon as the words left her mouth, but before she could correct herself, Malia replied.

"It's not that I don't like staying there." Malia informed her, but she didn't seem offended or upset, so Kira allowed herself to relax slightly. "It's just that after all these years, it doesn't feel like home anymore. Some nights I'm lying in that bed and it's like I'm eight all over again and everything is fine and happy and my sister is sleeping in the bed across the room, and my parents are sleeping down the hall. But then I remember, and it's not okay, my sister isn't in her bed, and my mother isn't down the hall. And my dad isn't my dad. I mean, he's still my dad and he always will be my dad, but it's not the same now. Now I know I'm adopted, I know that I'm not human, and I know how it feels to watch my dad point a rifle at me and pull the trigger. It just gets to be too much, sometimes." Without thinking, Kira pulled Malia into a tight hug. The Coyote stiffened for a moment relaxing and returned the hug. The pair didn't talk much more before making their way downstairs to join the pack for breakfast.

As the rest of the pack were chatting away and eating breakfast, Danny was on the phone arguing with the owners of the building he'd rented for the blacklight party he had planned for that night. They'd called him to say that they, like almost everybody else in town, had no power so he couldn't hold his party there. "Don't you have portable generators, or something? It's a blacklight party, it's not like you need a ton of power!" He tried in vain to persuade them, that was twenty minutes of his life he'd never get back. After hanging up the call, Danny sighed in frustration. Jackson looked at his best friend sympathetically.

"So no party?" He asked, pouting slightly, the other teen's wearing similar expressions. Malia in particular was disappointed as she had been looking forward to attending her first party. Before Danny could respond however, Derek, who was sitting in his usual seat at the head of the table, fork in one hand and a book in the other, chimed in.

"Yes, you can use the loft, just don't trash the place, don't let anybody in the bedroom, and don't let me get any noise complaints from any of the tenants in the building. The three floors below the loft are under reconstruction before I rent them out, so there's nobody there for you to bother. If I find out that despite that, the music or guests were bothering any of my tenants, I'll crash the party myself, with Noah and Parrish as my backup." Derek told him without looking up from the book he was reading. "Fair?"

Danny beamed gratefully, then stood up and moved to the back of Derek's chair and hugged him from behind, being careful not to block the Alpha's view of his book. "Very. Thank you, thank you, thank you." Danny babbled as the pack cheered around them, all offering their own thanks to Derek, Stiles leaning across to kiss the man.

The rest of breakfast passed by quickly and uneventfully. Erica loaned an outfit worthy of a Hale to Kira for the day, and the teenagers, excluding Malia, set off in various vehicles, heading gleefully to school. They were gleeful for two reasons (well, three, if you counted the party still being on). One, they'd had a big win the night before (Not only had they saved Kira's life, they had also helped get Barrow back behind bars). And two, they knew everybody else in town would have had to work through their morning routine without any electricity, but they were able to go about their routine as normal.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen wolf-Sterek-

When they arrived at the School, Coach was marching through the corridors with a megaphone being his usual Coach-y self. Stiles made a comment about something Coach had said as he opened his locker, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. Scott frowned in concern at his best friend from across the corridor, completely was obvious to whatever conversation Isaac and Allison were having beside him. Scott was focused on Stiles, compiling a mental list of all the things just wrong about him. The problem was that if he were to write said list on a sheet of paper, he'd be staring at a blank page. There weren't any words that could properly describe the issues with his best friend. He was acting completely normal and fine - for Stiles at least - there was just this feeling. When Scott looked into Stiles' eyes, or Stiles called Scott "Bitch", or Stiles hugged Scott, it didn't feel right. And Scott wanted, no, needed to know why. Especially now. Today was the worst day since the ritual. At least most days, the feeling of wrongwrongwrong came and went randomly, that morning he hadn't stopped feeling wrong. It felt like Stiles wasn't there at all.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Shortly after being electrocuted by Barrow, Stiles awoke in a dark basement somewhere, he was freezing and there was a severe pain in his left leg. And something was repeatedly licking his face.

A wolf with reddish brown fur was lying next to him, a paw strung over Stiles' waist, head hovering slightly over him as he licked the freckled boy's face. "You're… me, right? Like I'm you? Kind of, do you know what I mean?" The wolf sort of nodded at him and licked his face again. "Can you tell me where we are?"

"We are inside." The wolf replied without moving his mouth. His voice was almost identical to Stiles', the only difference being that the wolf's voice was deeper than Stiles had ever managed, it seemingly echoed around the room as he answered the question.

"Inside where?" Stiles asked softly, part of him wanting to demand answers, but he found himself unable to treat the wolf he felt so connected to that way. The wolf shot Stiles a somehow sarcastic look, as if asking for a break.

"Where else am I, if you're not me?" The wolf asked, without speaking again.

"We're in my head?" Stiles asked, in somewhat disbelief, staring up at the wolf in wonder and relief. "I thought you were gone. I couldn't hear you anymore, I couldn't feel you anymore."

The wolf looked down at Stiles with an odd expression, as if he wanted to smile at the boy. The wolf shook his head before licking the former human again.

"I can never be apart from you, just as you can never be apart from me now." The wolf explained easily as he laid his head on top of the brunettes. Stiles smiled easily, quickly becoming accustomed to the sensation. It was odd, not uncomfortable, just different. It felt real, even though he knew it was only in his head. "I cannot exist outside of you, because I was created within you. The moment you were bitten by the Alpha at the time, you changed. In order to survive those changes, you needed me. You still do. If one of us dies, so does the other. The same applies to all Human-Wolf partnerships. The creature could not kill me as he needed you to say yes and let him in. He cannot kill you even now that he is inside because he needs to be you until he's strong enough to get what he needs to fulfill his plan. Before you ask, I don't know his plan, nor what he needs to fulfill it, that's all I've been able to figure out so far."

Stiles felt the confused frown form on his face as he processed the wolf's words. "But I haven't said yes." Stiles blurted the first thing that came to mind. A sad chuckle echoed around the room, causing Stiles' frown to deepen. "What?"

"In this case, saying yes isn't always as literal as saying the words. First, he got you alone and, without me to keep you away, you stepped through the door, rather than closing it." Stiles frowned, self deprecating thoughts creeping into his head, he mentally berated himself for not being strong enough to close the door. His wolf nuzzled his head into Stiles' chest comfortingly. "It's okay, it's not your fault." The wolf assured before continuing. "Second, you held the firefly. Third, you cried out for help in your mind when you were electrocuted. So he was allowed in, and he kicked you out of the driver's seat."

Stiles couldn't think straight as he wrapped his arm around the wolf and pulled him closer. "I'm sorry that I didn't find you." The teens voice was barely above a whisper as he gently stroked the animal's fur. "I should have tried harder. You-You've always been there for me. Since the moment I turned, you have been with me. I felt lost without you, like I wasn't me anymore. I can't even remember how I got by as a human. I-I can't imagine no longer feeling the pack bonds or my-our- bond with Derek." Stiles sighed at the thought of his mate, burrowing his face into the wolves fur, which smelt partially of Derek. It made sense, Stiles smells like Derek, so obviously his wolf would too, but he'd never really thought about it, so it was a pleasant surprise. "I hate that they aren't as strong as before. It feels like how Lydia and all the humans in the Pack describe the bond. I'd be lost without it but it's not enough. I need it all. I physically need it." Stiles wasn't sure if he was shaking his head, or nuzzling the wolf, or both, but he didn't care and continued the action as he spoke. "I need you back in my head. And I need to feel it how it was before. I need to become you again. It's the only way I feel complete and I need to feel like myself again. I need you back and we need to get rid of this thing. I want to go back to how it was before. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. Not even the bad times. I know it sounds stupid, but I just- I-I-"

"It doesn't sound stupid at all." His wolf assured in a soothing tone. "The bad times just highlight good times, and they're good learning tools for us. As for not remembering how you got by before, you didn't know the sensations before. You didn't know true connections before. Everything is enhanced now. Well, it is when we are truly connected and working together. With the two of us sharing control." Stiles smiled at the memories of when he and his wolf would work in perfect balance, especially when they were fighting, or in the wolf's form.

Perfection for the both of them was running through the preserve on a full moon night with their pack and mate. Followed by a good pack hunt, and spending the rest of the night in human form coiled around his mate in the privacy of their bedroom, obviously locking the door to the rest of the pack.

"How can we get out?" Stiles asked to steer himself away from inappropriate thoughts. At least, inappropriate for that particular situation.

"I'm not sure we can." The wolf admitted sadly, moving his head to hide his face in the teens chest. "I've been trying for a while now, since you stepped through the door."

"But now we're together." Stiles reminded with a grin. "And I have opposable thumbs." The wolf chuckled at his other half. "Wait, since the door? But my eyes glowed after that, Scott saw it. And I felt my claws come out when I had that panic attack in Mr Yukimura's Class."

"But did you?" The wolf asked, and Stiles recognized the tone as the same one he used when he was smirking and about to tell someone that they were wrong about something. "Did you notice anything different? Did your vision change like it usually would when you look through my eyes? Did you see our claws? Did they dig into your palms when you made a fist to hide them" The wolf asked, already knowing the answer. Stiles frowned as he thought back to that day. The answer was no, he didn't suspect for a second that his wolf eyes were showing. Even after Scott informed him of the fact, nothing changed. When Scott hurt himself and Stiles was snapped out of the panic attack, caused by the supposed loss of control, nothing changed. Not even when Scott had told him his eyes were normal again. "Exactly." Stiles rolled his eyes at the wolf's smug tone. "The one in our head used the pack bonds to make Scott believe that your eyes glowed, to give you hope that we could be united again. He wanted you to have hope so that he could take it away when things improved for our mate, but not for you."

"I took Scott's pain." Stiles insisted, "When he hurt himself to calm me down, I took his pain."

"The one possessing us can take pain too."

"Okay Mr Know-it-all." Stiles huffed. "Let's just focus on ending this." Stiles looked down at the trap on his leg and grimaced at the sight, his ankle was mangled and covered in blood. "First things first, I need to get this damn thing off my leg, it hurts like hell."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek Hale made his way through the halls of Beacon Hills High School, using his sense of smell to guide his way. He'd locked onto Kira's scent and followed it to her father's classroom. The girl was explaining to her father why she had chosen to spend the night with the Pack, all of it a total lie, but gave him the true version as to what happened to her phone. He waited patiently for her to finish so that he could speak to her before class started.

He listened as Kira's father scolded her for not contacting him and her mother, then his tone softened when he asked if she was okay, before letting her leave. The moment she stepped into the hallway, the kitsune spotted the Alpha. "Derek," She greeted, blinking in surprise. "Is everything alright?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you." Derek responded, pushing himself off the wall he had taken to leaning against. He stepped towards her slowly so as not to scare her. "Last night was a lot for anyone to take in, and I just wanted to make sure that you're coping well."

Kira nodded slowly, staring at the alpha with a calculating gaze. "I'm coping, I'm not sure I'm doing it well, but I am coping." She told him honestly. "You and the Pack are helping."

"Good."

"That's not all you wanted to ask me." Kira stated knowingly, a pleading look in her eyes as she silently begged the man to ask the question on his mind.

"There's something Stiles didn't tell us about last night, isn't there?" He asked and Kira nodded. "What is it?" Kira sighed in relief and told him everything.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't say anything last night." She rambled once she'd finished recounting the incident. "I just didn't want to call Stiles out in front of everyone, in case he got mad at me or something, but I knew I had to say something." Derek nodded at the girl, he had a scowl on his face, but somehow Kira knew it wasn't directed at her.

"You did the right thing." Derek assured her. "Please don't tell the others just yet." He requested, Kira looked confused, but agreed anyway, so he explained. "Look, the reason Stiles and the other's were talking about Bardo is because Stiles and I were going through it. I'm fine now, Stiles says he is, but there's something… Not right. He's not the same. I don't want to worry the Pack, so I want to try and figure it out before they notice anything." Derek explained, he had no idea why he was trusting a girl he'd just met with this information, but he did trust her. And his gut told him that Kira would never break that trust.

"Alright, I'll keep it to myself, but just so you know, I think Scott, Lydia and Allison have caught on. They had the same look as you had last night. I think they could help you. If not, I'm willing to do anything to help you and your Pack." Kira Informed him with such honesty and conviction that it made his wolf want to scent mark her, and claim her as a new beta in his pack. He stomped that urge down for the moment, as that was a pack discussion to be had later.

"Thank you Kira." He gave her a soft smile. "I'll let you know if you can help." The girl beamed at him with such joy, she could give Allison a run for her money. Then the bell rang. "You should get to class."

"Yeah." Kira nodded before starting to make her way towards the economics classroom. "I'll speak to you soon… Alpha." She added hesitantly, unsure if she had earned the right to call him that yet. Was it a case of earning that right? Or was it something she was supposed to do out of respect? Or was it something exclusive to Derek's pack? She wasn't sure, but Derek didn't seem to mind. Not that he let whatever he was feeling actually show on his face.

"Speak to you soon, Kira." Derek replied before turning to leave the school, deciding then that he would head home and call Deaton before he had to start his shift at work that afternoon. He and Stiles had a date planned for the next night and Derek intended to have all the answers by then.

Notes:

Hey everyone, gosh I am so sorry for disappearing for three years, but things have been crazy! But I’m back now after doing a lot of soul searching and taking the time during lockdown to start writing again. I have more on the way, I promise. To those who are returning, thank you for giving me a second chance! And to new readers, thank you for taking the time to read my story, I hope you’re enjoying it, I promise there is a lot more to come.
Also, I have gone back and edited every single chapter of this story over the past week. I fixed all of the typos I could find and added a few scenes here and there, however, the overall story remains the same, so you don’t have to read it all again, as I know it’s quite a lot xx

Chapter 31: The Darkest Night

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Concerns arise amongst the Pack, but they still manage to party! Unfortunately there are a few uninvited guests.

"Speak to you soon, Kira." Derek replied before turning to leave the school, deciding then that he would head home and call Deaton before he had to start his shift at work that afternoon. He and Stiles had a date planned for the next night and Derek intended to have all the answers by then.

The Hale Pack: The Darkest Night

As Scott, Lydia and Allison made their way to their shared gym lesson, the three of them spoke quietly about their concerns for Stiles.

"I mean, it's not just me, right?" Scott asked in a tone that was almost pleading. "There's something different about him?" He had seen the looks on both of their faces the night before, they were worried too. It was different from Danny's concern, his was mostly directed towards the situation Stiles was running into alone, but theirs was caused by Stiles' behaviour. Scott was sure of it. He wasn't quite sure how he knew that, he just did.

"Definitely." Lydia replied firmly, as Allison nodded in agreement. "It started off as just little things, but now it's so much worse."

"Thank God, you guys noticed it too," The huntress sighed in relief. "I thought it was just me. Ever since Derek recovered from Bardo and he didn't, he's been off. Do you think something happened to him that he's not telling us about? Something that's keeping him from shifting?" She asked in concern, her mind was working quickly to concoct various unpleasant scenarios.

"Maybe," Scott looked at the ground as he walked slowly, a frown etched itself onto his face and his brows furrowed in concern. "but I think this started before Bardo. He's been off ever since the ritual itself, We wrote it off as being because of Bardo, but I'm not sure that we were right. Derek was frustrated and scared during Bardo, but he still felt like himself, Stiles didn't. I mean, sometimes he did, but mostly- whatever happened when Derek recovered didn't start this. Stiles isn't himself, there's something different about him, something distinctly not Stiles."

"I agree, he's been off for weeks. And you're right, Scott, it started with the ritual." Lydia told the pair in her 'Academic Voice' as she called it (some of her Pack mates referred to it affectionately as her 'Know-It-All Voice'). When stressful situations involved somebody she cared about, Lydia forced herself to lock away emotions long enough to look at the problem logically. After she had analysed the problem and figured out her first step, she would go talk to at least one of five people and let her emotions out; Those five people being Miss Morrell, Allison, Stiles, Derek, and Jackson.

Once she had spoken about her feelings on the situation, she would go and work out step two, then let out her feelings again. She'd repeat that process until the problem was solved.

Of course this time it was different; she couldn't talk to Stiles because he was the problem; she couldn't talk to Jackson because the voices in her head told her it wasn't safe for him to know; she couldn't talk to Miss Morrell because she was working at Eichen house all week, though she had sessions booked with Stiles, Lydia, and Isaac for the weekend; and the voices were telling her to wait for Derek to talk to her about Stiles.

"He wanted me to scream last night, but I don't know why. He has been manipulating us all for a while now, but I was an idiot and didn't see it." Lydia growled, clearly frustrated at herself for not noticing what he was doing before. She might have been able to help him before it got this bad if she had just paid attention. Lydia notices everything, so why the Hell didn't she notice this? "It was almost three weeks after the ritual that bardo started, but Stiles was always acting off; he started keeping to himself a lot more; he was barely sleeping even before the nightmares started; he's constantly getting lost in his head, way more than usual. Then Bardo hit and he got worse; There were times I'd be talking to him and it's like we're having completely different conversations; he-"

"He made me shift." Scott remembered suddenly. "When we were at the Tate house trying to find something with Malia's scent while the sheriff distracted her dad; Stiles told me to shift to calm the dog while he searched for her scent. He wouldn't do that. Not in a place where I could get caught."

"And, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you think he reacted surprisingly calmly to the situation with you dad?" Allison asked as she bit her lip thoughtfully. "Not just when he found out about you, but the reason he's here in the first place; to get Stiles' dad fired."

"No, you're not wrong." Scott told her. "He'd definitely be far more vocal about it."

"He has been quieter about everything lately." Lydia reminded them both. "About Kate being alive and some kind of shifter, Kira being a kitsune. Usually he and I would be researching everything about Kitsunes right now, we know what Derek and Deaton told us, but Stiles, Danny and I would have compiled all the books and materials we could find about this by now. Danny and I have, but Stiles hasn't said a word about it, hasn't asked a single question." She pointed out. The pair realised with horror that she was right. The night before, Stiles had let everybody else ask the questions about what Kira was. Then, rather than searching for more information about her, he had immediately changed the subject and left to start planning how to delete the pictures from her phone, and that was definitely wrong for Stiles. The real Stiles would have spent thirty minutes asking questions, then taken the group to start planning.

"To top it all off; he's been lying to us." The redhead told them, before turning her head to look at her best friend. "Allison, do you remember when we were searching the school for Barrow yesterday? Stiles was using his enhanced sense of smell to try and pick up Barrows scent," Lydia asked rhetorically, but the huntress nodded in response anyway. "Even after losing his ability to shift, he kept his healing and enhanced senses, right? But last night, after Barrow took Kira, Stiles said-"

"He said that he couldn't follow her scent." Allison finished as recollection hit her. Scott's concern frown appeared to deepen somehow. "He made you scream instead."

"It's like he wanted her to be taken." Scott commented with a frown. It was the only logical answer, but it didn't make any sense, why would Stiles want that? He was all about protecting his friends and Pack. Kira may be new to their circle, but she was definitely their friend, and well on her way to becoming Pack at this rate.

"No, it's more than that." Lydia insisted, pleased that the pair were seeing reason the more she spoke. "He wanted me to scream and Kira to use her Foxfire for some reason. We need to figure out why. Whatever is going on with Stiles started that night at the Nemeton. Whatever it was, I think the nemeton was trying to protect Derek and Stiles from it by putting them through Bardo." Lydia theorised, though Scott looked at her in disbelief over her last comment.

"Wasn't Bardo going to end with their deaths?" Scott asked rhetorically with a raised eyebrow. He had been on board with her theory until she said that. Why would the Nemeton try to kill them in an effort to protect them? "How is that protecting them?"

"Because it didn't kill them." Allison explained when she realised what her best friend was getting at. "It warned them that something was wrong, it gave them clues how to stop it. It guided us to the answers that we needed to help save them."

"Exactly!" Lydia continued. "When Stiles and Derek offered themselves to the nemeton and bound our Pack to it, they created a bond with something very old and very powerful. Then they sacrificed themselves to it so it could root itselves to us. It brought them back, but it has consequences. In the time they were between life and death, something else got in. The nemeton has been trying to help them recover from their experience and help them fight off whatever latched onto them last night. Derek managed to do what he had to do to keep it out; he closed the door, but Stiles-" Lydia cut herself off with a sigh and ran her hands over her face as she stopped walking. Allison and Scott exchanged a look as they also stopped, then turned their attention to Lydia. "I don't think he closed his door, and I think that something got inside."

"You think Stiles is… possessed?" Scott asked, deliberately keeping his voice void of emotions, he didn't want Lydia to think he was being judgemental or dismissive of her theory.

"By what?" Allison asked, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. The banshee moved her hands from her face and ran them through her hair and let out another loud sigh.

"I don't know." Lydia confessed as she threw out her arms before letting them drop to her sides. "But I know that whoever went into that power substation last night was not Stiles. Not completely. He's in there somewhere but he's trapped and he needs us to help him." Allison and Scott shared another look, but the Banshee didn't let that dissuade her. "You know about the voices in my head, they help me, guide me to where I need to be but lately I can barely hear them, there's constant noise surrounding me." She told them honestly as her eye's flickered between the pair. "But only when I'm around Stiles. Before I couldn't tell what it was but when Barrow escaped all I could hear was buzzing." She explained as she began walking forwards again.

"Yeah, the electricity." Allison reminded her gently, as the Banshee passed them, the pair began walking again so that they were in a row once more.

"But I thought it was flys!" Lydia reminded her. "Barrow is back in jail but when I'm around Stiles I can still hear buzzing, and it's not electricity, it really is flies buzzing this time. I think that's why it took me so long to figure it out. The longer I'm around Stiles, the louder the buzzing and the background noises get, and the less I can focus. The more I need to scream again."

"The nemeton." Scott remembered suddenly, once again being swayed by Lydia's logic. "When we went to it, that night that we were training Malia, Stiles picked up that dead fly and he stared at it for like five minutes. Not even Derek could snap him out of it." Allison grew more concerned when reminded of that fact, and Lydia nodded emphatically, glad that they were finally seeing things her way.

"I think that whatever is going on with Stiles started with the ritual, it took root during bardo, grew when he held the fly, and really took hold when Stiles went up against Barrow last night. I think Kira is keeping something from us, probably at Stiles' request. We need to find a way to get her alone and ask her about it." Lydia finished her explanation and recommendation just as they arrived at the changing rooms. The girls changing room had taken priority over the library, and had already been repaired over summer break.

"After the party tonight, the three of us and Isaac should talk to Derek first." Allison suggested. "I don't know about you, but I feel like we should keep this as quiet as possible until we know for sure what we're dealing with."

"I agree, but I don't think Isaac suspects anything yet," Lydia pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "are you sure we should tell him?"

The pair shared a look then explained to the Banshee. "We think he's been feeling a little neglected lately and we don't want that." Allison explained, as she turned to look her best friend in the eyes. "If we keep this a secret from him and sneak around trying to figure it out, it's only gonna make things worse."

"Of course." Lydia nodded in understanding. "You need to take care of your relationship, say no more." Scott and Allison smiled at her appreciatively, and then the bell rang.

"We'll talk more about this later." Scott said and Lydia and Allison nodded in agreement

With that, Lydia and Allison went into the girls changing room and Scott went into the boys changing room. All of them were unaware that their Alpha had been standing just outside the building, next to the window at the end of the corridor, listening to their every word.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Chris stood in his office, in the apartment he shared with his wife and daughter, staring down at the broken mask in fear. In all his years hunting the supernatural, he'd never come across creatures that scared him as much as these creatures had. Other creatures he knew how to kill. This was something that had plagued his nightmares for years.

The moment Issac described the creatures that had attacked him in the library, Chris felt his heart stop. That fear he tried to bury over the years resurfaced faster than Peter on Lydia's birthday.

But Chris had learned a long time ago that you cannot let fear control you. So he pushed it down and turned his focus to helping his daughter and her Pack fight them and, if they're lucky, figure out how to kill them.

"You okay?" Victoria asked softly as she gingerly placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. "We can tell the others that we can't make it tonight and-"

"No," Chris quickly assured, turning to face his wife. "No, tonight is important. Not just for us but for Allison and all of the other's." The hunter insisted. The both of them had really enjoyed spending time with friends. As sad as it was, neither of them had had friends in a long time. Their lives had been dedicated to hunting for a long time, which was how they had met. They fell for each other pretty quickly. They were friendly with some of the other hunters, but never true friendship. When they had Allison they spent even less time with their acquaintances, opting to divide their time between their hunting jobs, their cover jobs, and raising their daughter 'right'.

When they moved to Beacon Hills they had expected a simple job; find out why Laura Hale had returned to Beacon Hills and if she was planning on building a new pack. A few months stay at the most. They hadn't expected most of the events that had unfolded. They hadn't expected that Laura would be killed. They hadn't expected that their daughter would begin dating a werewolf and join his pack. They hadn't expected that one of them would be turned into a werewolf and stay alive. They hadn't expected to join a pack. And they definitely hadn't expected to make friends.

Victoria found that she really enjoyed having friends again, and enjoyed spending time with them. But she loved her husband more and had to make sure that she did what was best for him. "I'm not sure that that's the best idea, Chris. I think we should just stay home and do something to ease your mind. Maybe figure out how to approach Katashi."

"I really think that meeting up with the other's tonight at Jake and Hayley's house is the best thing to ease my mind." Chris assured, heart rate steady. "If being a part of the Hale Pack has taught me anything, it's that we need to work together when things get scary. Though that being said, I do want to leave the kids out of this for as long as possible."

Victoria smiled deciding to keep things light hearted for a moment longer. "'Being a part of the Hale Pack' huh? I bet that felt weird to say." She grinned, giving her husband a soft peck on the lips.

"You have no idea." Chris grinned, pulling his wife in for another, longer, kiss.

"Hmm, I think I do." Victoria countered when they pulled apart for air. "After all I am the hunter who became a werewolf and lived to talk about it." The woman smirked and allowed her eyes to glow amber. Chris grinned in response and kissed her again.

"Okay, you win there." The hunter conceded with a nod.

"And I agree that it would be preferable to leave the kids out of this." Victoria told her husband honestly. "However-"

"Oh no,"

"-However," Victoria persisted, fixing her husband with a firm glare. "The children are already involved, if the fact that they attacked Isaac is any indication. The Pack are currently operating on the belief that they will only attack when their prey is isolated, but from what you told me, we know that isn't true. We need to warn them."

"We can warn Noah, Melissa and the other's tonight. We'll tell Allison, Derek and the Pack tomorrow, let them have their party in as much peace as possible, they deserve a fun night." Chris insisted with his eyes still fixed on hers, he grasped her hand and placed it over his chest. "And so do we. We'll meet up with the others tonight, have a few drinks and warn them later. We'll set up mountain ash to make sure nothing can attack, tell them it's just a precaution, until we tell them the full story. In the meantime, I'm going to look for Katashi, try and talk to him about what we're up against."

"No." Victoria informed her husband simply, Chris looked at her in disbelief, but before he could say anything she continued. "We will tell Noah, Melissa, Allison, Derek and any other Pack members who attend dinner this afternoon, and the rest later tonight so that they can prepare themselves properly for what's to come." The she-wolf was unwavering in her conviction as she locked eyes with the husband.

"How are we supposed to prepare them against it when even we don't know how to kill it?" Chris implored gravely, a rare haunted gaze in his eyes as the memories played out in his head. Victoria caressed his cheek in an attempt to bring him back to reality.

"We know how to hurt it." Victoria reminded him. "We know someone who might know more than we do about these creatures. After we tell the Pack what we do know and have our fun tonight, we should go talk to him."

"I'll go talk to him, he knows me, and besides, in a few day's time you have the difficult job of going with Peter to find Kate."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Victoria groaned, resting her head on Chris' shoulder for a few seconds before she stepped away and began pacing. "Looking for Kate? I can handle it. Being stuck in a car for days on end? I can handle it. Being stuck in a car for days on end with only one other person? I can handle it. Being stuck in a car with only Peter Hale for days on end while looking for Kate?" The Huntress-turned-werewolf finally stopped pacing and turned to face her husband. "That's gonna be Hell."

"You're right, not just about being stuck with Peter, about telling the Pack the truth. Thank you, this is why I need you." Chris smiled gratefully as he walked over to his wife, who was shaking her head at him.

"Don't give me all of the credit, it was you and the Pack who showed me how to be a better person. When I thought our daughter was a werewolf I told Gerard all about her and her Pack, I shoved Wolfsbane in her face, tried to kill her friends and I tried to Kill Scott, one of her mates, twice." She reminded him ruefully. "Then I was turned by Derek and I was going to kill myself until you made me realise that I couldn't do that to our daughter. I had hurt her too much already and I had to make it right. It's my job to protect her and I tried to hurt her so I had to make it right. You reminded me of my true role as Matriarch: To make the smart decisions that benefit humanity and help create a safer world for Allison. The way we do that isn't by wiping out all those who are supernatural, but by, as Allison says, 'protecting those who cannot protect themselves'. And here's how we're goin to do it-"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

During Lunch Kira sat with the Pack again, though this time she felt much more at ease. There was a comfort in knowing the truth about her new friends and herself, which was surprising given that the 'truth' was that most of them were werewolves and she was a kitsune, and knowing that even after knowing her less than a week they trusted her with their secret and were willing to help her figure out her own abilities. Heck, they're willing to break the law to keep her safe. That probably shouldn't make her feel good, but it did.

Later that evening Kira was going to go to a blacklight party, sneak out of said party to break into the police station to delete evidence, then go back to the party and pretend that nothing had happened, the very thought was filling her with both exhilaration and dread. She looked around at her co-conspirators to see if any of them were showing any outward signs of trepidation or excitement, but they were all completely neutral. Kira was almost surprised, but then again, just the night before she and Malia were informed of many of the lees-than-legal activities the Pack had engaged in, including, but not limited to: Breaking into the school and stealing chemistry supplies so they could make Molotov's to attack an Alpha; stealing a prisoner transfer van and kidnapping a classmate who happened to be a Kanima; Destroying school property when fighting said Kanima; owning and carrying firearms without a license; withholding evidence; and lying to the police.

Kira realised that she probably should be more concerned that she was, technically, hanging around with criminals, but she just wasn't. She could tell they all had good hearts and only did those things for the right reasons. Besides, the alternatives would have been a lot worse. Not that her parents would see it that way.

Thinking of her parents, Kira was concerned about how she'd convince them to let her go out tonight. She was convinced that If she so much as uttered the word 'party' they would definitely say no, especially given that it was a school night. She voiced her concern to the Pack when their initial conversation came to an end.

"Well, Stiles and Derek were supposed to be going on a date tonight while the adults all hung out at the Reyes house and we were gonna pretend to hang out at the Pack house, then sneak out to the place Danny had booked for the Blacklight party," Scott began to explain, earning him a glare from 'Stiles', who appeared to still be annoyed that his friends had been intending to party without him. "Stiles overheard me, Isaac and Allison talking about the party and because he was mad that we didn't invite him, Stiles told Derek, and Derek told the Sheriff, who told my mom, and she told Mrs Argent, who told Chris, and well, now they all know, they all got together and, surprisingly, agreed to let us have our party anyway."

Scott was speaking quickly in a way that Kira expected more from Stiles, the boy was sporting an excited smile that was definitely contagious as he carried on. "Some of the other parents aren't too keen on the idea of us being out without our Alpha because of the threats, but they also know that we can protect ourselves and after everything we've been through, we deserve to have some fun. But with the power going out, the restaurant called and said they were gonna be closed until the power comes back on, so Derek and Stiles are going out another night, meaning that Stiles can come to the party. Derek decided to swap shifts with Posey tonight, so that he'll be free tomorrow, when the power should hopefully be back on for the rest of the town. He's working 6pm to 6am tonight rather than 6am to 6pm tomorrow. Even though Stiles and Derek aren't going out tonight, it's the only night my mom, Stiles' dad, Lydia's mom, Malia's dad, Allison's parents, Erica's parents, and Boyd's parents could all have off, so they're going ahead with their Parents Hangout, or whatever they're calling it. They're especially relaxed now that Derek is letting us use the loft."

Even 'Stiles' was staring at Scott in shock. 'Stiles' was pretty sure that Stiles' best friend had just broken his record for the most words spoken in between breaths, that little bitch. Scott was unperturbed by his Pack mate's staring at him and continued. "They know we're responsible and won't let things get out of hand, it's just a night to let off some steam before things get too crazy again. But that means that there's a house full of adults who are willing to say we're just chillin' at the house, and I'm sure your parents will want to spend more time getting to know our parents, so it'll work out great. Sure, you won't get to party as long as the rest of us, but it's better than not partying at all. Hey, I bet the sheriff could ask them for us. Then they'll have to say yes!" The crooked jawed boy exclaimed happily, convinced that he'd just solved the entire situation. He took a few deep breaths as he smiled and waited for someone to respond.

"What Scott was trying to say through that mess of sentences," Lydia rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head fondly at Scott. The crooked jawed boy looked at her perplexed as he mentally replayed his own words in an attempt to figure out what Lydia was implying he'd said wrong. "is that a bunch of our parents are hanging out at the Reyes' house tonight. They know that we're going to be partying, but they're all cool enough to lie to your parents and say we're gonna be at the Hale House all night. Therefore, you should tell your parents about the hang out and that they're invited, and that you've been invited to hang out with us until they're done. The adults will be together from 5 until 11, Our party starts at 6 which gives us plenty of time to finish getting the loft ready. Then we get to party and relax." She said the last word pointedly, knowing Kira would understand that she was referring to the other activity they had planned for that night. "Then we can party, sneak home for 10:30 giving you and whoever we designate to take you home time to wash off the paint and what not so your parents never suspect a thing. Also, If you think that your parents would be reluctant, we can have the Sheriff call and invite them personally."

"That's exactly what I just said!" Scott informed the Banshee, before Kira could say anything, looking confused and slightly offended.

"No it wasn't." Cora chuckled as she shook her head.

"Scott, I love you," Allison began with a soft smile as she placed a hand on her mate's shoulder. "But your version was a lot… wordier than Lydia's."

"And completely all over the place." Jackson piped in helpfully. "You didn't even say the words 'invite your parents', you implied it, but you didn't say it. Try picking up a book with words every once in a while, you might actually learn how to speak English." He jested with none of the cruelty he would have a year prior. He backed it up with a playful smirk, which was very different from his vicious smirk.

"Indeed." Boyd agreed with Jackson easily.

"I understood what you were saying," Isaac assured his dejected looking mate with a soft smile. Scott beamed and gave Isaac a kiss on the cheek, then leaned around him and gave the same to Allison as he knew that she was only trying to help. He then sent Lydia and Jackson half-hearted glares which were quickly abandoned in favour of a soft smile to let them know he was joking. "But that was a train-wreck, babe." Isaac teasingly added and Scott, the mature werewolf that he is, stuck his tongue out at him

"So, what do you say Kira?" Erica grinned, successfully trying to bring the girl back into the conversation. "You in?"

"Sure," Kira nodded, grateful that her new friends seemed to excel at coming up with plans and alibis. "But what if they say no, even to the sheriff?" Kira asked.

"You act annoyed and say you're going to bed early. Then we sneak you out through your bedroom window and hope to God they don't come check on you." 'Stiles' offered simply, a mischievous grin on his face. The day before Kira would have protested that suggestion, but she needed to delete those photos, and a part of her really wanted to be rebellious. There was a tiny part of her that even hoped her parents would say no, just so that she could be disobedient.

"Okay." She agreed easily, a soft smile on her face despite the whisper of uncertainty that plagued her. "So, what sort of thing does one wear to a black light party?"

Large smiles appeared on the faces of Erica, Allison and Lydia. "Oh, don't worry," Erica replied, clearly delighted by the question. "We'll help you pick something out."

"Anyway," Cora quickly changed the subject before anybody else could say anything about clothes. "We need to discuss what happened to Isaac last night. What are we gonna do about the creatures?"

"Better question," Jackson began before anybody could answer the brunette, "what the hell are these creatures in the first place?"

"I think the more pressing question is: Why did they attack Isaac?" Scott corrected, as he and Allison both placed their hands on Isaac's shoulders.

"And why did they leave that symbol behind his ear?" Allison frowned as she gently squeezed her mate's shoulder.

"How did they get in the house?" Danny added, an edge of bitterness was evident in his voice. He and Deaton had worked hard to set up a security system that would still work without power. One that would keep the pack secure from outside threats, without trapping the Pack in their own home. Kate Argent had taught them the dangers of that. Yet these things had managed to get inside anyway and hurt somebody that Danny cared about.

"Will they come back?" Isaac piped in, before taking a bite of his food..

"Are they going to attack more of us?" Erica added helpfully before taking a bite of her apple.

"What were they doing to him when they had their staring contest?" Boyd asked, speaking for the first time during their lunch break that day.

"What do Chris and Victoria know about it that they aren't telling us?" Ethan added, having noticed the pair exchanging worried looks when Isaac explained what happened to him in the library.

"How did the creatures manage to keep everybody out of the library while they were in there?" Aiden questioned with a frown. "Even Derek?" Derek had remarkable strength, which was to be expected from a True Alpha, but these things managed to keep the door in one piece and locked without even touching it, according to Isaac.

"Just how strong are they?" Kira wondered aloud, her tone of voice somewhere between awed and horrified.

"What else are they capable of?" Lydia asked. She was unbelievably casual, acting as though they were discussing homework.

"Okay, so we've established that we have a lot of questions and no answers." 'Stiles' snapped as he rubbed his temples rhythmically. He rubbed three circles into his temples in quick succession, paused for three seconds, then repeated the motion. "I have a fucking headache, so can you all just shut the hell up before I get the urge to go find these creatures and ask them to attack me, so I don't have to listen to all of your dumb-ass questions, please?" He practically growled. Everyone at the table went silent and looked at Stiles in concern, some of them also looked hurt and shocked.

After a few minutes he stopped rubbing his temples and continued eating his food. After another minute had passed, Stiles looked up suddenly and frantically looked around at the Pack, looking concerned. "What the hell?" He whispered to himself, panic flooding his body.

"Stiles?" Scott gently tried to get his best friends attention. "Are you okay?"

"H-how did I get here?" Stiles asked instead of answering, which was an answer in and of itself. "I was just in the power station with Kira and Barrow."

"Mom," Jackson began gently as he placed a hand on his mom's shoulder, Stiles looked to his left to look at the Beta. "that was last night."

"No," Stiles shook his head as his chest tightened. "No, no, no, that was two minutes ago." Stiles looked past Jackson and Lydia to lock eyes with Kira. "You were there, right?"

"Yeah. but it was last night Stiles." Kira affirmed with a frown. "Remember? Barrow he had the power cable and he-"

"I know what he did, because it just happened." Stiles insisted as he began to hyperventilate. "He was taking pictures of Kira and ranting about kids with glowing eyes. He had the power cable, he attacked me, then he attacked you, there was a bright light and I blacked out, and then- and then" He shut his eyes and gripped his head in both hands and he tried to force the memories to return, his eyes shot open when a memory finally came back to him. "Then I was in a cage with a bear trap on my foot," Stiles remembered. The concern of his Pack increased as he mentioned being attacked by Barrow. Except Kira, she sighed in relief at not having to keep it a secret anymore. Sure Derek had said not to mention it to the rest of the Pack, but Stiles had mentioned it first, so surely that didn't count, right? "That's what happened, right? At least, before I woke up with my wolf, right?" He asked the girl pleadingly.

"Yes, mostly, he electrocuted you, then he electrocuted me." Kira reminded him, ignoring the looks she received from the Pack. "My foxfire activated and pushed him away, then the power went out and the town blacked out, but you were conscious. Lydia and Allison showed up, the six of us were interrogated by agent McCall and he took my phone as evidence. We went back to the house where we told the others what happened, but you left out the part about Barrow attacking you, you said that he only went after me. I just assumed you didn't want to worry them, so I didn't say anything. I'm sorry." She was quickly assured by Erica that they weren't angry at her, but Lydia added that in the future she was to call Stiles out, or anybody hiding injuries or an attack. Kira immediately agreed to do so, then continued the recap for Stiles.

"Derek and Dr Deaton figured out that I'm a 'Thunder Kitsune' and we were told that Isaac was attacked while we were gone." When Kira said that, Stiles' eyes grew wider and his head shot towards Isaac, who was already staring at him, clearly concerned. "Then we went to the library and planned how to delete the pictures of me that exposed my supernatural side from my phone."

"You really don't remember any of this?" Boyd frowned, eyebrow furrowed in concern.

Stiles could only shake his head as the panic attack took over. Within a heartbeat, Aiden and Jackson (who sat either side of him) each grabbed one of his arms, helped him to his feet and guided him out of the cafeteria and to the nurses office.

The rest of the pack reluctantly cleared up after themselves, and gathered their belongings (The wolves gathered up the uneaten food in Ziploc baggies and Stiles' Tupperware tub for later) then shot glare at those who dared to whisper about Stiles, and left the cafeteria.

They found the three boys in the nurse's office with Melissa, Stiles was explaining the problems he'd been having recently.

"Blackouts." Stiles admitted softly, avoiding eye contact with anybody, though he kept glancing at Melissa when she wrote on the sheet attached to the clipboard and made notes of his symptoms, trying to read her expressions, but she remained impressively impassive. "But not for that long. And sleepwalking, which I used to do a lot as a kid." Melissa nodded as she made her notes, Derek and Noah had both mentioned Stiles' recent sleepwalking to her.

She also remembered a nine year old Stiles staying over at her house, after his mother fell ill, when his father was working, he'd end up walking around the house and knocking things over in his sleep. One night, Scott had run into her room distraught, telling her that Stiles had found the keys and gone outside. Melissa had run out to find the boy, barefoot in his pajamas, walking down the middle of the road. That had terrified Melissa, she immediately hammered a nail into the wall to hang the keys from so Stiles would no longer be able to reach them. She put it up so high that even she had to tiptoe to reach them, and that was where they stayed for over two years, until after Claudia's death. Stiles had just turned twelve and a month had passed without any sleepwalking incidents so she deemed it safe enough to trial leaving the keys in their dish again. The only time it had happened since then was when Peter was the Alpha and was trying to convince him and Scott to join his Pack.

"Um, I'm also having some really bad anxiety." Stiles added after Melissa had finished writing.

"Panic attacks?" She asked, looking at Stiles in concern. That was something that had persisted for longer but also faded away with time. They had also returned when Peter was running around attacking people, and again when the Darach had Derek under her spell, and Stiles had had a third one in class when he was going through Bardo, but otherwise they had been kept at bay as far as Melissa had been aware.

"Yeah, a couple." Confessed Stiles softly, but before he could say anything more Scott interrupted.

"More than a couple, he-" Scott immediately stopped talking when his mother shot him a look.

"I appreciate your concern, Scott, but it's better if I hear this in Stiles' own words." Melissa told her son firmly, he reluctantly nodded in agreement and kept quiet. "Another word from any of you and I'll kick you all out." She then looked back at the boy she viewed as her second son. "I can kick them out now, if you want to talk alone?" She offered gently, and Stiles smiled appreciatively but shook his head.

"No it's fine, they can stay." Stiles assured and received sighs of relief from him Pack. "Besides, they'd definitely all eavesdrop anyway."

Melissa smiled, as the others bit back their sarcastic remarks. "Okay, what else has been troubling you?"

"I haven't been able to transform, like at all. Oh, and I temporarily lost the ability to read." He reminded the woman, "But that might have had more to do with this giant magic tree and a whole human sacrifice thing." he tried to lighten the mood a little by using a lighter tone.

"I recall something vaguely about that, yes." Melissa smiled at him in mild amusement, before turning serious again. "How many hours of sleep are you getting?"

"Eight." Stiles told her, and all of his pack mentally called bullshit. All of them were debating calling him out and risking getting kicked out by Melissa, but the nurse spoke up before they could.

"A night?" Melissa asked in surprise and disbelief.

"In the last three days." Stiles confessed, ignoring the hitches of breath from some of his Pack as he counted on his fingers, which was made difficult by his hands shaking. He was so focused on his counting that he didn't notice Melissa's horrified expression, but everybody else in the room did. "Yeah, definitely eight." Stiles confirmed when he had finished counting and by then Melissa had composed herself.

"Been feeling irritable?" She asked as she set down the clipboard and walked across the room to put on a pair of gloves.

"Yeah." Stiles admitted with a sigh, "Possibly to the point of homicide."

"Inability to focus?" She continued, already knowing the answer before Stiles even opened his mouth, She reached into her bag and pulled out a vial of a sedative with trace amounts of wolfsbane in it. Not enough to harm a werewolf, but enough to slow their metabolism enough to allow the drug to do its job.

"No, the Adderall's not working and I don't have my wolf to help right now." Stiles admitted, watching the woman warily.

"Impulsive behavior?"

"More than my usual? Hard to tell." Stiles couldn't help the sarcastic tone from slipping into his words, but it earned him smiles and/or chuckles from everyone in the room, so it was fine.

"Vivid dreams during the day?" Melissa asked, she kept her tone casual and light as she filled the needle with the liquid. Lydia kept her expression blank but by the time Melissa had asked about irritability, she knew where the nurses mind was going, and she didn't like it.

"Okay, basically all of the above." Stiles responded, sounding exhausted all of a sudden. "Do you know what this is?"

"I think so." Melissa told him honestly as she walked over to him and smiled reassuringly. The rest of the Pack were looking at her curiously, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Uh, what's that?" Stiles asked, eyeing the needle warily.

"Do you trust me?" Melissa asked rather than answering his question.

"When you're not holding a needle." Stiles replied, but didn't put up a fight as she rolled up his sleeve.

"It's Midazolam." She told him as she pushed the needle into his arm. "A sedative." She finally clarified once the needle was empty. 'Stiles' looked at her in concern as she tossed the needle into the disposal tub.

"Why'd you give me a sedative?" 'Stiles' all but demanded the nurse, who didn't pay any mind to his tone.

"Because you, Stiles, are one profoundly sleep-deprived young man." She replied as Stiles and all of the wolves listened to her heartbeat. It remained perfectly even. Of course it was; Stiles definitely was sleep deprived. Although the woman was convinced that what Stiles was suffering from was more serious than sleep deprivation, she didn't want to concern anyone until she knew for sure. "You need rest and you need it now. Lie down." She ordered as she gently grabbed him by the shoulders and encouraged him to do as she said.

"Okay, how long's it take to- Oh. Not long at all." He allowed himself to lie down on the cot as the drowsiness took over. Lydia gestured for the others to leave the room as Melissa covered Stiles with a blanket. The boy gripped her hand for a second as his eyes began to flutter.

"Get some rest." She ordered softly as she squeezed his hand and used her free hand to brush his hair out of his face in a motherly manor.

"Thanks, Mom." Stiles whispered before he succumbed to unconsciousness. Melissa stared at him in surprise. The Pack, who were halfway out the door, turned and stared as well.

Melissa shook herself out of it quickly, turned and switched off the lamp, then made her way to pick up the clipboard and pen before finally leaving the room, shoeing out the pack as she did so. She locked the door behind her so that nobody would disturb the boy.

"So, is he going to be okay now?" Isaac asked hopefully as soon as the nurse turned to face them. "Once he's caught up on sleep, will he be okay?"

"Once he's awake I'll need to keep an eye on him and try to find out why he's not sleeping," Melissa responded honestly, but purposefully omitted a few details about her concerns. "potentially run some tests and go from there."

"Can he still come to the party with us tonight?" Erica asked immediately.

"Erica!" Scott scolded. "I think that that's the least of our worries right now."

"Uh, actually, it's very important to the plan to get the pictures off of Kira's phone." Erica defended herself as she glared at the crooked-jawed boy. "Plus, it would tire Stiles out, and it'll be good for him to have some fun with us."

Before her son could reply, Melissa answered the blonde girl's question. "It's up to Stiles if he goes out tonight, he'll know when he wakes up if he's up to going out." As much as she wanted to keep Stiles safe and sound at home, she knew that, if she was right, this could very well be his last chance to have a night out with his friends. "Now, if one of you wouldn't mind keeping an ear on him and texting me when he wakes up, I need to contact the hospital and make him a real appointment for tomorrow. You guys finish your food, lunch is almost over." Melissa told them and walked away without waiting for a response.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek entered the animal clinic at 12:43pm knowing that the doctor took his lunch break at exactly 1pm and preferred to see the last patient before lunch go home or back in their cage between 12:45pm and 12:55pm (Scott could be extremely observant some of the time.) and made his way to the druid, shamelessly following the man's scent. He found the veterinarian attaching a splint to a dog's leg.

"Hello Derek, how can I help you today?" Deaton greeted without looking at the Alpha.

"You already know why I'm here." Derek responded, not in the mood for riddles or games.

"Stiles or the creatures that attacked Isaac?" Deaton asked, still not taking his eyes off of the dog and the splint.

"Both." Derek replied shortly, growing impatient with the man already. Stiles had long ago replaced anger as Derek's anchor, and with Stiles definitely not himself, Derek had a short fuse with anybody (who wasn't considered central Pack) who wasn't being helpful.

"Take a seat, this is gonna take a while."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Melissa made her way to the staff room as soon as class had started, knowing that only a handful of teachers would be in there. "Hey, Nat," Melissa greeted the woman with a forced smile.

"Hey Mel," Natalie Martin greeted as she set down the pen she had been using to mark some extra credit work, given that she didn't have any more classes that day, but chose to stay in case her daughter or the pack needed her. When she looked up at the nurse, her smile dropped. "is everything alright? You seem stressed."

"I need your help with something." Melissa decided to cut straight to the chase as she sat down opposite the woman. "But before I tell you what it is that I need help with, you have to promise not to say anything to anyone. You can say you don't want to help me after I tell you, but you cannot tell anyone. Not yet. Not until I'm sure." Melissa insisted, hoping to God that the woman would say yes.

"Of course, I promise." Natalie agreed after a moment of hesitation. "What can I do?"

Forty minutes later, Melissa sat alone in the staffroom, ringing her hands as she stared at her phone as it lay on the table next to the clipboard with Stiles' medical sheet on it. She hoped the phone wouldn't ring, if it ran it meant that Natalie was in trouble, and Melissa would be to blame. A part of her was terrified that it would. She shouldn't have sent the other woman, she should have gone herself. 'But if you had gone, no one would be here to take care of Stiles if he wakes up early.' which was a possibility and may not go well if she was correct.

Suddenly the door to the room flew open. Melissa jumped in her seat, startled, and simultaneously spun around to see who had arrived; Natalie.

"Hey, that was quick." She commented with mild concern as she stood and walked over to the redhead. "Did everything go okay?"

Natalie nodded reassuringly as she pulled the file out of her purse along with Melissa's keycard. "Yes, don't worry, everything was fine. There was next to no traffic and I easily flirted my way past reception."

"Wasn't Sara on reception today?" Melissa asked with a small smile as she gratefully took the fire and keycard from the woman and opened it to the page she needed as she returned to the table.

"Flirting is flirting." Natalie responded easily as she followed Melissa back to the table. She looked over the woman's shoulder to see what she had been looking at. She silently read the details and symptoms on the sheet. As she did so, Melissa read aloud the notes from the file she had Natalie 'borrow' from the hospital.

"Patient is irritable, impulsive; complaints of vivid dreams; Inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality; acute insomnia." Melissa recited before a mournful sound escaped her throat against her will. Natalie looked at Melissa in shock.

"Do you think Stiles-"

"No." Melissa cut the woman off firmly. "Stiles is a werewolf. With his healing iit shouldn't be possible."

"But, he still has ADHD, right?" Natalie reminded the nurse gently as tears flooded her own eyes. "And Lydia told me about a blind alpha."

"This is different." Melissa insisted, resolute in denying this until she had taken Stiles to the hospital and had their best doctors run some tests. "This is Stiles. He's strong, and stubborn, and he's also ridiculously bad at caring for himself because he's too busy caring about others." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Natalie or herself, but it wasn't working on either of them. "Tonight he needs a fun night out with his friends. Tomorrow, I'll take him to the hospital and run some tests."

"Why not tonight? Isn't it easier to cure something if you catch it early?" Natalie asked, confused and concerned as to why Melissa wasn't trying to get Stiles immediate help.

"That's the thing, this" Melissa began, angrily tapping on the folder as though it were the disease itself, "this has no cure. If I'm right and he does have-" She cut herself off with a sob. Natalie wrapped Melissa into a hug as her own tears began to pour at the gravity of the situation, understanding why Melissa was quick to try and deny her own diagnosis. "If he does, this is it. The start of a countdown, one that could hit zero at any given time. I mean it could be as little as three years, or as many as seventeen."

"Just seventeen?" Natalie couldn't help but gasp out in horror. Melissa could only nod as sobs wracked her body. The redhead held her friend tighter as she also began to sob. Natalie couldn't imagine how the nurse was feeling. Natalie was devastated at the thought and she had only known the boy a few months. Melissa had known Stiles since he was a child. She had watched him grow up, had helped to raise him after his mother died.

"That's- that's the- longest- any- one- has survived- af-after- diagnosis." Melissa managed to sob out, keeping her voice as low as possible. For one terrible moment, Natalie felt like she couldn't breath. If Melissa was right, which she usually was, that little boy would be dead before he turned 35.

The staff room door flew open. Both women turned to see Scott rushing in. Melissa immediately wiped her tears away, NAtalie released her to do the same. "Scott, hey, sweetie. Is everything okay?" She asked as the boy shut the door behind him. "Is Stiles awake?" She asked, trying to act casual, even though she knew that her son knew she had been crying.

"No, he's still asleep." Scott informed her as he walked over to the pair, pretending not to notice how the both tried to hide whatever was on the table from him with their bodies. "I sensed that you were upset so I asked to go to the bathroom, so I could come check on you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing sweetie." Melissa tried, but Scott was unconvinced. "At least-" She corrected as he opened his mouth to argue. "nothing certain."

"But you're worried about something," Scott said knowingly as he stepped closer. "Is it about Stiles?"

"Scott, I-" Before she could say anything more, her son somersaulted over her and Natalie. He gripped the file and the clipboard as he did so then used his clenched fists to propel himself again. He did another flip, just because, before landing on the other side of the table in a crouch. "Scott, don't! We don't know for sure yet-"

Scott didn't hear his mother's words as he read what his mother had written on the clipboard first, recognising it immediately as the symptoms Stiles had described. He then read the file, frowning in concern. He closed the file to look at the name.

Scott gasped, the file and clipboard both slipped from his hands. "No," He whispered, shaking his head at the mere possibility. "H-h-he- he has wolf healing, it's not possible." He looked his mother in the eyes and told her vehemently: "You have it wrong."

"I hope so." Melissa agreed immediately as she gripped her son by the shoulders. "I really hope I do. I just heard his symptoms and it came to my head. I'm going to make him an appointment for tomorrow, have them run some tests to be sure. Just as a precaution. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want anyone to worry, Scott. I hope to God I'm wrong."

"For the first time ever, you are." Scott told his mother, hoping that if he said it enough, it would turn out to be true. "But you're right, better to be safe than sorry. At least after those tests, we'll be able to rule it out as a possibility." Melissa forced another smile onto her face and nodded, before she could say anything, Scott spoke again. "I-I should get back to class. Can we not say anything about this to anyone? At least until we have the results?"

"That was the plan." Melissa assured him.

"Okay, good, I'll uh, I'll see you after class." Scott tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he walked backwards towards the door.

"See you later, sweetie."

"See you later Mrs- uh Natalie." Scott waved awkwardly

"See you later, Scott." Natalie smiled gently and with that the boy left to return to class.

Melissa dropped back down onto her seat and tried to figure out what the hell she was going to do next. As Melissa mentally debated what to do, Natalie kindly picked up the clipboard and the file, looking down at the writing on the front of it sadly. A white sticker with the name Claudia Stilinski printed on it. Beneath that [DECEASED 2004] was stamped on the folder in large block letters in red ink.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek arrived home at 2:30pm to find Peter in the living room watching TV. "Get your shoes off the couch!" Derek ordered. Peter quickly kicked his shoes off of his feet and to the floor. "I need you to do something for me." Derek told his uncle as he removed his backpack and sat down on the sofa near the man's feet. "Something only you can do because you're her brother and you used to be an Alpha."

"Uh oh, I don't like the sound of that." Though he masked it with a playful tone, Peter was alarmed and intrigued as he sat up on the couch. He moved so his feet were on the ground and then he shuffled slightly to face Derek properly. "Go on."

Derek pulled the triskele box out of the back and shook it slightly so that Peter could hear Talia's claws rattling inside. "I have to ask my mother something and from what I've heard, this is the only way it's possible."

"Okay." Peter agreed easily. He could have argued that you didn't need to be an alpha or a relative to retrieve memories from a dead wolf's claws, but he didn't bother. Derek wanted his help and Peter wanted to prove himself, so he agreed, no questions asked.

"Okay?" Derek repeated, raising an eyebrow at Peter. Surprised by the immediate agreement from the man, what Derek was asking of him could be dangerous if done wrong; yet here Peter was immediately agreeing to do it.

"Yes, okay." Peter confirmed with a chuckle and a nod. "I know what you all think of me. After all, I killed Laura for her power and I will never be able to undo that and I am truly sorry." He was sincere when he apologised and, for the first time, Derek saw that. "I've made excuses in the past, I know, but this is the new me. I can admit that I was wrong. I'm not the man you knew before the fire, nor am I the man you knew after. I've changed and I promise that I will never let you down again."

"Thank you." Derek replied with a small smile, believing the man's words. "We all appreciate the work you've put in to help us. I've forgiven you for what you've done to me, but not for what you've done to some of my pack, because they have not forgiven you for everything you've done to them."

"I understand that," Peter told him honestly "I want to apologise, especially to Lydia, but I don't know how to approach them, so I'm waiting for them to approach me, I figured it'd be safer that way."

"Probably." Derek agreed easily. "Even though you just said you don't want anything, I wrongly pre-empted that you would want something in return, so I got you these." He told his uncle as he pulled a few items out of his backpack.

The first item was a box of truffles that Peter had loved for as long as Derek could remember, followed by a bottle filled with extremely rare and expensive whisky. It was created by a pack of Scottish werewolves in the late 16th century which was infused with a special strain of wolfsbane that was designed to slow down a werewolves metabolism but cause no actual harm (though it did open wolves to the possibility of alcohol poisoning if they weren't careful). The wolfsbane had been grown in a cultivated spot high up on The Buachaille Mountains, by a different pack of wolves about fifty years prior; with the help of their emissary.

"I recall you enjoying these," Derek commented, he then reached into his bag again and pulled out a box of energy bars and three bottles of water. "and I've read that this process can be draining, to say the least, so I got these to help you regain your energy until Stiles gets home and cooks dinner." Peter noticed how Derek flinched and looked down when he mentioned his mate's name but knew it wasn't the right time to mention it. Derek zipped up the back but quickly unzipped a slightly smaller compartment and reached into the bag and pulled out the final item, the most important one.

"There's one more thing," Derek told Peter, who looked at the item curiously as Derek set it down on the table. It was a birthday present, if the faded writing on the wrapping paper was anything to go by. "Lydia noticed this when she and Stiles broke into the school last night. It was in the vault." As Peter leant forward to inspect the gift, a faint scent hit his nose.

'Faint' was a generous term, the scent was barely there thanks to the box being untouched for years, then being held by Lydia and Derek, but it was a scent Peter would never forget.

"Sarah," Peter gasped. His mate, the mother of the two children he had lost in the fire. He gingerly reached out to touch the gift, he moved slowly as he inched closer to the gift. Resting under his wife's scent, Peter could just pick up the scent of his sister Talia, his son Reece, who had been 8 at the time and his daughter Daria who was 6 when the fire took them from the world.

"I don't know what it is, but it's addressed to you, I thought you'd want it."

"Thank you." Peter only then realised then that he was crying. He quickly wiped the tears away and gently lifted the gift. "I'm going to take this and put it in my car so I can take it home with me afterwards." He announced as he moved towards the entrance way of the house.

"I was actually going to ask if you wanted to stay here?" Derek admitted, causing Peter to freeze in his tracks. Derek and his pack had been discussing it a lot. Almost every night when Peter went back to his apartment, they had a discussion regarding his progress and how they all felt about him.

"For the night?" Peter asked in surprise as he turned to look at his nephew. He raised an eyebrow as he asked teasingly; "You do realise that it's Tuesday, not the weekend, right?"

"I know, and no, not just the night, permanently." Derek told him. They had agreed while they were preparing dinner the night before that, after the Tate's and Yukimura's went home, they would invite Peter to move in with them, but then a lot had happened. They had all noticed the bonds with Peter growing the more he proved himself, and though some were still weary, they were accepting of the fact that he had changed and willing to give him an opportunity. "We agreed to ask you last night, but then Stiles and Lydia ran off, Kira was kidnapped, and Isaac was attacked. We never got around to it, and since Stiles and I have our date tonight so we were going to ask during dinner, but I received some rather" Derek paused in an attempt to find the right word, "unsettling information, so I decided to tell you now, then ask for your help and hope to God that the pups don't kill me for it later." This recaptured Peter's attention. Whatever was going on had to be big if Derek was willing to risk the anger of his Pack just to ask for Peter's help. "The only condition is that Lydia has requested the right to trap you in mountain ash if she tells you to leave her alone and you ignore her."

It was important for Pack to remain in close proximity to each other as it was better for their mental well being and self control. Peter would be much better off living with them, and the only reasons they hadn't let him beforehand, despite trusting him since the showdown with the Darach on the night of the eclipse, was because of the trauma he had inflicted on Lydia, which meant that the girl would be negatively impacted by him living there. Even though she officially still lived with her mother, she spent most of her time outside of school at the Hale house. While Lydia still hadn't fully forgiven Peter for basically haunting her and using her to bring himself back to life, she accepted that he was trying to be a better person and clearly was no longer as unhinged as he had been. She had processed enough that she felt confident that she could handle him living there permanently, but she said that she needed an insurance policy, so to speak, that she could fall back on if he got to be too much.

"O-of course." Peter wanted to question this situation that had his nephew so vexed, but the words refused to leave his mouth. He was overwhelmed, it was a lot to take in at once; He was about to wear his dead sister's claws and basically channel her ghost, he had just received a present from his dead mate and children and now he had been invited to live with a Pack again. Though the older man wanted to question Derek about the burden clearly weighing on him, he knew Derek would not take well to that at that particular time, so instead focused on his nephew's comment of a certain Banshee. "I understand that what I put her through was traumatising, so she and the others have every right to do whatever they need to feel safe around me." Peter smiled, a genuine, soft smile. "Well, if that's the case, I guess I'll go put this in my room." The man announced, and quickly went upstairs to do so.

Derek smiled to himself then leisurely opened the box and sat it down on the table. He then began arranging the claws in the optimal position in the box, he'd just finished his task when Peter walked back into the room.

Derek kindly didn't mention the tear streaks on Peter's cheeks. "You know, we don't have to do this right now if-"

"No, no, I'm fine and I want to help." Peter assured as he opted to sit on the sofa again, only closer to the coffee table. "Okay, enough about me. Man, that felt weird to say." Peter blinked, prompting an amused smile from Derek. "It's time for me to help." He gestured to the box, and Derek moved it closer to his uncle.

Without hesitation Peter put his hand in the box and pushed Talia's claws into his own hands. Peter groaned in pain and his eyes glowed blue as he did so.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When the bell rang at 3pm to signify the end of school, Kira went straight to her father's classroom as requested. The man warned her that her mother was very upset about the ordeal and wished to speak to her. The rest of the journey was filled with a tense silence that would have made Kira extremely anxious before, but now she was grateful for it, as it gave her time to think about how to go about asking permission to hang out with the pack that evening.

When they finally arrived at home, Kira's mother was standing in the living room with her arms folded over her chest, a stern expression on her face and a tone far more severe than Kira had heard her mother use before. "Sit down, Kira."

The girl did as she was told and listened as her mother lectured her about responsibility and trust. The rant lasted a good five minutes before Noshiko ended it by hugging her daughter and reminded her that she loved her, and assured her that she was mostly mad because she had been worried.

"I know mom, I'm sorry. I didn't think it through." Kira apologised honestly. "I was just so freaked out by everything that had happened that I just wanted to talk about it with my friends. Not only did they rescue me, again, but they also knew what I was going through. A while back they were attacked by a serial killer, Kate Argent, Allison's aunt, so I knew that I could talk about it without them judging me because they kinda get what I'm going through. I really did intend to come home last night, I just lost track of time. I know that's not an excuse and I'm sorry, it'll never happen again." The words fell easily from Kira's lips, all of them true, even if she left out a few details. Ken and Noshiko shared a look, a silent conversation passing between them. Kira was worried that she had done the wrong thing by mentioning Allison's aunt, and was extremely glad she had decided not to mention Peter's history. Then again, her parents likely would have found out about Kate anyway, if they didn't already know, given that her father had been looking into the town's history since they decided to move here.

"We understand Kira, we know it's easier to talk to your friends about stressful situations than it is to talk to us." Ken told her calmly after a few moments. "However, we need you to consider our feelings more in the future. We only want to make sure you're safe."

"I know." Kira replied and her parents shared a look before nodding at each other.

"Good." Noshiko gave her daughter another hug, her husband doing the same as soon as she let go. "Now, I imagine you want to spend time with your new friends again?"

Kira went bug eyed at her mother's question, a huge grin taking over her face. "I can go out?" She asked in shock, truly having expected to have to grovel for at least an hour, but here her mother was just offering to let her go out. Was this a trap?

"As long as you're here in the morning for me to take you to school." Ken confirmed and at his daughter's startled look he explained. "Half the school has been talking all day about Danny Mahealani's blacklight party tonight. Teacher's do actually listen when student's talk, you know." Kira immediately pulled her parents into a family hug and thanked them repeatedly.

"Behave, Kira." Noshiko ordered as a smile tugged at her lips. "We're trusting you to be careful and stay alert. And no more 'forgetting to let us know' you must contact us, you know what time your father leaves for work, so I expect you here. If you choose to go out with your friends tomorrow, you must inform your father and send me a text to let us know, and you may only do so if we both give you our blessing, failure to do any of these things will result in you being grounded for a month and you will only get to see your friends at school."

"I promise! I'll come home on time and go to school with dad, and I'll text you!" Kira promised then finally released her parents. Something was definitely off, but tonight it worked out in her favour so she'd question it tomorrow. "Oh, and all the parents who were at dinner last night will be hanging out tonight at Erica's house and they wanted to know if you wanted to join them?"

"Another time, perhaps." Noshiko declined politely, causing a confused frown to appear on Kira's face. "Your father and I have business to attend to tonight."

"We have to look into getting a second car, given that your mother's is being kept by the police as evidence." Ken explained quickly. "We were fortunate that only I needed mine to get to work today, but that won't always be the case." Kira nodded in acceptance, it made sense, but something still felt off. Regardless, Kira had more important things to worry about at that particular moment.

"Okay, well I'm gonna call my friends and ask them to pick me up. We're gonna be hanging out at their house until the party." Kira explained and her parents smiled.

"Will you be having dinner before you go?" Ken asked.

"I don't think so, Erica said that Stiles cooks for them pretty much everyday, but I'll know for sure once I've spoken to them." With that, Kira called Erica and told her the good news. The blonde promptly volunteered Lydia to pick her up, and told Kira not to eat anything because Stiles and Danny were cooking and there would be more than enough to feed the Pack twice over.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

While Kira had been heading to her father's classroom after the final bell rang, the rest of the Pack were making their way to the nurses office. There they found Melissa talking to 'Stiles'. Their conversation came to a halt when the other's walked in.

"Hey guys." Stiles greeted, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. "Sorry if I freaked you out earlier, I just needed to sleep, I'm all good now." He told them. Nobody truly believed him, but they all wanted to, so they pretended that they did.

"You sure?" Lydia asked, frowning at him in concern. "Most people who 'just need sleep' don't suddenly forget where they are or how they got there." She pointed out. "Nor do they typically lose twelve hours worth of memories."

"Actually, I got a solid two hours of sleep last night. So, technically, I only lost ten hours worth of memories." 'Stiles' countered immediately as he hopped off of the hospital bed. His mannerisms and cheeky smile successfully convinced the majority of his Pack that he was back to himself. But not everyone.

It wasn't long before the teenagers of the Pack arrived home with Melissa and Natalie. Upon their return they were greeted by Malia eagerly bounding over to them and asking about their day.

As 'Stiles' and Danny disappeared into the kitchen to make dinner, Derek gathered Lydia, Scott, Allison and Isaac.

He led them to the bedroom he shared with Stiles. Once they were inside, Scott shut the door to activate the sound-proofing.

"I heard you talking in the school this morning, on your way to gym class." Derek said simply. Lydia sighed in relief as Scott and Allison quickly informed Isaac of their concerns about Stiles and assured him that they had planned on telling him that night, which Lydia and Derek quickly corroborated. Not that they need to, he trusted his mates.

The four of them then informed Derek of what happened to Stiles during lunch. "The thing is, that felt the real Stiles, I mean he was confused and scared and lost, but he felt like himself again." Scott finished, hoping for a comment from his alpha. Derek nodded and took in that information

"I spoke to Deaton and my mother-" Derek began, only to be cut off by Scott.

"Your mother?" Scott asked in concern, which was understandable given that Derek's mother had been dead for six years. The alpha quickly informed them of how he was able to do so and explained that when they saw Peter he would be extremely drained, all the while Derek gritted his teeth and tried to control his temper. "Oh, okay," Scott nodded, though he still looked perplexed as he took in that information. "So what did she say?"

Derek shared all of the information he had gathered from Deaton and Talia with them, and the plan he and Deaton had come up with. He then proceeded to inform them why he needed their help with the plan and how they could help in the meantime. "Be careful, from what they told me Nogitsunes are unpredictable, violent, tricksters. They feed off of chaos, strife and pain. If it knows we're onto it, there's no telling what it will do."

"And we really can't warn the others?" Scott asked, concern was coursing through him at the thought of Stiles being forced to harm somebody.

"If they know too they'll act differently around him." Lydia pointed out. "We already know, we're already trying to pretend everything is fine, hopefully it won't notice. But if everyone acts differently and everyone knows the plan to stop it-"

"It could get nervous and decide to speed up whatever it's planning." Allison finished in realisation. "It could kill everyone."

"It could kill Stiles." Isaac whispered in horror. "Okay, so we just need to keep the others from getting suspicious and keep an eye on him until tomorrow."

"That's gonna be difficult." Lydia stated, drawing attention back to herself. "Tonight's the party and he, Kira, Erica and Danny are going to take care of the pictures on Kira's phone."

Derek swore and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, I'll try and make sure that I'm back at the station when they get there. Just send me a text when they leave the party, okay?" The four of them agreed quickly, so Derek nodded and took them at their word. "Alright, in that case, go get ready for your party. Stick together and stay safe."

And with that, the four teens returned downstairs to help prepare for dinner and Derek went to check on Peter.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

By 4pm, Kira was back at the Hale house, happily helping to set the table for dinner and chatting animatedly with the Pack.

"It's just weird, one minute mom's lecturing me on responsibility and telling me that after a traumatic event I need to be with my family and in the next breath she's volunteering to let me go out tonight? And all night, when my curfew is usually 11pm, midnight if I'm lucky. The only exception being the New Years Eve party I went to last year, when I was allowed to stay out until 1am." Kira explained as she set the last set of cutlery down. "I mean, it worked out for me tonight, so I'm not exactly complaining, I just feel like something is up."

"Maybe your parents know more than they're telling you about this town." Allison suggested thoughtfully, thinking back to her own parents behaviour when she had moved to Beacon Hills as she set down the last plate. "Maybe one of them is a Kitsune too and that's part of the reason they moved here. With the Nemeton active again it could have drawn them here."

"It's a good theory." Lydia commented, admiring their handiwork as she looked at the set table and double checked that nobody was missing anything. "One of her parents or even a grandparent could have been a kitsune or some other type of supernatural creature, but it's unlikely that the Nemeton brought them here. Thanks to it being connected to our pack, the Nemeton's main function at the moment is protecting and healing the town and us. It's job would be a lot harder if it were also drawing other creatures here. Our Pack could have drawn them here though, or if whatever these things are that are attacking us have a history with Kitsunes or the Yukimura family, they could have been what called them here."

"Could it just be a coincidence that we moved here around the same time that these creatures?" Kira asked hopefully as she, Allison and Lydia made their way to the kitchen to start bringing the food in, they passed Scott, Isaac, Jackson and Boyd who were all carrying dishes of steaming food to the table as they did so.

"It could be." Lydia replied in a tone that didn't fill Kira with much hope, whilst she picked up some of the dishes that contained delicious smelling food.

"Is it likely to be a coincidence?" Kira asked, though she already knew that she wouldn't like the answer.

"With this town? No."

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Kira sighed as she started picking up some of the dishes and helped take them to the table.

"Hey, look at it this way," Erica joined in the conversation as she followed them out of the kitchen, carrying two pitchers of freshly squeezed juice in either hand. "If you hadn't moved here, you never would have met us."

"Very true," Kira nodded as she carefully set the dishes down near the middle of the table. "And then my life would really suck!" She proclaimed honestly, earning her pleased giggles from the trio with her. Within a few minutes, the table was filled with food and those attending that particular lunch were gathering around the table.

"Uh, hey, Peter, are you okay?" Cora asked as Derek practically carried their uncle into the room, the other looked at the man, who definitely did not look okay.

"He looks like he's been starved for weeks, in a dark, underground chamber, drugged with wolfsbane, and forcibly kept awake by being electrocuted!" 'Stiles' scoffed as he sat down in his own seat and ignored the glare sent his way. "I'm pretty sure he is not okay."

Peter appeared to be utterly drained, though he tried to force a cocky smile on his face. "Of course, I'm always okay. But thank you for that kind description, Stiles, I'll remember it the next time you are tired"

"Mom is right, dude, you look wrecked." Jackson commented, trying to keep the concern out of his voice, given that he still hadn't completely forgiven Peter yet. However, it was impossible to deny that the man was practically Pack at that point, and that came with at least a little bit of caring. "Seriously, like you look worse than dad did that time he was shot with a wolfsbane bullet and came to the school looking for mom, who tried to claim it was 'food poisoning'."

"In my defense I said that when I thought he would be staying in bed all day, waiting for me to get back and take care of him." 'Stiles' defended as he watched Derek gently guide Peter to a seat. "Seriously though, what's wrong with Peter?"

"I'm really fine, just tired myself out is all." Peter assured, then forced another smirk on his face. "But if anyone wants to help me out by waiting on me hand and foot until I recover, that would be greatly appreciated." That earned him the expected responses from the pack, and was a wonderful distraction that got everyone else moving again. Soon enough everyone was seated.

Derek was in his usual seat at the head of the table. Stiles was in his usual spot to Derek's right with Scott next to him but, like at the school lunch table, everybody else seemed to shift positions on a day to day basis. Today Lydia sat next to Scott, Mrs McCall next to her followed by Boyd, Peter, Cora, Kira herself, Malia and then Mrs Argent with Mr Argent claiming the seat at the other end of the table. To Derek's left, Sheriff Stilinski was sitting opposite Stiles, next to him sat Allison, followed by Isaac, Erica, Jackson, Danny, Aiden, Ethan, Henry and finally Natalie.

Once everyone started passing the food around, the chatter started easily. Several conversations were going on at once, though Peter was unusually quiet and required the help of Boyd and Cora to put the food on his plate and, embarrassingly, cut up his food for him.

Chris was reluctant to go through with warning the Pack given that he still didn't have all of the answers, Peter was clearly not alright, and Natalie and Henry, the two newest parents in the know and most wary of the supernatural, were present. He sent Victoria a pleading look, but his wife shook her head firmly. So, once everybody's plates were nearing empty, Chris gathered the attention of the Pack and told them about his first arms deal, which took place shortly after he had 'graduated' as a hunter.

He described the scene of a massacre, he told them how he watched as a masked creature walked over to the other's still standing and killed most of them, as the young Chris lay trapped beneath bodies. The masked creature held another man and stared into his eyes before it turned and looked at Chris.

"It's eyes were glowing." Scott said in realisation.

Chris couldn't stand the sight of the creature's eyes any longer and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was back at the dining table in the Hale House, his wife holding his hand and looking at him with reassurance clear in her expression.

"There was something almost ritualistic about it. Like it was looking right into his soul." Chris said, as he looked around at the rest of the pack, a haunted look was in his eyes, but he tried to keep his brave face on. Most of the Pack looked concerned but, in some cases, he couldn't tell if it was concern over the situation or for him.

"That's the same thing it did to me." Isaac pointed out, in a successful attempt to keep the conversation going.

"Did they do that to everyone?" Allison asked curiously, as she unconsciously reached for his hand.

"Not everyone." Chris told her, "Just the one all three of them killed."

"Who was the guy they went after in Japan?" Isaac asked curiously.

"A kumicho. A yakuza boss. It was my first gun deal. I was only 18 and it was supposed to be a simple exchange." Chris explained as his mind took him back to that day again. "Except Gerard left out the minor detail of the buyers being yakuza. He wanted to see if I could adapt in the moment. Testing my ability to improvise." Chris spat out bitterly

"Or your ability to survive." Allison countered. A glare formed on her face as she thought of the man. Victoria tightened her grip on her husband's hand, keeping her mouth closed to hide her fangs.

"The moment the sun went down it was like they just materialized out of the shadows." Chris wasn't the only one caught up in the memory. As the hunter told his story, Lydia's eyes had shut without her realising. "They had swords, not curved like katanas but straight, black steel. Like ninjatos." The banshee found herself standing beside an eighteen year old Chris Argent, watching as the masked figures appeared out of the shadows and the yakuza started shooting at them.

"What did they want?" Lydia could hear Boyd ask over the gun fire, though his voice sounded far away, but all around her at the same time. Both she and Chris watched in horror as the rain of bullets did nothing to slow the creatures down. They didn't flinch or bleed, only wisps of darkness indicated that the bullets were impacting something.

"To get to the kumicho." Chris replied, terror filled eyes followed the creatures as they sliced their way through the crown of yakuza shooting at them. Not stopping as they single mindedly moved towards their target. "They cut down every living thing in their way."

"Wonderful," Jackson drawled. "So they're serial killing samurais? Sounds fun."

"Actually, that would be classed as a mass murder, and they sound more like ninjas to me." Erica helpfully corrected. "So, we're dealing with mass murdering ninjas."

"Yeah, and that's so much better." Jackson replied to the blonde as he rolled his eyes. Not that Lydia could see him, thanks to being submerged in the memory of a massacre.

"Did they mark him like they did me?" Isaac asked, trying to get the conversation back on track, as he touched the mark behind his ear that his mates had noticed when 'Stiles' had taken his group of schemers to the library the night before.

"Not exactly." The creatures stalked closer to their prey, who had ducked behind a water fountain. As the gun fire faded to silence, the kumicho looked up. His eyes were glowing white and his teeth were pointed in fangs unlike any Lydia had ever laid eyes on. She watched, invisible to the horrified Chris beside her on the ground, now trapped under the bodies of those who had been cut down, as the three creatures stabbed into the kumicho and hoisted him into the air, still impaled on all three swords. As the swords were pushed deeper into the man, Lydia heard a sickening crack and had to cover her own mouth to stop a scream when the blood poured onto the water fountain and she knew he was dead.

"What was he?" Erica asked curiously as Lydia and Chris watched the blood mix with the water.

"I don't know." The man said honestly but, before anyone could make a sarcastic comment, he quickly added; "But there might be someone who does. There were a few others who survived that night. One of them was a man named Katashi. They called him Silverfinger because of an unusual prosthetic. And it looked like he was getting ready to take them all on himself." Lydia watched as Katashi, blood dripping from his hands, eyed the creature with determination, even as they flipped around him impressively. The banshee looked behind her when she heard a noise. Chris had pushed the bodies off of himself, grabbed his gun and rose to his feet. He aimed his gun at the creature closest to Katashi and pulled the trigger. "I've known for a while Katashi was in the country. I plan to spend tomorrow tracking him down." He informed them. "I would have started today but someone insisted that I wait until we've all had a good night."

"Victoria's right." Derek nodded. "What you've told us is definitely concerning, but also relieving. These things could have easily killed Isaac last night, but they didn't. They marked him, that has to mean something. Chris, you didn't shoot right?"

"Not before they killed the kumicho." Chris confirmed.

"Based on what you saw, would you say that they only killed those who got in the way of the one they were after?" Derek continued, earning him another nod from Chris

"From what I've gathered from rumours over the years, they're only even gone after those who are supernatural." He told them. "But I haven't been able to verify that personally as that was my only encounter."

"I know it'll go against your instincts," Derek began and immediately the teenagers knew that they weren't going to like whatever he said next. "but if these things come after you tonight, do not fight them! If they draw their swords first then definitely defend yourselves but if these things are just here looking for something else, I do not want any of you getting hurt by getting in their way, understood?" There was clear reluctance amongst the teens, but with their Alpha and seven other adults staring them down, they all agreed. "Good, stick together tonight, pairs minimum but larger groups are preferable."

"I'll go with you tomorrow to talk to this Katashi guy." Noah told Chris, leaving no room for arguments, so the hunter simply nodded.

"You think he knows what they are?" Kira asked as she began to chew on her thumb nail nervously.

"Or what they want?" Cora added, raising an eyebrow at the man.

"Maybe." Chris replies. He honestly wasn't sure that Katashi would know any more than he did, but he was the best lead that Chris had.

"What if he doesn't want to talk?" Allison asked, clearly concerned for her father's well-being.

"What if he doesn't even remember you?" Malia asked, it was a long time ago, after all. Chris simply reached underneath his chair to pull a box out of his bag. When he had put his bag under the chair nobody knew, but nobody questioned it.

"He'll remember this." Chris announced confidently as he moved his plate out of the way and placed the box on the table. Everyone except Lydia moved to take a look as Chris opened it, and moved the cloth back to reveal a shattered mask. "I know I didn't kill it. I'm not sure you can. But I slowed it down long enough for us to get out of there."

"What was behind the mask?" Scott asked as he picked up one of the pieces, while Lydia was busy staring at the creature Chris had just shot. There was no face behind the mask. Just wispy clouds of darkness.

"Darkness. Absolute darkness." Staring at the void behind the mask, Lydia couldn't stop it anymore, A scream tore itself from her throat. Her scream hit the darkness and forced it to move outwards until it enveloped her. The banshee opened her eyes and she was back at the dinner table. Isaac was no longer opposite her, in fact no one was opposite or next to her.

Lydia frowned in confusion and turned her head to look for them. Looking to her right, she saw them all gathered around Chris, with the exception of Peter who remained slumped in his seat. All of them were looking at her with varying emotions. "Sorry, I had that thing again." She explained, hating using the term 'that thing' but they hadn't found a name for it yet, at least not one that she felt truly fit. "You know, when someone is telling a story and all of a sudden I'm living in that story and it doesn't end until the story does?"

"Yeah, we know." Jackson said gently as he made his way over to his mate. "It was just different this time."

"Different how?" Lydia asked with furrowed brows.

"You screamed out loud this time." Alison explained, looking concerned for her best friend. While Lydia had experienced this before, when her mother told her about Lorraine and when Derek told the full story of what happened with Paige to Ethan, Aiden, and Cora, shortly after they connected themselves to the nemeton, and it always ended in her screaming, this was the first time the others had heard her scream in that scenario.

"So, what does that mean?" Cora asked abruptly. "Is it a good thing that means her powers are getting stronger, or is it a bad thing that means we're in some real deep shit?"

"Language, Cora!" Derek scolded automatically. "I don't know, I'll talk to Deaton and see what we can figure out. In the meantime, let's assume it's both. I want all of you carrying some means of self defense, even if it's just the 'special' pepper spray that Lydia made." He ordered, earning him nods from the Pack as they all made their way back to their seats to finish their meals. "But whatever you do: Do not attack first."

The more Derek learned about their new foe, the more he wanted to lock his pups in the second basement and seal off the tunnels until it was all over. But he knew that doing so would be no good in the long run and only cause them to resent him and rebel. So, he bit his tongue and prayed that the night would go well.

"What makes this 'special' pepper spray special?" Henry Tate asked curiously as he picked up his fork to continue his meal.

"It's infused with mountain ash and wolfsbane." She announced proudly. "Not enough to harm any humans it's used on, but enough to give any supernatural threats a nasty surprise." Mr Tate asked if he could get some, Lydia agreed to make him a batch, and with that the conversation resumed and eventually moved on to another topic.

They soon finished their discussion, and went over the rules for the night, then the teenagers began to clean up, while Derek took Peter back upstairs and the rest of the adults helped Stiles wrap up the leftovers. By the time they had finished, it was 4.45pm so the teens split into two groups, boys and girls, and made their way upstairs to pick out their outfits for their party.

"You kids off to get ready for your party?" Natalie called out as she saw the teens making their way to the stairs.

"Yeah mom," Lydia confirmed with a smile as the rest of the parents joined them in the entrance hall to the house. "We're also gonna pick out some athletic gear for the way home, as Allison, Kira, Danny, Stiles and I will be jogging home while the others go hunting for deer, so that they can prepare it and have it for dinner while Stiles and Derek are on their date tomorrow night."

While Mr Tate and Mrs Martin, who were obviously not as used to the supernatural as the others, looked disgusted at the thought of the majority of the teenagers eating deer, they all accepted it and told them to be careful and alert them when they were back at the house. Mrs Argent looked jealous that they were having deer without her, but 'Stiles' promised to save her some deer as well when he put some aside for Derek.

Like Kira, the rest of the pack didn't have a curfew for that particular night. With them having the party at the loft, the parents agree that they could stay there for the night if the party went on too late, or just come home sometime before school started. It was made clear that they still had to attend school the next day and it would be their own fault if they didn't get any sleep.

"Remember to be careful, all of you." Chris reminded them firmly. "Allison, I want you especially to make sure you're carrying mountain ash and your crossbow at all times. These things on the loose are dangerous."

"If anything happens, call me immediately," Derek ordered, as he stopped at the top of the stairs on his way from Peter's bedroom to his and Stiles' bedroom. "Parrish and I are gonna be patrolling that area most of the night. So it shouldn't take me long to get to you."

"And after you've called Derek, call me." Noah added, but before he could say anything more, Melissa piped in.

"And then me so I can get the first aid kit." The nurse ordered, though it was mostly directed at her two sons.

After promising multiple times to let the adults know if anything went awry, the teens finally were allowed to go upstairs.

Once upstairs, the boys went to Isaac's room (which was shared with Scott and Allison whenever they spent the night) to get ready, while the girls went to Cora's room (Which was frequently shared with Erica and Boyd) as those rooms were equally the second largest bedrooms in the house for obvious reasons. (Stiles and Derek had the largest as they needed the biggest bed for puppy piles, but Derek would be using that room to get ready for work).

This time, Stiles was allowed to get ready with the other boys, mainly due to the fact that the girls were convinced Kira wouldn't be comfortable changing with a boy she barely knew in the room. Another part of the reason was that, as of that morning, Lydia and Allison no longer felt comfortable around him, because they weren't sure that the person they were talking to was the same Stiles that they knew and loved. Now that Derek had confirmed that fear, there was no way in hell he was allowed in that room with them.

Still, they pushed their worries aside, opting to remain vigilant of any threats, but also allow themselves to have a good night. Whatever the nogitsune was planning, Derek seemed convinced that it couldn't act just yet, and they trusted their Alpha's judgement.

Satisfied after learning more about their foe, even though they weren't good things to learn, and satisfied after making the skeleton of a plan with her Alpha, Lydia felt her mind was far more at ease now. So, Lydia marched into Erica's room, mind set to party mode, Allison and the other four girls trailing behind her.

"So, quick reminder," Lydia began, once Allison had shut the door, and stripped off her shirt without any hesitation. "Those of us who don't eat deer are going to need pack athletic gear first, for a little exercise on the way home after the party while the wolves," she quickly corrected herself while gesturing to Malia before continuing to remove her skirt, "and coyote hunt for their dinner for tomorrow when Derek and Stiles are on their date. Then we'll get our weapons from the basement, then showered and change into our party clothes. The boys should have already gotten showered and dressed by then. Then we all head out through tunnel 4 and then we get to party!" The banshee announced happily, by then donning only her underwear and happily browsing through Erica's section of the closet for something for Kira to wear. Lydia was in no hurry to dress herself at that moment. "But first we pick out something for Kira and Malia."

"If you see something you like don't be shy to say so." Erica told them both excitedly, also browsing through her clothes.

"Or if you think of something you might like to wear that isn't in here, Lydia and I probably have whatever you're looking for in one of our closets." Allison stated from where she was looking through a box she had brought from her own closet, deciding to pick out her weapon holsters before doing anything else. "I have all sorts of holsters, if you need them."

"You can use any of my clothes too, it's all over there and in that draw." Cora offered as she gestured, first, to the mostly black section of the closet and then to the top drawer of the dresser in the corner of the bedroom.

"So, what sort of style are you thinking of? Chic? Bold? Punk? Grunge? Rave? Flamboyant?" When she received no response, Lydia elaborated "Are you thinking of vibrant colours that'll glow well? Or a simple outfit and going big with the body paint? Or are you just gonna stick with a simple white t-shirt and call it a day?" Lydia asked, Malia and Kira both stared at the girl blankly.

Malia eventually shrugged and said, "Anything I can fight in is fine."

"Just something simple for me, whatever will help me fit in." Kira requested.

Lydia, Erica and Allison were all wearing expressions ranging from annoyance to disappointment at the lack of input from the pair. Cora let out a joyful laugh at their reactions.

"Finally, girls who get me!" The born-wolf grinned, "I have a feeling we're all gonna get along great."

Malia just shrugged and turned to look in the closet. "So, Erica, Cora, what was your first time like?" She asked casually over her shoulder. "I just realised that I've never asked." She was so busy looking through the clothes that she didn't notice the shocked and/or amused expressions on the faces of the other girls.

"O-our first time?" Cora asked, uncharacteristically embarrassed by the first question. Cora usually found herself to be very open about her sex life, especially with the Pack. Maybe it was because just last week Cora had been helping to explain what a period was to the girl.

"Do you mean our first time just the two of us, or including Boyd?" Erica asked casually with a grin, enjoying the flustered look on her mate's face.

"Is there a difference?" Malia asked, turning to raise an eyebrow at the blonde while she walked over to the mirror with a shirt in either hand and held each up in front of her reflection.

"Uh, yeah, a pretty big one." Allison smiled, trying to hide her amusement as she didn't want to make the girl feel stupid for asking, but it was kinda funny.

"Really?" Malia was clearly surprised. "Like what?"

"It's called a penis." Lydia said bluntly as she took one of the shirts out of Malia's hand. "And this shirt is definitely not your colour."

Malia didn't pay any attention to Lydia's comment about the shirt though, because she was too busy staring at Erica and Cora in shock. "So, you're saying that when we go hunting tonight, if I shift near the boys, I'm gonna grow a penis?" The coyote all but shrieked, looking horrified at the though.

There was a moment of silence, then Erica burst out laughing, shortly followed by the other girls as they realised the misunderstanding.

"Hang on," Cora managed to gasp out between bouts of laughter. "when you asked about our first time, you meant the first time we shifted?"

"Uh, yeah, what did you think I was talking about?"

"Sex!" Erica blurted out, still laughing boisterous. Malia just became even more perplexed.

"Why would I ask about that?" Malia asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't have a mate."

"You don't have to have found your mate to have sex." Allison told her with a soft smile. "I mean, I definitely think you need to adapt to being human again before you start any romantic relationships or having sex and stuff like that, but when you decide that you're ready it's up to you who you do it with."

"As long as they want to do it with you too." Lydia added helpfully. "Consent is a must."

"Very true!" Allison agreed as she offered a few shirts to Kira that she thought the girl might like. "Here Kira, what do you think of these?" As Kira looked through the shirts appraisingly, Malia was trying to choose between two tops of the same design but in different colours.

"Okay, that's fine but I don't care about sex right now." Malia told them as Lydia walked up behind her and once again took one of the shirts out of the girl's hand and offered her a different one. "What was your first time shifting like?"

"Pretty intense for me, I was a 'late bloomer'." Cora said honestly as she lay back on the bed, having grown bored of looking at clothes, she opted to tell her story first, as Erica's was much happier, and a better note to end the topic on. "I was eleven, it was the day of the fire." This was the first time she had told anyone except for Erica, Boyd and Derek about her experience that night. Erica quickly made her way to the bed, sat down, then lifted Cora's head slightly so she could lay it on her lap and stroke her Mate's hair the way the born-wolf loved. It was easier to talk about it with Erica holding her. It would be even better if Boyd were there too, but she didn't feel like telling some of the teenage boy's of the Pack the truth about that night just yet, and they would all want to find out what was going on if they requested that Boyd come to their bedroom.

"Laura had just left to go pick Derek up. Mom, Peter and my aunt were cooking. My dad was helping my other uncle and his husband by watching their six month old while they set the table. Dad had been complaining all day that he didn't get to spend enough time with his youngest grandchild." Cora chuckled humorlessly as tears flooded her eyes. As Cora continued to tell her story, not one of the other girls moved or made a sound, with the exception of Erica stroking Cora's hair of course. "My nine year old cousin had just shifted for the first time, leaving me as the only one who had hit puberty and hadn't shifted yet. I mean obviously I had my enhanced healing and senses because I'd had them all my life, and I could make eyes glow, but I couldn't access my claws or shift my face or body like they all could. All the cousins were making fun of me for it. Usually Derek and Laura would back me up, but they weren't there. Mom was busy telling Peter off for something and they were just so loud and my cousins wouldn't shut up and they made me feel like I was lesser than they were because I hadn't shifted yet, I was on my period, it was like my third one or something, so I was already emotional, and I got so upset and mad and I just shifted." She tilted her head to look Malia in the eyes, "Like you I didn't shift face and claws first like most do, I shifted into a full wolf." Cora informed Malia with a watery smile. "The cousins freaked out, my uncle Jesse ran through and opened the door, told me to calm down outside and mom would be out in a minute to help me."

Cora took a deep breath before attempting to continue. "I-I ran into the woods, I don't really know why, I just had to get away. When I was running I heard a car. I didn't pay much attention because I just assumed it was Derek and Laura getting home, but it wasn't, if I had just listened to the engine, I would have known that." She spat out bitterly, clearly angry at herself for not being more attentive that night. "I had been running for about 5 minutes when I started to feel the panic through the bonds. Then I smelt the smoke. I ran as fast as I could back to the house but by the time I got there it was completely up in flames. I-I could feel the pack bonds breaking one by one. The car I had first heard wasn't there but Laura's was. I couldn't see her, or Derek, but I now know they were on the other side of the house, searching for a way in, like I should have been," Cora clenched her eyes shut and angrily wiped her tears from her cheeks as Erica continued playing with her hair. "but I was so damn scared. The bonds kept snapping and there was so much fire, and I just turned and ran. And ran and ran and ran. I eventually found myself in Alpha Jardine's territory, fortunately she recognised my scent and had already heard about the fire by the time I got there. She taught me how to shift back. I mean, it took me two months because of how upset I was, but I got there in the end. She offered to let me stay with them and I said yes, it wasn't like I had anywhere else to go. I didn't fully shift again though, beta form, yes, but nor full shift. Not until I came back here." Her face relaxed as a soft smile graced her lips but her eyes remained closed. "When I shifted again it was entirely different. The second time, I had a whole new pack, and my mates, with me. I wasn't alone and scared and angry, I was safe and happy and loved." Cora opened her eyes and looked towards Malia, who was crying as she listened to her cousin's story. "I still feel so much regret and remorse when it comes to that night, but I've made my peace with it in the best way I can. I've accepted that it's too late to change it, our family would want us to be happy and part of a new pack and I know that. I will always love my family and I will always remember them, but you guys are all my family too." Malia couldn't help herself as she ran over to the bed and threw herself onto it so that she could hug Cora.

