Where the Hell Were You?

Stiles POV

We correction I had been treading water for two hours. I had had a cramp for the past 15 minutes and I had lost the feeling in both feet and half of my right arm half-an-hour ago, but there was no way in hell that I was letting go. Derek had risked his life by trying to give me time to get away from the kanima and in doing so he had gotten paralyzed from the neck down and thrown in the swim team pool. I remembered all the times Derek had saved me: from Peter, Peter again, Isaac, and now makes the fourth time Derek had come through for me when Scott was nowhere to be found.

I regretted risking Derek's life trying to call Scott, because while Derek was literally drowning below me, I was calling my best friend for help only to be hung up on in favor of whatever stupid thing Scott had going on in his life. I dropped the phone and rushed to pull Derek to the surface for air. As he pulled in a lung-full of air I finally decided that my body wouldn't hold us both up anymore. I said as much to Derek while I swam for the diving board, it was the only thing i could hold on to without the kanima getting to me or Derek again.

Just when I thought our luck had run out and we were both sinking lo-and-behold Scott to the rescue. When the kanima was finally gone and we were safe for the moment I ran to check on Derek while Scott just looked at me like I was crazy.

"Oh my God! Are you okay Derek? Please be okay, say something. Don't be-" I was just blurting out all my thoughts.

"If you would shut up for a moment I'd tell you that I'm okay" Derek interrupted my rambling.

Scott just stood there momentarily stupefied when I turned my angry scowl towards him.

"And where the hell were you at Scott McCall? I called you at the risk of Derek's death only for you to HANG UP ON ME! What the hell is your problem? We could've died and for what so you could have fucking dinner with the fucking Argent-the fucking hunters? I might have been able to get over it if this had been the first time but I distinctly remember two different incidents with Peter and then there was when Isaac was in the jail and again just now with the kanima-and do you know what they all have in common?" I was screaming and shaking at this point but who cares.

"Don't answer it was rhetorical!" I shouted when it looked as if he might answer me, "The thing in common is that they're all situations where I would have died and left my Dad alone if I had only had you to look out for me. Thank God for Derek Hale because he has saved me more times than you have. And yeah he might be a little coarse and crass, but at least he never tried to kill me in a fucking locker room which is more than I can say for my BEST FRIEND!" by the time I was done i could barely talk from shouting so much.

Derek had walked over behind me once the paralysis had worn off and now i turned and threw my arms around him and buried my head in his neck. He calmly wrappe0d his arms round me and told me everything was going to be alright.

"What are you doing Stiles? You can be mad at me all you want I know that your right, but get away from him he's dangerous you can't trust him you have to know that Stiles." Scott tried to pry me away from Derek, but all he succeeded in doing was pulling a snarl from Derek, making us cling tighter to the other, and just generally pissing me off.

"What the hell are you doing? Let me go Scott. And yeah your right he is dangerous-but not to me jackass. And you're wrong if I can't trust my own mate then who the hell would I be able to trust? And Scott for future reference don't ever try to physically remove an alpha's mate from his arms when said mate is in distress. That's the fastest way to get an arm or maybe a head ripped off. And if Derek's growl is anything to go by I think he agrees with me." Instead of removing myself from Derek's arms to scream at Scott I just turned around and wrapped his arms around my waist while he began to nuzzle into my neck.

"M-mate!? What the hell does that mean? Why didn't you tell me about this Stiles? I thought I was your best friend and you couldn't even tell me you had a mate-whatever that is?" Scott sounded scandalized at the thought of me with Derek, but he had no right to try and make me feel guilty when he was the one in the wrong.

"Maybe I'd've told you if you ever took the time to talk to me about anything other than Allison or maybe if you actually answered your phone once in a while. Scott you have no right to play the best friend card on me when you can't even act like one to me. I want my best friend back not this guy who always ditches for me anytime the name Allison comes up. You didn't even notice that I've been smelling like Derek for the past month-ever since we killed Peter. Hell I even wore his shirt one day and you never once asked me about it. I really want my best friend back but if that's to ever happen you need to first decide-not who's more important-but how to manage your time to where you don't cut me or Allison out of your life." As I was talking I turned my head to the side so Derek could get to more of my throat.

"I'm sorry Stiles I didn't know you felt that way if I've hurt you in any way I'm so sorry. I'll try to do better. And if Derek is your m-mate then I guess I'm happy for you, but could you please explain what a mate is to me please?" Scott looked like a scolded puppy while apologizing to me and it was hard not to automatically go hug him, but I knew Derek's wolf wouldn't appreciate that at the moment. I was about to tell Scott about mates when Derek beat me to the punch.

"A mate is like your soul mate but your wolf picks the one person that is perfect for you and who your perfect for. Once a wolf has his mate they never get with anyone else. A wolf mates for life, and Stiles is my mate which makes him the other half of the alpha pair. My wolf has been interested since I met him, but when I became the alpha I automatically knew he was it for me. I'll always be there for him no matter what and it truly is till death do us part because the only way we can move on to another person is for our true mate to be dead, but that rarely happens because in most cases when one mate dies the other pines to death and joins their mate shortly thereafter. The bond between mates is never broken and no one person can come between mates the bond is too strong for that. After we've been together for a while we'll be able to tell you exactly where the other is no matter how far and we'll be able to feel each other's emotions. Even without becoming a werewolf Stiles will be able to siphon my alpha powers to be able to control your wolves and keep you anchored to your humanity. Basically Stiles will become the pack mom."

"Hey! I'm not a girl. I'll be pack dad and you'll be pack father, but that's all I'm conceding to." I interrupted Derek cause no way in hell was i becoming the butt of every mom joke out there.

"As I was saying Stiles will basically be my second. And any time I'm not there he will automatically be in charge. You and the others are to follow his orders in times of my absence." As Derek finished the longest string of words ever to come out of his mouth he turned his face into my neck and began nipping around where my claiming bite will go.

"Scott, you might wanna get out of here cause if I'm getting the signals right I'm about to be claimed by my mate and I'm sure you don't want to see that." As soon as Scott turned to leave Derek flipped me around and bit down on the junction between my clavicle and neck. I felt a burst of pain and then pure pleasure washed over me and Derek had to hold me up as my knees gave out. I could feel him purring against my neck and when he retracted his teeth he began to lick the wound until it was clean and beginning to heal thanks to his alpha mojo.

I was now the alpha's mate to the Beacon Hills Hale werewolf pack, had a pup to punish later, and a mate to consummate the bond with. Life was looking pretty good to me. I got my man and a new family all in one night. Who would have thought searching for a dead body deep in the woods late one night would lead to all of this.

"I love you, Derek." I murmured as he scooped me up and preceded to head home.

"Love you too, Stiles." Was the last thing I heard as I drifted to sleep. My new favorite four words.