The coyote couldn't tell what made her the most emotional; the fact this was a story about a part of her family that she never had the chance to meet; that Cora was sharing this with her, and all of the other's in the room, but still; or the fact that Cora could understand what Malia went through that night better than many of the others. Sure Cora's situation was definitely different from Malia's but they both were scared, and out of control and unable to help save their families.

Discussing similar tragic circumstances is how Malia's bonds with people now. She and Derek bonded over blaming themselves for their families' deaths. She and Stiles bonded over blaming themselves for the mother's deaths and how it felt to witness the events. She and Jackson had bonded over the fact that they were both adopted and discovering that fact led them to question themselves and who they were deep down. She and Allison bonded over having a parent try to kill them. She and Boyd bonded over blaming themselves for their sister's deaths. Even though they all had extremely different experiences, she had managed to bond with Erica and Isaac over losing years of their lives, and their childhood, to something that was out of their control, which controlled them and prevented them from living the lives they wanted to live.

Malia felt a weight on her back (Lydia) then felt Kira and Allison lie on either side of her and slightly on top of her and Cora, it took her a moment to realise that this was a puppy pile disguised as a group hug, and she decided that she really liked puppy piles.

After a few minutes, Cora spoke up. "Okay, as nice as this is, my arm is going to sleep and we still need to pick outfits for Kira and Malia, and get ready." The born wolf reminded them, her voice had returned to normal. Malia felt Lydia get off of her, and reluctantly pushed herself off of Cora. "Besides, I believe my dearest cousin wanted to know about both of our first times." Cora reminded Erica as she sent her mate a smile, then stood up and strolled over to the closet. "Her's is a much happier story."

The blonde nodded in agreement, she knew that Cora enjoyed hearing happy stories when she felt down. They reminded her that there was still good in the world. Erica walked over to the draws when she suddenly remembered a top she knew would look amazing on Malia. "For me it was like I finally found myself." Erica told the coyote wistfully as she dug through her drawer. "Before Derek turned me I was Epilectic and because of that I was an outcast, a loser, people made fun of me a lot. Once I turned eight, I was alright tired of being ridiculed, I was tired of feeling like a burden on my parents." The blonde started in a soft voice as she tossed the top to Malia and then offered Kira a couple of different tops to try on. "So, I decided to close myself off from everyone, I was incredibly shy and I kept to myself. If I wasn't at the school or hospital, I was in my room writing. If people tried to get close to me, I'd push them away no matter how much I liked them or wanted to be their friend. Then Scott and Stiles were turned and started a make-shift pack with Derek, Allison, Jackson and Lydia." Erica's smile grew as she remembered her first day out with the Pack.

"When Allison invited me to the dinner, I wanted to say no because I was scared. But something made me say yes and it was the best day of my life until that point, sure some scary shit happened but most of it was really good. Then Derek became the alpha. When I turned, I was set free from my illness, I didn't have that shackle holding me back anymore. I felt powerful for the first time in my life. When I learned how to transform into beta shift, I felt utterly fearless. Even though I expected to feel more animalistic, when I shifted into a full wolf for the first time I felt completely in control. I felt like I had finally found my place, and a part of myself I hadn't even realised was missing. Running on all fours through the preserve, my Pack beside me, was exactly what I needed to help me see the beauty of the world again." As she spoke, Erica grew increasingly confident and smiled to herself.

"But honestly, as amazing as it all was it still wasn't quite right, I feel truly complete now, I have Cora and Boyd, I have my Pack, I have a plan for my life. I always contemplated traveling the world and leaving this town behind. A part of me still wants to do that, travel, see everything I can, preferably with my mates and Pack Mates by my side. I want to go to college, and learn how to be a better writer. Maybe I'll even write an original novel of my own and get it published, but I know now that no matter where I go or what I do, I'll always come back here." Cora, Allison, Lydia, Malia and Kira all smiled as they nodded at Erica, who was looking directly at Malia as she continued. "This bond between us all heightens being in full shift together, especially when we're hunting together, or it's a full moon. It makes everything feel small, like no matter what crazy shit happens in this town, we'll always have each other. Whether we're all living in the same house or scattered around the country, or even the world, we will find our way back to each other, No matter what."

"Damn right!" Lydia exclaimed, "We're a Pack, nothing can ever change that, distance, time, and all that other shit says ruin friendship and relationships can go fuck themselves. We are a family and that will never change. No Matter what." She opted to repeat Erica's final three words like they were a promise, because they were for her.

"No matter what." Allison agreed with a large grin.

"No matter what." Cora agreed as she threw a pair shorts at Malia.

"No matter what." Malia happily parroted as she caught them, then looked towards Kira, who somehow wore a smile even bigger than Allison's.

"No matter what." Kira agreed, only to shriek seconds later when a jacket came flying towards her face. She just managed to catch it before it hit her in the face. "Jeez, warn a girl next time!"

Surprisingly, outfits were chosen for the two girls rather quickly and they said goodbye to Derek and the parents, after showing them the weapons that they had selected. Kira had found herself drawn to a Katana and a pair of light up nunchucks and Malia opted for a simple silver knuckle duster and a stun baton. By 5.00pm, the teens were all dressed and ready and made their way through tunnel 4, all excited to party and, in some cases, break into the sheriff's station and destroy evidence. Looking around her new friends, Kira knew her life would never be dull again. Malia skipped up beside Kira and offered her arm to the girl. Kira beamed and linked her arm with Malia's happily, immediately the Coyote started asking Kira questions about parties and what they were like, explaining that the last party she had been to was her own eight birthday party. Kira answered the questions as best she could, but confessed that she hadn't been to that many parties herself, and she had never been to a blacklight party. That's when Erica jumped into their conversation and let the girls know what to expect.

By the time they arrived at the building at 5:30pm, Kira was having four conversations at once and the pack were all talking over each other in excitement. All chatter abruptly ended when they opened the door and walked into the loft. Somebody had evidently been there during the day to decorate. The blacklights, while currently turned off, were set up all around the loft and a portable generator sat on one of the balconies, visible through the window. A pop up stage was set up, a table filled with (non-alcoholic) drinks and snacks sat in a corner. A third table stood against the far left wall and was covered in tubes of UV paint, body paint and make up along with light up jewellery and accessories. Several speakers stood around the room.

Kira and Malia looked around in awe and excitement, their excitement was mirrored by the majority of the Pack.

"Okay, let's put our stuff in the bedroom then lock it up, the DJ should be here any minute." Danny informed them. They all removed their jackets and set down their bags, Allison, Malia, and Lydia rid themselves of their shirts to reveal their crop top and bralette respectively, the boys, except for Danny and 'Stiles', also stripped off their shirts. Cora had chosen to wear a tank top so that she could be painted without removing her clothes. Erica and Danny fully intended to remove their own t-shirts later and have their bodies painted, but that would have to wait until after they took care of the photos on Kira's phone. Once their belongings were safely locked away in the bedroom and the key to said room was attached to Stiles' key chain, Aiden powered up the generator. The blacklight's turned on and the Pack were illuminated. They looked around at each other with grins, just as a knock sounded at the door. The DJ had arrived.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Not too far away from the loft, Derek and Deputy Parrish had just pulled up in the area they were tasked with patrolling to make sure everyone in town was behaving and not taking advantage of the blackout, when three children in halloween costumes appeared behind them.

"Trick or treat!" They greeted in unison, holding out the goody bags towards the pair. Parrish smiled while Derek, feeling mischievous, stared at them unblinkingly. He silently reached behind him to open the passenger side door of the cruiser, eyes still fixed on the kids, who were growing increasingly nervous. Derek picked up the bag of sweets he and Parrish had purchased for this very reason and dropped a piece of candy into each of their bags. Parrish watched on in amusement as Derek allowed his eyes to glow red and growled at the children, revealing his fangs, causing the trio to run away screaming.

"You do realise it's 'trick or treat', right?" Parrish asked his partner in amusement, not really phased by Derek's actions. After all it was halloween and the children would likely just write it off as a really good costume once they'd calmed down. "You're supposed to pick one or the other,"

"Where's the fun in that?" Derek asked rhetorically as he locked the vehicle. The pair shared a smile as they began their patrol.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After Melissa gave him that sedative, Stiles awoke back in the cage with his wolf. The bear trap clamped to his ankle and his wolf next to him. "Hey, I don't know what happened but I managed to get control back." Stiles told his wolf excitedly. "Not enough to tell them about the thing possessing us, but I managed to let them know that I'm not okay. Hopefully I'll be able to give them more pieces of the puzzle later." He opted to take a page out of Scott's book and try being optimistic for once.

"That's good." His wolf responded. "I was worried about you, you just disappeared. I feared that he had you."

"I'm sorry." Stiles apologised with a frown.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." The wolf assured as he licked his human half's face. "But we need to get out of here, let's continue trying to get that stupid trap off of your leg." And continue they did. Within (what felt like) minutes, Stiles was using his uninjured foot to kick the evil, bloodied trap to the otherside of the cage.

Stiles sighed in relief, overjoyed that his leg was finally freed from the animal trap, his wolf immediately set to work 'cleaning' the wound with its tongue. "You don't have to do that you know." He smiled at his wolf in bemusement. "We're in my head, it's not like it can get infected." His wolf narrowed it's eyes at him, but continued his task regardless.

"Remember when Isaac had his leg caught in one of those? Did you stop checking on him and making sure he was okay, even after it healed?" Stiles sighed in annoyed acceptance.

"How do you even know about that? You were locked up in here when that happened."

"You may not have been able to see though my eyes, but I could still see though yours." The Wolf informed him. "Your eyes are our primary eyes, my eyes come out when you need them. I was locked up so you couldn't access my eyes, but when I focus I can see what you see."

"Our connection." Stiles realised.

"Exactly."

"But our connection isn't limited to our minds, right?" Stiles asked rapidly. Ideas and theories were flying through his head and a plan began to form. "It's our body's, that's why we can shift. There's my body, your body and our beta shift, right? So seeing through each other's eyes isn't limited to what we think we're seeing, or what we're imagining, right?" The Wolf nodded in affirmation. "So that means whatever he is seeing through our eyes, we can see it too, right?"

The Wolf's lips curled into something reminiscent of a smirk as it nodded at the former human once more. "Yes, we can. Would you like me to show you how?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After a few hours of dancing and blending in, Kira, 'Stiles', Danny and Erica snuck away from the party and made their way out of the building and to the Range Rover that Derek kept at the building for if he ever needed to go somewhere in a hurry and required a vehicle far subtler than his Camaro. As soon as they were out of the door, Lydia sent a text to the alpha to let him know.

Derek read the text immediately, then turned to his partner. "Hey, I'm sorry but there's a pack emergency, do you mind if I-"

"It's fine, we're scheduled for a break right about now. I can drop you off wherever you need to be." Parrish offered, and Derek smiled gratefully, deciding that he would ask Parrish to drop him off a few blocks from the station, just to be safe. Unfortunately as they arrived at the cruiser and moved to unlock it, the two deputies heard a strange snarling sound and quickly turned around.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by shadowy figures, who were all wearing masks. Derek snarled as he realised these were the creatures that had attacked Isaac the night before, the ones Chris had warned him about. Beside him, Parrish drew his weapon, trusting from his partner's reaction that this wasn't people in halloween costumes.

"No don't!" Derek ordered immediately. "Trust me, we do not want to anger them." He warned and Parrish reluctantly lowered his weapon. "They're here for me, just let them do what they need to do." As if they had been waiting for permission, the creatures then began walking ominously towards the pair.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

As they were driving, 'Stiles' glanced over to Erica in the front passenger seat. "You could have washed the paint off first." He told her, "We're trying to be discreet here."

"It's halloween, I'm far more discreet than you are right now." Erica countered with a grin. After 30 minutes of dancing, she had decided that she really, really wanted her mate's to paint her body and the pair had gladly agreed. The blonde had taken off her top and literally told her mates to 'paint me like one of your french girls' earning her the satisfaction of making her mate's chuckle. "Besides, it won't glow unless I'm under UV light so it's not gonna be that noticeable. And I put my shirt back on, probably smudging some of Cora and Boyd's hard work, so you're welcome, by the way." Erica grinned, hoping it would get Stiles to lecture her about not being distinguishable while committing a crime. It worked, but something felt off. Erica listened to 'Stiles' intently for the rest of the journey and tried to figure out just what was different as subtly as she could. As much as she trusted Melissa, she was convinced that the woman was wrong about Stiles' lapse of memory being cause by sleep deprivation.

It was 10:15pm when 'Stiles' pulled up near the police station. He, Danny and Kira all hopped out of the vehicle and Erica took his place in the driver's seat. 'Stiles' took out the key cards and handed them to Danny one at a time while informing the pair of their functions. "Okay, this one will get you into all the perimeter doors, this one to the evidence room and this one's for my father's office.

"Did you steal these?" Kira asked with wild excitement gleaming in her eyes and a grin on her face. 'Stiles' chuckled at the girl but shook his head.

"No, I just cloned 'em using a RFID emulator."

"Nice!" Danny proclaimed and nodded in approval as Kira raised an eyebrow at the lanky boy.

"Isn't that worse than stealing?"

"It's smarter." 'Stiles' countered and the girl couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips. "Okay. So, now almost everybody's out dealing with the blackout, but there's always somebody at the front desk. There's dispatch and usually a night shifter or two. You guys are gonna use the service door entrance by the dumpster. Alright? Nobody uses it. Now, I'll text you if anyone comes out, and act as a distraction. I brought this with me," 'Stiles' pulled a tupperware tub out of his bag that contained a few sandwiches and some fruit, "I'll tell em I'm dropping it off for Derek and buy you some time to get out. Do not get caught. If they figure out I was in on this it could get my dad in even more trouble."

Kira and Danny nodded seriously. "If we get caught, we won't let them know you were involved." Kira promised, and Danny nodded in agreement.

"I'll tell them that I cloned the cards, I have the equipment at home," Danny informed him. "We won't let you or your dad go down for this."

"I'm the getaway driver, and this isn't a vehicle any of them will recognise, so as far as you're concerned, we're supposed to be at the party right now and you're extremely disappointed in us for committing a crime." Erica chimed in from the vehicle, and smiled reassuringly at him.

"Oh, thank God!" Stiles exclaimed, he sighed in relief before adding. "Because if something goes wrong, I'm sticking with my cover story and leaving you all for dead." Stiles was surprised to hear words come out of his mouth -They were semi true, he would never literally leave them for dead of course, but in this particular scenario he would protect his dad first as all of the pack members present were all under 18 with no criminal record. They had come up with the excuse that, if they were caught they would say that Kira had pictures of herself naked on her phone and didn't want anybody to see them- The main reason Stiles was surprised to hear the words was because it actually felt like he was speaking them, not the thing that was possessing him. Not knowing how long he had left in control, Stiles quickly told Danny and Kira to: "Just, uh, hurry up." He then gave them an encouraging smile.

With that, Danny and Kira made their way into the station, moving as quickly as possible. They both held their breaths as deputy Sharman entered the room to grab a file, not breathing again until he had left, blissfully unaware of their presence. Soon enough the pair got into the evidence locker and found Kira's phone. The pair sighed in frustration when they discovered that the battery was dead.

"We have to take it!" Kira whispered to Danny but the teen shook his head in disagreement.

"No, they'll know it's gone." Danny reminded her. "And you'll be the first suspect."

"Well we have to do something, we can't let them see those pictures!" Kira insisted as Danny tried to think of a solution. "How do we charge it if the power's out?"

Danny looked around the room, he felt relief when his eyes fell on a laptop. "See if you can find a charger cable." He instructed Kira while moving over to the laptop. Kira quickly found one in a drawer and the pair shared a triumphant smile as Danny powered up the laptop. "Awesome. Oh, hey that's Scott!" Danny announced when a picture of a smiling young boy in a man's arms appeared on the screen. He recognised him easily thanks to Stiles and Melissa, even Noah, showing the entire pack every single picture they collectively had of Scott growing up, from the day he was born. Just the previous morning, Stiles showed the pack the pictures he had taken of them setting up the pranks for Coach's birthday. How he had managed to take those pictures without anyone, even the wolves, noticing was incredible, but nothing new. Stiles was always good at sneaking around, despite his constant flailing and inability to focus on things that don't immediately grasp his attention.

"Aw, he was so cute!" Kira cooed at the picture of Scott as she plugged her phone in and willed it to charge faster. "Who's that holding him?"

"Probably his dad, this must be his laptop. Shit. Wait, if this is an FBI agent's laptop, then it might have security measures that could get us caught." Danny realised and quickly began to hack the laptop so he could ensure that there would be no trace of them using it..

Meanwhile, Stiles and his wolf had been watching the events unfold from their cage, both startled that they had managed to speak, or maybe the thing possessing them was listening in? They were in the middle of discussing it when Stiles suddenly found himself out of the cage again, unable to hear his wolf and back in control of his body, leaning against the Range Rover with one eye on the station as he spoke to Erica. He didn't get a chance to try and express his predicament though, because he was suddenly distracted by a vehicle pulling up in front of them, one that Stiles recognised easily as belonging to Scott's father. "Aw, hell." He whispered as he sent Danny a text to warn them, then prepared to go distract the man. It was easy for him to prioritise the safety of Danny, Kira, Erica and his father over himself

"I can distract him if you want?" Erica offered as she sent Stiles a nervous look.

"No, I have to do this." Stiles told her firmly. "Okay, I am so going to regret this!" Stiles muttered, mostly to himself, as he gripped the tupperware tub tighter and ran towards the entrance McCall had just walked through.

The FBI agent was making his way towards the evidence lock up to retrieve his laptop when Stiles clambered into the station and ran in front of the man, stopping him in his tracks. "Hey, hey. Wow! Thank God you are here. Oh, boy! Thank the lord!" Stiles greeted with a nervous laugh.

"What do you want, Stiles?" Rafael McCall asked impatiently. The conversation had drawn Danny's attention.

"Oh, jeez!" He whispered and began typing faster to cover their tracks and hoped he and Kira could finish their tasks in time.

Stiles stammered, knocked off kilter by suddenly being able to properly talk to somebody other than his wolf for the first time since being sedated by his mother-figure. He quickly focused though as he heard Danny's heart beating rapidly and his Pack Mom instinct kicked in. "I came to drop off some food for Derek, you know when he comes back for his break later, but also I was just, uh, I was thinking on the case. I was thinking I should clue you in on my thinking. Here's my thinking. I was thinking this…" He snapped his finger in the Agent's face, dragging out the conversation as much as he could. "I was thinking that Barrow, right... I was thinking that Barrow received the information about who to kill at the school, right, you know that? So I was thinking maybe the person who gave him that information, check this out, might actually be someone at the school." He pointed at the man's chest while nodding his head, hoping that his behaviour would knock the man off kilter, but still be natural enough that the man didn't become overly suspicious. "And that's, uh, my thinking." Stiles could feel Danny watching them and he heard as Kira's phone beeped and she informed Danny in a whisper that it was on.

"Hmm." McCall nodded at Stiles and informed the teen "You're right."

"I am?" Stiles pretended to be surprised, which wasn't difficult given that the Agent was surprising Stiles with how civil he was being.

"Yep. We, uh... We started looking for links between Barrow, faculty and students last night." McCall informed Stiles, and the boy smiled politely in response.

"So you already, then, know that stuff?" He asked and the agent hummed in affirmation. "You already thought of that." He gave the man a fictitious impressed smile.

"Your dad did." McCall corrected.

"Oh." Stiles blinked, genuinely surprised that the man was actually giving his dad the credit he deserved.

"His one useful suggestion." ...And there it was. Agent McCall reached around the teenager to swipe his key card. As the light blinked green, Stiles stepped to the side to better block the man's access

When he spoke next, Stiles let his voice grow low and threatening as he narrowed his eyes at the man. "You know, this attitude that you have toward my dad? You can dress it up to all the professional disapproval that you want. But I know the real reason why you don't like him. "

Rafael Let out a soft chuckle before he lifted his eyes from his shoes to look his son's best friend in the eyes. "Is that so?" Stiles could tell that the man thought he was bluffing, so he allowed a small smirk to grace his lips, despite the anxiety flooding him.

"Yeah. Because he knows something that you don't want him to know." The agent's confidence wavered, he tried to cover it with another chuckle and shook his head at the boy. He went to step around Stiles, but the wolf wasn't done. He didn't know when he would be back in the cage and he needed to stall the man. He was hoping to save this card for a bigger moment, but his pups needed him, and this was the thing he knew would rattle McCall the most. "And guess what, I know it, too." He whispered threateningly, "What you did to Scott that night."

Sure enough, Rafael's whole demeanor changed. He looked Stiles in the eyes once more and, much to his horror, realised that the boy was telling the truth. He backed away slowly, trying to hide his shaking hands behind his back as nonchalantly as possible. "O-oh really?" The Agent responded as nonchalantly as he could manage, as he raised an eyebrow. "Well, I wonder how my superiors will feel when I tell them that one of the Sheriff's deputies is screwing an underage boy? Stilinski's own son, nonetheless"

Stiles wanted to punch the man for threatening his mate in such a way, but he knew that this wasn't the time or place for violence, so Stiles threw a smirk on his face. "What proof would you have to support that? With my healing rate, and the support of, literally, everyone in town, nobody would believe you." The agent glared, but said nothing. Even if he wanted to report Derek, Stiles was right, he had no evidence. His word would not be enough against the testimony of the entire sheriff's department, the pack and their allies. Plus, with all their magic and weirdness, the Pack could probably make any evidence he did manage to collect literally vanish. Plus, Scott would never forgive him. And that was the real reason Rafael McCall returned to Beacon Hills: To reconnect with his son.

"Go home, Stiles." Knowing that there was nothing more he could say that wasn't a direct threat or admission of his own guilt, McCall sighed "There's a... There's a curfew." He cleared his throat, at the same time Stiles heard Danny and Kira leave the lock up. When Rafael reached around to swipe his key card again, Stiles let him pass.

The young werewolf turned and walked towards the front desk. He politely asked the worker at the front desk to put the tub in the staff room fridge and alert Derek that it was there when he got back. Then Stiles made his way quickly back to the Range Rover. Just as he was about to tell Erica that she was not allowed to drive without a license, and then intended to inform her that he was possessed, he suddenly found himself unable to speak once more.

As much as that sucked, he was still in a better mood than before thanks to the fact that he had managed to unease the man who was trying to destroy his dad's life and career. Stiles was an observer only as his body made its way to the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Soon enough, Danny and Kira ran to the vehicle, excitedly climbing into the back seat.

"We did it! All the pictures are deleted." Danny announced as he buckled his seat belt. Then Erica started the car. "You are so lucky you have me, by the way. Kira's phone was dead, so we had to charge it on McCall's laptop. Luckily for you, I'm a genius and had the brilliant idea to check if McCall had any security measures in place."

"Did he?" 'Stiles' asked, though Stiles could tell that whatever was controlling him already knew the answer.

"Yes." Danny nodded, "He had, in layman's terms, a security feature that takes a picture every time the laptop is used, so it had taken a picture of us when we turned it on."

"I'm assuming, based on your tone, that you deleted it?" The thing possessing Stiles asked politely, rather than yelling at Erica to "Slow the fuck down! There are humans in the car, for God's sake! You're gonna get us all killed or arrested!" Okay, maybe Kira is a kitsune, at least that's what Stiles' wolf said he overheard, but there had been no mention of Supernatural healing for Kitsune's as of yet, so Erica really needed to slow down! This is why Stiles would have chosen Lydia or Allison as the getaway driver. Maybe even Jackson, for this particular situation.

Stiles longed to be able to control his body once more, but the thing possessing him wanted him to watch. It stopped him from retreating back to the cage, though Stiles somehow knew the creature wouldn't be able to keep him like that for long. He knew that it would have to put him back in the cage, or risk him regaining true control.

To make the awful situation a little more bearable, Stiles focused on Kira's excited babbling. "That was awesome! I mean, terrifying. Completely terrifying... But kind of awesome. I've never done anything like that before." Kira couldn't keep the smile off of her face as they drove back to the Party, despite the definitely illegal speed at which they were traveling. "Do you think we'll ever get to do something like that again?" Erica and Danny chuckled at the girl's excitement.

"With our history, I'm gonna go with yes. One hundred percent." Stiles heard himself respond.

"Awesome!"

Soon enough they were back at the loft and found the party in full swing, more guests having arrived. The professional body painter had also shown up (about damn time too, she was scheduled to arrive at the same time as the DJ but still hadn't shown up by the time the quartet had left at 9:55pm) and everyone in sight was covered in UV Paint. Some only had simple decals, but as they looked around the room, they could see the increasingly complex and intricate designs.

Ethan approached Danny with a smile, glowing slash marks had been painted onto his chest and abdomen, and an intricate design covered his right hand and part of his arm. He greeted all four of them and pointed out where all the other Pack members were, then gently placed his hands on the hacker's shoulders and steered him towards the body painter. He tore Danny's shirt apart with his bare hands, earning him a heated look from his boyfriend. As the painter got to work, a bartender, who was definitely not serving alcohol, no matter what anyone actually drinking whatever she was serving might tell you

"I got it." Ethan assured Danny so that the boy would allow himself to be painted. Ethan weaved through the crowd with ease, making his way to get the ice. Danny was so focused on the art that the body painter was decorating his body that he didn't notice the shadowy figures, flickering in and out of sight as they made their way closer to him. He felt something or someone close behind him but before he could turn to look, the body painter caught his attention again.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lying in his bed at the Hale House, Peter was staring with tear filled eyes at the item in his hands. Torn wrapping paper lay discarded on the floor.

He gingerly ran his finger over the image he was currently fixated on. It was him, six years younger, standing in front of the old Hale House, his arm around his wife and their two children in front of them. All four of them were beaming at the camera, there was no eye flare thanks to the picture having been taken during the day meaning that no flash was required. After staring at that picture for a few minutes, he finally looked at the other pictures on the page. He leisurely flicked through the photo album, smiling at the photo's of not just himself and his little family, but his sister and brothers, his nieces and nephews, and his in-laws. The entirety of the Pack that Peter, Derek and Cora had lost were memorialised in the album he held.

All photos and personal effects belonging to the Pack were destroyed in the fire, with the exception of a few pictures that Laura and Derek had on their phones, which they backed up to a thumb drive in New York.

Peter made a mental note to show these to his niece and nephew tomorrow and ask Stiles or Danny to make some copies. He was about half way though the album, when the lamp on his bedside table flickered off. He turned his head to look at the lamp, only to sigh when he found himself face to face with a masked creature. "You've got to be kidding me, haven't I gone through enough today?" The creature didn't say anything, only grabbed Peter and gazed at him with glowing eyes.

At the Reyes house, the adults were merrily drinking wine and sharing some of their best work stories.

"-then he ripped the poster down and tore it up while screaming 'and this piece of shit belongs in the trash too! You should have chosen my wife's design! She's the best damn publicist you will ever meet and you're all idiots for not seeing that.' then pulled out a lighter" Hayley informed them, pausing to take a sip of her wine before continuing. "Fortunately, that's when the security team arrived and restrained him. Then Lynn stood up, and this is when he finally realised she was in the damn meeting in the first place and went 'First of all, you incompitent drunk, I am your ex-wife and second of all, that was my design, you fucking moron. If I get fired because of you, I'm telling my lawyer to go with her idea of taking everything, not just half, you insufferable prick.' then security dragged him out and Carolyn fired him and gave her a raise."

"Wow, sounds like that guy was even more dysfunctional than that deadbeat I married." Natalie chuckled as she shook her head and topped up her glass, emptying the bottle. "Oh, the bottle's empty." She pouted, that wasn't good. She had to keep her mouth shut about Stiles, but his dad was sitting right there. Therefore Natalie needed more wine so that she would end up dancing on the table, singing out of key and attempting to kiss someone before the night ended, rather than blabbing to Noah. Embarrassing herself would be better than betraying Melissa's trust. Besides, they wouldn't know for sure that Stiles had Frontotemporal Dementia like his mother until they ran some tests. There was no need to upset Noah with something uncertain.

"Don't worry, we have lots more in the kitchen!" Jake announced and tried to heave himself off of the armchair, only to rise about three inches and flop back down. Victoria chuckled at the action and stood up.

"I'll get it." She offered as she was the only sober person there, thanks to having no desire to poison herself with wolfsbane just to feel a buzz, and made her way to the kitchen. She heard her husband begin to follow her, but as soon as she had stepped through the doorway, the door slammed shut behind her and the lights flickered off. Chris immediately called out for his wife but she was busy staring at the masked creature in front of her. "Okay, let's get this over with."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"All done!" The body painter announced proudly, causing Danny to look down and admire the design once more.

"Nice." Danny smiled in appreciation, then looked at the body painter once more "Thank you." She nodded at him in return then left in search of anyone else in need of painting. Danny began to search for Ethan, unaware of the two masked figures with glowing eyes watching him.

Just after Ethan took Danny away, 'Stiles' told the girls that he was off to find Scott, and Kira opted to go with Erica to where Lydia, Jackson, Cora, Boyd and Malia were all dancing, happily showing off the intricate designs that decorated their bodies and faces.

Erica announced along the way that she intended to have Cora and Boyd 'touch up' her bodypaint, then sported a flirty grin as she offered to paint Kira. She knew her mates wouldn't worry as she only had eyes for them and simply enjoyed flirting.

A surge of confidence flowed though Kira and she smirked right back at the blonde. "Who says you're the one I want to paint me?"

"What, you don't think I'm hot?" Erica pouted and batted her eyes at the Kitsune, who only grinned in response.

"Oh, I definitely think you're hot." Kira responded honestly and unbelievably casual, earning her a grin from the she-wolf beside her. "But that could just mean that I have a thing for hot shifters who have a heart of gold and an animalistic side." She teased, it was easy because Kira had always been quick to lose attraction to people once she found out they were unavailable. Some people called her strange for being so quick to get over people, but it was just how she worked. Once it became apparent that the person she was attracted to didn't feel the same way or were currently in a relationship, she would feel a moment of disappointment then all romantic attraction dissipated and all she craved was friendship. Maybe that made her unusual in the eyes of some people, but it made her life a lot less painful, so she was grateful.

She had seen Erica flirt with pretty much the entire Pack at this point, including some of the parents(though none of them ever flirted back much to Erica's disappointment), and she knew it was only harmless fun. Erica's mates -her true loves- weren't worried or upset by it, in fact they seemed to find it amusing most of the time, and no one was getting hurt, so why not have a little flirt?

"Oh? Does that mean there's another 'hot shifter with a heart of gold and an animalist side' that you have a thing for?" Erica raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued but also knowing. Erica thoroughly enjoyed having someone new to flirt with, who she knew wouldn't get the wrong idea. "Are you saying I'm not your 'one and only'?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh, I'll find out sooner or later, Yukimura." Erica promised with a smirk.

"We'll see, Reyes." Kira teased the blonde, by then they had reached the group, and were quickly encouraged to get some body paint and/or face paint on. Erica immediately took off her jacket and shirt, and encouraged Kira to do the same. Kira opted to only remove her jacket and left her top on. Though she knew she was attractive, Kira wasn't as self confident as those around her, that was a part of the reason that she chose to only have her face and hand painted.

Boyd offered to take their belongings to the bedroom and lock them away safely. "Remember, Stiles has the key." Cora called out as her mate began to walk through the crowd.

"I know." He called back. He found Stiles talking to Scott in the corner to the right of the bedroom door. The pair grew quiet as Boyd approached.

"Hey, Boyd, what's up?" Stiles greeted like he didn't have a care in the world, which earned him concerned frowns from both Boyd and Scott.

"Hey, Erica and Kira wanted me to put their stuff in the bedroom, is it cool if I borrow the key?" Boyd explained and asked after a moment of hesitation and a subtle head shake from Scott.

"Sure thing!" 'Stiles' agreed easily taking the key off of the ring, rather than giving Boyd the full set like he usually would for a quick task such as this. Stiles wanted to remind his pups that they weren't supposed to go anywhere alone and make Scott go with him, but the thing wouldn't let him. "Just remember to lock it up again when you're done and give the key right back to me."

Trusting that Scott would take care of it, Boyd reluctantly said nothing and instead made his way to the bedroom. Once he was inside the door slammed shut behind him, then Boyd heard an unfamiliar snarling. Boyd spun around quickly only to find himself grabbed by the head and staring into glowing eyes that were peering at him through the eyeholes of a black mask.

Meanwhile, Ethan made his way to the storage room where they were keeping all of the extra supplies. He reached up to turn on the free-hanging light as he started to pick up a bag of ice, then the light flickered off. He sighed, set down the ice and reached up to turn it back on, only to have to repeat the process because the second that he had turned around, the light turned off again. After a few failed attempts to keep the light on, Ethan heard a strange snarling sound. He turned to see the masked figures with glowing eyes and the door slammed shut before he could react.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles had been flickering in and out of control of his words and body since arriving at the party. He was in control when he told Scott about the key that had mysteriously appeared on his key chain, that the thing controlling had obviously wanted him to see, but he lost control when he tried to tell Scott that he thought he knew what the key was for.

When Boyd approached, Stiles was given enough control to act as Pack Mom and remind the boy to lock up after himself, but not keep him from going in their alone, and he didn't have control over his hands as they separated the bedroom key from the key chain and refused to cooperate when he tried to show Scott the mystery key.

It was incredibly frustrating and while Stiles was glad that he was able to talk to his pups and see that they were alright, a part of him wished he was back in the cage with his wolf merely observing. At least in there he knew how much freedom he had at all times.

That's when it hit him. Why the creature was giving Stiles a certain amount of control only to take it away immediately. Why it had locked him in a cage with his wolf, only to pull him out less than 24 hours later, then shoved him back in, then hours later pulled him back out and refused to let him go back. Control.

It was proving to Stiles that it was in control. That it was the master of his body right now. Worse though, it was trying to break him. Trying to make him give in completely and willingly give in to it. So that it could have his body and kill him and his wolf.

'Well, good luck with that you Creepy Body Snatching Bitch.' Stiles thought to himself. 'I am the most stubborn person that has ever lived, and while I do not care about my own life, I care about my Pack and I will never let you hurt them. Or take me away from them, because they'd all be dead within a year without me there to take care of them' Distantly, Stiles could hear his wolf chuckling.

Stiles Stilinski had managed to survive losing his mother, feeling like a disappointment to his father, being bullied for years, being bitten by an alpha werewolf, multiple attacks from said alpha, watching and helping his mate and Pack to kill said alpha, fighting a homicidal lizard who was being controlled by a creeper classmate, being kidnapped and tortured by a psychotic geriatric, being attacked by pixies, being used as a living sketchbook for a Pack of Alpha's, having his mate ripped away from him and forced to be with a psychopathic murderous darach, watching half of his pups try to kill themselves, binding himself to an ancient magical tree, and going through Bardo; It would take a hell of a lot more than this to make him give in and leave his Pack to mourn and suffer without him.

Scott was clearly digging for information on Stiles' wellbeing, he was trying to be subtle but it was Scott, so Stiles obviously saw right through him. The fact that Scott could tell something was up had Stiles both relieved and concerned. He was relieved because it meant that he would be more cautious when following the orders and plans that 'Stiles' came up with, unlike the trio he had taken to the police station that night. But that was also why it made Stiles anxious. If the thing controlling him knew that Scott, and possibly Derek, Lydia and Allison, were suspicious of it, it might do something to hurt them. He wanted to scream at Scott not to trust him, to take the Pack and get as far away from him as possible, but the thing wouldn't let him.

When Scott suggested that they go investigate the key, it was Stiles who declined, not wanting to ruin Scott's night or put his life-long best friend at risk by isolating him from the pack with no-one but the thing inside him. Scott would be reluctant to attack the creature anyway, but while it was wearing Stiles face? Scott would never risk hurting Stiles, he still beat himself up over the incident in the locker room, back when they first turned. Therefore Scott could not be completely alone with 'Stiles' at any point in the near future. No siree.

With the little control he was granted, Stiles was allowed to encourage Scott to return to dancing with his mates, both of whom were frequently sending seductive smiles to the crooked jawed boy as they danced body to body. Eventually Scott caved after a vaguely familiar girl wearing a pink wig approached and left a fluorescent kiss stain on Stiles' cheek, wished him a happy halloween and invited him to dance.

Stiles wanted to decline and go check on Boyd, who had been in the bedroom a long time, but the thing made him accept the girl's offer and ask for her name.

"I'm Caitlin." She informed him as she danced in place. The thing allowed Stiles to voice the realisation that immediately hit him.

"Oh, my God, You're Caitlin!" He exclaimed in shock, the girl, who was clearly drunk, blinked at him and nodded.

"I know! I just told you that." She reminded him with a nod.

"No, I know- I just- I mean, uh- You and your girlfriend. She's…" Stiles stammered, trying to explain his reaction without coming off as insensitive. Caitlins joyful expression quickly dropped into a look of grief and Stiles wanted to punch himself in the face.

"She died."

"Yeah!" Stiles nodded, a sympathetic frown on his face, trying to figure out what to say next, he blurted out the first thing that came to his head. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" Caitlin exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air as she forced a smile on her face "I'm really drunk."

"Okay." Stiles nodded, unsure of what to say to the girl next, fortunately for him, she spoke first.

"Do you still want to dance?" She asked hopefully, obviously wanting to move past that particular conversation and Stiles found himself agreeing before she led him through the crowd.

Not too far away from the pair, Lydia and Jackson were dancing. Well, dancing wasn't exactly the right word for it. If you asked Erica what the pair were doing she would have referred to their actions as 'foreplay'. Their actions combined with the heat from all the other bodies in the room had Lydia uncomfortably warm and so Jackson, the chivalrous gentleman that he is when it comes to his mate, offered to go get her a drink. The banshee gratefully accepted.

As Jackson made his way through the crowd, Lydia decided to lean against a nearby support beam as she caught her breath. She looked around the room, eyes scanning for her Pack Mates. She spotted Aidan first, sandwiched between two girls who were wearing a lot of body paint and very little in terms of clothes. "Finally." She muttered, relieved that it appeared that the wolf would finally be getting some action so that she wouldn't have to listen to Jackson bitch about the 'stench of his sexual frustration' anymore.

She continued looking around and her eyes fell on 'Stiles' next, who was dancing in a very Stiles manner with some girl, Lydia couldn't quite see her face, only her body paint and vibrant clothes and wig. "Awkwardly" Lydia raised an eyebrow, he danced well with Derek and yet there he was doing that trainwreck of a dance move? Then again, Derek was his mate and if Stiles was still in there somewhere, he wouldn't want to give the girl the wrong impression by dancing seductively, the way he does with Derek.

Lydia moved on, eager to make sure the rest of her pack were doing okay. Her eyes fell on Scott, Isaac and Allison next, the trio were dancing together, Allison was between her boys Scott's arms were bracketing her and his hands were resting on Isaac's hips. Allison had been face to face with Isaac until the curly haired Beta twirl the huntress so she was facing Scott. Scott, in turn, pulled Isaac closer to him so that Isaac's chest was pressed against Allison's back and Allison's chest was pressed to Scott's own. "Predictably." Lydia chuckled fondly. She noticed Jacksons from the corner of her eye, walking towards the bathroom but didn't pay that much mind.

As she continued looking around the room, the Banshee spotted Kira and Malia dancing body to body, in the same place she and Jackson had left them when they decided to dance more intimately and Cora began to complain about the smell, Kira's face and neck had been painted in a similar style to the coyote. Malia was leading their dance, surprisingly well for someone who hadn't danced in eight years. "Interestingly." Lydia hummed, a thoughtful expression on her face before she looked away from the pair.

Barely a meter away Cora and Erica were dancing. They were body to body as Lydia expected, but neither looked like they were enjoying it as much as they usually would. They were talking to each other while looking around the room, clearly unsettled. It was then that Lydia recalled that Boyd had gone into the bedroom earlier, and suddenly realised she hadn't seen him since. Rapidly looking around the room, Lydia realised that she couldn't see Ethan or Danny either. "Concerningly." She muttered, she stood up straight and decided to go check on her missing Pack Mates, sure that her Mate could find her once he'd gotten their drinks.

Before she actually could take a step to go look for them, a snarling sound unlike anything she'd ever heard before filled her ears. The music faded away as the snarling and her own heart pounding was all she could hear.

Lydia could see a masked figure staring at her, exactly like the ones she had seen when Chris told his story, disappearing and reappearing from sight in a manner similar to that of a shadow on the pavement when the clouds passed in front of the sun on a bright summer's day.

A fear unlike anything the Banshee had ever felt before overcame her as she called out for her Pack Mates, though no one seemed to hear her. She intended to walk over to Allison, Scott and Isaac, but she found it much too difficult to breathe all of a sudden, so she made her way to the balcony for fresh air instead. The door slammed shut behind her, but she took no notice. Forcing herself to take deep breaths, Lydia looked through the large window at the Party raging inside, no longer able to see any shadowy creatures amongst the crowd. Taking a few more deep breaths, Lydia turned her back to the window and leant forward against the wall of the balcony and looked out at the town. 'It looks a whole lot creepier without all the street lights', she noted.

Lydia had just begun to calm down when the snarling sound returned. She turned to see a pool of shadows on the ground to her right, blocking her route to the balcony door. Out of the shadows came a hand, shortly followed by another. Soon, the masked figure rose out the shadows on the ground. She started to scream, intending to use her voice to push the creature away, despite Derek warning them not to fight, her instincts were too strong, only for a gloved hand to appear in front of her mouth from behind her and make a fist. With that, Lydia's voice was gone. She turned to see a second masked figure directly behind her. It used the hand that had stolen her voice to grip her by the back of her neck, it's thumb resting behind her ear as it stared into her eyes, then it's eyes began to glow.

As that had unfolded, after looking at the large crowd around the drinks table, Jackson decided to go to the bathroom first and hoped that the queue would go down by the time he finished.

He made his way to the bathroom, which was surprisingly and thankfully unoccupied. Jackson flicked on the light and locked the door behind him.

He had just finished and began to pull his zipper back up when the lights flickered off. A snarling sound filled his ears and he knew what was coming, thanks to Isaac's description from the night before. He turned and found himself face to face with a masked creature. His instincts told him to fight, despite Derek's warning, but he was frozen in place with fear, The creature grabbed him by the back of the head and began to gaze at him with glowing eyes.

Back inside the loft, Aiden was searching through the crowd, looking for his brother with the intent of bragging about his conquest when he found Danny instead. Danny looked doubtful yet hopeful as he looked at the twin. "Ethan?" He asked, even though he was certain that he was speaking to Aiden.

The werewolf shook his head. "Aiden."

"Where's Ethan?"

"I'm looking for him too."

"I haven't seen him in like half an hour." Danny informed Aiden, biting his lip with a worried expression on his face. Aiden grew extremely concerned. The relaxation he had felt moments before immediately dissipated. "Is something wrong? Do you think it has something to do with whatever attacked Isaac last night?"

"I don't know." Aiden replied honestly. "Come on, it's better if we stick together." He half ordered and Danny nodded and began to follow Aiden through the crowd as they searched for Ethan.

As Kira and Malia were dancing, when Kira suddenly needed to use the bathroom. "I'll be right back!"

Malia frowned, "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom."

"Oh, okay, do you want me to come with you?" She offered but Kira shook her head.

"No, no, it's fine, but would you mind getting the bedroom key off of Stiles? I kinda wanna hide away for a few minutes when I get back." She asked hopefully, Malia nodded immediately as she was eager to help.

"Of course, I'll get the key and meet you in there." Malia promised and turned away to do so. Kira smiled as she watched Malia walk away, then Kira turned and walked towards the bathroom.

Stiles was sitting on the spiral staircase when Malia walked over to him. "Hey!" He greeted with a smile. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great, this is an awesome party." Malia replied honestly with a big smile on her face, Stiles couldn't keep himself from smiling in return. "Kira wants to sit down for a little while though, can we have the key to the bedroom?"

Stiles' face dropped into a frown. "I don't have it, Boyd had it last when he went to put Erica and Kira's stuff in there and I haven't seen him since."

"Oh, okay, I'll go find him."

"Let me know when you do!" Stiles called out as the girl began to walk into the crowd, she gave a thumbs up in response and then disappeared into the sea of drunken teenagers. He was about to get up and search, but the thing controlling him tightened the leash once more and he was rooted in place.

Meer seconds later, Caitlin approached him with a bottle of beer in either hand. "You have a bottle opener?" She asked and he nodded, Derek had gotten him it as a gag-gift, shortly after the night of the parent-teacher conference when Stiles had drunk his first beer, stating that he wouldn't always be able to use his claws.

"Yeah." He informed her as he pulled out his keys and opened his own bottle, as he moved to open Caitlin's bottle for her she snatched the key's off of him, causing him to blink in surprise.

"Your key has phosphors on it." She smiled and showed him the mystery key which was glowing as though someone had uv paint on their fingers when they used it.

"Huh." Stiles looked at the key thoughtfully, only looking away when he noticed Caitlin leaning closer to him. When he looked towards her, she kissed him. Whatever was possessing him apparently decided not to be even more of a douchebag that night and allowed Stiles to remain in control as he pulled away from the girl and gently pushed her away. "Oh- I uh- Sorry but I uh- I uh- I uh thought y-you liked girls?" Was what he managed to stutter out as he leaned away from the girl who was smiling at him.

"I do like girls." Caitlin replied helpfully "Do you?"

"Absolutely." Stiles confirmed honestly and the girl smiled and nodded at him.

"Great." Caitlin smiled.

"So, you also like boys?" Stiles asked hoping it would give him the segway he needed to let her down gently.

"Absolutely," She confirmed with a smile, then asked curiously. "Do you?" Stiles smiled victoriously.

"Yeah, I've actually got a boyfriend." Caitlin's expression morphed into a look of understanding as she opened her beer and gave Stiles his keys back. "He's working tonight, but this is actually his building, so he let my friends and I use the loft for the party." He explained and gestured around the room.

"I'm glad he did," Caitlin smiled in response. "This is a great party!"

"Yeah, it is," Stiles exclaimed, pride clear in his voice over the fact that his pups had put it all together. The pair of bisexuals shared a smile and took sips from their beers before Stiles asked, "I'm sorry, what are phosphors?"

"Oh," She blinked, lowering her drink before responding. "they're any substance that luminesces." She explained, reminding Stiles of Lydia in a way. "It's in your teeth and your fingernails. Laundry detergent!" She recounted before wiping her lipstick print off of Stiles' lower lip and Stile made a mental note to shower thoroughly before he next encountered Derek, not wanting his mate to get the wrong idea. "It's also in this. It reacts to the UV light, that's why it glows."

"How would I get phosphors on my keys?" He asked with a thoughtful frown, even though he already suspected the answer.

"Have you been handling chemicals?" Caitlin asked in return and Stiles sighed.

"I was really hoping you wouldn't ask me that." He then rose to his feet and turned to face the girl. "Look, I'm really sorry, but I-"

"It's cool!" She waved him off, also rising to her feet. "I was looking to get laid tonight, to take my mind off of things anyway. And I'm guessing you told me about your boyfriend as a way to politely reject me, rather than invite me to a threesome?" She smiled kindly and Stiles nodded in response.

"Don't get me wrong, you're gorgeous and if I was single and not head over heels in love-" Stiles tried to explain, Caitlin didn't seem upset, but he wanted to make sure that he hadn't made her feel unattractive or something like that. She laughed and cut him off.

"Relax, I know I'm hot." She grinned teasingly at him, completely unphased by his rambling. "There are plenty of guys and girls here tonight for me to have fun with. You go do what you gotta do, and I'm gonna do what I gotta do. It was fun talking to you though!"

"Thanks, you too!" Stiles replied honestly. "If you ever need a friend or someone to talk to, I'm Stiles. Most of the drag queens in this town have my number."

"Good to know." Caitlin smiled as she raised her beer bottle and nodded at him. "See you around Stiles!" And with that, she disappeared into the crowd, searching for somebody else, who didn't have a partner, to distract herself from her grief for the night.

The Pack Mom in him made Stiles rush to get a bottle of water, he then tracked Caitlin down and gave her said bottle. "You drink that! Okay? The whole thing!" He ordered, then rushed away again, leaving the girl bemused.

He weaved through the crowd as fast as he could. Stiles made his way to the table holding the paint, picked up a tub of red paint and a paintbrush. He painted a message on the nearest wall and signed it with a triskele. Stiles then ran past the bedroom door, purposefully dropping his keys as he did so. Somewhere along the way, he dropped his phone but he didn't care/ He then ran to the door of the loft and threw it open. With one last look at the Pack members still dancing happily, Stiles shoved down the urge to stay and help because he knew that his Pack would be safer without him right now, he took a deep breath and then he ran out of the loft as fast as he could.

Across the room, Allison, Scott and Isaac were dancing, Allison sandwiched between her boys until she pushed them away gently. "I'm too warm." She complained as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, smearing paint as she did so.

"Why don't we go to the storage room and cool off?" Isaac suggested. "All the ice is in there so it should be cood." His mates quickly agreed to that plan and the trio made their way to the room in question. They pushed open the door to find the light already on. Allison immediately made her way to the sink. She turned the tap on and splashed some cold water on her face, deciding she would rather cool down now and have her mates reapply her paint later, then turned the tap back off and turned to her mates.

"This is much better." She declared, earning her pleased smiles from her mates. She was about to suggest something more fun that the three of them could do now that they were alone, only to abort that suggestion when Scott and Isaac suddenly looked extremely concerned.

"Did you hear that?" Isaac asked nervously, Allison shook her head, but Scott nodded. They followed the sound to find Ethan, ice cold and quivering on the ground with fear.

The wolves quickly scooped Ethan up and carried him to the bedroom, Allison clearing a path through the crowd for them. When they arrived there, they found Cora and Erica worrying over Boyd who was in a similar state. "What's happening to them?" Scott asked in concern, eye darting between his pack mates in concern as he and Isaac set Ethan down on the bed next to Boyd.

"I think they were attacked by whatever attacked me in the library last night." Isaac told him honestly, causing the concern of those around him to increase tenfold.

"How did you snap out of it?" Allison asked as she and Scott both reached out to comfort him. Erica cursed as she remembered that night, when Chris told her that she had to 'trigger the healing process'. Cora looked at Erica and nodded, then moved to pin Boyd down.

"We need to trigger the healing process." Isaac explained. He looked to Scott with pleading eyes. "Can you pin him down for me?" Scott nodded and moved to do so. At the same time, Allison shut the bedroom door.

Erica gently grabbed Boyd's hand as Isaac moved to grab Ethan's arm. "Sorry baby." Erica whispered to Boyd before grabbing his index and middle finger and yanked them back resulting in two sickening cracks. As she did so, Isaac twisted Ethan's arm and broke it, signified by another awful cracking sound. The two wolves immediately howled, their eyes glowing as the healing process kicked in. Once they had calmed down and the healing was kicking in, Allison looked behind both of their ears and found the same mark that Isaac had.

"It's the same, exactly the same."

Just then, Malia burst into the room. "Hey, Kira wa- Woah! What happened to them?"

"They were attacked by the same thing that attacked Isaac." Scott explained quickly as he turned to look at the coyote. "Is everything okay with Kira?"

"She's fine, she just went to the bathroom." Malia assured, "She also just wanted to come in here for a minute to take a breather." She explained as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and texted Stiles to let him know that Boyd had been found.

"Should I call Derek and tell him what's going on?" Cora asked, suddenly remembering that her brother had requested that they do so if anything like this happened.

"Yes" Aliison said firmly, easily slipping into the 'leader' persona that her parents, the sheriff and Derek were helping her to forge, so that she could become the Argent Matriarch. "Isaac, call the sheriff; Scott, call your mom; Malia, you and I will go find Kira and bring her in here, if we see any of the others along the way we'll tell them to come in here too." Allison announced. She waited until she had received some form of confirmation from the pack members present and then picked up her mountain ash, double checked that she had all of her guns and knives secured in their holsters. Then she turned towards the door, and left the room with Malia.

They quickly weaved through the crowd, they soon arrived at the destination and Malia knocked loudly on the bathroom door.

"Uh- occupied!" Kira called out sounding extremely concerned.

"Kira, it's us, open up!" Allison yelled through the door and it immediately swung open.

"Oh, thank god! Somethings wrong with Jackson, I was just about to text you." Kira exclaimed as soon as she saw the pair, then turned and led them towards the bathtub. She pulled back the shower curtain to reveal Jackson covered in towels that Kira had placed over him in an attempt to warm him up. "I remembered what you said about what happened to Isaac last night and about the mark behind his ear, so I checked Jackson" Kira gently tilted the wolf's head so the other two girls could see behind his ear. "and he has the same mark."

"They attacked Boyd and Ethan too, they're in the bedroom with Erica, Cora, Scott and Isaac." Allison informed Kira with a mask of composure hiding her true feelings. "We need to get Jackson in there too, but first we have to trigger his healing process." Before the huntress could say anything more, Malia gently nudged the pair out of her way, reached out and broke Jackson's wrist. The beta howled in pain, Malia apologised to him and then scooped Jackson up in her arms.

"Thank you, okay, follow me." Allison ordered as she led the pair out of the bathroom. They opted to go around the edge of the room where it was less crowded and easier to avoid bumping into people.

Around the same time that Kira found Jackson, Danny had gone out to the balcony and found Lydia in the same state as Boyd and Ethan. He called out for Aiden to help him get the Banshee inside.

"What happened to her?" Aiden asked as Danny looked at his friend in concern as he checked her over.

"I don't know, but she's freezing. She's practically hypothermic." With that declaration, Aiden scooped Lydia into his arms and told Danny that they needed to get Lydia inside and warmed up.

Danny began to lead Aiden towards the bedroom. Along the way they came across Kira, Allison and Malia, the latter of whom was carrying Jackson in her arms, who looked no better than his mate.

"I just went to the bathroom to wash the paint off and found him like this in the bathtub." Kira rushed to explain when she saw them. "He's not responding!"

"We found Ethan the same way, Cora and Erica found Boyd like this too, they're both in the bedroom now." Allison added and Aiden was feeling a confusing cross between concern for his brother and relief at knowing where he was and that he was in safe hands.

"Okay, let's go. Has anyone called Derek?" Danny asked Allison as Malia and Aiden improved their respective grips on Lydia and Jackson and followed the pair as they cleared a path through the few party goers around the edge of the room, Kira flanked them, making sure nobody could bump into them from behind.

"Yeah, and the Sheriff and Melissa, I don't know if any of them have gotten through though," Allison explained. "I told them to call them while Malia and I went to find Kira."

As they approached the bedroom door, it flew open, startling them all. Isaac was there looking panicked, a huge ball of many blankets was clutched in his hands. Behind him, Erica and Cora were carrying Boyd and Scott was carrying Ethan, Allison immediately rushed to help Scott. "Why did you get them out of the bed?" She asked urgently. "They need to rest."

"Derek didn't answer. But the Sheriff said to get them in the Range Rover and drive them home so Melissa can check on them." Isaac explained quickly

"Derek didn't answer?" Allison repeated for confirmation, extremely concerned by that fact.

"No, and Ally, they got to your mom." Isaac told her. The huntress' expression grew darker. Isaac looked over her shoulder to Malia. "Peter too."

"Okay? Why would I care about Peter?" Malia asked, genuinely confused. "Shouldn't we be more focused on getting these guys in the car?" She said, lifting Jackson slightly higher for emphasis.

"The Range Rover is a seven seater, right?" Aiden asked Danny, who nodded in response.

"Crap, it got them too?" Isaac asked rhetorically, looking at his injured pack mates with a kicked puppy look which quickly transformed back into a panicked look. "Has anyone seen Stiles?"

There was silence as everyone waited for somebody to say something. Malia looked towards the staircase she had last seen him sitting on, only to find that he was no longer there.

"Once I've gotten Jackson in the car, I'll go look for him." Malia offered when nobody responded to Isaac's question. "When are we putting them in the car, exactly?"

"Malia's right, let's get a move on. These guys need help." Danny reminded them all. Danny locked the bedroom door behind them then the Pack Mates made their way out of the loft and out of the building.

"I've got the keys!" Erica announced as they all exited the building and walked towards the vehicle as she had 'forgotten' to give them back to 'Stiles' after their mission to erase sensitive data. "Back pocket!"

Kira quickly got the hint and reached into the girls pocket, only to find it empty. "Other pocket." Erica told her unnecessarily. Kira retrieved the key and unlocked the vehicle and rushed to open all of the doors.

"They came out of the dark." Lydia muttered as Aiden sat her down on the seat next to Boyd, Jackson was quickly placed next to her. Ethan was on the left rearmost seat, Allison decided to claim the role of driver, so that she could check on her mom, and collected the key from Kira.

"I'll drop these guys off at the Reyes' house so that Melissa can check on them." Allison announced as she climbed into the driver's seat, and rolled down the window so that she could continue to speak to them. "Then I'll come back and help you guys kick everyone out. The rest of you stay in pairs or groups and look for Stiles and make sure our guests upstairs don't cause too much trouble." There were noises of agreement from Scott, Isaac, Kira, Cora, Erica, Aiden, Danny and Malia "Be careful." She finished firmly before she started the car, before she could start driving, however a familiar howl pierce the air.

"Derek." Cora gasped and ran off in the direction the howl had come from, quickly followed by Erica, Scott and Malia.

"Maybe wait a minute, in case you need to take Derek home too." Isaac told Allison, then rushed after his packmates. Allison nodded, not that Isaac saw, and sent concerned looks to Aiden, Danny and Kira, all of whom had opted to stay with her in case the creatures decided to make another appearance.

They found Derek and Parrish slumped against the police cruiser

"What happened?" Cora asked, checking over her brother, quickly finding the mark behind his ear. "They attacked you too." She growled.

"Too? Did they get you?" He demanded. Cora and Scott helped him to his feet, and he quickly began checking the four of them for the mark and any signs that they had been attacked, even as they shook their heads.

"No, but they got Boyd, Ethan, Jackson and Lydia." Erica explained quickly as she checked behind Parrish's ear and found the same mark there. "Parrish has got the mark too."

"We called the sheriff and he told us that Peter and Mrs Argent were also attacked, now they all have the mark that Isaac has." Scott added as he and Erica worked together to pick up the deputy.

"Allison is gonna drive them all home in the range rover." Malia informed him as they made their way towards the vehicle in question.

Within minutes. the five of them returned. Malia and Cora were supporting Derek, who was clearly recovering faster than the rest of them. Scott and Erica were carrying Parrish, who wasn't looking so hot.

"They attacked Parrish too?" Aiden asked in concern. "I thought they only went after the supernatural?" As he spoke, he opened the car door and helped Scott and Isaac maneuver the man into the only free seat. "Does this mean they're going after humans too?"

"I don't think so," Danny countered thoughtfully. "They had plenty of opportunity to attack me when I was looking for Ethan, before I found you, but they didn't."

"Then maybe he isn't human." Cora suggested, eyeing the deputy distrustfully. "Now that I think about it, he's the only deputy, other than Derek, who I've never seen using mountain ash."

"We'll figure that out later," Derek cut in, before his sister could start threatening the barely conscious man. He trusted Parrish and opted to give the man the benefit of the doubt. "Allison, get them home. Tell Noah and the others what happened." He ordered firmly as he shut the car door. The alpha allowed his eyes to flash red, showing the huntress that there was no room for argument.

"Fine, but I'm coming straight back!" Allison told him, then drove away before he could protest. She wanted to check on her mother anyway.

"Where's Stiles?" Derek demanded, his eyes scanning the group before him, who grew nervous at that question.

"We don't know." Scott admitted softly, his eyes downcast.

"What?" Derek growled out.

"I went to ask him for the bedroom key and he told me that Boyd had it, I haven't seen him since." Malia told him, unperturbed by his anger because while she was still learning how to read other people's emotions, anger was one she knew well. In this instance, she knew that the anger wasn't directed towards her.

Derek let out a low growl, his face morphing into beta shift against his will.

"We'll find him." Cora promised as she took a step closer to her brother, but he moved away.

"I'm going to search the surrounding area, you guys search the building." Derek ordered as he turned away. Without waiting for a response, he ran from his Pack, desperately trying to pick up his mates scent. He wasn't concerned that he was partially shifted, it was Halloween after all. He needed to get away from his Pack, in case he lost his temper, and he also needed to be seen patrolling more, or risk himself and Parrish, and even Noah, from getting into trouble. Because Agent McCall would definitely blame the Sheriff if anything went wrong that night.

"Okay, so how are we gonna do this?" Malia asked curiously, tearing her eyes from the Alpha in favour of looking at the others standing with her. As she had been excluded from the actual event of breaking into the police station, this was the coyote's first 'mission' with the pack and she was probably more excited than she should be.

"Well, there's an even number of us so," Aiden commented as he looked around at the group and attempted to distract himself from worrying about his brother. "we could either split into two groups of four, or four pairs."

"I was thinking we could split into two groups of three and a pair." Cora advised thoughtfully. "We can cover more ground that way and with smaller groups it'll be easier to stick together. Three is better than two, y'know." Erica, Scott and Isaac nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and that opinion isn't at all based on the fact that you're all involved in threesomes." Danny teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"If you're going to refer to our relationship, we prefer 'triad', 'throuple' or 'three-way-mate-bond' actually." Scott corrected with a grin.

"We do not like being referred to as a 'three-way-mate-bond'" Isaac protested immediately, sending his mate a teasing glare. "We will, however, answer to: 'the-hottest-damn-throuple-you-will-ever-meet'. It's actually our preferred title." Scott chuckled but nodded in agreement.

"He's right."

"We're cool with being called a 'threesome'" Erica replied with a shrug and Cora did not protest.

"As educational as this is, can we please get back on topic?" Aiden asked in exasperation, when everyone put their 'serious faces' back on, he continued "I'll stick with Danny." he told them decisively. Danny and Ethan may not be mate's, but they were definitely in love and Aiden wanted to keep his brother's boyfriend safe. It would also make him feel better about being separated from his brother at that point in time.

"Malia, you can come with Erica and I." Cora offered her cousin, who smiled gratefully at her.

"That means you and I get to stay together." Scott smiled at Isaac, who smiled back, then returned his attention to the other pack mates. "Kira, do you want to come with us?" He asked, hoping she would say yes and pulled out his best puppy eyes to persuade her. If she went with Aiden and Danny, Aiden would have to be worried about protecting them both as Danny was a pacifist and Kira hadn't had any training with them yet. They'd all feel safer if Kira went with two shifters, and Cora had already claimed Malia for their group.

"Yeah, works for me." Kira replied honestly, she wanted to spend more time with all of the pack members, even in terrifying and dangerous circumstances such as this.

"Okay, me, Kira and Isaac will check the roof and work our way down through the building," Scott declared, "Malia, Cora, Erica, you three start on the ground floor and walk your way up. Aiden, Danny, you two go back to the loft, see if Stiles comes back and keep an eye on the party. No matter what, we have to stay in our groups and make sure that we don't disturbed the building's tenants."

"I think we have more pressing issues than a bunch of strangers getting a good night's sleep." Cora reminded him, somewhere between incredulous and amused.

"No, he's right." Erica piped in, earning her a raised eyebrow from Cora and a pleased smile from Scott. "If we bother those losers, Derek will never let us have a party again." Scott's smile dropped into an unimpressed glare.

"That's really not what I-" The crooked jawed boy began, but the born-wolf cut him off.

"Oh shit, you're right. Great thinking Scott." She shot a single finger gun at him along with a teasing wink, an action she had picked up from Stiles, then turned and linked arms with Erica and Malia. "Come on ladies, let's go find Stiles and save the party, good luck with those losers, Kira, if we do groups of four next time, you're definitely coming with us." With that the three girls made their way into the building.

The three wolves, the druid-in-training and the kitsune followed, Aiden and Danny teasingly thanking Scott for 'putting the party life of the pack first' along the way. They proceeded to do so all the way upstairs. It wasn't until the pair had gone back into the loft and Scott, Isaac and Kira continued to the roof that Scott let the proud smile appear on his face.

"That was good thinking." Isaac complimented as he pushed open the door to the roof. Kira looked at the pair curiously. "Distracting them from worrying by letting them be their witty selves at your expense." Kira smiled when Isaac elaborated, that was sweet.

"It's not really 'at my expense', but thank you." Scott chuckled before he took a whiff of the air. "I can't smell any trace of him up here. Can you?"

"No." Isaac frowned, worried for his Pack Mom. "Come on, let's start searching the rest of the place."

"Wait!" Kira called out, stopping the wolves in their tracks, the pair turned to look at the Kitsune. The girl had found herself drawn to the ledge of the roof, leaning forwards slightly as she looked over the edge. "Come look at this!" The pair rushed over, out of both compliance and concern for her safety. "Someone carved something, where the car was, look!"

When they reached the girl, Scott gently gripped her arm, just in case, as he also looked over the ledge. The two werewolves looked down at the carving in the concrete, while Isaac looked confused, Scott grew horrified. "Oh god." He gasped before he backed away from the ledge. Isaac and Kira look to the boy in concern.

"Scott? What's wrong?" Isaac asked as he stepped towards his suddenly pale mate.

"You recognise it, don't you?" Kira asked, also stepping towards him though far more cautiously than Isaac. "What does it mean?"

"Scott you're shaking." Isaac pointed out as he gripped his mate by the shoulders, who still hadn't said anything more since seeing the carving. "Talk to me! What's going on? What does it mean?"

"We need to find Stiles." Scott finally replied, nodding his head as he did so.

"That's what we're all trying to do." Kira gently reminded him. "We're all trying to find him."

"Scott, we're trying to help, but first you need to tell us what it means." Isaac insisted, squeezing the boys shoulders,

"We have to find Stiles." Scott repeated. "Right now, we need to find him right now." Scott insisted, he pulled away from his mate and staggered towards the door.

"Scott, stop!" Isaac commanded, tapping into their Mate Bond to help. It was the first time he had used it; he always swore that he never would, as he felt that he would be taking away free will (even though it couldn't be used to force one's mates to do something, only make them feel slightly more inclined to do so.) from his mates if he were to do so. However, seeing his usually optimistic and composed mate unravel so quickly at something that was seemingly meaningless made him realise that sometimes he might have to use it to help his stubborn mate, and keep him from spiraling further. Scott froze with his hand grasping the door handle. "Tell us what's wrong." Isaac insisted, in a softer tone.

"I promise, I will tell you everything at home." Scott replied, his voice thick. When he looked up and looked at Isaac, his eyes were filled with unshed tears. "Right now, we need to focus on finding Stiles before it's too late." As Scott spoke, there was a loud creaking sound that Isaac knew to be the door handle becoming misshapen in Scott's grasp.

Kira and Isaac exchanged concerned looks, but decided to trust Scott's judgement. "Okay, but you must tell me everything when we get home!" Isaac insisted, reaching up to caress his mates cheek. "Me and Allison. Whatever it is, we can help."

"I know." Scott replied, forcing a soft smile. "I promise I will tell all of you everything later, but right now, we need to find Stiles."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

By 3am Allison had returned to the loft and rejoined her mates and pack mates, all eight of them had been unsuccessful in finding Stiles anywhere in the building, although Malia had found his keys, and Danny had noticed the message painted on the wall.

They had also avoided the shadow creatures in that time, much to their relief. The party continued on, Danny had tried politely asking everyone to leave, but nobody had any intention of stopping any time soon.

It was 6:15am when Derek finally returned (after he had clocked off at the station and informed the other deputies currently there of what had happened) and he immediately sought out his Pack. He informed them that he couldn't pick up a trail on Stiles' scent.

"There's nothing, it's like he just vanished!" The alpha growled, clearly frustrated.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." Cora assured her brother as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you guys find anything?"

Malia informed them that she found his keys. "They were on the floor by the bedroom door."

"I found a message painted on the wall." Danny chimed in next. "In red paint, signed with a triskele."

"Well, what did it say?" Allison asked, a frown etched onto her face.

"It said 'Don't Trust Me - BHMH 2004'

"There's something carved in the ground outside." Kira added. "We notice it from the roof."

"Was it a spiral?" Derek asked immediately.

"No." Isaac replied. "It was weird, I'm not even sure Stiles wrote it."

"He wrote it." Scott said stiffly, drawing attention back to himself. His mates, sensing his destress, immediately moved to comfort him.

"How can you be sure?" Cora asked with a raised eyebrow. "Did you see him carve it?"

"No."

"Then how can you be sure?" The dark haired girl repeated. She wasn't tryin to be rude, but now was definitely not the time for games or running around following false leads.

"Because of what the message said." Scott replied as he balled his hands into fists, tears pooling in his eyes threatening to spill if he so much as blinked.

"What did it say?" Allison asked gently. Scott opened his mouth to reply, when suddenly the wolves and the coyote froze when a familiar scent hit them.

Stiles.

They all turned hopefully, as Kira, Allison and Danny looked confused, only to sag in disappointment when they saw it was Caitlin, Stiles' scent clinging to her despite the strong scent of alcohol that engulfed her. Derek had to hold back a growl at his mate's scent on the girl.

"Hey," She addressed Scott, slurring her words slightly as she spoke to him. "You're Stiles' friend right?"

"Yeah." The crooked jawed boy began hopefully. "Have you seen him?"

"Not since I kissed him-" The girl began, and Derek felt his heart shatter.

"H-he kissed you?" Derek cut the girl off with wide eyes, stammering uncharacteristically. "But he-"

"Has a boyfriend, yeah he told me that after I kissed him. He did not kiss me back." Caitlin assured him and the rest of the Pack, not wanting Stiles' friends to think he had cheated on his boyfriend. Derek let out a sigh of relief, which did not go unnoticed by the girl. She squinted at him for a moment then declared. "Oh! It's you! You're the boyfriend! It's so cool of you to let him and the others use this place for the party! Are you a cop?" She asked as she noticed his uniform. "He said you were working tonight, but depending on where you work, that could just be a costume." She contemplated before she let out an excited gasp and a wide smile appeared on her face.

"Are you a stripper?!" She asked. Derek scowled, but behind him his Pack couldn't hold back their laughter. Scott, Aiden and Danny chuckled, Allison, Kira and Isaac giggled, and Erica, Cora and Malia all let out boisterous, full bodied laughs.

"No, I am not a stripper." Derek told her, glaring as he did so. "I am a deputy." First this girl kisses Stiles, then she brags about it, and now she's accusing Derek of being a stripper; Who the Hell does she think she is?

Of course, if you asked anybody else, they'd say that she wasn't bragging, simply relaying information, nor did she 'accuse' Derek of being a stripper, simply asked if he was one. But Derek would not take criticism at that point in time, nor would he actually tell anybody about the thought process that went through his head, so it was a moot point.

"Oh, okay. Anyway, I promise that he politely rejected me. We talked and he asked me how he got phosphors on his key." She declared loudly, she wobbled on her feet slightly. Scott reached out to steady the girl while he heard Aiden rush off, presumably to get the girl something non-alcoholic to drink. "But I found this under the bar when I dropped my lipstick. The lock screen is a picture of Stiles and you. He said this was his boyfriend's place so I assumed it must be yours or his." Caitlin informed Derek while holding out a familiar phone for him to see.

"Yeah, that's Stiles' phone." Scott replied before Derek could, trying to keep the worry out of his tone. "Thank you." He added politely

"Uh, sorry, but what are phosphors?" Isaac asked the girl given that Lydia wasn't there to explain, she smiled and gave him the same explanation that she gave Stiles.

"Then I asked him if he'd been handling chemicals and he got all panicky, saying he was worried I'd ask that and then rushed away after giving me a bottle of water." Caitlin finished explaining just as Aiden arrived with another bottle of water for the girl. "You guys are all about staying hydrated, huh?" She grinned as she accepted the bottle anyway and shameless checked out Aiden. Malia pulled out the keychain from her pocket and Caitlin, despite being very drunk, recognised them immediately and snatched them from the Coyote, much as she had done with Stiles.

"Here, see?" She held up the key in question for them all to see.

"Did Stiles say where he was going?" Erica asked hopefully, though she knew she would be disappointed with the answer.

"No, sorry." Caitlin apologised then turned her attention to the blonde, noticing her seemingly for the first time. "Holy shit, you're hot!" She exclaimed, earning her a pleased smile from the blonde, while Cora shuffled closer to her mate and wrapped an arm around her waist while glaring at the drunk girl. "Are you single?"

"Definitely not." Cora all but growled, drawing the girl's attention to her next. "She's with me and our boyfriend." That just made Caitlin smile wider than before, a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"You guys want a foursome?"

Derek growled under his breath and started to make his way over to the DJ. "Derek?" Cora called out in concern, opting to ignore Caitlins question in favour of following her brother quickly. "Where are you going?"

"Party's over." Was the alpha's only response as he marched towards the pop-up stage. A guy who had clearly been hired by the DJ to stop anybody from getting too close unwisely tried to stop Derek by placing his hand on his chest.

"Bro, sorry, The Bloody Beetroot doesn't take requests." The guy told the Alpha firmly but politely. Derek nodded politely in return, then tapped the badge pinned to his shirt without a word and moved to walk around him, only for the guy to place a hand on his chest again, this time leaving it there. Obviously the guy assumed Derek's uniform was a costume or something. "Bro, seriously. I said the DJ doesn't take-" On a normal night, Derek would have been diplomatic, but tonight his patience was thin, basically half his Pack had been attacked, as had he and Parrish, and Derek was in no mood to deal with drunk teenagers and a glorified babysitter. He really wanted to grab the guy by the neck, throw him to the ground and destroy the DJ's equipment. However, he was a deputy, on duty no less, and even if everyone here simply assumed he was in costume, he couldn't risk word getting around if he was recognised. Not with his kind-of-father-in-law being under investigation. He would quite happily give up his job to protect his Pack, but he would not risk Noah's career.

So, he did the best thing he could do in that situation, he pulled out his handcuffs, spun the guy around and cuffed his hands behind his back. "He'll take mine." He then hopped up on the stage, smiled politely at the DJ before he calmly unplugged the equipment. The DJ began to yell at Derek but a glare from the Alpha quickly shut him up.

All the party goers turned to find out why the music had stopped, so Derek gestured to his badge and announced as calmly as he could muster. "I am Deputy Hale from the Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department, this party is now over. Please go home." Immediately, the people around him, who weren't in his Pack, started booing him and made no move to leave the loft.

And there went Derek's patience. "GET OUT!" He thundered, startling the no longer welcome guests.

They all stared for a moment, one guy exclaiming "Damn dude!" before they all rushed to leave, with the exception of the DJ, his 'security' and Derek's Pack. Derek jumped off the stage gracefully, uncuffed the man who dared try to stop Derek from doing something, then gave the man and the DJ expectant looks. "You can get your equipment tomorrow." He informed the DJ, tone and expression left no room for negotiation. The pair began rushing out with the rest of the crowd. None of the visitors seemed even vaguely aware of the menacing, shadowy, masked figures having a staring contest with the Pack as they left.

Within two minutes, the only ones remaining in the loft were the shadowy figures and the Pack.

By the time the last guest had run out the door, the pack were spread around the room seemingly having staring contests with the creature.

"What do we do now?" Aiden asked, though he immediately regretted doing so because, as one, the creatures all turned to stare at him. "Guys, they're all looking at me." He told his Pack Mates unnecessarily as Scott shut the loft door, to dissuade anyone from returning. The crooked-jawed boy turned to look at Aiden just in time to see the creatures all take a single step towards Aiden. "Why're they all looking at me?" He asked, concern clear in his voice. The creatures all took another step closer to the wolf. His pack mates watched cautiously, waitin for Derek to tell them the plan of action. "Guys?"

"Aiden, don't move! Danny, step away from him." Derek ordered quietly but firmly, Danny reluctantly did as he was told but sent an apologetic and concerned look to Aiden. "Whatever they're doing, they don't want to hurt us." The creatures took a third step towards Aiden.

"How do you know?" Aiden snapped, fear causing him to react emotionally to his alpha's orders. "This is the first time any of us have dealt with demonic ninjas. Except for Chris, and his encounter involved a massacre." The creatures took their fourth step.

"Exactly, they've had ample opportunity to kill any of us, but they didn't!" The alpha reminded him gently just as creatures took their fifth step. Three more steps and the one in front of him would be close enough to grab him. "They're here for something else. Let them do what they came here to do and hopefully they'll leave us alone."

"Yeah, it's the 'hopefully' that has me worried." Aiden responded, his eyes fixed on the creature as it took a fifth step.

"Do you trust me?" Derek asked and Aiden didn't hesitate to answer. He didn't even have to think, the words just spilled from his lips.

"With my life." Aiden replied honestly. The creatures took a sixth step towards Aiden.

"Then trust me when I say that this won't be the end of it." Derek promised as he also took a step towards the beta. "The slightest sign that they're gonna try something and I will be right there, fighting them off, before they know what hit 'em, okay?"

"Okay." Aiden replied, relaxing marginally as the creatures took a seventh step towards him. It was the final step the creature closest to him needed.

The creature directly in front of Aiden grabbed him by the head and stared at him with glowing eyes.

It wasn't long before the creature had finished whatever it was doing and had marked Aiden by pressing it's index finger against the skin behind his ear, then it let Aiden go and allowed him to drop to the ground. Derek tried to move forward and help Aiden, only for another one of the creatures to pull a sword out of its chest. The creature sliced through the air expertly, causing Derek to back away from the deadly creature who was holding a deadly weapon.

The other three creatures were looking at the between Kira, Cora, Erica, Malia, and Scott, seemingly indecisive on who to target first.

Eventually they decided that Scott was to be their next target, followed by Cora, and then Erica. It went against every instinct that Derek had to not act. To simply watch as more of his Beta's were forced to endure the same harrowing experience he, and most of the others at this point, had been subjected to.

The alpha could feel the blood dripping from his hands, thanks to his claws digging into his palms. A low growl was being forced from him as he held himself back. As much as he wanted to fight the creatures, he knew that doing so could endanger his pack further.

The creatures dropped Erica carelessly, then turned their attention to Malia and Kira. Before they could make a move against the girls, a bright light broke through the window.

The sun had risen.

As soon as the light hit the creatures, they disappeared in wispy shadows, and the pack were left alone in the loft. Once the creatures were gone, Derek rushed forward. He checked over each of his traumatised beta's individually. He heard the others do the same, before he scooped Aiden up into his arms. He wanted to carry his sister, but Aiden was the heaviest out of the four, and Derek, being a true alpha, was the strongest and would have the easiest time carrying him.

"Okay, We're all getting out of here, now." Derek ordered as Allison and Isaac moved towards Scott. "I've got Aiden. Malia, would you mind carrying Cora?"

"Of course." Malia readily agreed and rushed to pick up the girl in question.

"I'll take Erica." Danny insisted as he stepped towards the blonde, Kira quickly followed the Druid-in-training's example.

"I'll help." The Kitsune declared.

"Thank you. Isaac, Allison, could the two of you get Scott, please?" When he turned his head to look at the pair, they already had their mate in their arms.

"Already have." Isaac told him.

"Allison, Danny, would one of you mind driving?" He asked and Allison immediately volunteered. "Great, then let's go."

Once they had placed the four who had just been marked in the car, Allison climbed into the driver's seat, Danny claimed the passenger seat and Kira claimed the right rearmost seat, next to Aiden.

"I'll run home with Derek." Malia announced when those still conscious realised that they were out of spare seats. Derek had taken the cruiser back to the station, so that was out, and honestly, Malia was grateful. She was on edge thanks to the ordeal and knew that left off some steam would be good.

Malia's suggestion was immediately approved and, for the second time that day (As it was 2am when she took the others home and checked on her mother.) Allison drove her near catatonic pack mates home.

Once they were out of earshot, the coyote turned to the wolf. "On the way home, we need to stop by the school, there's something I want to check."

"You want to see if that key is for the chemistry closet." Derek stated knowingly.

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Shortly after leaving the party and carving his message into the concrete, Stiles found himself back in the cage, but this time he fortunately remained free from the trap. He found talking to his wolf was strange, a really good strange, but strange nonetheless. While he'd always heard it's voice, he'd never had a conversation with it. "Will we still be able to talk like this? When we're reunited properly, once this- whatever is gone?" Stiles asked hopefully as he picked the lock with the two claws that his wolf had clipped off, using the bear trap as nail clippers with Stiles' assistance. It may be unusual but he loved it. He wasn't sure how long he'd been locked up here talking to his wolf, but in the time they'd been trapped together, they'd grown closer.

"I don't know." The wolf replied honestly. "As far as I'm aware, this is a pretty unique situation."

Stiles heard the lock finally click and laughed in relief when it popped open. He quickly removed the lock from the latch and opened the cage door. He turned to face his wolf again, now sporting a large grin. "Okay, let's get you out of here."

"No!" The wolf ordered firmly, staring at the former human with glowing eyes. "You have to go alone. He'll be able to sense me easily. But you can sneak around and you figure out how to win, it's what you do best. You can gain control and warn the pack." The wolf clearly didn't want a discussion, but Stiles was stubborn and couldn't bring himself to leave, what he believed to be, the best part of himself in a cage without a fight.

"No way, I can't just leave you in here! We'll figure out a way to hide you from him, okay?" Stiles insisted, moving forward to crouch down directly in front of his wolf so he could look him in the eyes. The wolf simply shook his head sadly. "And if we fail, we'll just bust out again and try something new, alright? That's what we do best. Teamwork! Alright?" Stiles insisted, the wolf just gazed at him as Stiles' voice grew soft and pleading, "Don't give up on me now."

"I am not giving up. I believe in you and I believe in us. I believe in our Pack. They can help us but I need you to give them a real warning, not just writing on the wall and a carving in the wall." The wolf told him in the same motherly tone Stiles used on his pups, the one his mom had used on him, the one Melissa used on Scott and Stiles. Firm but soft at the same time, and filled with love. "You need to get out of here. Take control, find a way to warn them, do whatever it takes."

"I can't leave you, no way in Hell-" Stiles began to protest only to be cut off by his wolf

"Enough arguing!" The wolf howled, putting all the Pack Mom command behind it that he could, despite the fact that he was unsure if it would work on himself. Evidently it did.

"Damn, that is effective, I should probably try to tap into that when I take control and warn the Pack." Stiles commented with a soft chuckle and a shake of his head.

"Good thinking." The wolf complimented, smiling softly. "Now get out of here before he notices that the cage door is open."

"I'll come back for you though." Stiles promised, stroking his wolf and scratching behind his ears. "Once I've warned them and figured out how to take control, I'll come back and set you free."

"I know, I'll keep watching through our eyes and try to warn you of anything I see." The wolf informed him, "Now. Leave!"

"Fine, but like I said, I'm coming back and getting you out of here, stay safe!" Stiles called out as he reluctantly backed out of the cage. With one last longing look at his wolf, Stiles ran off through… his brain? Trying to figure out how to find the thing possessing him and subdue them long enough to regain full control and warn the Pack of what was going on.

Notes:

Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think and please let me know if you spot any glaring errors so I can fix them!

Chapter 32: The Road Home (Is Paved with Moral Dilemmas)

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

Stiles gets lost in his head. Sheriff Stilinski shares his fears with the pack. The search for Stiles continues. The shadow creatures are identified and their target is confirmed.

The Hale Pack: The Road Home (Is Paved with Moral Dilemmas)

"Fine, but like I said, I'm coming back and getting you out of here, stay safe!" Stiles called out as he reluctantly backed out of the cage. With one last longing look at his wolf, Stiles ran off through… his brain? Trying to figure out how to find the thing possessing him and subdue them long enough to regain full control and warn the Pack of what was going on.

If you had told Stiles a year ago that one day he would be a werewolf trapped in his own mind, running through a labyrinth that he has decided to call his 'Mindscape', trying to figure out how to overthrow the one possessing him and return to his Pack and Mate, he would assume you were joking, insane, or on drugs. Or some combination thereof.

And yet, there he was, muttering encouragements to himself as he ran through corridors that resembled the school. The only difference was that the doors were missing.

Cursing the creature possessing him, Stiles limped as he ran. Even though he had previously healed the injury whilst in the cage with his wolf, Stiles could feel his leg bleeding inexplicably from the 'wounds' caused by the animal trap.

Stiles honestly wasn't sure if the creature was recreating his wounds to slow him down, or to annoy him. Either way, it was working.

"Come on, Stiles. You got this." He muttered. Intent on keeping this creature from hurting his Pack, Stiles worked through the pain. As he arrived at a corner, Stiles turned right sharply without slowing his run, and predictably skidded and tripped as a result. He quickly righted himself and carried on. Upon turning the corner, Stiles finally laid eyes on a door.

With a potential way out in sight, Stiles increased his speed. His leg was painful but he kept reminding himself that it wasn't real. At least, he was pretty sure that it wasn't real, but of course he had no idea what was happening to his body right now. For all he knew, the creature controlling his body could be out there naked skydiving and landing in a superhero pose in the parking lot of the high school right now, and Stiles would have no idea it was going on, let alone have any hope of stopping it.

However, he pushed those thoughts aside because it didn't matter what harm may befall his body, his biggest concern was that the creature was using said body to harm others, so he persevered.

'It might be a trap' Stiles thought when he noticed that the door was open. There was a sliver of light bleeding through the crack in the doorway, a warm orange glow that became brighter as Stiles grew closer. 'But getting back to my Pack is worth the risk.' He reminded himself as he shoved the door open further and ran through.

Every bit of logic said that the door would lead to a classroom or any other room you may find in the school, but upon passing through the door, Stiles suddenly found himself in the woods with Scott.

As in, a slightly younger version of Stiles, from back when Derek was under the Darach's spell. He and Scott were sat by a campfire and clutched in Memory-Stiles' fist was a bottle of whiskey. The bottle had been purchased by Jackson using a fake ID, how Scott had convinced him to do that for them and not join them, Stiles had no idea.

Lydia had also given in to Scott's plea's and carefully infused the bottle of whiskey with wolfsbane and let Scott and Stiles go out and do whatever they wanted. It was not the genius' wisest decision. In her defence though, she had been suffering from Derek's absence too. The entire pack had. Stiles tried his best to support them, but it had been difficult. Derek is irreplaceable. Just like every member of the Hale Pack.

Even though it was a by-product of the circumstances, that night was one of the highlights of that entire time and Stiles remembered it clearly. Well, parts of it at least. Admittedly, there were a few good memories made during that time, but they weren't enough to ease the pain. That pain was the worst Stiles had ever felt.

Even though Stiles frequently wished that Derek had never been placed under that spell in the first place, he wouldn't want to lose those memories. He and his pups had all grown closer during that time, and in that regard it was nice. Regardless of what Stiles wished, it had happened and he couldn't change that. All he could do was appreciate the good things that had come from it and learn to live with, and hopefully overcome, the bad.

Only knowing that he had to remain focused in order to save his Pack allowed Stiles to pull his eyes away from the happy scene. Stiles shook his head and tore his eyes from the scene before him.

Using the door to get out was the simplest solution, so he looked behind him but the door had vanished.

Brown and green in the moonlight was all Stiles could see. Only trees stood behind him.

Until he could access his wolf eyes again, Stiles didn't want to risk trying to navigate the woods. Turning to face forward again, Stiles searched for another way out. His eyes quickly fell on the path he and Scott had taken to get to the small clearing that night. There was a trail that led through the woods and to the town.

Stiles ran at full speed towards his way out, but the moment he passed through the clearing, he was transported to the roof of the hospital.

Immediately his eyes fell upon his mother, she was wearing a hospital gown and looking rather unhinged and ashen. Stiles knew instantly that it was the night that she died.

With a firm shake off his head, Stiles made a decision.

"Nope." Stiles declared as he turned on his heels. "I'm definitely not reliving this shit." He continued as he marched towards the roof door, resolute to ignore his mother screaming harsh words behind him.

He passed his crying, ten year old self on his way and stubbornly refused to even glance at the kid.

Opening the door forcefully, Stiles stepped through. He arrived at the preserve, where the memory of Peter turning him and Scott played out. It felt like it had been years since Stiles and Scott had been turned, but in reality it had been just a few days shy of ten months since that life-changing January night.

Neither of them knew it at the time, but that night had been the end of their old lives. Stiles didn't mourn his old life though. How could he when he finally felt alive?

Stiles watched with a small smile as Peter leapt from the shadows and pounced at Scott in alpha form. Of course, he hated seeing his best friend scared and in pain, but he and Scott both agreed now that turning and joining the pack had been a great thing, despite how traumatic the incident had been at the time.

That's why Stiles smiled when he watched the memory of Peter turning Scott and memory-Stiles. It was a terrifying and traumatising, but ultimately happy, memory for him.

Sadly, there was a negative side effect to witnessing it play out again; When Peter dug his teeth into memory-Stiles, the wound appeared on Stiles. Pain shot through Stiles' arm as it began to bleed, it felt exactly the same as it had that night.

"Oh, that can't be good." Stiles stated as he examined the 'wound'. Then he shook his head and allowed his arm to drop to his side, despite the pain. "Quit wasting time, Stiles," The werewolf reminded himself, again out loud as he searched for a way out of this memory. "They need you."

Mustering up all of his speed and stubbornness, Stiles ran to the next memory waiting for him.

It was the one he had fled from; his mother on the hospital roof, about to kill herself.

Eager to escape, Stiles immediately tried to leave through the door like he had before, but this time he couldn't leave. Every time he walked through the door, he just arrived on the other side of the roof.

"Yeah… This really isn't good." Stiles stated while he took deep breaths. He was trying to remain calm, but it wasn't working all that well.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

While Stiles was being forced to take a trip down memory lane, Malia and Derek made their way through the high school. When they first arrived at the school, Derek had been very tense, and clearly hadn't been in the mood for conversation.

Malia, however, didn't care; She needed answers about what was going on, and she needed them immediately.

"Okay, so how long has Stiles been more weird than usual? I haven't noticed anything ovary wrong with him, but I haven't known him as long as you have." Malia asked curiously as they walked, but she didn't look at Derek as she spoke to him. Her eyes were busy taking in the details of the corridors that she would hopefully soon be walking as a student. With her friends/Pack mates.

"I think you mean 'overly'." Derek corrected politely, silently grateful for her fumble as it meant he could try to distract her from her question.

"Good, cause that's what I meant. Why? What did I say?" Malia asked as she tilted her head and thought over her previous words.

"Ovary." Derek managed to reply politely, Malia's eyes immediately lit up with recognition and he almost let out a sigh of relief afterwards.

It wasn't that Malia had said or done anything that upset Derek, the problem was that Derek's temper and patience had been short since he found out that his mate was missing.

That's why he had insisted on initially searching alone. He was on edge thanks to being forcibly separated from his mate… Again.

There was really no reason to snap at Malia, and he really didn't want to.

"Oh, sorry. Erica and Lydia have been helping me with English and Biology and stuff." Malia reminded him, with her eyes downcast and a light blush colouring her cheeks. "I get similar words mixed up sometimes." She admitted, embarrassment seeping into her tone, her eyes downcast.

Although he was on edge and still had issues with comforting people, Derek had learned a lot from being an Alpha, and from his Pack. He was able to keep himself anchored enough to reassure the girl.

"Look, don't worry about it. You're doing really well. You've learned a lot considering the short amount of time you've been human again." Derek told her honestly. "Besides, everyone mixes up words or struggles to actually say them every now and then. Remember Issac at dinner with the Yukimura's?"

Instead of answering right away, Malia pursed her lips as she tried to compose herself, she inevitably failed and let a light chuckle spill from her lips.

"Sure, you mean when Lydia told us that aubergine was another word for eggplant and he tried to say it but ended up saying 'orange jeans', 'Aubrey gin' and a bunch of other weird stuff that made no sense until he gave up and laid face down on the floor?" Malia asked rhetorically in amusement. "Yeah, I definitely remember that."

The memory sparked a chuckle from Derek's own lips, despite his concern.

"Exactly, it happens to all of us." Derek told her. It was true. While they both manage to be rather eloquent when around the pack, when they were talking in their room or on a date, Stiles frequently mixed up words or said them wrong when talking to Derek. Though he would often deny it, Derek did the same. They would playfully make fun of each other for it, which would lead to tickling, making out, or both.

Now feeling less embarrassed, Malia chuckled again.

With nothing left to say on that topic, a comfortable silence fell upon them. For five seconds, then Malia remembered the question that she had asked and noticed that Derek hadn't answered it.

"Hey, so, seriously, what's up with Stiles? What is it that makes you think he's acting differently?"

Now that was a question that Derek did not want to answer, so he once again tried to deflect the question.

"If you don't think anything is different about him, what makes you so sure this key is for the chemistry closet?" Derek asked.

"You can't be serious," Malia looked at him incredulously, "Come on, it's obvious! That pretty girl said that he was scared that she would ask him if he was handling chemicals." Malia reminded him, shooting him an incredulous look. Even she could put two and two together. "So clearly he thought it was for the chemistry closet. That means that something has changed with him and he doesn't trust himself. If he's noticed a change, you must have too. You're his mate."

Overcome with frustration, Derek had to bite his tongue to keep himself from snapping at Malia.

Using Stiles' method of staying calm, Derek reminded himself that it wasn't her fault that she lacked social tact, and she was only trying to help. It worked rather well, at least when compared to the alternative outcomes.

"Right." He managed to growl out, but it came out far more aggressive than he intended.

With a sigh he remembered Stiles, Noah and Melissa all 'talking' to him, on separate occasions and once as a group, about snapping at people. It was also something he had gotten better at, but if any of his pack were missing, injured, or upset, then Derek found himself slowly reverting to the 'grumpy, growly, sourwolf' persona that had been born from the depression and guilt over the fire that killed his family, before Stiles helped him see the beauty in the world again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-" He tried to apologise but was cut off. Yet another teenager seemed to be better at handling stress than Derek was, because the young coyote did not appear upset or offended by his frustration as she cut him off.

"Don't apologise. It's cool. You're stressed. I get it." Malia assured the Alpha, then her nose twitched suddenly and she turned to look at the door to her right. "This the classroom?" She asked. It smelled like chemicals, and Stiles and Lydia, so surely it must be.

Nodding his head, Derek reached out for the door handle and replied "Yeah. This is it," as he cautiously pushed the door open.

Out of the corner of his eye, Derek noticed the writing on the chalkboard and let out a sigh; He'd recognise that handwriting anywhere.

On the daily, Stiles was writing grocery lists, chore schedules for the pack, and he often left his homework lying around on the desk in their bedroom. He also left notes in Derek's lunchbox.

Usually, it was just little things like 'have a good day today', 'be careful', or 'don't get shot', other times he wrote reminders such as 'remember to finish the incident report about the break in at Delmar's, dad needs it by the end of his shift!" or 'Posey bet everyone in the station that he could eat more than you at lunch today, I packed you 3x your usual amount of food to prove him wrong.' And he always signed them 'To my Sourwolf' or 'To my Der-bear' depending on Derek's mood that day, and without failure, they were signed, 'With love, from your Hyperactive Spaz'.

Those notes had always filled him with warmth but, in that moment, he hated that they had allowed him to become so familiar with Stiles' handwriting.

"Dammit." Derek growled out. Malia looked at him in concern, and followed his line of sight to the chalkboard.

"You think he wrote that too?" Malia asked. Derek only nodded as he made his way to the door at the back of the room.

Malia pulled the keys out her pocket again. In the early morning light of the barely risen sun, you could no longer see the substance staining the key that gave her theory verisimilitude. Seeing that the Alpha's hand was shaking, Malia kindly reached around him and inserted the key into the lock. Derek held his breath as the coyote turned the key.

Far too loudly to their enhanced hearing in the early hour of the morning, they both heard a click. She let go of the key and the door slowly creaked open.

Letting out a shuddered breath, overwhelmed with emotion, Derek reached out and shut the door. He let out a sigh as locked the door and pocketed the keys.

"We need to get home and check on the others before they go to school." Derek stated.

"I can help," Nodding her head towards the chalkboard, Malia asked "Do you want me to clean the writing off the board?"

Eyes flickering to the board, Derek hesitated for a moment as he thought it over. If any of the others saw it, they could figure out the Stiles had written it. They could get too close and the Nogitsune might hurt them to remain hidden.

Then again, it might hurt them anyway. Maybe it's plan was to act like Stiles for a while, then turn on the Pack when the timing suited it best.

The pack needed to be prepared, but without getting too close to the truth until they could fix it. Maybe the writing on the board was exactly the thing to make them cautious without giving away the whole truth. Or it could lead them to the same conclusion he had reached, and the thing controlling his mate could hurt them because of it.

"Su- No. No, just Leave it." He finally decided. There was a beat of silence before Derek spoke again. "Let's head back to the house. We'll take the tunnel in the vault." The Alpha suggested, and Malia quickly agreed.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Pacing usually helped Stiles figure out a solution, so he bagan to do so. He was resolute in ignoring the memory as he paced in front of the door, but it didn't feel like that was working either.

He tried again to leave the roof a few times, but he encountered the same scene every time, starting over at the moment his mother started speaking to him.

"Fuck." Stiles uttered in despair. He could hear his own heartbeat pumping loudly in his ears, and his own heavy breathing.

It took him a moment, but Stiles realised that he could hear breathing other than his own.

It was quieter than his, but still loud. There was definitely something else in there with him, breathing heavily, and not quite in time with his own. It didn't belong to the memories, either.

If the previous memories were any indication, Stiles knew that while he could hear the words of the people in the memories, and their sighs and huffs and hums, he could not hear their breathing or their heartbeats. It was actually rather unsettling.

Yet there was this definite unseen presence. Looming over Stiles, or behind him, or maybe even all around him.

But was it actually there? Did it actually know he was wherever he was?

Or would addressing it give him away?

Usually when Stiles was alone he would pick the reckless decision if it meant getting to his pack faster. He would rush in and do whatever it takes to keep his Pack safe, but in this instance, with this enemy...

This enemy was powerful enough to separate Stiles from his wolf, and take control of Stiles' body without him consciously giving permission. It had managed to take control and do things that Stiles was completely unaware of.

While he had been picking the cage lock, Stiles had asked his wolf how the creature had managed to write the message for Barrow before Stiles was electrocuted. His wolf had explained that the creature had been able to gain fleeting moments of control during and after bardo, resulting in Stiles' blackouts (some of which were so brief they went unnoticed) and supposed sleepwalking.

When Stiles, Jackson, Isaac, Cora, Erica, and Boyd had first arrived at the school to set up the pranks for Coach's birthday, the creature had taken control for a moment. Stiles had told the others to go ahead while he grabbed something to grease any old or stubborn screws. Once in the chemistry classroom, the creature took control.

It wrote the message, made a mould of the key for the closet using Stiles' kit. Then returned to where Stiles had been standing and returned control to him, he grabbed what he needed then reunited with the others. Completely unaware of what had happened.

Clearly, this enemy was intelligent and not one to face recklessly, and Stiles couldn't risk this creature hurting his Pack, especially when it was wearing his face.

"Who are you?" Stiles wondered aloud without thinking. Panic seized Stiles the moment his words registered.

He began to wonder if he had just given himself away when the creature spoke, for the first time since locking Stiles in a cage with his wolf.

Ever since the ritual, Stiles often heard the dark voice whispering advice to him in place of his wolf.

That voice, the one that he hated feverently, it spoke to him again.

While there was the advantage of the voice drowning out the harsh words Claudia was yelling, the problem was that it was far more unnerving than ever before. All because there was one key difference between the previous times the creature had spoken to Stiles and that time; for the first time, the creature spoke to Stiles in Japanese.

Stiles resisted the urge to respond or ask the creature to speak a language that he understood, and instead attempted to leave the roof again. He was met with the same result as before.

There was an eerie, yet ghoulish, laughter that filled the air and echoed around Stiles. It flooded his ears and sent violent shudders crashing through Stiles' body from the tip of his spine, all the way down to his toes.

It was bearable until the shudder reached Stiles' 'injured' ankle, he couldn't help but cry out in pain. He fell to his knees, unable to hold himself up any longer. He instinctively shot out both hands to catch himself, only to cry out in pain again. He had momentarily forgotten that the creature had also recreated the bite on his arm that had turned him.

The dark voice repeated itself, still speaking Japanese.

The voice was louder at that point in time than it had ever been before. Stiles quickly forced himself to rise to his feet. He tried to ignore his pain, but it was worse than before.

"What?" Stiles asked, because ignoring this creature clearly wasn't working.

The creature repeated the Japanese words a third time.

Vigilant and on edge, Stiles' eyes roamed the roof. He could still only see his ten year old self and his mother.

"You've been possessing me for a while now," Stiles stated as he glared at the sky, seeing no other option but to attempt to communicate with the being. "You know I don't speak Japanese. Who are you and what do you want?"

This creature obviously enjoyed playing mind games, but if Stiles could figure out what would irritate the creature, he could gain the upper hand. He could definitely play some mind games of his own.

Although, the creature found him far faster than he had hoped. They clearly had the upper hand at the moment. Stiles expected the creature to continue their game until he snapped, so it was rather surprising when they didn't repeat the Japanese words from before.

"Not 'who are you' Stiles, 'who are we'? " The creature simply replied in English, without any further beating around the bush. "We did nothing to your wolf."

"Right, and I don't have ADHD." Stiles retorted sarcastically, complete with rolling his eyes, his fear had kindly decided to take a step back and allowed his proclivity for sarcasm to take over. Every part of the werewolf told him to make this as difficult for the creature as he would for Rafael McCall, if not more so. So that's what he did.

"Not that you don't seem like a swell guy, but I find that hard to believe. Somebody locked me and my wolf up, and you're the only other person in here." He pointed out before he shook his head and added, "I just can't picture us working well together. After all, you also used me to tell Barrow to kill Kira." He paused to allow the creature to respond, but they said nothing.

"Again, I'm sure that this is a big misunderstanding and you're actually a really nice person," Stiles drawled sarcastically as he looked towards the 'sky'. "but why are you saying 'We'? Because I know that my wolf would never team up with you, and I definitely won't either." Stiles told the creature confidently. "So, who are you and what do you want?"

Only infuriating Stiles further, the creature repeated itself at first.

"Not 'Who are you', Stiles. 'Who are we'?" It corrected. But before Stiles could respond with a snappy comment, the creature quickly added, "Your wolf is gone and we are trying to save your life."

"Wow," Stiles drawled with a laugh that was only partially fake, "You're really desperate, huh? You're trying to tell me that my wolf is dead? Don't even try it." Stiles rolled his eyes. "You and I both know that he is fine." He stated confidently.

The creature let out a very disappointed sounding sigh, but didn't say anything.

"I was fine before you came along, and my wolf and I will be again once you're gone. So tell me, what exactly are you trying to save my life from?" Stiles asked, he was feeling some strange combination of curiosity, suspicion, anger, and concern. "The only threat I see is you." Well, he couldn't actually see the creature, but that was beside the point.

"We know this is very tragic for you, Stiles," The creature began. He impossibly managed to sound both sympathetic and threatening. That tone was pretty scary. "The first stage of grief is denial. You want to believe that he is still with you, but he isn't. He is gone, Stiles. He died attempting to warn you about one of the many things that's ailing you right now. You need to let us help you." The creature informed the increasingly impatient werewolf. He still didn't give Stiles a direct answer and it was infuriating. "We can save your life."

"My wolf isn't dead." Stiles stated firmly, though he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince the creature or himself. "And until you tell me what you think is 'ailing me', I'm not going to even consider letting you do a damn thing."

His eyes were fixed on the sky, and Stiles was resolute in ignoring the memory playing out. The creature didn't respond right away, which made it harder for Stiles to block out his mother's voice, but he did his best.

Especially now that he knew that he couldn't survive without his wolf, Stiles would not allow himself to waste a thought on the possibility that his wolf was dead. He was alive. He was trapped, and he needed Stiles to subdue this creature so that they could both be free. Now, there was no use in wasting time shouting at the sky and waiting for a reply. It wasn't helping his Pack in any way, so Stiles decided to take action.

He turned to face the rooftop door once more and marched towards it.

The creature finally spoke again.

"Save your energy, Stiles," The creature drawled patronisingly. "It is pointless to keep trying to escape this. You cannot leave until you understand."

Ignoring the infuriating creature, Stiles continued on his journey to the door. When he was at arm's length, Stiles grasped the handle, he pulled the door open with all his strength and charged through.

He was disappointed but unsurprised to find the result the same as before.

Instead of being deterred, Stiles did what he always did when the people he loved were at risk, Stiles came up with a plan. His mind working at 90 miles an hour, Stiles rapidly thought through potential plans that could get him out of there and back in control of his body.

Yes! That was it. This creature liked mischief, so Stiles would show just how mischievous he could be. Mischief was his name, after all.

Okay, not really but it was the closet he got as a kid.

"Ugh, this again? And I don't get why you keep starting the memory over again," Stiles said. "I remember this unfortunately well, as much as I wish I could repress it. What exactly do you want me to remember?"

"We will start again every time you try to leave. This memory is important, Stiles. It holds the answers to a question you have had for a long time." The creature told Stiles cryptically. "We're running out of time, Stiles. We want to save you, but first you need to find the answers that you seek." The creature stated. Stiles gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he tried to fight his anger.

"Okay, but did you ever stop to think that I don't want to relive this night?" Stiles growled. "What answers could I possibly want about this that I don't already know? Why don't you just tell me? If I don't believe whatever you have to say, I'll watch the stupid memory. Deal?" He offered casually.

Ever persistent in creeping Stiles out and causing him pain, the creature chuckled. It was that dark and eerie chuckle that caused violent shudders to pass through Stiles as it echoed around him.

Now he was more prepared, so Stiles managed to remain standing despite the pain.

"You will not believe us unless you see it for yourself. The thing you want to know most of all. The truth about why your father didn't know how your mother died." The creature stated confidently, as it did so it sounded like the creature was walking towards Stiles from behind. Stiles waited, listening closely as the creature continued to speak. "You want to know why the death report says that she died in her hospital bed, but you remember otherwise."

It felt and sounded as though the creature was right behind him then, so Stiles spun on his uninjured heel to look. Except it was for nothing because, of course, there was nobody there.

"So, what? Are you too scared to show your face?" He asked with a taunting grin. The creature chuckled again. Unprepared for another chuckle so soon after the previous, Stiles fell to his knees again. He was down for less than a second before he rose to his feet again.

"Very mature." Stiles drawled while rolling his eyes. "This is all so extra, why can't we just talk over a cup of coffee? Why do you keep forcing me in and out of control of my own body? You afraid that I'm going to figure out that you're completely evil? 'Cause, spoiler alert, I already got there." Stiles informed the creature while slowly backing towards the nearest ledge.

"We know that you are not ready to see our face. So we are nowhere that you can see us, at this point in time. We are not the cause of your blackouts, Stiles. We are trying to save you from yourself during them." The creature replied, seemingly growing ever closer behind Stiles as it continued to speak, even though he was nearing the edge of the roof. "We already know the answers you seek. You buried them away, deep down inside." By then, it sounded like the creature was directly behind him. "Now it's time to remember." By the end, it sounded like the creature was whispering directly into his ear.

Stiles scoffed, only just keeping the shudder that threatened to shake his body at bay. Stiles held his head high and managed to prevent his pain from showing.

"Why do you want me to remember so bad?" He demanded, pleased that his voice was powerful and unwavering as he did so. "What's in it for you?"

Predictably, the creature went quiet at that moment. Stiles was left watching his mother tell his ten year old self that Stiles had killed her and was going to kill his father too. In full surround sound.

'No way,' Stiles thought to himself as he stepped onto the ledge.

"I'm not letting you win." Stiles stated aloud, then stepped backwards off of the building.

Stiles landed on the roof two seconds later, right next to his ten years old self, just in time to see his mother jump to her death.

Closing his eyes sounded appealing, but his eyelids didn't respond to his commands. He tried to look away from the scene before him, but again nothing happened. It was like he was stuck in some sort of trance. Unable to tear his eyes away, Stiles watched as his mother stepped off of the roof.

Ten year old Stiles screamed in terror at the sight. He rushed to the edge of the building, as if hoping to catch her.

And Stiles knew it was coming, he did, but it still hurt. Obviously, the young Stiles had no hope of catching her, but he did get there in time to see her hit the ground. Seventeen year old Stiles finally managed to close his eyes when he heard the thud. He also managed to cover his ears and tried to block out the sound of screaming from his ten year old self. He kept his eyes shut until he heard the unmistakable sound of multiple footsteps on the staircase to the rooftop. The moment the sound reached him, Stiles uncovered his ears and his eyes shot open.

He didn't remember this, the first thing he remembered after watching his mother hit the ground was sitting in the hallway when his father arrived. Of course, it made sense that it was in here somewhere.

"Why the Hell did you keep starting over?" Stiles demanded with a raised eyebrow. "The memory I apparently needed is after my mother jumped! So why did you make me relive the shit that she said, repeatedly?" Stiles asked, when the creature didn't reply after thirty seconds, he hypothesised, "Maybe it's because you're sadistic."

The creature still didn't reply.

It was unsurprising when the door flung open and the first person who first arrived on the rooftop was a doctor. A man who Stiles vaguely recognised as being his mother's primary doctor. Dr Hodgins, Stiles believed his name was, was followed by a nurse, her name was Melanie, maybe.

Behind the nurse was a surprising third person. A man who Stiles would never forget.

"Why the hell wasn't anybody watching her room?" The man demanded as he pointed an accusatory finger at the doctor. "I've heard that isn't the first time she's come up to the roof. And I know all about what dementia made her think of Stiles, Doctor Hodgins. Why wasn't someone with them?" Glaring heatedly at the doctor, the man waited for an answer.

Meanwhile, the nurse rushed over to ten year old Stiles and attempted to console the boy. Far beneath them, on the concrete, Claudia Silinski's broken and bloodied body was being covered with a sheet and lifted onto a stretcher. She pulled him away from the ledge and guided him towards the roof-top door.

"Y-you must understand, s-sir," The doctor stammered to defend himself, looking up at the taller man warily. "I ordered for s-someone to be keeping an eye on that room at all times. Th-there was a-an unfortunate mix-up. Due to an-"

"Oh? A mix-up, you say?" The man all but growled, his voice low and dangerous. "A woman jumped off of the building, in front of her son, under your supervision. And your defence is that there was a mix-up because your staff couldn't wait five minutes before taking a break?"

Catching the words as he walked by with the nurse, ten year old Stiles had stopped to stare and listen. The nurse attempted to usher him off of the roof, but he stood as still as a statue and she was clearly too afraid of setting him off to try any harder.

"That isn't fair," The doctor argued immediately. All nervousness from the doctor disappeared, replaced by defensiveness against the accusation of negligence. "I'm not attempting to downplay the tragedy that happened here, but our hospital is understaffed and overcrowded. We had somebody watching the room constantly, despite the circumstances. We had an emergency with another patient. There was another staff member who was supposed to be on their way to take over watching Mrs Stlinski, but they were called in to help with the emergency. Unaware of this, the staff member watching Mrs Stilinski responded to the call. As soon as they saw their replacement busy helping with the emergency, the staff member returned to Mrs Stilinski's room. By then, they were already gone. That staff member immediately reported to me and I came up here to search for Mrs Stilinski and Stiles, with Melanie." He continued to explain as he gestured to the nurse, "By the time I was halfway here, I could hear Stiles screaming and I got the message over the radio about Mrs Stilinski. That's when I ran into you, Mr McCall." The doctor explained, his tone completely even once he had gotten a hold of his initial indignation.

"Well, first of all," Rafael McCall began, annoyed by the disregard for his rank. He locked eyes with the doctor and corrected him. "It's Officer McCall." He reminded the doctor with his head held high, and all the confidence of a detective. Then McCall asked, "Who is this staff member? The one who left Claudia's room. What is their job title? How long have they been employed here?"

"I cannot give you that information, Officer Mcall," The doctor all but spat the title at the man as he raised his own head high. Though his voice was calm and collected during the rest of his sentence. "Not without a court order."

"Not without- How dare you?" McCall asked darkly, an edge of disbelief to his voice. "People need to be held accountable for their negligence, Doctor Hodgins."

"There is no negligence that I see here. I see an honest mistake." Dr Hodgins stated in an impressively even tone. Especially when you take into account the fear in his eyes. "You know full well that Mrs Stillinski was lost to this disease. She would have found a way to do this eventually. Or the pneumonia she was also suffering from would have killed her." The doctor reminded him as calmly as he could muster. "The way it happened tonight was tragic and no doubt traumatising for this young boy, I won't deny it. However, there is no need to ruin innocent lives and rob a good person of their job over an unfortunate circumstance that puts them in the wrong place at the wrong time. What would you do if Melissa had been the one watching her?"

Seconds passed by as a war of emotions raged on Rafael's face, something young Stiles couldn't interpret but teenage Stiles could read easily. He started off indignant, then thoughtful, followed by sympathetic, then angry, and understanding, then finally accepting.

After the war of emotions was apparently over, McCall closed his eyes for a moment and let out a deep sigh. He then took a breath, opened his eyes and spoke to the doctor.

"Okay, but if this remains the story, other people will ask the same questions that I did. The hospital could be sued." Rafael McCall pointed out, almost casually. "What do you want to say about how she died? People must have seen her fall."

Evidently, Stiles wasn't the only one surprised by the turn of the conversation, because nurse Melanie gasped in shock. She then started to usher young Stiles towards the door again. Numb and confused, the ten year old let her lead him away this time.

As the nurse and the young boy disappeared through the rooftop door and into the building, the scene melted away. The doctor and McCall. The door. The rest of the hospital. The sky. Then finally, the roof Stiles was standing on.

Everything was gone, just like that. You know how in cartoons, the character will run off of a cliff, but they won't begin to fall until they look down?

It was like that.

Obviously, Stiles had figured out he wasn't standing on anything anymore the moment everything else disappeared, but Stiles didn't fall at first. He had just been weightlessly suspended in the void. Stiles gasped at the sensation, or lack thereof.

Making things even weirder, when Stiles gasped he could feel it, but he couldn't hear it.

There was nothing.

No sound, no gravity, no smells, no feeling.

Stiles couldn't even hear his own heartbeat.

It was unnerving.

Everything was wrong.

So wrong.

Then he looked down and he began to fall. He tried to scream but no sound escaped his lips.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Can I know what's going on? Or at least what you think is going on." Malia asked Derek as they walked swiftly towards the vault entrance. She couldn't fight her curiosity any longer.

With a second of silence followed by a sigh, Derek responded. "It's complicated. When you need to know I will tell you."

"Why can't I know now?" Malia asked quickly, impatient with the lack of a straightforward answer. "Stiles thinks he's a threat, so shouldn't we all know why? And if he really is a threat, we need to know so we can prepare to defend ourselves without hurting him. Besides, if those creatures really are coming after me and Kira tonight, I should be aware of anyone who might come after me when I'm-uh- what's the word?"

"Immobilised?" Derek suggested as they arrived at the secret entrance to the vault.

"Not sure about that one." Malia responded with a slight grimace on her face. "Everyone was freezing cold and they were awake and their eyes were open but it was like they couldn't see us, or hear us for a few minutes." She tried to explain the best she could, but she hadn't experienced it, only witnessed it so far. "It's like the creatures scanning and marking them sort of paralysed them and made them cold, and terrified them all at the same time." As she finished explaining, they stopped at the vault entrance. Which looked a lot like a normal wall.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, I lived it." The alpha reminded her, not unkindly. He then attempted to distract her from her line of questioning. "Okay Malia, would you like to do the honours?" Derek offered his cousin, whilst he gestured to the 'lock' with a smile.

At the same time he made the offer, he tried to think of other words that could fit with the state he and the others were left in after being scanned by the creatures. It was an attempt to distract not only Malia, but himself too.

Unsurprisingly, Malia still sported a huge smile every time that she successfully lengthened her claws. "Awesome." When she had successfully opened the vault door, she turned to see Derek smiling at her almost as brightly.

"Good job, Malia. I'm proud of you!" Derek told her honestly, causing an even brighter smile to appear on Malia's face. She had been trapped in her coyote form for literally half of her life. He truly was amazed that she had this much control after being human again for such a short time.

"Thank you." Malia replied through her smile, a light blush coating her cheeks, before she forced a serious expression back onto her face. "So why can't I know what you think is going on with Stiles?" Malia asked again as she walked into the vault, Derek right behind her.

"It's uh... It's complicated." Was all Derek said as he walked. Given Lydia's recent discovery of the hidden birthday present for Peter, he sniffed the air for any trace of his deceased family and pack, but the most prominent scents there belonged to himself, Malia and Lydia, along with traces of Stiles, Peter and Cora.

"Like, how?" Malia asked before Derek's mind had time to wonder why Lydia's scent was more prominent than Stiles' when they were there for the same amount of time, just shy of 36 hours prior. Though he had stopped to wonder why Stiles' scent was so strong in the classroom, as though he had been there recently.

As in 'within the last thirty minutes' recent.

Derek replied as calmly as he could muster. "There are things that I don't want any of you to worry about." He paused for a moment. "Yet. I have a theory, but I need more definitive proof before I worry you all with it." He added after he spent a fraction of a second ruminating.

His emotions were all over the place. One moment he was frustrated and on the edge of shifting, the next he was calm and parental, then he was tense and panicked. Derek had never had mood swings that extreme before, not even when his family died.

But Stiles had.

The separation of bonded mates was known to have side effects. The most common of which were a loss of control over the shift, difficulty sleeping, and being clingy with the rest of the pack. Some rarer, but still well known, side effects were nesting, referring to their home as a 'den' and generally acting more wolf-like. Then there were rarest side effects, often assumed to be nothing more than a legend, of which Derek seemed to be experiencing one of; Feeling their mate's emotions, and/or taking on their traits. There were other rare/rumoured side effects such as hoarding ones pack in their home and keeping everybody there until their mate and any other wayward pack mates had returned, or those who were able remaining shifted in full wolf form while their mate was away, but Dere didn't appear to be experiencing either of the latter two.

Even so, Derek kind of felt like he was going crazy. It had to be Mate Separation he was feeling, however, the fact it had only been a few hours since Stiles disappeared cast doubt upon that theory. Mate separation shouldn't occur unless mates hadn't been close enough to catch each other's scents for a few days, or even weeks in some cases. But that had to be it. Under Jennifer's spell, Derek had felt it after two days. It was why he had started going to the school. Sure, the spell had forced him to kiss her, in front of Stiles no less, but his wolf had been focused on breathing in Stiles' scent the whole time.

The fact that he felt it now, though unusual and concerning given the short amount of time, it was also reassuring. It meant that their bond was still intact.

Even though Derek couldn't find him, it meant that Stiles was still in there somewhere. That was what mattered the most, because it meant that Derek still had a chance to save him.

"Right, and this 'something' that you don't want us to worry about, is about Stiles, right?" Malia asked curiously, either not noticing or not acknowledging Derek's tension. "Why can't we know? I mean, I know that he's your mate, but he's Pack Mom too, right?"

"Yes, he is." Derek affirmed with a nod, relaxing marginally as they reached the tunnel door and Malia once again used her claws to unlock the path. "The thing is that I'm not one hundred percent sure; about what is going on with him, or about what's going to happen because of it." It was true, he didn't know what the nogitsune was playing at, or if those creatures would be able to kill Stiles to stop it, before the Pack could rescue him. "Until I have those answers, I don't want to concern them. I'm doing enough worrying for all of us."

"Okay, but are you worried about something happening to him?" Malia asked, pausing just inside of the tunnel to look back at the alpha. "Or to us?"

Derek tried to swallow the lump in his throat, and closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to compose himself. Barely a second had passed before Derek opened his eyes and immediately took a step forward.

"We should get back to the house." He suggested.

Malia growled in frustration. Her patience and compassion were wearing thin. She was torn between her desire to obey the alpha, and her desire to learn as much as she could about everything going on with her Pack and newfound family. Malia also needed to know about every potential threat, it was how she had stayed alive for the past eight years. However, she did not want to anger her alpha.

It was a very confusing internal debate. Ultimately, she closed her mouth and huffed out in annoyance, having chosen to trust that he would tell her how to defend herself once he knew how to do so himself. She turned and started to walk towards the house.

She continued thinking over everything she and Derek had discussed, so lost in her thoughts that she barely heard the sound of footsteps under the sound of the tunnel entrance closing, and she definitely didn't register them.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Overwhelmed by the fear, Stiles closed his eyes as he plummeted through the abyss.

It was easier with his eyes closed. When they were open, it was too strange; it felt like he was falling but nothing around him changed. There was nothing but darkness. Even the static was gone.

With his eyes closed, it felt more… normal.

Despite the fact that there was seemingly nothing below him to land on, Stiles still felt like he was falling, heading towards something.

Logically, Stiles knew that this was all in his head and he probably wouldn't die from this, but who could say for certain? The thought that could be plummeting to his death cause a sensation of pure terror to course through Stiles.

If it were his physical body dying, Stiles might not be as terrified, because that would mean his Pack was safe from whatever was possessing him, right? But this was his subconscious, or was it just his consciousness? It didn't matter. What mattered was that he might be in danger, but his body definitely wasn't, which would lead to said body being free for the taking.

Nothing scared Stiles as much as the thought that he could die in his own head and allow this creature, who obviously had malicious intentions, to take over his body and wreak havoc for his Pack and his town.

Sure, his wolf said that the creature wouldn't kill them until he had the means to pull off his plan, but who was to say that hadn't happened in the time since Stiles left the cage? However long ago that was. It could have what it needs to kill Stiles and his wolf.

Besides, what could he do to stop it? He was trapped in his own mind, falling through a seemingly endless darkness. It was his brain, surely he should be in control, but he wasn't. Believe him, he'd already tried all the usual stuff; summoning fireballs; teleporting; flying, creating a door, etc. None of it worked.

He opened his eyes, and rotated himself to check and, yup, still no indication that there was anything for him to land on. Stiles closed his eyes again and tried to distract himself from his potential demise.

He focused on the memory the creature possessing him had uncovered.

Rafael McCall was on the hospital roof the night Stiles' mother had died. Apparently, McCall helped the doctor cover up her real cause of death. As he thought over the conversation his young self had listened in on, he realised something; McCall had blamed the hospital, not Stiles for Claudia's death.

That didn't seem very in character for him. He seemed to think everything was the fault of a Stilinski, and Stiles had been the only one present and still alive. Then again, Stiles had only been ten years old at the time. After filing that thought away for later, Stiles turned his focus to the doctor's defence. It was an important thing to consider.

Empathy was something Stiles was good at. Unless he had a bad feeling about you, then you were screwed. Stiles didn't get that feeling about Dr Hodgins, and Stiles had to confess that he could see the doctor's point.

There really wasn't a good reason to fire somebody over an honest mistake during hectic times. He was aware that BHMH had always struggled with having a sufficient number of staff members. Even now the hospital was rather understaffed. The revelation of the supernatural, the conversion of the abandoned ward to help supernatural creatures, and the recent murders of staff members by the Darach had all caused them to lose faculty members. Some people even transferred to the county hospital because they couldn't handle it. It was understandable. It was a lot to take in, not everybody could deal with it. Stiles understood that with a smaller staff in such a hospital that size meant that it was difficult to watch every patient at every second.

Mistakes were bound to happen when an emergency occurred. And that's what it was, a genuine mistake.

He also acknowledged that the doctor was right; if not that night, his mother would have died soon enough. She had pneumonia on top of the dementia-induced paranoia.

Despite that knowledge, the guilt and agony were still there, seven years later. The series of events that unfolded that night were traumatising and had left a scar.

Stiles tried to reassure himself with the things his dad and Derek had said; That his mother's life would have likely ended the same way, whether Stiles had been there or not. That the disease was the only thing to blame for her death. That she loved Stiles, and would have never had thought those things of him, or said those things to him, under different circumstances.

It was sweet, and they were pretty words, but they weren't enough to alleviate the guilt he felt.

It truly was a nice thought, but Stiles had been there. Exasperating his mother's paranoia. Her final words were aimed to hurt Stiles.

And they hid it.

When he found out that his dad believed Claudia had died in her hospital bed, Stiles suddenly had a metaphorical light bulb go off over his head. He had always wondered why his dad hadn't tried to really talk about it. How she died. Of course, they rarely discussed Claudia after her death, but when they did, Stiles had always wondered. He wondered why his dad insisted that there was nothing Stiles could have done to stop it. Because he could have done something.

He could have left the roof and stopped upsetting her. Then she wouldn't have jumped. Except, his dad didn't know she had jumped. Not until Stiles had told him, shortly after Lydia's birthday.

Reading his dad came easy to Stiles. It was clear that Noah believed that Stiles had been unfortunate enough to hear Claudia say those things shortly before she died, but Stiles could tell that Noah didn't truly believe the rest of the story. He didn't believe that Claudia had died jumping from the hospital roof. He believed the death report, and there was no autopsy because she had died in the hospital. He assumed the wolfsbane hallucination affected Stiles' memory and didn't correct him the night of the confession, but had the next morning.

They had an emotional conversation about how they both thought she died, and Noah refused to believe Stiles' version.

Not that Stiles could blame him. Stiles had checked for himself and discovered that Claudia Stilinski's cause of death was stated to be Pneumonia, which had been the result of dementia. She had been ill with pneumonia for a short while, it was why she was staying in the hospital instead of the house.

Noah had gone as far as to contact all of the living staff members who had worked that night. Some were miles away now, working at other hospitals, or retired, but Noah had managed to find them all. They were all in agreement of the fact that Claudia had died in her hospital bed.

The reality was, Stiles was the only one who appeared to have any memory of his mother plummeting to her death. So, what was this memory supposed to prove? That it was all a big conspiracy to protect the hospital's reputation? Or maybe…

"That's right," The creature suddenly spoke again, clearly having read Stiles' thoughts. "At last, you are starting to understand, Stiles. One of the things we are trying to save you from." The creature's voice suddenly cut through the unnatural silence of the void. Stiles looked around, but still saw nothing. He tried to speak, but no sound left his lips. He was still falling. The creature continued to speak, seemingly ignoring Stiles' frustration. "What ailed your mother is now ailing you, and has been for some time now."

Stiles tried to speak, but again, no sound came out.

'No.' Stiles thought, knowing that the creature would hear him. That made no sense, Stiles had decided immediately. There were so many reasons that proved the creature was lying.

Most importantly, he had wolf healing.

Also, aside from the few wolfsbane-induced incidents, he'd had no hallucinations or other symptoms of Frontotemporal Dementia until after the ritual. He couldn't possibly have-

"Remember the truth; you've had delusions since you were fifteen. That's when you began to think your mother had killed herself. You have seen many things that weren't real, but you haven't realised it yet. The hallucination at Lydia's party was a warning, Stiles. The wolfsbane gave you a hallucination, and your wolf used each opportunity to give you a hint as to what was happening." The creature told him. Tactlessly, might he add. "Your wolf has known since he came into being. He spent his life protecting you, trying to warn you. He gave his life attempting to warn you. Remember."

'Bullshit!' Stiles called immediately, then pretended to notice that his hands were empty. 'Oh wait, I haven't got any cards. What game are we playing right now?' He thought sarcastically, and the creature chuckled again.

Stiles ignored him, his mind preoccupied by the preposterous claim. No. His wolf wasn't dead. He had just seen him alive in that cage.

'Until you tell me who you are, I am not even going to consider believing anything that you say.' Stiles added when the creature failed to respond within three seconds.

The creature spoke again, in that same low and rumbling voice.

"Grief is difficult for anybody to deal with. Especially somebody who already lost so much. The cage was all you, Stiles. It is easier to see us as the enemy. To blame us for the loss of your wolf." The tone the creature spoke with was something odd. It was almost as though they had been aiming for a sympathetic tone but accidentally came off as more patronising.

However, something about the tone, and the creature themself, made Stiles think that there was nothing accidental about it. It felt like the creature had actually been very precise with their tone and words. Stiles began to mentally reevaluate their previous conversation.

"It is the unfortunate truth that your wolf died before we arrived, Stiles. If he had been here, we wouldn't have been able to get in to help you. You can't be a fox and a wolf." The creature stated, and Stiles' eyes shot open wide at the new information. The creature continued, either unaware or uncaring of the information they had just revealed. "We want to save your life, Stiles. Because your wolf cannot. Here, let me show you."

'Care to elaborate on that? You're a fox, huh? Kitsune?' Stiles had attempted to comment verbally as he thought, but he still couldn't make a sound. Less than half a second later, a bright light suddenly flooded Stiles' eyes. He squinted and lifted his hand to shield his sensitive eyes. That was when he suddenly noticed it, the feeling of the wind.

Rushing through the air was better than falling through nothing, but still unpleasant. Blessed oxigen flooded Stiles' lungs, and he suddenly became aware of the fact that he hadn't been breathing in the void.

Eagerly gasping in the air, Stiles' relief was short-lived when he quickly realised he was still falling. He opened his eyes and was both relieved and anxious to see the grass covered earth growing ever closer.

Perhaps he would be fine, perhaps he would be a pancake. He would find out sooner or later.

Two miles from the ground, Stiles' instincts told him to brace for impact. He shifted himself to do so and two minutes later, his feet hit solid ground.

Stiles screamed in agony when his forgotten ankle injury protested the impact.

Despite his pain, Stiles remembered to bend his knees, and dropped into a roll, just like his dad had taught him. He had also forgotten about the recreated turning bite on his arm, Stiles cried out again when he used that arm to brace the impact. He grunted when his body hit the ground.

Stiles didn't let the deja vu or his aching body deter him, he forced himself into a standing position the moment he had stopped rolling. He really had to pay more attention to his own 'injuries'.

It took a second, but Stiles regained his balance rather quickly, only wincing twice in the process. Once he did, Stiles took a moment to take in his surroundings.

He was in the clearing. The warded clearing that the Pack used for training.

Nothing about this made any sense. Nothing had ever happened here. At least, not something that could prove the fox's claim that Stiles' wolf was dead.

"Why did you bring me here?" Stiles demanded, relieved that he was actually able to speak again. "Nothing other than training and full moon outings have happened here."

"There is something else, something you had locked away because it was too painful." The creature stated, tone pitying and condescending. "Shortly after you bound your Pack to the nemeton." Stiles cut the creature off before he could tell any more lies.

"Oh, quit it with the lies. I didn't start hallucinating until a week after the ritual. The nightmares started a week after that because the nemeton was able to protect me and Derek from Bardo for that long. It was during Bardo that you got in my head. You locked away my wolf so that you could use me as a puppet." Stiles stated confidently. That was the only thing that made any semblance of sense.

You know the infamous words 'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'

Well, it was impossible that Stiles' wolf was dead. It was impossible for Stiles to have Frontotemporal Dementia. And it was definitely impossible that Stiles would allow an unknown creature to possess him just to save himself if he was dying from something.

Therefore, it stood to reason that this fox was a lying prick who was planning something bad. Stiles' Pack would have to stop the fox if he couldn't.

Stiles didn't know much, but he knew that Kitsunes are trickster spirits. He made a mental note to research as much about it as he could once all of this was over.

If he survives, that is.

Stiles would never put the people he loved at that sort of risk. Nor would he put them in a position where they'd have to kill somebody who was wearing the face of someone they loved.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. His pack had great strength, and amazing skills. Their biggest strength is their determination. Their drive to protect their Pack. But in this situation, it would also be their biggest weakness.

Unsurprisingly, Stiles worried for Scott most of all. Scott was an optimist and a pacifist at heart, always looking to take the peaceful path. Despite the fox's claims of pure intentions, Stiles could feel it's darkness. Even if, miraculously, the rest of the Pack managed to recognise that this creature was full of shit and dangerous, Scott would definitely buy into it. Scott always wanted to see the best in people. He would believe it's promises of only wanting to heal Stiles. The creature would manipulate Scott, find a way to get the teen alone, and then it would hurt him. Or worse.

"What you think of us is false, Stiles. We truly only want to help." The kitsune told Stiles, but still didn't make a physical appearance. "Watch. Remember. It will all make sense soon."

Heart racing and body flooded with frustration, Stiles initially opened his mouth to reply, but his mouth snapped shut when he was distracted by the sound of familiar laughter behind him.

Lydia.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

With a heavy silence looming over them, Derek and Malia walked side by side towards the house. Their footsteps echoed through the tunnels, accompanied by a third pair of near silent footsteps.

Instead of letting the silence continue, like he almost wanted to do, Derek decided to repeat his earlier request, and elaborate on his reasoning.

"Look, Malia, I need you to keep everything that we discovered in the classroom between the two of us until I say otherwise." Derek requested as the pair reached the halfway point to the house, where the decoy fork in the tunnel was placed. He took the left fork and continued speaking without giving the girl a chance to respond. "Please, I'm worried about Stiles, and I-"

"You don't need to convince me. I'll keep it quiet for now." Malia assured the Alpha, at the same time she nodded her head in an attempt to express that she was taking the situation seriously. "I don't like it, but I know how it feels to want to protect people, and it feels like the only way to do that is by hiding the truth from them. I didn't tell my dad the truth right away. I get it. You don't want to tell the others just yet. You're the Alpha and you always put the Pack first. I mean, I still really want to know, and they probably will too, but I trust you. So do they. You wouldn't do anything that would endanger the Pack. Your reasons for keeping this quiet are your own, and it's fine. I'll keep this between us, I promise. Sorry for pushing."

Shaking his head, Derek quickly assured the girl.

"Don't be sorry, the majority of our Pack are the same and want answers right away. We have a strong need to protect each other and the people we love, and so do you. That's why you belong with us, not just because you're a Hale by blood, but because you fit with us. Thank you for understanding." Derek smiled at Malia in gratitude, and she beamed brightly at him in return.

If Stiles were here he would have made a joke about Derek successfully using his words. Oh, how Derek missed his mate.

Easy silence fell upon them for the first few minutes of their journey. Lacking anything else to say, they simply walked Malia in front, Derek just behind her, in case anyone tried to attack them from behind. There was nothing but the sounds of three people walking, with their steps timed in perfect unison.

Easy as it was, Malia soon grew bored of the silence.

"Hey, did you think of a good word for how those things leave you?" She asked and the distraction was appreciated and welcomed by Derek with open arms.

"Actually, yes. How about 'Incapacitated'?" He suggested, but the look on Malia's face as she turned to raise an eyebrow at him answered for her. "Stupefied?"

"Oh, is that a real word? It sounds like a magic spell from these books my mum read to me when I was a kid." Malia responded, which earned her a chuckle from Derek, who knew exactly what she was referring to.

Once upon a time, it had been his favourite series. He still enjoyed reading the books for nostalgia on occasion, they still brought him joy and escapism. The author and her beliefs on the other hand…

Yet another train of thought that could wait for later.

On their journey to the house, the pair maintained a steady pace. As they walked, Derek continued to suggest words for Malia. Neither of them noticed the person who had been following them ever since they entered the vault.

"Unresponsive?"

"Well, that one works, I guess. But, do you have anything better?" She asked.

Instead of Derek, somebody else offered a suggestion.

"Catatonic?" A familiar voice called out from behind them. The pair spun around, clearly startled.

Lydia simply smirked at the pair as she continued walking.

"You know, for supernatural creatures, you're all rather unaware of your surroundings." Malia rolled her eyes as she began walking in line with the Banshee. "I've been following you since the vault. I was going to wait until you noticed me, but I got bored waiting."

"I am very diligent when it comes to threats. Only my Pack can sneak up on me." Derek defended, his tone was firm but his reasoning was flimsy as he walked behind the two girls.

"Sure, whatever." Lydia smirked, much to Derek's annoyance.

"I like that, 'catatonic'." Malia commented with a thoughtful smile. "Cause you're all powerless and can't move or talk, and that's not very coyote-like" As an afterthought, she quickly added, " or wolf or banshee-like."

"Excellent point, except it's not very cat-like, either." Lydia commented as she linked arms with the girl. "They're pretty fast and feisty when they want to be."

"Which is often," Derek commented dryly, secretly he was pleased for the change in conversation. "Cats are assholes." He announced, he didn't agree with his own statement, though he always said it convincingly.

The only person who knew that Derek secretly loved cats was Stiles, but he would never let anybody else know. How the pack failed to pick up on Derek's deception he would never know, but he was grateful for it.

Of course, the expected protest came immediately.

"Excuse you, cats are amazing." Lydia informed him as she looked over her shoulder to fix Derek with a 'don't argue with me' look that she had carefully perfect over the seventeen years she had been alive.

"Oh, so now you're a cat lover? Don't you have a dog?" Derek retorted with a raised eyebrow.

Indisputably eager to resume that particular conversation, Lydia mimicked Derek's expression.

"Yes, Prada, who you still won't let stay at the house, by the way!" The redhead glared at the alpha, who was unfazed.

His usual argument for this discussion on the tip of his tongue, Derek defended himself.

"I don't want animal hair all over my furniture." Derek already knew what Lydia would say next, so he quickly added; "I don't let anyone fully shift in the house."

Factually, Derek's argument was valid and reasonable. But this was about more than facts, it was principal.

Literally everybody else in the house was willing to accept a dog living with them, Derek was the only one saying no. Therefore, Lydia had come to the conclusion that Derek was simply being unreasonable.

That conclusion caused her to overlook the argument's validity and the fact that she would agree with it under other circumstances, Derek's argument ultimately meant nothing to Lydia.

"Stiles and the sheriff let me bring Prada with me to stay at their old house, when my mom was on vacation and Allison was living with them. You were living there too."

"True, But it was mostly Noah and Stiles' house, even though I lived there too. It was their furniture, so it was their decision. The Pack house belongs to the Pack, so the entire Pack has to be in agreement before anyone can live with us, be it human, supernatural, or animal. I am not okay with having a dog in the house."

"Hmph. Okay. Just know that I won't be moving in permanently until Prada can come with me. She's well behaved." Lydia reminded him, like she did every time they had that discussion. It was a good way to district Derek for a few minutes, otherwise Lydia wouldn't bother wasting her time. She didn't really want to move into the pack house until after college anyway. Satisfied that Derek wouldn't be spiralling any time soon, Lydia then returned her attention to Malia.

"So, Malia, we're all really sorry that tonight didn't go as planned." She apologised genuinely. "We're gonna figure something out to make up for it."

Biting her lip to keep a disappointed frown from forming on, Malia looked at Lydia with sad eyes.

"I'm guessing we're not going to be going on that pack hunt just yet." The coyote commented in disappointment. "When do you think we will get to?"

Eager to make up for snapping and just being grumpy without Stiles around, Derek answered "Very soon," with certainty.

His beta's liked to hunt when they were worried. Well, most of them did.

True to his pacifistic nature and desire to be a vet, Scott wasn't as into hunting as the others were. He primarily hunted during full moons, when his instincts took over. However, whenever tensions were running high and the others wanted a Pack hunt to blow off some steam, Scott would always join them. Even if sometimes he only ran alongside them and didn't actually kill anything.

The Pack didn't mind though, and still let him eat whatever they did catch. They just liked it when they were all together.

Elaborating for the alpha, Lydia added. "Most likely sometime in the near future, given that we'll need to distract everyone from worrying about Stiles too much."

"Right, okay, and what were you doing in the vault?" Malia asked immediately after. No matter how it may seem, Malia wasn't trying to interrogate Lydia, she was just curious.

Clearly, Lydia was hoping to avoid that question, if her increased heart rate was any indication. Yet, she held her head high and answered honestly.

"I was looking for you two." Lydia replied, but Derek could tell that she was withholding something from them. "The voices told me that you'd be here." She gave up that information so easily, and in such a casual and matter-of-fact tone that Malia didn't question it. She assumed that it was normal for a Banshee, but Derek grew very concerned. Lydia only heard the voices when something bad was going to happen.

And by 'bad' he means when somebody is going to die, or almost die. Lydia met the alpha's eye for a second before looking away. That one look gave Derek all of the answers that he needed.

Remaining blissfully unaware of Lydia's pointed look, and choosing to ignore Derek's chemo signals until he would give her answers, Malia soon began talking again and Lydia replied when the girl fell quiet.

Despite the Alpha's tension and concern, the conversation continued easily for the remainder of their journey.

Soon enough, the trio returned to the House and made their way upstairs to the dining area, where most of the Pack were preparing the table for breakfast. Along the way, they stopped by the armoury, where Derek could hear that Noah and Chris were with Victoria, Allison and Isaac preparing for their mission to speak to Katashi.

Briefly stopping his march, Derek opened the door to the armoury and poked his head in,

"Pack meeting. Upstairs. Ten minutes." Derek ordered calmly but firmly. He wasn't keen on the idea of Chris and Noah going after Katashi for the information they desperately needed.

Of course, thanks to Deaton and his mother, Derek was certain that the creatures they were dealing with were searching for a Nogitsune, and he was certain that the nogitsune was possessing his mate (although he hadn't mentioned that to anybody except Lydia, Scott, Allison, and Isaac).

Unfortunately, the pair had both denied any knowledge of the masked creatures. Derek knew they were both lying, but he couldn't force them to tell him. Well he could probably force Deaton, but with his current temperament it would probably end with Deaton bloodied, possibly dead, therefore he needed other means of finding that information. After all, the pack needed an emissary and Danny hadn't finished training yet, and Derek didn't trust Morrell that well. Ultimately, confronting Deaton would not end well. With no other options in sight, he was reluctantly letting them go through with their plan to find Katashi.

Without waiting for a response from the startled five, Derek turned on his heels and made his way upstairs, Malia and Lydia followed him quickly.

Derek could hear that Erica, Ethan, Danny and Mrs Boyd were in the kitchen cooking. Mrs Reyes was checking on Peter, who was recovering slower than everybody else thanks to being so drained from the ritual he had helped Derek perform. Parrish sounded as though he was doing as well as Lydia was.

However, he couldn't hear everybody in his Pack in the House. Admittedly, he sometimes hated that Stiles and the others had made every bedroom, bathroom, study/office and library in the house soundproof (except for in the second basement which was entirely soundproofed to the rest of the house and surrounding area, but when you were actually down there only the library was soundproof) but he trusted his Pack would have noticed if anybody else had gone missing. Derek made his way to the hallway before coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. There was an intercom on the wall that connected all of the soundproofed rooms from the official basement upwards.

Derek's ears twitched and he paused his movement. His finger hovered above the 'all' button on the intercom, half a second later, Scott came rushing in from the living room.

"Hey, did you find him?" Scott asked hopefully. Derek scowled.

Viciously pushing down on the button, Derek spoke into the mic of the intercom instead of answering Scott directly.

"Pack meeting! Dining Room! Ten minutes!" Derek declared in the same tone of voice that he had used with the Argents, Noah and Isaac, then released the button.

"So not good news then?" Scott asked, the kicked puppy look came out to play and he pouted as he realised that it probably wasn't an 'I found Stiles and he's staying somewhere safe until we figure out how to help him' Pack meeting.

Rather than immediately snapping, Derek took a deep breath.

"I haven't found Stiles but I do have a plan for the day." Derek stated as he turned to look at his beta. "I'll explain during the Pack meeting, and by that I mean breakfast. Feel free to ask any questions that you have then. In the meantime, I'm going to get changed." Derek then made his way upstairs to get out of his deputy uniform.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The moment her laugh reached his ears, Stiles spun around to look at the Banshee, hoping that her appearance would give him some indication as to when this supposed memory was taking place. The creature said it was after the Pack had bound themselves to the nemeton, but it may have been lying.

Stiles' eyes not only fall on Lydia, but Jackson and Allison too. Behind them, another version of Stiles walked into sight with Scott, Issac, and Erica. Behind them, Boyd, Derek, and Cora strolled at a leisurely pace.

All of them were wearing their usual athletic clothes for training. Cora was there, which meant that this took place after Tammy had turned from a Kanima to a Werewolf and joined the Jardine pack.

Danny and the twins were absent, so it could either be when Danny was on holiday with his family over the summer, or when the twins were in the hospital after Jennifer snapped their necks. Danny had missed out on a couple of training sessions to stay at the hospital with them while they were healing.

The majority of the Pack were chatting amongst themselves as they walked into the clearing. Derek stopped by a seemingly average boulder on his way in. Once everyone was in the boundaries of the warding, Derek lengthened his claws and dug them into the pre-existing holes in the boulder. Immediately, a previously unseen triskele lit up with a brilliant, pale blue light. That same light bleed out from underneath the boulder. It spread out until a perfect circle of light encompassed most of the clearing. The light then spread upwards, like a bubble, until a dome had formed.

Once the dome had completely formed, the light flared brightly and turned Alpha red, then faded from sight completely.

When there in reality you could still feel the energy, the magick, pulsing in the air. It would remain until the wards were deactivated.

If the wards were activated for more than six hours, you could feel the energy linger for up to an hour after deactivation. There was no denying that the magick protecting their training space was powerful. Derek and Stiles didn't like the Pack training for too long, out of fear that someone could sense the lingering magick after they had left and find their training place, but still, it was pretty cool.

"Okay, everybody listen up!" Memory-Stiles called out, drawing the attention of the Pack and effectively ending their conversations. "Now I know we all want to have a fun training session and enjoy the boost of energy and power we've gotten, but there are still a few things we need to talk about and prepare for."

Boost of power? That had only happened twice. When Stiles and Derek had completed the Mating Bond, and when they had bound their Pack to the Nemeton.

Cora's presence meant that this memory took place shortly after the latter. So the creature was telling the truth. Then, recognition sparked in Stiles' mind.

He remembered this.

The Pack, with the exception of Derek and Boyd, collectively groaned at Memory-Stiles' words. Derek shook his head at them as he strolled away from the boulder and towards his mate.

"I know, I know, but it's necessary if we want to live, okay? So shut up and deal with it." Memory-Stiles added in a faux serious tone.

The majority of the Pack chuckled at him, some rolled their eyes, and Scott nodded seriously. Stiles remembered all of this now, he even knew exactly what Derek was going to say next.

"Stiles is right." Derek declared as he wrapped his arms around Memory-Stiles' waist and rested his chin on Memory-Stiles' head. Stiles had never been so jealous of himself in his life. Well, actually- "We don't know where Deucalion and the Darach are." Derek continued. "The twins are still in the hospital. Even though it's no longer actively drawing supernatural creatures to itself, the nemeton is still a Beacon, and we don't know if this will instantaneously stop other Supernatural creatures from being drawn to it. To our town." Derek reminded his Pack, tone firm and serious, and Stiles couldn't help but laugh.

Admittedly, it might be his new perspective watching it from the outside, but he now understood why his dad found Pack meeting hilarious. The teens of the pack were hanging on Derek's every word, like soldiers listening to their general before a big battle. Derek had a serious expression on his face and was using his 'no-nonsense' tone, but all the while, he was clinging to his mate like a child holding their favourite stuffed animal. Memory-Stiles wore an equally serious expression as he nodded in agreement with his mate, causing Derek's head to bob along with him.

Stiles could finally admit that his dad was right, it was honestly hilarious, and how their Pack managed to never crack up when Stiles and Derek lectured them was beyond Stiles. He watched the memory unfold exactly how he remembered it, right up until it was time to go home.

Stiles remembered heading back to the house with the others, only to realise that he had left his phone at the clearing and gone back to get it. To his recollection, he had rejoined his pack in less than two minutes, but the scene he was in unfolded differently.

Things started out fine, Derek deactivated the wards, and the Pack began to shuffle tiredly out of the clearing.

Scott was the first one to step outside of the previously warded area. He always insisted on doing so, 'in case an enemy ever discovered the warding of the clearing and decided to wait until they had finished training to ambush them'. Derek reminded him that the wardings prevented that exact situation from ever occurring, but Scott still insisted on doing so every time they went there to train. After Scott, the rest of the pack would trail out in any random order, but Stiles and Derek were always the last two out.

Rightly for this memory, Stiles was the last one out of the clearing. He had been in no rush to leave, content at seeing Derek back in his rightful place amongst the Pack. Those two weeks when Derek was under the Darach's spell had been agonising, and Stlles hadn't even gotten the chance to properly enjoy having his mate back before they were forced into a battle. He watched as Derek's eyes followed the Pack carefully until they were out of the clearing. He then turned to memory-Stiles and held out his hand while sending his mate a warm smile.

Melting under his gaze was something Stiles remembered well.

"Are you coming?" Derek asked, and Stiles' heart skipped a beat, just like it had the first time around. Derek had clearly been listening to his mate's heart beat that day, even if Stiles couldn't currently hear it, because the fondness and love in his eyes only grew. Memory-Stiles had only nodded in response as he began to walk towards Derek. Once he had reached his mate, Memory-Stiles had happily taken Derek's hand in his own and together they left the clearing. Stiles quickly followed them.

Knowing that the walk was rather uneventful, Stiles followed at a leisurely pace.

Everything was going fine until an argument broke out. Isaac commented that he would be helping Stiles cook dinner that night, and Erica immediately requested lasagna. Jackson complained that they had lasagna way too often and requested stir fry. Scott stated that he wasn't in the mood for stir fry and requested gumbo. Jackson insulted gumbo. Isaac insulted Jackson. Then it spiralled.

"Let me handle it?" Derek all but begged when Memory-Stiles began to walk towards the teens. He knew that Derek felt guilty for being away from the Pack for so long, and he knew that helping out as much as he could made Derek feel better about the things that were out of his control.

"Of course," Memory-Stiles agreed as he smiled softly. Then he leaned in to give his mate an encouraging but fleeting kiss. "Go get 'em, sourwolf."

By the time Derek had arrived at the scene of the squabble, Cora had strolled up to Memory-Stiles.

"My gods," Cora began as she rolled her eyes and nudged his shoulder. "I love it when they act like children." She commented dryly to her brother-in-werewolf-law, but her amusement shone in her eyes. "Don't you?"

"Er, yeah," Memory-Stiles replied, acting as though she was truly being sarcastic. "It's hilarious! How can you not laugh at the way they go from serious, deadly, badass, teenage werewolves during training and battles, to squabbling children the moment we get to relax?" Memory-Stiles asked rhetorically, and succeeded in making Cora crack a smile.

"You got me there," Cora conceded with a grin. "But personally I think it's far more amusing to watch you go from a sarcastic, flailing, goofy teen, to a badass, graceful, deadly werewolf, and then to a serious, overprotective, caring pack mom in three seconds flat." She informed him with a smirk.

"I will have you know that it is an incredible skill to be able to juggle three completely different sides of one's self, yet I do it and shift between all three seamlessly, thank you very much." Memory-Stiles held his head high in faux indignation. Clearly, the Pack had been listening in again as they all laughed at his words.

It didn't last long; the argument between Erica, Isaac, Scott, and Jackson quickly resumed, with Derek trying to talk them all down. Boyd, Allison, and Lydia ignored their mates and continued their discussion about the stupid bathroom laws that were being pushed two towns over.

Stiles watched as his memory self resumed his own conversation with Cora. Memory-Stiles happily bantered back and forth with the girl. Stiles realised that this was about the time he remembered that he had left his phone at the clearing that day and had to go back to get it. His Memory-self should be noticing any second now.

Except, that didn't happen.

A wolf broke through the treeline instead.

Stiles' wolf.

Memory-Stiles trailed off during his conversation with Cora when he noticed it. His wolf blinked at him once, then retreated into the treeline. Without a word to the she-wolf trying to regain his attention, Memory-Stiles followed the wolf, and Stiles quickly chased after both of them.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Yes, fine, Derek was using getting changed as an excuse to hide from his pack and gather his thoughts for five minutes. How did Stiles manage to cope when Derek was under the Darach's spell?

It had only been a few hours since Stiles disappeared and Derek was losing his control and his mind. Anger used to be Derek's anchor, and he had plenty of it at the moment. The only problem was that while anger kept him from shifting, it instead caused him to snap at the people he loved.

Stiles had replaced anger as Derek's anchor after their first kiss, and only because Derek had been fighting the bond prior to that due to Stiles' age. With Stiles as his anchor, Derek not only maintained control over his animal instincts, but he felt calm and happy too. He didn't push people away or snap at them anymore. Derek liked the person he had become since meeting Stiles, he didn't want to revert back to who he used to be, for the six years after the fire.

He wanted to be a good Alpha for his Pack, especially during the hard times. He had to find something else to anchor him to his humanity. Not anger, and not Stiles (until they saved him, at least). He thought desperately for a solution as he removed his uniform, but he struggled to find something.

Sorrow began to seep into Derek's scent, so he made his way to the shower in the hopes of washing it away. While under the spray, Derek let his mind wander to his Mate. His gorgeous, funny, sarcastic, brilliant, caring, Mate. His Stiles. He focused on the good memories, and when his mind drifted to the bad ones he distracted himself by thinking about how he and Stiles would celebrate once it was over and they were reunited:

They would play in clearing with the non shifters for a while, then they'd go for a hunt with their pack. They never told the non-wolves, except for their resident coyote, but they always ate their biggest prey raw in wolf form together before calling it a night and taking the rest of their catch home. Afterwards, Stiles would insist on preparing the animals for later use almost instantly.

The pack would often help, except for Scott. Being a vet he hated knowing that he had harmed animals in a hunt, just to eat them. He preferred to live in denial after the fact and pretended that they bought the meat from the butchers or something once it was in the fridge or freezer.

The other shifters didn't understand it, but they respected it and let Scott do his thing (with a few teasing jokes here and there). After the preparations were finished, Stiles and Derek would probably retreat to their en-suite bathroom to shower and brush their teeth. Usually, they would clean each other and end up stumbling into bed, lip-locked and still wet from the shower. Derek imagined the same would happen the night that they truly reunited. Although, knowing their luck, the Pack will have decided to invite themselves for a puppy pile (it had happened before, multiple times). It would be emotionally scarring for most people involved (some of their pack were openly voyeuristic).

Realising that he was getting distracted, Derek rinsed out the last of the conditioner Lydia had insisted he start using. Stiles loved how 'soft and fluffy' it made Derek's hair, so he kept using it. He may not feel like doing so today, but he had to maintain his self-care routine, or Stiles would be upset when he was himself again. Lydia somehow always knew when someone had skipped, and would rat them out in a heartbeat. Once his hair was conditioner-free Derek shut off the water and quickly dried off and dressed for the day.

All black clothes, of course. Stiles was missing and possessed, Derek felt that he was allowed to be brooding and dramatic if he wanted to.

Thirty seconds before his own ten minute deadline, Derek walked into the dining room to see that his pack was sitting around the dining room table. Food was piled high, but nobody made any move to eat any of it. Derek began making a mental list of everybody sitting at the table as soon as he walked into the room. When he had finished doing so, Derek frowned.

"Where are Melissa, Jake, and Kira?" Derek asked in concern.

"Over here, Derek!" Kira's staticy voice called out as Erica held up her phone, revealing that Kira was on video chat, he could see that the girl was wearing her headphones, meaning that her parents wouldn't be able to hear anything the pack said if they walked in.

Good.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't say goodbye, but my parents said that I had to come home before school." She informed him ruefully.

"Kira, don't worry. It's fine." Derek assured, trying to keep himself calm. "As long as you're safe."

"Melissa's shift started at six this morning so she had to leave at five thirty. Jake left for work about five minutes before you got home." Noah explained and Derek relaxed marginally now that everybody was accounted for, with the obvious exception of Stiles. With all of his concern for Stiles, Derek had completely forgotten that they all had jobs, responsibilities, school, etc.

"Once Melissa talked us through what to do, Hayley and I took over monitoring everyone who had been marked so that she could get ready and go to work." Sheila informed him next. "Everyone is fine at this point. Once their super-healing kicked in, the wolves were all fully recovered within thirty minutes or less."

"For Lydia and Parrish, once we got them warm and gave them some food and water, they were back on their feet within an hour." Hayley added, Derek nodded as he took in the information.

Listening intently, Scott nodded.

"Okay, so we know how to help Kira and Malia tonight." Scott stated for confirmation, when no one corrected him, he continued. "I was thinking, it might be better if we took them to my mum's house after school. If these creatures are that dangerous, it's probably better to keep the potential casualties to a minimum."

Unphased by Cora's warning growl, Derek nodded. Scott's suggestion had merit.

"So what do you propose?" Derek asked his beta, who beamed (which he always did when his alpha asked for his opinion).

"I was uh- I was thinking that I could take Kira to my house after school, somebody else can drop Malia off and then leave." Scott suggested his plan and ignored the glares from various pack mates when he suggested protecting their two newest members alone. "When my mum gets home from work, just after six, the sun will have just set. When the creatures get there, I'll watch over Malia and Kira while the creatures mark them. If they try anything else, I'll fight them off so my mum can lock them out with mountain ash." His mum was a nurse, so she was the best person to help them. Melissa also had a mountain ash baseball bat, and she knew how to create a mountain ash around herself if the creatures came towards her, but she wouldn't attack them unprovoked.

"McCall, I am going to rip your throat out with my teeth." Cora told Scott with a stone face, but her heartbeat gave her away. "How dare you try to bench me when demonic ninjas are after my cousin?"

Heaving out an exhausted sigh, Derek rubbed at his brows, mentally praying for patience.

"Enough, Cora." Derek told her before he returned his attention to Scott, "Your plan has potential." Derek confessed with a nod. "But you're not protecting them alone. We know that there are at least three of these things. Thanks to Chris we also know that they are highly skilled killers, and ruthless. Thanks to last night, we also know that they don't attack unprovoked. As long as we let them scan and mark us, we'll be fine."

"And I'm the least likely to attack them unprovoked." Scott argued quickly, and received glares and/or growls from his pack mates who had short fuses. "Well, except for Danny, but they don't seem to want to mark him and he doesn't have enhanced healing, so it's best if he's out of harm's way."

"So is Boyd. He is good at remaining calm and level headed under pressure." Derek reminded him. "And like you, he has already been marked." The Alpha then turned his attention to Boyd "Are you willing to-"

"Gods, Derek, I want to protect them!" Cora stated and flashed her eyes at her brother. Derek simply shot her a glare and flashed his own eyes in return, before returning his attention to Boyd.

"Of course." Boyd immediately agreed before anybody else could argue. "I can stay home to help out if Peter or Malia need anything, or I can help look for Stiles. After school ends, I'll drive Malia to the McCall house and help protect them and Melissa if the creatures try anything. But I start work at eleven tonight, so if they don't show before ten-"

"That won't be a problem, I'll be there long before then. Thank you." Derek replied, he ignored the complaints from his other betas and turned his attention towards Kira. He had thought it through while changing out of his work uniform. He needed to be careful when telling his pack what he knew. He needed to tell them enough to keep them safe, but not too much. Knowing too much could endanger them further.

The line he was towing was a fine one, and Derek hoped that he wouldn't cross it accidently.

"Alright Kira, as you heard I need you to go with Scott after school." He told her politely but firmly, making it clear that it wasn't a request. "Those creatures were looking right at you and Malia when the sun came up. Which means they're likely coming for the two of you next."

Bobbing her head in agreement, Kira smiled softly, clearly unbothered by Derek treating her like one of his betas.

"Yeah, I already told my parents that you guys invited me to hang out tonight." Kira informed them all. "They said it's fine. But they want me home by eleven."

Later would have been preferable, but eleven was reasonable. Especially given that she had been allowed to stay out all night the night before.

"We can work with that." Derek responded with a nod.

"Since we're on the topic of protection details." Aiden chimed in before anybody else could say anything, "Ethan and I have been talking."

Ethan took over easily, without missing a beat. "We're going to take the day off school and protect Malia."

"Don't bother, I can take care of myself. Boyd is already staying home with me. It's bad enough having a babysitter, I don't need three." Malia immediately protested. "Is this about me being a Coyote?"

"This is about you being the target of demonic ninjas." Aidan corrected easily.

"You mean the demonic ninjas that pulled swords out of their chests and knocked us all out by staring us in the eyes?" Ethan asked sarcastically, with a smile.

"Yes, those demonic ninjas." Aidan confirmed as he mirrored his brother's smile.

"I don't care if it's demonic ninjas or radioactive aliens, I don't need anyone to protect me." Malia argued again, with a slight growl to her voice this time.

"They were looking right at you and Kira when the sun came up." Ethan reminded her again, very unnecessarily.

"Given the way they had stared at me before they came at me, I think it's pretty safe to say that you two are next." Aiden added as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Hate to say it, but they have a point." Isaac reluctantly sided with twins. "These things are powerful and dangerous. We have a better chance against them if we stick together."

"I thought we had agreed not to attack them?" Scott pouted, but he was ignored.

"They disappeared when the sun came up, right?" Kira's voice chimed in from Erica's phone.

"Thank you Kira. She's right, and you all said that they only come out at night." Malia remembered, thanks to the kitsune's words.

"We think that they only come out at night, we don't know it." Aidan corrected. "This wouldn't be the first time this Pack has had a theory and it's turned out to be wrong."

"Oh? When has that happened?" Lydia asked with a raised eyebrow. The twins ignored her.

That was a mistake on their part.

A big mistake.

Both brothers were unaware of the targets they had just painted on their backs and continued speaking like nothing was wrong.

"Since this is our first experience with demonic ninjas," Ethan drawled but before his brother cut in.

Leaning into his brother's personal space, Aidan helpfully corrected. "Mass-murdering demonic ninjas."

Ethan nodded at his brother in thanks and finished his previous sentence "We're thinking we should play it safe."

Aidan once again took over to add, "All day."

Henry was the one who finished, before Ethan could,

"And all night." Henry stated, his pleading eyes locked on his daughter, surprising most people at the table. "I don't want anything else to happen to you, Malia. I already lost you once, I can't do it again."

Moved by her father's pleas, Malia sighed as she nodded in agreement. But only to keep her dad from worrying.

"Fine, but for the record: I think this is stupid and unnecessary and I'm only agreeing because I love you, dad." Malia told Henry bluntly. "But why all day if they only attack at night?" She asked again, having decided to ignore Aidan's answer.

"Aidan was actually right with half of his statement," Allison explained, nodding towards Aidan, she chose her words carefully as she had seen the look in Lydia's eyes. "We don't actually know for sure that they only come out at night. We think that based on current evidence, but we can't be certain. They might only need darkness." Allison regretfully informed the girl. She was quick to assure Malia before the coyote thought that she doubted her. "I know that you can take care of yourself. We've trained together, believe me, I know how capable you are."

"Right, but these things are dangerous if provoked." Lydia took over.

"I was literally about to say that." Allison muttered softly as she glared half heartedly at the banshee, and Lydia sent an apologetic smile.

"So it's better to just let them do whatever they're doing." Lydia continued. "You know you'll be fine, and so will you Kira. I don't have enhanced healing like the rest of them, and I'm fine, but you'll need someone to watch over you and get you somewhere safe, depending on when and where they attack." The Banshee explained to Kira before addressing both her and Malia. "Most of us have experienced the temporary catatonia from these creatures scanning us. It's better if you have somebody with you if they can attack at any time." Lydia continued explaining easily, she then addressed Malia only as she finished. "Someone who can trigger your healing process and get you to safety."

"Glad you brought that up again, because. I, uh, I-I don't have enhanced healing either." Parrish informed them all, somewhat awkwardly as Lydia smiled encouragingly at him. "I'm human, so they could be going after anybody."

"Quick question; are we sure Parrish is human?" Erica asked suddenly as she stared at the man scrutinizingly. "They haven't gone after any other humans, and they've had plenty of chances. They've only gone after the werewolves."

"And Lydia." Allison corrected at the same time that Lydia chimed in "And Banshee."

One eyebrow raised and a smirk on his lips, Danny commented. "There's an easy way to find out." Danny smirked. "Parrish, would you mind standing up, please?" The deputy did as he was asked without a word, though he did send questioning looks to Noah and Derek.

"Ugh, really?" Noah groaned as he ran a hand over his face. "During breakfast?"

"Slash Pack meeting." Erica reminded the sheriff easily as she pointed her fork at him and grinned. "If he is supernatural, it affects the whole Pack." She added, moving her fork in a circular motion to gesture to the others at the table.

"Exactly, besides, it'll only take a second." Danny assured the sheriff casually. "If you could take a step away from the table?" Danny asked Parrish politely as he stood up and walked around the table. While he did so, Parrish also stood up and took the requested step away from the table.

Less than two seconds later, Danny reached the deputy. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment as he visualised his intended result, just like Deaton had taught him. He opened his eyes again, focused on Parrish, then threw his hand out. Instantly, Parrish was in the centre of a circle of mountain ash.

Derek watched Parrish's reaction closely. He was certain that if Parrish was supernatural, he was unaware of the fact. Just like Lydia, Malia, and Kira had all been unaware of their latent abilities and Supernatural heritage once upon a time. He watched as Parrish regarded Danny's open and empty hand in confusion before he glanced downward.

"Is this mountain ash?" Parrish asked with a confused frown as he looked down at the circle.

He raised an eyebrow as he looked up at Danny again.

"Yes," Danny replied casually. "Please try to step out of the circle." The hacker requested with a smile. "It's the easiest test."

"But, it doesn't work on me." Lydia reminded him for what felt like the thousandth time. "I'm technically supernatural."

"True, but let's see if it works on him." Isaac suggested casually. "If it doesn't work, we'll leave it be until we have more evidence that he's something supernatural." Isaac paused then added in the same easy tone, "If it does work, we ask him again what he is. If he doesn't tell us, we torture him until he does."

"Let's torture him in the holding cells in the basement." Cora chimed in helpfully. "Easier to clean up in there."

"Dibs on using the flamethrower." Erica grinned viciously. She would never use it on someone who hadn't done horrific things, of course, but it was fun to watch the colour drain from the deputy's face.

"No!" Noah immediately protested, sounding exhausted of having to remind teenagers that torture was not okay. "If he can't cross the mountain ash, we will help him figure out why. He wouldn't be the first supernatural creature we've come across who doesn't know what they are." He reminded them all pointedly.

Scattered sounds of agreement and disappointment could be heard for the next few seconds before Derek spoke.

Clearing his throat once, Derek gestured to his fellow deputy.

"Alright Parrish, would you please try crossing the mountain ash?" The Alpha requested politely and calmly. "I promise that nothing bad will happen if you can't."

Parrish let out a shaky breath as he raised his hand and attempted to reach outside of the circle. A familiar barrier appeared.

Startled by the fact that he couldn't cross the barrier, Parrish staggered backwards, only to crash into another part of the barrier. Clearly, the man was unaware of whatever he was. Derek took pity on the co-worker whom he had quickly come to consider a friend.

"Danny, let him out." Derek ordered as he stood and began to walk around the table, towards the pair. Danny quickly did as he was told. As soon as Danny created a line in the circle (without touching it) Parrish fell to the ground.

"What the hell?" Parrish asked breathily, eyes darting from Derek to Noah and back again repeatedly.

"We'll figure this out," Derek stated firmly as Danny helped Parrish to his feet. By then, Derek was standing by Danny's side. Derek locked eyes with his fellow deputy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I trust you, Jordan, we'll figure out whatever is going on with you, I promise. But right now I need to focus on Stiles. I sorry but-"

"Don't apologise, whatever this is can wait. I know I'll appreciate your help later, and thank you for that, but right now I know that you need to find Stiles. Werewolf or not, I think we need to treat this like any other missing persons case." Parrish nodded shakily. As much as he hated that Stiles was missing, Jordan was relieved that he had some time to wrap his head around apparently being a supernatural creature before figuring out what exactly he was. "He's your son, Sheriff, I haven't forgotten that. I'll cover your shift for you today. You both need to be out there looking for Stiles."

True gratitude washed over Noah. He was going to ask Tara or Paul to cover for him, but he really didn't want to bother Tara on her day off or ask Paul to work a longer shift.

"You sure?" Noah asked hopefully and Parrish nodded.

"Hundred percent." The deputy stated firmly and confidently. "Just let me finish my breakfast, and I'll be good to go."

Noah smiled at Parrish, elated and grateful. "Thank you. My shift doesn't start until 3, so after breakfast, get some rest. I'll go to the station in the meantime and tell everyone to keep an eye out for Stiles and demonic ninja's. As soon as I know what's going on with Stiles, I'll come back to the station and let you go home. Don't worry, I won't make you work the full 24 hours."

"Sounds good, thank you."

"I want to say thank you again. We'll be more likely to find him with more of us out there." Derek added when Parrish met his eyes again. He gave the man a small smile and patted him on the back. Danny made his way back to his seat, and Parrish decided that sitting down was a good idea. Derek moved back to his own seat, but remained standing behind it as he addressed the pack as a whole. "As we've already established, Stiles is still missing. I couldn't pick up his scent. At all."

"After Allison dropped off Ethan, Jackson, Boyd, and Lydia, Chris and I went out to search for Stiles too." Noah informed Derek quickly. "We couldn't find any trace of him. When we got home, we checked security cameras, traffic cam footage and every single camera that Danny and Stiles have set up around town and there's nothing! It's like he literally just vanished."

Easily adding to the conversation once Noah had finished speaking, Henry gave his first contribution to a Pack meeting. "I have cameras set up all around the woods, I can get you the tapes, if you want." Henry offered. "See if we can spot him on any of 'em"

"Thanks, but how long have you had cameras set up in the woods?" Danny asked, surprise evident in his voice. "Why didn't I know about this? What network are they on? I should have detected them."

"Huh? Network?" Henry asked, confusion was etched onto his face and he had raised an eyebrow, and Danny understood. "No, they're tape recorders. Got 7 day tapes, every week, I go out in the morning, I take the old tapes out and put the new ones in. I got a box full of yesterday's footage, up until 6am this morning."

"Ah, so that's where you disappeared to," Victoria commented. At his perplexed look, she elaborated. "I heard you leave just after Melissa did. Werewolf hearing."

"Thank you Henry, that will be very useful." Derek nodded gratefully at the man, attempting to get the conversation back on topic. Unfortunately, one of his beta's had to pipe in with a sarcastic remark.

"Oh yeah, cause I bet that after vanishing into thin air, he'll miraculously show up in this footage." Jackson couldn't help the words from escaping his lips.

Or the eyeroll.

Or the bitch face.

He was stressed, okay?

He couldn't help it, Stiles was missing; his Pack Mom. Jackson had never met his biological parents, and his adopted parents had never been that parental. Stiles and Derek were the only parental figures that Jackson had ever had. They actually listened when he was upset. They asked his opinion on things. They told him that they were proud of him. They taught him how to shift, and how to stay in control. They calmed him down and kept him safe when he couldn't stay in control. And now Stiles was missing and it was much worse than when Derek was under the Darach's spell. At least they knew where he was and that he was relatively safe.

"Let's face it, we have no freaking idea where Stiles is or how to find him!" Jackson practically growled those words out as his hands curled into fists. "All we have is a message on a wall and a carving in the ground. We have no idea what's going on with him, or how to help him. We-"

Lighting up with a grin, Erica cut Jackson off.

"Excellent point, Jackson, thank you for reminding me. What was the carving, anyway, McCall?" Erica demanded as she turned to face Scott, her grin transformed into a steely glare as she did so. Erica only called him by his surname if she meant business. "You mentioned it but you didn't tell us anything about what it said."

"Yeah, but I was about to tell you guys before we were interrupted by Caitlin." Scott defended himself instinctively, but regretted it when the scent of jealousy permeated the room, courtesy of Derek.

"Well, spit it out already, McCall," Cora growled, flashing her eyes at the bitten wolf.

Against his better judgement, Scott's mind drifted to the possibility that Stiles wasn't the one possessed by the Nogitsune that Derek had been warned of. It was looking increasingly likely that his mum was right. That Stiles was suffering from the same disease that robbed him of his mother. The evidence was piling up and Scott's fear was growing.

But in spite of that fear and the wandering of his mind, Scott still chose to believe that the Nogitsune both Deaton and Derek's mother had mentioned was the true culprit behind Stiles' current issues.

Listening to fear wouldn't save Stiles. Even if Stiles is sick and somebody else is possessed, learning everything they can about this creature, and how to free somebody from it, would come in handy. It would help save a life.

It's what Stiles would do.

Even if that wasn't the case, Derek didn't want the others to worry about the Nogitsune yet. Scott didn't want to worry them with something that probably wasn't true, but he had to be honest with them about the carving.

"I-it said, uh, it said C.S. 2004, F.T.D." Scott told them reluctantly, his eyes downcast and his shoulders slumped.

Naturally, every part of Scott told him that Stiles wasn't sick. He was possessed. Scott's mind, heart and wolf were all in agreement on that. He didn't want to cause the others concern, but he had to be truthful about the carving. Besides, Derek didn't want them to know about the Nogitsune just yet. So, maybe, letting them think the worst was for the best? That's what Scott told himself in order to feel better.

Derek nodded at Scott, as though he could read his mind, silently assuring the beta that he was doing the right thing. Scott smiled softly at his alpha, but soon startled at a sudden sound.

Isaac had exclaimed loudly, "Oh! I thought it said G5 ZOO 4 F.T.P. Although, your version doesn't make much sense either." Although he began his sentence in support of his mate, he finished sounding dubious.

"Scott's version actually does make sense." Noah admitted gravely. All heads turned to him, but his eyes were fixed on the table. "An awful lot of sense. I've known for a while but I didn't want to believe it. I tried to blame it on the ritual and that Bardo thing, but I knew the truth. His sleepwalking and panic attacks returned worse than ever." All eyes were on the sheriff, and tensions were growing due to the gravity behind his words. His tone was full of dread, and sad acceptance. "I'm sure none of you noticed thanks to the sound proofing, but he's been waking up screaming every night. He's been sleepwalking through the house, usually just to the kitchen, my room, or the bathroom, then he'd wander back to bed for between ten minutes and an hour. Then he'd wake up screaming, except for twice. First, the night before Malia turned back into a human, he made it outside the house. He almost walked right into the pool, but Derek grabbed him just in time, turned him around, and Stiles just walked back to bed."

The teens of the pack turned questioning looks to their alpha, silently asking why he hadn't mentioned that incident to them. Derek resolutely ignored them and kept his eyes on Noah, who took the hint of silence and continued speaking.

"Second time was the night you set up your pranks at the school. After you got back, he went to bed and started sleepwalking almost as soon as he was under, which isn't normal. This time he used the secret passageways. Derek and I found him an hour later at the nemeton, screaming bloody murder." Noah told them, and paused to let out a sigh.

"Is that what that sound was?" Malia blurted without thinking. "I thought those teenagers in that van were watching horror movies in the woods again."

Cursory habit of the job, the three local law enforcement officers at the table shot their heads to look at her.

"What teenagers in a van?" Derek, Noah, and Parrish all asked instinctively.

"I dunno, but they fed me sometime when I was a coyote."

"Oh, nevermind that, it can wait." Noah quickly waved off that question and as he continued his previous point, he looked around at the Pack. "It took us almost twenty minutes to calm him down enough to get him home. On top of the sleepwalking, he's been more impulsive than usual. Rushing into things alone, like the other night at the power station. I didn't want to worry anyone, but he's still hallucinating even though that Bardo thing is over, little things, like the other day I found him in the kitchen, talking to himself but he was convinced that Scott was there with him. He also hasn't been sleeping, he stays awake for days and then he passes out from exhaustion. When he does that, he has night terrors or sleeping walks. He's been dissociative and confused. Yesterday we were talking and it was like we were having two completely different conversations. It's usually when he wakes up, but I've seen it happen when he's cooking, cleaning, and other random times. Day or night. He's really irritable most of the time and then suddenly he's got mood swings galore. He's been eating way more than usual, even for a werewolf. To top it all off, he's been obsessively compiling cases and tracking their progress with coloured strings, in Derek's study. I've seen it all before; well, not the collecting cases thing, for her it was-"

"Uh, 'her'? Her who?" Isaac cut the sheriff off without thinking. Almost everything the sheriff was saying, Isaac had noticed too. So had Jackson and Cora. With the exception of the insomnia (until Stiles had informed Melissa of his sleeping pattern the day before) and night terrors, the betas who permanently live in the house had seen all of those symptoms in Stiles. They needed answers. "And what does any of this mean? What's wrong with Stiles?"

Less than a week before, Isaac had asked Stiles to help him with the extra credit homework he had been assigned for maths, after failing three tests in a row. (Since then he had been banned from having Scott and/or Allison over on a school night. If they stayed over, they all had to be in separate rooms, or with the door open and intercom on all night. With the obvious exception of pack puppy piles, of course.) Stiles obviously agreed to help and started to advise Isaac. Except, he was advising him on how to solve a physics problem. When Isaac pointed that out, Stiles had gotten upset, accused Isaac of lying to him and trying to confuse him, and then stormed out of the room. Isaac hesitated for a moment, as he tried to process what exactly had just happened. He soon followed Stiles scent to find him sitting where he had been when Isaac had asked him for help. He was about to apologise for upsetting his Pack Mum when Stiles looked up at him blankly, then blinked and broke out into an enthusiastic smile. He then declared that he was happy to help with his maths homework.

Despite his concern, Isaac didn't want to worry anybody until he knew if it was more than just a blip. So, he chose to remain quiet about that event.

Two nights prior, when both Noah and Derek were working, Jackson came downstairs for a glass of water and found Stiles cooking. He tried to talk to Stiles but received no response.

Even with his sleep-boggled mind, it didn't take Jackson long to realise that Stiles was sleepwalking. He thankfully remembered Lydia's lectures on not waking a sleepwalker, so Jackson watched Stiles carefully and cleaned up after him. He turned the oven off and made sure Stiles made it back to bed, tucked him in and shut the door. Then he kindly returned to the kitchen and ate all of the food Stiles had prepared, and ensured that there was no evidence of his feast, before he returned to bed too. He had written it, and all of those other signs and symptoms, off as Stiles' ADHD, stress, and just Stiles being Stiles. He didn't want to believe that anything was wrong. Then again, Stiles didn't smell any different. More anxious sometimes, but when that happened, they had a system to help him through it. But what if it was something else?

A few days after the ritual that bound the pack to the nemeton, Stiles separated from the pack during the walk home from training. Cora had been talking to him when he suddenly trailed off and walked away. So, of course, she followed him. Along the way she heard him talking. At first she assumed he was talking to her, but just as she went to respond he said Derek's name. She listened to his side of his apparent conversation with 'Derek' and followed at a short distance. Soon, they arrived at the Nemeton. There, Stiles started to tell 'Derek' that he didn't want to do something. He appeared to listen to whatever 'Derek' was saying and, seemingly entranced, started to reach out towards the Nemeton. Suddenly, Stiles seemed to become self aware of his actions. He started to repeat the words 'No' and 'I don't want to do this' as he tried to pull his hand back. He struggled, as though he were stuck in something but there was nothing there. Instinctively, Cora rushed forward to help Stiles. She touched his shoulder and called out his name in an attempt to bring him back to reality. Unfortunately, Stiles used his free hand to lash out and push her away. Cora shifted into beta-form in response, but when she looked up again she could see dark vines protruding from the nemeton and wrapping themselves around Stiles' arm. Cora immediately leapt forwards and swiped at the vines with her claws.

Despite the fact that they were invisible without her wolf eyed and therefore supposedly non corporeal, they easily gave way under her claws. She soon set Stiles free and he immediately ran away. She raced after him and soon caught up. She spoke to him and he responded as though he was surprised to see her. She asked why he had separated from the pack and where he had gone. He told her that he'd gone back to the clearing because he had left his phone there, like he had told her. His heartbeat indicated that he believed he was telling the truth, so she played along.

She said nothing when they reunited with the Pack.

Why?

She wasn't sure. It was just instinct. Her gut told her it would pass if she just kept quiet, then they found out about bardo and she assumed her instincts were right. Now she was second guessing it all.

She had caught him sleepwalking a few times too, and scheming in the second basement's library. When the latter occurred the night before Coach's birthday, Cora had an odd conversation with Stiles while she had been attempting to sneak into the gym to burn off some steam after her mates had both returned to their parents' houses for the evening. She asked him if he was planning something for Coach, Stiles replied that she was right, they do need more mashed potatoes. She initially wrote it off as him goofing around, but the longer the conversation went on, the weirder it got. She eventually gave up and went to the training room. When she had finished, Cora returned to the library and once again attempted to have a conversation with him. Once again, he spoke but he wasn't responding to her words. After a moment, however, she realised that he was responding to the words she had said earlier. She was mildly concerned, but wrote it off as Stiles pulling a prank on her, and let it drift to the back of her mind. That was clearly a poor judgement.

"Yes, 'her'. Claudia. My wife. Stiles' mother." Noah explained, startling the three beta's out of their thoughts. "These were all symptoms I saw with her. When she was dying of Frontotemporal Dementia."

"Oh." Danny gasped, shock evident on his face.

"Uh, yeah. Claudia Stilinski, C.S." Scott explained softly. "2004, the year she died. F.T.D-"

"The common acronym for frontotemporal dementia." Lydia found herself adding to the conversation, despite her own belief that this was not what was ailing Stiles. When Stiles had informed her and Allison of what killed his mother, on their third or fourth sleepover, she had immediately begun researching the condition. "It's the only kind of dementia known to affect teenagers. The most common form of dementia seen in anyone under the age of 60."

"Uh uh, no! I get how it looks, but that's impossible! Stiles has supernatural healing!" Isaac protested immediately and was unable to stop his eyes from glowing as he did so. That couldn't be it. Derek had told them about the Nogitsune that the shadow creatures were looking for. The Nogitsune is a trickster spirit.

This must be a twisted prank. It had to be!

"I must point out, regretfully so, that I was comatose for six years and extremely mentally unstable when I woke up. Deucalion was blinded and unable to heal from it," Peter was genuinely remorseful as he reminded the younger wolf of those facts. "We truly do not know the extent of any wolf, or other shifter's, healing capabilities. It varies from person to person. His ADHD remained after being turned. If this condition is hereditary, even supernatural healing might not be enough to save him." Though he remained stone faced, Peter's worry and grief radiated through the members of the Pack who were highly involved in their supernatural affairs, and therefore felt the strongest connections to the bonds.

"Come on! Even if it is true, this is Stiles!" Jackson protested quickly, defending Isaac even though he didn't know about the nogitsune. "He's always been a hyperactive, sarcastic, know-it-all, who says weird shit and rambles a lot. He has always been crazy, especially since becoming a werewolf and Pack Mom." the Beta pointed out, and nobody could really argue with his logic. "And no matter what, he protects us above all else." Jackson continued when nobody else attempted to say anything. "He might be sleepwalking, and getting confused and losing time, but up until today he has always made sure that we were fed for every meal. He packed us snacks and made sure we have all of our textbooks. He still cared about us. He still does. Even if something like this was happening to him, he wouldn't run away from us. He would go to the hospital and get treated. He'd fight it and get better so he can mother us, even though we are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."

"Only there is no cure for this. Stiles knows that," Noah told him gently, but the grief in his scent was overwhelming. "When Claudia was diagnosed I asked everybody I knew, medical professional or not, but nobody knew of a cure. One year and nine months later, while I was out on a case, my wife died. Stiles was there, he was with her when it happened. There were signs, a lot of 'em, for over a year before she was diagnosed, but I didn't want to see 'em. If I had gotten her help sooner she could have had a little longer. I'm not going through that again with Stiles. I've already wasted enough time in denial, I need to find him and get him to the hospital and get him treated as soon as possible." He then turned his head to look at Chris. "I'm sorry that I can't go with you to meet Katashi."

"No, Noah. You don't have to apologise. I understand, he's your son. You need to find him and get him checked up." Chris assured the sheriff immediately. "I'd offer to go with you, but Katashi could have the answers we need about these creatures who are scanning all of the supernatural creatures in Beacon Hills, so sooner or later they're going to go after Stiles. We need to know everything there is to know about these creatures before then. The real problem is Katashi doesn't see visitors. Ever. He's a paranoid recluse who rarely steps outside the gates of his estate."

"Let's get back to that, how are you going to get to him?" Allison asked, both curious of his plan, and concerned that it may be too dangerous for him to handle alone.

"Don't worry, I've already set up a meeting." Chris informed her casually.

"Really? How did you manage that?" Cora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Aidan chimed in, looking at Chris. "I though you said he was a 'paranoid recluse'?" Aidan expected the man to be annoyed at being questioned by teenagers, but the man gave no indication of such emotion. Or any emotions, really.

"He is, but see, he's got a thing for rare, antique weapons." Chris explained and though his expression remained neutral, an unseen smirk was evident in his voice. "Yesterday, when Victoria forced me to stay at home," Victoria rolled her eyes at her husband, but opted to remain silent for the time being and chastise him later. "I had some contacts put out the word that I was selling one from my own collection. This is a French Flintlock Turnover Pistol from 1645."

'Dangerous mission. Okay then.' Allison thought to herself as she fixed a stony expression on her face.

"You're not going alone." Allison told her father firmly. Nobody needed her to elaborate what she meant by that.

Yet again, Chris found himself on the receiving end of a stare from a stubborn teenager.

"If she's going, I'm going." Isaac stated, also leaving no room for argument. Scott wanted to volunteer too but, as much as he wanted to look out for his mates, he knew that his best friend needed him more. Today, Scott needed to focus on finding Stiles.

"Ooh, fun. I wanna torture and interrogate a mobster. I'm going too." Erica grinned.

Unwilling to let another teenager volunteer to join, Chris quickly spoke. "To be honest, I don't feel good about bringing any of you." Chris told them, his voice just shy of a shout. "Unfortunately, I do need back up; Victoria is working, Noah and Derek need to look for Stiles, and Peter is in no condition to leave the house." Chris made his comment regarding Peter with a perfect deadpan. "He looks terrible."

"I am deeply offended. Everybody in this new Pack of yours is so rude, Derek." Peter whined playfully. "Couldn't you associate with nicer people?"

Tilting his head in a faux-thoughtful manner, Derek smiled mischievously. It's what Stiles would want.

"I'll have you know that Allison, Scott, Melissa, Danny, Sheila, and Kira are all very nice, actually." Derek informed him easily. "And Stiles, Lydia, Noah, Boyd, Malia, Natalie, Jake, Hayley, Richard, and Henry, are all pretty nice unless you give them reason not to be."

Scoffing loudly, Cora slammed her hand down on the table in an attempt to get her brother's attention. It worked.

"Uh, excuse you? What about the rest of us?" Cora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Your first suggestion for everything is either torture or murder. You are not nice." Derek responded as he reached out for the nearest dish to him, not caring what it was, and began putting food on his plate, hoping it would encourage the others to do the same. (It did.)

"I can't believe I'm hearing this. From my own brother no less, that's just rude." Cora commented out of principle. As she finished her sentence, she stabbed a sausage with her fork.

"Kinship means nothing these days, right?" Peter chimed in, but his niece simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Er, so, what exactly is the plan for the day?" Jackson asked in an attempt to get the conversation back on track. "Who gets to go out and look for Stiles?"

"Yeah, I get to, right?" Malia asked eagerly. "I'm always stuck at home all day, so it's not like I'll be missing school or anything."

"Okay," Derek began, hoping that he at least appeared confident to the rest of the Pack. He normally felt confident delivering his plans to the Pack, but usually he had the opportunity to discuss his plans with Stiles first. He'd gone over part of it with Lydia and Malia, but it wasn't the same. "The twins and Boyd are going to stay home with Malia and check on Peter. If you want to search for him, you can, but wait until I've finished searching the preserve before you do so. Don't go more than a mile from the house and stay in pairs or a group. I also want somebody at the house at all times in case he comes back here, but boys: Do not leave Malia alone in case these things can come out during the day."

"Allison and Isaac are going with Chris to meet Katashi and find out what we're dealing with." Derek ordered reluctantly, causing a triumphant smile to appear on Allison and Isaac's faces. The alpha turned his attention to Jackson as he continued.

"Jackson, I need you to stick with Melissa at the hospital. Just in case. Tell her that I need her to keep a room free at the hospital for Stiles when we find him." He added, earning him a scowl from the beta.

"Uh, forreal? Why can't I look for Stiles?" Jackson asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The bigger question is; why aren't I going with Ally, Isaac, and Mr Argent?" Erica asked, raising an eyebrow as transformed her expression into one of expectancy and impatience.

"First of all, Jackson, the hospital is somewhere else Stiles might go in a moment of clarity. I need someone with enhanced senses who can detect him in the building if he enters at a time when Danny isn't able to check the security cameras." Derek explained to Jackson first, as calmly as he could. "And second, I may need somebody to go collect him if Danny finds him elsewhere on the cameras. Depending on whoever's closest, we could need any one of you to go and help him."

Less than pleased, Jackson reluctantly nodded in agreement. He'd prefer a more active role in the search, but Derek's logic was sound.

"Fine." Jackson grumbled. Hey, at least he didn't have to go to school.

Derek then turned his attention to Erica, who now looked far more annoyed. "Erica, you can't miss school. Your attendance is too low."

"My attendance is fine, I haven't missed a single day this year." Erica defended immediately, unfortunately, her mother chose that point to join the conversation.

"Erica, sweetheart. Yes, it's true you haven't missed a day this year, but you missed a lot of school during the first two years, thanks to your epilepsy, and then Pack drama." Hayley reminded her gently but firmly. "And before you say it, I know that you made up the work, but actually being there is important too. You can search for Stiles after school. And, if he shows up there, you can leave early to go with him to the hospital." Hayley assured her and Erica pouted, but accepted those terms. It was the best offer she was going to get.

"Thank you, Hayley," Derek nodded in agreement, glad that that was settled. "Everyone else who is going to school can also leave early if Stiles shows up there."

"Okay, if any of you find him, don't hesitate to call me if you need back up. If he's paranoid and hallucinating, he might not calm down easily. It could be like a full moon, or worse." Boyd told Erica and Jackson. The three beta's looked towards the alpha for approval.

"Good idea, Boyd." Derek nodded in approval. "Jackson, Boyd, if Stiles is found somewhere with other people around, whoever gets the call to say that Stiles is found and you're closest, call the other for back up. If there's a crowd, he might panic and try to run."

"Really?" Ethan asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why waste time with Boyd calling Jackson when Aidan and I are here?"

Readily nodding in agreement with his brother, Aidan added. "One of us can stay behind with Malia in case those creatures go after her. The other can go with Boyd."

"While I appreciate your eagerness to help, I'm not sure if it's the best idea for you to be there." Derek stated, trying to avoid upsetting the pair by accidentally giving away his reasoning. Regardless of Derek's intentions, Ethan immediately realised what the Alpha was thinking.

"Why not?" Aidan asked with a raised eyebrow. Ethan whacked his brother's arm. "Ow!"

"Really, Aidan?" Ethan shook his head in disbelief at his brother. Aidan only looked confused ao Ethan continued reluctantly. "Have you forgotten what we did to him when we were alphas and a part of Deucalion's pack?" Ethan all but growled. Aidan's eyes widened in realisation. "If he's disassociating, or hallucinating, he could go back to that time and-"

"Definitely see us as a threat and bolt." Aidan finished in realisation. "Right." He sighed as guilt flooded him again.

Sensing that a topic change was required, the alpha continued with assigning the jobs for the day.

"Lydia, You're coming with me and Noah." Derek told her easily. He did not even hesitate before he gave the order that he knew would piss off the remaining teenagers. "Everybody else goes to school as normal, you need to watch over Kira. Erica, we've already discussed; Cora, you were homeschooled for six years and have a lot to make up for; Scott, I'm sorry but you have to keep your grades and attendance up if you want to become a vet; Danny, I need you to keep checking the security cameras throughout the day, and make sure that those three don't decide to skip school." The alpha explained his reasoning quickly and gestured to Cora, Erica, and Scott when speaking to Danny to emphasise his point.

Of course, there were still immediate protests from Cora, Scott, Danny, and Kira, but Derek silenced them quickly with a shout of "Enough!"

Looking at the screen, Derek saw Kira winced at the volume and felt a little guilty.

"Sorry Kira," The alpha apologised and Kira gave him a thumbs up. She regretted wearing headphones, but she wasn't going to say that. "This isn't up for debate." Derek continued. "Victoria will be there on reception and Natalie will be teaching if you need anything."

"Okay. Everybody eat up, then go get ready." Noah ordered before he began eating his own food. "We all have busy days ahead of us." He announced after swallowing his mouthful of scrambled eggs.

With a firm stare, Derek looked towards Erica's phone.

"That means you too, Kira." Derek informed the girl. "If you need one of these guys to bring you some food to school, they can, but you need to eat something."

Laughing softly, Kira shook her head.

"Oh no, it's cool, my dad is cooking breakfast now." Kira assured the alpha. As if on cue, Noshiko knocked on Kira's bedroom door while she opened it and walked in, and informed her that breakfast was ready. "Thanks mum, I'll be right down." Kira turned to look at the camera again and addressed the Pack. "Speaking of, I better get going. See you guys at school."

There were various farewells exchanged before the call was disconnected.

The pack quickly finished eating and set about their day.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Panting in exhaustion and pain, Stiles ignored the protests from his body and continued to weave through the trees after his wolf and himself. He stayed just behind them and was relieved when his memory self slowed to a walk.

As they continued along a familiar path that Stiles couldn't quite place right away, Stiles and his memory-self heard a rustling to their right and both turned to look. Stiles wondered who it could be while simultaneously thinking about how much he hated more than ever the fact that he couldn't detect the heartbeats or scents of anybody in a memory, but fortunately he didn't have to wait long before he received his answer. Soon enough, Derek came into sight through the bushes.

"There you are!" Derek declared, sounding relieved as he swept Memory-Stiles into his arms. "Please don't just disappear like that again!" Derek all but begged his mate as he set Stiles back on his feet.

Edging forwards, Stiles' wolf sniffed at Derek then started whimpering and howling at him. It moved between them and tried to push them apart. It was as though he wanted Derek to get away from Stiles.

Alarmed, Memory-Stiles untangled himself from Derek's embrace and turned to check on his wolf. Derek's hand shot out to grip his arm and turned Stiles back towards him.

"Stiles? Is everything alright?" Derek asked with a frown.

"Really, Derek? No, clearly everything is not okay if my wolf is freaking out." Memory-Stiles snapped in annoyance as he gestured to his wolf. Derek's frown deepened and his ever expressive eyebrows furrowed in concern. The Alpha reached out and placed a hand on Stiles' shoulder.

"There's nothing there, Stiles." Derek stated gently as he locked eyes with Memory-Stiles. "Your wolf can't exist outside of you. You must be under the influence of wolfsbane, or a spell or something." Derek hypothesised, voice dripping with concern. "Come on, let's get you home so we can figure this out."

"I- uh, I," Memory-Stiles stammered before he nodded in agreement, clearly shaken. "Okay." He let Derek lead him through the trees. Clearly, his memory self was too distracted by the sounds of the howling wolf to notice where they were going, because Stiles immediately recognised that Derek was not moving in the direction of the house. As he followed at a steady pace, Stiles studied the memory of his mate.

Less than ten seconds later, realisation hit. Stiles didn't know how it took him so long.

It was so obvious! That wasn't Derek.

At the same time as he came to that realisation, Cora appeared by Stiles' side, also chasing after memory-Stiles. She slowed to a walk beside him, but didn't appear to notice the fake Derek.

Memory-Stiles hadn't noticed Cora, or realised that Derek wasn't actually Derek. He began to speak to the imposter, while trying not to look at his wolf who was whimpering and following them, occasionally biting at his jeans and trying to pull him away from the fake Derek. Cora looked like she was about to respond to Memory-Stiles' words before he said Derek's name.

Cora was focused on Memory-Stiles and he was focused on fake-Derek, so neither of them seemed to notice where they were going. Stiles was in a clearer state of mind and therefore recognised where they were going.

Upon connecting their Pack to the Nemeton, Stiles and Derek found that they could all find it almost whenever they wanted because it no longer felt the need to hide itself from them and their pack.

As they finally reached the Nemeton and were standing within arms reach of the stump, Memory-Stiles finally became aware of his surroundings. Confused, he turned to 'Derek'.

"Why are we here?" Memory-Stiles asked, "I though we were going home."

Eyes identical to his mate's locked onto memory-Stiles' own.

"The Nemeton can help you with what's ailing you." 'Derek' spoke in a soothing voice, Stiles and Memory-Stiles both frowned at the choice of words. They were very un-Derek. "All you have to do is reach out and touch it."

Everything about this felt wrong. Memory-Stiles automatically reached out to do as 'Derek' said, but fortunately he hesitated. "I don't want to do this."

"You want to be a good pack mum, right?" 'Derek' began, it sounded like a question but he spoke again before Stiles could reply. Again, very un-Derek. "You want to be your best self so that you can help the Pack, right?"

"Of course," Memory-Stiles replied, desperate for 'his mate' to believe him, "But this feels wrong, Der. I don't want to do this."

"The Nemeton can fix you," Not-Derek told him in the tone that Derek used to tak Stiles down from a panic attack. "It can take you in and you'll be a part of something bigger. Something powerful. You can protect your Pack in the best possible way."

Everything that Not-Derek was saying was incredibly creepy and unnerving, but Memory-Stiles was seemingly entranced by his words. Stiles watched with bated breath as his memory self reached out for the Nemeton.

"Oh no." Stiles whispered to himself, his wolf was howling with all of his might. When his hand was hovering over the stump, thick vines shot out from the centre of the nemeton and seized memory-Stiles' wrist. His wolf lunged for vines, but was grabbed by fake-Derek and thrown against a nearby tree.

There was a sickening crack as the wolf hit the tree, and a soft whimper before his wolf went silent. As the sound reached his ears, memory-Stiles snapped out of his trance and tried to pull his hand free.

"I don't want to do this," Memory-Stiles began to protest as he fought against the vines trying to pull him closer to the tree stump. Stiles tried to help, but was obviously unable to touch or interfere with anything because it was just a memory. Stiles reluctantly stepped back and watched the scene unfold.

Suddenly, Cora came to her senses and tried to talk to Memory-Stiles and get his attention. Memory-Stiles clearly misunderstood her intent because he pushed her away. When she returned their attention to him, her eyes were glowing and she finally noticed the vines and began to attack them. She soon had memory-Stiles free, and he immediately ran off.

Cora chased after him, and Stiles tried to do the same. Unfortunately, when Stiles ran through the trees he found himself transported to another scene entirely.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Yet another breakfast with an incomplete pack passed by. They managed to keep the conversation flowing, but it was nowhere near as enthusiastic.

In the past, when a Pack member was missing from the dining table it was because of work, going out of town, or by parents request. On occasion it was because a Pack Mate was in the hospital. However, on those occasions, someone else would always be at the hospital with them. Of course, there was that terrible time when Derek was under Jennifer's spell, but they had known that he was safe, kinda. It was rare that the empty places were due to somebody going missing.

It had only happened three times. First, when Stiles had been kidnapped by Gerard. Sure, the Pack had been much smaller back then, and they hadn't gathered around a dinner table to do so, but they'd still had to eat without him to get their energy back after Lacrosse before going into battle in an attempt to get him back. They had a while until the meeting time and most of them were tired from Lacrosse. The second time was actually multiple people missing for multiple meals, back when Erica, Boyd, and Cora were being held captive by the Alpha Pack. At least then they knew that the three of them were together. They didn't have to go through it alone. The third time was right now.

Yes, Noah, Jackson, Scott, and Lydia had all been kidnapped or gone missing, but they had all been home in time for the next Pack meal.

This was different. Heavier.

Stiles was alone. Most of them believed that Stiles was suffering from Frontotemporal Dementia, some believed he was possessed, and the rest were unsure what was ailing Stiles, but they knew that whichever it was, it was bad.

Nobody dared utter Stiles' name again, in fear of an upset, so conversation for the rest of the meal was shallow. Everybody was relieved when the food was all gone and they could leave the table. Natalie and Victoria had to leave almost immediately, as there was to be a staff meeting at the school before classes started.

Once everything was cleared away, Cora, Danny, Erica, and Scott left for the school too, bidding farewell to the others. Erica had to drag Scott away as he was taking far too long to say goodbye to Allison and Isaac.

Thirty minutes later, Sheila and Richard left for work, shortly after Hayley also left for work, as did Henry.

After going over the rules again with Malia, Boyd, Ethan and Aidan, Derek left with Lydia. Noah offered to drop Parrish off at home to get some rest, if he preferred not to stay at the Hale house, and Parrish accepted gratefully. Noah told the four teens and Peter that he was going to the station after he had dropped Parrish off, and would then join Lydia and Derek in searching for Stiles, so they all had to behave and follow the rules. He reminded Allison, Isaac, and Chris to be safe while meeting Silverfinger.

Right after they left, Chris, Isaac, and Allison returned to the armoury in the second basement to grab their weapons and take them to the car.

After loading up the car, Chris declared that they should leave right away and move closer to Katashi's usual meeting place in town. Allison and Isaac agreed, and ten minutes later the three of them were gone.

Claiming to be tired, Peter went to his room immediately after they left.

Ethan, Aidan, Boyd, and Malia looked at each other for a moment. When nobody said anything, Malia sighed and shook her head, then made her way to the kitchen hoping to find some of Stiles' leftover cooking. Breakfast was fine, but it missed that little something extra that made Stiles' cooking so delicious. Like the difference between chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, if you will.

As she made her way to the fridge, Malia let her mind wander to everything that she knew so far. Or at least, everything about the shadow creatures.

One, they were going after the supernatural members of the pack, or their associates in some cases. Two, they were apparently made out of literal shadows and immune to most weapons. Three, they could flicker between being solid and shadows at will. Four, they could pull swords out of their chests. Six- or was it five? Whatever, they're allergic to sunlight.

They were weird, that was for sure. Malia wondered if they had any other abilities as she munched on whatever she had grabbed from the fridge. It tasted like chicken.

Her mind drifted to wonder about what it would be like when they inevitably marked her that evening. The way the others struggled to describe the sensations without trembling didn't bode well, but Malia considered herself a brave person. Therefore, she would face whatever was to come with her head held high. Even if it was sure to be a harrowing experience.

Ethan suddenly marched into the kitchen, distracting Malia from her thoughts. "Hey, what'cha eating?"

"Erm, I'm not sure, exactly." Malia admitted with a shrug as she finally looked down at the food. "Chicken something. It's good." Ethan walked over and took the lid of the tub from her hand and read the Sharpie scrawl.

"Nine Spices Chicken Strips, Stiles & Scott's ultimate recipe" Ethan read aloud, then quickly snatched one from the tub. Despite the name, Stiles was the mastermind behind the recipe, but Scott had been his taste tester, and had stated that two of Stiles' recipes were tied for top place, and he wished he could combine them. So, Stiles did, and gave Scott credit for his genius idea. "Damn, I love these." Ethan all but moaned as he munched happily. "Wanna go eat these in the living room and play Mario Kart? Winner gets the biggest Chicken Strip."

"Definitely," Malia eagerly agreed. "Race ya to the couch."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

As Danny pulled up in the school car park, his head was throbbing from the noise. Erica and Cora were yelling at Scott for 'being the reason they can't protect Kira and Malia that afternoon.' As if Derek wasn't the one to make the ultimate decision. Still, Danny stayed quiet as his last attempt to intervene wasn't well received by Cora and Erica.

Less than a second after the car was parked neatly, Danny pulled the keys from the ignition and got out. The other three quickly followed and as soon as he heard the doors shut, he locked the vehicle without looking back. As he walked towards the school, Danny noticed something carved into the ground. He paused, pulled out his phone and took a picture. The carving was obscured by a vehicle, so Danny set a mental reminder to come back after all the cars were gone to get a better look.

Let's be honest, vandalism in Beacon Hills, while uncommon, was not unheard of. The carving might be nothing, but Danny's instincts said otherwise.

A voice drew Danny from his musings, "Uh, Danny?" Scott called out, sounding curious. "Is everything okay?"

Letting that train of thought go for a moment, the hacker turned to face the beta. "Everything's fine. I just noticed something carved in the ground, under those cars," Danny told them honestly. "Might be nothing, but just in case, I'm gonna look into it."

"Okay, that's probably a good idea," Erica shrugged. "But focus on Stiles first. He needs us."

Nodding his head, Danny locked eyes with the blonde. "Finding Stiles is my first priority," He promised. "He has done so much for all of us. He's suffered so much, I'm not going to let him suffer alone again."

Erica was pleased by his response but it was nothing compared to Scott's reaction. "Oh my god Danny, I think I'm gonna cry." Scott announced with tears already pooled in his eyes, making them shimmer. His best friend was missing and either possessed or dying, or both. He's allowed to be emotional, he isn't a robot, dammit. "Come 'ere." Scott wrapped Danny in a hug. "We're gonna find him." Scott assured, still holding onto Danny. "We're gonna help him, no matter what."

"I couldn't agree more. And we'll find him a lot easier if we aren't stuck at school all day. I say we take Kira and ditch," Cora suggested easily. "We'll search for Stiles on our own."

"Now, I think you're forgetting that the school is full of cameras." Danny reminded her easily. "And Mrs Argent is working the front desk, watching them all."

"And not to mention Mrs Martin also works here, and Kira's dad." Scott added, then he spotted someone over Erica's shoulder. "Speaking of, Kira's over there."

"Nice, let's convince her to ditch with us." Cora announced as she took Erica by the hand. The pair began to run towards the girl.

"Erica, Cora, don't you dare!" Scott called out as he chased after them.

Mind working at a mile a minute, Danny spared one last glance to the carving before he followed the three wolves. Honestly, he was unsure whose side he was on in their argument and opted to ruminate on it while he walked leisurely.

Panting for breath, Cora and Erica soon reached Kira who smiled at the pair, looking bemused. She then noticed Scott rushing over and grew more curious. She opened her mouth to question the situation, but Erica beat her to speaking. "You wanna skip school and help us look for Stiles?"

"The call was a little staticy, but I could have sworn Derek specifically told us all to attend school today." Kira recalled with a mischievous smile.

"Yes!" Scott confirmed as he reached the group. "He did."

"Right, and of course we usually obey our Alpha, no matter how ridiculous his orders are." Erica stated in a faux innocent voice. "But our Pack Mum is on the line. Our Batman, our Red Riding Hoodie, our master chef, our Stiles. We love him, we can't let him down when he needs us most."

Oh crap. Love. She had to say the word love. Scott struggled internally.

Oh no, he couldn't give in. He had to be the responsible one. He had to make sure that they did as their Alpha said.

Maybe his mum and Noah believed that Stiles had dementia, but Derek had learned about the Nogitsune from Deaton and Talia. Stiles was in danger no matter which turned out to be the truth. But Derek was looking for Stiles, he wouldn't give up until he was found. Lydia was with him, and somebody needed to protect Kira.

Now, on one hand, Derek told them to stay at school and he trusted them to do so.

On the other hand, Stiles was his brother, his best friend since childhood. He wanted to be out there looking for him too but that went against what Derek said. He couldn't disobey him right? But Stiles…

Truthfully, Stiles was more important to Scott than Derek's orders.

He couldn't leave Kira and Danny unprotected though.

"I'm in." Kira announced.

Now that just left Danny. If Danny decided to ditch too, Scott would go with them. He really wanted to go with them and for once found himself hoping that his pack mates would all decide to break the rules.

"Great, you guys are already plotting something?" Danny asked as he finally reached the others, having just caught Kira's word as he approached. "What are you in on?"

"Like we said, we're skipping school and looking for Stiles." Cora informed him easily. "You coming with?"

"Eh, there's no reason to say no," Danny shrugged indifferently. "But let's go to our first lesson, it's history and we don't want Kira getting into trouble from her dad. After that, we can sneak out through the vault. We can't take the car, in case either of them look out of the window. I'll use the time during class to hack into the camera's while I'm looking for Stiles on the other footage and set up a loop so it looks like we're heading to our classes all day, so hopefully Victoria won't get suspicious unless she listens out for us or wants to talk to us."

"Fine, but nobody has chemistry with Lydia's mum today, right?" Scott asked worriedly.

"That's interesting; are you joining us, McCall?" Erica asked gleefully, but Scott only shrugged as he kept his eyes on Danny, waiting for an answer.

"Boyd, Lydia, Ethan, and Aidan. Nobody who hasn't already been given permission to skip today." Danny assured him. Of course Danny himself, along with Stiles, Erica, and Allison also had Chemistry with Natalie, but on a different day so it was fine.

"Ugh, fine," Scott sighed in faux-resignation, acting as though that wasn't the exact answer he had hoped for. "I'm in."

"There we go!" Cora grinned, clapping the teen on the back. "Give in to the urge to protect your Pack."

"That's great, Scott. Hey Danny, I'll take care of checking the footage for Stiles while you take care of our alibi." Erica offered, after all, there was no use overworking Danny and adding the risk of him missing something on the tapes, or getting caught hacking the school. It absolutely had nothing at all to do with the fact that she would be unable to focus on pointless school work while one of her pack mates was missing.

Honest.

"Everything is settled, then. Let's go." Scott declared, then turned and marched towards the school. Stiles needed him and the sooner he got to homeroom, the sooner it would be over. Right?

"Maybe during class, I should search the footage too," Cora suggested casually as they followed him, she was eager for an excuse to not pay attention in class. She probably wouldn't pay attention anyway, she might as well do something productive instead.

"Er, no." Danny immediately refused. "Your observation skills are terrible for a werewolf. Stiles could be standing waving at the camera for five minutes and you wouldn't even notice." He stated confidently. He knew it wasn't true, but too many people searching the footage in class would be noticeable for the other students and potentially Mr. Yukimura.

"Man, that's not me," Cora protested as she shook her head then pointed at Scott, who was far ahead of them and walking into the school. "That's him." She glared at Danny when he didn't immediately apologise. "Give me a real reason, or I'm going to do it anyway, then when I find Stiles, I'll shove it in your face before I rip your throat out. With my teeth."

"Okay, fine. But first, you do realise that that's the second time you've used that treat today, right? Just saying," Danny informed her. Her threat didn't scare him (well, maybe a little), but he knew that she wouldn't leave him alone until he gave her a satisfactory reason. "If I let you search the footage too, Scott will want to do the same, and maybe even Kira." Cora glared, unimpressed, but Danny wasn't finished. "The more of us there are searching, the more likely we are to get caught and receive unwanted questions. If we get in trouble with Mr Yukimura, then Mrs Argent and Mrs Martin will find out, then we won't be able to leave the school."

"Really?" Cora demanded with a raised eyebrow. "That's what you're going with? Why Erica and not me?" She asked, then quickly turned to the blonde. "No offence, babe."

"I asked first, hun." Erica reminded her as she playfully flashed her eyes.

"Even so, he's my brother-in-law." Cora argued, sure it was werewolf-law not human law, but still. Stiles was her brother's mate, and her friend. She wanted to search for him as soon as possible. And she hated school.

"So? You and I are mates," Erica argued as the bell rang, "So by extension, he's my brother-in-law too, and I've known him longer than you have." The blonde reasoned as they walked into the classroom, Scott was already in his seat. Their homeroom teacher greeted them all a good morning and they greeted him in return.

"Oh, whatever." Cora growled to Erica and Danny once the teacher's attention had turned to greeting the other students. "I'll just sit and be useless, then." She growled as she dropped into her seat. She needed something or someone to fight. Searching for Stiles might quell that urge, but sitting here was exasperating it. She had lost so much of her Pack already, she couldn't lose anybody else.

For the entirety of homeroom and the walk to Mr Yukimura's class, Cora felt like she was going to burst. The urge to get out there and search for Stiles before she lost another pack mate.

While the Jardine Pack was kind and had been very welcoming, and she had grown to love them, she had never truly felt like she belonged with them.

However, the moment Derek brought her back to Beacon Hills and introduced her to his pack, she had felt at home. Well, technically he dropped her off at the house then got distracted with tasks his mate asked him to do, and Stiles had introduced her to everyone. Cora usually took a while to warm up to people, but Stiles had wormed his way into her heart by the time he had finished giving her a tour of the house.

Even though she had witnessed the odd event with the phantom vines at the nemeton, when he started acting weird, she had written it off. She told herself that it was probably just because of the ritual, then because of Bardo. She assured herself that she would know if it got really bad, then she would say something. Apparently it was always bad, and she was too stubborn to see it. Cora spent the majority of the history lesson mentally going over every warning sign and berating herself for ignoring them.

No matter how stressful and worrying a situation was, Danny prided himself on being able to focus on his goals. Usually because his goals turned out to be instrumental in saving whomever was in danger. He wasn't vain, but he was proud to say that his various skills had played a big part in identifying Peter's accomplice as the nurse Jennifer, everything with the Kanima, including the case against Matt because Danny had hacked his laptop and found 200GB worth of pictures of Allison, so they had managed to add 'staking' to the list of charges. He also helped the Pack steer Cora, Boyd, and Erica away from the areas of Beacon hills with the most civilians by watching surveillance cameras when they broke them out of the vault, and he had gotten them a lot of useful information on Jennifer, plus his research in to ley lines had proven to be essential in saving a few lives that she had planned to sacrifice.

In any case, Danny was too focused on his task to get distracted by self-deprecation. He quickly set up the footage for later in the day, and turned his attention to some of the security footage he hadn't given to Erica. He had only given her enough to get through the lesson, in case he finished his own task early.

Honing her natural ability to multitask, Erica was simultaneously checking the footage while also thinking about Stiles. She hadn't noticed many signs of FTD, but the others clearly had. She wasn't fully convinced that they had all the answers yet. She was trying to think up any other culprits for the changes in him. So far she had come up with demonic possession, alien illness, and time travel. Though, that last one she could admit was a stretch. Kira, while worried about Stiles, was more focused on taking notes for the others. She may not have known them long, but she knew that neither Scott nor Cora would be paying attention, and the others needed Lydia's notes to pass their classes, but Lydia wasn't there.

And lastly was Scott, Scott was doing the worst out of the five of them. However bad things had gotten in Scott's life, he'd always had Stiles there to help him. When his dad left, Stiles was there to comfort him. When he turned into a werewolf, Stiles tried to help him, even though he was going through the exact same thing and Scott was stubbornly refusing to even believe the change. When Scott accused Derek of murdering Laura and turning them, Stiles took a step back, but the moment Scott approached him again, Stiles listened and gave Scott a second chance and tried to help him again. Stiles was always there when Scott needed him. Except for that one time he had been kidnapped by Gerard, but even then, Scott knew what was going on and how to help him. Same thing for when he was tortured by the Alpha pack.

Derek had told them he believed Stiles was possessed, and it was awful, but it was bearable. Scott had an answer and hoped to save his best friend. Then his mum had the theory that Stiles had frontotemporal dementia, the same disease that had killed Claudia Stilinski. It threw him off kilter. Then this morning, the Sheriff had gone and added fuel to that fire. His instincts told him that Derek's theory was the correct one, but there was still that niggling doubt in the back of his head. The worry that the problem was something that he couldn't fix. He didn't even have time to talk about it with his mates, or Derek, or Lydia, before they had to go their separate ways. Isaac and Allison were together and could discuss it when Chris was out of earshot. The same could be said for Lydia and Derek. Scott didn't have anybody there that he could talk to. Derek didn't want anybody else to know, and Scott didn't want to disobey his alpha. Then again, the people he was with had also managed to talk him into skipping school after this, which will be disobeying his Alpha, but Scott convinced himself that it was different, though he still felt uneasy about it.

Maybe he wouldn't have minded, if it were Stiles asking him to do so.

Yeah, he wouldn't mind at all. Sure, he'd bitch and moan about it, but ultimately he would follow Stiles anywhere he asked. He was his best friend. His brother. His confidant. Scott made stupid decisions on his own. Sure, he and Stiles often made stupid decisions together, but they always turned out for the better.

Back when he had first turned, Scott had lost sight of how important friendship was. He loved the freedom his abilities had granted him, but he didn't want any of the burdens. He hadn't asked for the change, he hadn't been given a choice. He felt like he should get to enjoy the good parts and ignore the bad, he had been so focused on Allison and lacrosse and popularity that he had let Stiles down. A few times. But through it all, Stiles kept giving him more chances. He stuck with Scott and supported him through the hard times. He helped Scott learn better control, while he was still learning himself.

Every time Scott fell down, Stiles was there to pick him up. It was something Scott had tried to do in return, but he often missed his chances. Someone else helped Stiles before Scott could. Derek, Lydia, the sheriff, hell, even Jackson had been there to help Stiles when Scott hadn't been. What if he missed his chance again, but nobody else was there to help?

Scott wasn't doing anything. His best friend was missing, either ill or possessed, and Scott was sitting on his ass, doing nothing. Why wasn't he doing anything?

The thought crossed Scott's mind that if the roles were reversed, Stiles wouldn't have even gone to school. He would be out there, searching for Scott every waking second. He should be doing the same, dammit. He was a terrible friend. As the dark thoughts clouded Scott's mind, his breath tightened.

Fear like no other overtook him at the thought of letting Stiles down. He felt like he couldn't breathe. It was different from an asthma attack, and from wolfsbane, but no less terrifying than either. He could hear his own heartbeat pounding rapidly, but it sounded like he was hearing it underwater.

"Really concerning chemo-signals and breathing you've got there, McCall," Cora told Scott in concern, though her voice was barely above a whisper, "You okay?"

"Is everything alright, Mr McCall?" Kira's dad called out, also sounding very concerned, "You don't look too well. Do you need to go to the nurses office?"

"Er, yes, he does." Cora stated as she helped Scott to his feet. Once he was on his feet, he tried to pull free. "C'mon Scott, calm down, I'm trying to help you."

"No, stay here." Scott managed to gasp out.

"Dude, are you sure?" Danny asked, obviously dubious, before Cora could say anything. Scott didn't reply verbally, but nodded in confirmation as he half walked, half stumbled out of the room.

As quickly as he could do so without it being suspicious, Scott rushed out of the classroom and shut the door behind him. He decided to forgo the nurses office, given that his mum was at the hospital that day. Desperate for somewhere he could be alone, he ran to the locker room, knowing that it would be empty at this time.

Now of course, he knew he must have been breathing or else he would have passed out by now, but Scott didn't feel like he was.

Dizziness prickled at Scott as he desperately tried to force the air into his lungs, he felt light-headed, he felt terrified, he felt... Far too warm. He ran to the showers where it was coolest. He shrugged off his leather jacket along the way, leaving it forgotten on the floor behind him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Sheriff." Tara greeted in surprise when Noah walked through the doors of the station that morning. "I though your shift didn't start until three."

"It doesn't," He informed her with a confused frown. "I thought today was your day off."

"It was," She told him with a small smile, "But Posey was at a halloween party last night, and drank a little too much. Apparently, Derek showed up and shut the party down, so-"

"Posey went to the blacklight party at the loft?" Noah asked in amusement, it was a welcome distraction from the crushing fear he felt since he started noticing symptoms in his son. That fear was still there, under the amusement, but it was nice to feel something else nonetheless.

"Yeah, he was there with some of his drag queen friends who know Stiles and the others from the jungle." She commented with a twinkle in her eyes. "Want me to ask Posey to-" She cut herself off midquestion when Noah's face morphed into an anguished expression. "What's wrong? Is Stiles okay?"

"I don't know," Noah sighed as tears flooded his eyes. "I don't think so."

"Okay," Tara began carefully as she rose from her seat and walked around the desk to reach the distraught man. "Tell me what happened."

"Gather everyone first," Noah requested, though it sounded more like an order. "I only want to go over this once."

"Of course," Tara agreed with a nod even as she took Noah by the shoulders. "Let's get you sat down, then I'll bring everyone to you."

Noah nodded and allowed her to guide him to a seat, he didn't have much fight left in him. He had managed to stay strong through breakfast with the pack, but his only child was missing and probably suffering from the same disease that had claimed his wife's life seven years prior. A man could only take so much.

He wouldn't let himself break down completely though, not in front of his employees, and certainly not when Stiles needed him to find him.

He ignored the concerned looks he was getting from his staff as they slowly gathered around him. Once Tara nodded to indicate that everybody currently in the station was present, Noah stood up and addressed them all.

"Hey everyone, I'm sorry for interrupting your work, but I need your help." He began, causing the tension and concern from everyone in the room to heighten. "My son, Stiles, went missing last night at around 2am." He told them as was met with shocked gasps and immediate whispers. "Please, let me finish." He requested as politely as he could muster and all conversation ceased. "Thank you. The pack, Chris Argent and myself have been out all night looking for him. Not only have none of the wolves been able to catch his scent, but he hasn't shown up on any surveillance footage, or traffic cameras that we've checked so far."

Although they remained silent, the staff members of the BHPD shared heavy looks. They all knew Stiles well, many of them knew him from back when he was a child and Noah himself was still a deputy. They also knew how much he meant to Noah. Those who had seen the changes in Noah after Claudia had passed were even more concerned than the rest, moreso when Noah continued to speak.

"It is highly probable that, despite his enhanced healing, Stiles is suffering from Frontotemporal Dementia," Noah informed them reluctantly, those who were aware of how Claudia had died gasped and/or sent Noah sympathetic looks. "He could have a dissociative episode at any time, or even be sleepwalking when we find him, so you should all be careful. Lately he hasn't been able to shift into werewolf form, but you should still be cautious. That could change at any moment and even if it doesn't, if he's having an episode, he may see any one of you as a threat, so approach with caution. If he is found, I ask that you take him straight to the hospital. If you wouldn't mind?"

"Of course we don't mind, Noah." Deputy Paul Hobbs, who had been on the force almost as long as Noah, assured the man, somewhat incredulously. "I'll stay on and cover your shift later too, you need to be out there looking. Out of uniform." Outside of the law was what he meant, but nobody commented.

"Thank you, Paul, but that won't be necessary." Noah smiled gratefully at his long-time friend. "Parrish was on patrol with Derek last night when the Pack realised that Stiles was missing and already offered to take my shift."

"'Realised'? They weren't with him?" Tara asked with a frown, which caused Noah to sigh again.

"Yeah, this is where it gets complicated." Noah huffed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Those creatures who attacked Isaac the night before last? Well, they came back."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"This is boring. I'm bored." Malia complained from her position sprawled out on the sofa. She was upside down with her feet hanging over the back of the sofa, and her head hanging off the edge so that she was watching the TV upside down. "I thought having someone here with me all day would make it more fun, but then I got stuck with you three."

"How sweet," Aiden replied sarcastically.

"We're touched." Ethan added in the same tone as his brother.

"Are you kidding me? C'mon, Ethan, you're a sore loser who quit after one game. Boyd is just reading." Malia complained and the wolf didn't even glance up at the mention of his name. "And you, Aidan, just wanna watch TV. All I do is study and watch TV all day when my dad is at work and you guys are at school."

"Er, what's wrong with that?" Aidan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, it sounds like a good life to me." Ethan added without thinking.

"Not including the studying part, of course." Aiden corrected with a smirk.

Outwardly rumbling a low growl, Malia ran her hands over her face as she reminded herself that she wasn't allowed to kill people, especially not people in her Pack. Even if they were boring and wouldn't do anything fun.

Of course, Derek and Stiles were very clear that the only reason to kill someone was in self defence. Except for animals, because group hunts in a werewolf pack were a bonding experience. Upon learning of vegetarian and vegan diets, Malia momentarily questioned why she and the rest of the pack felt the urge to consume animals rather than plants, when they themselves were animals, in a sense. She then recalled learning about the food chain and chalked it up to that. Then she learned of how different species require different nutrients, and different levels of certain nutrients and decided that that probably played a factor too.

Ugh, now she was thinking about educational stuff, learning was scheduled between 10am and 12pm, and 1pm and 3pm. Plus help from the pack between 7pm and 8pm. It was barely 9am. She needed to do something fun.

"Oh, for fucks sake, you're boring! Can't we train, or search for Stiles, or something?" Malia asked as she placed her hands on the floor, above her head, and pushed herself up into a handstand. She then began walking around the room on her hands.

Eyes finally moving from his book, Boyd looked at Malia and asked "Where did you learn that word?"

Malia paused her movements but remained in a handstand with a confused expression for a moment.

"Which word do you-" Malia began, only for realisation to hit mid sentence, so she cut herself off and spoke her realisation. "Oh, you mean fuck? My dad says it a lot, so do most of the other parents, Jackson, Cora, Erica, and Isaac do too when Derek and Scott aren't around, so does Stiles when he thinks nobody is in earshot. " Malia explained as she resumed walking on her hands.

"Okay, well, it's swearing." Boyd informed her as he returned to reading his book.

"No, I know that." Malia replied, completely unbothered by that fact. "I'm a teenager now, isn't swearing, like, a requirement of being a teen?"

"Oh, definitely." Aidan agreed easily.

Ethan shook his head and corrected them with a fond smile. "It's not a requirement. You can choose not to swear. However, it is definitely a right of being a teen."

"Yeah. Can't argue with that." Aidan responded easily.

"Okay, good to know. Anyway, can we train? Or search for Stiles?" Malia asked again.

"I wish, but I've gotta say no, I'm afraid," Ethan sighed in disappointment "We're not allowed to leave the house in case you're attacked or Peter needs something." Ethan reminded her as he shrugged his shoulders, trying to act dismissive over the fact. "Unless it's to search for Stiles, but that's only a mile radius from the house, and only after lunch so that we don't distract Derek and Lydia."

"Right, and we're good little betas now who always obey the Alpha." Aiden said mockingly, as he aimed a pointed look at his brother.

As they bickered, Boyd shook his head at the pair of them. They were both missing the obvious solution.

Very obvious.

It was literally two floors below them.

"So, does that mean we can't train?" Malia interrupted the twins' bickering as she frowned in disappointment and let out a loud sigh. Boyd decided to give her a pass on missing the obvious because she had only been in human form, and a part of the pack, for a week or so. She pushed herself out of her handstand and into a flip and landed easily on her feet. Her face was red from being upside down for so long, but she didn't care. "There's gotta be somewhere in the huge house to blow off some steam."

"There's always the bunker." Boyd reminded them as he turned the page of his book. He was fond of that nickname for the second basement too. "There's a training room."

"Right! I totally forgot about that," Ethan smiled excitedly as he remembered. How he and Aidan had forgotten about it in the first place was a mystery. "There's an open area for fighting, and there's weapons, targets and gym equipment down there."

"So, we can train?" Malia asked, somewhere between hopeful and unsure. She had been told about the gym before, and shown it during the house tour, but she hadn't properly been in there yet. She had only really been down in the bunker for planning in the library.

"Go for it," Boyd encouraged, his eyes still hadn't left his book since addressing Malia's swearing, he was half way though the book and it was finally getting interesting. "I'll keep an ear out for Peter. I'll check on you when I've finished this chapter."

Malia beamed at him gratefully.

"Thank you, can I give you a hug?" She asked. She liked hugs, and Boyd gave great ones. She had picked up on some social cues already and only asked permission because he was reading and she knew that he, Derek, Stiles, Lydia, and Danny hated it when you blocked their view of their book without warning. She didn't want to annoy Boyd, especially because he was clearly in charge right now. Boyd slipped his bookmark in place, closed the book and placed it on the armrest. He then stood up and opened his arms.

Malia rushed over and hugged him. The hug lasted for at least a minute before she let him go and then she, Ethan, and Aidan made their way to the second basement, leaving Boyd alone in the living room with his book.

Picking up his book with a small smile, Boyd sat back down as he opened it and resumed reading. As he did so, Boyd listened until he heard them enter the secret passageway in the first basement that concealed the only way into the second basement other than the tunnels. After that it was impossible to hear them.

Letting his full focus return to his book, Boyd allowed himself to sink into his chair.

He had just finished the page he was on and was eagerly turning to the next one, when Peter's voice called out from upstairs:

"Anybody still here? Would somebody mind getting me a cup of tea?"

Clenching his teeth as his eyes glowing yellow, Boyd growled in frustration and slipped his bookmark in place. He then stood up and moved to do as he was asked.

Even though he really didn't want to leave his book, Peter was Pack and the uncle of his alpha and Cora. Besides, he still hadn't recovered from whatever happened the day before, and then he had been attacked by the demonic ninjas like the rest of them.

Therefore, Boyd would take pity on him and get him a cup of tea, and food if necessary.

But only until the born-wolf had recovered.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Wandering through the woods, Derek and Lydia were searching for any trace of Stiles, or clues to where he had gone.

"That's enough silence," Lydia began as she stepped over a large, fallen tree branch. "Before the sheriff joins us on our search, I have to ask; do you believe his theory about Stiles having Frontotemporal Dementia?"

Without letting any emotion show, Derek immediately deflected the question by asking, "Do you?"

Lydia sighed. Deep down she had known that the alpha wouldn't make this conversation easy, but she had hoped.

"I think his theory has compelling evidence." Lydia confessed after a moment. She had decided after a moment of consideration that it would be the smartest course of action to answer the question first as it might incline the alpha to do the same. "A lot of what is happening to Stiles could be attributed to FTD, and, like the Sheriff said, he's seen it all before with Claudia."

"You think it's true, then?" Derek asked for confirmation.

"Oh, no. Not at all," Lydia replied honestly. Derek raised an eyebrow in question, so she elaborated. "It's too obvious. Too perfect. The sheriff said that other than what they obsessed over, all of their symptoms were the same. But there are other symptoms of FTD. I'll need to ask the sheriff a few questions when he gets here, but first I have to ask you." Lydia suddenly stopped walking, and the alpha quickly did the same.

Once Derek was looking at her, Lydia continued. "I know these questions are personal, but I need you to answer honestly, okay?" Her expression and tone told Derek that the questions she was about to ask were important, but he knew he wouldn't like them.

"Uh, okay." Derek agreed, though his uncertainty was obvious.

"Let's start with an easy one; has he been acting differently in the bedroom?" She asked. Derek hesitated to answer due to his surprise, but Lydia apparently took his silence for confusion. "Y'know, sexually? More or less active? Increase in aggression during-"

"Okay, I get what you're asking." Derek cut her off suddenly. "We haven't had sex since Bardo started." He confessed after a short pause.

"Okay, thank you." Lydia nodded as she mentally filed that away. "Has he put on weight?"

Derek growled at the question, Lydia kept her cool and waited patiently for an answer.

"What? Why does that matter?" Derek demanded as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Look, Derek, my questions aren't to judge him, they're to help me find the truth. The sheriff noticed that Stiles is eating more and so have I, but he doesn't look like he's gained any weight, in fact he looks like he's lost it." Lydia explained calmly, which caused Derek to relax from his defensive stance. "So I'll ask again; has he put on weight?"

"I don't know." Derek tried to lie. Less than a second later, the facade crumbled and a sigh left the alpha's lips. "No." Derek admitted, causing the girl to nod as she again mentally filed the fact away. "He has lost weight, a lot of it, actually. I've been trying to get him to eat more because of it, but no matter how much he eats, the weight just keeps dropping off."

"That's not normal, Derek," Lydia was quick to point out, keen to adduce possession as Stiles' issue, opposed to dementia, but Derek still appeared unconvinced, so she continued. "Not for a werewolf and not for somebody with dementia. Not even his metabolism, combined with the pack training sessions and his sleepwalking, could attribute the amount of weight he has lost. Not when you factor in how much he's eating." Lydia had stated.

Derek already knew that, of course he did, but his mind was at war with itself. Evidently, Noah's theory had really gotten into the alpha's head, because Derek's response was not what Lydia wanted to hear.

"You don't know that, all of our metabolisms have increased since connecting ourselves to the nemeton," Derek said, though his voice was drenched in uncertainty. Truthfully, Derek wasn't sure what to believe.

Of course, his mate being possessed would be awful, but at least it was something they could fight. Something Derek could help him defeat and move past. The same went for a spell, or curse, or anything of supernatural origin.

Until their pack meeting that morning, Derek had only considered supernatural forces as the cause of Stiles' change in behaviour and wellbeing, because he wanted it to be supernatural. And really, how fucked up was that? He was standing there, actively hoping that his mate was possessed.

It wasn't that simple, of course, but Derek was feeling a lot of self hatred that day, and Stiles wasn't there to hold him and whisper that it was all going to be okay.

Sure, Derek could turn to Noah or Melissa for support, or someone from his pack, but he had decided when he failed to find Stiles that morning that he didn't deserve comfort. Not as long as his mate was still missing.

Even though possession would be bad, at least he would have hope. Hope that when it was all over, Stiles would be alive and Derek and the Pack would be able to comfort and support him while he worked through it and (hopefully) moved past it.

Live their lives out together and put all of the unpleasantness of the past behind them.

Frontotemporal Dementia, however? That was an entirely different story. There was no cure and Derek would be powerless to help.

Had Stiles still been human, Derek would have offered to turn him, but apparently that might not have worked. If Stiles was suffering from dementia, Derek didn't want to consider what would happen.

Barely aware of Lydia's eyes on him, Derek lost himself to his thoughts.

He realised then that when you're a werewolf, especially a born-werewolf and an alpha, you forget just how many illnesses there are out there that can kill somebody painfully, and slowly, while remaining relatively unseen. How there were diseases that may not care how fast you heal, they'll still come for you. They don't discriminate between humans and werewolves, they don't care about the colour of your skin or your sexuality, they won't stop to ask if you had a family who wouldn't be able to survive without you, those diseases would take you anyway. Just because they can.

From the moment he was born, Derek thought that it would be possible for his mate (or any shifter) to get such an illnesses, but he might have been wrong about that.

If the nogitsune isn't possessing Stiles, but instead possessing somebody else in town, then Stiles could actually have dementia. Derek might lose him forever.

There was this fantasy that had been in the back of his head since the moment Stiles realised and accepted that they were mates. Despite being a born-wolf and an alpha, Derek always pictured himself dying before his mate. Preferably of old age, a century or so down the line, after a long and happy life together getting married by human laws, adopting little orphan werewolf children together (because as two men, it was impossible to have children of their own, right?). Stiles would grieve, of course, but he would push through it.

If anybody could survive losing their mate, it was Stiles. Maybe he'd even move on from Derek, find somebody new to love. Of course, Derek wasn't thrilled at the thought of Stiles being with anybody else, but above all, Derek just wanted his mate to be happy.

Yesterday, he would have punched anyone who would dare suggest that Stiles might die first, but if that did happen? Then fuck happiness.

If anything happened to Stiles, Derek would be lost. He would literally fall apart, and not even his pack would be able to hold him together. He would spiral and push everyone away. He would never be able to recover from the loss. The agony. The horror of losing almost his entire pack all those years ago was painful and devastating. But the pain Derek was feeling right now? The pain that came from not knowing where Stiles was or what was happening to him was just as painful as that night had been. Derek knew that mate bonds were strong but it had never been this bad before. Not when Gerard had kidnapped and tortured Stiles, or when the Alpha Pack had tortured him. Both instances had been agonising in their own way, but this was something else.

Despite the alpha's belief, the truth was that if Derek outlived Stiles, he would not fall into a pit of despair because his Pack would not let him. They would support him through his grief and help him get back on his feet. His love for his Pack would keep him focused on helping them through their own grief too and being the alpha they deserved, and his desire to honour Stiles' memory would help guide him to do the next right thing. Then he would finally understand what Stiles saw in him all those years before. At the moment, however, he was regressing into toxic mindsets and behaviours. And that wouldn't do anybody any favours.

Reality was fading around Derek, and Lydia had noticed. Though she had noticed the alpha getting lost in his own head from the get go, Lydia waited until she could tell he was following a dark train of thought to snap him out of it.

"Derek, listen to me, okay?" Lydia began firmly, when the alpha looked at her, she continued, "Your mum and Deaton both said that a Nogitsune is in town, though neither would say how they knew what it was, or what it is that the creature is after-"

"Sure, they were rather cryptic, but they both heavily implied that the primary purpose of a Nogitsunes' existence was to cause chaos and destruction." Derek reminded her with a tone very reminiscent of his mate. The Banshee was unfazed, having grown accustomed to both Stiles and Derek over the nine months since Peter Hale had bitten Scott and Stiles. Besides, he had just given her a new angle to work with.

"Okay, then let's think, what could be more chaotic than the sheriff, a pack of supernatural creatures, and a bunch of humans who run with wolves, running around town in panic because they fear for their pack mum?" Lydia asked rhetorically. Derek could feel a frown forming on his face as he thought of the repercussions of that scenario. Though his imagination was only half as bad as what Lydia had imagined, and that terrified him.

"The nogitsune could have set up traps all over town." Lydia suggested, "We're all looking for Stiles, what if that's exactly what it wants? Stiles and I thought that Barrow might have planned to blow up the school. What if the nogitsune decided to use that idea? Or took one of Stiles' other pranks and turned it into a deadly trap. We may be in pairs and groups, but the pack is still divided right now. We're easier targets." At Derek's questioning look, Lydia elaborated, "Easier. I'm not saying we'll be easy targets, we never are and we never will be." Now that was definitely true.

"It's something to consider." Derek nodded in agreement. "What do you suggest?"

"Before I can suggest anything, I need to know; how do we defeat a Nogitsune?" Lydia asked. "I haven't managed to find anything in our Pack bestiary or any of my books yet. The Argent bestiary doesn't even mention Nogitsunes. There's a small section on kitsunes that mentions eight of the twelve kinds, but that's it. Nothing I've read has any mention of how to stop one."

"That's because no one has found a way yet." Derek informed Lydia trying to keep the worried frown off of his face. He failed. "Nobody has ever survived being possessed by a nogitsune," And that was the worst part of it all. "Whenever one shows up, it always ends up slaughtering hundreds of people or more before disappearing, or turning up dead." He told her honestly, and barely kept himself together as he did so.

Derek could try to convince himself that if Stiles was possessed they'd be able to free him all he wanted, but that fact was always in the back of his head. Reminding him that whether he was suffering from dementia, or being possessed by a nogitsune, the most likely outcome at the end of it all was that Derek would lose his mate. Neither problem had a set solution or 'cure'. Of course, the banshee didn't feel the same hopelessness that Derek felt as she held her head high.

"Yet," Lydia told him firmly. "Nobody has survived yet, but we will find a way. We will save him. No matter what."

"But what if we can't?" Derek didn't mean to ask that question, it just spilled from his lips before he registered it.

"Listen to me, Derek Hale. Unless a meteor crashes down and ends the world, we can and will find a way." Lydia stated with a tone that left no room for arguments, and a steely expression on her face. "We Hales are strong, determined, loyal, and most of all, we are stubborn."

Smiling through his fears, Derek felt tears of joy form in his eyes when Lydia referred to herself as a Hale. Sure, she had referred to herself as a member of the Hale pack several times by this point, but this felt different. Bigger.

Except, Lydia didn't seem to notice as she soldiered on.

"One thing that is certain in this crazy world is that we won't let anything bad happen to our pack. So nobody has survived a nogitsune before now," She shrugged uncaringly. "So what? No coyote had ever joined a werewolf pack before Malia joined us. The same goes for Kitsune's and Kira, I know it's not official yet, but we all know how this is gonna go." Lydia said and Derek nodded in agreement. "No alpha had risen to true alpha before you. No werewolves have been known to merge together before the twins. Bitten wolves achieving full shift is almost unheard of, but you didn't tell them that and now your entire pack can shift into full wolf form. No pack has ever bound themselves to a nemeton before and used that power to benefit the town, instead of going power-crazy-"

"Now, hold up a second. That was a possibility?" The alpha demanded, his eyes glowing red. He was angry that she and Stiles hadn't warned him about that when they were preparing for the ritual. Stiles was his anchor, and he wasn't himself, therefore Derek had a short fuse. Hence his eyes glowing. His love for his pack and desire to protect them prevented him from actually harming them though, so Lydia wasn't worried.

"That doesn't matter right now. My point is," Lydia continued, easily ignoring the Alpha's anger. Anchor present or not, Derek would never hurt his pack. It was a simple fact of life, like gravity, and the earth being round. "We have done things that nobody else has done before. Things people thought were impossible. I know that the sheriff is wrong. It's the nogitsune that's tricking us into thinking that Stiles is sick." She was insistent, trying to make the alpha believe her. "It wants us distracted, so that we can't find a way to stop it. It knows that we will stop at nothing to protect our family. Our Pack. It knows that we are the only ones on this planet who are crazy enough to find a way. Stiles is crazy enough and stubborn enough to survive long enough for us to find a solution. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if before we managed to save him, Stiles annoyed the nogitsune into leaving his body." The banshee joked lightly, earning her a small chuckle from the alpha. "We can't waste time debating what's going on. We need to focus on finding that solution."

Yet again, Derek didn't respond immediately.

"I mean, come on Derek, even if you think Noah is right, wouldn't you rather be sure?" Lydia added when Derek still held an aura of uncertainty. Letting his rational side win out, the alpha nodded. "Possession was your theory to begin with and it's just as feasible as dementia. Better yet, it's something we can fight. Shouldn't we at least try?"

"You're right." Derek agreed. "Melissa will be looking into the medical side of things. We need to cover all of our bases. We can't let him down by only looking into a solution to one of the possibilities."

A bright smile illuminated her face and Lydia looked extremely pleased with the outcome of the argument, even if Derek wasn't completely convinced. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly, then began to walk forward again, the alpha followed easily.

"I think we should-" The redhead suddenly cut herself off when she heard something. "Did you hear that?" Growing still at the question, Derek listened for any other sounds.

"I heard a branch snapping just before you spoke and now I hear birds, rabbits and deer." Derek told her after a moment. "What did you hear?"

"It was only for a second, but a moment ago I heard whispering." Lydia explained as Derek watched her carefully, "Really weird whispering. Not the usual voices. It's not the banshees" Lydia replied as she crouched down slowly.

"Okay. Wait, did you say 'Not the Banshees'?" Derek repeated for confirmation, and Lydia only nodded. "Are you sure we can trust them?"

Nodded again, Lydia whispered, "Yes." She turned to look at Derek. "This isn't like when I heard Peter, or anything I heard when the Darach was around. This is something different. It's not dark." Derek opened his mouth to ask a question, but Lydia spoke again and answered it. "I'm not sure they're 'good' either. I think they're neutral. But they want to help us."

"Are you sure about this?" Derek asked and Lydia nodded with determination clear in her eyes. "Okay then."

He nodded once and gestured for her to continue. Immediately, Lydia turned her head so that she was facing forwards again, then closed her eyes and listened intently, but she didn't hear anything else. She crouched down, reached out and felt around for a twig or branch. The moment she felt her fingers brush against one, she picked it up and snapped it.

Expectedly, the whispering returned. She repeated the process a couple of times to get the full message before she opened her eyes and looked up at Derek. "We need to go to the library in our second basement."

"Slow down, are you sure about this?" Derek asked again as Lydia shot up and began power walking towards the house. "I trust you, but I need to know what makes you believe we can trust them?"

"I just know it. It's hard to explain, but they don't feel evil." Lydia informed him. "They're new to me, but I think they're old. Really old. And I know they're trying to help."

"Right," Derek sighed, "Okay, I still want to know as much about them as I can, but I trust your judgement. We'll follow their advice for now. Besides, we don't have many other options." Derek informed her honestly and diplomatically. "We need to be cautious though, we don't know what the Nogitsune is capable of. We know it's a powerful, dark, trickster spirit, but that's all. You're armed right?"

"That is the most asinine question I have ever heard Derek. And my mother once asked me if we were doing my hair. 'Am I armed'? Of course I'm armed!" Lydia replied incredulously. "You know I never leave home without a weapon. I understand your trepidation about this, but I know that this isn't a trick. I can feel it."

"Alright, but the first sign of trouble and you escape through the house, not the tunnels, and warn the others while I hold off whoever may attack us."

Cheekily smiling as she nodded in agreement, Lydia spoke in a teasingly patronising manner as she assured the Alpha.

"Sure. I mean, nobody is going to attack us, but sure." Lydia agreed as they walked side by side towards the house. "You still don't believe me do you?" There was a heavy sigh exhaled from his lips before Derek replied.

"Everything that we've been through has taught me enough to know better than to write off your instincts," Derek began, trying to keep the situation from escalating to an argument. "It's not that I don't believe you, but I have to consider all possibilities if I want to help Stiles. So let's just get this over with."

"Easy with the enthusiasm." Lydia drawled with a grin. Derek looked unimpressed. "Not in the mood for sarcasm, got it."

There was nothing left to say as they made their way to the house.

After a few minutes, they arrived home.

Ready to begin the search, Lydia marched up the porch steps and flung open the front door.

Less than a second had passed since they walked inside when they were greeted by Boyd.

"Hey, is everything okay? Did you find something?" Boyd asked hopefully.

Frowning, Derek shook his head.

"Knowing Lydia though, we will soon. She has a feeling that we need to check the library downstairs. We probably won't be here long. Is there anything you need while I'm here?" He asked, and though he hid it well, he had hoped that Boyd would say yes.

Lydia was insistent, but the library was one of Stiles' favourite places to scheme. It was always flooded with his scent. Right now that would only serve to upset Derek further. Unfortunately, Boyd shook his head.

"I got it covered. Peter is settled now that he has his snack and cup of tea," Boyd informed the Alpha as he rolled his eyes. "And Malia and the twins are training in the basement. I just want to read my book."

Knowing that the book she had recommended was the one he was currently hooked on, Lydia smirked. "Where are you up to?"

"End of Chapter 13, three pages left," Boyd told her, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "its getting really good."

"You know, I wondered why you volunteered to take the day off of school," Derek commented with a chuckle that he hoped seemed natural. "Now I get it."

One of Boyd's biggest characteristics was his drive. He was insistent on getting good grades and maintaining a near perfect attendance record because he was determined to get into a good college. Derek had been admittedly surprised when he had volunteered to stay home, but Boyd had near perfect attendance and the drive to catch up on missed work quickly, so he had been too grateful to question it. Better he skip school than one of the others that Derek had ordered to attend.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Boyd responded with a blank expression, though mischief shone in his eyes. He had so many questions he wanted to ask them both, but he knew it wasn't the right time. So Boyd remained quiet, waiting for the right moment.

Besides, the truth was that he had wanted the day off of school because he knew that Cora wouldn't be allowed and Derek would be out all day, and Cora would want somebody she trusted impeccably to watch over Malia. Before finding Malia, Cora had believed that she only had two blood relatives left alive. Since finding out about Malia, she had been overjoyed and spent as much time building a bond with the girl as she could. She would be devastated if anything happened to the girl.

"Read away, Boyd. Unless you change your mind and join us in the library, then we'll leave you to it. C'mon Derek, there's no time for chit chat." Lydia declared as she grabbed Derek by the hand. "Basement. Now."

"See you later," Boyd called out before returning to the living room.

Even though he wanted to protest, Derek went along anyway. Besides, if it got to be too much for him, he could always use the twins and Malia training as an excuse to leave the library and check on them.

Lydia was walking quickly through the house, taking the fastest route to the basement. Once they entered the hidden passageways and could no longer be heard, Lydia spoke to Derek again. "Why don't you want to go to the library?"

Frowning at the girl, Derek raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I want to go down there?" He asked rhetorically. "It's where Stiles plots regularly. If he is the one possessed by the nogitsune, we could find a treasure trove of pranks and plans that it can turn into something far more deadly."

"You know what, Derek? You make an excellent point." Lydia stated with a small nod. "Maybe you should go in first, enhanced healing and all."

"Okay, sure. That was already the plan," Derek pointed out as he rolled his eyes.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After going to the station and explaining to the on duty staff the situation, Noah decided to stop by the hospital and talk to Melissa. He found the woman fairly easily and forced a smile onto his face as he approached her. It was a weak smile, but he tried.

"Hey, any news about Stiles?" Melissa asked hopefully when she looked up and saw the man approaching her.

"No, not yet, but I need to talk to you about something." Noah told her as he arrived at the desk.

"Actually, I need to talk to you about something too." Melissa confessed as she stood from her chair and walked around the desk. She glanced around, to see if anyone was nearby and potentially listening in, then whispered to the sheriff. "Yesterday, at school, I saw Stiles at school after the pack brought him to me. You know that Stiles woke up from a blackout at school and couldn't remember anything after Barrow electrocuted him, right?" She asked rhetorically but Noah felt inclined to nod anyway. "Well, I asked him a few routine questions, about his symptoms and," Melissa paused to take a shuddered breath.

"It's okay." Noah assured the woman he loved as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. As he did so, he used his other hand to pull a notebook out of his pocket. "I've been noticing some symptoms myself, over the past two weeks." The sheriff reluctantly let go of the Nurse's shoulder so that he could open the notebook to the correct page. He then handed her the notebook.

Melissa read the list. She barely bit back her sigh at what she saw written. She was unsurprised by what she read, but she hated it. More than anything, she had wanted to be wrong. Not just for Stiles, but for Scott, Noah, Derek, herself, the entire Pack really. Losing Stiles would devastate them all.

'Impulsive, Hallucinations, Insomnia, Night Terrors, Dissociative, Confusion.'

"I think we need to do some tests." Noah said solemnly, his eyes fixed on the wall as he spoke. "But first, I need to find him."

"You go do that." Melissa encouraged with a nod. "And when you find him, I promise you that I will do everything that I can to help him."

"I know. Thank you." Noah smiled softly, finally meeting her eyes again. He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. When they parted, he smiled once more, though it still didn't look genuine. "I'll see you later, Jackson will be here soon for if you need anything, or if Stiles shows up."

"He's already here. I just sent him to get us some coffee." Melissa wanted to argue that she didn't need protection, but she knew that Noah would only worry more if she were alone. He needed to focus on finding and saving his son, and if dealing with a babysitter who was more than half her age meant that he would have one less distraction when doing that, Melissa would put up with it. "Be careful. Don't go anywhere alone."

"I'm meeting up with Derek and Lydia to search." He assured her as he stepped away from her. "You be careful too."

"I will." Melissa promised. Noah nodded then turned and walked away, laser-focused on finding his son.

"But it's you I'm worried about." Melissa whispered her confession once he was out of sight. She sighed as she made her way around the desk and sat in her chair once more. Less than a second later she got an alert and was back on her feet, going to check on a patient.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

'I'm an idiot. For fucks sake', Scott thought to himself as he tried to breath. He had gotten out of the classroom, only to hide in the locker room?

Dammit, Stiles needed him! What was he doing?

Overwhelmed by his self deprecation, Scott tried to get up, but he still couldn't breath, he couldn't think clearly. His mind was flooded with terrible visions of Stiles hurt or worse. It was making everything so much worse.

Nothing he tried to calm himself down was working, which only exasperated his panic attack and spiral of self-hatred.

The though crossed his mind that maybe he should have let someone from his pack come with him, to help him through whatever this was. But honestly, anyone other than Stiles or his mates would only have made it worse.

Knowing that was the only thing that kept Scott from texting for help.

Not that he'd be able to really say what he needed help with, other than the fact that it felt like he couldn't breathe. Rather suddenly, Scott felt somebody grab his hand and place something in it.

Opening his eyes, Scott looked to see his inhaler. Unthinkingly, he brought it to his lips and took a hit. That's when he finally registered that someone was talking to him.

"-With me. It's okay Scotty, that's it," A soothing voice encouraged, a voice that Scott would recognise anywhere.

His best friend's voice. Stiles' voice. Scott moved his eyes to look and sure enough, there he was.

Only, he didn't look well. The slightly older teen was pale, even more so than usual. He was wearing the clothes from the night before, although they were now dirty and torn. His hair was filthy and messed up, and he was barefoot.

While his brain tried to process what he was seeing, Scott opened his mouth to speak. He wanted to ask where Stiles had been, if he was okay, what had happened, etc. But that's not what left his mouth.

"Was I-? I was having an asthma attack?" Scott asked in confusion. It wasn't like any asthma attack he'd ever had before.

"Er, no, you were having a panic attack." Stiles corrected casually, as though he hadn't disappeared the night before. "I used to get 'em after my mum died, then again when Peter attacked Erica and hospitalised Lydia again," Stiles added. "Plus a couple when Derek was away, and that one during Bardo, but you were there for those."

Eyes scanning Stiles' form, Scott couldn't hold back from reaching out and touching Stiles' arm.

"No, wait, dude, what the hell happened to you? Where have you been?" Scott finally managed to ask. "We've been looking for you all night."

"Dude, are you feeling okay?" A concerned frown appeared on Stiles' face as he looked over Scott, as though he was checking for injuries. "What are you talking about? We just had breakfast together, all of us, even Kira and Malia. Derek said we could use the loft for the party tonight, which I'm still mad that you didn't tell me about, by the way. We were talking about it during lunch, and then you started having a panic attack and rushed out of the cafeteria."

"Er, no, Stiles," Scott corrected as he shook his head. "That was yesterday, but I didn't have a panic attack in the cafeteria. You forgot where you were and forgot everything in between being electrocuted by Barrow in the power station and sitting in the cafeteria, remember? The party was last night, you were there. You disappeared around 2am, we couldn't find you anywhere." Scott explained, attempting to be as gentle as possible, but it was difficult to do so when he suddenly remembered that he probably wasn't speaking to Stiles at all.

"Don't try to confuse me, Scott," 'Stiles' whimpered, looking and sounding distraught, betrayed and angry all at once. "Not you, Scotty. You're my best friend. Don't do this to me."

Urgently shaking his head, Scott protested, "I'm not doing anything to you, I promise! I'm trying to help you," Scott told 'Stiles' honestly, "Look, we need to get you to the hospital. My mom is there now getting a room ready for you. We need to call your dad and Derek, they're out there looking for you right now, with Lydia."

"Please don't. Don't bother them with this, please Scott!" He practically begged as tears flooded his eyes. He gripped Scott's arms tightly, and pulled the teen wolf closer, "Please, Scotty, don't bother them with this, I'll go to the hospital, okay? Just don't tell my dad and Derek, Okay?"

His eyes shone with desperation and tears, and despite knowing that Stiles wasn't currently himself, Scott still couldn't refuse him.

"Er, fine, but I'm taking you to the hospital right now." Scott stated firmly as he rose to his feet and helped Stiles do the same.

Ready with a protest, 'Stiles' shook his head.

"Every time there's a chance to skip school." He muttered. "No. No, no, you need to stay, get your education." Stiles insisted, in a very Stiles manner that almost made Scott forget the truth. Almost.

"I don't care. That's not as important as you. Besides, Derek said that I could leave early if you showed up at school." Scott insisted, not wanting to risk losing Stiles again until they figured out how to free him. While the Nogitsune was giving a very convincing performance of somebody who feared they were losing their mind, but were in a deep denial over it, Scott refused to give up on his best friend. If he believed that FTD was the cause of Stiles' strange behaviour then he would be giving up on any hope of saving him, and that was something Scott would never do. When 'Stiles' continued to refuse, Scott changed tactics.

"Derek already gave Jackson the day off school and told him to stay at the hospital with my mum in case you were injured when we found you." Scott explained. "How about I call him to pick you up?"

"Okay," Stiles nodded in absent minded agreement as he left the shower room in favour of sitting down on one of the benches in the locker room. Scott followed slowly as he pulled up Jackson's number, his eyes never leaving Stiles as he did so.

Not even three seconds after Scott pressed 'call', Jackson answered. Scott answered his sarcastic opening question by informing him that Stiles had shown up at the school, and asked if Jackson could come and get him. He also added that Stiles didn't want Derek or the sheriff to know, Jackson promised to 'take care of it' and stated that he'd be there in fifteen minutes, repeating his promise when Scott reminded him that it was a twenty five minute drive. Scott begged him not to break any laws on his way, but Jackson hung up on him.

Then Scott sighed and began to walk over to 'Stiles', the pale teen who sat on the bench with his head in his hands.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Jackson had just sat back down after getting himself and Melissa a coffee each and he already wanted to stand up and find another task. However, Melissa and other staff members had grown frustrated with his pacing, so he forced himself to remain seated.

Jackson couldn't help himself.

Nor could he help rolling his eyes whenever somebody asked if he was okay. Or the sarcastic comments he would snap in response. Or the bitch face he'd been wearing since he found out Stiles was missing and potentially suffering from dementia. He was stressed, to say the least.

He couldn't help it. With Stiles missing, Jackson's mind was in overdrive. He was again reflecting on the fact that his adoptive parents had never been that parental. He could never impress them. Whenever he would try talking to them about a problem or worry he had, they would try using money to fix the problem and that was that, no need to talk about it anymore. If Jackson was unhappy with something, that thing either disappeared, or he was told to shut up and deal with it. He never had the kind of parents that listened to him and guided him.

For years, Jackson took his anger and frustration out on others, like Scott and Stiles. He pretended to be fine to people who didn't really care about him (except for Lydia and Danny) and all the while he still tried to impress the Whittemores. He only ended up hurting himself even more when it was never enough. All of his achievements were seen as him living up to the Whittemore name, never as something special. His adoptive father would tell him that he was proud that Jackson was 'doing right by the Whittemore name' but he never once said that he was proud of Jackson.

Stiles and Derek always told Jackson that they were proud of him. When he got a good grade? "We're proud of you, Jackson." When he did well in training or a fight? "Excellent work Jackson, we're proud of you." When he did well on a full moon? "We're so proud of how far you've come." Every single time, Jackson listened to their heartbeats and every single time, they meant it.

He hates them at first.

Scott became incredible at Lacrosse, and suddenly Jackson's best achievement in his parent's eyes was being threatened by some dorky, asthmatic kid. Then Stilinski, the loser who had been panting over Lydia since the third grade, suddenly had a hot boyfriend (who Jackson first thought was hired by the loser to fake date him, then he thought Hale was McCall's drug dealer and probably just using Stilinski for sex, because that so called 'rule' was obviously bullshit.) and was having sleepovers at Lydia's house? Then Lydia was telling Jackson that she 'can't come over tonight, Jackson, I'm hanging out with Allison and Stiles' and then 'Stiles said the funniest thing' or 'Stiles showed me the funniest movie, we have to watch it!'. It was like testical left and right working together to take away everything good in his life.

Jackson would play nice in front of Lydia, but he still let the losers know how he really felt through sarcastic comments and dark looks. But that night in the school, Stiles protected him. Stiles knew that Scott would protect Allison with his life; he knew that Lydia could defend herself against the Alpha; he feared that Derek was dead; his dad was at the station and currently safe enough; Stiles was protecting Jackson. Then the hunters showed up and Stiles moved in front of Jackson to protect him. He wasn't even a wolf or part of the Pack yet, but Stiles was still treating him like he was.

Stiles let Jackson stay at his house and in the morning, he made him breakfast and helped him understand everything that he had learned that night. He went with Jackson to visit Lydia in the hospital.

When Lydia was hurt protecting Erica, the story of how Stiles had convinced Danny to track the text sent to Allison had actually managed to cheer Jackson up for a moment. After they had been allowed into the room, Stiles had convinced Jackson to come back to the Stilinski house and get some sleep. He had let Jackson sleep in his and Derek's bed. He had also taken the liberty, while Jackson was sleeping, of stealing Jackson's keys, going to his house and (technically) breaking in so that he could grab him a change of clothes. When Jackson woke up, Stiles cooked food for him. Well, he cooked for all of them, but still.

Stiles and Allison's obsessing over weapons, 90% of which they didn't even use, had really cheered Jackson up too, despite him trying to hide it. Stiles' goofy antics had distracted Jackson from his overwhelming worry for Lydia.

When Jackson saw Stiles (and Scott too, he supposed) choking on wolfsbane in the Argent house, he felt a fear he had never felt before. It was a different fear from that which he felt whenever he faced Peter, that was fear for his own life. It was different from the fear he felt whenever Lydia was hurt, that was fear of losing the only woman he had ever loved. It was more familial. He hated it. But he loved it.

When Peter turned Jackson, Stiles was the first to offer to help him learn self control. Derek had been about to offer, but Stiles beat him to it. Stiles had somehow managed to put aside all those years of bullying (and Stiles was usually one to hold a grudge) and helped Jackson without a second thought.

Since then Stiles only continued to help and support Jackson. They grew close. Close enough that Stiles was someone Jackson would now turn to when he was feeling low, or he had a lot on his mind. And knowing that Stiles was out there alone, suffering from something they couldn't fight with claws, bullets or arrows? That was killing Jackson. Derek had taken Lydia to help search for Stiles, and Danny had been sent to school, so there was nobody for Jackson to talk to about his feelings. Nobody that he felt comfortable enough to talk to about something that shook him so deeply, at least.

When his phone started ringing, he was grateful for the distraction, but disappointed when he saw that it was Scott. That disappointment quickly disappeared when he found out the reason for the call.

"What's up, McCall? Did the Demon Ninjas show up at school?"

"No." Scott said quietly down the phone. "But Stiles did." Jackson immediately shot up from his chair and headed towards the nearest elevator. "He's not looking so good. I want to take him to the hospital, but he's refusing to let me leave school, and he's using his 'Mom voice' so I know he's not gonna budge." Scott explained as Jackson rode the elevator down to the garage and headed to his car. "Could you maybe-"

"I'm already on my way to my car. I'll be there soon." Jackson assured him, and Scott sighed in relief.

"Thank you. Also Stiles has asked me to keep this quiet, he doesn't want to worry his dad or Derek." Scott informed him, Jackson nodded in response before he remembered that Scott couldn't see him.

"Alright, I'll take care of it, see you in fifteen minutes."

"It's a twenty-five minute drive from the hospital." Scott reminded him, sounding confused.

"I'll see you in fifteen minutes." Jackson repeated and smirked when Scott immediately began to beg him to obey the speed limit. Jackson, feeling much more at ease, hung up on the slightly younger teen. He then sent Derek a text with the update, then got into his car and began to drive out of the hospital garage and towards the school.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Once Lydia and Derek went to the basement, Boyd decided to check in with his mates before picking up his book again.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:21am)
Message: Hey, how's school?

He was still on the fence about the nicknames Erica had set, but they weren't lewd so he wasn't going to change them and risk her wrath. Replies came simultaneously from both Erica and Cora.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:21am)
Message: Eh, history is boring! We're gonna ditch to look for Stiles. Scott, Danny, and Kira are coming with us. And we miss you baby! Come join us and bring Malia and the twins!

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:21am)
Message: Boring, we're ditching soon with Kira, Danny and shockingly Scott. How's your day off?

Boyd chuckled softly as he shook his head. He quickly typed out his reply and sent it. He didn't bother locking his phone as he knew responses would come soon, which they did.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:22am)
Message: Definitely not a day off. Fetching tea for Peter and checking on three claw happy shifters training in the basement, is hardly my idea of fun. Derek and Lydia stopped by to check something banshee related that they thought might lead them to Stiles, they're in the basement right now. Sounds like your day is way more productive than mine. Scott ditching isn't that surprising, after hearing Lydia and Stiles complain about the incident on Allison's birthday.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:23am)
Message: Damn babe, sucks that you have to run around for Peter. But like Erica said, you guys could come help us search for Stiles! Just wait until Derek and Lyd leave and come meet us. Good point about Scott btw.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:24am)
Message: Yeah baby! You can let off some frustration running around town, or riding your bike. But not all of it, save some for when we get home and we can ride you ;)

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:25am)
Message: That sounds amazing, but unfortunately it probably won't be happening tonight. I'm helping Scott protect Kira and Malia, remember? I don't know what time I'll be done at the McCall house. Then I have work at eleven. And we can't come meet you, Peter would rat us out in a heartbeat. I'm sorry.

Once again, the replies came simultaneously.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:25am)
Message: Don't worry about Peter, I've got dirt on him. I'll text him a threat now.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:25am)
Message: I've said it before and I'll say it again: quit your job. And kill Peter.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:26am)
Message: Cora, do not threaten Peter, please! Erica, I cannot kill him or quit my job!

As Boyd had hit send on his text, a message simultaneously came through from Cora.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:26am)
Message: You know he won't do that babe

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:27am)
Message: Sorry baby, but it's true. My job will flesh out my college apps.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:27am)
Message: Your college apps are going to look amazing anyway, you're so fucking smart baby. Quit that place and spend more time with us! I'll kill Peter

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:27am)
Message: Peter's on our side now, babe. I hate what he has done, but he's starting to feel like family again.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:28am)
Message: Fine, Peter lives

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:29am)
Message: I still texted him though, he won't rat you guys out. We'll be out of class in thirty mins, meet us at the park near the diner in forty

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:31am)
Message: Scott'll want his bike, he was talking about it in the car, and he just ran out of class freaking out so I bet he'll want it more now. Just let Malia drive it or something

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:32am)
Message: That was a panic attack, babe. Also, Scott has not given permission for Malia to drive his bike! Let Malia drive mine and have one of the twins drive Scott's.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:32am)
Message: You sure? I've seen Stiles have a few, and Derek once, it was a bit different. Why not Malia? It'll be funny to see the look on Scott's face when he sees her driving his bike. It'll probably cheer him up

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:34am)
Message: Trust me, it was a panic attack. And I'm usually all in when it comes to pranks, but Scott saved up a lot to buy that bike and he'd be devastated if something happened to it. You know how he is, he wouldn't let Derek buy him a new one, he'd insist on saving up again and working overtime. I love Malia, but she hasn't ridden a regular bike in 8 years, and has never even been on a motor bike yet. Better not risk it. I have my own inheritance to buy a new one.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:35am)
Message: She's right, baby, I know you'll find another way to prank Scott without risking damage to his property.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:35am)
Message: Ugh, fine! You're right, I can't risk that. Damn you for reminding me to analyse the risks. I hate you for it, but I also love you for it.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:35am)
Message: I'll go tell Malia, Ethan and Aidan the new plan. Hopefully Lydia and Derek have already left through the tunnels.

Boyd informed them as he got up to do so. He decided that text while walking was fine when you're a werewolf in your own home (Well, one of two homes in his case. Wow, he never thought he'd be able to say that.)

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:36am)
Message: Great! Thank you baby!

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:36am)
Message: Hate to rain on the parade, I know we want to distract ourselves with searching for him, but we need to talk about Stiles.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:37am)
Message: Do you guys really think he has FTD?

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:37am)
Message: The sheriff definitely thinks so.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:38am)
Message: I'm not sure tbh. I've heard of shifters receiving injuries they can't heal all the way, but I've never heard of any supernatural creatures, born or turned, suffering from a disease or tumours or anything else like that.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:39am)
Message: But that doesn't mean that it isn't possible, right? Peter made some good points, Stiles still has ADHD despite turning.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:39am)
Message: What do we do?

Before he or Cora could respond, Erica sent another message clarifying what she had meant.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:39am)
Message: If he does have FTD, I mean

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:40am)
Message: We do everything that we can to help him get through it.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:40am)
Message: And if we can't get him through it?

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:41am)
Message: Then we help him until the end, and we help Derek, and each other, and the rest of the Pack through it. That's what pack do, we stick together through whatever life throws at us.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Blonde Bombshell (9:41am)
Message: What if not all of us can survive losing him?

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Bold Beauty (9:41am)
Message: We will. All of us. Because it's what Stiles wants.

Neither Boyd nor Erica could argue with that. The topic of death came up at least once a month within the pack, moreso when there was a threat in town. Stiles has stated time and time again that in the event of his death the Pack are required to have a giant party after his funeral and complete one of his unused pranks from the designated folder. After that, they were ordered to remember him fondly, but carry on with their lives. Fill the hole left in their hearts as best they could.

He gave a whole speech about it before most fights, or game nights. They all laughed it off, not wanting to think about Stiles dying. Let alone having to plan his funeral or face life without him.

Boyd took a minute to think about the situation. He sent another text to his mates before he pocketed his phone and began to make his way to the basement. Along his way, he was busy ruminating about the Stiles situation.

Group Message: The Power of Three
From: Big Boyd (9:42am)
Message: Whatever happens, Stiles will have all of us by his side until the very end.

Noah's theory had merit, but something didn't feel right.

Boyd didn't know much about dementia, even less about specific kinds, but he knew it was difficult for people to live with. He knew that people who have it slowly become less and less like the person they once were and became somebody else entirely. They became confused and lost sight of reality.

He didn't want that for Stiles, that could be what was causing his doubt. But still that voice persisted. It was telling him to look beyond the obvious and see what was truly different about the Pack Mum. What was truly wrong with him.

He didn't yet know what that was, but he would figure it out. For Stiles.

Before he could mull it over further, Boyd's phone pinged with another text.

Group Message: Pack
From: Jackson (9:48am)
Message: McCall called to say Stiles is at the school, I'm on my way to pick him up now

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Keeping his distance, Scott studied Stiles.

Nothing was obviously wrong but Scott couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't his best friend in front of him.

"Oh," Stiles gasped as he suddenly shot up and turned to Scott, "I remember now, we were at the party, I told you about the key. That girl, Caitlin, whose girlfriend was human sacrificed by the Darach, remember her? Well, she came over and asked me to dance. After we danced, we sat down and talked and she noticed that the key had phosphors on it, so I came here, and the key was for the chemistry cupboard, Scott! The one that Barrow was hiding in. And the writing on the board, it was in my handwriting." Stiles insisted, he interpreted the wary look on Scott's face as being directed at his claim and grabbed him by the arm and all but dragged him towards the corridors. "I can prove it, alright? Come on."

"Wait, Stiles, slow down man." Scott insisted, he tried planting his feet to keep him still but Stiles just started to literally drag Scott. "Hey, come on, talk to me."

"But I- What?" Stiles frowned as he stopped walking and dragging Scott for a second, he looked over his shoulder at Scott in confusion. Then Scott's words appeared to register in his brain. "I am talking to you Scott, I'm trying to show you something." He insisted then faced forward and began to walk forward again, still holding onto Scott. Giving in, Scott continued to walk and let Stiles take the lead. One minute later, Stiles led Scott into the classroom and turned towards the chalkboard. He froze, panic flooded his body, when he noticed that the board had been wiped clean.

"Uh…. What? It's gone. Okay, it doesn't matter though." Stiles stated as he jogged to the closet door. "It doesn't matter." He repeated insistently as he pulled his keys out of his pocket. When the creature did so, Scott's eyes narrowed in suspicion, unseen to 'Stiles'. Scott had seen Derek with the keys that morning. Stiles couldn't possibly have them. Not unless Derek had given them to him, and they would have known if he had because he would have alerted them all that Stiles had been found, or at least spotted.

The creature was unaware, but it had just eliminated any doubt in Scott's mind about what was going on with his best friend. Big mistake on their part.

"I've still got the key." The nogitsune stated as he rummaged though the keys, "What the hell? I had it, I had it here. I had it here this morning, I swear to God, I had it this morning." 'Stiles' continued, acting very convincingly. Every part of Scott wanted to confront the creature, but he managed to overcome that urge and replaced his mask of concern. Needing to keep the creature confident so that they would make a mistake, Scott quickly decided to let the nogitsune believe that it had convinced him with it's deception.

"The key you were talking about last night?" Scott asked. It was difficult to keep up the pretence, but Scott had to force himself to keep a concerned expression on his face, rather than the joy that came with the reinvigorated belief that it wasn't dementia that Stiles was suffering from but possession. Possession was something they could save him from, even though it would definitely suck.

Stiles' eyes flickered from the keys to Scott and back again a couple of times, then the nogitsune gave a small nod. "Yeah, I showed it to you, right?" 'Stiles' asked, giving the perfect performance of somebody who feared that they were losing their mind. "Didn't I show it to you?"

"No," Scott stated. While he had seen the key thanks to Caitlin pointing it out, 'Stiles' had never shown it to him. The creature probably didn't know that they had the keys, or else it wouldn't have tried that trick, right? Which meant Stiles had at least some control in there. "No, you just told me about it. You never actually showed it to me." Scott told the creature honestly. Everything felt easier now that Scott was confident that he wouldn't lose his best friend any time soon.

Ever persistent in their con, the nogitsune was seemingly unaware that Scott was onto them. His voice wavering, the creature continued to try to sell its lie. "I was here a couple of hours ago." 'Stiles' insisted, his hands were shaking and he was breathing deeply as he walked towards the blackboard again. "And the message left to Barrow spelling Kira's name was right there on the board in my handwriting and I had the key to the chemistry closet."

Very convincing, but not good enough to fool Scott.

Eyes fixed on the imposter, Scott spoke cautiously.

"Right. Okay," Scott trailed, he needed the creature to believe his performance. Scott pulled out his best acting skills and did quite well, if he did say so himself. "So you" Scott continued, purposefully putting an edge of disbelief in his voice. He thought about how he would react if it really were Stiles in front of him saying those things. Dubious and concerned, with a hint of surprise. It was just how he would sound if this were real. Scott was sure of it. "Unlocked the chemistry closet so Barrow could hide in it from the cops and then you wrote him a message to kill Kira?"

Believable and succinct, Stiles was proud of himself.

Even better, the creature seemed to buy it as he stammered to continue. "No, look, Scotty, I-I know how it sounds but look at this." Stiles fished a folded, slightly creased, sheet of paper out of his pocket. He quickly unfolded it and held it out for Scott to see. "This is the news report that came out about Barrow when they caught him, okay? About the shrapnel bomb that he used." Stiles pointed to a paragraph that he had highlighted. "See this? See what he did? He put nuts, bolts and screws in. An-an-an-and then he hid the bomb and the detonator in a box that he wrapped as a birthday present. What does that sound like to you?"

Everything clicked into place, why the nogitsune hadn't made a move before now. It had been playing the long game. To make it's claims more believable. "Coach." Scott said as he remembered the prank that they had set up for Coach's birthday. "The joke we played on Coach. We all helped to set it up."

"No, I asked you guys to help me, but," Stiles began, tapping the paper for emphasis. "That was my idea. You remember? That was my idea. That's no coincidence. It can't be."

"Stiles, listen," Scott began after a short pause to choose his words carefully, "I don't want to sound like I'm trying to tell you that you're wrong." Scott addressed Stiles, rather than the nogitsune that he knew he was actually talking to, in case the creature could hear his heartbeat. He needed the creature to believe him for the next part, and those words were only true if he said them to Stiles. "But I don't think you're trying to kill people either."

Obviously the nogitsune was trying to hurt people, but Stiles never would. Sure, if it came down to killing a bad guy to save his Pack, Stiles would do it. But actively sending a threat after someone else? Or trying to hurt or kill innocent people? Stiles would never do that. The real Stiles, that is.

Clearly dedicated to its act, the creature continued. "It was here," 'Stiles' sighed as he turned to look at the blackboard once more. At the same time he crumpled the article in his hand. "It was here. It was all here." Trying to stave off his empathy and remind himself that it was all just a trick, Scott kept himself at a distance from 'Stiles'. As his eyes roamed over the trembling form of his best friend, Scott had to remind himself that it wasn't really Stiles. He couldn't risk giving him a hug, lest the creature stab him in the back. Despite that knowledge, Scott still took a cautious step forward.

"Listen. Dude, are you feeling okay?" Scott couldn't keep himself from at least enquiring to his well being. "You're looking really tired." Scott told him honestly. Knowing that the question would be coming soon enough, the nogitsune nodded Stiles' head.

"Er, yeah, I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping, really." Stiles assured as he looked at Scott once more. "Other than when you mum gave me that sedative yesterday."

"Alright, it's okay, just relax," Scott tried to assure as he risked giving 'Stiles' a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Jackson will be here soon and my mum'll get you patched up in no time."

"Really Scotty, I should-" 'Stiles' began but then Scott pulled out the puppy eyes that the real Stiles couldn't say no too. "Okay, yeah," 'Stiles' nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'll just wait here." He sat down at the nearest desk. Stiles rested his elbows on the desk, and his head in his hands. Barely thirty seconds after Stiles sat down, Scott's phone began to buzz in his pocket, he pulled out his phone and checked the caller ID.

"Wait, I gotta get this." Scott declared and quickly turned so that his back was facing 'Stiles' because he didn't trust himself to control his facial expressions right now. Answering the call Scott raised the phone to his ear. "Hey, Derek." Scott greeted in a casual tone as he answered the call. There was a low growl, and Scott knew he was in trouble. Had Jackson told Derek? "How are you?"

"Enough, Scott, don't even try it," Derek growled down the phone and Scott winced. Yup, Jackson had told him. "I know Stiles is with you, put him on the phone." The alpha demanded. Turning around to do so, Scott opened his mouth to speak to 'Stiles', but the boy was already standing up. Rather than walking towards Scott to take the phone, 'Stiles' turned and ran towards the window and jumped through it. Scott gasped as he ran over to the broken window and jumped out too.

Most werewolves can attest that landing isn't as easy when you have a phone in your hand that you really don't want to break, thanks to the super strength. Therefore, Scott fumbled a little with his landing, which meant that he ended up taking his eyes off of 'Stiles' for half a second. That half of a second was all the nogitsune needed to disappear, apparently.

"Are you alright? What was that? It sounded like glass breaking," Derek stated, sounding very alarmed. "Scott, what's going on? Put Stiles on the phone." Scott didn't reply as he looked around desperately for Stiles. Sighing in resignation, the beta returned the phone to his ear. By then, either Derek had put him on speaker phone, or Lydia had snatched the phone off of him, because Lydia was threatening Scott.

"-destroy every single lacrosse stick and video game you own, Scott!" The banshee all but growled, and Scott was fairly certain she was threatening to destroy the aforementioned items.

"Erm, okay, so, here's the thing." Scott began cautiously. "Stiles can't come to the phone right now, but I need you to promise that you won't freak out before I tell you why."

"Are you serious?" Derek growled, so Scott was probably on speaker.

"Man up and be an adult, Scott," Lydia continued, the pair were clearly impatient, and Scott suddenly feared for his safety (not really, but he was relieved that he wasn't near them at that moment). "We don't have time for this shit, just tell us what happened." Lydia swore, this was bad. Lydia was one to passive aggressively insult you, or simply get revenge. She always expressed that swearing was beneath her, unless she was referencing or quoting something. She was really angry. "If you don't I will personally take your bike apart and sell the scraps onl-"

"I get it," Scott relented, knowing it would be better for his health in the long run, and reluctantly told them.

"Stiles jumped out the window and started to run away, then I took my eyes off him for half a second and he disappeared into thin air."

There was a beat of silence as the pair processed his words, and likely shared a questioning look. No more than two seconds passed before the pair spoke. "What?" Derek and Lydia asked in unison, both sounding incredulous. Scott didn't have the chance to elaborate before he heard the sound of people walking towards the classroom he had just fled. He realised that they must be going to investigate the noise.

"Ah, uh, wait just a sec. I don't want to get blamed for the window." Scott explained quickly. He tapped into his enhanced speed as he ran. He kept moving until he was certain that he was out of sight of the school. The moment he had stopped running, Scott returned the phone to his ear and gave the pair a slightly more detailed description of what had happened. Lydia questioned what had happened before they called and Scott told them about the trick the nogitsune had tried to pull with the keys. Derek checked and reaffirmed that he had them, mystery key and all. Derek then informed the pair that he and Malia had checked the key on the way back to the house that morning. He stated that the key had fit the lock for the chemistry closet, and that the writing had still been there when they left. Even though that was troubling, it only cemented the belief in Scott and Lydia that Stiles wasn't sick at all.

Keeping an open mind as promised, Derek wasn't far behind, being swayed back to the theory he had given them in the first place. They discussed the evidence they had received so far, the pair informed Scott that they had searched the library in the Hale house and were going to Eichen house next, due to Lydia's instincts and abilities. At that declaration, Scott offered to join them but Derek ordered him to stay at school. Scott was relieved that Derek obviously couldn't hear his heartbeat over the phone, because the crooked-jawed boy was lying when he promised to do so.

Evidently, Derek trusted him to keep his word, which made Scott feel a little guilty. The moment the call ended, Scott checked and found that his phone was flooded with missed calls and texts asking about Stiles. Scott sighed and mentally cursed Jackson as he wrote out a text explaining that Stiles had jumped through the window and ran away. He sent the text to the group chat, then created a new group chat consisting of himself, Danny, Erica, Cora, and Kira. Really, he was far too riled up to even think about going back to class, so there was no point in sticking around the remaining ten minutes. He wrote out and sent a message asking them to grab his bag at the end of class and meet him at the bowling alley when they left the school. Without waiting for a reply, Scott locked his phone and pocketed it. He then took off in a sprint towards the restaurant where Derek and Stiles had their first solo date. He had time to kill before the others got out of class, and energy to burn. A run and quick search would do him some good.

Despite knowing that he needed to improve his grades and attendance if he wanted to get into a good college and become a vet, Stiles came first. He would have plenty of time to do so once Stiles was safe. Worst case scenario, he would attend summer school again. He did it last summer and still managed to have fun with his pack too. It would be fine, not ideal, but fine.

Every possible scenario was running through Scott's head, theories of what the Nogitsune could be planning. All of them were bad, and Scott was well aware that he lacked Stiles' creativity. There were so many pranks and schemes that Scott had managed to talk Stiles out of over the years, due to their high risk factor. The nogitsune could take any and all of them and throw in a deadly twist. And not to mention, the nogitsune was a trickster spirit, who probably had a lot of idea's of their own. Deadly and horrific ideas, most likely. Everything was so messed up. All of the craziness in Beacon Hills up until this point had been terrifying and all, but at least he had his best friend as his constant. Sure, he had his mum and the Sheriff, who had also been in his life before turning, but Stiles was the one Scott needed. The one who Scott could always count on. Perhaps Harris and Jackson were right when they said that Scott and Stiles were co-dependent. He never really believed it until he was faced with the possibility of Stiles being sick. The though of Stiles dying and leaving Scott alone was horrific. If Stiles died, yes Scott would have his mum, Allison, Isaac, and his Pack, but none of them were Stiles. Stiles was his best friend and his brother. They had a bond unlike anything else. Something unbreakable. Anyone who met them could see it. Maybe it was because they had grown up together, maybe it was because they had turned together, maybe it was because they were so close before turning. Whatever it was, it was eternal. When Claudia had died and Noah began to spiral, Scott promised himself that he would always be there to protect Stiles. Upon turning, Scott had temporarily forgotten that promise, and he had broken it.

A couple of times. He would not do that again. Especially because if he failed this time, he wouldn't only be failing Stiles, he'd be letting a dangerous creature lose on the town they had sworn to protect. If that happened? Disaster and chaos would surely rain on Beacon Hills. Everyone would be in danger, and it would be up to the pack to save as many people as they could. At the same time, they would need to find Stiles and stop the nogitsune from causing more trouble. And the only way to stop that from happening was to find a way to stop the nogitsune, which nobody had found a way to do without killing the person possessed.

Right, no pressure.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When Jackson pulled up at the school, his phone buzzed with a text. He cut off the engine and decided to check the text quickly before getting out of the car.

When Jackson read the text, he really wished he had gotten out of the car first.

Upon reading the text from Scott that Stiles had disappeared again, Jackson lost control for a moment. He shifted into beta form and punched the dashboard. Not only did that put a nice dent in the dashboard, his punch also managed to set off the airbag. Jackson growled as he sliced through the obstructive object with his claws. He forced himself to calm down and when he finally shifted into human form, he unbuckled himself and opened the door of his porsche.

Unfortunately, he hadn't calmed down enough to reign in his strength. When he climbed out and shut the door, he slammed it a little too hard. Needless to say, his car door was ruined.

Great.

With a growl, Jackson stomped through the carpark and towards the school.

By the time he was standing outside the history classroom, the bell to signify the end of class had just begun to ring. He gritted his teeth as he endured the sound and waited for his pack mates to leave the room.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek and Lydia arrived at Eichen House at the same time Noah pulled up in his cruiser. The pair watched Noah climb out of his vehicle as they walked towards him. "You think he's here?" Noah asked Lydia dubiously.

"I'm not sure." Lydia confessed. "The whispers led me here. But first they led me to the basement, which is where I got the clues to come here. It's like a puzzle." Lydia told the pair her hypothesis, hoping they'd see her reasoning and still accompany her into the building. "I know that there's something important in there that we need to see."

"Then let's go find out what it is." Derek agreed immediately. "You don't have to come with us, Sheriff. If you want to search elsewhere-"

"No." Noah immediately protested. "I'm coming with you. If there is something in there, we'll all find it together." As much as he wanted to search elsewhere for Stiles, he knew enough by now to trust in Lydia's abilities. Whatever clues she found would likely lead them to Stiles long before any of them would find him searching blindly.

"Thank you." Lydia replied, truly grateful for their support. With that, the three of them made their way into the building. Noah flashed his badge at the receptionist and gave a brief explanation filled with half truths. They were fortunate enough to have met a sympathetic person working that day, who let them search the basement without a warrant.

Upon arriving at the basement Noah was disappointed, but unsurprised, to find it empty.

"Damn it, he's not here." Noah snapped.

"But he was." Derek announced as he sniffed the air. He strode past the sheriff and Lydia and followed his mate's scent. Soon enough, Derek found a torn piece of fabric from a t-shirt. He picked it up and took a good whiff. With a sigh, Derek turned around and carried the fabric to the sheriff. "This is from Stiles' shirt."

"Come look at this!" Lydia called out before Stilinski could reply. They followed her voice to find the girl staring at a wall. "This carving."

"It's the same as the mark those creatures gave us." Derek stated the moment his eyes fell on the carving.

"Exactly the same." Noah agreed with an edge of frustration in his voice. "But what does that mean? Why was he here of all places?"

"I think this is where it started." Lydia replied barely above a whisper, transfixed on the kanji. "Whatever happened to bring those creatures here, I think that this place has a significant part in it all."

"But what does that have to do with Stiles?" Noah all but growled in frustration. "Where is he?"

"I don't know yet." Lydia replied. "But this place has answers. Derek, do you have Stiles' keys?"

"Yeah." Derek replied while he pulled the keys in question out of his jacket pocket. He tossed them to Lydia, who turned and caught them easily. She moved towards the nearest pipe and tapped it with the key to Stiles' jeep.

Whispers filled Lydia's ears and told her a story. After a few minutes, Lydia turned and announced to Derek and Noah. "I know where we need to go next."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Go back to the hospital," Cora ordered Jackson the moment she stepped foot out of the door. "We're ditching to look for Stiles and if you come with us, Melissa will call the sheriff to tell him you never came back, he'll tell Derek, and we'll all be busted."

"No way in Hell," Jackson protested immediately, "I'll call her and tell her I got stressed out because Stiles disappeared again and that I need to go for a run. I'll be back at the hospital by lunch, but I can't sit around and do nothing while Stiles is missing, and if you think you can stop me from coming with you then you have another thing coming, Hale."

By the time he had finished, Kira, Erica and Danny had also left the classroom and were watching the exchange in concern, or amusement in Erica's case. Kira and Danny feared that a fight would break out between the pair, but instead Cora just smirked.

"Finally, I was worried some of you boys in this Pack didn't actually know what Pack meant," The born-wolf commented jestfully, "Let's go, we're wasting time."

Jackson smirked and pulled out his phone to text Melissa as he followed her.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Chris, Allison and Isaac were sitting in Chris' car, awaiting the text that would tell them more information about the deal.

Chris' phone buzzed in his hand suddenly, he quickly read the message and his expression gave away that it wasn't the news he had been hoping for.

"What is it?" Allison asked in concern, causing her father to turn his head to look at her.

"Katashi won't do the buy in person." Chris informed his daughter.

"But he's a paranoid recluse; shouldn't you be a little less surprised?" Isaac responded sarcastically from where he was leaning against both of the Argents' seats.

"I was trying to remain optimistic that we wouldn't have to go to my plan B." The seasoned hunter responded, with frustration clear in his voice.

"And, uh, what's plan B?" Isaac asked.

"How tall are you?" Chris asked in response as he pushed a button on the car. With a beep, the trunk of the car opened. Allison sent her father an unimpressed look when she realised his plan.

Once Isaac was out of the car, Allison turned to glare at her father. She knew full well that her mate could hear every word she said, but she liked the illusion of privacy.

"You could have warned me that your 'plan B' was to send my mate in there without any training."

"I've helped him train." Chris defended, but Allison wasn't impressed.

"Not in the history of this gun or how to act during a weapons deal." Allison reminded him. She had no doubt that Isaac could pull it off, but she didn't want him in harm's way. "Send me in instead."

"No."

"I can-"

"No." Chris repeated, glaring at his daughter, trying to put an end to the argument. Obviously it didn't work. It never did. Allison just glared right back at him.

"I though you were training me to be a leader."

"I am. But right now, I need you as my backup." Chris explained, he hid his reluctance well behind a mask of certainty and confidence. "Isaac may be a werewolf, but you are the best person I know when it comes to sneaking around. You stole a car under the watch of four hunters when you were fifteen and had no idea they were hunters. And next to no training. You're also highly skilled at combat and disarming opponents." Chris continued and Allison preened at the praise. "I hate to ask this of you, you're my daughter, but I need you as my backup in there. I need you to help disarm Katashi's security and Katashi himself when we get to him."

"And you need Isaac to distract the rest of his security team by posing as the seller on your behalf." As Allison realised her father's plan, she felt much easier about it. "He doesn't need to know everything, just memorise the cue cards and-"

"And keep them preoccupied long enough for us to get the information that we need." Chris finished with a proud smirk. "When I was helping to look for Stiles this morning, I realised I might have to consider Noah being unable to join me today, so I started planning other scenarios." He continued to explain, knowing he had his daughter's full attention. "The most likely scenario was that you would insist on coming in Noah's place and one or both of your mate's would insist on coming too. Honestly, I'm glad Derek chose Isaac, Scott is terrible at memorising at the best of times. Let alone under pressure."

"Hey, he's getting better!" Allison defended with a small smile, while she playfully punched her father's shoulder.

"Regardless, whichever one ended up tagging along, the plan would remain the same." He told her with an uncharacteristic shrug. "Other than your mother and the sheriff, you're the person I trust the most to have my back."

"Thanks." Allison retorted dryly, slightly bitter at the fact that the sheriff ranked higher than her.

"Hey, don't go twisting my words." Chris defended playfully as soon as he heard that tone. "We both know that you're a far better shot than Noah, but he's been in the field longer than you've been alive."

"And he adapted to the supernatural pretty damn quickly. He's a good man. I'm not jealous." Allison stated honestly, but put an edge of petulance in her voice, just for kicks. "Besides, I know that if it came down to saving him or me, I'll always be your first choice."

"Every single time."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Jackson was disappointed but unsurprised that all of their searches had turned up empty. The jungle, the mall, the arcade, everywhere else they had searched; they had all been dead ends. Not even a hint of Stiles' scent had been found.

He thought he would feel better after searching, but he didn't. If anything, he felt worse. It made him feel like a failure, like he was letting Stiles down. Letting Derek and Noah down. Letting himself and his pack down.

He had never felt so useless before in his life, not even when he had been paralysed by the Kanima.

He could tell that the others all felt the same. When the alarm on his phone sounded, alerting him to the fact that he should go pick up the lunch he promised Melissa in exchange for her silence on him 'going for a walk', and head back to the hospital.

He felt a heaviness on his chest as he told the others that he had to go. They offered to go with him to the diner, as they were hungry too, and together they journeyed towards the diner, keeping all of their senses on high alert in the hopes that they would pick up a trace of Stiles.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

With the boy distracted in the labyrinth of memories, (some real, some altered,) that the nogitsune had set up for him, the dark kitsune was busy setting up traps for the Pack and the unsuspecting population of Beacon Hills.

With the teens out of the school, the creature decided to set up his traps there. It was surprisingly easy to do so during the day. Then again, the nogitsune and its current victim both had a talent for sneaking around undetected.

With a smirk on Stiles' lips, the nogitsune made his way to the boiler room with a backpack full of supplies and a mind full of deadly mischief.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek, Lydia, and Noah arrived at the 'former' Stilinski household.

It felt like looking at a ghost to Noah. A part of him regretted selling the house, he had a lot of fond memories there. But there were a few bad ones too.

The bad memories were bad enough that Noah had agreed to sell the place after helping Stiles build Derek a new house. Even so, he missed it. One day, he would have liked to show the place to his grandkids, alas what's done is done.

"This is it. This is where we need to be." Lydia told them as she waited for someone to let her out of the backseat of the cruiser. Derek shot out of the car like a bullet as soon as the words left her lips.

"We can't go in there." Noah told her firmly as he opened the door to get out himself. By then, Derek was already at Lydia's door and opening it for her.

"I still have a key." Lydia informed him casually as she pulled out her keychain to show him.

"The new owner probably changed the locks." The sheriff pointed out. He didn't know who the new owner was, as the sale was done through an agency, but he was certain they wouldn't appreciate three people trying to break into their house. "And how did you get that?"

"Stiles made it for me." Lydia replied casually, "He gave one to all of us when we joined the pack, back you still lived here. Also it doesn't look like anyone has moved in yet, so I doubt they bothered changing the locks."

"I didn't." Derek stated as he marched towards the house.

"Didn't what?" Stilinski asked with a confused expression as he and Lydia followed the Alpha.

"I didn't change the locks." Derek responded casually without looking at the Sheriff. Lydia laughed when the Sheriff froze.

"You bought the house?!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Danny, Kira and Scott were sitting at a picnic table in the park, taking a much needed break after almost three hours of searching non stop for Stiles. Danny was hunched over his laptop, Scott and Kira talked as they waited for Danny to finish reviewing the remaining security footage, and for Erica and Cora to return with their food. Also, apparently Boyd, Malia, Ethan and Aidan were on their way. While they waited, Scott and Kira were quietly discussing the events of the previous few nights, and what it meant for Kira.

"It's just so unbelievable, y'know?" Kira rambled to Scott as she showed him the book Lydia had loaned her. "Me, a-a Kitsune. I mean, I was scared to mention it, even after you saved me from Barrow, but I've known something was different about me for a few months now. Ever since the fox started showing up in my pictures with the flash on. Sorry, for kinda lying about it and pretending I didn't know it was there. I just- At first, I thought it looked like some sort of demon from Hell." She admitted with an embarrassed smile. "I guess I never saw it the way you guys do."

"We got to see it from a different perspective." Scott reminded her kindly. "And Derek knew you were Kitsune from the get go. He didn't treat you like a threat, which means he knew what you were even when Danny called Deaton. He just likes it when we take the initiative to learn things ourselves. Which is why he got all pouty when Danny just called Deaton. I heard him tell the twins that you were a young kitsune, because you didn't know how to hide your aura yet."

"When was this?" Kira asked curiously. "And why did he only say that to the twins? Surely that's something Stiles, Allison, Lydia and Danny would be curious about."

"I just overheard it. It was the other night, when you guys went to plan… you know what." Scott hesitated before he continued. "The twins went to talk to him because they were concerned… About you."

"They think I'm a threat." Kira said knowingly. "They think I'm the one those creatures are after." Scott opened his mouth to protest, but Kira spoke again before he could. "I do too."

"I don't," Scott told her honestly. He locked eyes with her to show his sincerity and was saddened by the doubt he saw there. "I think they're after a bad guy, and I know it's not you. It can't be. What I saw around you, it didn't look evil."

"But isn't that what a shape-shifter does?" Kira asked doubtfully. "Isn't that why a kitsune is called the trickster spirit? It's supposed to trick you. How are you so sure? How do you know I'm not the bad guy?"

"I've seen the bad guys. And you're not one of them." Scott assured her as Erica and Cora approached the table with several bags and a tray of drinks each, all of the bags were filled with food from the diner and the cups were stamped with its logo.

As soon as Jackson, Erica and Cora walked through the door, Janie and several other staff members surrounded them and began asking questions. Not about why they weren't at school, but about Stiles. A few of the deputies in town also frequented the diner, and had passed on the news during patrol after the sheriff had told them, and asked them to keep an eye out for Stiles.

The three teens explained (and mostly lied) that they and all the teens in their 'group of friends' had been given permission to look for Stiles today, as long as they caught up with their school work. They accepted the excuse without question and immediately began preparing the pack's usual orders to go, though they swapped out some parts of Lydia's order for other food that Kira preferred, and added an order for Malia. While they waited for the food to be cooked, Janie asked them to let Allison know that everyone was willing to chip in and cover her shifts until Stiles was found.

Erica thanked them all on Allison's behalf and promised to pass on the message. She and Cora spent the remainder of the time waiting for their food chatting with the staff. Cora admittedly didn't say much. Erica rambled a lot when she was worried. Cora typically got lost in her head when she was worrying. Luckily, Erica was there to keep her from spiralling too far. Jackson was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole ordeal. He paid for his and Melissa's food and then left with a quick goodbye to his packmates. Janie had asked the girls about Jackson's wellbeing but both were quick to convince her that he was just worried about Stiles. Both knew the truth though, it went so much deeper than worry.

It was something that couldn't be given justice with any words known to the human language. There was an ache that cut you to your core, caused by the void in the bonds. The void that almost felt like death, only worse. When a pack mate died the bond snapped completely. When a pack mate was missing, as in actually missing not just absent, it caused the bonds to falter. They could no longer feel Stiles, they couldn't feel that he was alive and safe, they only knew that he wasn't dead because the bond was there; it just wasn't projecting anything to the pack.

It was agony. But they couldn't explain all of that to Janie and the rest of the staff, so instead they went with 'worried'. It was just easier.

When the time came to pay, Janie insisted on only charging half of the actual cost, due to their situation (she wanted to say 'on the house' but it was a lot of food, and they needed to stay in business). However, Cora, in true Hale fashion, had left a tip large enough to cover the cost of the food and then some. She had a large amount of wealth thanks to her inheritance.

While they all shared rights to the artefacts and such, Peter had inherited the bail bonds, and Derek got the books, and later the authority to manage all of the Hale's assets when he became Alpha, Cora had inherited her mother's jewellery collection. Most of it she had kept for sentimental purposes or just because she liked it, some of it she had given to her pack, the rest she had sold. And of course, she and Derek had inherited equal shares of their parents and sister's assets when they passed. Laura's will obviously didn't mention Cora by name, but rather Laura's living blood relatives. Peter was still legally declared dead and he had killed Laura, so the sibling decided not to cut him in on her fortune. They may have come to forgive Peter, but they felt like it would dishonour Laura's memory to give her possessions to the man who had murdered her, even if he wasn't in his right mind at the time. Peter agreed wholeheartedly, even though they had never discussed it directly.

Basically, Cora was loaded. And what better way to spend her wealth than supporting local businesses? And her favourite one at that.

Although she was rather distracted by the delicious scent of food as she approached the table, Cora still overheard the tail end of Scott and Kira's conversation.

"He's right," Cora chimed in, surprising herself with her own politeness. "The creatures are after something dark. You're a thunder kitsune, they're the good ones. At least according to Derek and the doc, and they're usually right about these things."

"Usually," Kira repeated as the trio sat down. "But what if I'm not one of the good ones?"

"Do you want to be one of the bad ones?" Danny asked curiously, finally tearing his eyes from the screen to join the conversation.

"Of course not!" Kira immediately replied, louder than intended.

"Then you won't be," Danny continued confidently, of course he was well aware that it wasn't all black and white, but he needed to comfort the girl. "There's a whole argument over nature vs nurture, I believe that it's all down to our choices, our decisions. You're kind and sweet, we know that you're not a bad person. You're good at heart and you want to continue being good, so you will be."

"Even if there was something dark inside of you, which there isn't," Erica added in an attempt to comfort the girl. "We would help you control it and use it for good." Kira smiled at the four gratefully. When Kira's attention returned to her, Erica continued. "Trust me, if we can forgive Peter for killing his niece, attacking Scott, Stiles, Derek, Lydia, Allison, Jackson and me several times; forgive Victoria for trying to kill Scott and Allison and telling her psychotic father-in-law all about our pack; and forgive the twins for helping to torture Stiles and kidnapping me, Cora and Boyd and locking us in a vault for three weeks, then I'm pretty sure we can forgive you if you are the one the creatures are after and the reason they've been attacking us."

"Thanks." Kira smiled again. "I think."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Instead of running through the preserve after his memory-self and the distorted figure, Stiles found himself in high school. He quickly figured out that it was the night he, Derek and Scott tried to lure the alpha there, and Derek thought it might be Deaton. The night Peter attacked Derek and Stiles feared his mate was dead. The night Peter lured Allison, and accidentally Lydia and Jackson, there. The night he bit Lydia, and they trapped him. The night Chris Argent found out that Stiles and Scott werewolves. The night Peter supposedly killed, but actually turned, Kate Argent.

Man, a lot had happened that night.

And Stiles had so much he had wanted to say about Kate being alive when he had found out, but the fox had prevented him from doing so. He hoped he would have the chance to talk to Derek about it, if he survived this thing possessing him.

"Damn, we're jumping straight into a new memory? Aren't we gonna talk about what you just showed me?" Stiles asked the fox, but he received no response. "Wow, the silent treatment. Real mature."

Even if the creature wasn't in the mood to talk about it, Stiles could still analyse it by himself. First and foremost, Stiles didn't see his wolf die at any point during any of that, he just sort of vanished.

Maybe that was why the creature was quiet? Cora had been there but vanished, someone had freed him from the vines and perhaps the fox had attempted to alter the memory so it seemed as though they had killed his wolf? If that was the case, then something clearly went wrong, which could be why the fox went silent. It could be trying to figure out why the trick had failed.

"You need to break free." Voices suddenly whispered. Not his wolf, and not the fox. Multiple people, he had never heard them before, but somehow they were familiar.

Stiles looked around but there was nobody there.

"Who are you? And by the way, I've been trying to break free for a while now," Stiles snapped. "How do you propose I finally end this nightmare?"

"End the chaos, end the pain. Send strife back from whence it came." The voices chanted in perfect harmony. And perfect Gaelic. Stiles didn't know Gaelic, aside from the few words that Deaton had taught him. Yet somehow he knew exactly what they were saying.

"Lovely," Stiles smiled tightly, "How the hell does that help me?" Stiles growled and wished he could flash his eyes. He was in his mind, he should be able to do whatever he wanted. "How do I send this thing back to where it came from? And once again, who are you?"

"Find the door." The voices told him, now speaking in English again. "He'll be guarding it. Get him annoyed enough to bring you to him. We will advise you further once you're there. We are many, and we are here to stop him and give you and your wolf your body back."

"And why should I trust you?" Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't even know who you are. And you talk a lot like him. You're cryptically avoiding telling me who you are, just like him."

There was a moment of silence before the voices spoke again. Stiles waited impatiently. He was sick of not getting straight answers, not being able to research the issue for himself, or talk to anybody about it. It was so lonely here. He wanted to be free, but could he truly trust anybody in here to help him?

"He is very different from us," The voices finally stated. "He is void."

"Okay, and what are you?" Stiles demanded as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Many." The voices stated cryptically. "It is easier to show you. If you'll let us?"

"Er, that depends," Stiles hesitated, "How do you plan on showing me?"

"If you give us permission, we can transfer our knowledge to you." The voices offered.

Now that was annoyingly vague. That could be painful, or misleading. It could overload him. It could be deadly. It could be the fox in disguise.

There were many risks to this. Then again, his only other option was to jump from memory to memory until he found some way to regain control of his body.

Honestly, neither option sounded very promising. It was just a matter of choosing which one would help his Pack the most.

Everything Stiles had been doing so far hadn't gotten him anywhere. He's seen two 'memories' that he's pretty sure were altered by the self-proclaimed fox possessing him, but otherwise he hadn't learned anything. He hadn't found a way out, or any clues as to how he could regain control.

Call him crazy all you want, you're probably right, but you cannot deny that Stiles has great instincts. He always knew there was something off about Matt. He knew that Jennifer Blake was not right the moment he met her. He knew once she turned and apologised to the pack that Victoria was ready to become a better person.

He knew that Peter would do well with a second chance, after he'd regained his sanity at least. He knew that the Pack would handle connecting themselves to the Nameton well. Except for Stiles himself, apparently. No, he had to go and let a dark fox spirit into his mind. He failed to keep the creature out, and now his Pack was in danger.

Other than that last thing, Stiles had good judgement, okay? And while he always knew not to trust the fox, he felt like he could trust these voices. They felt familiar, somehow.

But more than anything, they felt safe. Almost like Pack but different.

"Well then," Stiles began with confidence. His instinct hadn't led him wrong so far. "I give you permission to share your knowledge with me." If in doubt, it was always better to be specific.

"Everything will make sense soon." The voices told Stiles, then a warmth overcame the teen. In the blink of an eye, Stiles was engulfed in darkness for about three seconds.

Then his head exploded.

Not literally.

Everything just got even busier than usual. Colours flashed before his eyes before they transformed into images, words, and symbols.

Blank spaces were filled in his mind, answers to questions Stiles didn't even know he had. Images flashed before his eyes.

Memories that weren't his own fitted seamlessly into his mind. As they arrived, they began to play. Often a new memory would arrive before the previous one had finished. Stiles currently has thirty-two memories playing at once as they arrive in his mind. Stiles thought that it should be discombobulating, but it wasn't.

Sounds filled his ears, words and songs overlapping. Shouts and whispers all at one, English, Gaelic, Japanese, and other languages Stiles shouldn't understand filled his ears. All of them speaking at once. He shouldn't understand any of it, but he understood everything.

All of Stiles' senses were working over time, but it wasn't overwhelming. It was liberating.

Not all of the memories were related to the fox, or rather, the nogitsune. Most of the memories were related to Beacon Hills. It's history. It's heritage. The Hales had been born there, even before they had been turned into werewolves. The first Hale werewolf had been a native american, druid woman. She had been taught to be a druid by a group of genuinely peaceful settlers, unlike their brethren. In return, she taught them about their local plants and herbs, and their properties and uses. Remedies and medicines were traded back and forth between the locals and the settlers for years.

They formed a coven of six druids who found the nemeton and first began to worship around it. They were aware that the ley lines would make it more powerful, but they were unaware that it would become a beacon, like it did. They managed to keep it mostly tamed until their deaths; the descendents of all six druids, even the ones who had been turned into supernatural creatures at some point, kept up the tradition for years. It fell apart two decades before Talia Hale was born. One of the ancestors of a settling druid became a Darach and cut down the nemeton in a fit of rage.

Derek had never mentioned that, so he probably didn't know. Stiles couldn't wait to tell him. If he got the chance.

There were other vaults, far more ancient than the one beneath the school, with much bigger secrets inside. Powerful artefacts, sacred scrolls and texts. Tomes of knowledge were hidden deep beneath all of Beacon County, and beyond. All belonging to the Hale line. Stiles couldn't wait to see how much more they would learn from their contents.

However, he still hadn't discovered how to regain control from the Nogitsune, and the memories coming in were shrinking in numbers. Though, he now knew who the voices were. Well, not specifically but as a collective. So that was something. But still, it wasn't enough.

Everything was slowing down, and he was no closer to finding those particular answers. It would have been infuriating if it weren't for the fact Stiles was too distracted by everything to really feel emotions.

Low and behold, the final piece of information Stiles received was exactly what he needed to know.

That one factor was the key to making sense of everything he had learned.

His mind worked it over while he returned to the memory he had been dropped in by the Nogitsune. He panted for breath as the rush of knowledge had knocked him off of his feet.

"Is there any other way?" Stiles asked, once he had caught his breath. He didn't attempt to rise to his feet right away, his 'injuries' were rather painful at the moment and he didn't want to waste his energy. He might have to run soon.

"Every other way ends with many more dead." The voices told him regretfully.

Stiles sighed. He knew it was true, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"No matter what I do, people are going to die."

"In order to trap the nogitsune again," The voices began, "Part of his plan must first be completed. That part involves people getting hurt, some will die." They finished, sounding apologetic and certain.

"Man," Stiles sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "This sucks. Either I do this and innocent people die, but the rest of town lives. Or I don't do this, those people might survive, but others will definitely die in their place and my Pack might not figure out how to stop the nogitsune before he moves on to the rest of the world." Well, Stiles knew that his pack (*cough*Lydia*cough*) would find out how to trap the creature eventually, but who knew how much time that could take? There was so much damage the nogitsune could cause. It was smart, it could easily adapt to modern technology and weapons. Especially with access to Stiles' knowledge.

Let's also consider the fact that the nogitsune was simultaneously gaslighting Stiles' pack into believing Stiles had Frontotemporal Dementia, and had been setting up deadly traps around town since he regained control while Stiles was in the chemistry classroom, both acts were to create chaos for the nogitsune to feed off of. The only way to distract the nogitsune long enough so that Stiles could sabotage some of them, was for Stiles to let the trickster think he had won.

Everything was so messed up. Stiles was preparing himself for psychological torture, and for the emotional heaviness that would surely come. The weight that came with being responsible for other people's suffering. All he wanted to do was reunite with his Mate and Pack, but would he deserve to reunite with them after this?

After all, what he was preparing to do was horrific, but he tried to look at it like an ethics problem. He tried to rationalise it in his head, like the trolley problem.

You know, you're driving a trolley and the brakes are broken. Ahead there is a fork in the tracks, on one of the tracks is one person, on the other track are five people. You have to choose which way to turn. No matter which way you turn, someone will die. Do you choose to hit one person or five people? Does that answer change when the one person is somebody that you know? Or a child?

Really though, Stiles' choice was a little more extreme. He had to choose between wounding and/or killing up to a hundred people, or save them and risk billions of other people dying.

No, it wasn't a choice at all. The answer was obvious, even if some people he knew would be hurt along the way. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't be selfish. It was the right thing to do.

Without giving himself the chance to talk himself out of his decision, Stiles took a deep breath.

"Guess we're doing this, then." Stiles declared with all of the confidence he could muster. "So, do I just go to the next memory, or?" He trailed off as he raised an eyebrow at the wall in front of him.

"Actually, you need to go back." The voices corrected. "He will try to erase the failed attempt from your memory, and show you the altered memory at the nemeton, like he has done to many of your memories." They explained calmly, but Stiles was far from calm. "We will help you keep the true memories, and hide them from him."

"Look, I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything," Stiles began, he tried to tread carefully, but his frustration was obvious even to his own ears. "But if you can do that, why didn't you do it from the start?" he was growling by the end, but honestly he didn't really care.

"Look into the memories we gave you, Stiles." The voices told him patiently. "You already know that we could not help you before now, and why."

"Yeah," Stiles sighed in resignation. "I know, this still sucks though."

"We are sorry, Stiles," The voices told him sympathetically, and a warmth that felt oddly like a hug enveloped him. Stiles welcomed it, it wasn't as good as a hug from someone in his pack, or even snuggling up to his wolf in the cage, but it was still comforting.

"Okay, I'll go back into the fake memory." Stiles sighed reluctantly when the warmth faded. "Let's get this over with."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Due to the risk that Lydia and Derek might return to the house again, the four teens who had been ordered to wait until lunch to search for Stiles decided that it would be best to wait until then to meet up with the others. Well, Boyd decided and he was the one in charge, so the other three reluctantly did as they were told.

At around half past noon, the four of them arrived at the park where they had arranged to meet.

Ethan smiled as his eyes fell on Danny. The younger male was hunched over his laptop and typing rapidly. Suddenly, Malia rushed past him towards the table. He was unsure if she was more eager to greet their friends, or eat the food. Honestly though, he didn't care. His focus was on his boyfriend.

Aidan trailed behind his brother, side by side with Boyd. The pair of them shared a deadpanned look at Ethan's single-minded focus. Of course, the only reason Boyd wasn't rushing over to Cora and Erica was because Malia was enthusiastically greeting everybody at the table and hugging them all a little too tight, the way she did when they got home from school. She was a very tactile person, which was to be expected after spending so long alone.

Soon enough, the pair arrived at the table and exchanged greetings with the others. Boyd received a kiss from both of his mates and was ushered to a seat.

Once everyone was seated and was given their food, the real conversations began.

"So, how are we going to go about finding Stiles?" Malia was the first to ask.

"Yeah, are we splitting up or going everywhere together?" Cora asked, both options had merits and she had been mentally debating it since Peter agreed to cover for them.

"I think we should stick together, splitting up means a bigger chance of getting caught by Derek or the Sheriff." Scott suggested around a mouthful of food. He mostly didn't do that anymore because his mother, Allison, Lydia, Derek, and Jackson all found it disgusting, but none of them were there, so he did it anyway.

Danny didn't like it when people spoke with their mouths full of food, but it didn't bother him enough to say anything at that moment. He was too preoccupied with checking the newer footage from the security cameras. Still, he listened to the conversation the others were having and chimed in. "All of us staying together would make it easier for me to check the cameras to make sure we aren't caught by anyone."

"But it'll mean we have less of a chance of finding Stiles." Erica argued. "Splitting up means we can cover more ground. Besides, nine of us driving and walking around together is far more noticeable than four or five people walking together."

"Or groups of three." Ethan suggested.

"More ground, less conspicuous." Aidan added in agreement with his brother.

"No, we need five in our group." Cora declared firmly. She and Erica had discussed it on the way to get their food and were in firm agreement.

"Me, Cora, Boyd, Malia, and Kira." Erica stated, hand on her hips and a defiant look aimed at Scott.

"If Malia and Kira are going with you, then I'm sticking with you guys as well." Scott informed them, looking righteously determined. It was a familiar look on him. One that never failed to make Cora roll her eyes when she saw it.

"Whatever." Cora reluctantly agreed. "I guess you three wanna go off on your own?" She asked, gesturing to Danny and the twins.

"Hell no, I'm coming with you." Danny declared without taking his eyes off of the laptop screen. "So far today we have been to the jungle, the mall, and passed countless traffic cameras on our way through town. I don't know where you might end up next, and I am not going to risk McCall or any other FBI asshole catching us breaking and entering. If I stick with you, I can let you know if anyone is heading our way long before your supersenses can."

"Then I'm coming too." Ethan immediately volunteered.

"Guess that means we're all sticking together then." Aidan commented dryly. "How fun."

"But where are we going to search first?" Boyd asked. "Before they left I heard Lydia and Derek mention Eichen House-"

"What's Eichen House?" Malia asked curiously.

"It's an insane asylum. Creepy place." Cora told her with a slight shudder. The terrifying horror stories Laura and Derek had scared her, Jeremy, and the cousins with when they were younger. The stories themselves weren't that scary to her as a kid. They terrified her once she grew up and realised that the stories weren't as fictional as she once believed.

"Insane Asylum isn't the correct term, hasn't been for a long time." Danny corrected with a slightly disapproving frown. He expected a mistake as such from an older person or Coach, but not someone like Cora.

"They keep supernatural creatures captive in the basement." Cora stated, looking at Danny as though it was a justifiable response to his correction.

"They what?" Scott asked with wide eyes. "Say that again so I can listen to your heart this time." With an obligatory roll of her eyes, Cora did as requested. Upon hearing her steady heart rate, Scott's eyes grew impossibly wider and he gasped loudly, "Holy shit."

"Did they say where they've already checked?" Kira asked Boyd in an attempt to get the conversation back on track. "So that we don't waste time checking somewhere he probably isn't."

"Yeah, they'd checked most of the woods, and the sheriff had checked the arcade on his way to the station." Boyd informed her. "I was thinking that we should check the ice rink, bowling alley, and the power station. Anyone else have any suggestions?"

"Those are all good," Scott complimented him. "We should also check his old house, my house, the loft, the library-"

"Derek and Lydia already checked the library." Malia reminded him with a frown.

"Not our library," Scott corrected. "the public library."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that existed." Ethan joked easily.

"That's where we met, you dick!" Danny declared in mock outrage. He finally looked up from his laptop to glare at his boyfriend teasingly.

"I'm sorry, but you're so gorgeous that I forgot where I was. All I remember is you." Ethan replied flirtatiously. To everybody else at the table, he looked utterly ridiculously, to Danny, he looked absolutely irresistible.

"Moving on from-" Malia waved her hand to indicate the pair, "That. Where are we going to search first?" She was eager to return to the matter at hand. While she enjoyed hugs and casual touches after being alone for so long, she still wasn't that comfortable with romance just yet. She had spent so long alone and most of her memories of romance involved herself and her younger sister gagging whenever her parents kissed, or even hugged for too long. She was eight after all.

"Isn't the ice rink closest?" Erica asked, turning her head towards Boyd.

"Yeah, and the bowling alley is practically next door." Boyd pointed out. "We could split up briefly to search both at the same time. Save time, then head to the library together if we don't find him."

Everybody agreed to that plan, and decided that Erica's chosen group would search the bowling alley, whilst Danny, Ethan, Aidan, and Scott would search the ice rink. A part of Boyd wanted to go to the ice rink and ensure that nobody messed up his place of work, but he trusted Scott and Danny to keep the twins in line.

Thirty minutes later, the pack had finished eating, tidied up after themselves, and driven to the ice rink's parking lot. Cora allowed Malia to drive her bike and rode on the back. Malia shouted gleeful thanks to her cousin for most of the journey. Erica eagerly hopped on the back of Boyd's bike as soon as he had sat down, Scott let Kira ride on the back of his bike, Aidan drove his own bike and Ethan, who had driven Scott's bike here for him, went in the car with Danny.

While everybody else was busy discussing what to do if they found Stiles in the middle of a car park, Danny was busy texting Lydia.

From: Tech Genius (12:31)
Message: Hey, don't tell Derek but we ditched school to look for Stiles.

From: Everything Genius (12:31)
Message: My lips are sealed. We're at Stiles and the sheriff's old house. Turns out that Derek was the one who bought it. Shocker(!)

From: Tech Genius (12:32)
Message: Wow, who ever would have guessed(!) Thanks for letting us know, we're about to check the ice rink and the bowling alley.

From: Everything Genius (12:32)
Message: Good thinking, places with strong memories for Stiles. You should also check the nemeton and the root cellar. He died there, after all.

From: Tech Genius (12:32)
Message: True, thanks for the tip. After school finishes for the day I'm gonna need your help with something.

From: Everything Genius (12:33)
Message: What?

From: Tech Genius (12:33)
Message: A carving in the parking lot of the school. Cars were obscuring it and it's in a camera blind spot.

From: Everything Genius (12:33)
Message: You think it was Stiles?

From: Tech Genius (12:33)
Message: I'm not 100% sure but yeah, I do.

From: Everything Genius (12:34)
Message: Okay, meet me at the school at 6pm. Everyone should have left by then and the rest of the pact will be distracted.

From: Tech Genius (12:34)
Message: Got it. Thanks Lyds.

From: Everything Genius (12:34)
Message: Anytime, Danny. Let me know if I can help with anything else.

From: Tech Genius (12:35)
Message: Same to you. Be careful.

From: Everything Genius (12:35)
Message: You too.

"Danny, hey, you coming?" Scott called out. Danny looked up to see that the other five had left and were apparently already inside the building.

"Yeah, sorry." Danny apologised as he pocketed his phone and began walking towards the entrance to the ice rink. "That was Lydia. She, Derek and the sheriff are checking Stiles' old house. Apparently Derek was the one who bought it."

"Oh man!" Scott laughed. "I would have loved to have seen the sheriff's face when he found out about that."

"Me too."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia had just pocketed her phone when she, Derek, and Noah walked into Stiles and Derek's old bedroom to find a mess of papers pinned to the walls, all around the room. There was a mix of crime scene photos, newspaper clippings, printed articles, and other pictures and notes, all joined together by red string. Each clipping that was pinned to the walls had one end of a piece of string attached to it. The other end of each string was tied to the handles of a pair of scissors.

The scissors were stabbed into the mattress of the double bed Noah had (somewhat reluctantly) bought for Stiles and Derek to share once Derek moved in. It had been put into storage when Jackson and Lydia brought the pair a California king bed for the purpose of puppy piles, but Derek had returned it to its previous spot when he had purchased the house. Just in case they ever needed it. Thinking of Stiles, Derek picked up on his mate's scent the moment the door had opened.

"I think you might want to replace that mattress." Lydia commented in a voice barely above a whisper. She wasn't sure why she was whispering. She wasn't scared, or sneaking about, but for some reason, in that room, at that point in time, she couldn't make her voice any louder.

Derek only nodded in response as he looked around with his wolf eyes in an attempt to find something that could help lead them to Stiles. Noah absentmindedly plucked one of the strings as he weaved around them.

Suddenly, Lydia's head shot up as new, yet old, whispers filled her ears. "What did you just do?" She demanded, her voice firm yet still quiet. Noah froze like a deer caught in headlights.

"Oh, I, uh, I just-" He stammered, unsure why a teenager asking him a simple question made him so nervous, but here he was.

Moving towards him, Lydia asked "Did you touch one of the strings?"

"Er, maybe." Noah replied after a moment of hesitation. Without another word, Lydia began examining the strings. She settled on one and plucked it lightly. She listened to the whispering carefully. She plucked it again once the whispering stopped, then continued to listen. When it stopped, she switched to another string. She had received the next location, but there was more information that she needed. She knew that she could find some of it here.

Both Derek and Noah investigated the room in silence as she worked. Derek picked up on Stiles' scent in the room and quietly informed Noah once the string Lydia was listening to had stilled.

"Stiles was here recently. I think he was bleeding, not much. But there's definitely something here." Derek sniffed again and made his way to the bed.

He picked up the pillow on Stiles' side of the bed. Stiles' pillow. The one he couldn't sleep without. Though, he has passed out from exhaustion without it a few times. More times than Derek cared to think about.

On the many occasions when Stiles had fallen asleep with his head on Derek's chest, he would always wake up with his head on the pillow. Once, during a puppy pile, Jackson had fallen asleep on top of Stiles' pillow. He had learned from that mistake after Stiles, still asleep, threw Jackson off of the bed, grabbed the pillow, placed it on Derek's chest, then snuggled up again like nothing had happened. After that, Derek always made sure to grab Stiles' pillow before anyone fell asleep during a puppy pile.

"This shouldn't be here." Derek declared as he picked it up. "This is Stiles' pillow. It was on our bed this morning."

"Okay, so how did he get into the house and get that pillow without anybody noticing?" Noah asked curiously.

Derek shook his head as he clutched the pillow tighter. "I don't know."

"You know for a fact that there is no way he could have gotten into the house without anyone noticing." Lydia stated, having taken a pause from plucking the strings to listen to their conversation. "Either one of the wolves would have noticed him, or Danny would have seen him on the cameras"

Shaking his head, Derek reminded her of a certain fact that he suddenly remembered. "Not if he used the tunnels to get in the house and stuck to the secret passageways. There are no cameras in any of the tunnels, passageways, bathrooms, or bedrooms. And the passageways and bedrooms are partially soundproofed. He could have gotten into our room without anybody noticing."

"Actually," Noah corrected sheepishly, drawing the attention of Derek and Lydia. "I may have put a motion sensored camera in your room with a feed to my phone, when Stiles started having nightmares and sleepwalking again."

"You did what?" Derek asked with wide eyes. He was suddenly very grateful for the fact that he and Stiles hadn't had sex in weeks. "So that's how you always know when he wakes up screaming, even when the door's locked."

"Not the point, the point is that I would have gotten a notification if anybody had been in that room." Noah explained after dismissing Derek's annoyance for the time being. He pulled out his phone to prove his point. Once he had unlocked the device, however, his face morphed into a confused and concerned expression.

"What is it?" Derek asked, immediately concerned by his father-in-law's reaction. The man responded without taking his eyes off of the screen.

"I have a notification saying that somebody was in your room, timestamped for 11:30 this morning." Noah finally looked up from the screen. As he continued to speak, his eyes flickered between the two. "I've checked my phone several times since then. This notification was not there. Something doesn't feel right about this." The sheriff told them gravely.

They watched the footage, which showed Stiles entering the bedroom through the closet, which held the entrance to the passageways. He grabbed his rucksack and shoved clothes and notebooks inside, along with his phone charger and his phone, which Derek had left on the bedside table. As she watched him do so, Lydia pulled out her phone and quickly sent a text to Danny. Sure it was hours ago, but it was worth a shot.

From: Everything Genius (13:22)
Message: Sheriff hid a camera in S&D's room. Stiles was there at 11:30am. Someone messed with the notification. He got in through the tunnels.

From: Tech Genius (13:22)
Message: We just finished searching the Library, we'll head there now, see if the wolves can pick up his scent.

From: Everything Genius (13:23)
Message: Don't forget that Scott, Kira, Boyd, and Malia need to be at Scott's house by 3:30. Melissa said she'd try to finish work early if she could. Scott will argue that sunset is a 6, but don't let him win! Derek will check on them!

From: Tech Genius (13:23)
Message: Got it. I'll make sure that they're there on time get so none of us get into trouble

Lydia smiled and pocketed her phone as she returned her attention to the recording of Stiles.

On the recording, Stiles zipped up his bag, then grabbed his pillow and left the same way he had arrived.

Frown etched into his face, Noah locked his phone and pocketed it again. "Okay so he was at the house a few hours ago. How long ago do you think he was here based on scent? His pillow's here so it was after he went to the house."

"An hour. Two hours at the most." As Derek replied, Lydia's eyes darted to him to check his reaction, she was unsurprised to find Derek already looking at her. After a silent conversation with the Alpha, Lydia returned her attention to the sheriff.

"We have a theory that there's something other than FTD that's affecting Stiles' behaviour." Lydia told Noah calmly and without hesitation.

"I see." Noah replied stoically, letting no emotion show on his face. "And what exactly is this theory?"

"Now, this might sound crazy-"

"Doesn't everything sound crazy with our pack?" Noah asked rhetorically in a dry tone that his son had definitely inherited. Lydia couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she nodded in concession. She then opened her mouth to explain their theory to Noah.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The more time that Stiles spent running through the labyrinth in his mind after the creature went quiet, the more he grew frustrated. Each room or place he arrived at held a memory, sometimes multiple.

For example, he was currently in the locker room watching Scott chase him and injure him, but behind him, he knew Derek was defending Tara from Jennifer.

He tore his eyes away from the scene before him and made his way to the door. As he stepped through the door that should lead to the hallway, Stiles found himself walking into the bedroom he and Derek shared.

"I mean, I don't love you anymore." Memory Derek told memory Stiles, completely void of emotion. Stiles looked behind him, only to find their closet. Stiles growled as he ran for the bedroom door.

"For fuck's sake." He grumbled, then a dark chuckle echoed around him.

He kept running as the creature spoke again.

"This can all end if you just let me in." The voice offered, not for the first time. "We want to save your life, Stiles."

Even when being told one of his worst fears was coming true, Stiles was not one to give in. To anybody. Well, as long as it didn't go against his morals or logic.

"Never." Stiles growled as he ran through the doorway and into the root cellar beneath the nemeton.

"Let me in!" The voice hollered as Stiles ignored it and climbed the steps and burst through the hatch. The young werewolf emerged on the lacrosse field, the bright lights were blinding him. He looked around at his surroundings and tried to decide his next move.

"Let. Me. In."

Stiles didn't respond to the creature as he ran as fast as he could towards the bleachers. The moment his foot touched the first step, Stiles found himself standing on the nemeton.

A board game that Stiles did not recognise was lying by his feet.

Sitting on the nemeton, on the other side of the game board, sat a broad, heavily bandage figure. Stiles looked at the creature for a moment, regarding it sceptically.

Okay. Admittedly, this did not go as planned. None of it had, in fact. Why were all of his plans involving his pack amazing, but all of his plans for solo adventures always went off the rails? It really wasn't fair.

It seemed that Stiles had two options: Stay and play the board game with the creature, or turn and run away as fast as he could, and hope to find another way to regain control of his body.

If Pack game nights had taught him anything, it's that you don't want to play boardgames with a sore loser, and something told Stiles that this Nogitsune would be a sore loser.

So, Stiles turned 180 degrees and prepared to run, only to find himself frozen at the sight before him: The heavily bandaged creature sat in front of the board game, staring at him. He turned again, only to find the same sight. Just like on the roof, except this time his was rooted in one spot.

This was worse.

Uselessly spinning on the spot while attempting to escape, Stiles felt ridiculous. No matter which way or how far he turned, he always found himself looking at the board game and the creature. He couldn't step back off of the nemeton. If this was where he was supposed to find the 'door', then that sucked because he had no way to get to said door.

Pathetically, Stiles felt the tears pool in his eyes as the hopelessness of his situation dawned on him. (Only to himself, he would not consider anyone else crying in this situation, or any other pathetic in any way. He had issues with himself, okay? He was well aware of that, which is why he still had sessions with Morrell)

Unwilling to show any more weakness in front of this creature, Stiles aggressively wiped the tears away.

"Who are you?" Stiles asked again, his voice barely above a whisper as he sat down on the nemeton and stared at the creature possessing him.

The creature quickly corrected him with a response of, "Who are we, Stiles." revealing sharp silver teeth as they did so.

At the same time as they spoke, they moved a piece on the board. Stiles went to reaffirm that the only 'we' in his mind referred to himself and his wolf, but they spoke again before he could. "There is only you and me now, Stiles." The creature told Stiles confidently. "It's time to make your move." He ordered as he gestured to the board.

"My wolf is still alive. I will set him free." The werewolf told the creature possessing him with the utmost confidence. "So give me a name."

Ever one to infuriate, apparently, they did not give Stiles a name.

"Make your move Stiles." The creature ordered.

Imagining all the ways he wished to hurt the creature possessing him and subduing his wolf, Stiles managed to barely keep himself from lunging.

"Who are you?" Stiles demanded again through gritted teeth.

"Not 'who are you', Stiles. Who are we." The creature corrected again, which only caused Stiles' anger to grow. "Make your move."

"I told you to stop saying that. Stop saying 'we'." Stiles ordered. "What do you want?"

"Make your move, Stiles." The creature ordered, more firmly that time.

Stiles reluctantly did so, as he had realised that the creature would not be answering any questions until then.

"You haven't given your wolf a name." The creature said as he studied the board. "Why is it so important to you that I have one? We are the same, Stiles. Just like you and your wolf once were."

"Uh, first of all," Stiles stated as he glared at the creature darkly, "My wolf has a name. You just don't deserve to know it. And secondly, we are not the same. We are nothing alike, in any way shape or form. You hear me? My wolf and I are still one. You will never be able to truly separate us."

The creature made his next move before returning his attention to Stiles.

Nonplussed by Stiles' attitude, the creature merely regarded him. Stiles strongly resented the bandages that prevented him from seeing the creature's face and reading him properly.

"If I am not worthy of knowing your wolf's name, what makes you worthy of knowing mine?" The creature asked as it tilted its head. Stiles looked down and studied the board to figure out his next move. He had never played this game before in his life, he didn't even know its name. Yet, he somehow knew all of the rules.

"Damn, you got me there! Let me think on that." Stiles snarked and pretended to think for a moment, before snapping his fingers and declaring "Well, for one, you know my name. It's only fair. What else? Oh yeah, you're possessing my body and keeping me locked inside my own mind!" Stiles stated as he made his next move on the board. "Who are you?"

Evidently, the creature was as determined to annoy Stiles as Stiles was to annoy them. "Who are we, Stiles." The creature corrected again.

Repeating himself in return, Stiles replied firmly "The only 'we' here, is me and my wolf. Give me something to call you, or I walk."

The creature knew, of course, that he literally couldn't walk away. Oh well, he said it with confidence.

Not one to make things easy, the creature responded cryptically with, "I have many names."

"Okay, Gozer." Stiles rolled his eyes at the creature. 'If you're going through Hell, keep going' right? Well, if he was to keep going, he would do it with his usual level of sarcasm.

That nickname was clearly unappreciated by the creature as they quickly added on to their previous statement.

"Most call me Nogisune." The creature, the Nogitsune, corrected as he studied the board.

Yet again, the Nogitsune was seemingly unphased by Stiles' presence. It was rather infuriating. The Nogitsune acting like he and Stiles had met out on the street or something.

"Okay, Mr Nogitsune." Stiles began with all of the faux confidence he could muster. "Why are you here? Feel like having a party in Beacon Hills?"

Unwilling to tear their eyes from the board, the Nogitsune replied to Stiles without looking at him.

"I was summoned here. Years ago." The Nogitsune informed the young wolf, who listened carefully. "Then the person who summoned me decided to lock me away. She even enlisted help to do so."

"Right. Okay. Why were you summoned?" Stiles asked immediately. "Who was she? Who helped her? And why did they lock you away?"

Suppressing the smirk that threatened his lips, the Nogitsune chose to respond to Stiles' final question and ignored all of the others.

Knowing that his reaction would be fun, the nogitsune made their move before speaking and looked up to observe the human-turned-werewolf's reaction.

"She wanted revenge. But she didn't have the stomach to handle what she had asked for. Why do Humans not use nuclear weapons when they have them?"

Incredulous for a split second, Stiles responded, "Because the results would be catastrophic." The moment the words left his lips, the realisation hit.

No.

The Nogitsune couldn't be that powerful, right?

Nodding in agreement at Stiles declaration of catastrophe, the Nogitsune replied "Precisely."

"Then why the Hell would I give you control when you're just gonna kill everyone?" Stiles asked rhetorically as he made his next move, then leaned back and folded his arms over his chest and pulled out his best bitch face.

He shuddered at the gleeful yet menacing chuckle that the Nogitsune let out.

"Because if you don't," The Nogitsune began in a voice that held the same cheerful yet menacing tone. A tone that Stiles was certain he had never heard before, and yet it sounded strangely familiar. "We will kill all of your friends together." He finished his threat with a menacing growl, all cheerfulness from the start of his sentence long gone by the time the word 'kill' left his mouth. "If you behave, we might let them live." The Nogitsune told the werewolf.

"Er, yeah, it's the whole 'might' part of that sentence that I'm not liking." Stiles drawled. "So, how the hell did you get out of your prison?"

Darkness loomed over Stiles, the Nogitsune and the nemeton, yet the rest of the room remained the same bright white. "You let me out, Stiles." The Nogitsune informed him as he made his move. "You and your Mate."

"When we connected ourselves to the Nemeton." Stiles stated in realisation, it was the only possible answer.

Visions of the nightmares he'd had during Bardo flashed before his eyes. All of the warnings he had foolishly ignored. This all could have been avoided if he had just paid better attention. At least, that's what he told himself.

Delighted with Stiles' obvious spiral of self doubt, the Nogitsune continued.

"When the lightning struck the Nemeton, my prison was destroyed." The Nogitsune told Stiles honestly. "You died, so did the Alpha. Then you came back, which made you both viable hosts."

Letting the information sink in, Stiles remained silent for a moment as the Nogitsune made his next move.

"Bardo. The Nemeton was trying to stop us from letting you in." Stiles realised, all of the pieces were falling into place. He looked towards the board and pretended to study it as he thought. "But I failed. I let you get this far. And now, everybody that I love is in danger. Because of me." He muttered in shame.

With glee, the nogitsune responded.

"We're here to save you Stiles, we need you alive." Stiles looked up at the nogitsune, who grinned menacingly. At least, Stiles thought it was supposed to be a menacing grin, it was hard to tell with all the bandages. It certainly felt menacing.

"If you let me in, you can live in a labyrinth of all your good memories." The Nogtsune informed him, he spoke to Stiles as though he was a child to whom he was offering a day at the arcade with endless snacks. "We will lock away the bad ones. You'll live in eternal bliss with all of your loved ones. Or you can remain stubborn. Resist. And together will kill everyone you love."

The hole in the Nogitsunes 'offer' was glaringly obvious.

"Either way, you still kill my Pack. Just because you won't make me watch, that doesn't mean that you won't do it." Stiles sneered at the nogitsune. Suddenly, the voices that had helped him earlier began to whisper in his mind again.

He continued to hear the other voices clearly, even as the nogitsune spoke. It was clear that Nogitsune was unaware of this other voice, thankfully.

"Perhaps not. They are rather entertaining after all, and so full of chaos," The Nogitsune told him, as though it were supposed to be comforting. "Or rather, some of them are."

Not a great offer. The Nogitsune really needed to work on his incentives. Both Stiles and the voices were in agreement on that.

"Yeah, I'm gonna pass, thanks." Stiles responded easily. "But uh, the sales pitch was delivered excellently, perfect balance of menace and fake assurances, I swear." He mockingly assured the Nogitsune with his best sarcastic timing, while standing up. "That being said, the incentives could use some work. It's kind of a lose-lose situation, y'know?"

Of course the nogitsune growled as Stiles took a step backwards, moving away from them, as the second voice continued to whisper to Stiles.

"So you should, uh, definitely work on that, in the future." Stiles advised with a smirk. "Alright, that's all the advice you get for free." Stiles teasingly shot finger guns at the nogitsune, just for kicks.

Like hell the boy would be walking away. This was the Nogitsune's game.

"It's time to make your move, Stiles." The nogitsune told Stiles and tried to hide his surprise, as he rose to his feet to follow the werewolf. "You let me out, now let me in."

Laughing as he threw out his arms, Stiles grinned.

"This is my move." Stiles replied as he successfully stepped backwards off of the Nemeton. His grin transformed into another smirk as he turned his back on the Nogitsune and walked away.

Not letting the shocking turn of events shake him up too much, the Nogitsune let out a dark chuckle.

The teen's ability to step off of the nemeton was indeed surprising but unconcerning. He was in control here. He patiently followed the seventeen year old, at a leisurely pace, through the seemingly endless white room.

Entertained by the boy's (inevitably futile) attempts to escape, the Nogitsune continued to taunt him.

"No matter how far you run, Stiles, I will always be here with you." The Nogitsune promised as he moved towards the werewolf. "You will give in eventually. You will let me in. Because I can save you. And all the while I'm in here with you, I'm also out there, with them. You have no idea what I'm putting them through right now."

Vicious fury overcame Stiles and he spun on his heel to glare at the Nogitsune again.

"I think you'll find that I know exactly what you're putting them all through." Stiles informed the Nogitsune, his voice was dark and angry as he spoke. Stiles finally stopped walking as he turned to look at the one who was possessing him, and threatening his pack. Tormenting them too.

"You're trying to convince all of them that I have frontotemporal dementia like my mother." Stiles stated as he regarded the Nogitsune with a darkness in his eyes that he had no idea he was capable of. Not even his wolf had expected it. "You're setting up tricks and traps. You're planning to disappear for a few days, show up for an MRI, then swap the results out for my mothers. After that you're gonna disappear again and set up more traps, bigger and deadlier than the ones you've already planted. For innocent civilians, my pack, and my dad. I know everything you're planning and I am going to stop it."

Regardless of the lack of change in his enemies posture, and the fact that he couldn't see his face thanks to the bandages, Stiles could tell that the Nogitsune was surprised by Stiles' knowledge.

It had been convinced that it had successfully cut off Stiles' access to the outside world and the wolf. Something was wrong. The stubborn werewolf had found a way to either see through his eyes, or contact the wolf. How?

Keeping his body language as natural as possible, the Nogitsune didn't allow his rage to show. This is why he should have chosen a human; unfortunately he hadn't been summoned again, therefore the only way in was through a person who had been sacrificed to the Nemeton that he had been buried under and brought back to life, and there were only two people currently alive who fit that description:

Now first, the obvious choice to most, Derek Hale: the born werewolf who was born to be a beta, who had severe PTSD and guilt issues over the death of his family and the first person he had loved; who suffered more guilt when his mate's father kicked his only child out of the house for being a werewolf. And he inexplicably blamed himself for it, simply because, at that time, he didn't know who the alpha was. As though that knowledge would have made a difference.

On that very same night, Derek was traumatised further by the return of his abuser, who also killed all but three members of his family, Kate Argent. Upon her return to Beacon Hills, she shot Derek with a wolfsbane bullet. She continued to torment him, before she was supposedly killed in front of his eyes by the alpha. From there, the attacks only continued on the people Derek cared about, and those he would come to care about. He was unable to protect Lydia, three times (even if he was uncertain about the girl when she first encountered Peter), and Jackson, twice (again, despite his uncertainty about him).

He discovered that his uncle Peter was the alpha, and struggled with that knowledge until he killed his uncle and became the Alpha and created his own Pack. While some things definitely improved for him, and some great things happened to him, he experienced a lot more trauma. He failed to protect his pack and mate over and over again. He watched them suffer and felt like he got away scot free. He was forced to be with somebody other than his mate and abandon his pack, and never really got the chance to make amends before he and Stiles performed the ritual that awoke the Nogitsune's spirit. Then Derek inexplicably rose to True Alpha status, a feat unheard of for an Alpha. Still, he managed to do so and made it harder for the Nogitsune, but he did love a challenge. However, first he needed to consider both of his choices.

With that in mind, the Nogitsune took the time before attempting anything to consider his second option; Stiles Stilinski.

While Derek Hale may have a lot of self doubt, guilt and PTSD, his Mate, Stiles Stilinski?

Now he was a feast for the Nogitsune: His guilt over keeping the truth of why Scott's dad left his family a secret from the boy wasn't fun for him. His traumatic childhood of having his mother accuse him of trying to kill her, several times, combined with watching her jump to her death after one such accusation, really messed him up as a kid too. Sure, the nogitsune was trying to convince Stiles that it hadn't happened and that the uncovered memory of the doctor and Rafael McCall covering it up was a delusion, but it was very real and it left a scar.

His father's subsequent heavy drinking and obsession with his work added more stress on the boy. Because the time it started was simultaneous with both Claudia's death and the start of Stiles' sleepwalking and panic attacks. Of course, Stiles didn't assume that Claudia's death caused Noah's downward spiral, and instead blamed only himself for his father's worrying and drinking.

As Stiles grew older, bullying at school grew worse, his relationship with his father became even more strained, despite how much they both reminded the other of how much they loved each other. Then he turned, he began drifting from Scott, his one consistency throughout all of the hardships in his life, because of the slightly younger teen's stubborn denial of what was happening to them. Then he fell in love, only for that love to lead him to be tortured by a psychotic geriatric, a pack of alphas, have his Mate pulled away from him by a spell, and forced to tear Stiles' heart in two. He watched his pups attempt to kill themselves, he gave into the urge he had been fighting for years and tried to kill himself, in front of his pack, because of the same woman who stole Derek from the Pack and who was also killing people in town.

Stiles had so much curiosity and mischief in his mind that would be useful to the Nogitsune. The immense guilt, self deprecation, overwhelming PTSD and suicidal thoughts he suffered from made him a perfect snack, and source of entertainment, for the Nogitsune. Well, at least, until he gained enough strength to create his own vessel and rid himself of the pesky wolf, which would mean killing the boy too.

However more physically powerful Derek was compared to his mate, Stiles' mischievous nature and cunning was unparalleled. His mind was sharp, he could be vicious and vindictive, but his over-protectiveness and motherly-instincts caused his pack to overlook that most of the time. Plus, he would make a much more fun playmate. His deviousness and importance to the Pack also sweetened the deal for the Nogitsune. So he chose Stiles.

Besides, Derek being a born-wolf would make it far more difficult to separate him from his wolf and cut off his abilities. Almost impossible, really.

"It is pointless to run. You cannot escape me now, Stiles." The nogitsune stated, confident in his declaration. No matter what knowledge the seventeen year old had, the Nogitsune was a thousand years old. He was in charge here. No matter what the boy thought.

Tutting and shaking his head in a patronising manner, Stiles was working very hard to piss off the Nogitsune.

"Wrong." Stiles smirked at the creature. "This is my body. My mind. I can do whatever I want."

Yes, it had been Stiles' mind and body, but not anymore. Now that he had gotten this far, there was no way the boy could be rid of him. It wouldn't be long until the nogitsune had the strength to create a new body for himself, then he could finally kill the infuriating boy. It would be much easier if he could break the teen first and make him give in, but it wasn't essential. The Nogitsune was powerful enough to do what needed to be done without the boy giving in completely, but it would be so much more satisfying.

Confident, the Nogitsune chuckled darkly.

"Then do something." He dared the werewolf, almost amused.

"Okay." Stiles grinned in response.

Just like that, Stiles vanished before the Nogitune's eyes.

Well, that was unexpected.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"This is a bad idea." Aidan stated as he and eight of his Pack Mates walked towards the doors of the power substation where Barrow had taken Kira. They had followed Stiles' scent from his bedroom, through the tunnels and to the station.

"Try to be more positive." Scott told him as he all but marched towards the doors, determination clear in his, well, everything.

"I'm positive that this is a bad idea." Aidan amended petulantly.

"Stiles would have delivered that line better." Erica commented.

"Hey," Scott began, frowning at Erica as he scolded her. The blonde raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed as he did so. "You shouldn't compare him to Stiles. We shouldn't compare each other to anybody, because we're all different and unique, and that's a good thing."

"I don't know," Danny teased, trying to lighten the mood. "Cora and Erica are pretty similar."

"Cora hates make-up and has the same fashion sense as Derek." Ethan countered, "Erica despises sports of all kinds, and the only reason that she joined the track team was to get the free snacks and rub her skills in everybody's faces." He could see what his boyfriend was trying to do and was eager to help. "They're pretty different. Even if they do both growl a lot, cheat in school, and are obviously exhabitionists."

"Ha, you're not wrong!" Erica agreed with a short but genuine laugh.

"Yes he is." Cora told the blonde before turning a heatless glare towards Ethan. "I am not an exabitionist, I am simply comfortable in my own home, and expect werewolves to know better than to walk into a room when Mates are obviously fucking in there."

"But you do sometimes just start going at it when we're already in the room." Scott pointed out as Kira led the group through the building towards the area where Barrow had kept her. He was hoping to distract her from the unpleasant memory, but he wasn't sure if he was succeeding.

"Only after an argument," Cora defended, dismissing his point with a wave of her hand. "You all need to learn to read the room."

"Or maybe you should learn to go to your own room." Danny grinned teasingly. "After all, you have three bedrooms in three different houses to choose from."

"Four bedrooms." Scott corrected. "Boyd and I gave up our individual rooms to the twins, but Erica still has hers." The crooked-jawed teen reminded the hacker, who nodded as recollection hit him. Erica never used the room, not since her parents moved their house onto the property. Since then if she stayed at the Hale house it was in Stiles and Derek's room for a puppy pile, or in Cora's room with her and Boyd. She had only used that room when her parents stayed at the Hale house after the Alpha pack had kidnapped the trio, so it was easy to forget that it was technically hers.

"You used to have individual rooms?" Malia asked in disbelief. "I thought that mates always shared the same room?"

"The sheriff had rules when Stiles was planning to build the house as a surprise for Derek." Danny explained. "We're all under 18 so it's technically illegal for any of us to have sex. With the whole werewolves and soulmates thing, it made things a little more complicated. While he knew that he couldn't stop Stiles and Derek from sharing a room, he said that he couldn't give permission on behalf of the other parents for couples, or throuples, to share, so everyone else had to have their own rooms. Plus a room for the sheriff, Mrs. McCall, and a spare room in case we had a guest over, or Stiles was grounded and therefore not allowed to share a room with Derek." Danny continued to explain as the group grew ever closer to their destination. "Of course, Stiles and Lydia decided to go overboard and add a few extra bedrooms on both upper floors. So rather than just the twelve bedrooms the sheriff requested, we have the astounding twenty bedrooms that we have now."

"Right, after like, the first month, everyone had pretty much abandoned the whole 'individual rooms' thing, but the sheriff still pretended that it was a thing. Lydia used her room once when she was strangled by the Darach and her mom stayed here, but otherwise it was unused, same with Allison, so they're now yours and Kira's rooms," Scott added, only for Kira to interrupt with wide eyes.

"I have a room?" Kira asked, surprised and hopeful all at once. She had only known the truth about the pack for two days, and they had already set a bedroom for her. Maybe she should be concerned at the presumptuousness of the wolves, but she wasn't. She was just.. happy.

"Yeah," Erica told her as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, I know you shared with Malia the other night, but if you want it, we have a room reserved for you at the house that you can decorate however you want."

"You're a part of the pack now, right?" Cora asked casually.

"I am?" Kira asked hopefully, looking around at the others as though she was expecting somebody to object.

"Duh," Erica rolled her eyes playfully as she nudged Kira's shoulder. "Of course you are. You think we let just anybody help us plan and commit crimes?"

"Pack sticks together," Cora continued when Kira only smiled bashfully in response. "So, of course you two get your own rooms."

Kira smiled at them all and stammered out her thanks. Her smile soon faded when she realised where they were.

"This is it." Kira told them as she looked around at the scorched room. "This is where Barrow electrocuted Stiles and I used my foxfire." She was the only one present who had been there before, as Danny had been outside guarding Scott who had been trapped in the mountain ash circle. She looked back at the pack and was unsurprised to see them all looking horrified.

"This is Stiles' bat." Scott stated as he picked up the object in question. The moment his fingers touched the metal, he felt a powerful shock, "Ow,"

"He was holding it when..." Kira trailed off, a guilty frown on her face, Erica was quick to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault." Erica reminded the kitsune. "Besides, it's not like it killed him."

"What if it did something worse?" Aidan asked rhetorically as he looked around the room.

"Like what?" Cora snapped as she glared at him.

"I don't know," The former alpha admitted as he walked towards Scott and took the bat from his hands. "But something about all of this... It feels wrong."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia, Derek, and Noah had just left the hospital after searching the building from the roof to the basement, and checking on Jackson and Melissa. They were making their way to cars when Derek's phone alarm went off, alerting them to the fact that school would be ending soon.

"I'll drive you to the school on my way to the station." Noah told Derek. "I need to give Parrish a real break and check in with everyone."

"I'll make my own way home." Lydia told them both with her head held high and her arms folded over her chest.

"Lydia, I'm not sure-" Derek began to protest, but Lydia glared at him and cut him off.

"I have my voice, I have mountain ash, I am armed with a fully loaded gun, a dozen extra bullets, pepper spray, a taser, and a knife, I have my phone, I have a flashlight, I have protein bars, and I have two bottles of water." She reminded them as she gestured to her handbag, how she managed to fit all of that (with the obvious exception of her voice, that one was self explanatory) into such a seemingly small bag was beyond them both. Of course the knife and gun were on her person, but she didn't waste more time explaining that. "I can take care of myself. Besides, I need to check something else out before I go home."

"Be careful!" Derek ordered reluctantly. He knew there was no point in arguing with the Banshee when she had her mind set on something.

Technically, he could use his alpha command to influence her, but Derek didn't want to take free will from any of them. He only used his alpha command if he was trying to get through to one of them when they're out of control, or to get them away from dangerous situations.

"You too." Lydia replied with a soft smile. She then turned and walked away, location in mind. Derek hesitated for a moment before he finally climbed into the cruiser. Seconds later, Noah began to drive towards the school.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Katashi's office is here." Chris informed his daughter as he pointed at the room on the blueprint. The pair were leaning against the hood of the car, the blueprint was laid out on the silver coloured surface.

"Guys. This isn't going to work." Isaac told them. The duo looked up in unison, They both craned their necks to look at Isaac, but he was hidden from the neck down by the car. "I look ridiculous." He declared nervously as he stepped out from behind the car, wearing a suit. He continued to stutter as he walked towards the pair. "I mean I look like I just stepped out of the last period of a Catholic prep school. And there is no way that I'm going to be able to remember all this." He shuffled through the cue cards as he shook his head, his trepidation clear. "I mean, what does this even mean? 'Revolving over and under barrels?'"

"All you have to do is keep them talking long enough to allow us to get inside and find Katashi." Chris told the teen in a poor attempt at comfort. "He may not be there for the buy in person but he won't be far."

"You look great." Allison promised her mate with a gentle smile.

"I am sweating all the way through my jacket." Isaac argued as he pulled back the jacket in question to show her the sweat-soaked shirt. "I didn't even know that I could sweat this much."

"Give me a second." Allison told her father and he kindly nodded. She guided Isaac gently to the side of the vehicle and pulled him close. "You can do this. Scott and I can both attest to how charming and charismatic you are. You're not a boy, if you walk in there acting like a man," She assured him as she tucked in his shirt. "Okay? Go in there with confidence and all they'll see is a boyish looking man."

"Or a stupid teenager pretending to be a man. I'm going to get my head blown off by a bunch of Japanese fingerless mobsters-" Isaac was abruptly cut off by the huntress kissing him. As they kissed passionately, Allison gently grabbed Isaac's hand and guided it to her arse. She encouraged him to squeeze.

When they pulled apart for air, Allison smiled softly at Isaac.

"How do you feel now?" She asked as she allowed a small smirk to grace her lips.

Isaac couldn't keep the smirk from his own lips, caused by the surge of confidence that flooded through him.

That confidence remained as he strutted into the building with his head held high and his sunglasses on.

"Gentlemen." He greeted the group of heavily armed men with confidence he never believed himself capable of. "I believe Mr. Katashi is expecting me."

"I'm expecting you." A deep voice called out. Isaac looked up to the top of the stairs to see a broad, tan, intimidating man with werewolf claws decorating his finger tips. The man sent Isaac a knowing look as he allowed his claws to dance along the bannister as he slowly made his way down the staircase.

Isaac sized the other wolf up as he approached him. Isaac may not have seen his eyes yet, but he could tell that he was no Alpha.

He could handle this.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia walked through the preserve slowly. She had time before she had arranged to meet Danny. This felt like something important. Something that she had to do. Even though she was alone physically, the whispers around her kept her company on her quest.

Soon enough she came across that which she had been seeking: The Nemeton.

As soon as she laid eyes on the stump, the whispering abruptly cut off. Growling softly, Lydia looked down at her left hand, specifically the piece of red string that she had tied to herself, one end was attached to her thumb and the other was attached to her index finger. She moved the two digits apart until the string was taut. She used her right index finger and thumb to pluck the string.

The whispers returned as the string vibrated. She continued to pluck the string as she walked around the nemeton to find the hatch. Lydia made quick work of doing so and made her way down to the root cellar.

Once her feet touched the ground, Lydia no longer needed the string to hear the whispering. The voices and the nemeton itself were both guiding her towards something. They instructed her to search underneath the roots. So she dropped to her knees and dug with her bare hands at a charred patch of earth, because they didn't think to recommend that she bring a shovel! She theorised that the charred ground was the result of the lightning strike that killed Stiles and Derek when they bound the pack to the nemeton. She kept her mind focused on theories to distract herself from the pain in her hands as she dug.

Within five minutes, her hands finally hit something other than burnt dirt. A minute later, an object was unearthed enough for Lydia to pull it free.

As she set the object on the ground in front of her, Lydia let her dirtied and bloodied hands drop to her side to give them a moment of rest, Lydia stared at what she had unearthed.

What had she unearthed?

It just looked like a charred box with a hole burned into it. What did it mean?

"Lydia?" A weak voice called out. The banshee turned to find Stiles curled up in a shaded corner of the root cellar.

"Stiles!" Lydia called out in relief as she began to rush towards him, simultaneously, she shoved the box into her bag. It was half hanging out, but it was good enough.

"Don't come any closer!" Stiles ordered in a clear panic. Lydia froze in her tracks.

"What?" She asked in confusion. "Stiles, what's going on?" Lydia asked gently as she attempted to take another step towards him. She felt it in her heart that it was not the nogitsune she was talking to then, but the real Stiles.

"Lydia, for your own safety, do not come any closer!" Stiles ordered, trying to shuffle backwards, but his back was already against the wall. "I don't know how long I have left in control, but listen to me, okay?"

"Okay." Lydia agreed easily as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys that the voices had insisted she steal from Derek. Stiles' keys. "The voices told me that you'd need these." She informed him as she tossed the keys to him. "To pull off your plan."

"Thank you." He sighed gratefully as he clutched the familiar keys tightly, "But Lydia, listen to me, from here on out, you cannot trust me, okay? There's something wrong with me. Someone is in my head. He told me what he is, but he might be lying. I'm not sure if I can tell you, I'm sorry." Stiles told her as quickly as he could. He knew it was risky giving her any information, but he was certain he could hide their conversation from the nogitsune as long as he didn't say its name. Lydia was good with secrets, and would be able to calculate the best people to solve the problem without concerning the rest of the pack too much. "I need you to keep this as quiet as possible, okay? Only tell those who absolutely need to know and can keep it quiet. He's dangerous, I can feel it. He'll kill anyone he thinks is onto him, alright? I hate even telling you this much, but so far I've only gained enough control to leave a message on the loft wall in paint and a carving in the school parking lot."

"You mean the parking lot of Derek's building." Lydia corrected with a frown. Danny had mentioned a carving in the parking lot, but why wouldn't Stiles mention the other message he'd left them?

"No, I mean the school parking lot. I carved it with one of Allison's ring daggers after I checked the handwriting on the blackboard to be sure." Stiles responded with certainty. "Why? What was carved in that parking lot?"

"C.S. 2004 F.T.D." Lydia told him.

"Lydia, I didn't write that!" Stiles informed her urgently. "It's a part of his trick. Look, you have to get out of here, okay? Right now! Before I lose control again. I'm sorry for what's going to happen, but it's the only way. I need you to believe that. I'm sorry, Lyd. I'm so sorry that I'm not strong enough to hold him off forever. I'll hold on for as long as I can, but I cannot be around any of you when he takes over again, okay?" He was pleading with her to go, and the agonised look in his eyes gave her conflicting feelings.

A part of Lydia wanted to stay and help him fight, but the other half told her that if she stayed, she would only be making things harder on Stiles. The voices confirmed for her that Stiles' fear of hurting his pack made it easier for the Nogitsune to take control. If Lydia was in close proximity to Stiles, that fear would be heightened. She had to give him his best chance to stay in control.

"I will find a way to help you. I promise." Lydia locked eyes with Stiles as she gave him that assurance. "Until then remember, no matter what happens, that I love you. Derek loves you. Your dad, Scott, the pack, we all love you. Keep fighting to come home to us."

"I will." Stiles promised as tears flooded his eyes. "I love you too. I love all of you."

"We know." Lydia smiled through her own tears. "We'll see you soon, Mum." She ended with a teasing grin that made Stiles chuckle. Or maybe it was her calling him mum. Either way, Lydia classed it as a win, though she was quick to add, "Don't get used to that, it is never happening again. You may be Pack mum, but you are not my mum. You're one of my best friends, not my parents."

"You're one of my best friends too." Stiles smiled softly at her. "When I'm no longer a threat to you all, I'll come home and we'll have a sleepover, and so many puppy piles."

"I'm definitely gonna paint your nails." Lydia told him firmly with a light 'no arguments' glare. "And remember, Stiles, you are not a threat to us and you never will be. We will free you from this Nogit-"

"Don't say it!" Stiles cut her off quickly. "It'll make it harder to hide this from him." He explained and Lydia nodded. At least he had confirmed it for her.

"Okay." Lydia agreed easily before she forced a soft smile onto her face. "We'll find a way to help you. I promise." When Stiles only smiled in return, Lydia forced herself to turn away and leave the root cellar without looking back. Stiles needed to focus, and he needed her to focus. Stiles was working hard to buy Lydia enough time to find a solution for him, and she couldn't waste a single second of it.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Kira arrived at the McCall house on Scott's motorbike at the same time that Boyd and Malia pulled up. Boyd was on his own motorbike. Cora had again allowed her cousin to use hers. Boyd was certain Cora was planning to convince Malia to get her licence so that Cora could buy her a bike of her own.

"I love this thing." Malia announced as she pulled off her helmet, revealing an exhilarated grin on her face. "Can I have one?"

"I'm sure that once you have your licence, Derek will get you one if you ask." Scott told her honestly.

"How does he have so much money? He's a deputy." Kira asked curiously, without thinking. "I mean it's none of my business, I was just-"

"It's fine." Boyd assured her and began to explain while Scott unlocked the door. "They don't like to advertise it, but the Hales have owned most of Beacon Hills for centuries. The preserve, the school building, the town hall building, the arcade, he rents out the dozen retail buildings he owns to local businesses. It started with their great grandmother, when she was alpha, and all of the alpha's since have done the same. They also own about a dozen warehouses and half of the residential buildings in town."

"Derek rents out all but one of the warehouses," Scott added as he let them all into the house. "And all of the houses and apartments, with the exception of the loft, as you know. Reasonable rates, too. Could you lock the door?"

"Yeah." Kira replied and did as she was asked. She was slightly dazed by the revelation of the Hales' unseen power over the town.

Scott and Boyd worked quickly to close and lock all of the windows in the house.

"I don't want to sound pessimistic or anything, but do you really think that that's going to keep them out?" Kira asked as she watched them work.

"Actually, we have a, uh, sort of security system." Scott told her as Boyd made his way upstairs to make sure those windows were all locked too. "My boss put it in a while back."

"Your boss Deaton? The veterinarian/witch doctor?" Malia asked with a raised eyebrow. Kira looked concerned for a moment.

"You had a vet put in your alarm?" Kira asked, looking at Scott with dissbelief and concern.

"That's stupid." Malia stated bluntly.

"He's not a witch doctor, he's a druid, and is kind of our Pack emissary until Danny has finished training." Scott reminded them.

"And it's less of an alarm and more of a barrier." Boyd corrected as he returned downstairs. "It's mountain ash which, as you know, keeps out supernatural creatures."

"What time is sunset?" Malia asked curiously as she made her way to the fridge to grab a snack.

"6 O'Clock." Boyd stated as he raised an eyebrow towards Scott, silently asking if he too could get some food too. Scott nodded in confirmation. "About two hours from now."

"So, what are we gonna do in the meantime?" Malia asked around a mouthful of the leftover chicken that had been in the fridge for about three days.

"We could watch tv?" Scott offered, but Malia immediately rejected that idea.

"No, I'm sick of that."

"We could talk." Kira suggested with a soft smile.

"About what?" Malia asked, her mouth free of food that time.

"Anything." Kira shrugged. "Hobbies, dreams, fears, all the supernatural craziness in this town, crimes we've committed or want to commit." She suggested casually and Boyd had to bite back a laugh.

One b&e with the pack was enough to make anybody feel like crime was cool.

Scott shook his head. "We only commit crimes when we absolutely have to."

"So, we had to break into the school to prank Coach on his birthday?" Boyd asked rhetorically with a raised eyebrow. "And we had to mix wolfsbane with booze that Danny, Lydia and Jackson brought with their fake IDs, sneak said booze into the jungle and get involved in a bar fight?" As he spoke, none of them noticed the lock on the back door clicking. However, they definitely noticed when the door was flung open and a pair of red eyes glared at them from the doorway.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Derek's angered voice boomed as the alpha stormed into the house through the back door, startling all four of them. "When did this happen?"

"Uhh. It didn't?" Scott tried, Derek simply glared at him. "Anyway, where did you come from?" Scott asked instead of answering the Alpha's questions. Derek turned his glare to Boyd, who looked away. He then turned towards Malia who simply shrugged in response. If Malia didn't know, Kira likely wouldn't either, but Derek didn't want her to feel left out, so he glared at her in question as well.

"Before my time." The kitsune told him honestly.

Knowing that he wouldn't be getting answers from his betas any time soon, Derek returned his attention to Scott and answered the crooked-jawed teen's question. "I've been following you."

"For how long?" Scott demanded, he hadn't noticed Derek lurking around.

"Since you left the power station." Derek told him simply. Scott and Kira both looked concerned as the alpha raised an eyebrow at the group. "Why were all of you, and everyone else who was supposed to be at the house or at the school, actually at the power station?" He asked, clearly unimpressed with their actions.

"Uh, we were at the school earlier. You can ask my dad." Kira explained as she tried to think of an excuse for them being at the station before school ended. "At lunch, Scott and I talked about Kitsunes. I started thinking about everything with Barrow two nights ago." She continued, having decided to go with partial truths and just omit certain details. "I wanted to go back there. I've been shaken up about it all. I thought that going back might help me deal with it." She explained, she then remembered that Derek could detect if she was lying. She quickly changed her next sentence. Fortunately, everything she had said so far had been true, technically. There were just a lot of details missing. "I didn't want to go alone. I thought it would be a good idea to ask the others to go back with me." Kira had indeed thought about asking them to go back with her, to help her deal with the traumatic ordeal, she just hadn't actually had to ask them to do so.

Derek narrowed his eyes. Her heartbeat maintained perfectly even throughout her statement, but Derek knew there was more to the story. "You're hiding something."

"We found Stiles' bat there. When we were leaving with it, it got stuck to a metal panel on the wall." Scott informed him quickly, trying to prevent Derek from figuring out too much. "Danny said that it had become magnetised somehow. We think it happened when he was…"

"When he was electrocuted by Barrow." Derek finished for Scott when the beta trailed off. Scott nodded in response while Kira looked down in shame.

The room fell silent.

"So, why are we here?" Malia asked with a raised eyebrow when nobody else made any attempt to say anything else on the matter. "And by that I mean here, as in this house. Wouldn't we be safer at the Pack House?"

"Usually, yes." Scott confirmed with a nod. "Thanks to the secret passageways, ash wood cells in the basement, and the underground bunker we call our second basement, the pack house is basically a fortress."

"However," Derek cut in when the confused expression on Malia's face worsened. "These creatures have proven themselves capable of getting past our security systems. They've already gotten in twice now."

"We also know that while they only want to scan us, they're not above killing those they see as getting in their way." Boyd reminded her easily. He was usually one to step back and let others do the talking, but he knew how stubborn Malia was, just like her cousin. The best way to convince Cora that something was worth doing was by getting as much back up as you could and either warn her that people could die if they don't do it that way, or assure her that people (their enemies) definitely will die if they follow that plan. It all depended on what mood she was in. "We're pack and our instinct is to protect each other. Most of our pack have a tendency to rush into battle to protect each other, with little regard for their own life."

"Usually it's not an issue, because we know how to fight our enemies and subdue them long enough to get away." Scott continued easily. "But with these guys, the way they move, their abilities; fighting would be pointless. All that would happen is that we would lose somebody that we love."

"Boyd and Scott are both extremely protective of the pack, and they have the best restraint when it comes to situations where the tension is high, but we need to avoid a fight." Derek took over again. "If we were at our house, the others would just burst in and get themselves killed. And I'd have to be the one to tell Stiles when we find him."

"All of the baseboards are ash wood." Boyd added, gesturing to them as he did so. "When Mrs McCall gets home, she's gonna stand by with the ash. If the creatures try anything other than marking either of you, we'll fight them off and get them outside and Melissa will seal us in until the sun comes up."

"And ash wood, that's the wood that mountain ash is made from, right?" Malia asked for confirmation. "The stuff that keeps out supernatural creatures?"

"Yeah." Scott confirmed with a nod. "There's an urn in the living room filled with mountain ash to 'complete the circuit' if you will. Like we said though, that's only a last resort. Hopefully these creatures will just mark you both and leave."

"However this plays out, we will protect you." Derek assured both girls with complete confidence. "Neither of you will get hurt. Not on my watch."

"Not on our watch." Boyd corrected him easily.

"So when those creatures get here, Malia and I just let them check us?" Kira asked dubiously.

"I know it's scary, I was terrified last night." Scott confessed, "But once it's done, at least we know they won't bother us again."

"Did they tell you that?" Malia asked, seeming to be genuinely curious. "Did they tell you they would leave us alone?"

"Um, well, no, but-"

"Did you find out what they are?" Malia continued, as her brows furrowed in confusion. "Or what they're after?"

"N-no-"

"Then how do you know they're not going to come back for us later?" She asked as she tilted her head to the side and regarded Scott curiously.

"Okay, fine, I hope that they won't come back once they've checked all of us." Scott amended.

"What about Stiles?" Kira asked curiously as a thoughtful expression took over her face.

"What about Stiles?" Scott repeated, caught off guard by the question. He looked at Boyd and Derek in question, but Kira spoke again before either of them could.

"He's supernatural too, right? I mean I know you guys said that he can't shift right now, but he's still a werewolf, right?" Kira elaborated, though the boys still didn't quite get her point yet. "If these creatures are going after all the supernatural creatures in town, then-"

"They'll be going after Stiles." Derek realised, panic coursing through him. How that fact had never occurred to him before that moment was beyond him, but here he was. "Shit."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Rafael McCall was talking to a fellow FBI agent on the phone as he made his way to his temporary office at the Sheriff's station.

"Yeah, I'm walking in now. And trying to avoid the hostile stares of everyone in here. No, no. Probably another week or two and we'll be ready for a formal review. There's enough here to put Stilinski so far out of government work, he won't be able to get a job riding the back of a garbage truck. Yeah, exactly." He laughed as he approached his desk. Then he noticed it.

A note on his desk.

"Let me call you right back." Rafael stated, then hung up the phone and pocketed it.

He then picked up the note and read it.

'Check your son's locker.'

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

While the father-daughter duo made their way through Katashi's security team, Isaac was attempting to keep Kincaid distracted by telling him the story behind the gun. "What we're looking at here is a mint-condition French Flintlock Turnover Pistol crafted in the mid-17th century." Isaac told Kincaid, attempting to feign an ease that usually came with great research on a subject. "It was a gift from Louis XIV to a prominent French family. It's only ever been fired once."

"During a duel between brothers on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles." Kincaid finished easily.

"So you're familiar with it." Isaac replied feeling knocked off kilter by the other wolf's knowledge, he could only hope that it wasn't as obvious as it sounded to his own ears.

"Oh, Mr. Katashi knows what he wants." Kincaid told the beta casually. "We'll take it." He opened the briefcase to reveal several stacks of money "$150,000."

"I'm gonna need to count it." Isaac told the (seemingly) beta werewolf (potentially omega). He needed to buy more time for Chris and Allison to get to Silverfinger.

"Oh, really?" Kincaid replied, and Isaac couldn't tell if he was offended or amused.

"Yeah." Isaac confirmed barely above a whisper as he leaned down to his bag and pulled out a machine to do just that. He set it down on the table, next to the briefcase. He picked up one of the stacks and fed it through the counter.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"We're running out of time." Boyd commented to Scott as he glanced towards the kitchen clock. The sun would be setting in less than two minutes. It was already low in the sky and, if not for their enhanced vision, the pair would have needed to turn the kitchen light on to prepare the food. Boyd quickly returned his attention to the sandwiches he was making to help Malia and Kira recover from the creature's attacks that would inevitably come.

"I know." Scott replied as he grated the cheese for Boyd. "But Allison, Isaac, and Mr Argent are working on something that could help."

"I know that." Boyd reminded Scott as he rolled his eyes at the boy. "But who's to say Silverfinger is going to have the information we need, or even give it to them if he has it?"

"He'll have the information we need, I know it." Scott declared with his characteristic, usually misplaced, optimism.

"I hope you're right."

As the pair made the snacks, Kira and Malia were chatting on the sofa, with Derek pacing nearby.

"Are you sure you wanna be around me?" Kira asked, suddenly changing the subject. "I'm probably the one these creatures are after. They showed up around the same time I did."

"Which is also around the same time I turned back to human." Malia countered easily. "How do you know they're not after me?"

"Because I have this feeling." Kira confessed to the coyote, unphased that the three wolves in the house could all hear her too. "This feeling that all of this has something to do with me. That I'm connected to it all somehow. Someone told Barrow to come after me. That can't be a coincidence."

"There's nothing evil about you, Kira." Derek told the young Kitsune honestly. He had stopped pacing the moment Kira had expressed her concerns, and had been waiting for the right time to chime in. "Whatever these creatures are after, it's something dark. Something truly evil. That description doesn't fit you."

"But-"

"I'm not letting you get hurt." Malia told Kira firmly.

"And I don't want any of you getting hurt. Especially because of me."

"It could be either of us." Malia argued again, but Kira was as stubborn as the rest of them.

"I don't think so. When a kitsune rubs its tails together it can create fire or lightning. It's called foxfire. That's what happened to me that night with Barrow, but I don't know how I did it." Kira stated, repeating the information Deaton had told them, and Lydia had backed up with a book she had found yesterday and shown to Kira before the blacklight party. Malia looked at the girl curiously and tried to 'subtly' look for any obvious signs of a tail of the girl. "I don't have any tails." Kira quickly told her.

"How'd you know what I was thinking?" Malia asked with wide eyes.

"Because... kitsune are also psychic. I can hear all of your thoughts." Kira teased. Derek bit back a chuckle as Malia looked amazed at first, then slightly nervous. "Just kidding." Kira quickly assured Malia, who chuckled softly. "Like I said, I don't have any tails but I was still somehow able to make foxfire. It's how I threw Barrow across the room, but it just sort of passed through Stiles."

"From what I know about kitsunes, that's normal." Derek told her. "You're young, you don't even know how to hide your aura yet. You'll get your tails as you grow older. The foxfire was activated by Barrow electrocuting you. It passed through Stiles because he wasn't a threat to you. You don't need to be afraid of yourself and what you can do, Kira." Derek informed her gently. "There's nothing evil about you."

The young fox smiled at the wolf gratefully. Out of the corner of her eye, Kira noticed the sky through the window.

"The sun's setting." She commented.

"Almost time." Malia added. "Are you scared?"

"Not right now. Are you?"

"Not right now."

Before anything else was said, they all heard a car pulling up outside the house.

"My mom's back." Scott announced as he left the kitchen. The five of them headed towards the front door, Derek's ears and nose twitched along the way. That wasn't Melissa's car, that wasn't Melissa's scent. The front door opened.

"What are you doing here?" Scott demanded angrily when his eyes fell on his father. "And why do you still have a key?"

"Funny you mention keys. Because while I have a key to this house, I'm not exactly sure how you got a key to the chemistry closet at school." Raphael announced, holding up an evidence bag. Inside the evidence bag was the key that had been pointed out by Caitlin the night before and had last been seen with Derek.

With a confused frown, Derek dug his hand into his pocket, but Stiles' keys were gone.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia arrived at the school in Derek's car at the same time Danny arrived.

"Hey," Danny greeted as the redhead got out of the car. "Any luck?"

"Still more questions than answers," Lydia informed the hacker with a sigh and a shake of her head, "But I have a lot of the puzzle pieces, I just need to put them together."

"We'll figure it out," Danny assured her as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll save him."

"I know we will," Lydia replied, a forced smile gracing her lips. "Now, show me this carving so we can do that."

Danny agreed to do so and began to lead her towards a spot where he had noticed the carving that morning.

Without cars to obstruct it, the message was clear.

It filled Danny with dread and fear. Lydia, however, barely held back her sigh of frustration. The message would definitely get Danny asking questions, and Lydia wasn't sure if it would be safe to answer them.

"Shit," Danny whispered as he read the message for what must have been the tenth time, "What do we do?"

"We find an open hardware store and buy something to fill this in," Lydia replied as she studied the words with an intense frown. "We don't need anybody else seeing this. Especially nobody in the pack."

"I don't have supernatural senses, so I can't tell if you're joking right now," Danny pointed out as he shot the Banshee a look of disbelief. "You want to keep this a secret from the pack?"

"Yes," Lydia replied easily, her eyes still locked on the carving, "This is too important to screw up by telling our more reckless friends. We will tell Derek, he can decide who else needs to know."

"You know something," Danny realised, examining the red head with a frown. "Something about Stiles that you're not telling us."

"Yes," Lydia confessed, "But it's too important. If I tell you what I know it could get you, me, Stiles, and countless others killed."

"He doesn't have dementia, does he?" Danny asked, his fear elevated to levels he had never known.

Lydia didn't respond to his question, but the look on the face as she stared at the carving told Danny everything he needed to know.

"Whatever happened to 'knowledge should be available to everyone'?" Danny asked rhetorically. He saw the merits of Lydia's plan, but it was out of character for her and it was Danny's nature to question everything.

"I still believe that," Lydia assured as she finally turned her head to look at him. "But if saving Stiles and keeping our pack as safe as possible means withholding information, then I'm willing to do that."

"Okay," Danny agreed as he locked eyes with the redhead, "Let's go then."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

As Isaac reached out to grab another stack of money from the briefcase, Kincaid slammed it shut. When Isaac looked up at the older werewolf, the man was smirking at him.

"You don't know the whole story behind this gun, do you?" Kincaid told him, almost amused. "There was no duel between brothers. That was the cover story." He explained, voice growing deeper, and darker, as he spoke. He walked around the table towards Isaac at a taunting pace. "The real one involves an encounter in the woods with a vicious animal. Its bite caused one of the men to change into something Monstrous. By his family's code, the brother of this man killed him with this very gun."

"Well, that is certainly better than the version that I heard. I'm gonna trust you guys with the money here and, uh-" As Isaac went to gather his things, the werewolf grabbed his arm.

As Kincaid tried to intimidate Isaac, the boy did as instructed by his pack parents and counted to three in his head.

"Personally, I'd like to hear your story." Kincaid announced, by the time he had finished speaking Isaac had reached the number three in his head. Now he was allowed to wolf out.

While Isaac growled at, then fought, Kincaid, the father-daughter duo were making their way through the security team, Katashi was watching it all unfold on his phone. Angered, the man put away his phone and pulled out his gun. He aimed it towards the door he knew the male intruder would be entering through.

Sure enough, soon Chris appeared, holding his own gun in one hand and a guard in the other. He quickly threw the unconscious guard aside and addressed Katashi.

"All I want to do is talk."

"Taking out my security is not what I would call a good conversation starter." Katashi replied, concealing his anger rather well until the end of his sentence, when his face morphed into a scowl. All the while, he continued to point his gun at the Argent.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Chris asked with a slight smirk. It was easy to distract Katashi from his daughter's silent approach. Being trained by hunters and wolves made his daughter incredibly sneaky and skilled in fighting and weaponry. Add in the fact that she was mated to wolves, and was a part of a pack bound to a nemeton, and you'd find that Allison had an additional edge over her enemies. "Allison, take the man's gun." Chris gave the order he knew she had been eagerly awaiting. Allison expertly used her Chain Whip to snatch Katashi's gun from his hand and toss it behind herself. "Now, can we talk?"

"Guys?" Isaac's voice called out, drawing the attention of both Argents. He wore a smug smile as he held his claws to Kincaid's throat, Kincaid also had his claws on Isaac's throat, although looked rather irritated, and slightly embarrassed. "They have a werewolf too."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Where did you get that?" Derek asked the agent urgently. The older McCall sent the Alpha an unimpressed glare.

"Not that it's any of your business, deputy, but I got an anonymous tip advising me to check my son's locker at school, and what do I find? A key to the chemistry closet that Barrow hid in." McCall stated, moving his head a lot as he did so, then locked eyes with his son once more. "With your fingerprints all over it." He emphasised the word 'your' by pointing at his son. His heart beat showed that the last part was a lie, clearly the man had forgotten that werewolves enhanced hearing also worked as a lie detector.

"Bullshit, you lying dick, I've never even touched that thing." Scott replied honestly and heatedly. The others were all surprised to hear Scott cuss at his father. Scott rarely cussed at people as it was, he prefered to use them in regards to situations and things, so it was surprising to hear him do so. However, Scott's anger and resentment towards his father was clear, therefore, the fact that the cuss was directed towards the man wasn't in itself all that shocking.

"But you've seen it?" McCall countered, unperturbed by his son's language and blaisen attitude. When Scott only continued to glare, McCall continued. "Let me help you out here. This kind of thing usually begins with something along the lines of 'It's not what you think' or, 'I can explain'."

"Dad, let me help you out. You need to leave."

"I will. With a satisfactory explanation."

"Go get a warrant." Scott told him in defiance.

"I don't need a warrant, I'm your father." McCall retorted, just shy of a shout.

"No, you're a gene donor." Scott countered with a total lack of sympathy or concern for the man's feelings. It was uncharacteristic but unsurprising. "I got my hair colour from you. And that's all I got." Scott told him as Melissa walked through the door "So you're not allowed to play tough dad with me."

"Hey, what's going on?" Melissa asked as calmly as she could muster.

"Maybe one of you should explain."

"Quick question;" Malia cut in quickly before any explanation could be given. "Scott, if you don't see your dad as your dad, then why do you call him dad?" Malia asked curiously. The question had been on her mind for a while but she usually didn't remember that it was a question she had when the boy was around, until now. "I just mean, Peter is my dad, but he's not really my dad because I don't know him. So I call him Peter, not dad. I call my dad, dad, because he is my dad. He raised me and, yeah, he tried to kill me when I was stuck as a coyote, but once he knew it was me, he accepted me for who I am and apologised. He raised me, and he's helping me adjust to being human again and get back into school and stuff. He's still acting like my dad, so he's still my dad, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know, but I'm angry at him and I want to stay angry and serious." Scott explained, ignoring his father in favour of looking at Malia. "When I say his name, I'm reminded of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, because he shared his name with one of them. Because of that, I usually burst out laughing, and it ruins the whole, uh, 'angry' thing that I was going for, y'know."

"Oh I used to love that show!" Malia told him excitedly. "Which one?"

"Rafael." Melissa supplied helpfully with a small smirk tugging at her lips. As a result Malia, Scott and Kira all laughed. Melissa quickly schooled her expression as she addressed her ex-husband. "You need to leave, now." She informed him firmly. If he was in the house when the creatures arrived, he would do something stupid and get himself hurt or worse.

Speaking of, the room suddenly darkened and the seven of them were surrounded by five masked figures.

"What the hell are these things?" McCall demanded as he raised his gun.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"They're called oni. They are demons. And they are unstoppable." Katashi informed the Argents and Isaac. There had been a short period of bargaining after Isaac had walked in, he and Kincaid holding each other by the throat but, once Chris set down and unwrapped the broken mask, everyone was unarmed and nobody was being actively threatened. "No guns nor blades can harm them."

"Then what can?" Isaac asked the man, far more confident having gotten the upper hand on Kincaid, the older wolf grabbing his throat second. A part of him knew that the boost of power from nemeton had helped him with that feat, but he chose to ignore it.

"Nothing." Katashi informed him. "At least no man-made weapon. The oni are a force of nature. You don't fight a tsunami. You endure it. And you hope that you're not destroyed in its path."

"Then how do we endure it?" Allison inquired curiously.

"One of you already has." He told them as he nodded towards Isaac, who instinctively touched the mark behind his ear. "This is Japanese kanji for 'self'. This means he is still himself." Katashi explained calmly, despite the fear coursing through him. "The oni are looking for one who is no longer themselves."

"What do you mean no longer themselves?" Chris demanded.

"Possessed. By a dark spirit." He answered.

"There are 13 kinds of kitsune. Celestial, wild, ocean, thunder. But there is one, a dark kitsune. They call it void. Or-"

"Nogitsune." Allison finished knowingly. Kataashi looked at her, seemingly impressed by her knowledge. Her father regarded her curiously, before he mentally arrived at the conclusion that she or one of her pack mates had come across the information when researching Kitsunes after the revelation about Kira the other night. Chris returned his attention to Katashi, but a niggling voice in the back of his head questioned how his daughter knew of nogitsune when he knew for a fact that there was nothing about them in the Argent bestiary.

"The kumicho." Chris commented instead of questioning his daughter. That could wait for later.

"That's right." Katashi confirmed. "He was possessed by a nogitsune. It's what helped him rise through the ranks of our yakuza family. Nogitsune draws its power from pain and tragedy, strife and chaos." The man then turned his attention to Chris and asked, "Do you know why I'm missing this finger?"

"Penance." Chris stated knowingly.

"There's a ritual called yubitsume." Katashi informed the three of them. "Removing the joints of the little finger weakens your grip on a sword. When a katana is gripped properly, the little finger is the strongest."

"Why did they take your finger?" Isaac asked with a morbid curiosity tickling at him.

"They didn't take it. A yakuza performs the ritual himself and offers it to his superior. It was penance for a mistake. And it wasn't my only one. I don't know what it was about the way I moved or stood that suggested to them that I was going to take them on. Because actually I was… Preparing to run for my life." He confessed as he turned and looked him in the eyes "That shot you fired saved me from looking like a coward before the survivors. For that humiliation, I wouldn't have to have given up my finger. I would've had to give up my head." He wrapped the mask up. "I wish I could give you the answer you need, Mr. Argent." He told him honestly as he slid the mask towards the man. "I owe you more than my life. I owe you my honour." Chris nodded at Katashi respectfully "I will tell you one thing, however. If there is a nogitsune among you… Let the oni destroy it. Even if it is your own daughter."

"They've had several opportunities to test me, and they have never attempted to." Allison informed him with her head held high.

"Then you are fortunate." Katashi stated, "The Nogitsune is strong and destructive. It is a deadly trickster. Nothing can kill it but the oni. The host never survives."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles had fled the nemeton after getting the keys from Lydia. He separated the key for the chemistry closet and wiped it clean of fingerprints, then took it to the school and slipped it into Scott's locker. He then put his hood up and went to the Sheriff's station. He waited until the coast was clear before slipping the envelope marked with 'Agent McCall' containing an anonymous tip regarding the key onto the front desk, then quickly left before he could be seen. He had worked hard to disguise his handwriting by using his left hand.

Once that was done, he went back home. It was easy sneaking though the tunnels to the second basement. Nobody was down there, thankfully, so Stiles made his way to the armoury. He took some supplies, mimicking the inventory the nogitsune had stolen from various places around town. He then went to the neighbouring room (the Library) and wrote up notes containing fragments of the creature's plans. He had a quick rummage through and found the notes on his own plans that the creature planned to turn fatal. He contemplated doing what the Nogitsune had done with the string and scissors, but he really didn't want to damage the table, or any of the desks or beds in the house, so he vetoed that idea. Instead, he scattered them around the room and over the table.

He narrowly avoided getting caught by Peter while sneaking into the kitchen to grab a box of matches, a knife, and a can opener. Eventually though, Stiles made it out of the house with his supplies undetected.

With a heavy sigh of resignation, Stiles began to make his way towards eichen house on foot. The backpack was heavy with his many supplies, filled to the point where he almost couldn't zip it up, but he paid it no mind. With what he was preparing to do, Stiles felt like carrying a heavy bag for a few miles was the least he deserved. But boy did he miss his enhanced strength and stamina, which were suddenly missing along with his enhanced senses.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Scott, who the hell is this?" McCall asked as he began to walk towards one of the masked creatures with his gun raised.

"Agent McCall, do not go near those things, they are not human and they are dangerous if you get in their way." Derek told the man urgently, he barely resisted the urge to lunge forward and grab the man to force him to stop moving.

"Dad, no! Dad, wait!" Scott simultaneously called out while Derek spoke. McCall hesitated for a moment as he considered their words.

"Deputy Hale, I outrank you. Not just in the eyes of the law but as Scott's father." Rafael declared to the alpha, attempting to intimidate the man with a glare. "You do not get to order me around like I'm one of the innocent teenagers whose lives you ruined." He spat, Malia, Boyd and Scott growled at the man's words, while Derek appeared unphased.

"Please listen to me, they are here searching for a specific supernatural creature. They're not here to hurt humans, but they will kill you if you get in their way." Derek implored the agent, hoping that the man would take in his words. Fortunately the man wasn't moving towards the creature anymore, so that was something.

"How do you know they're not after Scott?"

"They've already checked me." Scott told his father honestly. "I've got the mark behind my ear to prove it."

"Then who are they here for?" The agent asked, without taking his eyes off of the creature in front of him. He was blissfully unaware of the other masked creature growing ever closer behind him, to the right.

"Me." Kira told him confidently.

"Or me." Malia reminded the girl.

"Pretty sure it's me." Kira bantered with the coyote easily.

"Just don't get in their way and they won't hurt you." Derek told McCall confidently, ignoring the squabbling. That theory had certainly proven itself to be true so far.

"Dad, back towards me, now." Scott ordered, fortunately, the man did as he was told, after holstering his gun. "Okay, now, don't freak out, in three seconds, I'm going to grab you and pull you out of their path, okay? One." Scott reached out his hand as he stepped towards the man. "Two." he glanced towards the figure who was moving closer to his father. "Three." Scott grabbed the back of the man's suit jacket and pulled him away from the creatures.

McCall stumbled into his son as he tried to regain his footing. Scott helped to steady the man who smiled at the boy in gratitude. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Scott replied shortly, and returned his attention to Kira and Malia. "You guys okay?"

"For now." Malia replied as the masked figures grew closer. "You two made those sandwiches we asked for, right?"

"They're in the kitchen waiting for you." Boyd confirmed as he shared a nervous smile with Scott.

"Ham and cheese for Kira, deer for Malia." Scott declared honestly.

"Wait, you actually had deer meat?" Malia asked excitedly, finally tearing her eyes away from the approaching creature. "I though I could smell it, but I didn't see any in the fridge."

"Yeah, he's not allowed to keep it in that fridge." Melissa stated firmly.

"Mum says I can't keep it in there 'cause she's worried she'll accidently eat it, so I keep it in the mini fridge in my room. It's been in there a few days, but it's still good." Scott explained, by the time he had finished, the creature was a step away from Malia.

"Oh, I'm so going be fine after this." Malia declared, any and all traces of fear had vanished. She then addressed the creature as its eyes began to glow. "Let's get this over with, I have deer to eat." With that, the creatures grabbed Malia and began to scan her. Soon enough, it marked her and dropped the coyote carelessly.

"What the hell?" The agent instinctively reached for his gun again, but Scott grabbed him by the arm to stop him from doing so.

"Don't!" Scott ordered his father in a whisper, while the other occupants of the room became increasingly concerned that the night would end in bloodshed. "She'll be fine, but you won't be if you anger them."

Rafael nodded reluctantly in agreement and pretended to relax.

As the creature moved at an agonisingly slow pace towards Kira. Once it stopped in front of her, Scott released his father's arm in preparation of rushing to help the girls once the creatures left.

Unfortunately, the moment his arm was free, the FBI agent drew his weapon once more and shot three rounds at the closest creature to Kira. Unsurprisingly to the others, the bullet's passed through the creature and embedded themselves into the wall. One of the bullets tore Kira's jacket sleeve, but fortunately Kira herself was uninjured.

Before Melissa could yell at the man for putting the girl in harm's way, and for damaging her wall, another one of the masked creatures materialised behind Rafael.

With a practised ease, the creature sliced through Rafael. Kira screamed as the man's blood splattered on the floor, shortly followed by the man dropping to the ground himself. Mellissa and Scott both watched in horror. Boyd and Derek looked shocked and worried.

"Dad!" Scott exclaimed, clearly panicked, but the man didn't respond.

The creature that had injured the older McCall turned its blade on Scott to keep him from intervening, or helping his father. Despite the easy manner with which the creature had sliced through the FBI agent, it felt as though it didn't want to hurt anyone.

Nobody moved or made a sound for a second.

Suddenly, Scott's phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and, when the creature made no move to attack him, he glanced at the photo that lit up the screen then quickly answered. "Allison, please tell me that you have something."

"They're here. One of them is pointing a sword at Scott, and it attacked McCall." Derek called out as Scott placed the call on speaker for his mother to hear too.

"Okay, okay listen." Allison replied, surprisingly calm given that her mate was being threatened. "They're Japanese demons. They're called the oni. They're looking for someone possessed. Someone with a dark spirit attached to them."

"A nogitsune."

"Yeah." Allison confirmed.

"Did you learn anything else?" Scott asked as the creatures all stared at him.

"Yeah, we were right. They won't hurt you now. They know you're supernatural but once they've done this check, once they realise that you're not carrying with you this dark spirit, then they won't hurt you or any of our Pack, I promise. All they're looking for is the nogitsune. When they find it, they'll kill it and then they'll leave." Allison's words were intended as both a comfort and a warning, in case they were right about Stiles.

While most of the others were blissfully unaware of the gravity in Allison's words. Scott and Derek exchanged heavy looks. Derek was torn between staying and helping with Malia, Kira, and McCall, and rushing out to search for Stiles.

"Thanks Ally, I'll call you back once these things are gone." Scott told her, "I love you." Both Allison and Isaac called out that they loved him in return. Scott reiterated his love for Isaac too now that he knew he could hear him. Once the call ended, the creatures, the Oni, finally took their eyes off of Scott and returned their attention to Kira.

Once upon a time, Derek would have attacked the moment blood was spilled. He would have lunged in and simply used himself as a (kind of) human shield for his pack if necessary. Stiles had lectured him about his impulsiveness and advised that Derek learn to hold back and set a good influence for the pack. Although he had told Stiles that he would, he didn't put that promise into practice until after Stiles had been kidnapped and tortured by Gerard Argent. That horrific experience his mate had been forced to endure gave Derek perspective on Stiles' request.

Derek dug his claws into his palms as he forced himself to stay where he was, and not lunge at the Oni. It went against his every instinct but until they made a move to harm somebody who Derek actually cared about, he wouldn't react. Reacting too soon could endanger his pack. He was unsure if he was glad or disappointed that Malia had already been scanned and marked, and therefore was unable to attack the creatures first. Which she surely would have done, had she been able to.

Eyes flickering between the creature threatening Scott, and the one standing before Kira, Derek could feel his patience and self control slipping away.

A few seconds ticked by, though it felt like hours to the wolves, Melissa, and Kira, then the creature finally grabbed Kira and began to scan her. Soon enough it marked her and let her drop to the floor.

The creatures regarded them all for a second, then vanished as swiftly as they had appeared. Derek immediately rushed over to his cousin and the kitsune.

"Why did you do that, you idiot? They would have left without anyone getting hurt!" Scott yelled at his father the moment the creatures disappeared. The man only groaned in pain as a response.

"I'll take care of Kira and Malia. Boyd, Scott, help Melissa take care of McCall." Derek ordered immediately. As he did so, he picked up Kira and placed her on the sofa. He then did the same for Malia, then quickly and cleanly broke her pinky finger to trigger the healing process. When her howl of pain ended and he was sure that she would be okay, Derek turned to Melissa. "I'll call an ambulance."

"No ambulance, a car will be quicker." Melissa quickly countered. "Boyd, under the kitchen sink is a first aid kit, can you get it for me, please?"

"Derek, I do need you to call the hospital. Tell them I'm bringing in an urgent care patient." Melissa ordered, in full on nurse mode. "Do you remember the codes I taught you?"

"Yeah." Derek assured as he pulled out his phone.

"How bad is it?" Scott asked in concern as Boyd returned with the first aid kit.

"Thank you, Boyd." Melissa told him as she accepted the kit in question. She then addressed her son without looking at him and she dug through the box for what she needed. "From the way that his arm is rotated, the tendon looks torn. He could be on his way to a collapsed lung."

"How long until that happens?"

"Hard to tell without any equipment. At the rate he's bleeding, not that long." Melissa told her son honestly. There was no point in attempting to lie to a werewolf. "We gotta get him to the hospital."

"I'll get the car ready, you two patch him up the best you can." Boyd told them as he moved to do just that. Two seconds later, Derek and Scott heard him cuss.

"Guys? We have a problem." Boyd announced as he ran back into the house less than a minute later. "All the tires, on both cars and all three bikes, have been slashed.

Derek, Scott and Melissa all looked alarmed, neither Kira nor McCall appeared to register his words, Malia didn't seem to care as she munched on a sandwich slowly yet eagerly.

"Why would they do that?" Derek wondered aloud. "They've never done that before, why now?" Scott shrugged at the alpha in response as he pulled out his phone and called Allison back.

Once again he put the call on speaker. As soon as she answered, Scott informed Allison and Isaac of what had happened since they last spoke, two minutes before.

"What do we do?" Melissa asked Derek, referring to Rafael bleeding out on the floor. "He needs medical attention."

"Isaac sent a text to Danny, he's on his way in the toyota." Allison informed them over the phone. "He'll get you to the hospital."

"Thank you." Scott replied after he let out a sigh of relief. "I gotta go help my mum slow the bleeding, he's getting worse. But I'll see you at the house?"

"Yeah, we'll be heading home soon." Allison assured him. "I love you, we'll-"

"I love you too!" Isaac called out, causing Scott to smile.

"I love you both too." Scott replied. "Be careful, I'll see you soon."

As Scott was bidding farewell to his mates, Rafael was talking to Melissa.

"I need to speak to Scott." Rafael told her in between gasps of pain.

"You're kidding, right?" Melissa drawled with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't patronise me Melissa." The FBI agent all but begged. "You know- You know why I really came back, don't you?"

"And as usual your timing sucks." Melissa told her ex-husband bluntly. "You're not talking to him. Not like this. So, you stay awake and we're gonna get you out of here as fast as we can." She assured him. "Danny is on his way with a car. We're gonna get you to the hospital."

Meanwhile, Boyd and Derek were helping Kira and Malia regain their energy. Predictably Malia was doing better than Kira thanks to her enhanced healing. It was slightly surprising that Malia healed even faster than Cora had. Within five minutes of being scanned and marked, the coyote was sitting up. It was even faster than Derek had recovered, although that was less surprising because he had been forced to heal naturally without anybody triggering his healing process.

"So I was wrong? They aren't looking for me?" Kira asked, surprise evident in her slurred voice. "If they were, I'd be dead, right?"

"Right. We told you, they're looking for a dark spirit. It's not you." Boyd assured her, "What are we gonna do about this Nogitsune that the Oni are after?" Boyd asked Derek as Scott looked their way, obviously listening to their conversation.

"I'm not sure." Derek confessed with a frown. "We need to learn more about it and why it's here before we interfere."

"It must be powerful and dangerous if creatures as strong as the Oni are after it." Boyd hypothesised with a frown.

"Which is exactly why we need to be careful," Derek stated firmly, "We don't want to get in their way."

"Lydia will probably be looking into it." Malia commented idly as she picked up another sandwich languidly.

Scott turned his head towards his parents. As much as he had tried to avoid listening to their conversation, he still heard every word. Now he couldn't help but wonder why his father really came back to Beacon Hills. As apparently it wasn't for the sole reason of getting the sheriff fired. The evidence pointed to the possibility that the FBI agent was being truthful when he said that he came back for Scott. But why? Why now, after all these years? What were they hiding from him? He was about to approach and ask them about it when a noise distracted him.

A car pulled up outside the house.

Derek listened to the vehicle, and the heartbeat of the driver, carefully.

"It's Danny." The Alpha declared as he made his way over to Rafael. "Boyd, Scott, help me carry him to the car." He ordered and the beta's quickly complied.

"Be careful, lifting him incorrectly could cause his injury to worsen." Mellisa cautioned, then immediately began to guide them verbally while they worked to gently lift the man.

While they worked to lift Rafael, Danny had quickly unloaded the spare tyres that were filling the backseat and boot (trunk) of the vehicle. Luckily Noah, Derek, Cora, Stiles, Boyd, and Jackson liked to fix up cars in their freetime together, so they had spare parts and tyres for every vehicle the pack owned. He left the tyres in a haphazard heap on the driveway, then rushed to enter the McCall house. As soon as he opened the door he was greeted with the sight of Derek, Boyd and Scott carrying an ashen and bloodied McCall. Melissa stood behind them, watching their movements with trepidation.

"Need a hand?" Danny offered immediately.

"Just keep the door open for us, then open the car door when we get there." Derek requested. He and his beta's could easily handle the man's weight, and he didn't want to risk making things worse by moving Rafael more than necessary.

Danny easily complied and soon enough, he was back in the driver's seat, with Melissa in the front passenger seat, and Rafael lying across the back seat. With a nod from Derek, Danny started the car and drove to the hospital.

"I'll get started on changing the tyres." Boyd offered, wanting to do something that would distract him from worrying about Stiles.

"I'll go check on Malia and Kira." Scott stated, then rushed back into the house to do so.

Derek decided to help Boyd with changing the tyres on the bikes and Melissa's cars. They didn't have the correct tyres for Rafael's car. How unfortunate. Sure, they had four tyres that would fit, but they weren't the same make or tread, and that just wouldn't do now, would it? Not on an FBI agent's car.

Within ten minutes, they had completed their task and went back inside the house.

Neither Kira nor Malia were back on their feet just yet, but both were looking far more alert. Scott was feeding Kira bits of a sandwich. All three heads turned towards Derek and Boyd when they walked in.

"What's the plan?" Scott asked the alpha quickly.

"You have a choice, Scott, you can either come with me to continue searching for Stiles, go to the hospital to check on your dad, or head back to the house and help Malia and Kira to recover." Derek told him, letting Scott decide for himself. "Boyd, I need you to drive Kira and Malia back to our house in Melissa's car. Then just relax until you have to go to work." Derek ordered easily. He wanted to order Scott to relax too, but with his dad injured and his best friend missing, there was no hope of that.

"I can help look for Stiles." Boyd offered immediately. "I have a few hours before I start work."

"I know, but honestly, I'm just going out to search for him so that I don't go crazy." Derek confessed after a moment of hesitation. He knew his Pack wouldn't judge him. "If Stiles doesn't want to be found then we won't find him. We're all been searching town for him all day and found nothing."

Scott nodded in agreement with Derek's words. "Stiles always wins at hide and seek. One time, he hid in the chimney and we only found him because after six hours of searching in and out of the house we were all cold and tired, so decided to light a fire to warm up and Stiles started screaming as soon as he saw the first spark." Scott recounted with a chuckle, Boyd and Derek bit back chuckles of their own at the memory.

"A kid with ADHD managed to hide in a chimney for six hours?" Kira asked, she was speaking slowly and her voice was quieter, but she still managed to sound impressed. Apparently Malia agreed.

"Impressive." The coyote commented with a small nod.

"He wasn't a kid." Boyd informed the pair with a small smirk.

"This happened in June." Scott added while sporting a similar smirk.

"You lit a fire in the summer?" Malia asked incredulously.

"Yeah, but in our defence, the house gets drafty and it was unusually cold and windy day for June."

"July." Derek corrected.

"Right, July. June's Game Day game was Chess." Scott recalled with a slight grimace. "I lost so bad."

"Chess?" Malia repeated with a raised eyebrow. "And can one of you please make me another sandwich?" She asked, once it was on the plate, she could sit up and grab it and easily feed herself, but she didn't have the energy to get up and make the sandwich just yet. "If you don't have any deer left, cheese is fine."

"I have enough deer for four more sandwiches for you," Scott told her with a smile, as the coyote licked her lips, Scott turned to look at Derek, "Wait a few minutes, I'm coming with you to look for Stiles. You shouldn't go alone with the nogitsune out there."

"Okay," Derek agreed easily with a nod, "I'll help you make the sandwiches." He told the beta, they'd be able to leave sooner if he helped.

While Scott and Derek walked to the kitchen, Boyd answered Malia's one word question.

"Ever since May, each month we have a 'Games Day' where we all write the name of a game down on a sheet of paper, put it in a bowl, and one of the human parents, usually the sheriff or Melissa, will pick out the game for us." Boyd explained. "Depending on the game pulled, one game could last all day, or be over in a few minutes, or hours. So sometimes, we play multiple games in one day. The only rules regarding the games is that it can't be anything above a PG-13 rating."

"Derek's shy." Scott commented in a stage whisper, because Isaac, Stiles, Erica, and Jackson weren't there to do so, as he walked back into the living room holding a plate of four sandwitches.

Derek sent the beta an unimpressed glare as he followed, both over the comment and the fact that he wanted to be the one to take the food to Malia.

"The only person in this pack that I want to kiss, or see undressed outside of training and full moons, is Stiles." Derek told them firmly.

One time the game '7 minutes in heaven' was pulled, which Erica proudly confessed to being responsible for. Derek had pulled the Alpha card and insisted on a redraw, though he did offer to let her put another game in the bowl. When the game 'Strip poker' was pulled next, and Erica honestly denied responsibility for it, Derek demanded that they destroy the current votes and go again. He warned that if anybody suggested a game that involved kissing, stripping, or any kind of sexual or romantic activity, they would be put on laundry duty for the entire pack for a month. They ended up playing Mario Kart all day.

"Anyway," Derek said, after a few seconds had passed in silence. "I'm gonna go look for Stiles now."

"I'm going with you." Scott reminded him quickly. "Let me just help get Kira and Malia in the car."

"Nah, I got it." Boyd assured him with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Besides, I think they could both use a little longer to recover."

"He's right." Malia agreed. "I'm not ready to be in a moving vehicle right now. I just wanna lay here and eat my deer sandwiches."

"Me too." Kira told him with a weak smile. "Minus the deer part."

"Okay then. Text me if you need anything." Scott told the three of them before turning his attention back to Derek. "Are we taking the bikes or running?"

"I'm shifting into my wolf form, you c-"

"Awesome, then I will too." Scott declared with a large grin, already removing his jacket and shirt. He quickly turned and began to jog up the stairs. "I'm just gonna put my clothes in my room. My mom gets mad when I leave 'em on the floor downstairs." By the time he had finished speaking, Scott was in his bedroom. Of course Derek, Boyd and Malia could still hear him clearly. Kira could just make out what he was saying, although it was rather muffled thanks to the distance and walls between them.

"You know it's risky leaving your house as a wolf, right?" Derek asked rhetorically in an exasperated tone. "One of your neighbours will notice eventually."

"I'll just tell them that I fed a stray wolf once and it keeps coming back." Scott stated as he reappeared at the top of the stairs clad only in his boxers. "And we have that treaty with the hunters council that means that they can't touch us unless we hurt someone, right?" Scott continued as he jogged down the stairs.

"We've dealt with rogue hunters before." Derek reminded him, "You really need to be more careful."

"If anything happens, mum and I can just move this house to the property, like Boyd and Erica's parents." Scott suggested without thinking. Immediately, there was a tearing sound as Derek's clothes were shredded and a large black wolf remained in his place.

The alpha gave Scott an expectant look, then trotted out of the house. Scott sighed and turned to Boyd.

"He's gonna come to my house in wolf form every day until mum and I move to the property now, isn't he?"

"Absolutely."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After a long afternoon of sitting in the hospital doing nothing, Jackson was eager to go home. Melissa had left the hospital an hour ago, but she had asked Jackson to wait until the creatures had been to mark Kira and Malia, just in case something went wrong. Danny called him thirty minutes before to say that he could leave because Malia and Kira were fine, although he added that he was currently on his way to the hospital with Scott's parents because his dad had shown up and shot at one of the oni, and gotten sliced with a sword for his efforts.

As he pulled up outside his home, in his damaged Porsche, Jackson felt something intensely. Something he couldn't quite name. He didn't care about damaging the vehicle further as he threw the door towards the treeline and climbed out. He marched towards the house and quickly made his way to the living room. Sitting around the room in varying states of distress were Erica, Cora, Ethan, Aidan and Peter.

"Danny called me on his way to the hospital, McCall was attacked by the creatures," He announced with a mask of indifference painted onto his face. "Got sliced straight through."

"Scott or Melissa?" Cora demanded, worry sparkling in her eyes as she leant forward in her seat.

"Neither, Scott's dad showed up," Jackson amended, and Cora immediately relaxed.

"Oh, that's fine." She sighed in relief, then shot the blonde a heated glare. "Don't make me worry like that, Jackass."

"Sorry," Jackson replied unapologetically as he rolled his eyes. "But we have bigger problems, Stiles is still out there."

"So what are we gonna do about it?" Aidan asked, a low growl edging his voice.

"Despite my complicitness in allowing you all to search for Stiles earlier," Peter began, immediately drawing glares from the teenagers. "I truly believe that the best course of action would be to stay here in case Stiles comes back."

"Are you kidding me?" Cora growled, "He's out there, losing his mind and-"

"And if he returns to find only myself or others he has had issues with in the past, in his home, where he is supposed to feel safest," Peter replied smoothly, and Cora's glare grew a little less intense as she understood the point he was trying to make. "He could be driven to a... shall we say 'episode'?"

"So what do you suggest we do?" Erica growled as she glared at Peter with glowing eyes. She could see the logic in his statement, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Stay here, make sure you're ready to comfort him if he's not himself." Peter told them calmly. "That's the best thing you can do for him right now."

"Maybe we shouldn't be here." Aidan reluctantly stated as he gestured to himself and Ethan. "After what we did-"

"Even if he's in a state where he doesn't trust you, he's always trusted us," Cora reminded him easily and confidently. "We'll be able to talk him down."

"He hasn't always trusted me," Jackson said bitterly, he didn't mean to say it but he was upset and self deprecating. "I used to bully him, for no fucking reason. I made his life Hell since the third freaking grade, when he got a crush on Lydia, all because I had a crush on her too."

"Yeah, you used to be a dick, but you got better," Erica pointed out in a comforting, yet slightly patronising, tone. "That's what's important."

"Thanks," Jackson drawled dryly.

"You're welcome."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek was running through the streets of Beacon Hills with Scott just in front of him. While Derek was mildly concerned about them being seen, he was more focused on the trace of Stiles' scent they had caught. It was the first hint of his scent outside of their home and the places Lydia had taken him, so Derek had latched onto that trace the moment it hit his nose.

It was currently leading them towards the school and although Derek wanted to run at full speed to get to his mate faster, he didn't want to leave Scott behind. Stiles would want Derek to protect their pack first and foremost.

When he and Scott did arrive at the school, they saw Lydia and Danny in the parking lot. Upon seeing them, Scott and Derek both shifted back into human form, uncaring of their lack of clothing, and approached the pair.

"What's going on?" Derek asked immediately, his eyes flickering between the pair, the tools they held, and the bag of grout by their feet.

"We're filling in the carving that Stiles left here." Lydia told him, her tone was casual but the look in her eyes told them both that it was serious. "We didn't want the rest of the pack to know."

Scott immediately began to study the ground, but they had covered most of it, only the letters O and W were still remaining.

"She didn't want the rest of the pack to know," Danny corrected through gritted teeth. "It's not good, Derek."

"What did it say?" Scott asked urgently. "Was it like the message at the loft?"

"No," Danny stated gravely, "It was worse."

"What did it say?" Derek demanded with a growl, his eyes glowing against his will.

"It said 'I helped Barrow'." Lydia confessed with a frown, "And Stiles was definitely the one who left it."

"How can you be sure?" Scott demanded with furrowed brows, sparing a glance towards Danny. They were supposed to be keeping Derek's theory quiet and letting the others believe Noah's theory for the time being, and Lydia was here planting the seeds of doubt in their resident hacker. "Did you see him on camera or something?"

"He signed it with a triskele," Danny informed the beta, "and the letters MS."

"His real initials," Scott realised, "This is bad."

"Wait, you know his real name?" Danny asked with wide eyes and an excited grin on his face despite the circumstances.

"We've been best friends for over a decade, of course I know his real name!" Scott reminded the other teen with an incredulous expression. "Well, I can spell it, but I can't pronounce it."

"What is it?" Danny asked curiously. He'd been curious for a while, but Stiles refused to tell him, or anybody in the Pack. Danny had considered hacking the school or hospital records in order to find out, but that was too easy. It was a running game in the Pack to try to steal Stiles driver's licence, birth certificate, etc. and try to find out, but Stiles was too good. Sure asking Scott might seem like an 'easy' path too, but Danny already knew that he wouldn't get his answer here.

Scott could be surprisingly good at keeping secrets when he wanted to, despite being a rather bad liar.

"No way am I telling you." Scott replied with a roll of his eyes. He had vowed to take that secret to his grave after he found out during a trip to the hospital together when they were nine. There was an incident involving skateboards, a dog, and ice cream cones. Don't ask.

"Derek?" Lydia called out, distracting the pair from their conversation and drawing their attention to the silent alpha.

Derek had been trapped in his mind since he heard the message that Stiles had carved. The first thing that came to mind was the other two messages that Stiles had left for them, the one painted in the loft was also signed with a triskele, but the one carved in the parking lot in that building hadn't been. That immediately sent off alarm bells in Derek's mind. Another thing to consider was the way the messages had been written, two had used full words, but the other had used acronyms and numbers. Sure, carving 'Claudia Stilinski' and 'Frontotemporal dementia' would have taken a lot more time and effort, but that had never stopped Stiles before. Not when it was something he deemed important, at least.

Derek also vaguely registered that Danny was now aware that there was more to the situation than Derek had told them, but that wasn't the most pressing issue just then. Derek wasn't able to dwell for too long before Lydia drew him out of his thoughts.

"Are you okay?" The banshee asked cautiously, locking eyes with the alpha as she awaited his response.

"I'm fine," Derek replied unconvincingly as he shifted from one foot to the other. He was suddenly painfully aware of the fact that he was naked, and felt uncharacteristically uncomfortable with that fact. He felt exposed in a way he never had before, maybe it was the way the three teens looked at him in concern, or the way Lydia was looking into his eyes like she was reading his very soul. Whatever it was, Derek didn't like it. "Finish with this, then go home." Derek instructed firmly, then elaborated before any confusion could occur, "Our home, wait there until I get back. Scott, look after them."

"What? No, I'm coming with you." Scott protested immediately, and Derek couldn't keep the growl from escaping his lips.

"Scott," Derek began, his eyes glowed as he instinctively did something he'd vowed never to do outside of a life or death situation; he used his apha command on his beta. "Stay with Lydia and Danny, protect them and then take them home and stay there until I get back."

Scott found himself nodding in agreement despite himself. Before his actions even registered in his brain, Derek shifted back into wolf form and ran off.

As they watched him go, the three teens felt a heaviness weigh on them.

"Fuck." Lydia muttered, drawing surprised looks from the two boys.

"Two curses in one day?" Scott asked, slack-jawed as he stared at the banshee in surprise. "Who are you and what have you done to Lydia Martin?"

"Can you think of a better word to summarise this whole situation?" Lydia asked rhetorically as she raised an eyebrow. Of course, Lydia herself could think of several, non-cuss, words that could fit the mess of a situation they were dealing with quite well, but she knew that Scott wouldn't. Besides, she was rather stressed and cussing was quite cathartic.

"Fair," Scott conceded with a nod. "It's just not like you."

"Something tells me that by the time all of this is over," Lydia began in a grave tone, all mirth gone as violent images flooded her brain. "None of us will be who we were before."

There was a beat of silence as Scott and Danny absorbed her words. Much to their dismay, neither of them could honestly say that they felt differently.

"Come on," Danny said suddenly, adjusting the tool in his hand and he nodded towards the bag of grout. "Let's get this finished, we need to go home."

Scott and Lydia shared another look of concern before they both moved to finish filling in the carvings.

Notes:

Whoo, finally. Sorry for the delay and how slow things are moving at the moment, but I really wanted to take this chapter to reflect on Pack relations and how the Nogitsunes' preliminary tricks are affecting the Pack. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter as I lost my original draft. However, I'm happy enough to publish it, and I hope that you guys enjoy it!

Chapter 33: Riddles and Chaos

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The search for Stiles ends.

Notes:

What? Nothing for 3 or 4 years, then two in the same month? I'm not going to jinx it by promising anything, I'm just posting before I overthink it and sit on this chapter for 4 more years. Sorry it's not the most creative chapter, I contemplated just brushing over these two episodes and only including the original scenes but it didn't flow right so I wrote out the actual scenes. I hope it's enjoyable anyway.

The Hale Pack: Riddles and Chaos

Scott and Lydia shared another look of concern before they both moved to finish filling in the carvings.

Jake Reyes had just left the gas station on his way home from work, he was driving past the power station when he saw him: Stiles.

A smile broke out on the man's face as he drove closer to the teen and began to pull up next to him.

'Stiles' startled as the car grew closer, he began to back away with a fearful expression on his face until Jake rolled down the window.

"Stiles, hey," The man greeted gently as the car came to a stop, "Are you okay?"

"Mr. Reyes?" 'Stiles' asked cautiously, he squinted at the vehicle and slowly stepped closer.

"Yeah kid, where have you been? Your dad has been worried sick about you." Jake told the teen gently. He watched Stiles' expressions carefully and took note of the guilt and concern he saw there.

"I-I don't- I just- I don't know, I-" Stiles stammered as tears pooled in his eyes. "I was- I was at the school, I was with- I was with Scott and we- I thought we- but he said and I- I just-"

"Hey, hey, kiddo, calm down," Jake reassured the boy as best he could. He didn't know whether he should get out of the car or not. Hayley was the best at comforting people, Jake offered comic relief and offered to beat people up, despite having never been in a fight once in his life. "Why don't you get in the car? I'll take you to your dad and we'll figure all of this out. Okay?"

"O-okay," Stiles agreed shakily as he began to walk around the car towards the passenger side.

"Okay," Jake sighed in relief. He considered letting the others know, but he had read the texts about Scott finding Stiles earlier only for Stiles to freak out and run off when Derek called and decided against it.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Danny, Lydia, and Scott returned to the hale house to find the majority of the pack there already, and Chris was telling them all about the Nogitsune.

Lydia and Danny made their way to the couch while Allison and Isaac immediately flocked to their mate and silently apologised for being unable to stop Chris from telling the others without tipping him off. Scott just smiled reassuringly and sent them a look to say it wasn't him they should worry about. Derek was the one who wanted to keep it a secret. The trio then joined the others on the couch to listen to information they already knew.

Not everyone was there. Kira had been dropped off at home by eleven, as ordered, and Boyd had gone to work. Melissa and Noah were both working overnight, and Derek was still out searching for Stiles.

So it was Victoria, Henry, Hayley (Erica's mum), Riachard and Sheila (Boyd's parents), and Peter out of the adults, and the teens present were Scott, Allison, Isaac, Malia, Cora, Erica, Ethan, Aidan, Danny, Lydia, and Jackson.

As soon as Chris finished explaining, the questions began.

"So, they're only here to kill this Nogitsune then they'll leave?" Henry asked for confirmation. His head was still stuck on 'dementia' not 'possession' even with the introduction of the Nogitsune, so he didn't suspect for a second that Stiles was the target.

"Yes," Chris answered confidently.

"How do we find the Nogitsune?" Cora asked. Upon learning of the creature, she immediately suspected that Stiles was the one possessed by the Nogitsune, and that the FTD was a trick, so she needed to know how to save him.

"From what Katashi said, that's the last thing we want," Chris replied bluntly, also too blinded by the dementia theory to see the truth. "Our best bet is to let the Oni kill it and hope it doesn't target us before they do."

"But killing it means killing whoever it's possessing, right?" Erica asked for confirmation, on the same train of thought as her mate.

"Yes."

"What if it's one of us?" Cora prompted. "We have to save the host."

"The Oni already checked all of you," Chris reminded her naively. He'd blame it on the stress of everything (including his sister's resurrection) when he figured it out. "I know you want to protect people but this thing is ancient and dangerous, and we're all better off staying out of it's way."

"What if it doesn't give us a choice?" Aidan challenged.

"Then we better hope the Oni kills it soon." Chris stated. That time he noticed the looks on his daughter's face. With a frown, he looked around and saw similar looks on her mates' faces, along with a few others.

Chris realised they had figured out something that he hadn't. It took a second, then it clicked.

Chris' frown deepened as he realised that they thought Stiles was the Nogitsune and worse, he could see the merit in their theory. He looked at the other parents in turn and realised that most of them hadn't put the pieces together yet, and he wasn't sure if he should make a big deal of it. After all, confronting the teens on the theory would only convince them that it was real. It probably was, but Chris wanted time to formulate his own plan before he roped in the pack.

"Can't you kids stay out of trouble?" Hayley pleaded when she also noticed the looks. "Just this once?"

"Mum, c'mon," Erica drawled. "You should know by now that trouble finds us whether we go looking for it or not."

Hayley opened her mouth to respond, only to change her words when her daughter gasped in pain.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she shot up and made her way to her daughter.

"Dad." Erica declared with glowing eyes, feeling his pain through the pack bonds. "Something's wrong with dad."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The wolves took off running and found Jake's car at the edge of the preserve. He had crashed into a tree and was unconscious behind the wheel.

"Dad!" Erica cried out when she saw him. She lost control of her strength and ripped the door off the car in her haste to get to him.

"Be careful," Scott cautioned when she moved to get him out. "If he has a head or spinal injury, moving him wrong could make it worse. Mum's pretty serious about that. The ambulance is on the way, we should let them do it."

"You want me to just sit here and do nothing?" Erica growled as Scott and the others grew closer.

"We can take his pain, try to wake him and see if he remembers anything. I'm just saying we shouldn't move him." Scott corrected patiently as he approached. He then came to a stop next to her and crouched down so he was level with her unconscious father. "May I?"

Erica nodded, and Scott reached out to take the man's pain. Jake sighed in relief, then he gasped and his eyes shot open.

"Dad?" Erica began as she shoved Scott out of the way. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Stiles." Jake groaned.

"Stiles did this to you?"

"He was here," Jake corrected. "I found him and I was bringing him home, then one of those ninja things appeared in the road."

"The Oni?" Scott asked for confirmation, and Jake nodded in confirmation.

"I swerved to avoid it and hit the tree. Then Stiles was gone. I don't know where he went. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Erica assured him. "There's an ambulance on the way, okay? Just try to relax until they get here."

"I'm fine, I don't need an ambulance." Jake insisted stubbornly.

"You're bleeding." Erica argued incredulously. "If I have to go to the hospital for every wolfsbane incident, you definitely have to go after a car accident."

"I'm the parent here." Jake argued as he undid his seatbelt, but was stopped by Erica and Scott when he tried to get out of the car. "I'm fine."

"Mum's almost here," Erica announced, easily hearing her mother's care less than a minute away. "We'll let her decide if you're going or not."

"Dammit." Jake muttered, knowing his wife would insist he get checked up.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Once Jake was on his way to the hospital, with Hayley and Erica following the ambulance in the car, Cora turned to her remaining pack mates.

"There's no trail for Stiles' scent. It's like he never left the car." The born-wolf declared.

"Well, there's no point in running around aimlessly," Lydia stated sternly. "We've lost enough sleep the last few nights, with the pranks, Barrow, and the party. We need to rest before we become useless zombies. I vote we all go to our respective homes for if Stiles becomes lucid and goes somewhere familiar for help."

Not everyone liked that plan but nobody had any better ideas, so they all agreed.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Later that night, Scott and Isaac were asleep in bed at the McCall house. Allison wasn't there because her parents wanted her at home, but she insisted the pair take advantage of Melissa's offer to let them stay over while Stiles was missing.

Melissa was working that night and didn't want Scott to be alone. She suggested they stay at the pack house, but Scott insisted on staying home in case Stiles came in through the window, like he was so fond of.

Scott was pulled from his slumber by the sound of his phone buzzing.

His breath caught in his throat when he looked at the screen and saw that it was Stiles calling.

But was it really Stiles?

There was only one way to find out.

"Hey, man, what's up?" He greeted as casually as he could. No response came. "Stiles?" He tried again but all he heard was static and Stiles breathing shakily. "Stiles, you there?"

"Scott?" Stiles asked, sounding utterly terrified. Scott immediately sat up, making Isaac's head fall from his shoulder to the pillow, but the curly haired beta didn't wake.

"Hey, yeah, I'm here." Scott assured him, in case it really was Stiles on the other end. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Scott, I don't I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here. I think I was sleepwalking." 'Stiles' replied and while he sounded truly terrified, Scott's gut told him not to trust it.

He didn't, but he still played along just in case.

"Okay, um, can you see anything? Just tell me what you see."

"Ah, it's dark. It's hard to see. I think there's something wrong with my-" Stiles explained only for the call to come to an abrupt end.

Scott was confused at first and only realised what had happened when he looked at his phone and saw Stiles' face smiling at him.

He got out of bed (so he wouldn't disturb Isaas) and tried calling back.

"Hey," Stiles' voice sounded almost immediately.

"Stiles?" Scott began, thinking he had gotten through to his best friend, but the voice continued before he could say anything else.

"This is Stiles and you missed me. Leave a message." Right. Voicemail. The lack of ringing should have been a tip off.

He began to pace as he tried again.

"Come on." Scott muttered as he tried calling again.

"Hey, this is St-" The voicemail began and Scott quickly hung up to try again. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm himself as he called again.

"God, come on. Come on." He muttered as he paced.

After another failed attempt, Stiles' contact picture was finally covered by the incoming call screen.

"Stiles?" Scott asked hopefully.

"Scott, I don't think I can get out of here. I can't move." Stiles' voice sounded worried, but the words immediately made Scott think it was a trap.

"Where are you?" Scott asked anyway. Trap or not, Nogitsune or not, Scott would not leave his best friend out there alone.

"I don't know. I don't know, It's too dark. I can't see much and something's wrong with my leg. It's stuck on something. And it's- I think it's bleeding." Stiles told him but Scott wasn't as worried as he thought he should have been.

"How bad? Stiles, how bad is it?" Scott asked, but Stiles didn't reply. "Stiles, are you there? Can you hear me?"

"Ah, there's some kind of smell down here. Something smells terrible. It's brutal. My eyes are watering."

"Okay, listen. I'm calling your dad." Scott stated. His second call would be to Derek, but he didn't get the chance to say that before Stiles began to protest.

"No, no, no, no, don't." Stiles protested tearfully.

"But your dad-" Scott tried, only to be cut off by 'Stiles'.

"Don't. Just please don't call him. Promise you won't. He already worries about me too much. Scott, please." Stiles begged, and Scott began to wonder if it really was the Nogitsune, or if maybe Stiles had broken free for a moment of control and used said moment to call him. There was only one way to know for sure.

"Then I'll call Derek." Scott stated. It was a simple test; if he refused Derek's help, it wasn't Stiles. If he encouraged Scott to call Derek, it was Stiles. Easy Peasy.

"No, no, no, no, he'll tell my dad," Stiles stammered, sounding terrified. "He always tells my dad. You can't tell him either." Damn, that was a good argument and very Stiles, so Scott deemed his 'easy peasy' test inconclusive.

"But what if I can't find you? Stiles, I can't make a promise like that." Scott protested, terrified of being the reason Stiles didn't come home.

"No, no, no, just please." Stiles begged through his sobs. "Please, don't call him. Come find me. You can do it. He doesn't have to know. Scott, you can find me."

"I don't know if I can do this." Scott admitted.

"Oh, I gotta call you back. I have to turn the phone off." Stiles told him, and Scott could've sworn his heart stopped at those words.

"What? No, hey, wait-"

"I'm gonna call you back."

"Hold on, Stiles, wait. Hold on, man." He begged but it was too late, Stiles had already hung up.

Scott took a moment to think over his options.

He could go against maybe-Stiles' orders and tell Derek and the sheriff anyway, or he could obey and search alone.

Wait, maybe-Stiles only said not to tell Derek or Noah, but Scott knew someone who would help and keep it a secret. Someone who was conveniently sleeping in his bed.

"Isaac!" He began while nudging his mate's shoulder. "Isaac, get up! I need your help! Isaac!"

"What?" Isaac grumbled as his eyes opened.

Content that his mate was awake, Scott rushed to his dresser, turned on the lamp, and began pulling out clothes to get changed.

"Why are you up? What's wrong?" Isaac inquired as he clamoured out of bed.

"It's Stiles." Scott stated as he tossed a helmet to Isaac. "Get dressed."

"Did he show up?" Isaac asked hopefully as he got out of bed.

"He called me," Scott told him. "We have to go find him."

"Find him? Are you sure? I mean… Was it really him?" Isaac asked with a concerned frown as he pulled a pair of jeans out of the closet.

"I don't know." Scott confessed.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Meanwhile, at the high school, Jackson and Lydia were in the art room, with music playing on the stereo as Lydia drew on a canvas and Jackson posed for her.

Well, he tried to but found it hard to stay in one position for so long. His neck was getting stiff so he rolled his head in an attempt to relieve it.

"I said hold still." Lydia ordered.

"Are we even allowed to be here this late? What if security catches us?" Jackson tried, too distracted by discomfort to notice the glaring hole in his argument. But Lydia noticed and was quick to point it out.

"There is no security. The number of homicides in this school has seen to it that no sane person will ever take a night job here again." Lydia reminded him casually

"So we're all alone?" Jackson asked flirtatiously as he relaxed a little, needing a break from the rigid pose.

"You're losing the pose again." Lydia playfully chastised.

"You know, when you said you wanted me to model for you, this wasn't what I thought you had in mind." Jackson admitted. Lydia smiled for a second, then put on a thoughtful expression.

"Oh, really?" She teased as Jackson took off his shirt and tossed it away, then returned to the requested pose. "If you're thinking nude modelling, it's usually done without the pants." She faux-whispered while pointing with her pencil.

She then returned her eyes to the canvas and continued drawing, only for her eyes to go wide when she heard the familiar sound of a zipper being undone.

Seconds later, a pair of jeans brushed against her shoulder and flew to the ground behind her.

"If I wanted you naked, I would have asked to do this at the house," Lydia told him pointedly, barely holding back her smile.

"Well, that's disappointing." Jackson teased as he reached for the waistband of his boxers.

Lydia's quip died on her tongue when the music stopped.

A familiar sensation overcame her and she rose to her feet, sending her stool crashing to the floor.

"You hear that?" Lydia asked.

"I hear music. What do you hear?" Jackson asked in concern, immediately recognising that her abilities were at play.

"Voices." Lydia stated.

It was mostly incoherent whispering, but then a familiar voice stood out amongst the rest.

"Please, come find me." Stiles' terrified voice begged.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Isaac were sneaking through the secret passageways in the Hale House when Scott's phone rang again.

Upon seeing that it was Stiles calling, he quickly answered and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Stiles." Scott began, as Isaac leaned closer to listen.

"Did you call him? Did you call my dad?" Stiles asked in a shaky whisper.

"No. Just Isaac. We're coming to find you." He paused to see if Stiles would protest him getting any help but it never came so he continued. "Can you figure out where you are? Try to find something and tell us where to look."

"It's a basement. I think- I think I'm in some kind of basement." Stiles stammered, still in a whisper.

"In a house?" Scott asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"No. It looks bigger. Like industrial. I think there's a furnace. But it's cold. It's freezing down here. I gotta turn the- I gotta turn the phone off. It's going to die." Stiles rambled.

"Wait, wait, wait." Scott pleaded, desperate for more information before he rushed into anything. "What else is there? What do you see?"

"The phone's dying. I can't talk. I have to go." Stiles insisted in the same hushed voice as before.

Then something occurred to Scott.

"Stiles, why are you whispering?" He asked warily.

"Because I think there's someone in here with me."

A week prior, those words would have been a big cause for concern to the mates, but that night was different.

Scott and Isaac shared a look, both suspecting that the 'someone' maybe-Stiles was referring to was the Nogitsune possessing him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Kira was in her bedroom, lounging in bed on her stomach. She was reading but her eyes were getting tired, so she reached for her lamp and hit the switch but nothing happened.

"Mum, my lamp's dead. Do we have any more bulbs?" She called out while fiddling with the lamp shade. "Mum!"

She took the shade off, revealing the bulb, and she reached out to remove it, only for the bulb to buzz and light up when her fingers grew close.

She pulled her hand back, startled. Then curiosity took over and she decided to try again, intrigued by her power. Curious about what she was truly capable of.

After being scanned and marked by the Oni, she was no longer afraid of herself, and she wanted to know more.

It wasn't a fluke, the bulb sparked to life as her fingers grew closer, and grew brighter when she touched it, fueled by the tiny sparks of electricity shooting from her fingertips.

Then it shattered, overloaded by her power.

Kira's bedroom door opened and her mother walked in, holding a new bulb.

"What did you do?" Noshiko demanded immediately as she eyed her daughter suspiciously.

"Uh, nothing. It was an accident." Kira replied as she moved to get a better look at the shards.

"It's after midnight. You should be asleep." Noshiko stated as she approached to change the bulb, prompting Kira to sit back down.

When she put the new bulb in place, Noshiko noticed it hum and spark in an unnatural way. She glanced at Kira and noticed the guilty and fearful expression on her face, so quickly looked away. She suspected that Kira was coming into her power but she didn't ask, simply waited for her daughter to bring it up first.

She chose not to say anything, simply screwed in the new bulb until it lit up fully.

"Go to sleep." She ordered, then stood up and left the room, silently closing the door behind her.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Isaac entered Stiles and Derek's closet from the tunnels and paused to listen for the alpha's heartbeat before they started grabbing clothes.

They were surprised when they discovered that not only were two heartbeats coming from within the room, but neither of them were Derek's.

They exchanged a look then exited the closet to find Jackson and Lydia searching the room.

"How did you know? Did he call you too?" Scott asked.

"I heard it." Lydia informed him.

"Oh, okay." Scott nodded, and he couldn't help but be disappointed. If Stiles had called Lydia too, Scott could get away with telling more people, but that wasn't the case.

"We found this." Lydia stated as she held up a loose piece of red string. "He uses red for unsolved cases, I'm gonna check the library for any hint of what case is stuck in his head and what it has to do with him."

"Maybe he thinks he's part of an unsolved case?" Jackson suggested.

"Or is an unsolved case." Isaac chimed in as he looked around the room.

"Hold on." Lydia began when she realised that, while Scott said Stiles had called him, he never said he saw Stiles. "Is he still out there? You don't know where he is?"

"He said he was in an industrial basement somewhere." Scott informed her with a frown.

"We came here to get a better scent." Isaac added.

"What else did he say?" Lydia asked, fearing for her male best friend's wellbeing.

"Something's wrong with his leg. It's bleeding." Scott told her, letting his concern show.

"And he's freezing." Isaac helpfully provided.

"Tonight's the coldest night of the year. It's going to drop into the 20's." Jackson declared, without hiding his own concern. He was still under the belief that Stiles was sick, and that made him a different kind of concerned. "Even for us, it'll be bad, especially if he can't shift. And didn't you say he was still wearing what he wore to the party when you saw him?"

"Yeah, and they were all torn up," Scott confirmed, his frown deepening. "Now that I think about it, I don't think he was wearing shoes. I'm not sure though, I only saw his feet when he jumped out of the window."

"So, not only is he injured, trapped, and freezing, but he's probably been walking around barefoot?" Jackson asked rhetorically. "Fantastic."

"What did his dad say?" Lydia asked. "Does Derek know?"

"We kind of…" Scott squirmed uncomfortably. "We didn't tell them yet."

"Stiles is bleeding and freezing and you didn't call his dad?" Lydia demanded, letting her outrage show. Not telling his overprotective boyfriend she could forgive, but his father? No way.

"He made me promise not to." Scott defended feebly. "We can find him by scent." He continued, and Lydia had to close her eyes and take a deep breath so she wouldn't blow up at him. "If he was sleepwalking he couldn't have gotten far, right?"

"You didn't notice his Jeep is gone, did you?" Jackson asked rhetorically, causing Scott to look ashamed.

"You promised you wouldn't call his dad. I didn't." Lydia declared as she pulled out her phone to do just that.

"Wait, Lydia, hold on. I can get more help." Scott insisted, eager to keep his promise just in case he made it to the real Stiles. "We can wake up everyone who's home, I can call Allison-"

"Everyone except for the cops. Great idea." Lydia declared sarcastically.

"What about Derek?" Isaac asked. "Shouldn't we consider telling him before the sheriff?"

"I still have his phone from when he shifted earlier," Lydia confessed self-deprecatingly. "It has to be his dad."

"But-" Scott was ready to protest again but didn't get the chance to finish his sentence.

"You guys remember she gets these feelings when someone's about to die, right?" Jackson snapped, and Scott finally came to his senses.

"You don't have to call his dad. It's a five minute run to the station in wolf form." Scott declared, then he and Isaac turned to leave.

Jackson moved to follow them, but Lydia reached out a hand to stop him.

"We'll catch up." She declared, and Isaac and Scott looked back at her.

"What? Why?" Scott asked in concern.

"There's something here. In the library," She stated confidently as she held up the red string again.

"You okay going to the bunker alone while I wake the others?" Jackson asked, fully prepared to make Scott and Isaac wake them if she said she wanted him with her.

"Yeah," Lydia nodded without hesitation, then returned her attention to Scott and Isaac, who were still hovering by the door. "Go. We'll be right behind you."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek was running through the streets of Beacon Hills in wolf form, trying to catch his mate's scent.

He had been for five hours straight, since he left Scott, Lydia and Danny filling in Stiles' message. He was exhausted but he couldn't stop, not when the oni were out to kill his mate. As long as the sun was down, they were free to hunt him, so Derek intended to search until the sun came up. Even if the being he ended up protecting was the fox possessing his mate.

Killing the creature meant killing Stiles and Derek couldn't allow that to happen. He wouldn't allow it to happen.

He would protect Stiles even if it meant dying in his place.

He was determined and focused as he ran through town, then he finally caught a scent trail to follow. Not Stiles' scent, but his jeep's.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Noah Stilinski was nearly in tears when Scott told him what was going on.

However, he couldn't break down in front of the two teenagers, so he took a moment to compose himself before looking at Scott.

"Come on. If his Jeep is gone, that's where we start." Noah declared, then turned his attention to his deputy. "Parrish, let's get an APB out on a blue 1980 CJ-5 Jeep." He ordered, then turned to another deputy. "Cordova, I want a list of any kind of industrial basement or sub-level of any building that he could've gotten into while sleepwalking." He ordered and the man nodded. He then turned to look around the room at the other deputies working that night. "It's the coldest night of the year so far. So If he's out there barefoot in just a T-shirt, he could already be hypothermic. Let's move fast. Let's think fast." Noah ordered. Parrish nodded and immediately got to work.

"Have you told Derek yet?" Tara called out to Scott and Isaac. "Or any of the pack?"

"Lydia knew he was missing." Scott replied carefully, purposefully only answering the second question.

"Can she help find him?" Noah asked, like Scott, he momentarily forgot that Lydia's power wasn't to find people, but predict their deaths.

Perhaps it was willful ignorance and denial on their parts, perhaps it was a sign, either way, Isaac didn't have the heart to point it out like Jackson had.

"Well, she's working on it." Isaac answered instead.

"Anything else?" Noah asked, hoping for something more concrete to go on.

"I called Allison for help." Scott stated, but failed to mention that she didn't answer.

"What about Derek?" Noah asked.

"He's not home and Lydia still has his phone from when he shifted earlier." Isaac told him.

"There have been a dozen calls over the last five hours of a black wolf running through the streets. I figured it was him and just kept lying and telling everyone I'd called animal control." Tara informed them. "Last spotted two blocks away, ten minutes ago, heading towards the hospital. I'll call the hospital now and tell Melissa to keep an eye out for him."

"Can you find him by scent?" Noah asked Scott, referring to Stiles.

Before Scott could answer, Parrish shot up from his desk, having gotten a hit on the APB. "We got it, sir. We found the Jeep."

The jeep was parked outside the hospital. Two police cruisers pulled up, and Scott and Noah got out of the first.

Noah immediately rushed to his son's jeep and checked inside. "It's dead. He must have left the lights on."

"Why would he come here?" Scott wondered aloud.

"Let's find out."

As Noah and his deputies rushed into the hospital, Melissa was jogging towards them.

"Security's doing sweeps of every floor. Nothing yet." She informed Noah.

"What about the basement?" He asked.

"Follow me." She said, and he obeyed.

Scott was going to follow too, but then he picked up a familiar scent and signalled to Isaac. The pair followed the scent to the roof and found their alpha there.

Derek was in human form and fully dressed, thanks to Stiles keeping spare clothes for the whole pack in the boot of his jeep.

"He's not here. Not anymore." Derek told his betas.

"You mean the whole building?" Scott asked.

"Gone." Derek declared, sounding remarkably calm given the situation. The run appeared to have done the job, and finding his mate's vehicle hadn't been as daunting as it could have been. He had a single minded focus and infinite patience.

"I'll go tell Stilinski." Isaac told his mate.

"And see if you can find Allison. She's not answering her phone." Scott requested and Isaac nodded, then gave him a soft, reassuring kiss before leaving.

Scott rushed over to Derek but the alpha didn't turn to look at him, just kept staring ahead.

"Notice how strong the scent is up here? Do you remember what I taught you about chemo signals?" The alpha asked calmly.

"Yeah."

"Take a deep breath and tell me what you feel."

Scott closed his eyes and took a deep breath, frowned, then opened his eyes again.

"Stress." Scott declared after a moment.

"And anxiety." Derek provided.

"What was he doing up here?" Scott asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

"I don't know." Derek reluctantly confessed. "But there was definitely some kind of struggle." He added, causing Scott to look at him with wide eyes.

"With who?" The beta asked with eyes wide in alarm.

"Himself." Derek answered, and Scott suddenly understood why the alpha was so calm, even if Derek didn't.

Evidence of a struggle with himself was proof that Stiles was more likely to be possessed than sick, and that meant they could help him…

If they could find him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back at the Sheriff's station, Rafael McCall was walking around with his arm in a sling, looking for someone who could give him answers on who, or rather what, attacked him.

He noticed Parrish sitting at his desk, typing away at his computer.

"Where is everyone? We get a lead on our sword-wielding maniac?" McCall asked.

"Nope." Parrish practically chirped. "But we've got posters up all over town for your guy." He added while turning his head to look at the poster in question with a smug smile tugging at his lips that he desperately fought off.

"Not exactly how I described him to the sketch artist." McCall complained as the deputy returned his attention to his computer screen.

"Well, you're not exactly the highest priority of the night, Agent McCall." Parrish informed him bluntly.

"What does that mean?" McCall asked in concern. "What's the high priority?"

Parrish hesitated, unsure if the man could be trusted or not. Ultimately, he decided that they needed as much help as they could get and told McCall about Stiles.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia was searching through the clues in the library when Jackson walked in.

"Everyone's up and getting dressed," He informed her as he strode towards her. "How's it going here?"

"Not as fast as I hoped, but I'm on the right track, I know it." She told him, her desperation seeping through. Sensing that, he hugged her from behind and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You'll figure it out, you always do. Don't rush it. If you stress yourself out, it'll take even longer. You've gotten there in time and saved people before, you can do it again. You just have to cut yourself some slack," He assured her gently.

"I know, it's just harder this time because it's not some stranger, it's Stiles." She sighed.

"I know," Jackson sympathised. "But that's exactly why you'll pull it off. Because it's Stiles."

Lydia opened her mouth to reply but, before she could get a word out, her phone pinged. She picked it up and saw that she had a text from Scott.

"Nothing at hospital. Derek headed to high school. Isaac going to find Allison." She read aloud for her mate to hear, and both were relieved to hear that Derek had turned up. "Scott's with the Sheriff."

"You want me to put on some music or grab some string?" Jackson asked as she set the phone down again.

"Why?" Lydia asked with a confused frown. For once, she had no idea what was going on in her mate's head.

"Well, earlier- or yesterday, I guess, you said plucking the string caused the whispers that lead you all over town. And the music earlier is how you heard Stiles ask for help, so I figured-" Jackson explained, only to be cut off by a passionate kiss from his mate.

"You are a genius." She complimented, and those were big words coming from an actual genius.

Like she had in the woods, Lydia took the piece of string she found and tied it to her index finger and thumb on her left hand and pulled it taut, then plucked it.

"They're whispering." She announced with a joyful smile. "Something about a house."

"What house?" Jackson pressed.

Lydia plucked the string again, then turned to look at a picture on the desk.

"That one." She announced.

"Eichen House?" Jackson asked incredulously as Malia, Cora, Ethan, and Aidan walked in.

"What's Eichen House?" Malia asked, hoping Lydia would give a clearer answer than her cousin did.

"A mental health centre." Lydia informed her. "It's where William Barrow, the shrapnel bomber, was committed."

"Is that it?" Cora asked sharply.

"That's where he is." Lydia declared confidently. "That's where Stiles is."

"Then let's go." Malia declared.

"No, just me and Jackson," Lydia demanded firmly. "You can meet us at the hospital, but if you came to find him, he could get spooked and run away again, like he did when Derek called Scott earlier."

"Promise you'll take him straight to the hospital." Cora ordered with a glare.

"I promise." Lydia vowed without hesitation.

"Fine, but if it takes more than an hour, I'll cut your hair with my claws while you sleep." Cora threatened.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Noah pulled up outside Eichen House with Scott to find Lydia already there with Jackson, staring at the gate.

"Lydia, I don't want to say 'Are you sure about this' but-" Noah began carefully, only to be cut off by the redheaded teen.

"No, he's here." Lydia insisted. "I swear to God he's here. This is why we were brought here earlier, I just got us here too early."

Noah sighed and looked at the ominous gate looming over them.

Less than a minute later, he, Scott, Lydia, and Jackson stormed into the building and rushed to the reception desk.

"I need access to all basement rooms in this facility." Noah demanded.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back at the station, Rafael McCall approached Parrish again, this time with a piece of paper clutched in his hand.

"Hey, is this the exact transcript of Scott and Stiles' phone call?" McCall asked.

"It's what he gave us." Parrish told him.

"But these words. Stiles says, 'Something smells terrible. My eyes are watering'." McCall quoted, but Parrish didn't understand and shook his head as he opened and closed his mouth in an attempt to get some words out.

"Hi, I'm Melissa McCall." A familiar voice stated, and McCall followed it to the reception area. "I was hoping to see Agent McCall."

The deputy working the front desk noticed the man walk in, and signalled so to Melissa by nodding in his direction.

"What are you doing here?" Rafael asked as he approached her.

"My shift was over. I just wanted to see if I could help." She explained with a tilt of her head. She couldn't go home when Stiles was out there, freezing, and injured, and alone. She couldn't pick up his scent, so she couldn't help with that, but there had to be something she could do.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia ran into the basement with the others close behind.

"It's here. It's right here." She declared as she led them to a door.

"Stiles?" She called out while jogging down the small flight of steps to the area where the furnace was.

The four of them looked around, but Stiles was nowhere in sight.

"Lydia?" Scott questioned with a frown.

"I don't get it." She whispered with tears pooling in her eyes. "This has to be it."

Noah was overwhelmed by the fear of losing his son and couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Then where is he, huh?" The sheriff asked darkly. "Where is he? Where is he?" He demanded in a shout.

Lydia flinched but refused to blink, lest the tears fall. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but no words would come out.

Stilinski immediately felt guilty. More than that, he was appalled at himself for losing it, and at a teenager no less. One who was only trying to help.

"I'm sorry." The sheriff apologised sincerely.

"I don't understand." Lydia whispered as Jackson wrapped her in a comforting hug, but she didn't hug him back. She could barely move. She was so sure.

They were supposed to find Stiles that night, she knew it, so where did she go wrong?

Why did the voices lie? Where was Stiles? Where should they go next? And, most importantly, would they get there in time to save him?

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Melissa was in the car with her ex-husband, driving towards the preserve.

"So what are you saying?" She asked.

"I'm saying the real question might be, how do we know he's not still asleep?"

"You mean he's been asleep the whole time?" She drawled incredulously.

"Well, people who sleepwalk can do crazy things." Rafael defended. "One guy goes down to the kitchen and cook's an entire meal. Another guy is found mowing his lawn naked."

"Why's any of that matter?" Melissa demanded.

"Remember that townhouse apartment we lived in?" He asked rhetorically. "There was that one night I came home drunk."

"Oh, one night?" She rolled her eyes and shot him a pointed look.

"Let me finish." He implored. She shot him a look but complied anyway. "So I'm drunk, passed out on the bed. I get up to go to the bathroom. Suddenly I hear you yelling 'What the hell are you doing?'"

"Because you were in the closet peeing into the laundry basket." She reminded him with a disbelieving chuckle.

"Yeah, I thought it was the bathroom."

"Oh, no, you were drunk off your ass." She reminded him.

"Yeah, But I was convinced it was the bathroom." He defended.

"Yeah."

"So how do we know isn't just convinced he's in some kind of basement?" He asked. "And isn't actually there. I think when he called Scott, he was still asleep. And is still asleep right now."

"Then where is he?" Melissa asked, not really expecting an answer.

"I got an idea about that too."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The Nogitsune had Stiles exactly where it wanted him.

Sure, he got away from the endless white room and briefly regained control, but only for an hour.

It didn't matter that Stiles could briefly regain control because the Nogitsune would always be inside, lurking, waiting for an opening. Sure, there was a little issue in that it couldn't see through Stiles' eyes that time, but it was unconcerning.

Even when it was the one trapped in Stiles' head for an hour, the Nogitsune was still confident. It knew it would regain control, and it did.

The Nogitsune found Stiles scribbling a note for Derek at the loft, regained control and swiftly destroyed the note.

One of the Oni found the Nogitsune there but it simply shoved Stiles' hand into the shadow creature's chest and crushed the firefly within, killing the Oni.

Then, once it had Stiles securely locked in a delusion, it called Scott and pleaded for help, since Stiles wasn't willing to make the call himself. The Nogitsune did a good job of impersonating a terrified Stiles and got Scott out of bed and searching for his best friend.

Nothing could stop it now. Stiles was so close to breaking and the pack were once again losing a night of sleep searching for him, with the exception of Allison. The Nogitsune made sure to turn her phone off while she slept, just to give Scott and Isaac a little fright. And so it could leave a little something for her.

Stiles was scared and confused, still reeling from the game they played in the labyrinth in his mind.

It took a few tries, but the Nogitsune successfully altered his memory and made Stiles believe his wolf was dead, which devastated the teen enough to lower his defences and allow further manipulation.

The Nogitsune had him convinced he was in the basement at Eichen House and hallucinating a trap on his leg.

Everything was going according to plan.

"You don't understand, do you? It's a riddle. Do you know any riddles, Stiles?"

"A few." Stiles muttered. As much as he wanted to fight back, he knew he had to play along for the sake of his pack. That's what the voices said and he trusted them.

"What gets bigger the more you take away?" The Nogitsune asked.

"A hole." Stiles answered shakily.

"What gets wetter the more it dries?"

"A towel."

"When is a door not a door?" It asked and relished in the way Stiles hesitated and flashed back to Bardo.

"When it's ajar." Stiles answered after a beat of silence.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?" The creature asked its final riddle.

"I don't-" Stiles whispered, desperately trying to figure out the answer.

He knew that the answer would lead to the next stage of the nogitsune's plan, which was crucial to the voices' plan.

The creature stopped drawing on the wall and approached him slowly.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it, Stiles?" The creature asked again as it grew ever closer.

"I don't- I don't know." Stiles stammered, willing his brain to work faster and figuring it out. But it was hard to think when his leg was throbbing and he was so cold.

Then he got distracted and began to wonder where he was that was so damn cold.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it." The creature repeated, reminding Stiles of what he was supposed to be thinking about.

"I don't know."

Frustrated by the answer, the creature got up in his face and shouted, and its sharp teeth were all Stiles could focus on.

After a second or two, the creature turned and walked away, grabbing the chain attached to the trap on his leg in the process.

The Nogitsune claimed the trap was a hallucination but it certainly felt real as Stiles was dragged across a concrete floor, screaming in agony.

"No! No! No! No!" He screamed repeatedly as he scrambled for something to hold onto, so he gave up and rolled onto his back, still screaming all the while.

"No, wait!"

He was still being dragged.

"Wait!"

Something new happened.

"Wait!" He hollered as someone grabbed his torso.

"Stiles."

He was forced into a sitting position.

"Wait! No, Wait!"

"Stiles!"

"Wait!"

"Stiles, you're alright! Okay! You're alright."

Stiles stopped screaming when he finally recognised the voice. Melissa. It wasn't the Nogitsune, it was Melissa.

"Stiles, you're all right." Her comforting voice assured him.

But was he?

He wasn't in a basement, he was in the woods. She was there, and Agent McCall was looking at him in concern.

He didn't solve the riddle, and the creature left him in control.

It didn't feel like he was alright.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison woke up to the sound of somebody banging on the door of the apartment her parents rented and rushed to answer it, hoping for news about Stiles.

"What the hell have you been doing?" Isaac demanded, torn between relief and frustration when she answered the door.

"Sleeping. What the hell are you doing?" She asked dryly.

"You didn't get any calls or- or texts?" Isaac asked in concern. Allison immediately turned and marched to her bedroom. Isaac took the hint and stepped inside, pausing to close and lock the door before following her.

He arrived at the bedroom just in time to see her pick up her phone.

"My phone's off." She declared with a frown as she turned it back on, then looked at him as she waited for it to do so. "I never turn my phone off."

"I know." Isaac grumbled, and she knew he was trying to get over the lingering concern that had built up as he ran to check on her. She took a moment to comfortingly caress his arm as she waited for her phone to boot up.

As soon as it was on, her phone began chiming with texts and missed call notifications. She quickly read through the texts to save Isaac the effort of catching her up.

"Sleepwalking?" She asked in alarm. She knew there was a chance it was another trick, but it was scary all the same. The fact that he couldn't access his wolf made the concept scary enough, but throw in the Oni hunting him, his state of dress, and the low temperature, and it made it potentially life threatening, and that was terrifying. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, they found him a few minutes ago. They're bringing him to the hospital." Isaac assured her.

"I don't know what happened. I never turn it off." Allison reiterated as she continued to check her phone.

Then she noticed something odd and frowned. She tapped the screen to play a voicemail from an unknown caller.

A male voice speaking Japanese came from the phone.

"Who's that?" Isaac asked, but Allison didn't have the answer.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The entire pack was on their way to the hospital, showing up in groups.

Danny, the twins, and Peter arrived together, and Malia, Cora, Boyd, and Erica were right behind them on motorbikes.

Six of them were quick to rush to the building, but Peter and Aidan didn't go straight inside. Instead, they pulled up by the jeep and got out the cables to jump start it.

"So, you think he was just sleepwalking because he has dementia? Or is there something more to it?" Aidan asked the born wolf.

"In this town there's always something more." Peter answered.

"Do you really think it could be dementia?" Aidan pressed as he watched Peter. He didn't want to just blurt out his theory to somebody who wouldn't take it seriously.

"I don't know what to believe." Peter confessed. "It certainly seems plausible, but I'll admit it doesn't feel right to me. And I'm guessing it doesn't to you either."

"No, it doesn't." Aidan confirmed. "What if I told you I know something more? I kind of overheard- Well, I listened in on Scott talking to Allison and Isaac. When Stiles showed up at the school, he told Scott that he thinks he was the one who wrote that message in the Chemistry room. The message telling Barrow to kill Kira."

"You think Stiles is the Nogitsune?" Peter asked monotonously. He suspected the same, and he knew Derek did too, but he also knew that Derek would only keep it quiet for a reason.

"I'm not the only one thinking it, I'm just the only one saying it." Aidan declared confidently. He'd seen Scott, Isaac, and Allison exchange worried looks. He noticed how Lydia got all quiet when Chris told the rest of them about the Nogitsune. He saw the realisation dawn for Cora, Erica, and Danny too. Ethan clearly suspected it too but refused to believe it, and Aidan didn't have the heart to talk to him about it yet.

But Peter had a different reaction to everybody else. The moment Chris said 'Nogitsune', Peter sprouted a look of disappointed acceptance, like he knew but didn't truly accept it until Chris confirmed it for him. Aidan saw it and knew that Peter was the one to approach about his suspicions.

"If Stiles were the Nogitsune, it would be catastrophic for all of us. Especially our more emotion-driven pack mates. They'd try to appeal to his true nature, rather than play along with the Nogitsune's tricks. Which could very well lead to further chaos." Peter replied carefully.

"How is thinking he's sick any better?" Aidan demanded, wanting Peter's true opinion on both matters before he continued expressing his own.

"They won't push him if they believe he has dementia. They'll treat him like he's fragile and cater to his delusions."

"If they are delusions." Aidan retorted. "Going along with it could allow it to lead them into deadly traps."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps going along with it would allow us to gain its trust, and buy us more time to figure out how to stop it without harming the host." Peter countered.

"Do you think we can?" Aidan asked with a frown. "I mean, nobody has ever survived before. Katashi said the host always dies, right?"

"So Chris said," Peter nodded once. "However, I've learned never to question this pack. Derek assembled a rather remarkable group, supernatural and humans alike. I know better than to underestimate them. If anyone can pull it off, it's them."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Noah stepped out of Stiles' hospital room and ambled down the hall to find Melissa, Derek, Scott, Allison, Isaac, Lydia, Jackson, Erica, Cora, Boyd, Malia, Danny, Ethan, and Rafael crowded in the hallway.

Those sitting immediately stood up when they saw him.

"He's sleeping now." Noah began as he approached the group of fourteen, only continuing when he came to a stop in front of Derek. "And he's just fine." He added, causing most of them to sigh in relief. "He doesn't remember much. It's a bit like a dream to him." He then looked to Rafael and gave a sincere "Thank you."

"It was that repellent we sprayed in the coyote den to keep other animals out. I couldn't go near it without my eyes watering. It's just a good thing he mentioned it over the phone." The agent commented, unwilling to accept the praise for finding Stiles.

"No, it was more than that." Noah insisted. "Thank you."

"It was a lucky connection." Rafael dismissed with a shake of his head.

"McCall, can you shut up please and accept my sincerest gratitude." Noah requested while shooting the man a look that made it clear he thought it was stupid that the agent was arguing.

There was a beat of silence as Rafael considered it, then he accepted the hand Noah was holding out for him and shook it.

"Accepted."

"Can we see him?" Cora asked Noah. "Just for a minute."

"In trios and pairs only, no more than five minutes each, and if any of you wake him, you're grounded for a month." Noah laid out the rules, and the teens eagerly agreed. "Alright, Cora asked first so…"

"Can we go last?" Scott asked.

"Sure thing," Noah agreed easily.

Cora, Erica, and Boyd went first. Lydia and Jackson went second. Danny and Ethan went third. Malia went fourth. And Scott, Allison, and Isaac went last as planned.

After everyone had their five minutes with Stiles, they turned to Derek as a group.

"No." Derek stated before they could ask.

"We didn't say anything," Scott defended.

"I know what you want and the answer is no." Derek declared with a stern glare. He then looked to Melissa and Noah for back-up.

"All right, you kids. You've got school in less than six hours. Go home. Go to sleep." Melissa ordered.

"Okay." Scott agreed without hesitation, then hugged his mum. "Wait, our house or the pack house?"

"The pack house." She stated without hesitation, much to Derek's relief. "I'll join you there later."

"We're not kids," Cora huffed, but turned to leave anyway, then paused to look back at her brother. "I'm guessing you're staying here?"

"Yes." Derek stated with a singular nod.

"You can go sit with him now, if you'd like," Noah offered.

Derek nodded again and made his way to the room. He didn't say anything because he didn't trust himself not to make a snide comment about not being allowed in sooner.

Everyone moved except Lydia, so Jackson took her hand and gently guided her to follow them. The teens made their way out, leaving Noah, Melissa, and Rafael alone to discuss Stiles' condition.

"So, Stiles wasn't at Eichen House," Cora couldn't help but comment.

"I don't know what happened. I was so sure." Lydia whispered, still confused as to how she had been so wrong.

"Yeah, I wasn't much help either." Scott commiserated. "Doesn't matter, if he's okay." He added reassuringly.

"He's right," Jackson chimed in as he squeezed her hand gently. "He's safe now. You can relax."

Lydia nodded, then froze when she heard something.

Something loud and unsettling.

A loud metallic clanging.

"Lydia, do you hear something?" Scott asked quickly.

"No." Lydia lied, and fortunately for her, nobody was listening to her heartbeat. "I didn't hear anything."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day at school, Allison and Isaac approached Mr Yukimura and played him the voice message left on her phone the night before.

"You're right. It's Japanese." He told her. "Who left this on your phone?"

"I don't know." She told him honestly. "All of the messages are the same and they all say 'Blocked ID'."

"Can you translate it?" Isaac asked.

"Mostly." The teacher answered. "The man speaking is giving instructions actually. The first line is, 'All evacuees are required to stay at least 10 feet back from outside fences'."

The mates shared a look.

"What does that mean? What fences?" Isaac inquired.

"The fences surrounding a Japanese internment camp during World war II." Mr Yukimura explained calmly. "After Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans were rounded up and put in camps. This man is reading instructions to prisoners upon their arrival."

"Well, where does something like this come from?" Allison asked.

"I have no idea. Because it's fake." He declared, much to the surprise of the teens. "It mentions the name of the internment camp as 'Oak Creek'. There was no internment camp named Oak Creek in California."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott was going through his locker when he noticed Lydia flinching at the sound of a locker on the other side of her being slammed shut.

"You okay?" He asked in concern, having noticed that she'd been jumpy all day.

"Yeah." She replied softly, looking around nervously. "I'm just a little hyper-sensitive to loud sounds today." As if on cue, there was another loud bang from an indeterminate source and she flinched again.

Scott was officially concerned.

"They're doing tests on Stiles all afternoon. I was going to go over at around six to visit. You want to come with me?" He offered.

"I should probably just go home." She said, and there was another loud bang, and she flinched again.

Scott looked around but didn't see anything that could have spooked her.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked, his voice thick with concern.

"Yeah." She replied unconvincingly. "I'll text you later."

She began to walk away, noting how loud everything seemed. Books being set on the table were as loud as a locker being shut, and it was all too much.

She couldn't take it, and left the school without looking back.

She went straight to her car and got behind the wheel, but didn't put the key in the ignition.

She just sat there and relished in the quiet.

Then the passenger side door opened.

Lydia looked and saw Cora get in.

She flinched when the door slammed shut, and Cora narrowed her eyes.

"What do you hear?" Cora asked sternly.

"Nothing," Lydia lied, but the dark-haired girl clearly didn't believe her.

"Tell me." The she-wolf demanded. "It's important."

"Like what I heard last night?" The Banshee snapped.

"So you got it wrong once, so what? You can't ignore your power just because you made one mistake." Cora stated bluntly.

"Until I know why I was wrong, I can't trust my powers anymore." The redhead retorted, shaken by the supposed regression in her abilities.

"That's like saying the rest of us can't trust our noses because we couldn't pick up on Stiles' scent. It's bullshit and you know it." The brunette shot back. "What are you really afraid of?"

Lydia bit her lip and shook her head. She desperately wanted to scream to the whole pack that Stiles was the Nogitsune, but she couldn't until Derek gave her permission.

"Fine." Cora huffed. "Don't tell me and keep suffering alone. That always works out great."

"Derek knows." Lydia defended softly, hoping to calm the werewolf but it had the opposite effect.

"Derek is even worse than you right now." Cora growled. "You're both being idiots."

"We're-"

"Trying to help Stiles on your own." Cora interjected. "You, Derek, Scott, Allison, and Isaac. You're keeping secrets and you're not doing a good job. We all know you know more than you're sharing, and it's screwing everything up."

"How?" The Banshee asked with a concerned frown.

"We're pack, we're supposed to come together in a crisis, not split up and keep secrets. Derek is the main problem here, but the four of you going along with it isn't helping." The she-wolf explained. "If you want to help Stiles, you need to let us know what's actually happening."

"What do you think is actually happening?" Lydia asked carefully.

"You know what I think." Cora replied sternly. "What I want to know is why you think letting the rest of us think he has dementia is a good idea?"

"I had no idea the sheriff thought that, or that he was going to tell everyone. If I had, I would've talked to Derek sooner." Lydia admitted without thinking.

"But you did talk to him?" Cora prompted.

"Yes."

"And he still isn't willing to tell the truth?"

"He's coming around, but no, he's not ready yet." Lydia confessed.

"And you won't tell us without his permission." Cora stated knowingly.

"I trust his judgement." Lydia stated in self defence.

"Maybe, this time, you shouldn't." Cora stated, then got out of the car.

Lydia flinched again when the door slammed shut.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When lunch came around, only Jackson, Danny, Cora, Erica, Boyd, Ethan, Aidan, and Kira were at the usual table. Lydia had sent a text to say she'd be eating in her car because everything was too loud, and Scott, Allison, and Isaac were spending their lunch period at the hospital.

"So, the Nogitsune…" Kira began slowly at lunch. "Who do you think it could be?"

"I think we all know exactly who it is." Aidan stated.

"I don't." Ethan admitted with a deep frown. "Who?"

"Stiles. He thinks it's Stiles." Danny informed his boyfriend.

"You say that like you don't." Aidan commented with a raised eyebrow.

"I won't lie, I thought about it for a second, but the sheriff is pretty convinced it's dementia," Danny replied casually, carefully talking around the truth. He actually did believe Stiles was the one possessed but he knew Derek would only keep it a secret for a good reason and he wanted to help.

"Maybe what looks like dementia is actually possession." Aidan argued.

"Or maybe the dementia is just a trick to hide the possession." Jackson chimed in.

"What does Lydia think?" Erica asked Jackson, who immediately scowled.

"She won't talk about it," Jackson admitted, his displeasure clear.

"Is that normal for her?" Kira asked, even though her time with the pack already gave her the answer, she simply wanted confirmation.

"No," Jackson stated firmly as he used his fork to move his food around his plate. "Not since we joined the pack."

"So, why would she keep something so big a secret?" Kira asked curiously. At Jackson's expression, she hastily added, "I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just trying to understand why."

"Because she's scared and she wants to protect us." Jackson told her, his tone was a little snappy but calmer than she expected.

"Lydia knows we're safer when we're prepared," Erica argued, unwilling to believe that the redhead would actually keep something so serious from them.

"Usually, when our enemy is just an enemy," Jackson corrected the blonde. "But this is Stiles. If he really is possessed by an ancient fox spirit that kills everyone including the host, she'll do whatever it takes to save him. Even if it means lying to us to buy her more time to investigate."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the hospital that evening, Noah, Derek, Melissa and Scott were with Stiles in the MRI room. Scott and Derek were hovering by Stiles, while Noah and Melissa stood with the doctor.

"I'm not sure I know how to pronounce this. Or if it's not actually a misspelling." The doctor commented as he looked at the chart.

"Just call him Stiles." Noah stated, not in the mood for jokes.

"Okay." The doctor agreed, then turned and walked over to the teen. "Stiles, just to warn you, you're going to hear a lot of noise during the MRI. It's due to pulses of electricity going through metal coils inside the machine. Uh, if you want we can get you earplugs or headphones."

"Oh, no, no, I don't need anything." Stiles replied with a tight-lipped smile.

"Hey, we're just on the other side of that window." The sheriff reminded his son gently. "Okay?"

"Okay." Stiles nodded and patted his father on the shoulder, and Noah and Melissa left. Once they were out of earshot, Stiles looked at his best friend. "You know what they're looking for, right? It's called frontotemporal dementia. Areas of your brain start to shrink. It's what my mother had. It's the only form of dementia that can hit teenagers. And there's no cure."

He didn't want to say those things, but the creature made him. It was still determined to go through with its initial plan, despite knowing that Stiles had figured it out. It was the most efficient way to keep the pack out of its way.

"You're a werewolf." Scott reminded him. "You can't get sick."

"I wouldn't be the first werewolf to not heal from something," Stiles retorted sadly, his eyes downcast.

"If you have it, we'll find a cure. Something magick. I'll talk to Deaton, he'll know something. I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to save you." Scott insisted, and he meant it. Be it dementia or possession, Scott wouldn't rest until he found a way to help his best friend.

Seeing the conviction in Scott's eyes, Stiles leaned forward and hugged him tight. Scott eagerly returned the hug.

When it came to an end, Scott left too, leaving the mates alone.

"Derek, I-" Stiles began, but didn't know what else to say and just gaped like a fish out of water until Derek helpfully spoke up.

"If you have it, I'll still be by your side every step of the way." Derek vowed as reached up to caress his mate's left cheek. He knew for a fact it was his mate in control, but he also knew that the creature was still in there, listening in, so he had to act like he still believed the trick. It was surprisingly easy to channel those emotions when Stiles looked so scared and vulnerable in his hospital gown and joggers. "I'll always take care of you."

"What if… What if I end up thinking of you the way my mother thought of me?" Stiles asked softly with tears in his eyes. It wasn't what he wanted to say but the creature was paying attention, so he had to.

"I'll know it's not really you, and I'll endure it." Derek declared confidently. "I promise, nothing will change how I feel about you. Nothing will stop me from loving you."

He wasn't just talking about the potential effects of dementia and Stiles knew that. He knew the alpha was really telling him that no matter what he did while under the creature's control, Derek would always love him.

Stiles couldn't help himself; he pulled his mate in for a quick but passionate kiss.

When they parted, Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek and hugged him tight.

"Don't trust anything I say from now on," Stiles whispered as quietly as he could, so soft that Derek barely heard him, and Scott definitely wouldn't.

After that, Derek had to leave so they could start the test. Stiles laid down, and was soon moved into the tube.

"Okay, Stiles. This will take about 45 minutes to an hour." The doctor warned over the speaker. Stiles began to shuffle to get comfortable when the doctor's voice sounded again. "Now remember, try not to move." Stiles froze for a moment, but quickly noticed that his head was in an awkward position and straightened it, but the voice came again. "Even just a little bit."

"Stiles, you're going to hear that noise now. It's going to be a loud clanging. Kind of like a hammer hitting an anvil." The doctor warned, then the noise began.

Stiles immediately wished he'd accepted the earplugs.

Meanwhile, in her car, Lydia heard the same clanging that Stiles did. It was the same sound she'd be hearing all day but louder and faster.

Lydia tried to drown it out with music, but it was in vain.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Derek decided not to join Melissa and Noah in the observation room, instead opting to sit in the waiting area.

"Do you remember teaching me to use anger to control the shift?" Scott asked.

"I think you ended up teaching me more about that." Derek replied with a fond smile.

"Is there anything else you can teach me?" Scott asked. "Something that'll help Stiles?"

"You remember me saying I talked to my mother?"

"Yeah," Scott replied slowly, still confused about how he did that.

"She didn't just tell me about the Nogitsune." Derek stated. "She told me something that changed my perspective on a lot of things. She said that my family didn't just live in Beacon Hills. They protected it. This town needs someone to protect it. Someone like you."

"Me? But you're the alpha."

"Yes, but I wouldn't be the alpha I am without you." Derek declared. "I needed you and your good heart when I was starting out, or I'd still only be using pain and fear to control the shift. Yeah, Stiles is the reason I listened, but you were always the one suggesting better ways. Pointing out how barbaric it was. It's why I need you as my beta. I need you to make me a better alpha."

"You made me better too," Scott declared. "Without you protecting me and making the hard decisions, I wouldn't even be alive right now." He declared, then realisation hit him like a ton of bricks.

"What?" Derek asked when he noticed the look on Scott's face. Scott rose to his feet.

"He was trying to protect us." Scott declared as he looked at Derek. "Stiles was protecting us."

"From himself." Derek realised, catching on to Scott's train of thought.

The pair quickly made their way back to the roof and began to search.

"What are we looking for?" Derek asked.

"I'm not sure. But I think Stiles wasn't just up here struggling with himself. I think he was struggling not to do something." Scott explained as he jogged over to a fenced off area where he'd last noticed Stiles' scent.

He noticed something on the tin roof of the fenced off area and reached up.

He quickly felt something and pulled, sending a bag of tools crashing down.

The pair shared a concerned look, then looked up to see a frayed, sparking cable.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

In the car, the clanging was too much for Lydia, and she let out a scream.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Oblivious to the banshee screaming across town, the doctor studied the brain scan with a horrified expression.

Noah looked at the screen, feeling a dark sense of deja vu.

"See this?" The doctor asked as he pointed at the screen and Noah nodded. "The tissue here and there." Noah nodded again. "Both those spots are showing signs of atrophy."

Melissa closed her eyes, devastated by the news.

"Atrophy." Noah repeated.

"I'm sorry." The doctor told him sincerely.

Melissa didn't know what to say as Noah silently broke down, so simply rested a hand on his shoulder in an attempt at comfort.

Back in the tube, Stiles felt like he was losing it as he listened to the clanging.

It was too much to take, so he clenched his eyes shut and tried to imagine being anywhere else.

Then everything went quiet.

It was time.

He opened his eyes again and found himself standing by the MRI machine, wearing his own clothes. The lighting was different, but the room was the same.

The only addition being the Nogitsune sneaking around the machine.

"Have you figured out my riddle yet?" It asked as Stiles moved, trying to get a better look. "If you answer correctly, we might consider letting them go." It continued as it came around the other side of the machine so it was in front of him.

"Letting who go?" Stiles asked. The creature turned its back on him and looked through the observation window at Melissa and Noah.

"Your friends. Your family. Everyone who ever meant something to you. We're going to destroy all of them, Stiles. One-by-one." It threatened slowly. So, it was done pretending to be nice. Stiles actually preferred that.

"Why?" Stiles asked in a whisper, tears of fear streaming down his cheeks.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it." It told its riddle again and Stiles shook his head as more tears fell. "What is it?"

"I don't know." Stiles stated as the creature looked back at him. He needed more time to figure it out.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?"

"I don't know." Stiles repeated, his distress and frustration growing. He wanted to give the answer he simply didn't know what it was. He wished the voices would tell him, but he knew they couldn't risk talking to him when the Nogitsune was paying attention, so he was on his own.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it." It began again while unwrapping the bandages around its head. Stiles turned his back on the creature. "What is it?" The creature demanded in a growl as some of the bandages fell to the floor and it kept unwrapping more. "What is it?"

"I don't know!" He screamed in frustration as he covered his ears and clenched his eyes shut. Then realisation hit. He opened his eyes and slowly lowered his hands.

"What is it, Stiles?" The creature asked in a whisper, knowing he had figured it out.

"A shadow."

He turned around just in time to see the creature unwrap the last of the bandages and reveal his own face staring back at him. Then he saw himself smirk.

Inside the tube, the Nogitsune opened Stiles' eyes. It slowly turned his head as the lights flickered.

In the observation room, Noah, Melissa, and the doctor were startled by all of the lights flickering, occasionally plunging the room into darkness for a second at a time until they returned to normal.

"What was that?" Melissa wondered aloud as she looked around the room.

"It sounded like a power surge." The doctor answered, but Noah was too distracted to comment on that. He had a far more pressing question on his mind.

"Where's my son?" Noah demanded as he leaned on the glass for a better look, but his eyes weren't deceiving him; Stiles was gone.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Up on the roof, Derek and Scott were caught off guard by an explosion of electricity, thanks to the Nogitsune's tampering.

The sparking cable finally snapped and began violently whipping around the rooftop.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The Nogitsune changed out of the hospital gown and joggers into the clothes and trainers (sneakers) Derek had kindly grabbed from the Jeep for Stiles. It finished typing the shoes, then stood up and made its way through the hospital.

It paused in the hall to watch people run in a panic, then it noticed the elevator doors open at the end of the hall, revealing a familiar woman.

Noshiko Yukimura.

"You know me." She greeted and the Nogitsune nodded. "Then you remember that I won't be deterred by your choice of host. Even if it's an innocent boy."

"Are you threatening us?" The Nogitsune asked with a smirk.

Puffs of black smoke appeared on either side of Noshiko, and two Oni formed.

"Now I'm threatening you." Noshiko corrected.

"We're not really afraid of your little fireflies." The Nogitsune stated, then turned and walked away.

"If the oni can't defeat you, I know someone who will." Noshiko called out, making the Nogitsune freeze and turn Stiles' head to look back at her.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Outside the hospital, Kira had just arrived to check on Stiles and whichever pack members were there when she saw the live wire come tumbling off the roof and down to the ground.

"Oh my God." She exclaimed as the wire grew closer, but it didn't hit the ground, it came swinging right at her and she ducked.

Then all hell broke loose.

An ambulance crashed.

A fire hydrant was destroyed, sending water everywhere.

The paramedic driving the ambulance was electrocuted when he got out of the ambulance and stepped in the puddle caused by the leaking fire hydrant.

Isaac was electrocuted while saving Allison from the ever-growing puddle of electrified water.

A redheaded woman was electrocuted when she stepped out of her car.

A car came barreling at Kira but she ran over it and did an incredible flip.

She landed in the puddle but wasn't electrocuted like everybody else. Instead, she grabbed the cable as the newly arrived Derek and Scott watched in awe, and covered the exposed end with her hand.

She closed her eyes as she felt the power course through her. A pleasant buzz beneath her skin.

Scott and Derek watched in awe, amazed when her eyes opened to reveal glowing orange iris'.

When she absorbed the last of the electricity, her eyes faded back to their natural colour. And not a moment too soon as a crowd rushed out of the hospital, including her mum.

The moment the electricity stopped, Scott and Allison rushed to Isaac, with Derek right behind Scott.

Isaac wasn't breathing.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After the initial chaos was under control, Derek managed to get Noah alone in his office at the station.

"I need to talk to you about Stiles." Derek declared.

"We'll find him," Noah began, assuming Derek wanted to vent about his concern.

"I know, but I want to warn you about what state he'll be in when we do," Derek explained carefully.

"How do you mean?" Stilinski inquired with a frown, knowing that Derek wasn't referring to a dementia episode.

"I don't think he's sick." Derek finally admitted. "I had a theory but I doubted it when you first brought up Frontotemporal Dementia. I believed your theory for a couple hours but I can't deny my original theory anymore. Not after what Chris learned from Katashi."

"You think Stiles is possessed by the Nogitsune?" Stilinski asked for confirmation.

"I do." Derek nodded once, mustering all the confidence he could. "But I don't want to tell everyone else yet, for their safety. I just couldn't let you go on thinking he had the same disease as-"

"Derek," Noah interjected sternly, rendering the alpha silent. "You have to tell them."

"I can't, it's too dangerous." Derek protested stubbornly.

"It's more dangerous to keep them in the dark," Noah argued calmly.

"If they think he has dementia, they'll go along with it when he's not acting like himself and earn the creature's trust, then it won't hurt them." Derek insisted, but Noah didn't buy it for a second.

"Do you really believe that?" Noah asked. "Or are you just afraid of what will happen if they know it's not really Stiles?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"If they know it's not 100% Stiles in there, they'll fight back." Noah elaborated with his arms folded. "Can you handle that?"

"They wouldn't hurt Stiles." Derek stated stubbornly while also folding his arms.

"No, they wouldn't hurt Stiles, but they might have to hurt the Nogitsune." Noah shot back.

"Yeah, when we get it out of him." Derek replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So you expect them to just stand there and let the Nogitsune hurt them in the meantime?" The sheriff asked rhetorically, making the alpha scowl.

"It won't come to that." Derek insisted stubbornly. "As long as they think it's just a delusion-"

"They'll be vulnerable to its manipulation, and it could kill them." Stilinski finished for the alpha in an authoritative tone. "If it attacks them and they think Stiles is having an episode that'll pass, they won't fight back, and it could get them killed. When we do save Stiles, he'll never forgive himself if someone he loved died at his hand. And if that happens because you didn't warn them about what was really going on, he'll never forgive you either."

"What if they get so caught up in the Nogitsune that they forget Stiles is in there too and hurt him? I would lose it and attack them, and that's probably what the Nogitsune wants. If I end up hurting my own pack…"

"You won't." The sheriff assured the alpha while unfolding his arms and stepping closer. "You've come a long way in the time I've known you, and you can't let what's happening right now set you back. You're smarter than this. You know them better than that. Even at their worst, none of them could ever get past the fact that it's Stiles in there. They'll never give up on saving him, and they'll never truly hurt him."

"It's different now. This isn't like training, where everyone's holding back. If they have to fight Stiles, the thing possessing him won't hold back. It will go for the kill, and I'll be useless to help them because I can't fight my mate."

"And that's the real reason you don't want to tell them." Noah declared, surprising Derek. "You're afraid of having to fight Stiles, and you think keeping them in the dark will keep the pack from having to. But you know as well as I do that if this thing is going to attack while in Stiles' body, it's gonna do it no matter how long they play along. They'll be safer knowing. Stiles will be safer with them knowing and you know it."

"Not yet." Derek insisted stubbornly while shaking his head.

"You have 48 hours to tell them, or I'll do it for you." Noah warned. He didn't even want to wait that long, but gave the werewolf some leeway on account of how stressful the situation was.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Noah Stilinski was a man on the edge, even Melissa's attempts at comfort weren't enough to keep the tears from pooling in his eyes.

Every second that his son was missing was agony. It had been awful to simply believe that Stiles was suffering from the same disease that had claimed Claudia's life, but now he also had to consider that that theory was all the result of an elaborate prank, set up by a sadistic, evil fox spirit that may be possessing his son.

He always tried to roll with the punches, to go along with the craziness in their town in order to protect people from it. He could deal with werewolves, kanimas, pixies, darachs, werecoyotes, and kitsunes, he could. It was a weird messed up fairytale, but he could deal with it. Because he had a way to defend people against all of those threats. He had no way to save his son from possession, or dementia, and it was debilitating.

The pack arguing only made it worse.

"You knew!" Cora yelled at her brother, her eyes glowing as her anger got the best of her. "We were all terrified, thinking he was going to die of dementia and you knew the whole time that he wasn't even sick."

"It's not actually the dementia that kills, it-" Lydia began to explain but cut herself off when she realised that it wasn't important at that moment. "Nevermind."

"I didn't know for sure," Derek defended. "I was scared that Noah was right."

"But you suspected that he was possessed and you didn't tell us." Cora growled.

"My dad has a concussion and a broken nose because you didn't say anything." Erica added angrily. "Isaac is in a coma because you didn't say anything!"

"What happened to Isaac isn't his fault." Scott stated sternly. "The only one to blame is the Nogitsune."

"The Nogitsune he didn't tell us about!" Cora shouted angrily. "He knew before the meeting with Katashi and wasted time with that bullshit deal. If you knew Stiles was possessed when he showed up at school, maybe he wouldn't have gotten away. How are you not angry about that?"

Scott looked down at the ground.

"You already knew." Erica realised, feeling betrayed. "Derek told you."

"Yes, I did, and I ordered him not to tell the rest of you." Derek admitted calmly, expertly hiding his remorse. "Don't be mad at him, be mad at me."

"You trust him more than you trust me?" Cora gasped.

"This isn't about trust." Derek corrected. "I thought it was the best way to buy more time to figure out how to get the Nogitsune out of Stiles. I needed help so I told Scott, Lydia, Allison, and Isaac, but I didn't want to tell anybody. I even asked mum before I went to them. I was hoping I could figure out how to save him before you ever had to know he was in danger. Then Noah announced his theory and I doubted everything. I was wrong, I see that now, but at the time I thought it was the right thing to do and I stand by it."

"You were wrong? Isaac is in the hospital and all you can say is that you were wrong?" Jackson hissed. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"That's not his fault," Scott reiterated. "It's the Nogitsune and it's trying to turn us against each other."

"Derek's doing that all on his own." Jackson declared with a dark glare.

"No, he's not." Cora reluctantly growled. "I'm pissed and I'm not letting this go any time soon, but I'm not going to let it tear our pack apart over this, and neither should you."

"Seriously?"

"She's right." Boyd stated, drawing all eyes to him. "If Lydia was the one possessed, would you really tell us the second you found out? Or would you do whatever it takes to protect her, even from us?"

"Stiles doesn't need protecting from us, we're the ones who protect him." Jackson retorted stubbornly.

"Normally yes, but can you honestly say you'll keep holding back when you know it's the Nogitsune in front of you, not Stiles?" Lydia asked him gently and Jackson's resolve wavered.

"You need to be prepared to fight it while it looks like Stiles, I know that now, but I didn't want to accept it." Derek explained.

"You can't keep secrets anymore." Boyd stated, and Derek nodded.

"I won't. I promise." The alpha vowed with a steady heart.

"Good." Cora lifted her head high. "Now tell us everything you know."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott felt like he was stuck in a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from as he laid in bed.

He hadn't slept, his mind full of images from that night as they wheeled his burned mate on a stretcher into urgent care.

Around the time he heard Noshiko tell Kira that she saw what she did and that nobody else should before getting her out of there, but he didn't have the presence of mind to assist her in that moment.

He had actually been relieved that there was one less person to worry about.

He thought back to how he heard Parrish say that Stiles' Jeep was seen leaving the hospital, and Noah replied that somebody needed to find him, but he couldn't bring himself to go volunteer. Every fibre of his being longed to go out there because there was nothing he could do for Isaac, but his body wouldn't move.

He remembered hearing his dad say it looked like the cable had been cut, then he told whoever to be on the lookout for more signs of sabotage, but he had been too distracted to go back out there and say something.

He forced himself off his stomach and sat on the edge of his bed but the memories kept coming.

He forced himself out of bed and down the stairs, and found his mum sitting at the kitchen table with a mug in her hands.

"Any news?" Scott asked, his expectations low.

"They're still looking for him." Melissa answered with her eyes locked on her mug. "It's past the 48 hour mark, but I guess if anyone's gonna be missing for two days and turn up just fine, it's Stiles."

"What about Isaac?" He asked and Melissa stood up.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital before school." She suggested.

Scott eagerly agreed.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

From: Stiles
Message: Am ok. Please don't look for me. Be back soon.

Noah stated at that message for a long time. Derek had gotten a similar one, but neither were comforted by it. It only served to make them both more worried.

Noah was staring at the text for what felt like the millionth time when the door to his office opened.

"Sheriff?" Parrish called out as he poked his head into the man's office.

"Yeah." Noah mumbled as he set down his phone.

Parrish walked into the room, revealing a man hovering behind him in the hallway.

"He just needs your signature." Parrish explained as the man in question followed him inside, carrying a few boxes. "It's just printer cartridges and stuff. Batteries for the next blackout." He continued as the delivery man set the boxes down on Noah's desk and offered him a clipboard. Noah stood up to sign it. "Not a bad idea, considering the number of electrical problems in this town."

Noah looked at him but didn't respond, which concerned Parrish but before the deputy could comment, somebody else knocked on the other door.

"I know you're a bit preoccupied at the moment." McCall stated in lieu of a greeting.

Noah beckoned him over, and Parrish politely left to show the delivery driver out.

"What is it?"

"This might sound strange, but have you had any issues with yakuza?" McCall asked.

"Japanese Mafia?" Noah asked incredulously.

"Specifically, a guy named Katashi." McCall added, and Noah wanted to scream. As if he didn't have enough on his plate already.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the hospital, Scott and Melissa stepped off the elevator and were surprised to find Allison asleep on a chair in the hallway.

Scott reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her awake. Her eyes were wide and alert at first, then she saw his face and relaxed, but she couldn't bring herself to smile. Not when Isaac was hurt and out of reach.

"Have you been here all night?" Scott asked, a little jealous of that fact even before he knew it was one.

"Yeah," She confirmed with a nod as she sat up.

"Your parents let you do that?" Melissa asked in surprise.

"Yeah, well, I threatened to move out again if they tried taking me home," Allison admitted with a shrug.

"Have you been in yet?" Scott asked while nodding towards the room Isaac was being kept in.

"No, they won't let me see him because I'm not family." Allison sighed. "I told them he doesn't have any."

"He's got us." Melissa corrected, but that wasn't much comfort to the two teens. Her next words, however, perked them both up. "And I've got a key card."

Allison and Scott held hands for comfort as Melissa unlocked the door, revealing their injured mate.

"Be quick." Melissa ordered gently.

The sound of the machine beeping steadily was both upsetting and comforting, but the pair were able to tune it out as they approached their mate.

As the doors closed behind them, Allison had to stop and collect herself, and squeezed Scott's hand for comfort. They shared a smile then moved closer until they were by Isaac's side.

"I thought he'd be healing by now." Allison commented as they came to a stop.

"So did I." Scott admitted gruffly, trying to keep his emotions at bay and be strong for his mate.

Scott reached out and grasped Isaac's arm, gentle but firm.

"Is he in pain?" Allison asked and Scott nodded.

Scott focused and, within seconds, black veins appeared on his arm.

Isaac stirred and gasped in relief, momentarily freed from the pain, but remained unconscious as his body tried to heal itself.

Scott took his pain until he couldn't anymore, gasping in agony as his mate's pain became his.

Allison watched in dismay, wishing there was a way for her to help both of her mates.

"It won't heal him, but it helps with the pain."

"Did Stiles really do this?" Allison asked suddenly, still unable to wrap her head around it. She needed someone or something to blame for what happened to Isaac but her brain couldn't accept the truth.

"Whatever's controlling him did it." Scott corrected, slightly afraid that Allison wouldn't be able to separate the two now that their mate was hurt. "Whatever's inside him."

"Well, then how do we get whatever's inside of him the hell out of him?" She demanded, eager to kill the Nogitsune for what it did.

"I'm working on it."

"Have Lydia or Derek made any progress?"

"I don't know, I haven't really talked to them. Or anyone except you. I'm having a hard time focusing on anyone other than Isaac or Stiles right now." Scott confessed and Allison squeezed his hand, prompting him to look at her.

"I get it. How can I help?"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott approached Kira at school and asked her about the Nogitsune and what it could possibly want.

Kira sighed.

"The thing is, in all of the stories, kitsune are tricksters." She explained. "They're mischievous. They don't really get caught up in right or wrong, or even understand it."

"What's that mean? It's just doing this for the hell of it?" Scott asked warily. That possibility was even more unsettling.

"No, there was something else I found." Kira corrected with a shake of her head. "If you somehow offend a Nogitsune, it can react pretty badly."

"How do you offend a Nogitsune?" Scott asked with a concerned frown.

"I don't know." Kira confessed. "But if it's doing something this bad, then someone really, really offended it."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

In the locker room, Coach blew his whistle to get the attention of the guys changing.

"Listen up! Anybody catches the slightest glimpse of Stilinski, you contact the first available teacher. Got it?" He asked, but the team seemed to think it was a rhetorical question so he was forced to repeat himself in a shout. "Got it?"

"Yes, Coach." The morons finally chorused, so he didn't have to repeat himself again.

"There's a card on my desk for Isaac Lahey, and every one of you losers is not only going to sign it, you're going to write a personal message so profound and deep, it's gonna bring a tear to Coach's eye." He informed them, gesturing with his pen for emphasis. "Who's first?" He asked and Danny immediately stood up and took the pen from Coach, hoping his doing so would encourage everyone else. "Ah, Danny! That's how you do it, buddy. Keep it PG."

Jackson and Boyd were on their feet too, which prompted the rest of the team to get up and form a queue behind them.

"That's what I like to see!" Coach cheered.

On the other side of the lockers, Scott, Ethan, and Aidan were having a quiet conversation.

"No Stiles, no demonic ninjas." Ethan informed Scott.

"Things are getting too quiet." Aidan added.

"Yeah, I know." Scott nodded. "Yeah, it's making me nervous, too."

"Do you guys hear that?" Ethan asked with a frown.

"It's an emitter." Scott declared, recognising the sound immediately. "One of Argent's."

The three of them left the locker room after convincing Jackson and Boyd to stay and protect Danny in case it was a trap.

"It's coming from the basement." Ethan declared.

They followed the sound down there, where they found a familiar figure.

The figure turned around and it looked like Stiles, but Scott wasn't sure who was in control until 'Stiles' spoke.

"Okay, I know what you guys are thinking, but it's me. I swear to God, it's me." Stiles insisted as he held up the emitter that was still turned on.

The twins immediately started growling as they charged at him.

They worked together to lift Stiles by his collar and pin him against a locker.

"Wait, stop!" Scott yelled as he grabbed Ethan and threw him across the room. "I said, stop!" He tried again, and Aidan dropped Stiles in favour of turning to growl at Scott in warning, his eyes glowing and his face shifting as he did so.

Scott let his wolf teeth show, made his eyes glow amber, and roared right back.

It wasn't often that Scott got aggressive like that, and the pack knew he meant business when he did, so Aidan yielded.

"It's me, Scott. I swear it's me." Stiles insisted when Scott looked at him. Scott wasn't fully convinced but his gut told him to go along with it, so he did. "I don't know where I've been the last two days or what I've been doing, but this is me. I promise."

"You know what happened at the hospital?" Ethan demanded as he rose to his feet.

"I know more than that." Stiles replied, then moved away from Scott and walked over to a bag. He crouched down and pulled out a folded piece of paper for the three of them to see. "You see this? It's a blueprint of the hospital's electrical wiring." He explained as he unfolded the paper. "You see all these markings in red? That's my handwriting. I know I did this. I caused the accident. And everything in this bag, it's all stuff that could be part of something bigger."

Ethan and Scott crouched down to get a better look at the contents of the bag, while Aidan kept a safe distance.

"What the hell have you been up to?" Ethan asked as he held up a power tool with a rather sharp blade attached.

"I think something worse." Stiles told him while sporting a worried look. "A lot worse."

Aidan picked up the bag and carried it to a table, prompting the other three to follow him.

The twins pulled duct tape, rope, and a lot of other ominous items out of the bag, and grew increasingly concerned with every new item.

"What the hell were you doing? Building a Terminator?" Ethan asked incredulously.

"Thank you for that." Stiles drawled sarcastically.

"Guys, this is a map." Scott pointed out.

"Isn't that the cross country trail?" Aidan asked, concerned because a few of their pack mates were about to run that exact trail with a bunch of their classmates, and had already set off to get there.

"That's the Tate car." Scott declared as he pointed at a spot on the map. "Where Malia's family died."

"You mean that's where her father put the steel-jawed traps." 'Stiles' declared. Scott looked at him in horror, realising what 'Stiles' was thinking.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the trail, the cross country team had gotten off the school bus and got into position.

Coach was there with roughly thirty students, including Kira, Danny, Erica, Boyd, and Jackson.

Coach blew his whistle and the team took off in a sprint.

Danny started out in the lead (because the wolves always held back) but then Kira came weaving through the crowd and overtook him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The elevator bell dinged as the doors opened and Chris got off. He approached the apartment door, only to draw his gun when he noticed that the door was agape.

He held his gun steady as he approached the door, staying vigilant as he entered the apartment.

He made his way to his study and saw an emitter stabbed into his desk, standing at an angle.

Chris looked behind the door before entering, but only made it a few steps into the room when he was startled by a familiar voice.

"Lose something?" Derek asked as Chris turned in surprise.

Chris lowered his weapon and scowled.

"Why are you breaking into my apartment?" The Hunter demanded.

"Why are you leaving emitters in my house?" Derek retorted gruffly.

"I have no idea why that would be in your house." Chris told him honestly, then turned and made his way to the desk. "I spent the entirety of the last two days trying to find Stiles."

"Any luck?"

"No."

"Me either." Derek muttered. "Okay, we're both trying to find Stiles. Mind if I ask what you planned on doing if you find him?"

"Well, that depends on which Stiles I find." Chris told him honestly before pulling the emitter out of his desk. There was no point in trying to lie to a werewolf.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The Jeep skidded to a stop at the preserve, the wheels squeaking loudly as it did, which startled Coach.

He stood up from the rock he was sitting on and looked just in time to see Stiles, Scott, Ethan, and Aidan get out of the vehicle.

"Coach!" Stiles called out as he ran over to the man.

"Stilinski." Coach called back in surprise, unsure if he should be relieved or concerned by the sight of the missing student.

"Coach, listen close."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Broken." Chris announced as he examined the cabinet door. He opened it to reveal a silver case. "This isn't mine." He declared. Derek reached for the case but Chris stopped him. "Be careful."

Chris checked for trip wires or triggers before picking it up and carrying it to his desk. He opened it, revealing stacks of money. Chris immediately realised what it was and threw his head back in frustration.

"How much do you think that is?" Derek asked.

"150,000. But it doesn't make sense. We never took the money."

"From the gun deal?" Derek asked for confirmation and Chris nodded. "So that means-"

"It's Katashi's money." Chris confirmed.

"If I remember correctly, he has a nickname." Derek commented.

"You mean something like…" A familiar voice called out, and the pair looked in unison to see Agent McCall walk in, flanked by armed cops. He then held up an evidence bag containing Katashi's finger. "Silverfinger?"

"Where did you get that?" Chris demanded.

"Off Katashi's dead body." McCall answered, and Derek and Chris immediately knew that they were in trouble.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Danny was sprinting at full speed, trying to catch up to Kira, when he was tackled by Ethan.

"What the hell are you doing?" Danny demanded as he glared up at the wolf on top of him.

"There are traps set up somewhere here." Ethan explained quickly.

"What? Who would-?" Danny began to ask.

"No time to explain." Ethan interjected as he kept to his feet, then reached out to help Danny up.

Up ahead, Kira was running with a smile on her face when she was suddenly stopped by Scott.

She let out a little scream as he grabbed her and spun her around, so he wouldn't hurt her when he stopped her, but quickly calmed down when she realised it was him.

"Oh, my God. Did you see how fast I was running?" She asked excitedly.

"I felt it. But we need to stop the others." Scott told her sternly.

"Why?" She asked in concern.

"Scott!" Stilles called out as he came running up to them with Aidan and Coach behind them.

"Stop, stop, stop! Everyone, stop!" Stiles yelled as the rest of the cross country team approached.

Once everyone was still, Stiles leaned down and brushed aside some leaves, revealing a large metal ring. Said ring was attached to a long, thick chain

Stiles followed the length of the chain only to find another ring at the end.

Coach began slow clapping.

"Congratulations, Stilinski. You found a length of chain." The man drawled sarcastically.

Scott looked at Stiles, Stiles looked confused, and Scott began to believe it really was Stiles in front of him.

"Can somebody now please tell me what the hell's going on?" Coach asked as he stepped forward, unknowingly catching his foot on a trip wire.

"Hey, Coach!" Scott called out in warning, but it was too late.

The trap was sprung and an arrow was shot into the centre of Coach's chest.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared in shock.

"Oh, crap." Coach whispered, then fell backwards. The teens immediately crowded around him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Where's Derek?" Lydia demanded as she strode into the Hale living room.

"He went to talk to Chris about the emitter he found in his closet."

"In the closet?" Lydia repeated with a deep frown. "Why would Chris put an emitter there? Or anywhere in the house?"

"That's what Derek went to find out."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

As soon as the initial shock wore off and reality set in, Coach started screaming. "Get it out of me! Get it out of me. Get it out of me. Oh, my God, I'm gonna die. Get it out of me! I'm gonna die!"

"Coach, Coach, you're not gonna die." Stiles told him.

"I'm gonna die!" Coach screamed.

"It will hurt less if you stop moving, Coach." Aidan tried telling him, but Coach just kept screaming.

"Get that thing out of me!"

"Stay still, Coach. An ambulance is coming." Aidan tried again.

"Get it out! I'm gonna die!"

"Get back! Get back! Give him some room! Get back!" Aidan ordered, and everyone who wasn't in the pack obeyed. Ethan, Danny, Boyd, Jackson, Erica, and Kira strategically placed themselves between the rest of the team and Coach, Scott, Stiles, and Aidan.

Scott grasped Coach's hand and took his pain as Stiles put pressure on the wound.

"I think he just passed out." Aidan told Scott when Coach went limp.

'Stiles' took his hands off and looked at the blood covering them. Rather than relishing in it, the Nogitsune acted like a scared human. "I could have killed him. I could have killed him, right? What if it was his head or his throat?"

"But it wasn't." Scott assured him, more convinced than ever that it was the real Stiles. "And he's going to be alright."

"I think I just heard an ambulance coming." Aiden announced, just as sirens grew close enough to be heard by humans.

"And my dad." Stiles declared with a grimace.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the Sheriff's station, Derek and Chris were sitting side by side, both handcuffed to the bench.

"So, I don't suppose you have any idea why Stiles would frame us for murder?" Chris asked the alpha.

"You? About seven different reasons. But me?" Derek joked with a straight face, earning him an unimpressed look from the Hunter.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely convinced that's why we're here." Chris admitted.

"What do you mean?" Derek prompted.

"McCall is going to come out here any minute and probably talk attorneys. Say you've agreed to allow mine to represent you."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not calling my attorney yet. I just want more time."

"To do what?"

"To figure out what we're really doing here." Chris answered.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles and Noah hugged as Coach was put in the ambulance, and Scott watched on.

"Scott, you better look at this." Ethan called out. Scott followed his voice to the boot of Stiles' Jeep, where Ethan showed Scott a roll of wrapping paper.

"This is the same wrapping paper we used for Coach's birthday present." Scott realised.

"Wasn't that William Barrow's thing?" Ethan prompted. "A bomb made from nails and bolts all wrapped in a birthday present? Where did it go off?"

Scott looked back at Stiles, who was still talking to his dad, seemingly without a care in the world.

"On a school bus."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" Mr Yukimura yelled at students as he ran towards the school buses. "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Move! Everyone back!"

He kept on yelling as the students were ushered off the buses and evacuated from the area.

Once the path was clear, the teacher stepped onto the bus and looked at the poor unfortunate student who remained.

"They told me not to move." Jared stated as the man slowly made his way down the aisle of the bus.

"Jared, right?" Mr Yukimura asked for confirmation.

"They told me not to move. They said, 'Stay right where you are and don't move a muscle'." Jared told him, clearly terrified.

"It's all right."

"I didn't know what it was when I picked it up." Jared said shakily. "I didn't know."

"It's all right, Jared. I'm just going to take a look, all right?" He asked and the teen nodded, so Ken grew closer until he could see the neatly wrapped box in the same paper as Coach's present, tied up in neat blue ribbon.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"This is getting out of control," Jackson stated.

"You think we don't know that?" Erica snapped as she flashed her eyes at him. "Arrows, bombs, possession-"

"Keep your voice down." Jackson hissed angrily. "What if Stiles hears you?"

Scott and Stile were talking by the Jeep, while the rest of them were by the school bus.

"He's the one telling us he's the bad guy," Erica retorted.

"Yes, but he's never once said he's possessed, he wants us to think it's part of the dementia." Jackson shot back in a whisper. "So play along."

"Why? So we can end up impaled too?" Boyd asked rhetorically.

"No, so we don't end up impaled." Jackson corrected quietly, earning him curious looks from Erica, Boyd, Kira, Danny, and the twins. "He's leading us to the traps right? Some of them, at least. He wants us to see him upset and scared so we'll trust him."

"What if he only wants us to trust him so he can lead us into a bigger trap later?" Erica retorted.

"What if this is the real Stiles breaking through and helping us?" Danny chimed in. "Jackson's right, we need to go along with this. Best case scenario, it's Stiles helping us so the creature can gain our trust. Worst case, we're heading into a trap we know is coming and can prepare for."

"Exactly." Jackson stated gratefully.

"Fine." Erica huffed. "But if we die, I'll kill you."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Get him out of here! Back those kids up! Move!" Noah ordered as he and Parrish jogged to the cruiser, then he opened the boot. "We wait for the bomb squad." He told the deputy sternly.

"I'm a certified HDT. Two years in the army." Parrish reminded the sheriff as he grabbed what he needed from the car. "I can at least find out if this thing's real."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"I could easily get out of these, you know." Derek informed Chris while examining the handcuffs.

"So could I, but I'm not interested in being a fugitive from the law." Chris stated dryly.

"Well, I'm not interested in being a victim to my mate possessed by a psychotic fox." Derek replied. "Or losing my job over something I didn't do."

"Just give me a few more minutes." Chris requested, but Derek kept fidgeting with the cuff. "Derek!"

The alpha sighed.

"Fine." Derek huffed. "If something happens, don't expect me to risk my life trying to save yours."

Chris knew the hostility came from admitting he was prepared to fight 'Stiles' and wisely didn't comment. He knew that the alpha would calm down on his own if given the chance, but trying to push him would only fuel his anger.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Kira walked into the school just in time to see her father approach a door.

"Close the door." She heard her mother's voice order, then she watched her dad enter the room and closed the door behind him as he was told. She let her curiosity take over and moved closer to eavesdrop.

"You hid them in a book?" Noshiko demanded when her husband picked up a large book off of the shelf and carried it to a desk. "Couldn't you find something more secure?"

"How many high school students do you know who would willingly open a book?" Ken retorted with a chuckle.

"You still haven't talked to Kira, have you?" He asked, oblivious to their daughter watching through the little window in the door.

"Barely a word since the hospital."

"You need to tell her. Especially about this." Ken advised as he looked down at the book. He then opened the book to reveal the eight cut out slots where her tails lie. Those that remained, at least. "You've already sacrificed five. Three of the oni are gone. How many more tails are you willing to sacrifice?"

"If I have to? All of them." Noshiko informed him without hesitation.

Kira was awed by what she heard.

Noshiko picked up a tail and broke it, making her husband flinch.

She then picked up another and broke it too. Ken flinched again.

"These Oni will be stronger." Noshiko declared. "Much stronger."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

On the school bus, Parrish approached Jared with a pair of scissors.

"Jared, it will be very helpful if you could resist throwing up on the potential explosive device." Parrish explained in his calm-yet-firm cop voice. "Hey, can you do that for me?"

"I think so." Jared replied shakily as he watched Parrish move the scissors. "You... You look really…"

"Handsome? Thank you." Parrish interjected as he carefully slid the scissors towards the ribbon. "For a second there, I thought you were going to say I look really young and I was gonna have to launch into my explanation about how I'm actually 24 and that anyone can look young if they eat right and exercise. Although it's probably just good genes anyway, right?" He asked rhetorically, then cut the ribbon without taking his eyes off of Jared.

Jared gasped and flinched away when the ribbon was cut, but there was no explosion.

Parrish slowly slid the lid off of the box as Jared watched nervously.

"Huh."

Noah was waiting outside the bus when the radio on his uniform sounded.

"It's not a bomb, sir, but there is something in the box." Parrish's voice declared over the radio, loud enough for the bystanders closest (and the werewolves) to hear.

Noah and the crowd watched as Parrish made his way to the back of the bus and pressed the name plate from the sheriff's desk against the glass.

Noah's mind worked quickly, remembering the delivery earlier that day.

"My God." The sheriff whispered to himself. "There is a bomb, but not here."

He had to call it in.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When the call came in at the station, all the deputies began running around in a panic.

Cordova rushed over and undid Chris' cuffs.

"What's happening?" The Hunter demanded, but the deputy didn't answer, so he turned to Derek.

Derek looked around and let his heightened sense take over. He barely even registered his own cuffs being taken off. The world seemed to slow around him as he honed in on the glass behind him.

"What's happening?" He heard Chris ask, but his attention was on something else. Peering through the gaps in the blinds, he saw a box on the sheriff's desk and immediately knew that the box was bad news.

"Get down!" Derek yelled as the world returned to normal. He then threw himself over Chris protectively, just as the bomb went off and glass rained over him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the nemeton, a swarm of fireflies emerged from the tree stump.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Get me an ambulance here, at the sheriff's station. We've got an explosion. We got multiple officers down. Multiple officers down." Noah called in as Stiles and Scott helped him check on those injured. "We need an ambulance A.S.A.P. On the double."

"Scott? Scott?" Stiles called out, and Scott followed his voice to find a deputy bleeding from his mouth and writhing in pain.

The man clearly needed help but Scott couldn't help but be suspicious of the fact that Stiles was focused on a random deputy when he could smell Derek's blood from across the room.

"Derek. Derek." Chris called out in concern as he helped the alpha up.

"I'm okay." Derek insisted despite the pain in his back, courtesy of the glass fragments sticking out of him. "I'm okay, I'm okay."

"You saved my life." Chris told him.

"Does that mean you'll help me save my mate's?" Derek asked woozily as he wobbled on his feet.

"That was never a question, Derek."

Scott heard their conversation, but didn't hear Chris' response thanks to Stiles.

"Can you do something? Take his pain? Anything to make it easier?" Stiles asked, and Scott did exactly that until he couldn't take it anymore.

The pain of a dying man was too much. All that pain; Isaac's, Coach's, and now the deputy's. It was too much for Scott.

Suddenly, the sheriff was yelling and he couldn't take the time to process it. He had to move.

He stammered to his feet and grabbed Stiles. He tried to get him out of there but Stiles kept resisting. Then Kira came running in.

"The oni. They're coming." Kira warned them.

"Stiles, we gotta get you out of here."

It wasn't long until the three of them were in the Jeep, driving to someplace safe.

"It's an animal clinic?" Kira asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, the place is lined with mountain ash. Just like my house." Scott informed her. "It will buy us some time."

"But they can get through it?" Stiles asked.

"Eventually."

"Nobody's got any better ideas?" Stiles asked, unable to hide his frustration. Scott just stared at him. "Okay, sure. Animal clinic."

The plan was to get in the Hale House, but that could wait. It might even be more fun to enact that plan later than scheduled.

Scott didn't suggest the house because he now knew he'd been wrong all day. That wasn't Stiles. The real Stiles would have checked on Derek and forced him to go to the hospital. So, no, Scott wasn't going to willingly waltz him into the pack house.

As they arrived at the animal clinic, so did the Oni.

"Stiles, get inside." Scott ordered as he tossed Stiles the keys, then he charged at the Oni and fought them off.

"Hey, Kira, get inside! Kira!" Stiles called out to the girl who was distracted watching the fight.

Then she joined it.

She started throwing animal carries at the creatures as the rain poured down on them.

Then, when she ran out of things to throw, she found out that she was pretty good at hand to hand fighting. Very good, in fact. She grabbed a pipe and held her own against the Oni.

Scott was fighting well for a while too, until one of the Oni managed to stab him.

Kira screamed and ran over, kicking the Oni away from the werewolf.

"All right, come on. Get him inside! Get him inside!" Stiles yelled as he ran over and helped Kira get Scott up. The pair worked together to get him inside, and Stiles shut the door behind them.

They got Scott to the examination room, and he leaned against the table for support as he inspected the sword in his abdomen.

Scott groaned in pain and sent Kira a look. One she immediately understood.

She grasped the sword in both hands and moved to pull it out, only to be stopped by Stiles. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it.

She gasped in pain and let go of the sword, but Stiles didn't let go of her. He reached up with his other hand and slammed her head against the metal table, rendering her unconscious.

He let her drop to the ground and turned his attention to Scott. He approached and tauntingly danced his fingers along the hilt of the sword sticking out of him.

"You okay?"

"Please don't. Stop." Scott pleaded, feeling a fear unlike any other as he looked into Stiles' eyes and saw no hint of his best friend. Stiles was gone and he had no idea what the creature was about to do to him.

"It's okay." 'Stiles' stated softly, then grasped the sword. He tugged, acting as though he were about to pull it out. He placed his free hand on Scott's shoulder and sent him a reassuring look, then finally dropped the act and twisted the blade.

Scott cried out in pain and tried to defend himself, but the twisting of the blade made him spasm in pain and made it impossible to fight back.

"Does it hurt? Hey, look at me. You should have done your reading, Scott." 'Stiles taunted as he kept twisting the blade, making Scott cry out again. "See, a Nogitsune feeds off chaos, strife and pain. Last night, you took it from Mr Reyes. This morning, you took it from Isaac, then you took it from Coach. And then from a dying deputy. All that pain. You took it all." It moved Stiles' hand from Scott's shoulder to his face. "Now, give it to me."

Scott gasped out as the creature fed from him, the dark veins appearing on both of them as the Nogitsune took it all.

After feeding on every last drop, the creature gasped in ecstacy and grinned.

"You really have to learn, Scott. You really have to learn not to trust a fox. Mmm-mmm. Know why? 'Cause they're tricksters. They'll fool you." The Nogitsune bragged with a smile. "They'll fool everyone."

Then, Deaton arrived.

"Not everyone." The druid corrected. When 'Stiles' looked at him, he lifted the syringe gun and jammed it in Stiles' neck.

The Nogitsune shook and collapsed to the ground.

Deaton turned to Scott and silently pulled the sword out.

Scott let out one final groan, then it was gone and his body was free to repair itself. It would take an hour or so, but he could already feel it starting, so that was something.

"What was that?" Scott asked. "Was that a cure? Is he okay?"

"The fox is poisoned. But it's not dead. Not yet."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia was in the library in the bunker, going over everything Stiles had left for them, when Cora and Allison came in.

"Hey, they just brought Stiles back, he's unconscious but Derek's letting us see him in turns. I'm heading back to the hospital to check on Isaac, but I wanted to check on you first." Allison stated, but Lydia didn't look at her.

"I know where I went wrong." Lydia announced as she picked up a piece of paper.

"What do you mean?" The two brunettes asked in unison.

"The other night, when I followed the voices to Eichen House while McCall and Melissa found Stiles in the woods." Lydia explained without taking her eyes off the paper in her hand.

"So, what happened?" Cora prompted.

"I focused on my powers when I should have been looking at the evidence. He laid it all out for me but I ignored it in favour of listening to the voices, but it's all right here. The sabotage at the hospital. The map of the trail, plans for rigging the trip wire to the crossbow. He wrote out the diversion plan, left blueprints for the station, and plans for the bomb. But I didn't even look at it. I was never supposed to find Stiles, I was supposed to follow the evidence and dismantle the traps. People are dead because I got it wrong. Isaac's in the hospital because of me."

"It's not your fault, it's the Nogitsune's." Allison corrected gently.

"That looks like more than three plans," Cora commented while glancing pointedly at the papers on the table.

"There are more." Lydia confirmed sourly. "A lot more."

Chapter 34: Locked Up

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The fox is temporarily poisoned.

"There are more." Lydia confirmed sourly. "A lot more."

The moment Scott and Stiles walked into the dining room the next morning, all eyes were on Stiles.

Almost all of the central pack were present, the only absences being Isaac and Allison teen-wise, and Derek.

"Shouldn't he be tied up?" Ethan asked.

"Or locked up?" Aiden added.

"No." Cora stated sternly. "Not until the poison wears off."

What little they knew about the Nogitsune was discouraging, to say the least, so Cora wanted to take advantage of whatever time she had left with the real Stiles.

"Personally, I'm with them and think I should be locked up right now, but Scotty here is trying to talk me out of it." Stiles stated, trying to act casual but his true emotions were as clear as day to his pack. "So, I'm going to go make breakfast and pretend everything is normal, while you guys stay as far away from me as possible, just in case."

"No, we're spending the day together, as a pack." Scott declared. "We research better together."

"I think I'd be a pretty big distraction today, Scotty." Stiles argued.

"I'm going to be busy all day." Lydia announced. She was going to lead Parrish and Noah to dismantle the other traps the Nogitsune had set up. "You'll have to research without me."

"We were gonna go to the hospital," Erica told Scott apologetically. "My dad's getting released and we wanted to check on Isaac."

Stiles looked down in shame. He wanted to ask them to give his best to Jake but figured it wouldn't be taken well.

"The Nogitsune was going to do something to him before the Oni showed up. Right?" Erica asked for confirmation, even though she knew she was right.

"Yes." Stiles confirmed without making eye contact.

"What exactly was it going to do?" She demanded.

"Still crash the car, only fatally." Stiles explained with his fists clenched, and eyes full of shame. "It was going to fake an episode to get him to speed up, then knock him out, and grab the wheel to swerve into a tree. If the Oni hadn't shown up-"

"Well, it did." Erica declared, and Stiles finally looked at her. "So you can't feel guilty about that. Just about Isaac, Coach, and Scott."

"Hey!" Scott snapped.

"No, she's right." Stiles reached out to place a hand on Scott's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"I'm not saying you should feel guilty about that, just that you can." Erica corrected. "I don't think you're any more responsible for this mess than Tammy was for the people Matt had her kill."

"This is different." Stiles insisted.

"Why? Because it's you?" The blonde challenged.

"Yes, that's exactly why." Stiles retorted. "I'm aware of what's happening to me, she wasn't."

"So, you're choosing to do these things?" Malia asked calmly.

"No, of course not!" Stiles corrected without thinking. None of it was really his choice, even when he had to make a decision. He didn't like either option, nor did he come up with them, Stiles was given the options by the voices.

"Then how is it different?" The coyote asked, Stiles just stared at her in disbelief. "I mean, if that Tammy girl wasn't responsible for what the Kimono did-"

"Kanima." Lydia corrected.

"-How are you responsible for what the Nogitsune is doing?" Malia continued like Lydia hadn't spoken.

"I had chances to warn you, and I didn't do enough." Stiles declared, truly believing it.

"You mean the message at the loft about how we shouldn't trust you?" Ethan asked for confirmation.

"Yes, and the one in the school parking lot about how I freed Barrow." Stiles confirmed.

"Oh, we must have missed that one." Ethan frowned.

"I didn't," Danny corrected. "Lydia and I filled it in."

"Why?" Cora demanded with a growl. "Wait, don't answer. I already know. It was Derek and his stupid order to keep the Nogitsune a secret."

"Did you try to tell us directly? Not with a note but with your words?" Erica asked Stiles.

"Yes, I tried a million times even before I knew what was possessing me." Stiles answered honestly. "Every time I thought I was in control, I tried to say something but I always ended up saying something else entirely."

"So you tried to tell us, tried to fight back, and are so scared of what it can do that you want to be locked up." Erica summarised with a smirk as she folded her arms. She then lifted her right eyebrow and asked, "How exactly are you responsible for this again?"

"You think you're real clever, don't you?" Stiles narrowed his eyes at her.

"You know I'm right," Erica smirked as she held out both arms. "So, stop being stupid and give me a hug. I've gotta go see my dad."

After Erica, Boyd, and Cora left to go to the hospital, Stiles turned to Scott.

"You should be with Allison and Isaac. I'll be fine with everyone here watching over me." Stiles told his best friend.

"We won't let him out of our sight." Jackson vowed.

Scott was reluctant. A part of him wanted to stay with Stiles, but a bigger part of him longed to be at the hospital with his mate's, taking Isaac's pain. He was torn on what to do, then that little voice in his head decided to choose for him. It told him that he could help Isaac more than he could help Stiles in that moment.

"Okay, I'll only be a couple of hours, we're still technically not allowed in his room, so my mum has to wait for the right moment to sneak us in." Scott explained. "Call me if anything happens."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

They spent hours researching the Nogitsune but found nothing about how to exorcise one. No book or website had the answers they sought and it was frustrating for everyone.

At 2pm, Erica, her parents, Cora, Boyd, Allison, and Scott returned to the house, and everyone was distracted from their research.

Jake had been caught up to date on what was really going on and was wary but still took the time to reassure Stiles that he didn't blame him for the crash. Hayley reassured him too, then the couple went back to their house so Jake could rest. Because the house was within earshot, Erica was content to stay at the pack house a little longer.

"How's the research going?" Allison asked as she slumped into a chair.

"Not well," Stiles sighed.

"Do we have to keep doing this?" Malia asked as she slammed her book shut. "We've been reading all day and found nothing."

"We can't stop, we're running out of time before the poison wears off." Jackson argued. He may prefer action to research, but he knew when the latter was necessary.

"What are we going to do when it does?" Erica asked nobody in particular.

"We're going to lock me up." Stiles answered.

"No!" Scott protested immediately. "We're not doing that."

"I don't like it, but he's right. We'll have to if we don't find anything useful." Boyd reluctantly chimed in. He had hoped to have found something by then, and the lack of results made him reconsider his initial plan. "But we still have time. We need to keep searching, but we also need to take a break every now and then. Let's pause, order some food, and relax for a few hours."

"I like the sound of that." Malia smiled, eager to put the books away and do something fun.

"You guys can relax, I'm gonna keep searching," Stiles declared as he turned the page of his book on Kitsunes.

"What if stressing yourself out just makes you burn through the poison faster?" Jackson asked, hoping to convince Stiles to ease up a little.

"Deaton never said anything about that, just that I should stay awake as long as possible," Stiles replied as he continued to read.

"You need energy to stay awake, you should eat something." Allison stated.

Stiles stopped reading as he thought it over. Cooking always helped clear his head, and he needed a clear mind and plenty of energy if he wanted to run around town and take people's pain later.

So, Stiles agreed to pause the research for a late lunch. But as soon as they finished cleaning up after dinner, it was back to researching.

Then, at around 6:30pm, the front door opened.

"Who is it?" Allison asked the werewolves when she heard the door shut.

"Stiles' dad, and Lydia," Scott told her, just as the pair walked into the room.

"Were you two together all day?" Stiles asked the pair with a frown.

"Yes." Noah answered calmly. "We, and Parrish, spent the day dismantling the other traps around town. All eight of them."

Stiles frowned. If they found 8 traps, there were still 4 they missed.

"What traps?" Boyd asked before Stiles could.

"A bomb at the bowling alley, set to go off tomorrow." The Sheriff began as he looked at Stiles, who looked ashamed. "Three more crossbows rigged to trip wires at different locations in the preserve. Two along your usual jogging route, and one near the training clearing. The coffee machine at the diner was rigged to get one degree hotter every hour, until the temperature maxed out. A vaporiser filled with wolfsbane was in Victoria's glovebox." He listed, and that particular item made Allison and Scott exchange a look. "A bucket of cement was rigged above Allison's bedroom door at the apartment. And a remote activated sonic emitter was under the passenger seat of Derek's camaro."

Stiles felt a sense of dread and longed to tell them about the four remaining traps, but the voices whispered to him. They reminded him that it was necessary to defeat the Nogitsune.

"You cannot warn them. The traps must go off and you must be there to take the victims' pain when they do." The voices whispered, and Stiles had to grit his teeth to prevent himself from sighing.

He felt eyes on him and looked up to see Lydia staring at him with wide eyes. He knew from her expression that she heard the whispers too.

"But you disabled them all?" Scott asked for confirmation, unknowingly regaining Stiles and Lydia's attention.

"We did," Noah answered. "Most of it's in my car, but Parrish took the more sensitive materials into evidence. There are no prints, and he's making sure there's no trace back to Stiles if the feds get involved."

"Okay." Scott nodded. "Did you check all the cars, or just follow the plans?"

"We did a sweep of all pack-owned vehicles, including your bikes, and came up with nothing." Noah informed him.

"So, what now?" Stiles asked.

"I need to get back to the station to check on everyone. There's nothing else we can do until Deaton tells us more, or one of Chris' contacts gets back to us with more information about the Nogitsune." Noah told him apologetically. "Just make the most of the creature being poisoned and relax with your pack while you can, kiddo."

"Did Scott tell you to say that?" Stiles asked with an accusatory glare.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia got Stiles alone a few minutes later.

"What are the voices?" She demanded.

"You mean the Banshee voices?" Stiles tried to deflect.

"No. You know what I'm talking about." Lydia declared with a glare. "What are they?"

"They're the collective consciousness in the Nemeton, formed by all the druids that connected themselves to it over the years." Stiles told her. "They're guiding me."

"To do what?" Lydia demanded as she folded her arms.

"To stop the Nogitsune." Stiles answered carefully.

"How? By getting it out of you? Or by killing it?" Lydia asked.

Stiles sighed. He had really hoped she wouldn't ask that question.

"Stiles." Lydia drawled in a warning tone. "Tell me you're working to get the Nogitsune out of you."

"In order to get it out of me, it needs to be stronger. And to make it stronger, more people have to be hurt. Maybe even killed." Stiles reluctantly admitted, knowing she wouldn't stop until she got to the truth.

"Which means you have to decide if they get hurt or not." Lydia realised, empathetic and understanding. "It's different when it's you making the choice, not the Nogitsune."

"Exactly!" Stiles exclaimed, relieved that she was empathising instead of judging, or telling him what to do. "It's one thing when I'm literally out of control and the Nogitsune is the one setting up traps, twisting blades, and taking pain. But if I go through with this, I'll be the one letting people get hurt, I'll be taking their pain to feed the Nogitsune knowing that, if it separates from me, it'll be stronger and free to do so much worse. How can I live with that?"

"You could learn to live with it by working every day to make up for it. You help as many people can, and devote your life to doing better. That's what the Argents, the twins, and Peter do." Lydia reminded him.

"So, you think I should separate from it?" Stiles asked.

"It's the only way we can kill it." Lydia stated.

"No, if it's in me, you might be able to still kill it. It'll be harder, for sure, but-" Stiles began to correct her, but Lydia cut him off.

"We can't kill you, Stiles. Something that looks like you, sure, but not you. We'd never be able to live with ourselves." She told him.

It was true. If they had to kill Stiles to kill the Nogitsune, nobody in the pack would be able to recover. The guilt would tear the pack apart, and Derek would likely go feral. It would be different if the Nogitsune killed Stiles then they killed the Nogitsune. That, they could live with. Killing Stiles in the process of killing the Nogitsune is what would break them.

Which was why Lydia found it so easy to empathise with his plight. In a way, she had to make the same choice now that he had told her. If she encouraged him to do whatever it took to separate from the Nogitsune, she was encouraging him to let other people get hurt. If she told him to save everyone, she was essentially telling him to let himself die.

It was a surprisingly easy choice.

"You need to separate from the Nogitsune by any means necessary. It's the only way we'll be able to truly fight back against it." Lydia told him without hesitation. "I know you'll only go as far as you have to."

"What if something goes wrong and I go too far without meaning to?" Stiles couldn't help but ask. "It already killed Katashi. A deputy is dead because of the Nogitsune. What if somebody else dies because of me?"

"Then we'll deal with it together." Lydia told him. "Why don't you tell everyone what you told me, and we'll take a vote?"

"We both know exactly how that would go. Scott would tell me there's another way that doesn't involve hurting anyone, and Allison will back him up. Jackson, Erica, Cora, Malia, and the twins will tell me to kill whoever I have to to get the Nogitsune out of me. Danny will say to not kill anybody, but if it's not going to cause permanent injuries, go ahead and separate. And Boyd will ask what I feel is the right thing to do." Stiles summarised confidently.

"You're probably right, but why don't we find out for sure?" Lydia prompted.

"I can't rope them into this." Stiles protested. "I shouldn't have even told you."

"I'm glad you did. You shouldn't carry this burden on your own." Lydia told him as she reached out to grasp his hand.

"This is all my fault. If I hadn't come up with the idea to bind our pack to the Nemeton, none of this would have ever happened." Stiles lamented as Lydia's thumb caressed his hand.

"We decided it was the best option and talked everyone into it together." Lydia reminded him. "If it's your fault, then it's mine too."

"You're not the one possessed."

"So, I have even more reason to feel guilty than you do." Lydia retorted without missing a beat.

Stiles scowled because she was right. If she wound up going through bardo and getting possessed instead of him, he'd feel even worse than he already did and likely wish he were in her place.

Well, in that hypothetical scenario, he would have gotten his wish.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When his dad returned home from the station, Stiles was waiting for him in his home office. Noah knew to go there thanks to the text Stiles had sent him.

The sheriff knew that it would be bad from the serious tone of the text, and he had a pretty good idea of what his son was going to say.

He locked the door to soundproof the room, then took his seat behind the desk and waited for his son to speak.

"Dad, I know this is going to be hard for you, but I need you to trust me," Stiles began while leaning forward in his seat. "I'm a threat right now, whether we like it or not, and it's safer for everyone if I'm locked away."

"Do you really think hiding away in the basement is the best move?" Noah asked, ready with his response.

"No, not the basement. You and every other human in the pack could be tricked into letting me out." Stiles corrected, surprising his dad. "I can't stay here. When I say I need to be locked up, I mean it."

"What? You want me to lock you up at the station?" Noah asked incredulously. "Not gonna happen."

"No, the station would be just as risky as here," Stiles stated, confusing his father, who couldn't think of anywhere else Stiles could be locked up. "The only safe place for me to be, where I can't possibly hurt anyone, is Eichen House."

"Eichen House?" The sheriff exclaimed in shock. "No. No way in hell."

"It's the only option." Stiles stated confidently. The voices told him it was where he needed to be and he trusted them. "I'll be somewhere I can't just leave on a whim. Somewhere they can care for my condition and-"

"Derek told me that the dementia is just a trick by the Nogitsune, before he was locked up." Noah interrupted with a stern glare, silently scolding his son for trying to use such a dirty trick.

"It is. That's not what I meant." Stiles stated, and his dad gestured for him to go on. "This poison could wear off at any second and Eichen House has a secret supernatural ward. I want to check into the standard human section, and be treated as if I really do have dementia. I want to be able to be checked out the second you find something useful, but I also want to be transferred to the supernatural ward if something happens. Y'know, so, if the poison wears off before you guys find something useful, I'll be somewhere truly equipped to handle this thing."

"I don't like it." Noah declared as he folded his arms.

"I know, but I need you to trust me on this." Stiles pleaded. "I can't be here. I'm terrified of what's going to happen."

"I can make sure the pack won't bother you if you stay in the basement." The sheriff tried, hoping to keep his son close enough to keep an eye on. Somewhere he could visit freely.

"You can't be here 24/7. Even if you could, that just puts you at risk."

"I'm your dad, it's my job to protect you." Noah pointed out.

"And right now, I need you to protect me from this thing inside me." Stiles retorted. "And the best way to do that is with a voluntary 72 hour hold at Eichen House."

"Just 72 hours?" Noah asked, persuaded by the time limit. It felt different knowing there was a set end to his time in the facility.

"I promise."

"Okay." Noah nodded. "Fine, if this is really what you want. How are you going to tell the pack?"

"Well, you're going to drop me off at Eichen House, then tell them when you get home." Stiles informed him.

"What is it with you and Derek keeping secrets from the pack right now?" Noah asked rhetorically.

"If I tell them myself, Cora will knock me out, Boyd will carry me down to the basement, and Lydia will lock me in the cell. Then they'll all take turns guarding me so you can't let me out." Stiles answered anyway.

"Okay, fine." Noah conceded, easily imagining that exact scenario. "But we're gonna have to be careful sneaking out. If they see you leave with a bag, they'll know something is up."

"Good thinking, pops." Stiles grinned. "I knew I could count on you." He smiled softly, then his face dropped. "Now, we need to talk about Derek."

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do for him." Noah stated. While it was technically true, he had a plan to try, he just didn't want to get his son's hopes up.

"What's McCall got on him?" Stiles asked.

"He won't tell me." Noah reluctantly admitted. "He says my connection to Derek makes me compromised, but I'm working on it."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Around 7:30pm, just after dinner, the Sheriff received a frantic call from Parrish about an incident at the loft in the building Derek owned.

Tara was sent out to respond to a noise complaint and called in for help and an ambulance.

He immediately ordered the pack to stay put, then took off.

Parrish arrived at the building at the same time as Noah did, so they made their way up to the loft together.

Noah and Parrish arrived in their respective uniforms, and found the sliding door already wide open, allowing them to see Tara lying in the middle of the room in a pool of blood, with someone leaning over her.

"This is the Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department. Put your hands up and step away from the woman." Noah ordered with his gun raised.

"I'm taking her pain." A familiar voice replied.

"Stiles?" Noah asked incredulously as he stepped forward.

"Be careful, there are trip wires." Stiles warned.

Noah and Parrish looked down in unison and saw the thin wire stretched along the doorway.

"How many?" Parrish asked as he carefully stepped over the wire.

"Three. She stepped over the first and hit the second. The third is by the bedroom door." Stiles told them. "You need to disarm them before the ambulance gets here."

"I'm on it." Parrish declared, and moved to dismantle the one by the front door first.

"What are you doing here?" The sheriff demanded as he approached his son.

"I snuck out when I remembered the trap." Stiles lied convincingly. The truth was that the voices had told him the trap had been triggered. The other two trip wires in the loft were just decoys, the other three traps were in different locations, he just wanted to keep Parrish busy. "I have my phone and I imagine Danny is tracking it right now. So don't be surprised if they just show up."

"How is she?" Stilinski asked while nodding to Tara.

"She should be fine. Straight through her shoulder, there's an exit wound. Rifle's set up over there." Stiles replied, putting on a brave front that his dad saw right through. "She only passed out when I started taking her pain, I think the adrenaline wore off."

"It's not your fault." Noah stated sternly.

"Then who's fault is it?" Stiles snapped without thinking.

"The Nogitsune's." Noah replied sternly. "So, stop blaming yourself and just focus on taking her pain. Okay?"

Stiles nodded shakily and did as he was told.

"The ambulance is pulling up outside now." Parrish announced. "The trip wire by the door wasn't rigged to a weapon, just a party popper. Looks like the one by the bedroom is too."

"Still, be careful. Don't let your guard down." Noah cautioned.

"I won't."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

When they realised Stiles was missing again, the pack had Danny track his phone.

When Danny announced that Stiles was with Noah at the loft, Cora ordered him to pull up the surveillance footage. There was only one camera in the loft, pointed at the door, that just caught the centre of the room.

"Is that Tara?" Erica asked as she stared at the screen in horror.

"Yeah," Scott confirmed with a deep frown. "She looks hurt, can you go back?" He asked Danny. "See what happened?"

Danny could and he did, so they were able to see Tara enter the loft. They watched as she noticed the trip wire by the door and carefully stepped over it. She identified herself as a deputy and called out for anybody present to reveal themselves. Nobody responded so she walked forwards with her weapon drawn, slow and alert, only to suddenly look down in a panic when she caught the second trip wire. She tried to move out of the way, but didn't get far. The bullet went through her shoulder and she collapsed to the ground.

She used her radio to call in the incident and moved to get up. She cried out in pain when she had to use her injured arm to push herself up, but she did it.

She moved to tear a piece of fabric from her uniform, only to freeze when she heard a noise behind her.

Then Stiles came running in, leaping over the tripwire.

He told her not to move, then began babbling out apologies as he took her pain. She looked nervous but wisely didn't comment anything more than reassurances that it was his fault.

Tara passed out a few seconds later, about a minute before Parrish and the Sheriff showed up.

"How did Stiles get there? Did he take his Jeep?" Ethan asked.

"No, it's still here, he must have gone on foot so we wouldn't hear him leave." Scott answered with a deep frown. "The real question is 'how did he know?'"

"We all heard the sheriff get the call." Aiden reminded him.

"Yeah, but Stiles got there first." Lydia chimed in, having the same thought as Scott. "Even with traffic, to get to the loft from here would take longer running the back streets to avoid being seen. Either the sheriff would've seen him running alongside the car, or he left first."

"So, you think he remembered the trap and didn't tell us about it?" Jackson asked for confirmation.

"It's the only explanation." Lydia stated confidently.

"So, was that the last one? Or are there more?" Malia wondered.

"Why would he go off on his own, instead of taking one of us with him?" Ethan asked with a frown.

"Because he's scared the poison will wear off early and he'll hurt someone else." Scott stated knowingly. "He feels guilty enough about what happened at the clinic, he's not going to risk hurting any of you too."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After the paramedics arrived and took Tara to the hospital, Noah began interrogating his son.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" The Sheriff demanded.

"I remembered the trap and came to disarm it, but I got here too late." Stiles lied well.

"Are there more?" Parrish asked.

"Yeah, three. But not here." Stiles answered honestly, knowing that by the time they arrived, the next trap would have already been triggered.

"Then you and I will go disarm them," The sheriff declared. "Can you take over at the station?" He asked Parrish.

"I can try." The deputy replied, knowing McCall was there and would make it difficult.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

First, Stiles and Noah went to the public section of the preserve, where a man fell victim to an animal trap on his nighttime run. (It was bad, and would likely need amputating.)

Second, they went to the public library. There, Stiles took the pain of a librarian who was trapped under a sabotage shelving unit while restocking. (That one was mild, not even a concussion, just a nasty bump.)

Then they were back in the car, heading to (what was supposed to be) their final stop of the night.

"There's only one left right?" Noah asked for confirmation.

"Yeah," Stiles confirmed grimly.

"Where is it?"

"The ice rink."

"Boyd's working tonight." Noah realised, his eyes wide.

"I know." Stiles replied gravely.

They arrived to find the zamboni tipped on its side, with Boyd pinned under it.

Boyd heard footsteps approaching and turned his head to look, and sighed in relief when he saw Noah and Stiles.

"I can't move my arms," Boyd told the pair. That was the most frustrating part, he was strong enough to free himself, he was just trapped in the wrong position to use said strength.

Stiles immediately pulled out his phone. "Fuck, I thought- We can't lift that, I need to call for help."

"We're here," A familiar voice called out, the three guys looked in unison to see Erica jogging towards her with Cora by her side.

"How did you-?" Noah began to ask.

"Our mate bond." Cora answered before he could even finish his question.

"How'd this happen?" Noah asked Boyd as he and the three teenagers carefully walked across the ice to get to him.

"I heard a grinding sound and got off to check it out. One second I was looking, the next, the zamboni was being pushed on top of me." Boyd explained as the group grew closer.

"Pushed? By who?" Erica demanded, alarmed by the thought that somebody was helping the Nogitsune.

"Well, I never met her, but it looked a Hell of a lot like Kate Argent." Boyd replied.

Noah and Stiles shared a look, and Stiles opened his mouth to speak, but then Noah looked away.

"Okay, you two are going to lift on the count of three. One, two, three." Noah counted, and the girls lifted the zamboni.

Boyd cried out in pain. He had noticed while he was trapped but, the moment the pressure was lifted, he realised he'd been injured. The pain came first, followed by the scent of his own blood.

He knew he probably shouldn't look, but he did anyway. He immediately regretted it when he saw the bone sticking out of his leg.

"Oh God," Boyd mumbled as he suppressed a gag.

Erica and Cora got the zamboni right side up, and immediately abandoned it to check on their mate.

"It's okay, you're okay." Cora assured Boyd while crouching down. "I know it hurts like hell, but you'll heal in minutes. I just have to reset the bone. Stiles can take your pain. Okay?"

"Okay." Boyd nodded shakily as Stiles crouched too and took his hand, immediately draining the pain from his body.

"I'll reset it," Noah stated, because he had the training to do so, unlike Cora. So, Erica and Cora settled for holding his hands while Stiles grasped his shoulder.

Even though Stiles took the pain, Boyd still felt his bone being shoved back into place and it felt weird.

"Okay," Noah began as he watched Boyd's skin stitch itself back together. "It shouldn't take long now. Can you call someone to cover the rest of your shift?"

"No, the damage to the ice is too extensive. I can't resurface it now, they'll have to call someone in to seal the cracks." Boyd announced while examining the damage caused by the zamboni being pushed over. "I'm gonna have a hard time explaining this one."

"It's my fault, blame me." Stiles chimed in as the black veins on his arms faded.

"You didn't push it onto me," Boyd reminded him while sitting up.

"I was going to, that was the plan." Stiles informed him. "I messed with the zamboni so it made that noise, and I was supposed to be here to push it. I thought the Nogitsune being poisoned meant I'd get here and you'd have hurt your hand trying to fix it, or something. But apparently I teamed up with Kate fucking Argent and have no memory of it!"

And that was what truly terrified Stiles. He thought the voices had told him everything he didn't remember, but they never mentioned that.

"It's not your fault." Boyd assured him, but Stiles barely heard him over the other voices.

"We do not know how she knew to be here, but the Nogitsune didn't tell her. You haven't been near her since the night she was turned." The voices whispered to Stiles.

Well, that was a little comforting, but it still begged the questions; Why was she there? And was it just a coincidence that she did exactly what the Nogitsune was going to do?

"Did she say anything to you?" Erica asked Boyd with a frown.

"No, she just looked at me, smirked, and walked away." Boyd told him.

"Okay, can you call in the incident from home, or does it have to be here?" Cora asked.

"Here's probably better." Boyd answered reluctantly. He too was eager to be at home while he healed, but he knew that if he left, he'd be asked to do something else like take a picture of the damage, or wait for the manager to come inspect it. So, he was better off making the call from the rink.

"Then we'll stay while you do." Cora declared.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

By the next day, Noah was a little more willing to send Stiles to Eichen House. He wasn't thrilled about it, but agreed it was for the best after the traps.

Noah had to work that day so they had to wait until the evening.

After dinner, Stiles packed a bag with three days worth of clothes and carefully crept downstairs.

Stiles and Noah managed to sneak out unseen, but the coyote and wolves heard them drive away and got suspicious.

Before heading to Eichen House, Stiles convinced Noah to take him to the station to see Derek.

Stiles wanted privacy as he talked to his mate, but he didn't get it. He and Derek were separated by a cell, Chris was in the neighbouring cell, and Noah stood guard to make sure it wasn't a secret escape attempt.

"You shouldn't be in here," Stiles declared as he gripped the bars of the cell.

"I can break out anytime I want, but Chris convinced me to stay put. He thinks we can beat the charges," Derek explained soothingly.

"We can." Chris chimed in confidently.

"Do you mind? We're trying to have a moment." Stiles huffed, Chris chuckled and playfully conceded.

"Pretend I'm not even here."

"Promise me that if you can't beat this, you'll break out before they can take you to prison." Stiles begged Derek.

"I promise," Derek vowed without hesitation. He wanted to do things the right way, if possible, but he was fully prepared to be a fugitive if necessary. That was the only reason he stayed with Chris. Well, not the only reason. It was also because he knew the hunter was hiding something, and he wanted to know what.

"Good." Stiles nodded. Then he sighed. "Look, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna say it."

"You're leaving me for someone who isn't wanted for murder?" Derek joked, hoping to ease the tension. It succeeded in making Stiles chuckle.

"No," Stiles shook his head as he chuckled, the suggestion utterly ridiculous to him, granting him a moment of levity. Then his expression sombered. "But I am checking myself into Eichen House for 72 hours."

"What? You can't do that." Derek began to protest, but Stiles spoke up before he could say anything else.

"It's safer in there than out here." Stiles insisted. "Isaac still hasn't healed from the attack at the hospital. I killed Katashi, and now you're sitting in jail for it. I almost killed Scott the other night. Last night, three more traps went off. There was a fourth plan that I didn't see through, but you know who showed up to finish the job? Kate Argent. She somehow knew to be at the ice rink to push the zamboni onto Boyd. The bone was sticking out of his leg, Derek! My dad had to reset it."

"Is he healing okay?" Derek asked in alarm.

"Yeah, Erica and Cora had to support him a little last night, but he's doing fine now."

"Did Kate say anything to him?" Chris asked, reminding Stiles that they weren't alone.

"No, apparently she just smirked and left." Stiles answered while glancing at the hunter.

"Is she working with the Nogitsune?" Derek asked.

"I don't think so, I'm pretty sure I'd remember that." Stiles replied, choosing his words carefully. "But her being in town is all the more reason I need to be locked up. With you in here, and the Nogitsune possessing me, the pack is gonna have a hard time focusing. If they're worried about me, they'll be vulnerable to Kate, and if they're worried about her while I'm walking free, the poison could wear off and I could hurt them. Two threats are too many, so I need to take myself off the board."

"We dealt with a whole pack of threats, plus a Darach, and we won. We can handle this. If you really want to be locked up, there's always the cells in the basement." Derek reminded him. "You don't have to go to Eichen House."

"Yes, I do." Stiles corrected calmly. "Lydia, Allison, and Danny could all be tricked into letting me out at home."

"Believe me, Derek, anything you're thinking of, I've already said." Noah declared.

"He's right. You can't talk me out of this, Der-bear." Stiles stated. "I'm only telling you as a courtesy."

"What did the pack say?" Derek asked.

Stiles just shot him an incredulous look.

"You didn't tell them." Derek realised with a disappointed sigh.

"Of course I didn't, they'd hold me hostage." Stiles declared like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, and I'd support them." Derek shot back. "You want to be locked up? Fine. Your dad can take all the spare keys and hide them so nobody can let you out of the cells in our basement. We have them, why not finally use them?"

"Because if I get out, I'll be in the perfect place to slaughter everyone I love!" Stiles exclaimed, frustrated by the fact that his mate didn't take the situation as seriously as he thought he should.

"If that's the plan, the Nogitsune will just escape Eichen House and go straight to the house. The wards don't work on you." Derek argued. "At least we have cameras in the basement, and Danny can set it up to alert us if someone goes down to talk to you. The pack understands how serious this is and they'll do what needs to be done."

"I'm not risking it, Derek, and that's final." Stiles stated stubbornly.

"I will break out of this cell and lock you up myself if I have to!" Derek threatened. He could never actually hold his own mate like a prisoner, but he sold it well.

"Then do it." Stiles called his bluff, knowing that Derek wouldn't have warned him if he was really going to. Derek growled in frustration and stomped forward.

Derek grasped the bars in both hands, while shooting his mate a pointed look. Stiles responded with an expectant look of his own. Derek flexed, acting like he was going to bend the bars, but Stiles didn't buy it for a second.

Derek growled again as he gave up the charade, released the bars, and dramatically turned away. He resisted the urge to punch metal and stomped to the other end of the cell before turning again so he was looking at Stiles.

"Why are you like this?" Derek asked.

"Don't act like this is new for me," Stiles retorted. "You've known this since the day we met."

"No, this is a new level of stubbornness. You've really outdone yourself." Derek began to pace as he spoke.

"I should go." Stiles said then turned away.

"Stiles, wait." Derek pleaded as he stopped pacing and strode towards his mate, getting as close as he could until the bars stopped him. Stiles stopped walking and looked back. "Please, don't do this."

"I have to." Stiles told him apologetically. "I love you."

"I love you too," Derek replied softly, terrified that it'd be the last time his mate would hear him say it.

Stiles and Noah left without another word, leaving the two suspects in their respective cells.

Derek waited until he heard the pair get in the cruiser and drive away, then called out for Parrish.

Seconds later, Parrish strode into sight.

"What's wrong?" Parrish asked with a frown.

"I need to make a phone call."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek called Cora, had her call a pack meeting in the living room, and asked someone to call Scott and Allison (who went back to the hospital), and Kira (who had to go home at 6pm for dinner). Lydia called Allison, who was with Scott at the hospital, and Erica called Kira.

Once the entire pack was present in some form, Derek took a deep breath and began the dreaded conversation.

"So, as I'm sure you all know, Stiles wants to be locked up until we know how to deal with the Nogitsune." Derek began his speech calmly but was unable to go on thanks to one of his betas.

"Where did he go?" Erica demanded. "Was he just visiting you? Or was he trying to convince his dad to lock him in with you?"

"He came to tell me he's not getting locked in the basement." Derek told her. "He's convinced his dad to check him in at Eichen House." Derek informed them, and there was an immediate uproar. So loud he had to pull the phone away from his ear.

"What the hell?" Erica exclaimed. "How can you send him there? He's not insane, he's possessed-"

"Are you insane?" Cora demanded. "You know what that place is like and you let your mate-"

"You can't let him do that!" Jackson shouted. "Break out and stop him! He needs to be here where-"

"He doesn't belong there, he should be here with us." Boyd stated. "We have to protect him-"

"Are you sure about this?" Danny asked skeptically. "Is he going in as a human with FTD or-"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Derek," Allison's voice came through Lydia's phone.

"Are you insane?" Lydia demanded, uncharacteristically furious. "The fact that I keep getting drawn there isn't good-"

"Maybe this is a good thing," Aiden stated, rendering the others silent in shock. "If he feels like this is the best move, maybe we should support him."

"What?" Cora growled.

"If he feels like Eichen House is the right place for him while we try to figure this out, we should respect that." Aiden stated confidently.

Then they were all talking over each other again and it was frustrating the alpha to no end.

"Enough!" Derek shouted, and his betas quickly fell silent.

"I don't like this any more than you do, but Stiles wouldn't listen to me." Derek continued calmly. "He's checking in for 72 hours. As long as you find something by then-"

"What if we don't?" Jackson interjected snappily. "Researching is getting us nowhere, Argent is distracted dealing with the murder charges against the two of you, and Deaton clearly knows more than he's letting on. Face it, we're stuck."

"We can't give up, Stiles needs us," Boyd declared.

"I'm not saying we give up, I'm saying we can't keep sitting inside reading," Jackson corrected. "We need to be out there searching."

"And where would you start?" Derek challenged with an unseen raised eyebrow. It was all well and good to say they needed to do something, but it wasn't very helpful unless he had a good idea to go with it.

"Eichen House. That's where Stiles is heading and that's where Lydia keeps going back to." Jackson replied confidently. "She led you and the sheriff to that basement twice, there's gotta be something important down there that we've been missing."

Derek felt a little guilty for doubting the beta because that was actually a pretty good starting point.

"That's a really good idea. Thank you, Jackson, I'm proud of you." The alpha stated, making the teen smile.

"So we're going to Eichen House?" Malia asked.

"Not all of you," Derek corrected. "There's no way they'll let more than three people in, if that."

"Can we borrow your badge?" Erica asked.

"No."

"I vote for me, Lydia, and Jackson to go." Cora declared.

"Excuse you?" Erica demanded in outrage.

"It's Jackson's plan, and we need Lydia's abilities to figure this out." Cora defended calmly.

"Fine," Erica huffed, accepting defeat. "Since we can't find anything on the Nogitsune, I'll start looking into Eichen House instead."

"I'll help." Danny volunteered while standing up to get his backpack, which contained his laptop.

"Allison, Scott, I want you to stay at the hospital with Isaac." Derek ordered

"I will." Allison's voice came through the phone, but there was nothing from Scott, which made Derek suspicious.

"Scott?"

"He's not here, he left the second you said Stiles was checking into Eichen House." Allison informed him casually, and the alpha could practically hear her smirking.

"Of course he did." Derek sighed. "Okay, fine. Maybe he can convince him to stay in the basement."

"Here's hoping." Jackson huffed.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott pulled up outside Eichen House on his bike to find Stiles and the Sheriff standing in front of the gate. They clearly heard the motor and/or the wheels because they both turned to look at him.

He got off his bike, took off his helmet, and stormed over to the pair.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Scott demanded as he looked at his best friend.

"Because we wanted to avoid something like this." Noah answered for his son.

"It's only 72 hours." Stiles added, hoping it'd calm Scott down.

It didn't.

"This is the same place where Barrow came from. The guy who had a tumor inside him filled with flies." Scott reminded his best friend, then looked to the sheriff. "You don't know everything yet."

"I know enough." Noah declared confidently. "Nogitsunes, Kitsunes, Oni, or whatever they're called."

"Wow, that was actually all surprisingly correct."

"Scott, I saw an MRI that looked exactly like my wife's. And it terrifies me." Noah explained, noticing Stiles' guilty expression out of the corner of his eye. "I'm headed down to L.A. tomorrow to talk to a specialist."

He was going to be certain. He believed Derek about the Nogitsune, but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he didn't look into all possible angles. For all they knew, the Nogitsune was powerful enough to give Stiles FTD, or at least compromised his immune system enough that his wolf healing wasn't able to prevent it from developing naturally.

Noah was fairly certain that it was a trick, the scan was too familiar, and he wanted a specialist's opinion. Mostly, he wanted to be told the scan was a fake.

"Then why are you putting him in here?" Scott demanded.

"He's not. It was my decision." Stiles corrected quickly.

"Stiles, I can't help you if you're in here."

"And I can't hurt you."

"Deaton's got some ideas. Argent's calling people. We're gonna find something. And if we can't…" Scott trailed off, unsure of what he was going to say next.

"If you can't…" Stiles took over as he stepped closer to his best friend. "If you can't, then you have to do something for me, okay? Make sure I never get out."

Scott didn't know how to respond, so he just stared at his friend.

Stiles glanced at his dad and knew he heard what he'd said.

"Come on." Noah whispered as he nodded towards the gate. He didn't like it, but he didn't have much of a choice. Be it dementia, the Nogitsune, or both, something was making Stiles hurt people. As his father, and the county Sheriff, it was Noah's responsibility to protect Stiles, even if it meant protecting others from him.

The gate buzzed open and Scott watched helplessly as the pair made their way inside. He was half tempted to grab Stiles and run back to the Hale House, but he couldn't bring himself to take away Stiles' free will.

As they walked through the building, Noah was unsettled by the other patients. His reluctance grew with every step, along with the urge to grab his son and run.

"Mr. Stilinski?" A nurse called out. "This way please."

Noah and Stiles exchanged a look, and Noah desperately hoped that Stiles would say that he had changed his mind and wanted to go home. But the words never came and Noah realised that Stiles was waiting for the go-ahead, so he gave a small nod.

They were taken to an office, where Noah was given some paperwork to sign. He circled 'parent' but hesitated before signing. He looked to his son, again hoping that Stiles would back out.

"First 72 hours there's no phone calls, no emails, no visitors. We will be taking you from here to a brief physical. In the morning you'll be assessed by a staff psychologist, speak to a social worker and attend group therapy." The nurse told Stiles.

Noah heard every word but didn't fully take it in because he was distracted by the sounds around him. Then he looked back to see two staff members opening a door, but it wasn't a regular door, it was made of bars, like the door of a prison cell.

"I feel like we're forgetting something." Noah declared as he set the pen down.

The nurse didn't seem to hear him as she placed a pair of slippers on the desk. "You will be wearing these, Stiles," She said. "No laces allowed. You don't have a belt, do you?"

"No."

"And please empty your pockets in here." She added as she patted a white tray.

Noah heard a slam and looked back to see the barred door being closed and locked. Something about it triggered his memory and he looked at his son, who was undoing the laces of his shoes.

"Your pillow. Your pillow. We forgot your pillow."

"Dad, it's okay."

"No, no. You're never going to be able to fall asleep. We- We got to go back." Noah insisted and moved to get out of his chair, only to freeze when his son spoke up.

"It's fine, Dad. I don't need it." Stiles assured him. It was true, but Noah didn't buy it one bit because he didn't know about Deaton's order to stay awake.

"I can't believe I forgot it. I mean, every time that we've ever stayed in a hotel, the first thing you pack is your pillow." Noah rambled, disappointed in himself for forgetting something so important.

"You can bring it tomorrow. It's alright." Stiles tried to assure his dad, but it didn't work. He then started emptying his pockets into the tray, starting with his keys. Sure, he could tell his dad that he was told not to sleep, but he knew it would only make it worse for Noah, so he kept quiet.

As Stiles added coins and his phone to the tray, Noah was overwhelmed by the sounds of metal doors closing, and his mind ran rampant with images of his son locked up. It was too much, and the sheriff shot to his feet.

"Okay, you know what? Stop. Stop. Enough. Stiles, get your stuff." Noah ordered. It was too much for him, the thought of leaving his son locked up in that place. The pillow was just an excuse. "I'm not checking you in here if you're not gonna get one good night's sleep."

"Dad." Stiles began as he rose to his feet. He then stepped forward and placed both hands on his dad's shoulders "I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks." Stiles reminded him softly.

Noah wanted to say something, he just didn't know what. Then Stiles was hugging him and he still couldn't find the words, so he just hugged him back. There was nothing he could say that would change Stiles' mind and he knew it.

When they parted, Stiles resisted the urge to say goodbye and simply walked away. The nurse was soon by his side, leading him through the building. And Noah was left alone in the office.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Cora, Lydia, and Jackson returned to the Hale House wearing matching expressions of frustration.

"They wouldn't let us in tonight, but we have permission to check out the basement in the morning." Lydia announced before anybody could ask.

"Did you see Stiles?" Erica asked.

"No, but his dad's cruiser was still there when we arrived, and gone when we left. We must have just missed him." Cora told her mate grumpily while folding her arms. "He's checked in now, there's no way to get to him. Is the sheriff back yet?"

"Not yet," Boyd declared with a concerned frown. "If he left before you did, he should be home by now. Danny, can you check his phone?"

"Scott's too. I want to know where he went after Eichen House." Erica requested.

Danny opened his laptop, typed in his password, then got to work.

"The sheriff is at the station, and Scott just left the hospital with Allison." Danny announced.

"Okay good, keep an eye on them until the sheriff's home, and they're here or at their homes." Cora ordered. "The rest of us are gonna research again. There has to be something we missed."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After his physical, as the nurse led Stiles up the stairs to his room, Stiles looked around.

Then he saw someone step out of their room.

It was a guy, a rather familiar guy. Stiles couldn't place him at first, but then he looked his way.

Stiles stopped walking and stared in disbelief. It couldn't be…

"Stiles?" The nurse prompted, causing Stiles to look at her instead of the other guy. "This way, please." She requested, and the other guy took advantage of the opportunity to slip back into his room.

Stiles and the nurse continued up the stairs, but they didn't get very far before Stiles heard a voice and looked up.

What he saw filled him with terror.

A man. A very frantic man holding a rope made of sheets.

"I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky."

"Hey, do you see that?" Stiles asked the nurse.

"I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky." The man repeated as he tied a rope made of sheets to the bannister.

"Stiles, wait for me." The nurse called out as Stiles rushed past her.

"I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky."

"That guy up there." Stiles said as he sped up, hoping to get to the patient in time.

"I can swim in the ocean, yet still remain dry. I can swim in the ocean, yet still remain dry."

"Hey, hey stop it!" Stiles cried out desperately as he ran up the stairs. "Stop!"

"I can swim in the ocean, yet still remain dry…" The man continued to chant as he climbed up onto the bannister, the other end of the sheets wrapped around his neck.

"Stop! Somebody stop him!"

"I can swim in the ocean, yet still remain dry." The man repeated, then stepped off.

There was a sickening crack as the man's neck snapped.

"Oh!" The nurse gasped as she and Stiles froze in unison and stared up at his dangling body.

There was a commotion from below and Stiles looked down to see a crowd of patients gathering at the bottom of the stairs.

But there was somebody else amongst the crowd, somebody who definitely shouldn't be there.

The Nogitsune.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

After Noah and Stiles went into Eichen House, Scott hopped back on his bike and drove straight to the hospital.

He and Allison weren't allowed to see Isaac, and Melissa couldn't sneak them in again that night, so they decided to go to the animal clinic together to press Deaton for information.

They barely started the conversation when Deaton's phone rang and the vet answered it without hesitation, or even a comment.

"Who's calling him at this time of night?" Allison asked her mate in a whisper.

"Someone from the station, so either the sheriff or- Nope. It's your dad." Scott whispered back. Deaton then put the phone on speaker for Allison to hear.

"Did you have any trouble with Ikeda?" Chris asked.

"Only minor. The white wolf was exactly where you said it would be. But we have two problems now. First, the lichen is not a cure. It'll wear off in a matter of days." Deaton informed him.

"But while it does work, the Oni won't go after Stiles, right?" Chris asked for confirmation.

"I hope." Deaton replied, and nobody felt reassured by his words. "Eichen House has an unusual history. It might not be all that safe for the Oni there as well."

"What's the second problem?" Chris inquired.

"I checked with your contacts in Japan. The Yakuza Boss you saw killed by the Oni never found the scroll." Deaton informed him.

"What scroll?" Scott asked.

"A Shugendo Scroll." Deaton informed his employee. "The Shugendo were the ascetic mystics of Japan."

"The scroll had information on how to exorcise a Nogitsune." Chris added, frustration clear in his voice.

"So we need to find that scroll?" Scott asked for confirmation.

"Exactly." Deaton confirmed. "And I did get a name of the man who last purchased it. Kincaid."

"He was with Katashi." Allison reminded her dad. "He's the guy who met with Isaac to buy the gun."

"Sounds like Katashi wanted the scroll for himself." Deaton theorised.

"But Stilinski already told me nothing like it was found among his things." Chris informed them. "And a paranoid like Katashi would keep it close. Probably on him at all times."

"What's the Shugendo Scroll look like?" Allison asked with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Deaton got out of his chair, opened a drawer behind him, and retrieved a large scroll from within.

"Something like this." The vet declared as he handed it to her.

She studied it for a moment then asked, "Do these come in different sizes?"

"Any size." Deaton answered.

"Then I think I know where it might be." She declared.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay, I know there's the whole 72 hour thing but I'd really need to use the phone." Stiles declared as he followed the nurse down the corridor.

"The accident that occurred is being taken care of." She informed him.

"You're seriously referring to that as an accident?" Stiles demanded, making the nurse freeze once the key was in the lock.

"Incident." She amended.

"Slightly better. Still need to use the phone." Stiles stated as the nurse turned the key and opened the door. "Just five minutes. Three minutes, please. A three minute call."

"Would you like to go to sleep, Stiles? Or would you like to be introduced to our five-point restraint system?" She asked in a calm yet stern tone. Stiles blanched at the mention of a restraint system.

"I would go with sleep." A male voice came from behind him and Stiles turned to see a guy around his age restrained to his bed, giving a little wave.

The nurse took advantage of Stiles' distraction to close the door and lock him in.

"Hey, wait, wait, wait!" Stiles pleaded as he banged on the door, but he was ignored. He sighed and gave up on yelling and banging, but kept staring at the door as he willed it to open.

"I'm Oliver." His roommate greeted politely.

"Stiles."

"There was a suicide, huh?" Oliver asked. for confirmation.

"Yeah."

"Is it Monday? There's a much higher rate of suicide on Mondays."

"Okay then." Stiles whispered. It was Wednesday but he didn't bother telling Oliver that. Instead, he decided to yell for help again. "Um, hey, can someone... Someone just please let me out of here. Someone. Anyone."

"I heard it by the way. It happened in the stairwell, right?"

"Yeah. How'd you know that?" Stiles asked, wondering if Oliver was supernatural in some way. He gave up yelling and sat down on the empty bed.

"I heard the echo." Oliver answered, and Stiles had never heard any supernatural creature describe enhanced hearing as an echo, so quickly crossed that off the list.

"What do you mean?"

"It's this place. Something about the way that it was built. Everything echoes. Eventually. That's why they call it Echo House."

Stiles was incredibly creeped out by Oliver and decided not to respond. Instead, he turned his head and looked out of the window and watched the night go by.

Soon enough, it was morning, and Oliver woke up to find that Stiles hadn't moved an inch.

"Have you been awake all night?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, I can't sleep without my pillow." Stiles informed him casually, but left out the part where leaving his pillow at home was intentional.

Oliver began coughing violently and Stiles looked at him in concern.

"You okay?"

"I swallowed a bug the other day. You ever do that?" Oliver asked but didn't give Stiles the chance to answer. "I keep coughing like it's still in my throat."

"That's disgusting, Oliver." Stiles told him. "You don't have any idea when they unlock the doors, do you?"

As if on cue, the door to their room was unlocked.

"Now." Oliver helpfully declared.

Once Oliver was released from his restraints, he offered to show Stiles around, and Stiles asked to be shown the phone.

"Most of the people here are okay. The violent ones are in the closed unit." Oliver explained as he led Stiles to the phones, pointing out people along the way. "That's Hillary. She has OCD. That's Gary. He thinks he's Jesus Christ. Dan. Also Jesus. That's Mary…"

"Mary Magdalene?" Stiles guessed.

"No, she also thinks she's Jesus." Oliver corrected as they arrived at the phone. A young woman was using it so they came to a stop while they waited. "You'd be surprised how many Jesuses we get."

"Not really." Stiles corrected.

"Hey, how come you want to use the phone already?" Oliver asked.

"'Cause after one night, I've changed my mind about this place being safe for me. Or anyone. Ever." Stiles informed Oliver bluntly.

He meant it. Screw what the voices said, he couldn't stay there long enough to let the creature take over, he needed to get out.

"No. No, I think you're wrong." The woman using the phone declared, catching Stiles' attention. "I really think I should tell them. They're going to want to know the story. The whole story. I really think they should know. Yes, I do. One of them is standing right behind me."

Her final words made Stiles suspicious. Was she talking about him? If she was, did 'they' mean his pack?

Something about the way she spoke was familiar to him but he couldn't place it.

He looked away when she hung up the phone, waiting until she had walked past him to look again.

"Who was that?" He asked Oliver. Oliver didn't answer immediately, so Stiles made his way to the phone.

"That's Meredith." Oliver finally answered as he followed Stiles. That name rang a bell to Stiles but he couldn't place it so he pushed it out of his mind. "She's a little weird."

"You're a little weird. She's a lot weird." Stiles corrected as he picked up the phone and lifted it to his ear. There was no dial tone. He pressed the button on the receiver a few times but nothing changed. "It's dead."

"Yeah. They turn off all the phones for 24 hours after a suicide." Oliver declared like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why wouldn't you tell me that before?" Stiles demanded, letting his frustration show.

"Why didn't you ask?" Oliver retorted, and Stiles slammed down the phone and stormed away. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm getting out of this nuthouse." Stiles declared as he marched, uncaring of Oliver following him.

"That's not really the appropriate way to describe a facility like this." Oliver corrected.

Stiles ignored him, but was brought to a sudden stop when a familiar teen stepped into his path.

It was the same guy he had seen the night prior, just before the suicide.

"Oh, he-ey, Matt," Stiles greeted awkwardly. "When did you get out of juvie?"

Matt answered by punching Stiles in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Hey, Daehler!" A guard called out as he and another rushed over to restrain Matt.

A third guard was soon on Stiles, pinning him to the ground and holding his arms behind his back.

"No! Hey, what the hell?" Stiles protested. "He hit me."

"A few more like this, Matt, and you're headed to the closed unit." A guard warned

"Okay, Wait, wait, wait. Stop. I didn't do anything." Stiles argued as he watched Matt get carried away by two guards, but the third guard still didn't let him go. "Stop!"

Then Stiles looked down and realised that he was on top of a grate. A very familiar grate.

He has seen it from below twice before. First, when he was in the cage with his wolf, then again when he was alone and thought he was in the basement, only to wake up in the woods. He stopped struggling against the guard as he looked down. If the basement was that easy to find, maybe he could afford to stay a little longer.

"Enough!" A familiar voice called out. And the guard loosened his hold on Stiles, but didn't let go completely. "Enough." Morrell repeated and the guard finally got off of Stiles.

Stiles didn't notice his guidance counsellor at first, too distracted by his memories to take in reality for a moment. Then she spoke again.

"Stiles." Morrell began calmly, her soothing voice bringing Stiles back to reality. "You saw something, didn't you?"

"That basement. I've been down there before." He told her.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back at the sheriff's station, Derek and Chris were back to back in their cells.

"Still nothing?" Chris asked. "Derek?"

"Hold on." The alpha ordered, his eyes closed as he focused on the voices a few rooms over.

"Hey, where's the sheriff?"

"Stilinski's out for the day. So the Katashi murder is now a Federal Investigation." Parrish told the older deputy. "Everything here that wasn't blown up needs to be placed in Lockup."

"You were right. They're moving all the evidence." Derek told the hunter dourly.

"Was there anything about the murder itself? Any other details?" Chris implored.

"Just about putting Katashi's things in a Federal Lockup and something about Stilinski being out for the day." Derek replied, still not in the mood for making smalltalk with a man he saw as a threat to his mate. He was only saying enough to stay civil while they were locked up, because a united front was the only way they'd get through the situation. However, that didn't mean he automatically trusted the man.

"Why are you being so short with me?" Chris asked gruffly.

"You know why. If all of this is true, people are dead because of Stiles." Derek stated. "That means the treaty is over, right?"

"Not necessarily." Chris corrected. "Because the question remains; is it really Stiles? Remember, we've had this problem before."

"But we got lucky with Tammy." Derek reminded the hunter. "The council recognised the unique circumstances. What happens when you don't get lucky?"

"I guess it depends on how much or how little of Stiles is left." Chris replied honestly. "You ever heard of the Berserkers?"

"Germanic warriors. They wore the skins of bears to channel their ferocity." Derek stated in lieu of an answer.

"They didn't just wear them. They became them." Chris corrected. "You know, a couple of years ago, a family came to us for help with their son. This group of teenagers, they were doing all sorts of rituals with animal skins. Somehow they tapped into it. But with Berserkers, the human side doesn't last long. They're not tempered by the moon."

"He killed people?"

"He tore them apart." Chris recalled with a grimace. "Eventually, I had to tell the family their son was gone. It took three of us to take him down. Almost every bullet we had. And when it was over, I felt no remorse. None. I knew that kid was long gone."

"Would you feel any remorse putting Stiles down?" Derek asked, giving the hunter the chance to regain his trust.

"Stiles, yes. But not a Nogitsune." The hunter answered honestly.

Derek had nothing to say to that. Chris was just reinforcing what Derek already knew. He couldn't trust the hunter to save his mate, he had to keep any on Chris at all times until the Nogitsune was out of Stiles, lest the hunter decide it was too late to save him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was attending his first group session and it was making him antsy. He should be in the basement, getting it over with, but the voices warned him that he'd be caught and sedated if he tried too soon. So, he sat there and steadily grew increasingly agitated and impatient, while trying to take in what Morell was saying. Something about guilt.

"I want to go back to the topic of guilt today. It might surprise you to hear me say that guilt is a good thing. It's a rather mature emotion." Morrell explained. As she spoke, she noticed Stiles and Matt repeatedly glance at each other when the other wasn't looking. "Matt, you said something about guilt the other day. You said it came with a visceral reaction."

"I said it made me feel sick to my stomach." Matt corrected snappily as Oliver coughed.

"Guilt often becomes physical. You feel it in your gut. It's not just psychological." She explained, but Stiles was distracted by a familiar sensation of being watched. He looked behind him to see the Nogitsune in its bandaged form. But instead of its usual dark clothes, it was dressed in grey trousers and a white doctor's coat. It was seemingly talking to a shaky patient, not looking his way, but he felt its gaze all the same and it freaked him out. Stiles quickly looked away, too freaked out to even look at the creature.

"How does guilt make you feel, Stiles?" Morrell asked.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Guilt. What does it make you feel?"

"Nervous." Stiles blurted the answer without really thinking about it.

"Like a sense of urgency?" Morell asked for confirmation, and he nodded. "You feel an urgent need to make up for something you've done. To apologise." She continued, oblivious to the fact that Stiles kept seeing the Nogitsune out of the corner of his eye. Slowly creeping around the room to get closer to him. Seeing its bandaged hand resting on the leg of the person next to him. Morrell missed it, but Meredith saw. "These are healthy responses. Does anyone know what we call someone who doesn't experience guilt?"

Oliver raised his hand a little and answered, "Sociopath."

"That's right, Oliver." Morrell confirmed, but was quickly distracted by the sight when Stiles hung his head and stared at the ground. That's when she noticed the purplish marks marring his skin.

"I'm sorry, everyone, but we need to take a break." Moreel declared suddenly. "Come with me, Stiles. I'd like to talk to you for a minute."

She led Stiles to an empty room, closed the door, and had him lift his shirt so she could see his back.

"It's called a Lichtenberg figure. They appear on lightning strike victims. The fact that they're appearing on you after a shot of Wolf Lichen is both significant and strange." She informed him calmly.

"By significant and strange do you mean hopeful and optimistic?" Stiles asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"When the marks fade, the Nogitsune's grip over you will return." She warned as she retrieved a bottle of pills from the cabinet.

"What are these? Sleeping pills?" Stiles asked, prepared to give them right back to her.

"Amphetamines." She corrected. "Sleeping is exactly what you don't want to do. You're vulnerable when you're asleep."

"Yeah, the doc said something similar, but he didn't give me any drugs." Stiles huffed. "Will they even work?"

"Yes." She replied confidently. "You're not in tune with your wolf right now, so you are not benefitting from its enhanced metabolism."

"So all I have to do is stay awake?" He asked. It wasn't that he didn't believe Deaton, he just wanted reassurance that the man was right.

"For now. If your friends haven't figured out something by the time those marks are gone, I'll come find you." She warned.

"To tell me what to do?" He asked.

"No, to give you an injection. Pancuronium Bromide." She informed him as she held up a vial. "It causes respiratory paralysis."

"That sounds a lot like death." Stiles commented.

"It's used for lethal injection, yes." Morrell confirmed without blinking.

"So when the Nogitsune takes over, you're going to kill me?" Stiles asked, unsure of how to feel about that.

On one hand, it was a relief to know that someone was willing to stop the Nogitsune no matter what, but it sucked that it was someone he relied on.

She wasn't pack but she was important to him. He relied on his sessions with her to keep him sane. She had become a part of his support system, and finding out that she could kill him so easily was disconcerting, to say the least.

"I'm going to do what I've always done. Maintain the balance." Morrell told him. He knew it was her way of saying it wasn't personal, but it didn't help at all.

"Okay then. I've missed our talks. Thanks for the illicit drugs." He huffed as he walked away.

"Stiles." She called out, making him freeze. "Stay awake."

He didn't say anything, just left, pocketting the pill bottle along the way.

He made his way through Eichen House, following the whispers to the basement door.

He made his way to it and tried to open it, only to find it locked.

No, it couldn't be locked, he had to get down there, so he tried again, and again, but without his werewolf strength, it was in vain.

"What are you doing?" Oliver's voice came from behind, startling him.

"I need to get through here. To the basement." Stiles admitted, hoping that the other boy would know something useful.

"Doctors don't even have a key to this door. Only Brunski." Oliver informed Stiles.

"Is that the head orderly?" Stiles asked while filing the name away in his mind.

"He's got keys to everything in here."

"Does he keep them on him all the time?" Stiles asked, his mind racing with possibilities.

"If you want them, you'll probably have to figure out a way to trick him." Oliver declared with a grin.

"Well, part of me is getting very good at playing tricks." Stiles informed his temporary roommate.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison heard a knock on the door of her parents' apartment and opened it to reveal Scott, Erica, Boyd, and the twins.

"My father said all of the Katashi evidence is being moved to a Federal Lockup by armored car tonight. Probably within the next few hours." She informed the group while leading them into the apartment to where Lydia was waiting.

"We're going to rob an armored car?" Ethan asked incredulously.

"You said that wrong," Erica told him. "It's 'we're going to rob an armored car!'" She exclaimed in excitement.

"Well, we're going to try." Lydia corrected.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles was in the bathroom at Eichen House, staring into the mirror.

The shower was running, filling the room with steam, but Stiles paid it no mind. He just ignored whoever was there, took a pill, and tried to psych himself up.

"Okay." He told himself. "Okay, just got to stay awake, Stiles. You just gotta stay…"

It was then that the steam cleared enough for him to see the reflection of the guy in the shower. Thinking he was seeing things, he turned to get a better look.

Sensing his gaze, the teen in the shower looked over his shoulder and smirked.

"Oh, crap," Stiles groaned when he saw Matt Daehler.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to fight you, I just want to shower." Matt assured the fellow teenager as he looked away from Stiles.

"Good. That's uh, that's good." Stiles nodded.

"Why are you staring?" Matt demanded when he continued to feel Stiles' eyes on him.

"I see the scales are gone." Stiles commented.

"Not gone, just hidden, like your claws." Matt corrected. "I'm a full Kanima now. But, unlike Tammy, I don't have a master. In juvie, I couldn't control when I shifted, I just kept blacking out and waking up next to dead bodies until they transferred me here. Here, they don't give me roommates, so I haven't been hurting anyone. Well, not without meaning to. Over the last three months or so, I've been feeling more and more in control, now I can shift on command."

To prove his point, Matt shifted into the Kanima, tail and all, for five seconds then shifted back to human.

"So, uh... if you're fully in control, why did you punch me?" Stiles asked.

"Did you think I was going to thank you?" Matt retorted.

"No, I just meant-" Stiles began, then cut himself off with a sigh. "Clearly things didn't work out perfectly if your first response was to punch me in the face."

"Things are perfect, I'm happy here." Matt stated honestly. He started to think he really was crazy because he felt like he belonged in Eichen House. The people there knew not to bother him, and were just the right amount of crazy for him to live with. There was order and structure there, but also chaos. It was perfect for Matt, but having Stiles there would ruin it, and he told him as much. "I belong here, you don't. So leave."

"I will, there's just something I need to do here first." Stiles told him, hoping Matt would be able to help him and Oliver with their plan.

Matt turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, then made his way to Stiles.

"Okay. What do you want?" Matt asked, knowing that helping Stiles was the fastest way to get him out of there.

"I need to get into the basement. Which means that I need to get the keys off of that orderly. The big one."

"Brunski." Matt stated knowingly.

"You help me, and I'll leave." Stiles offered, and Matt was quick to accept the deal.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"This is a really bad plan." Scott stated.

"It's not that bad." Lydia defended weakly.

"It's not that good." Ethan chimed in as Aiden sighed and rubbed his head.

"I, for one, think it's a great plan." Erica declared as she patted Lydia on the back.

"We can do this," Boyd insisted, fully on board with the plan even though he thought it wasn't a great one.

"None of us knows the route they're going to take. If Allison can get one of her dad's GPS trackers on the armored car then we can follow it." Lydia explained

"So when it gets here-" Allison pointed at a spot on the map.

"We attack them?" Aiden chimed in.

"No." Lydia corrected sternly. "Your bikes will be in the middle of the road, looking like you guys and Erica got into an accident. And when the driver gets out to help…"

"We attack him?" Aiden tried again and Erica nodded.

"No." Allison and Lydia yelled in unison.

"Wow, okay, claws in." Erica raised her hands playfully. She didn't understand why the other two girls were so against a fight that night, but she knew them well enough to not question it until after.

"You distract him and Scott and Boyd will break open the back door." Lydia told Aiden.

"We hope." Scott stated, worried that, even together, he and Boyd wouldn't be strong enough to do it.

"And you'll get Katashi's finger." Lydia told Ethan and Erica.

"It's not his actual finger, is it?" Ethan asked, making Erica roll her eyes.

"Do we really need these two?" The blonde asked the banshee. "I can fake an accident on my bike, no problem."

Scott shot Lydia a worried look, and the redhead resisted the urge to sigh.

"We are so out of our league." She declared. Why did Stiles have to choose then to check himself into Eichen House?

"Why aren't we just going to Stilinski for help?" Ethan asked Scott.

"Because if he gets caught, then it's the Sheriff tampering with federal evidence." Scott explained. He was still angry at his dad for investigating Noah, he couldn't go and get the sheriff in trouble himself.

"Guys, this is going to work. We can do this." Allison stated confidently. "We're losing Stiles. My Dad's in jail for murder. We need to do this."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Oliver and Matt caused a commotion by staging a fight wherein Oliver yelled something about holes being drilled into heads.

Matt got the keys from Brunski and handed them to Stiles. Oliver noticed and smiled triumphantly.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Chris was led to a conference room in the station and went in alone.

He was expected to see his lawyer, and was surprised when he found someone else.

"They told me my lawyer was here. So either I'm going to congratulate you on recently passing the bar or I should be worried about something."

Araya Calavera turned in her chair and smiled at him. "Hello, Christoph."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Stiles quickly made his way to the basement door and began trying different keys.

"Come on." He sighed as he kept trying key after key. "Come on. I thought this guy had a key to everything." He muttered, then a hand landed on his shoulder.

"I do." Brunski stated as he took the keys from Stiles. "But nobody has the key to that room." He added before dragging Stiles away.

Grabbing back-up along the way, Brunski took Stiles to 'the quiet room' as he called it.

The bottle of pills was found in Stiles' pocket, and Brunski seemed overly pleased to find them.

"Want to tell us where you got these?"

"A vending machine." Stiles answered sarkily.

Brunski made a comment about loving the sarcastic ones, and Stiles knew he was going to hate whatever happened next.

Then, Brunski ordered that Stiles be injected with a sedative, despite Stiles' insistence that he had to stay awake.

The sedative easily overpowered the pills, and soon enough Stiles was on the floor, barely conscious as he watched the three orderlies leave.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"You're going to Eichen House? I thought you said they wouldn't let you in this morning because of some incident last night?" Erica reminded Cora incredulously. "What makes you think they'll let you in now?"

"I don't, that's why I'm breaking in." Cora declared with a steely gaze.

"What about getting Katashi's finger?" Boyd asked with a frown.

"You don't need me for that plan, especially not now." Cora argued. "Scott just text to say Kira's crazy good with a sword and is tagging along."

"We saw it, but that doesn't mean you should go off on your own." Boyd argued calmly. "At least take Jackson with you, he's not coming tonight."

"I'll ask him, but if he says no I'm going alone." Cora declared.

Jackson said yes and admitted that the only reason he wasn't going with the group was because he had the same idea she did.

"We're going to need to change if we want to blend in." Cora reluctantly informed him while gesturing to their leather jackets.

So, the pair changed their clothes then made their way to Eichen House on their bikes. They easily kept over the gate and then blended into the crowd.

They wandered around for a few minutes before finally catching Stiles' scent. They followed the trail to the Quiet Room, made sure the coast was clear, then Cora broke the lock.

Jackson kept watch as Cora woke Stiles up.

Stiles woke up yelling.

"Shh!" Cora ordered.

"Hey, hey, hey. Shh!" Jackson tried soothing Stiles, but when that didn't work, he tried a harsher approach. "Shut up."

Stiles finally recognised where he was and who was with him, and relaxed marginally.

"How did you get in here?" Stiles demanded, terrified that they'd followed his example and checked themselves in.

"I broke the lock." Cora replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Get up."

"I meant here as in Eichen House." Stiles elaborated in a huff, as Jackson helped him to his feet.

"We jumped the fence. We came to search the basement."

"That's where I'm heading too," Stiles told them. "I'm gonna need you to break the lock for me, then go home. I don't know how long I was asleep, or how long we have until the poison wears off, so you can't be near me."

"We came to find whatever keeps drawing Lydia back to that basement, and we're not leaving without it." Jackson stated.

Stiles groaned. "My God, this must be how my dad feels."

"C'mon," Cora nodded for him to follow her. "We need to get moving before we're caught."

Unfortunately, the door Stiles led them to was being guarded thanks to his break in attempt.

Fortunately, someone showed up to help.

"There's another way to the basement." Matt informed the three pack mates in a whisper, startling them.

"Daehler?" Jackson asked incredulously.

"Yeah, we have a deal. He helps me get to the basement, I leave this place and never come back." Stiles quietly informed the pair. "He doesn't want out or anything, don't worry."

"What, you like it here?" Jackson asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Whittemore."

"Enough, you two, we don't have time for this."

"So, what's the other way?" Stiles asked, eager to get to the basement as soon as possible.

"Through the Closed Unit. Where they keep the real psychos." Matt answered, then turned and led the way.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the Sheriff's station, a portion of the pack were gathered in the parking lot. Allison watched through the scope of her crossbow as the armoured truck was loaded up.

"You're up." She told Kira.

Kira nodded then moved. She sprinted to the truck and placed the tracker on it. She looked back at Allison and Scott and smiled. Then she heard a door open.

She quickly moved around the side of the truck as Deputy Parrish came out of the building.

"Okay, let's get out of here." Parrish stated as he opened the passenger side door. Then he looked up and saw that the driver was slumped on the wheel, unconscious and bleeding from his head.

Parrish immediately drew his weapon and made his way around the truck, searching for the culprit.

"We have to do something." Scott told his mate, concerned that Kira would be caught and blamed for whatever was going on.

Then, just as Parrish got to the back of the truck, the doors flung open and a muscular man kept out. He easily knocked out Parrish as Allison and Scott watched.

"Who the hell is that?" Scott asked, though he didn't expect his mate to have the answer.

"Kincaid." Allison declared.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"You want to talk about the code?" Chris asked.

"Ours is more than a code of behavior. It's a code of honor." Araya told him. "These things bind our families. You don't abandon such things lightly."

"Where in the code does it say my wife had to kill herself?" Chris demanded. Even though Victoria was still alive, she had asked him to help her end her life when she was first bitten, only his reaction changed her mind. The fact that she had asked still haunted him, and he was plagued by nightmares of a life where he agreed.

"Your wife would have honored us with her dying breath." Araya stated. "Now she is one of them, not one of us no matter how much she likes to pretend she is both."

"She honored her daughter by living." Chris declared. He believed that and would stand by it for all of his life.

"Your family is very complicated, though. Isn't it?"

"What do you really want to know?" Chris demanded, fed up with her cryptic responses. "This isn't about Victoria. Is this about Allison? Kate? What are you fishing for?"

"I don't fish, mijo." She declared as she rose to her feet and turned towards the door. "I hunt."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Allison approached Kincaid as he retrieved Katashi's silver finger from the armoured truck.

"We need that finger." Scott told the bigger werewolf without fear.

Kincaid looked his way and didn't seem phased by the fact that Allison was aiming a crossbow at him.

"Why should I give it to you?" Kincaid asked.

"There's a briefcase in there with $150,000 in it." Allison informed him.

"The scroll inside this prosthetic finger is worth three million." Kincaid replied, knowing full well that they were after the same thing he was.

"Give me the finger." Scott demanded. Kincaid shot him a look. "You know what I mean."

Kira chose that moment to leap off the top of the truck and onto Kincaid's back.

He simply rolled his shoulder and flipped her off of him.

"I guess negotiations are over." Kincaid stated as he looked at them with glowing blue eyes, and his wolf teeth on full display. He let out a loud, intimidating roar as he lowered into a crouch, preparing to pounce.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay, you're here, I'm leaving now," Matt declared. "This is the last time I help any of you."

With that, the Kanima turned and left, leaving the two werewolves and the possessed teen alone.

"I see he's just as friendly as ever." Jackson commented dryly.

"Do you know what you're looking for?" Cora asked Stiles.

"Do you?" Stiles shot back.

"We'll know it when we see it." Cora stated.

"Well, I'm looking for something to do with that." Stiles declared as he pointed to the Kanji on the wall.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Kincaid was able to catch Allison's arrows, knock out Kira, and hold his own against Scott.

He was strong and only the connection to the Nemeton gave Scott the boost he needed to land a few hits, not that any of them had much of an effect on the other werewolf.

Then the twins, Lydia, Erica, and Boyd showed up.

Lydia rushed over to Allison and helped her up, and the pair watched together as the four werewolves took on Kincaid as a team.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"This place definitely used to be a lot more fun." Cora commented as she flipped through old files. "Electroshock, ice baths. Trepanation?"

"That's what Oliver was talking about. Trepanation is when they drill into your head." Stiles informed her.

"Who's Oliver and why was he talking about drilling holes into heads?" Jackson asked with a frown.

"He's my roomate here, he's kinda weird. He was yelling about it when he and Matt caused a distraction to get Brunski's keys." Stiles explained, and Jackson didn't bother asking who Brunski was.

"No wonder they don't want anyone down here." Cora commented as she read more.

Stiles sighed and tossed the file he was reading.

"There's nothing here." He huffed. "Could you do me a favor?" He asked the pair. "Could you just check the lines on my back? Just tell me if they're fading."

Jackson lifted Stiles' shirt and immediately frowned. "Yeah, they're almost gone."

"Okay, you two need to get out of here." Stiles ordered as Jackson lowered his shirt.

"No," Cora and Jackson refused in unison.

"It's too dangerous for you to stay."

"Then you go back to the padded room, we're staying to find whatever keeps drawing Lydia here." Jackson stated.

"No, I need to be down here, you two have to go." Stiles tried but they refused again.

And so began a long argument.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The twins tossed Kincaid to the ground near Scott. Boyd and Erica backed off, but the twins moved in for the kill.

"Stop." Scott gasped weakly. "Ethan, Aiden."

"Stop!" Lydia screeched.

"You want him to come after us?" Aiden demanded.

"Scott, we've seen guys like this. Trust us. He's dangerous." Ethan told the beta.

"So are we." Scott reminded them. "And he looks smart enough to remember that." Scott then stepped forwards and took the finger from Kincaid's pocket, and retrieved the scroll from within.

"We're here to save a life, not end one." Scott reminded the twins, then dropped the finger to the ground.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

As they argued about who should leave, Cora got distracted by a noise and led the boys back to the Kanji.

There, she knocked on the wall, cluing the boys into the fact that there was a space behind it.

Stiles picked up a pipe and started swinging, busting a hole into the wall.

Inside the wall was a body.

"This is him." Stiles informed the pair, and they all finally understood why Lydia specifically had been drawn there.

"The Nogitsune?" Cora asked for confirmation and Stiles nodded.

Cora reached out and opened the pocket on the nogitsune's jacket. Within said pocket was an old picture. She glanced at it and her eyes went wide.

"Recognise them?" She asked as she passed him the photo.

"One of them." Stiles gasped.

"Is that-" Jackson gasped as he looked at the picture over Stiles' shoulder.

"I need to get this to Scott." Stiles declared as he rose to his feet.

Then, he was tased.

Jackson turned to see who was responsible, and was tased too.

"You took Brunski's keys." Oliver declared. "I took his stun gun." He added. Cora attempted to charge at him, but thanks to the advice of the Nogitsune, the human managed to side step at just the right time, and tased her too.

"I also got his Haldol." Oliver added as he pulled out a needle. He jammed it into Cora's arm, then pushed the plunger.

Jackson was just recovering from the shock of being tased and was about to get up when Oliver tased him again. Prepared that time, Jackson pushed through the pain and knocked the Taser out his hand.

He grabbed Oliver by the throat and squeezed.

"Don't kill him, just knock him out," Stiles ordered.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Jackson demanded, unconsciously loosening his hold on Oliver's throat as he looked to Stiles for an answer.

"Oliver."

"Your roommate? Why is he attacking us?" Jackson asked incredulously. "And what the hell did he give Cora?"

"A sedative, she'll burn through it in as little as ten minutes if she's eaten well today, up to an hour if she hasn't." Stiles explained, both he and Jackson oblivious to the fact that Oliver was taking advantage of the distraction.

With a shaky hand, Oliver reached into his pocket and pulled out a second needle. He pushed the cap off the needle with his thumb, adjusted his hold on the syringe, then jabbed the needle into Jackson's neck.

As Jackson fell to the floor, Stiles tried to crawl away, but Oliver was quick to pick up the taser and use it again.

"Like I was saying, Stiles, I heard they used to do trepanation here." Oliver declared while rubbing his throat.

"Oliver... What are you doing?" Stiles asked weakly.

"I'm going to let the evil spirits out." Oliver told him as he picked up a drill.

Maybe it was being tased twice, or maybe panic clouded his memory, or perhaps it was the lack of real sleep, but something had Stiles dazed enough that Oliver was able to restrain him to a gurney.

"I borrowed a few pointers from the five point restraint." Oliver declared once he knew Stiles was paying attention.

Stiles looked to find his wrists bound by leather cuffs. He tried to bust free but still lacked the werewolf strength required to do so.

"Oliver, stop this." Stiles pleaded.

Oliver coughed up blood and a dead fly, but didn't respond to Stiles' pleas. "Oliver, listen to me." He begged, but Oliver didn't stop. Instead, he powered up the drill. "Stop! Oliver! Oliver! Stop!"

"Start with her." A familiar voice ordered, and Oliver stopped the drill. When Oliver moved, Stiles could see the Nogitsune across the room, just casually sitting there. It turned its head and looked at him when it felt his gaze.

"You did this." Stiles whispered his realisation. "You got into his head."

"Every Dracula needs a Renfield." The Nogitsune replied.

Stiles looked over to Oliver and saw him securing Cora's wrists. Jackson was lying next to her, already restrained.

"Just let them go."

"Let me in." The Nogitsune demanded.

Stiles was ready to agree, but knew he couldn't make it that easy or the Nogitsune would get suspicious. So he caught against his restraints again and pretended to ignore the creature.

"Stiles." The Nogitsune snarled as it crept towards him. "Do you want them to leave here alive? Do you want us to leave? We can walk out of this place."

"Just let them go please." Stiles begged as he watched Oliver tighten the restraint on Cora's other wrist.

"Let me in." The Nogitsune whispered as it placed a hand on the gurney and came up beside Stiles. Stiles screamed in frustration as he fought against the restraints again. "Let me in, Stiles! Let me in!"

"Just let them go please!" Stiles yelled.

"Let me in, Stiles!" The Nogitsune ordered as Oliver powered up the drill and moved it towards Cora's head. "Let me in! Let me in and I'll let them live. Let me in!"

As the creature repeated itself, Stiles closed his eyes and let the tears fall.

It was time.

Time to let the Nogitsune in, truly and completely.

The Nogitsune felt it the moment the teen stopped fighting, and basked in its triumph.

The fight was finally over and the body was his.

"Oliver." The Nogitsune called out, causing the boy to stop and turn to him.

The Nogitsune released itself from the restraints and stood up, rubbing its new wrists as it looked at Oliver.

It knocked Oliver out with a punch and took the drill.

"Stiles?" Cora called out, sounding dazed.

The Nogitsune looked at her and smiled.

Sure, it could have a lot of fun hurting her and Jackson, and it was no stranger to going against its word, but it had something far more fun in mind for the pack, so it left the two werewolves be for the time being.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the animal clinic, Scott showed Deaton the scroll.

"There isn't much here, unfortunately." The vet declared.

"Does it say anything?" Scott asked.

"My Japanese isn't great. But it appears to say that one method of expelling a Nogitsune is to change the body of the host."

"Change the body?" Scott whispered, the wheels turning in his mind.

"Which begs the question, how do we change Stiles' body?"

"By turning him back into a werewolf." Scott declared. Deaton looked dubious.

"He never stopped being a werewolf, that side of him is just suppressed." The vet argued.

"How can you be sure? You said nothing like this has ever happened before." Scott retorted. He was confident that he was right and wanted his boss to believe him.

"It hasn't, but a werewolf has never turned back into a human before either."

"But he didn't become human, he became a fox," Scott argued. "Maybe the key is Derek biting him to turn him back into a wolf."

"It's certainly worth a shot." Deaton agreed with a sigh. He didn't think it would work, but he didn't have a better idea.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Once she ripped herself free of the restraints, Cora freed Jackson, then restrained Oliver for revenge. With the photo in Jackson's pocket, the pair left Eichen House the same way they arrived, though they did pass Morrell on the way and took a minute to stop and tell her what happened with Stiles and Oliver.

"Well, that was a total shit show," Cora commented as they made their way from the gate to their bikes. (Jackson's Porsche was in the body shop for repairs.)

"At least we got the picture." Jackson replied.

"We don't even know if that's what Lydia was drawn to." Cora argued.

"Stiles said we should show Scott. It has to mean something."

"It means the girl in the picture looks like Kira, and he thinks her family has some connection to this. We already know her mom is the one summoning the Oni, he doesn't. That's all." Cora stated confidently.

"There's got to be more." Jackson insisted. "Kira's mom is hiding something, maybe this picture is the key to getting her to open up."

"That's a lot of faith in a wrinkly old picture." Cora stated as they came to a stop by their respective bikes.

"No, it's faith in my pack." Jackson corrected. "Stiles thinks it's important, so I do too."

Cora nodded in respect.

They then drove home, arriving at the preserve at the same time as Scott.

"This is it." Lydia declared the moment her mate showed her the picture. "This is what kept drawing me back there. You said it was with the Nogitsune's body?"

"Yeah, in its pocket." Cora confirmed.

"She looks like Kira," Scott commented as he looked at the picture over Lydia's shoulder.

"We noticed," Jackson replied. "You think you can use this to get her mum to tell us the truth?"

"I can try."

Notes:

Happy Belated New Year! Sorry about this chapter. I wanted Matt to be the one to knock out Cora and Jackson, but it came out differently than I intended and all my attempts to write his involvement were clunky and awkward, so he made a far smaller appearance than I planned. Anyway, I'm going in for surgery on my finger tomorrow and probably won't be writing for a couple of weeks, sorry, but I'll be back as soon as possible.

Chapter 35: Control

Chapter by Missmusiclover573

Summary:

The fox is in control.

"We noticed," Jackson replied. "You think you can use this to get her mum to tell us the truth?"

"I can try."

Mr Yukimura was alone in his classroom on a Saturday, getting ready for the week ahead, when he was overcome with the sensation that he was being watched.

He noticed a fly on his desk, just crawling around. Sure, it could be a regular fly, but his wife's warnings coupled with his uneasy feeling had the teacher reaching for a hardback book. He placed said book on top of the fly without blinking.

"Coming in on a Saturday," A familiar voice called out, and Ken looked up to see 'Stiles' standing by the door. He knew it wasn't really Stiles thanks to Noshiko's warning, so he kept his guard up as the possessed teen slowly made his way into the room. "That's dedication. Where's she hiding them?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." Mr Yukimura replied calmly. It was a complete lie, but he sold it well.

"Little knives." The Nogitsune prompted as it pulled a book off the shelf and onto the floor. "Daggers." He added as he looked over Stiles' shoulder at the man. He knew that the teacher knew exactly what he was after, he was simply giving him the chance to do the smart thing and come clean. "I know what they are. Physical representation of her tails." He continued as he thumbed through a random book. Then he gave up and tossed that book to the ground too. "However the hell that works."

The Nogitsune then gave up on checking books and turned his full attention to Ken Yukimura.

"Maybe you'd like to do some reading on it," The teacher tried as the Nogitsune approached. "I can direct you to the section on Japanese myth in the library."

"No." The Nogitsune refused calmly. "No, I'd like to talk to you." It declared as it danced its new fingers along the desk. It was nice to be able to use this body's fingers, when the last ones were all bandaged up and limited. "The older the tail, the stronger the Oni. Am I right?" He asked while growing ever closer to the man. "I know there's one left. I know it's the strongest."

"Unfortunately, I don't know what you're referring to." Mr Yukimura lied again. Well, the Nogitsune tried doing it the nice way.

"You'll talk," The Nogitsune warned the teacher before lifting the book. The fly trapped underneath flew free and straight into Mr Yukimura's open mouth. The man dropped to his knees as he choked on the fly. "They always talk."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott was showing the picture and getting Kira caught up on everything that happened at Eichen house when Kira got a text from her mom about her dad. They grabbed the items she was told to grab, then raced to the school.

After giving Ken the cure, and Kira made a comment about magic mushrooms, Scott couldn't help but ask, "Stiles did this?"

"He wanted the last kaiken," Noshiko informed him as she pulled it out to show him. "I've kept this near me ever since your friend disappeared."

Scott didn't like the way she said 'friend' like there was nothing left of Stiles. It wasn't too late, they could still save Stiles. However, he didn't get the chance to say any of that because Kira spoke up before he could even open his mouth.

"Mum, you need to talk to us about everything." Kira demanded. Noshiko nodded, knowing it was time.

Scott took that as his cue to pull out the picture and showed it to the woman. She quickly took it from him to get a better look.

"Where did you get this?" Noshiko demanded without taking her eyes off of the image, memories rushing through her mind.

"Is it grandma?" Kira asked.

"No." Noshiko corrected. "It's me."

"If that's you, then you'd have to be, like, 90 years old." Scott pointed out.

"Closer to nine hundred." Noshiko corrected while looking to her daughter for her reaction.

"Okay, sure, why not?" Kira shook her head, then looked to her father. "Dad, how old are you?"

"43." He told her with a smile, then tried to joke to ease the tension. "But I've been told I look mid-thirties."

It helped a little, and Kira let out a little huff. It was the closest she could get to a laugh in that moment.

Then her mother looked at the sheathed sword hilt she was holding (the other thing she was asked to bring that she had almost forgotten about.) and she handed it over.

Noshiko moved to the desk and unsheathed it, allowing the pieces to spill out onto the desk.

"The blade was shattered the last time it was used."

"When was that?"

"1943. Against a Nogitsune."

"All this, it's all happened before, hasn't it?" Scott asked, the wheels turning in his mind.

"Yes." Noshiko confirmed, mildly impressed.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Mr Yukimura stated.

"Where did it come from?" Kira asked.

"It was an internment camp during World War II. In Oak Creek. Not too far from here." Noshiko told her daughter.

"Hold on." Scott began with a frown as he looked at Mr Yukimura. "You told Allison and Isaac that there was no internment camp at Oak Creek."

"Allison's family has a certain history of violence. I didn't know if she could be trusted." Ken confessed, and Scott was offended on his mate's behalf, but with people like Gerard and Kate in her family he bit his tongue. The teacher barely knew Allison, so Scott couldn't fault him for worrying based on the Argent reputation alone. "There was a camp, yes. But all the records were erased."

"They covered it up." Noshiko added.

Mr Yukimura reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out a notebook.

"When I was a grad student, my passion project, actually more like an obsession, was trying to dig up the truth on Oak Creek." He explained as he laid out the pictures for the two teens to see. "It's how I met your mother, Kira."

"So, where did the Nogitsune come from?"

"Isn't it obvious yet?" Noshiko asked rhetorically before looking away. "It came from me."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back at the Hale House, the majority of the pack were getting impatient.

"I'm so sick of just standing around doing nothing." Erica complained.

"We can't do much until Scott and Kira get back." Ethan stated.

"Unless we break Derek out of jail," Aiden suggested, not for the first time.

"No, he wants to do it the legal way, and we have to respect that." Danny stated.

"We can go out and search for Stiles." Cora suggested.

"And walk into a trap like Isaac and a dozen other people have?" Jackson asked rhetorically.

"More than a dozen, if you count the bomb at the station." Lydia chimed in helpfully.

"What does that mean for Stiles?" Malia asked. "Will he remember it when he's himself again, or is it all the Nogitsune?"

"The Nogitsune is responsible for hurting everybody, not Stiles. But he might remember it, we won't know for sure until he's himself again and can tell us." Cora told her cousin. "However, knowing what we know about the Nogitsune, it's probably making Stiles live it. We'll probably have to help him deal with it when we get him back."

"Speaking of getting him back, what does everybody think about Scott's 'changing the host means turning Stiles back into a werewolf' theory?" Aiden asked while folding his arms.

"It's got merit." Lydia stated.

"Really?" Cora asked incredulously. "It sounds ridiculous to me. I'm with Deaton, Stiles is already a werewolf, having Derek bite him won't change a thing."

"He's a werewolf who hasn't shifted in weeks." Jackson reminded the brunette. "Maybe that's because he can't, because he's not a werewolf anymore, he's a fox."

"If that was true, wouldn't we see a fox around him, like we do Kira?" Erica asked.

"Not necessarily, Derek says older Kitsunes can hide it." Lydia reminded the blonde girl.

"Still, I've heard of people being bitten by werewolves and becoming something else, but I've never heard of someone changing from a werewolf into something else." Cora declared.

"Clearly it's a unique situation, but-" Lydia tried, only to be cut off.

"It's impossible." Aiden interjected. "I know you want to believe Stiles can be saved-"

"He can be saved." Everyone but the twins and Malia declared at once. Malia agreed with the statement, she just wasn't as in tune with the pack yet.

"We'll save him, I'm just saying that 'changing the host' won't work for Stiles because he's not human anymore." Cora told Aiden sternly. "We're not giving up on him, we just have to find another way."

"It will work because he's not a werewolf anymore." Jackson insisted.

"He's a werewolf possessed by a fox that's blocking his wolf side, but he's still a werewolf." Cora argued.

"Maybe he's both." Malia suggested.

"It's impossible to be both," Aiden told her confidently. "He's a possessed werewolf, that's all."

"Maybe not for long." Lydia finally declared, deciding that it was finally time to come clean about her conversation with Stiles. "Not if he can separate."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Noshiko worked quickly as she tried to sort the pieces of the sword into the right order.

"Kira, I need your help on this. There isn't much time. And this is something that needs to be done in the daylight."

"Not until you tell us everything." Kira retorted with her arms folded

"Tell them, Noshiko. Tell them what they need to know." Ken insisted.

"Wolves and foxes tend not to get along. Not just in fables and stories." Noshiko declared while looking at Scott. Kira and Scott looked at each other, both wondering why she felt so at home with the pack if that was the case.

"But allies, however unlikely, should be welcomed. Especially in times of war." Ken reminded his wife. Noshiko looked at him in disbelief, then she looked at Scott again. The most frustrating part was realising that her husband was right. She let it out by slamming a piece of the blade down on the table.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the sheriff's station, Deputy Jordan Parrish was going through the process of returning Chris' belongings when he stopped at a stun baton.

"Sorry, but I can't let you walk out with this." The deputy told the hunter. "It's way above the legal voltage limit."

"I only use it for hunting." Chris stated while shooting Jordan a pointed look.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you could use it to jump-start a 747."

"This property belongs to me and the charges were dropped." Chris argued. "Although, I'm not exactly sure who's responsible for that." He added as he looked at Derek, missing Noah walking in behind him.

"I am." Noah declared as he came to a stop beside Chris and leaned on the desk to look at Parrish. "I'll take care of this, Parrish."

"Sheriff, I'm not kidding." Jordan stated in a hushed tone. "This thing's a few watts from being a lightsaber. Werewolf or human, I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that."

"I said I'll take care of it." Noah declared as he took the stun baton from the deputy and collapsed it down.

He then led Derek and Chris to his temporary office and they gathered around his desk, but remained standing.

"The specialist I saw in LA told me the thing that every doctor says when he's trying to avoid a lawsuit. 'We can't say for sure'. And then I spoke with Melissa." Noah explained as he pulled out two scans and placed them side by side. "These are brain scans. My wife's and Stiles'. I knew they were similar." He continued as he placed one on top of the other so the brains lined up, he then handed them to Chris. "But those are the same. Exactly the same."

"And I'm guessing this isn't possible?" Derek asked for confirmation. Thanks to Lydia, he was less concerned about the dementia but, like Noah, he hadn't dismissed it as a possible second issue for them to face. He needed Noah to reassure him that it was all just another trick.

"Not even remotely."

"So the trickster is still playing tricks." Chris commented as he dropped the scans onto Noah's desk.

"But why this trick?" Derek wondered aloud.

"When I was in the Army, an officer told me, 'If you want to defeat your enemy, you don't take away their courage. You take away their hope'." Noah recalled.

"You don't look like a man who gives up hope easily." Chris commented.

"But Stiles might." Noah stated. "If this thing inside him, if it's using his mother's disease as some sort of psychological trick, then this isn't just a fight for his body. It's also a fight for his mind. Right?"

"Stiles is strong, he won't give up any time soon." Derek stated confidently. "He'll keep fighting whether he knows it's a trick or not."

"You know, he's left people severely injured." Chris declared.

"And others severely dead." Derek added, hoping the hunter would let something slip in front of the Sheriff so Derek wouldn't be alone in his mistrust. But Chris just looked at him and didn't rise to the bait. "Yes, he'll feel guilty but he won't give up and leave us all behind, especially me and Noah."

"That's why I need the two of you." Noah declared. He immediately picked up on what Derek was doing and made a mental note to talk to him alone, but now wasn't the time. "I need people who are experienced in this kind of thing. I need you to help me stop him."

"And by stop him, you mean trap him." Chris stated knowingly, and the sheriff nodded.

Noah picked up the stun baton and passed it to the hunter, though not without a pointed look. Silently warning the man not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay, stop. Just stop." Kira ordered when her mother got a little too invested in describing a kiss. "We don't want to hear your Casablanca story. We wanna know how to save Stiles."

"I'm trying to tell you." Noshiko insisted, but Scott didn't need to listen to her heartbeat to know that it was a lie.

"You're trying to stall." Scott accused with a theory running through his head. "When the sun goes down, the oni are gonna come after him again, aren't they?"

"Your friend's gone, Scott." Ken stated.

"I don't think you know that for sure." Scott argued as he looked to and from Mr and Mrs Yukimura a few times before settling his gaze on the woman. "You brought the oni. Can you call them off?"

"It's not his fault." Kira declared.

"Stiles may be your best friend. He might be like a brother to you. But he is nogitsune now." Noshiko told Scott. "He is void."

"Can you call them off?" Scott demanded.

"When you hear the rest of the story, you won't want me to." Noshiko warned, then continued telling her story.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Chris, Noah, and Derek met with Allison at the Argent apartment. The teen had received a text from her dad and set up in advance.

"This is everything non-lethal I could find." Allison announced as she gestured to the usual full moon selection laid out on the desk.

"Take all of it." Chris ordered.

"What's the plan here?" Noah asked.

"Our best shot right now is for Derek to try to pick up Stiles' scent at Eichen House. Especially if he went through something stressful there." Chris declared.

"Should all four of us be going to the same place?" The Sheriff asked.

"Where else has Stiles been showing up?" Chris asked thoughtfully.

"School, the hospital." Allison listed.

"Okay, hold on. We did this already." Derek interjected. "He disappeared. We started looking for him, then walked right into a trap at the hospital." He reminded the group.

"He's getting us to repeat the same moves." Chris realised.

"So, what do we do? Wait for him to come to us?" Allison asked the alpha.

"We can't. Not if the oni find him when the sun goes down." Derek reminded her. If the Oni found Stiles, they'd kill him.

"Scott's working on them right now, with Kira." The sheriff told the alpha, hoping to comfort him.

"That's the problem. We're all trying to outfox the fox." Chris stated and Derek had to look at the ground as he tried to contain his anger. The hunter kept talking like Stiles was already gone, and it was getting on the alpha's nerves.

"Listen. I'll understand if anyone wants to back out." Noah declared, prompting looks to be exchanged.

"Like hell am I going to let my mate fall victim to a fox." Derek declared.

"Apparently I'm carrying a lightsaber." Chris shrugged.

"Dad, you and Derek hit Eichen House. Sheriff, it's you and me in the hospital." Allison announced, stepping into the leadership role she was being trained for. "We all meet in the school."

By the time she finished speaking, she had also finished packing up the restraints and non-lethal weapons into the bag. The sheriff took the bag from her and the pair left. Derek moved to leave too until he realised that Chris was hanging back. Then he saw the hunter pick up a gun.

"Making sure you have a few lethal options just in case?" Derek asked darkly.

"I like to prepare for the worst." Chris replied as he loaded the gun.

"If you kill my mate, I'll kill you." Derek warned.

"If Stiles is still in there, I won't shoot." Chris declared with a steady heartbeat.

"How will you know?" The alpha demanded, not trusting the hunter's judgement on the situation.

"I'll know, and so will you."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Anything from Scott or Kira yet?" Boyd asked Lydia while walking into the kitchen. Lydia was leaning against the counter, staring at the clock on the wall.

"Not yet. Allison texted though. The sheriff got the charges dropped, so Derek and Mr Argent are free to help look for Stiles." The Banshee answered monotonously.

"Where are they searching?" Boyd asked urgently.

"Ally and the sheriff are checking the hospital, Derek and Mr Argent are checking Eichen House, then they're all meeting at the school." Lydia answered without taking her eyes off the clock.

"You okay?" Boyd asked with a concerned frown. "You seem kinda out of it. Is it a Banshee thing?"

"No, I'm just thinking." She assured him with a steady heartbeat.

"About?" Boyd prompted.

Where to start? The Nogitsune. The new voices. Stiles. Her lack of faith in the Banshee voices. The fact that only Jackson was with her in supporting Scott's theory. There was a lot on her mind, and none of it inspired much hope.

"Do you really think the scroll was a dead end?" She asked instead of answering.

"I don't know. I hope Scott got it right and it's as easy as having Derek bite Stiles, but I want to be prepared with a plan B if it isn't." He answered carefully. "Maybe we need to wait until Stiles has separated from the Nogitsune before we can change the Nogitsune and kill it. Maybe it won't separate from Stiles if it knows that. We need to figure out how it thinks before we can plan a next move it won't predict."

"That's easier said than done. This thing is ancient and smart, how are we supposed to get in its head?" Lydia sighed in frustration.

"By learning as much as we can about it." Boyd replied calmly. "Unfortunately for us, that's what Scott and Kira are doing. So, we have to wait."

"I don't like sitting around feeling useless." The Banshee complained.

"Working out in the bunker seems to be a popular solution around here." He informed her.

"Yeah, good thinking." Lydia nodded. "I'm gonna change and hit the treadmill for a while."

"Mind if I join you?" He asked.

"Sure." Lydia agreed easily. "I don't think any of us should be alone right now."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the hospital, Allison and Noah were in the elevator together.

"You know what, I don't know how you guys do it." Noah stated, breaking the silence. "You're all so strong. You're fearless. Hell, you even manage to keep your grades up."

"I am failing Econ." Allison admitted.

"Is that Coach's class?" The sheriff asked, and Allison nodded. "Well, I'll have a talk with him." He stated, and Allison smiled.

Then she remembered all the reasons she shouldn't be smiling, and she wanted to cry.

Noah noticed that the girl was struggling to keep it together and reached out to flip the switch to stop the elevator, granting them guaranteed privacy.

"Hey. You okay?" Noah asked gently.

"I'm not… Fearless. I'm terrified." Allison confessed shakily. "I'm always terrified. I… I act like I know what I'm doing, but I don't. I don't know if Isaac is dying right now. I don't know if I made a mistake with Scott, letting him go off alone. I don't know what my dad is thinking. I don't know if Derek is thinking clearly. I don't know where my mom is. She's supposed to be off looking for Kate, but apparently Kate's here in town. I don't know… I don't know anything."

Allison wasn't sure when the tears began to fall, but she knew she needed a hug. So, when the sheriff opened his arms she ran into them and embraced him. It reminded her of the night she moved in with him, Stiles, and Derek. It was soothing and paternal, and she felt safe.

"You know what's funny?" Noah asked rhetorically. "You sound just like a cop."

Allison chuckled through her sniffles, as she began to calm down. She pulled back from the hug and fought off the last wave of tears that were trying to escape, as the sheriff gently held her arms to support her as she trembled.

"Hey. You're gonna be okay." He assured her and she nodded. "Okay."

As Noah moved to flip the switch to start the elevator again, he was distracted by his phone buzzing with an alert.

"What's that?" Allison asked after the man checked his phone.

"I'm sure Lydia told you already but, after Stiles started sleepwalking, I had some extra security precautions put in. Motion sensors. Cameras."

"Is that his and Derek's room?" Allison asked once Noah had pulled up the live stream.

'Stiles' was sitting on the edge of his and Derek's bed, still at first, then he raised his left hand and waved at the camera.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"The literal translation is 'a bolt of lightning'. In French, it can also mean 'love at first sight'. But a bolt of lightning happens to be exactly what we need right now." Noshiko told her daughter, who looked skeptical.

"For what?"

"Excising the Nogitsune from Rhys' body shattered the katana. But you can put it back together." The elder kitsune explained.

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" Kira asked.

"Because I'm not a thunder kitsune." Noshiko explained. "Do you trust me?"

"I just found out you're 900 years old, I don't think I'm ever gonna trust you again."

"Trust me on this." She requested and Kira nodded.

Noshiko reached out and took her daughter's hand and guided it until it was hovering over the katana blade that she had carefully reassembled while telling her story.

Scott watched as lightning danced along the blade, so bright he had to squint. So did Kira, but Noshiko just stared and smiled as Kira's fox fire forged the blade back together.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

In Stiles and Derek's bedroom, Derek, Noah, Allison, and Chris gathered around a chessboard.

"What is all this? What are these sticky notes for?" Chris asked.

"This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about all of you." Noah informed him. "We update it every time a new threat comes to town. First the threats were your family and the alpha, then your dad and the Kanima, then the Darach and the alpha pack. Even now that I've got my head around most of it, we use the board. It helps me make sense of it all. This should be downstairs in my study."

"Well, maybe it's a message from Stiles. The real Stiles." Allison suggested.

It was then that Chris noticed that the piece with Isaac's name was off the board.

"You think there's any reason my name's on the king?" Derek asked the sheriff, and Allison quickly stifled a laugh behind her hand. Knowing Stiles, there were many reasons that Derek was given the king piece.

"Well, you're the alpha, and you're heavily guarded." Noah commented, pointedly ignoring Allison's snicker. "Though I guess the alarming detail is that you're one move from being in checkmate."

"It's not a message from Stiles. It's a threat from the nogitsune." Chris realised.

"He's at the loft. That's what he's trying to tell us." Allison declared.

"And he wants us to come there." Chris added.

"Night's falling." Derek chimed in.

"This couldn't sound any more like a trap."

"I don't think it is." Noah stated.

"I think your opinion might be slightly biased, Sheriff."

"And I guess mine is biased too," Derek smiled sarcastically.

"Even more than his." Chris confirmed without hesitation.

"Dad!"

"I'm just saying-"

"Hear me out." Noah insisted. "What we're dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason, right?"

"Meaning what?"

"Our enemy is not a killer. It's a trickster. The killing is just a by-product." Noah explained.

"If you're trying to say it won't kill us, I'm not feeling too confident about that." Derek reluctantly admitted. "If you're right and the point of the dementia trick is to break Stiles psychologically, killing us could be just as effective."

"It won't. It wants irony. It wants to play a trick. It wants a joke." Noah insisted. "All we need to do is come up with a new punch line."

"The sun is setting, Sheriff. What do you have in mind?" Chris asked.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Kira couldn't help but gasp in amazement when the lighting subsided, revealing a perfect, whole Katana laying on the desk.

Noshiko smiled as she picked up the sword and held it out for her daughter.

"Go ahead. It's yours now." She told the teenager.

"What if I don't want it?" Kira challenged. Sure, it looked cool and she wanted to use it, but she didn't want to kill anybody with it. Especially not Stiles.

"You need it." Noshiko declared before tossing the sword to her daughter. Kira caught it easily and instinctively spun it while moving into a power stance. "You see? It gives you balance. My power is yours now, Kira. If the oni can't stop Stiles, you have to. The same as I did." She added, then paused and glanced at Scott. "And maybe seek out a wolf to help you."

"You didn't tell us anything." Scott accused.

"You want to save Stiles? Kill him. That's the only way." Noshiko declared with a steady heartbeat.

"You agree with this?" Scott asked Mr Yukimura, hoping at least one adult would be reasonable.

"Sometimes, history does repeat itself, Scott." The teacher told his student.

"Only if you don't learn." The student retorted.

"But sometimes even then, fate conspires against you." Ken replied, ready for the response.

It was then that Scott received a text and pulled out his phone to check.

From: Allison
Message: Derek's loft

"There's a way to save him. There has to be." Scott declared, before turning and storming out to save his friend.

"Kira." Noshiko called out when her daughter moved to follow the boy. Kira stopped and looked back, so did Scott.

Noshiko picked up the Katana's sheath from the desk and held it out for her daughter. Kira stared for a moment then took it and sheathed the katana.

Noshiko and Ken watched as Scott and Kira left, then turned their attention to the last kaiken.

"I'll take it somewhere safe." Noshiko stated.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Her husband replied. When she looked at him in confusion, he elaborated. "History has not done well with making children into killers."

"These children played their part in it long before we came back to Beacon Hills." She told him. "I buried the jar deep within the roots of the Nemeton. It was their sacrifice that brought its power back. They let the demon out of its cage."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The sheriff made his way to the loft alone and slid open the door. There, waiting in the centre of the room, was Stiles.

He had his back to Noah at first so it was easy to think it was really his son.

Then he turned around and something about the look in his eyes rubbed Noah the wrong way.

"Hi, dad." 'Stiles' greeted the sheriff.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"We should be there." Aiden growled as he hit the punching bag before him. "They're out of their league."

"They're not planning on a fight, they'll be fine." Jackson replied as he held the punching bag steady for the other beta.

"They're not looking for a fight but the Nogitsune might be." Aiden reported as he threw three more punches in quick succession.

"I don't think it is," Cora chimed in from where she was sparring with Malia nearby. "I think it lured them to the loft for something else."

"Like what?" Aiden asked as he abandoned the punching bag and took off his glove.

"That's the problem, I don't know," Cora admitted as she dodged Malia's attacks.

"So why aren't we there making sure it isn't a trap?" Aiden demanded as he watched Cora sweep Malia's legs out from under her.

"Because if it is a trap, someone needs to go on to defeat this thing and save Stiles," Cora answered nonchalantly as she watched her cousin flip back to her feet then lunge.

"So you sent three humans and our alpha into a potential trap?" Aiden asked incredulously.

"They can take care of themselves." Jackson stated.

"Like Isaac?" The former alpha asked, making Jackson growl.

"How dare you-?" Jackson began with a sneer, only for his mate's voice to sound and calm him down.

"Enough!" Lydia snapped as she turned off then stepped off the treadmill. "Arguing isn't helping anybody. We need to come together, not turn on each other. Aiden, you need to have more faith in our pack. Jackson, you can't afford to lose your temper right now."

"I'm not, I'm just sick of him acting like he's-"

"Jackson."

The bitten wolf sighed and folded his arms, but didn't say anything else. He didn't want to get on his mate's bad side, after all.

"Allison, her dad, and the Sheriff may be human but they've all held their own against the supernatural and they're not going to let their guards down just because this thing is possessing Stiles. You shouldn't underestimate them." Lydia told Aiden.

"Maybe you're underestimating the Nogitsune." Aiden retorted. "The Oni kicked our asses and they haven't managed to kill it yet. Best I can tell, it's been killing them."

"But it hasn't killed any of us." The banshee reminded him. "Yes, it hurt Isaac, but he's still alive. We're all alive. It doesn't want to kill us, it wants to mess with us."

"But to it 'messing with us' means hurting us, right?" Malia asked as she swung her fist, only for Cora to duck out of the way. "Deadly pranks?" She added as she swung her other fist and successfully jabbed Cora in the gut. Cora responded by kicking her cousin in the stomach.

"It seems to be targeting the townspeople for that, not us. Isaac's the only one who walked into one, and it might not have planned for him to be there." Lydia pointed out.

"But what if it wants us to think that so we let our guards down?" The former alpha retorted.

"That's why they went in armed." Lydia retorted calmly.

"With non-lethal weapons." Aiden replied dryly.

"Look, I'm not saying we should trust the Nogitsune, I'm just saying you should have some optimism and hope." Lydia explained, letting her frustration show.

"Someone has to remind you lot to not get your hopes too high. Sometimes, things don't work out." Aiden reminded her and the others. "I want it to be as easy as you make it out to be, but eventually your luck is going to run out and not all of us are going to survive. That's just the way things are. Isaac's in a coma, the next one of us to get caught in a trap might not be so lucky."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Noah stared at his son's face, searching for a sign that his son was in control. When he couldn't be sure, he pulled out the handcuffs.

"You want to handcuff me?" 'Stiles' asked.

"If my son is still here, if there's still a part of him standing here in front of me, then he'll put these on willingly and he'll come with me, because he knows I'm here to protect him from himself and from others." Noah explained as he approached, coming to a stop in front of 'Stiles'.

'Stiles' silently held up his wrists and Noah stepped closer. He put the cuffs on his son and watched his reaction.

At first, 'Stiles' just stared at the cuffs on his wrists, then he looked up.

The look in his eyes sent a chill down the sheriff's spine and had him backing away.

"You're not my son." Noah accused and the Nogitsune snapped the cuffs.

Before the Nogitsune could say or do anything, Allison, Chris, and Derek walked in.

They quickly surrounded the Nogitsune, and Allison tried shooting him with the taser.

It did not go as she expected. Instead of collapsing in pain, the Nogitsune caught the darts and seemed completely unphased by the current as he yanked the gun from her hand.

Derek knew he needed to protect Allison from the creature possessing his mate, so he pushed past the fact that it was his mate's body. It was surprisingly easy. Perhaps it was because it didn't feel like his mate anymore. The mate bond remained, but Derek didn't feel it towards the body in front of him. It was how he knew Stiles was locked away deep within his mind, and no amount of pleading would get through to him. All they could do was subdue the Nogitsune.

So it was easy for Derek to shift into beta form and lunge at the creature.

Unfortunately, it went as well as the taser did and Derek had his arm twisted behind his back, his head slammed into a table, then he was tossed into a support beam.

That's when Chris aimed and cocked his gun. The Nogitsune heard the sound and turned to look.

"Don't!" Derek called out as he groaned in pain.

The Nogitsune and Chris both ignored him. The Nogitsune turned to face Chris properly and stood in front of the loaded gun without fear.

"Argent, listen to me. Don't do this." The sheriff spoke calmly, despite his raging emotions.

"Why not?" Chris asked rhetorically without taking his eyes off the possessed teen. Behind the Nogitsune, Derek rose to his feet and looked for an opportunity to disarm the hunter. "I've done it before. Werewolves, berserkers. I can easily add a Nogitsune to the list."

Noah immediately drew his weapon and aimed it at Chris. The Nogitsune looked surprised but Derek didn't.

"You're not going to shoot my son." Noah stated.

"You said it yourself, Sheriff. That's not your son." Chris retorted.

"Put it down." Noah ordered. The hunter didn't listen, so the sheriff tried again a little more aggressively. "Put it down."

"Dad, he's going to shoot me." 'Stiles' stammered with tears in his eyes. "He's going to kill me, Dad."

"Don't listen." Chris told the sheriff.

"Put it down. Now! Do it! Put it down!"

As Noah shouted, the Nogitsune turned its gaze onto the hunter.

"Pull the trigger. Come on." The Nogitsune goaded Chris.

"Listen to me, you put the gun down now!"

"Shoot me."

"Put the gun down now!"

"Dad."

"Shoot me!"

"Put the gun down!"

"Shoot me!"

"Argent, you put it down!"

"Strife." Allison whispered as she took in the frantic scene before her.

Derek looked to the window as the room darkened around them, a familiar feeling of dread overcame him and he knew. The Oni were coming.

"Stop, stop it!" She shouted. "This is what he wants. This is exactly what he wants."

"Not exactly." The Nogitsune corrected. "I was kind of hoping Scott would be here. But I'm glad you all have your guns out. Because you're not here to kill me." He explained, then turned to face the window, just in time to see four Oni appear. "You're here to protect me."

Chris tried to shoot the Oni only to find that his gun jammed. He tossed it away and pulled out a second gun just as Noah started shooting.

Derek made his way to Allison's side as she drew a ring dagger.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Kira arrived at the loft to find Derek bleeding, Chris pointing a weapon at them, and Allison and Noah looking exhausted. Chris quickly lowered his weapon but didn't move to get up.

"What happened?" Scott asked as he rushed to his mate.

"They disappeared." Allison told him. "They literally just vanished."

"And so did Stiles." Noah added.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Noshiko Yukimura made her way down to the basement at Eichen House. Upon arrival, she was surprised to find that Rhys' body had been uncovered. She then reminded herself that she shouldn't be, because how else would Scott have that picture?

She made her way towards it, unable to help herself. She crouched down by the hole in the wall and picked up pieces of the wall. Specifically, two pieces that made up the kanji she had carved all those years ago.

"Why that kanji?" A familiar voice asked from behind her. She didn't have to look to know it was the Nogitsune in Stiles' body. "Why 'self'?"

"To signify that he died as himself." She answered while looking at the body in the wall "Because Rhys wasn't a monster." She added as she rose to her feet and pulled out her last tail. "Not like you."

"If I'm such a monster, why'd you call off the oni? What happened to the woman who called out for chaos, strife and pain to descend upon everyone and everything? What happened?" He asked as he grew ever closer to her.

"I don't want that anymore." She told him.

"I do." He whispered, then grabbed her wrist and slowly began to twist it. "Did you bring this here thinking you could hide it from me?" He then used his free hand to snatch the kaiken from her. "Bad idea."

The Nogitsune then turned the blade on itself and stabbed itself in the abdomen. Noshiko watched in horror as it dragged the blade across, slicing his body open.

"What have you done?" Noshiko demanded as the Nogitsune removed the blade from his body then dropped it to the floor. She watched as he staggered to his knees and looked up at her with a dark glare.

"Chaos has come again." He whispered, then he began to spasm and convulse as a swarm of flies emerged from the wound.

The swarm came towards her, and Noshiko closed her eyes as she batted them away frantically.

When the swarm flew away and she opened her eyes again, the Nogitsune wasn't there.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

One of the flies that came from the Nogitsune flew through Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, passing patients, visitors, and staff members like Melissa McCall on it's way to Isaac's room. Once there, it flew to the werewolf and landed on his arm, then crawled into the opening formed by the needle in his arm, connecting him to the cannula.

The moment the fly entered his blood stream, Isaac woke up with glowing eyes.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the Hale House, Scott and Kira had just finished telling the pack what they had been told by Kira's mum.

"Well that's helpful," Jackson drawled sarcastically.

"We're going to save him. We'll figure it out." Kira stated reassuringly.

"How? She basically said she doesn't know how to save him and we're back where we started. This is just great," Jackson sighed.

"No, this is great," Lydia corrected her mate, drawing confused looks from some of her pack mates. "Stiles is trying to separate from the Nogitsune. Now we know that when he does, we need to have Derek bite it to change it, then have Kira stab it with her shiny new sword."

"If I can get close enough to bite it." Derek grumbled, somewhat reluctantly. "I tried to attack it tonight and it kicked my arse."

"Because you were holding back." Lydia argued confidently with her hands on her hips. "When the real Stiles is standing beside you, you won't hold back fighting the Nogitsune."

"I wasn't holding back." Derek told her, truly believing it.

"So you were fully shifted?"

"I fight better in Beta shift." Derek argued.

"But you're more powerful in full shift. If you really wanted to subdue this thing, you would have shifted and pinned it while Ally knocked it out with something stronger than a stun gun." Lydia shot back, and Derek couldn't bring himself to argue that. The thought had crossed his mind in the moment but he opted against it. He told himself that it was because he would've been knocked out too and he didn't want to be a burden on the other three. The truth was that he was holding back because when he looked at the Nogitsune, all he saw was Stiles. And he could never hurt Stiles.

"Okay, so we know how we kill this thing, but how do we help Stiles separate from it?" Allison asked when the silence lasted ten seconds.

"I don't think we can. I think that's up to him." Lydia admitted with a frown.

"I actually have a way to help with that." Derek admitted. "Peter can teach me how to get into Stiles' mind. If we can subdue the Nogitsune again, I'll be able to get in Stiles' head and help him break free from wherever he's locked up in there. I can set him free, and he can do whatever he needs to do to separate."

"Okay, so why don't we just ask Dr Deaton to get more of that moss stuff?" Scott suggested hopefully.

"The Nogitsune won't fall for the same trick twice." Derek told the crooked-jawed teen with a frown.

"Maybe if we can get some Kanima venom…" Erica trailed off thoughtfully.

"Kanima venom." Derek repeated as the metaphorical lightbulb turned on. "That's brilliant, well done."

"But where would we even get any?" Jackson asked nobody in particular.

Allison's head shot up. "My mom is in South America looking for Kate," She announced. "She's on her way back but I can ask her to make a stop on the way. I mean, Tammy still has the tail, right?"

"It'll take her days to get back." Aiden argued. "Who knows how many more people will be killed by then. We have to do something now."

"Deaton might be able to get some," Derek stated while mentally filing Aiden in the same category as Chris. "Scott, when are you next at work?" He asked calmly.

"Tomorrow, but I can talk to him tonight." Scott volunteered, only to be shut down by the alpha.

"No, not tonight. Tonight you're staying here. All of you are. Nobody should be alone." Derek stated, leaving no room for argument.

"Even me?" Kira asked hopefully.

"Especially you." Derek answered honestly. "Until we know your parents can be trusted, I want you with someone in the pack every second of every day until this is over."

"Thanks." Kira told him sincerely. "I just didn't want to go home yet. I feel like I don't even know them anymore."

"Yeah, that feeling might never go away," Jackson told her, thinking of his own reaction to finding out he was adopted. It changed the way he viewed his adoptive parents and he never managed to reconcile that before they walked out of his life and moved to London.

"Or maybe they'll put in the effort to fix it and your relationship will be better than before." Allison suggested while thinking of her relationship with her own parents.

"Thanks, but what can we do to help Stiles tonight?" Kira asked, eager to get the attention off herself.

"There's nothing we can do tonight. You all need to rest." Derek stated sternly.

"But-" Erica tried to protest.

"Until we get our hands on some Kanima venom, there's nothing we can do. So stop arguing and go to bed." Derek ordered.

"If one of us were missing, Stiles wouldn't rest until he found us." Erica argued.

"Actually, when you three were missing, Stiles was the one making sure we ate and slept, so we wouldn't exhaust ourselves and become useless." Scott told her honestly. "If he could talk to us now, he'd tell us to take care of ourselves."

Derek nodded to Scott in a show of gratitude, and Scott smiled in return. It was a forced smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"I can't stay here tonight." Allison announced suddenly, much to Derek and Scott's dismay.

"Why not?" The alpha and the crooked-jawed teen asked in unison.

"I need to talk to my dad about what the hell he was thinking today." Allison answered honestly.

"Did you mess with his gun?" Derek asked.

"Yes." Allison confirmed without hesitation. She wasn't proud of her action but she stood by it. She wanted to trust her dad but her gut told her not to. It reminded her that her dad was capable of killing his own father without blinking, without giving him the chance to stand down. So, she did what she felt she had to do.

"Thank you."

"Wait, so Mr Argent isn't on our side anymore?" Danny asked with a concerned expression.

"He is, he's just more focused on stopping the Nogitsune than saving Stiles." Allison explained carefully. "He won't get in our way while we save him, but we might have to be prepared to stop him from pulling the trigger."

"Just how trigger happy is he?" Jackson asked with narrowed eyes.

"He hesitated," Derek acknowledged. "He had the gun aimed at Stiles and he hesitated to pull the trigger."

"Maybe it was just because there were witnesses who'd arrest him in a heartbeat." Cora suggested. "I say we let Ally go home so he can't sneak off and finish the job on his own."

"I hate to admit it, but that is part of it." Allison admitted. It was also because she would feel guilty sharing a bed with Scott while Isaac was in a coma, but she'd never admit that. It was one thing to be alone with Scott when their other mate knew and gave his blessing, and another thing entirely when their mate couldn't be with them because he was hurt. She would feel the same if Isaac was fine and Scott was the one in the coma.

"I'll drive you home," Derek declared, his firm tone and stern stare left no room for argument, so Allison nodded. "Good. I expect the rest of you to be in bed by the time I get back."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison arrived at the apartment to find her dad sitting in the living room with his head in his hands.

"Dad." She greeted, causing the man to look up in surprise.

"Allison." He greeted. "I thought you'd be spending the night with your pack."

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Hmm?"

"Were you really gonna pull the trigger on Stiles?" She asked bluntly.

"To be honest, I'm not sure." The hunter confessed.

"I'll check the firing pin." Allison told him casually, referring to the gun that didn't fire and the man immediately saw through her act. He rose from his seat and approached her.

"You removed it?" He asked and Allison nodded. Chris smiled. "That's why the women are the leaders in our family." He commented as he reached out to cup her cheek.

Allison couldn't be more relieved to hear those words, restoring some of her faith in her father. He was still a wild card in her eyes, but at least there was a part of him that wanted to save Stiles. Maybe not as much as she and the others did, but it was a start.

"Get some sleep, sweetheart." He added, and Allison didn't argue because she was exhausted from the fight.

As she walked into her bedroom, she was surprised to find Isaac sitting on the edge of her bed. She immediately dropped her bag.

"What are you doing here?" She asked gently as she rushed towards him and sat next to him on the bed.

"I thought I'd come see you and Scott, but sadly he's not here. Where is he? He's not at his house." Isaac asked.

"He's at the pack house, I'm the only one who got out of spending the night," She explained quickly. "Now, back to you. You didn't just walk out of the hospital, did you?"

"It's okay. I feel a lot better." He assured her. She reached out to caress his cheek and he smiled when it didn't hurt. "All healed."

"Giving you the alarm code was a bad idea." Allison stated.

"Maybe." Isaac smirked. "Or maybe it was a great idea because now Scott can use it to sneak in. Can you call him? I don't have my phone."

"Yeah, we're gonna have to buy you a new one." Allison tol him as she pulled her own phone out of her pocket. Isaac's phone had been damaged beyond repair when he was electrocuted. She quickly called Scott and put it on speaker so Isaac could speak to Scott too.

Scott picked up on the third ring.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Scott asked, audibly concerned that Allison was calling him out of the blue.

"Yeah, everything's great, but you need to come over." The huntress replied with a smile. "We have a visitor who really wants to see you."

"Who?" Scott asked suspiciously.

"Me," Isaac replied before Allison could.

"Isaac?" Scott gasped, unable to believe his ears.

"Yeah, it's me. I woke up and I'm fine, I just need to see you."

"I'm on my way."

Scott hung up the phone and left Isaac's bedroom. He hadn't changed out of his clothes yet, so all he had to do was put his shoes back on once he got downstairs.

Unfortunately, as he put them on, Derek came into the hallway and folded his arms.

"And where do you think you're going?" Derek demanded as he stared disapprovingly.

"Isaac's awake and at Allison's apartment," Scott told his alpha while pulling out the puppy eyes.

Derek didn't say anything, just pulled out his phone and called Allison.

"Derek? Is everything okay?" She asked the moment she answered.

"Is it true?" Derek asked instead of answering.

"Yes, it's true," A familiar voice replied but it wasn't Allison. It was Isaac, and Derek wanted to howl in relief when he heard his beta's voice. "I'm healed, I'm fine."

"Come home, both of you." Derek ordered, needing his pack at home together.

"What about my dad?" Allison asked.

"Do you think he'll make a move on Stiles tonight?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then come home, we'll deal with him tomorrow."

"I'm tired, can't Scott please just come here?" Isaac pleaded and Derek couldn't bring himself to refuse, no matter how much he wanted to see the curly haired beta with his own eyes.

"Fine." Derek reluctantly agreed, then pointed at Scott as he added, "But you have to call me the second you get there."

"I will." Scott promised easily.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott pulled up outside the apartment building and shut off his bike, oblivious to the fly buzzing behind him.

As Scott took off his helmet, the fly flew up and landed on the cusp of his ear, and crawled towards the canal.

Scott felt a tickle and itched his ear but it was too late, the fly was already inside.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott had called to say he was safe with Allison and Isaac. The rest of his betas were in their bedrooms, some sleeping, some not, and Derek felt calm.

His mind was clear but he couldn't sleep yet. He needed to do one more thing before he could rest.

He was so focused on his task that he didn't notice his uncle join him in his study until he spoke.

"What are you doing? And more importantly, why aren't you healing?"

Derek looked over his shoulder but couldn't see the wound he knew to be on the back of his shoulder. "It's from one of their swords. It'll heal."

"By playing chess?" Peter drawled.

"Up in our room, Stiles had a board with my name on one of the pieces." Derek explained. "Noah took it to the station with him to study, so I'm recreating it. If this is a game to the Nogitsune, then I need to figure out the plays."

"Not so easy to do when it's a game without rules." Peter commented.

"What does that mean?" The alpha asked.

"You're dealing with the kind of spirit that's lived too long to play by human rules. It's a fox spirit that chose to become human. And supposedly, that's something they can do only after about 100 years. If a kitsune is an annoying pain in the ass, then a Nogitsune, which is a dark kitsune, is a freaking disaster." Peter reminded his nephew. "Besides, chess is Stiles' game. It's not the game of a Japanese fox." He commented while putting on his jacket. "Do yourself a favor and put something on that. Before it gets infected."

"Where do you think you're going? I said everyone stays here tonight and that includes you," Derek stated sternly.

"Don't worry, I'll be back by the time you subdue the fox. There's just the small matter of Kate Argent to attend to." Peter stated with a smirk.

"You have a lead?"

"I hear whispers that she's staying at the motel on the edge of town."

"You shouldn't go alone. She's dangerous." Derek warned his uncle. "I'll go with you."

"Trust me, deputy. You don't want to be there." Peter warned, cluing Derek into the fact that he wasn't going to simply confirm she was there, but to kill her.

"You can't take her on alone. Either I go with you, or you don't go at all." Derek stated sternly, with all the authority of an alpha.

"I'm not letting you face her when you're not at a hundred percent." Peter shot back, glaring at the younger man. Derek didn't know if the man was referring to his physical injury or the fact that his mate was missing, but both were valid concerns. Not that the alpha would admit it.

"You don't tell me what to do, I'm the alpha here."

"I'm your uncle, and I'm older, you listen to me, not the other way around."

As the two Hales argued, they were oblivious to the fly on the outside of the window, trying desperately to get through the bulletproof glass.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day, Ethan and Danny were at the school, heading into the locker room after a private practice session.

"I gotta say, you definitely did well out there." Danny complimented as they walked, Ethan making his way to a sink, and Denny heading to his locker. "You'll definitely make the team next spring. I mean, if you want to."

"I want to." Ethan replied.

"Everything okay?" Danny asked.

"Yeah." Ethan replied as he began to fill the sink with water, but his tone sounded forced to his own ears. "I mean… This town is a literal beacon for supernatural activity. It's dangerous. There's always some threat or another and I just… I kind of don't know if this is the place for me." He confessed. "For us."

Danny just nodded as he shut his locker.

Ethan didn't know what else to say, so he didn't say anything. He just turned off the tap and scooped up water into his hands. He closed his eyes and missed seeing the fly land in the water moments before he splashed his face.

"I mean, this you leaving school again… Is it about your brother?" Danny asked as he sat on the bench closest to the sinks.

"Yeah." Ethan answered. Aiden was the one always saying something the rest of the pack disagreed with. Aiden didn't feel the pack bonds as strongly as he did. Aiden was dropping hints about fleeing town every time they were alone. Ethan didn't want to walk out on the pack, but would follow Aiden if he left. "It is, actually. It's always about my brother, isn't it?"

"You alright?" Danny asked, concerned by Ethan's tone and dark expression.

Ethan took off his shirt.

"I think I'm just going to take a shower." The werewolf told the human.

"Okay." The hacker replied casually, figuring the werewolf just needed to unwind after getting worked up for practice.

"So are you."

Danny looked up at those words and smiled.

"Okay." He agreed before taking his own shirt off and following Ethan to the showers.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Cora and Aiden were racing through the preserve to burn off some excess energy. Cora had been in the lead until they were out of earshot from the house, then she stopped running, turned, and stood in Aiden's path.

"Did you know that the bedrooms at the house sound proof when the door is locked?" She asked.

"Yeah." Aiden replied, visibly confused.

"And the library, Derek's study, the sheriff's study too."

"Yeah, I know."

"Did you also know that the living room isn't soundproof, because none of the doors lock?"

"So, this about what I said to Ethan last night?" Aiden asked for confirmation. "About how I was considering leaving town, and by extension, the pack."

"Obviously."

"Look, it's nothing personal. I like you all, and I don't want to lose the pack bonds we've built but c'mon, this town is crazy. I've seen my fair share of werewolves and druids, but this year alone you've dealt with a feral alpha, a Kanima, vengeful hunters, a Darach-"

"Hey the Darach was only here chasing your old pack, and defeating her is what awoke the Nogitsune." Cora reminded him bluntly.

"I know, which is why we'll stick around long enough to help, but after that, I'm not sure. I want to stay in this pack, I really do, I'm just not sure this town is where we belong."

"So you'd rather be lone wolves than deal with a fight every once in a while?"

"It's not the fights I have a problem with, it's the fact that you don't finish them. You leave loose ends. Potential threats that can come back and bite us in the arse later." He informed her.

"So, this is about letting Kincaid go?" She asked for confirmation.

"He's dangerous. He could-" Before Aiden could finish, a fly flew straight into his mouth, and he choked on it.

Cora couldn't help but laugh, only for a fly to fly into her throat too.

"Karma," Aiden choked out, and Cora stuck her middle finger up at him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia, Jackson, and Malia were in Lydia's new car.

Lydia was driving, Jackson was in the passenger seat, and Malia was in the back.

"Turn right onto Lincoln Road and continue for half a mile." Lydia heard the GPS say and turned the wheel.

"I thought we were taking Malia home," Jackson declared.

"We are," Lydia told him.

"She lives in the preserve. It should've taken us five minutes to get to her dad's house." Jackson reminded his mate. "So what are we doing out here?"

"Turn right onto Harmon Street and stay right." She heard the GPS say, so Lydia turned right.

"We're taking Malia home, it just appears we're taking the long way," Lydia replied defensively.

"As much as I'm enjoying the drive, I'm actually a little worried we're totally lost." Malia chimed in from the back seat.

"Why do you think that?" Lydia asked.

"'Cause you just made your fourth right. And four rights make a circle." Malia answered bluntly.

"I did not. Did I? It's a brand-new car. The GPS was fine before." Lydia defended. "Maybe if someone hadn't totalled his Porsche with his werewolf strength, we wouldn't be in this car."

"Maybe if someone turned the GPS on, we wouldn't be lost right now." Jackson retorted with a pointed stare.

"What?"

Lydia looked to where she had seen the map just seconds before, to find it set to a radio station instead. She knew immediately what was happening and white-knuckled the steering wheel.

"Lydia. You okay?" Malia asked.

"Is it a Banshee thing?" Jackson asked.

Lydia tried to calm herself with deep breaths but the feeling of dread grew. It was all encompassing and made her want to scream.

"I need to stop. I need to pull over right now." Lydia declared in a panic as she turned into a car park.

"Lydia." Jackson called out when his mate's driving became erratic. "Lydia." He called out again. Then he saw what appeared to be a body lying in the middle of the car park. "Lydia, stop!"

Lydia slammed on the breaks and the tires screeched loudly as the car came to a stop.

While Malia stayed in the backseat, Jackson and Lydia got out of the car and moved closer to the body. Close enough to see that it was Stiles.

Jackson was too busy staring at Stiles to notice the fly crawling into his ear.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison woke up alone in bed. She frowned as she sat up, only for her eyes to fall on her two mates. Isaac and Scott were standing side by side in front of her mirror.

"There you are. What are you doing over there?" She asked.

"There's still a lot of weapons here. I thought your new code was about protecting." Isaac stated as he looked at the array of weapons he'd unpacked from Allison's bag.

"Most of them are non-lethal." Allison defended quickly.

"Hmm. This looks pretty lethal to me." Isaac declared as he held up the ring dagger she'd used against the oni. "But maybe you should keep them. There's still a few of us out there who aren't quite so non-lethal. Like the twins."

"I thought we were going to give them a second chance." Allison frowned as she looked to Scott for support, but he was oddly quiet and staring at his own reflection.

"They don't deserve it." Isaac declared.

"Things are different now. It doesn't have to be like that anymore. Right, Scott?" She asked, only for her mate to ignore her. "Scott?"

"The twins aren't the problem, my dad is." Scott stated monotonously as he stared into the mirror unblinkingly.

"Your dad?" Allison repeated in concern.

"He's the reason the sheriff is under investigation. He got in the way of the oni when we were trying to protect Kira and Malia. He keeps getting in the way." Scott spoke in a dark tone Allison had never heard from him before and it scared her. She knew in that moment that her mates weren't themselves and she knew she had to help them.

"Okay, something's clearly going on, so let's all calm down and go talk to Derek before we do anything impulsive," Allison advised in the calmest tone she could muster.

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that." Isaac told her, then turned to leave. Allison threw off the covers and attempted to follow him only to find that her ankles were cuffed to the bed posts.

"Isaac, wait! Isaac!" She called out, but the beta kept walking. "Scott, you've got to get me out of these."

"I have to take care of something first."

"Scott, this isn't you. You don't want to hurt anybody, especially your dad!" She reminded him, hoping to get through to the real him. "Just set me free and we can help Isaac together."

"I'll come back for you once I've dealt with him."

"Scott!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the Hale house, Melissa, Deaton, Lydia, Erica, Cora, Boyd, Kira, and Aiden watched as Derek and Jackson carried Stiles into the living room. Lydia and Jackson had dropped Malia off at her dad's house on the way home, and called Deaton to bring the Kanima venom when Scott didn't answer his phone.

"The couch, put him on the couch." Derek ordered.

"Guys, this is crazy. He needs to be in the hospital." Melissa insisted.

"Remember what happened last time he went to the hospital?" Derek asked rhetorically, and she sighed in defeat.

Deaton crouched down in front of Stiles and parted the slit in his shirt to get a look at the wound.

"It doesn't look like he's bleeding. I think he might even be healing." Deaton announced.

"That's good, right?" Cora asked.

"For him, yes. Us? I'm not so sure."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Melissa tried calling Noah but Rafael McCall quickly rejected the call.

"You've got some priorities to attend to, Sheriff." The agent reminded the sheriff.

"McCall, trust me when I tell you you don't have a clue about my current priorities." The sheriff shot back, thinking of his possessed and missing son.

"You don't show up to this preliminary hearing, you'll be out of a job."

Noah let out a humourless laugh as he opened his desk drawer and retrieved his badge and gum.

"Why are you bringing those?" McCall asked.

"In case I'm turning them in." The sheriff replied as he walked past the man, ignoring his phone as it began to ring again.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Well, if we're not going to kill him, why aren't we at least tying him down with really big chains?" Aiden asked with his eyes locked on Stiles, waiting for the Nogitsune to jump up and attack.

"I might have something more effective." Deaton announced as he opened a small case.

"You had some?" Derek asked hopefully, and Deaton answered by holding up an amber vial.

He looked to the werewolves either side of him and they immediately understood.

Derek and Aiden moved together, Derek held Stiles' head in place and Aiden carefully pried his mouth open.

Deaton then moved into place with the dropper and squeezed, allowing the release of a clear liquid, directly into Stiles' mouth.

The moment the substance spilled down his throat, Stiles' eyes shot open and the nogitsune saw Aiden first. It grabbed him, one hand on his wrist, the other on his throat.

"Get him off me!" Aiden gasped out, and Derek immediately began prying at Stiles' hand. "Get him off me!"

The nogitsune suddenly let go, its hand trembling as it went numb.

"Kanima venom. Nice touch." The nogitsune couldn't help but compliment, impressed by their strategy.

Aiden roared in anger as he strode menacingly towards the Nogitsune, but the creature was unphased by the display of aggression.

"You know how they say that twins get a feeling when the other one's in pain? You didn't lose that talent, too, did you?" The Nogitsune asked, tormenting him with his gleeful little smile. "Oh, I hope not. You're going to need it. Okay, I'll give a little hint. Ethan's at the school."

Aiden looked to Derek, silently asking for permission. After all, he hadn't actually left the pack, he was just considering it.

"Go." Derek ordered.

The nogitsune laughed as Aiden took off in a sprint.

"Oh, I hope he gets there in time. I like the twins. Short tempers. Homicidal compulsions. They're a lot more fun than you bakemono trying to save the world every day."

"Doc, you brought something to paralyze his body. You got anything for his mouth?" Melissa asked.

"Yes, I do." The vet replied, then pulled out a roll of tape. He tore off a piece and approached the possessed teen, then covered his mouth.

The Nogitsune screamed, but the sound was muffled by the tape.

"Kira, would you mind taking your katana and backing Aiden up?" Derek requested calmly.

"Of course," Kira agreed eagerly.

"I can go with her," Eriica offered.

"No," Derek refused quickly. "I have a feeling I'm gonna need you here."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"As a reminder, Sheriff, we're just here to talk. We want to review both the successes and the failures."

There were two piles of files on display between Noah and those 'assessing' him.

"Which pile is which?" Noah asked lightly. Tense silence was his only response. "Sorry I asked."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"When the hell is Peter gonna get here?" Lydia demanded.

"Why are we even relying on him?" Jackson growled. "After everything he's done he doesn't deserve a pack, let alone to be trusted. I say we kick him to the curb."

"You know who else we should kick to the curb?" Cora asked rhetorically. "Argent. He's as bad as his sister, and his father. He's not looking to save Stiles, he's looking to kill him."

Their words alone were concerning enough, but then Derek felt a gaze on his back. He looked through the kitchen door into the living room to find the Nogitsune staring at him, and he just knew it was smirking under the tape. Derek looked to his pack again and knew what had to be done.

"Cora, Jackson, I need you both to lock yourselves in the holding cells right now." The alpha stated as calmly as he could.

"Why should we?" Cora asked darkly. "Why should we be locked away like animals when the man who murdered our family gets to walk free?"

"Chris had nothing to do with that. You want to go after Kate like Peter probably is? Fine, but Chris is off limits. He's still on our side." Derek stated.

"Is he? You said it yourself, he's not against killing Stiles. How is that 'on our side'?" Cora growled, not noticing as one of her mates grew closer.

"He says he can do it, but he never pulled the trigger. That has to count for something."

"It's not enough." Cora stated with glowing eyes.

Derek nodded to Erica and the blonde pounced, wrapping an arm around her mate's neck.

"Sorry baby," Erica whispered, but she didn't have much to be sorry for because Cora swung her head back, breaking her mate's nose. "Fuck!" Erica shouted in pain as she released Cora and staggered back.

Boyd moved to help, only to be attacked by Jackson.

"Oh god," Lydia gasped as she moved in front of Deaton protectively. At the same time, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag of mountain ash.

Derek was quick to leap into action. He went for Cora first, grabbing her by the back of her neck and throwing her towards Lydia. The banshee quickly got a handful of mountain ash and threw it at the she-wolf, successfully encasing her in mountain ash.

Boyd was holding his own against Jackson, but boy did he appreciate it when Derek stepped in to rip the out of control wolf off of him.

Containing Jackson was just as easy as containing Cora, but watching the two struggle against the mystical barriers and howl in anger wasn't easy.

"Can we move them to the holding cells?" Erica asked Derek while wiping away the blood on her face with her shirt. "I don't like seeing her like this."

"If we can find some way to knock them out first." Derek replied. "But I'd rather not risk it."

"So, what should we do?" Boyd asked.

"I need you two to stay as far away from the Nogitsune as possible before it can infect you too."

"Actually, I think going outside is the problem." Lydia declared thoughtfully. "You three are the only wolves who haven't left the house today, and you're the only three we know aren't affected."

"So, you think Scott and Isaac are affected too?" Derek asked with a frown.

"I haven't heard back from either of them today, have you?" She asked rhetorically.

Derek's frown deepened and he called Allison.

"Can't talk." Allison gasped through the phone, and it sounded like she was running.

"Where are Scott and Isaac?" Derek demanded.

"Scott's going after his dad, Isaac's going after the twins. I called my dad, he's closer to the station so he's going after Scott, I'm tracking Isaac and it looks like he's heading to the school." Allison told him as she continued to run.

"He is, Ethan's already there with Danny, and Aiden's on his way. They may have been affected by whatever the nogitsune has done too." Derek warned her. "Kira's on her way, she can be your backup. I'd come help you myself but Lydia has a theory that us wolves are getting affected when we go outside."

"Okay, I'll be careful." She promised.

"If you can, trap them in mountain ash. It's working for Cora and Jackson." Lydia advised.

"I'll try. Gotta go." With that, Allison hung up.

"If they're all affected, Peter probably is too." Derek sighed, just as the basement door swung open.

"Affected by what?" Peter asked casually. Jackson became more aggressive when he laid eyes on the target of his rage and began to attack the barrier holding him prisoner. "What's wrong with him?"

"Have you been home this whole time?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, after you forbade me from going after Kate last night, I went down to the second basement to train. After that, I went to the library to read and fell asleep in that devilishly comfy armchair of yours. Why?"

Peter was quickly filled in on what he missed.

"Well, I say we move these two to the holding cells," Peter stated. "You're going to need to focus now that it's time to get inside Stiles' mind," Peter smirked.

"I think we're grossly underestimating the danger here." Deaton argued. "He might be paralyzed, but it still feels like he's got us right in the palm of his hand."

Derek looked at the Nogitsune in his mate's body and couldn't bring himself to disagree.

"Lydia, grab a stun baton, a powerful one." Derek ordered. Peter was right, it was time to move the raging betas to the holding cells and chained up before they hurt themselves on the mystical barrier.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Melissa was watching over the Nogitsune and wrapping up his wound when she noticed him crying.

"Stiles?" She asked, and he nodded. She quickly but gently removed the tape. He sniffled a few times, then quickly dropped the act.

"Really, Melissa? I shed one tear? That's all it takes?" The nogitsune taunted, causing her to hang her head in shame. "Come on. You can't crumble that easily. How are you going to hold up when Scott knows the truth?"

"What?"

"When he finds out why his dad really left? You know he overheard it, right?" The nogitsune asked, then put on an expression of surprise. "You had no idea. You called Stilinski right after it happened. You didn't tell Scott, but you told the Sheriff. Hmm. But Stiles heard it like he hears everything. But you want to know why he never told Scott? Because he knew that Scott would never forgive you. He knew how much he would hate you."

"This isn't you, Stiles." Was all Melissa could say. She could tell that it was true that Stiles knew, it was the claim of why he kept it a secret she refused to believe. Stiles would never say that to her, whether it was true or not.

"It is now." The Nogitsune told her, and she had heard enough.

Without remorse, she covered his mouth in tape again.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Is there anything that you would like to say on your own behalf, Mr. Stilinski?" The centermost chairperson asked.

"As far as I know, it's still Sheriff until you relieve me of this position." Noah told her. "And if you do decide to relieve me of said position, then get to deciding." He ordered, surprising her. "Because this whole hearing crap is a waste of time."

Noah then got up and moved to leave.

"I have a few words of my own." Rafael McCall stated, stopping Noah in his tracks.

"Fantastic." Noah sighed.

"Let me make this as short and succinct as possible."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, can I tell Coach you're trying out for the team?" Danny asked Ethan as they left the locker room.

"I'll think about it."

"Sounds like a yes to me." Danny replied gleefully as he walked away.

Ethan hung back, knowing his twin was waiting in the shadows.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, do we have a plan?" Deaton asked.

"Derek is going to try and dig through pale and sickly Evil Stiles's mind to unearth pale and sickly Real Stiles." Peter explained. "Then guide him back from the depths of his own subconscious. But he's not going to do it alone."

"What do you mean?" Derek demanded with a frown.

"Somebody needs to go in with you." Peter declared while looking at Lydia.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Isaac had arrived at the school to find the twins fighting, which made it easy to shock them both, then knock them out with the butt of the gun. He then gathered everything he needed to make a molotov cocktail. Well, everything except a way to ignite it, so he went searching in Coach's office.

"Come on, Coach, you gotta have a lighter." Isaac stated while rummaging through the drawers of his desk. "I'm gonna burn it down for Erica," He said to himself as he found what he was looking for. "For Boyd, for Cora, for Stiles. For everyone."

He lit the fabric on fire and whispered to himself as he made his way back to the twins. "I'm gonna burn it. I'm gonna burn it."

Before he could get very far, a blade swiped out and removed the flaming fabric from the bottle.

Isaac looked to see Kira holding a katana like a pro.

"Nice sword." He commented with a smile. But as he dropped the now useless bottle of chemicals, his smile dropped too.

Kira backed away as he stepped over broken glass to get to her, then she noticed Allison approaching.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back in the Hale living room, Derek was standing behind the couch that Lydia and 'Stiles' were sitting on. Peter was next to him, Melissa, Erica, and Deaton were standing in the middle of the room watching, and Boyd was in the basement watching over Cora and Jackson.

"So what do we do if we find him?" Derek asked his uncle.

"You're going to have to guide him out somehow." Peter answered as he guided Derek's hands, or more specifically his claws, into place. "Try to give him back control of his mind, his body."

"Could you elaborate on the 'somehow'?" Lydia asked snappily. "It's not feeling very specific at the moment."

Derek looked at Peter, silently backing up the banshee's question.

"Improvise." Peter shrugged.

"What if this is just another trick?" Erica asked Derek with a frown.

"When are you people going to start trusting me?" Peter asked with a forced chuckle.

"I meant him." Erica corrected while pointing at the nogitsune.

"Oh." Peter replied dumbly.

"Derek, we're running out of time." Deaton warned.

Derek took a few deep breaths to prepare himself, then allowed his eyes to glow red before pushing his claws into Stiles and Lydia's necks simultaneously.

The nogitsune's eyes went wide, and Lydia's mouth dropped open in a silent gasp of pain.

The world around them faded away and Derek and Lydia found themselves somewhere else entirely.

Unbeknownst to them, they arrived in the room Stiles and Oliver shared in Eichen House.

Derek was in the bed on the left, the one Stiles had sat on but not slept in, while Lydia was on the bed Oliver had used. Both were restrained by the five point system.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back at the sheriff's station, Noah led Rafael into his office and closed the door.

"You just saved my job." The sheriff stated while leaning against his desk.

"Probably." Rafael agreed.

"Why?" Noah had to ask.

"Two reasons. One, I don't think Sherlock Holmes could figure out half the bizarre crap happening in this town. I mean, this place is literally the Bermuda Triangle of homicides, disappearances, and strange occurrences." Rafael declared.

"I can't argue that. What's number two?"

"Kicking you out of a job is not why I came back here. It was an excuse to stay." McCall confessed.

"You stalled the impeachment." Noah realised.

"That's right." McCall confirmed.

"Because you want to talk to Scott."

"That's right." He repeated.

"You did me a huge favor today." Noah stated as he stood up. "Let me do you a small one. Tell him. The next time you see him, just tell him everything."

Suddenly, the door swung open and both men looked to see Scott marching in.

"Okay, maybe not right this second." Noah amended.

"You," Scott growled when he laid eyes on his father. His eyes began to glow and he shifted into beta form.

"Scott, what are you doing?" Noah asked cautiously.

"He's trying to get you fired, he needs to go." Scott stated as he approached his father.

"He helped me, Scott. Just now, with the committee." Noah stated, hoping to calm Scott down.

"He brought them here in the first place." Scott growled.

"No I didn't," Rafael declared honestly. "I was sent here to gather more information, but nothing I said could have stopped this."

"Liar!" Scott yelled as he swiped with his claws.

Noah pulled Rafael back so the agent only wound up with a torn shirt, but that just served to make Scott angrier.

"Don't help him, he deserves this!"

"No he doesn't." Noah corrected sternly. "And you know that. I don't know what's happening right now, but I know this isn't you, Scott."

Scott charged, swerved around the sheriff, and body slammed his father. Rafael groaned in pain as he hit the ground. His son landed on top of him and roared in his face, his menacing fangs on full display.

Noah called out for back up and Parrish came running in and helped pry Scott off of the agent.

Scott spun around and shoved them both simultaneously, sending them staggering back.

"Scott," Rafael gasped as he son turned to face him again, eyes glowing and full of rage. "Please don't do this."

Scott just growled and moved to attack his father again, but then Chris Argent showed up with a stun baton.

Rafael was horrified yet relieved to see his son collapse to the floor, unconscious. Noah quickly opened another drawer in his desk and pulled out a bag of mountain ash and poured a wonky circle around Scott.

"Okay, what the hell is going on now?" Noah asked Chris with an exasperated sigh.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia watched Derek struggle against the restraints in disbelief.

"Do you actually need me to remind you that you're a werewolf?" She asked incredulously.

"We're in Stiles's head." Derek defended.

"And you're a supernatural creature with supernatural strength. Break free." She ordered.

"What if I hurt him?" Derek asked.

"He'll forgive you."

Derek sighed. It was either break free or be trapped in Stiles' head with Lydia. It was an easy choice.

Derek ripped free from his restraints and set Lydia free from hers.

"What now?" Derek asked, hoping the Banshee would have the answer.

"I don't know." Lydia admitted. "This is my first time in someone else's head."

"Just stay behind me." Derek ordered, then made his way to the door.

Lydia followed as he stepped through and looked back at her, but the moment he accidentally let go of the door, it slammed shut.

"Derek? Derek!" She called out while banging on the door, but it soon became apparent that he couldn't hear her.

Or if he could, she couldn't hear him calling back to her.

Giving up, she turned away from the door, hoping to see another way out of the room, only to find that the room had changed. Gone were the beds and dresser, the room was completely bare.

Or, it was until a red balloon began to fall. It hit the ground with an unnatural thud for a balloon. Then a blue balloon fell, then another red balloon, then another blue one accompanied by a red one, and a silver one. Too many balloons to count fell from the ceiling.

Suddenly, Lydia found herself in the school corridor, dressed in the sneakers, jeans, white t-shirt, and black leather jacket she wore the night Peter bit her for the first time, awakening her banshee abilities. The floor was covered in red, blue, and silver balloons.

"Jackson?" She called out as she made her way through the corridor, feeling a deep, indescribable urge to find him. "Are you in here?"

As she passed a classroom door, she heard a familiar snarling sound. She looked and saw the Nogitsune in its bandaged form wring on the chalkboard. It felt her stare and looked at her.

She couldn't see its eyes but she could still feel its gaze, and it was unnerving.

The Nogitsune didn't say anything, just pressed down harder with the chalk, resulting in a loud screeching sound that had Lydia cringing.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek was making out with Stiles in the supply closet at the school when he was distracted by the sound of chalk on a board.

"Shh." Stiles whispered as he kissed Derek's jaw. Only, Stiles looked different. Or rather, the same as he used to look. His hair was buzzed short and he was wearing the clothes he wore on Allison's birthday. Not that Derek noticed.

"I thought I heard something." Derek told his mate.

"It's okay. You're with me. Everything's fine." Stiles assured the alpha in a hushed voice. "We just have to be quiet. Really quiet."

That was good enough for Derek, so when Stiles kissed him again, Derek melted into it.

He was completely oblivious to the fact that Lydia was being stalked through the corridor by the Nogitsune.

Out in the real world, Melissa noticed that Lydia was bleeding from her nose.

"Look at that. Do you see that? She's bleeding." Melissa said as she moved towards Lydia, only to be stopped by Deaton.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." The vet warned her, but made no attempt to stop Peter from walking over.

"What's happening? What is happening to her?" Melissa demanded, full of concern.

Peter dropped to his knees in front of Lydia and tried to get through to his pack mate.

"Lydia, can you hear me? Lydia, you're stronger than this." He told her as Erica, Deaton, and Melissa watched in concern. "Okay, you need to concentrate. Lydia." He implored, then he tried a little louder. "Lydia!"

Inside the mindscape, Lydia heard him and was able to run away from the Nogitsune.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Why are we in a supply closet?" Derek asked his mate with a smile. "We have a nice comfy bed at home."

"We're hiding." Stiles whispered.

"From who?" Derek asked in amusement. "Everyone knows we're together."

"Don't worry about it." Stiles assured him and tried to kiss him again, but Derek was catching on.

"Why are we here, Stiles?" Derek asked. "Why can't we go home?"

"Shh." Stiles whispered as he held a finger up to Derek's lips. "It's okay. Don't worry."

Stiles kissed him again, but Derek didn't close his eyes and melt into it like he previously had, instead, he let his mind work and focused on the truth.

"This isn't right." Derek realised as he broke the kiss and studied his mate.

"What? What do you mean?" Stiles as he leaned in for another kiss, only to be gently pushed back.

"Your hair should be longer." Derek pointed out with a frown. "We should be at home. We shouldn't be hiding from anyone. This is wrong. This is a trick. It's a trick."

It was then that Derek heard Peter shouting for Lydia. He felt an odd sensation and lifted his hand to his nose and found it bleeding.

"No!" 'Stiles' screamed in anger as Derek turned and left the supply closet, pushing through the door at the same time as Lydia made her way through the double doors at the end of the school corridors.

They both passed through their respective doors to find themselves in a huge white room.

Derek ran until he saw Lydia, then came to her side.

Far across the white room, they saw Stiles and the Nogitsune playing a board game on the Nemeton.

Derek took off in a sprint and Lydia quickly followed suit. She was surprised to find that she could keep up with the alpha, but then she realised that they weren't getting any closer to Stiles.

"Stiles! Stiles! Stiles, over here!" Lydia called out.

"Don't waste your breath." Derek advised calmly. "There's only one way to get through to him now."

"Stiles is part of our pack." Lydia realised with a smile. "He's possessed, but he's still part of the pack."

"Exactly, and how do wolves signal their location to the rest of the pack?" Derek asked rhetorically. Lydia looked at him and smirked. The Nogitsune also looked, sensing what was to come. Derek met its gaze and smirked as he shifted his face. "They don't shout, they howl."

With that, Derek let out a mighty howl worthy of an alpha.

The pieces on the board rattled with the force of it, and Stiles was snapped out of his trance.

Stiles looked to see his mate and one of his best friends. Reality came back and he knew what he had to do. Stiles looked at the Nogitsune defiantly and swiped with his arms, clearing the board.

The nogitsune roared angrily as it felt its control slip away. Not just its control over Stiles, but its control over all the wolves it afflicted with its flies.

All across town, the raging werewolves dropped to the ground and expelled the flies from within them, finally free of the murderous rage.

Derek awoke in the living room and quickly removed his claws from Stiles and Lydia.

"Did it work?" Derek asked as Lydia scrambled off of the couch and into the waiting arms of Erica, who immediately began taking her pain. "Did it work?"

"What happened?" Lydia asked as she grasped her wound. "Why didn't it work?"

"Because it's not science, Lydia. It's supernatural." Peter explained.

"Maybe you should bite him now," Erica suggested, just as Boyd came running into the room.

"Cora and Jackson just collapsed with blood coming out of their noses." Boyd told the group quickly. "I called Allison and she and Kira said the same thing happened to Isaac and the twins."

"Okay, call Chris and ask if the same thing happened to Scott," Derek ordered.

"Has anybody checked on Malia?" Peter asked with a frown.

At the mention of her name, Stiles woke up. He was gasping through his nose, and quickly pried the tape off of his mouth. Evidently, the Kanima venom had worn off.

Derek watched in horrified awe as Stiles began pulling what appeared to be a long strip of bandaging from his mouth like a magic trick. A gross magic trick but still.

Derek, Lydia, Melissa, Deaton, Peter, Boyd and Erica all watched as Stiles collapsed to his knees and gagged, seemingly throwing up the bandage into a messy pile on the floor. Dark clouds of smoke accompanied the bandage as it came out in an unnaturally long string. But soon, Stiles pulled the last of it out and gasped in relief.

Then thick black smoke appeared over the pile of bandages, and a hand rose out. Stiles staggered away and the hand rose, revealing an arm clad in brown leather.

The seven watching backed away when a bandaged figure crawled up out of the pile.

Derek watched as what appeared to be the nogitsune seemed surprised and scared by the bandages covering it. He didn't flinch when the creature suddenly staggered towards them groaning, but Peter and Boyd lunged into action. Erica stood protectively in front of Deaton, Melissa, and Lydia at first, but dropped her protective stance when Boyd and Peter got the banaged being pinned to the other sofa.

"Hold him." Peter growled at Boyd as they struggled to keep the creature pinned.

"I'm trying." Boyd replied, letting his frustration show, and used it to his advantage. It gave him a small boost in strength, allowing him to pin the creature down.

"Derek, care to lend a hand?" Peter huffed.

"Wait." Derek replied as he came between Peter and Body, and reached out to unwrap the bandages around the face of the person he was drawn to like a moth to a flame. He knew who it was without even having to think about it. The pull of their bond was too strong to be mistaken for anything else.

Soon enough, Stiles' face was revealed, and Derek had never been happier.

"Derek?" Stiles gasped in disbelief, finding it hard to believe that he was really free and looking at his mate.

"Derek." Deaton called out.

The alpha looked at him and he in turn looked at the front door, which was now wide open.

Derek looked to the other couch and found that the nogitsune was no longer near it. He then looked to where he'd last seen Lydia and found her gone too.

"Where are they?" Derek demanded but nobody had an answer for him. "Where are they?" He repeated as he ran to the door and looked for her. "Lydia! Lydia! Lydia!"

Stiles sat there, covered in bandages, listening to Derek call out Lydia's name in desperation, feeling lower than he'd ever been. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. They were supposed to trap the nogitsune the second he separated but now it was out there and it had Lydia. Stiles felt like it was his fault, even though he wasn't quite sure how. He needed somebody to blame and, as long as the nogitsune was alive and free, Stiles could only blame himself.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It was a mess. Deaton had to physically pry the flies out of the wolves, starting with Cora and Jackson, then he left the house to help the others. He went to the station first to help Scott before making his way to the school.

Once he was gone, an awkward silence fell over the pack.

Nobody moved for a while, just stared at Stiles as he silently rid himself of the bandages and the Nogitsune's jacket.

"Good." Stiles finally spoke after a few minutes. "You all need to keep your distance until Kira's mum can bring the Oni here to test me. Or kill me."

"Stiles? Is it really you?" Melissa asked softly.

"I don't know, so you all need to stay back until we do." Stiles ordered, fighting the urge to run towards them and hug each and every one of them, even Peter.

"You sure sound like you." Erica commented.

"But this could be another trick. We need to be sure I'm really me. I haven't got my phone, can someone call Mrs Yukimura? Erica, Kira used your phone to text her the other night, right?"

"Well, yeah, but are we sure we want to trust her? I mean, she told Scott and Kira we have to kill you." Erica replied skeptically.

"If I didn't fully separate from the Nogitsune, and it just duplicated itself somehow, we need to know." Stiles stated sternly.

"You're you, I can feel it." Derek declared as he returned from searching for Lydia, his alpha hearing picking up on their conversation as he made his way back after failing to catch a scent.

"You can't be sure." Stiles argued instead of tackling his mate in a hug like he wanted to. "Trust me, there have been plenty of times when you thought we were alone but the Nogitsune was in control."

"Are you referring to the night you went out to prank Coach, when it took control in our bedroom? Or that time in the kitchen when it took over while you were holding a knife? Or-" Derek asked calmly, only to be cut off by his mate.

"Okay, fine, you did notice." Stiles conceded, relieved that Derek could tell when it wasn't really him, even before he understood what was happening. "But that doesn't mean it's safe. This thing is strong, Derek, maybe even stronger than you. It got the drop on you at the loft."

"Only now I won't hold back because I won't be afraid of hurting you." Derek argued calmly. "You're here now, so I'll be able to truly fight back."

"What if that's not enough?" Stiles asked.

"It will be." Derek replied confidently. "Now, Melissa is going to take you upstairs and check to make sure you're okay."

"But-" Stiles tried to argue that it wasn't safe for Melissa to be alone with him, but Derek cut him off.

"Now, or I won't let Erica call Noshiko." Derek threatened.

"Wait, you actually want me to call her?" Erica asked incredulously.

"Being marked with the 'self' kanji is the only way Stiles will believe that he's truly himself." Derek stated knowingly. "So, Stiles, are you going to let Melissa check you over or not?"

"Fine," Stiles grumbled. "Call her first then I will."

Derek easily agreed to that and Erica reluctantly pulled out her phone.

Notes:

I hope this chapter is okay. Please let me know what you think.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of The Hale Pack