The strong icy wind hit the teen's over-heated skin as he ran through the woods his long limbs clumsily getting him over protruding roots, and through low hung tree's without tripping once or getting a scratch on his pale face. The sound of heavy panting was getting closer, the rough sound of paws dragging through thick layers of leaves was pushing the boy to run faster the burn in his legs becoming nearly unbearable, but he continued to run. It was that or death, it wasn't a hard decision. As a boy Stiles Stilinski had been warned by his father or the wolves that hunted in the Beacon Hill woods, it was the same stories every parent told their children in this town, for hundreds of year's wolves had hunted here and the stories had been passed down through generations of families. Stiles of course had never listened to his father's warnings and believed he'd be safe in the woods due to the fact there hadn't been a sighting in years, however now here he was sprinting away from some huge black creature that was growling and panting as it charged towards him.
Stiles made the mistake of glancing behind him for a just a second as it went silent, he tripped on a root and fell on his face into a puddle, mud spilling into his mouth, that taste thick and pungent and mud leaked into his eyes, blinding him. He tried to get up but his hands slipped, not gripping onto anything. As he began to get to his knee's a deep, husked voice came from his left.
"Are you okay?" Stiles didn't recognise the voice, and his vision was too blurred to make out anything more than a crouched man, very close to him. "I never meant to scare you," the man said, sighing disappointing, Stiles didn't understand for a moment and then he realised. This man was the wolf, he had the same jet black ruffled hair as the wolf had all over its body. Stiles went to scream with fright but the man placed his hand over his chapped lips, holding any noise back. "I don't want to hurt you, I didn't mean to chase after you like that, but sometimes I can't control myself, please forgive me." The mysterious man, Stiles didn't know what to call him, looked truly apologetic and even upset with himself, he wanted to feel sorry for him, but just minutes before this man had been trying to kill him. He moved away from the man his eyes beginning to be able to pick out more features he was tall at least 6ft, with broad shoulders and a well-defined chest and abs, as Stiles' eyes continued to move downwards he noticed the man was naked. He had thick, muscular legs, which were slightly open due to his crouched position, the teen decided to ignore the member hung between his legs, and let his eyes flick straight back up to the man's face. He had deep blue eyes that swirled with emotions, high defined cheek bones and wide set jaw shadowed with stubble. Stiles shifted away from him, and pulled himself up so he was leaning against a tree, the man's eye followed him.
"Umm, please don't hurt me?" He didn't mean for it to come out as a question, but he was afraid, he had no way to protect himself from this animalistic beast. The man sighed angrily this time.
"I'm not going to hurt you, but I need to go get some clothes please give me a moment there should be some hidden around here somewhere." He mumbled something else which Stiles was pretty sure was 'I never could hurt you', before walking off in the hunt of clothes, his pert arse wiggling slightly in the distance, then he disappearing behind a tree. He came back into sight ten minutes latedressed in tight black jeans and a grey V neck t-shirt. "I've already told you that, you were just a bit of a shock to my inner wolf and I couldn't control myself very well…it's been a long time since anyone's come on my land." His land - this was Beacon Hills wood - it was public land. Stiles thought to himself. The man crouched in front of him again.
"Your land?" Stiles questioned shakily, unsure of himself and his safety, he didn't care if the monster said he wouldn't hurt him, he sure as hell didn't trust a word coming out of his mouth.
"Yer, I'm Derek Hale and this land has been in my family for generations, didn't you realise you'd wondered off the reserve?" Derek asked smirking slightly at the boy.
"No and hey how come no one knows you're the wolf, you live on the outskirts of town, right? And everyone who's ever spoken of you seems to think you and your family are delightful." Stiles was now fully intrigued by the man before him and his family.
"Do you really want to talk about this now, or do you want me to take you home, well to the edge of the woodland?" Stiles wanted to go home, the mud was starting to dry on his clothing and skin, making him feel uncomfortable but he'd always been fascinated but the stories of the wolves of Beacon Hills and this was his chance to learn the truth about them.
"I want to talk about it now," His fear was not going to stop him from learning, Derek was shocked for a moment, unsure of what to say, he'd been certain the lost boy would have been desperate to leave the dark, shaded woods and get home, as far away from him as possible. "That shocked ya didn't it," the teen laughed, despite the situation he was feeling comfortable with this man, he knew any minute he could rip his throat out and he didn't trust him not to but he looked just as afraid about the situation as Stiles felt.
"Ooh well, that's quite easy question really, we just act human all the time accept when we are here on this land, this were we can be free to change, and run as much as we need and indulge in any over needs without people knowing about us." Stiles wasn't sure he wanted to know what this other needs were.
"Well how come people don't come across you more often?"
"No-one comes into the woods due to the myths of evil, savage wolves that roam them, the truth is it was my family over 100 years ago that had started that rumour when too many people were frequenting the woods and coming on our land so we weren't free to run as wolves, so my ancestors started a rumour that there were wolves that were tearing people apart of course hunters came to try a kill them, but they decided a few murders for their whole family was worth the guilt, and so when those hunters never returned to town, it was decided the woods were no longer safe for humans." Stiles noticed the pain that spread across the older man's face, and he instinctually moved closer, as to comfort him.
"What's wrong?" he asked smiling sadly.
"We have to keep our distance from people so they don't find out about us and what we are and that means life is lonely it was nice to have someone to talk to, and tell the truth about my family." Derek couldn't bring himself to smile, instead just dropped his bottom onto the hard, muddy floor and crossed his legs, facing Stiles head on. "So what were you doing out here anyways? I can imagine you were told the stories."
"Funny story really, I thought it was all a load of bollocks and that there were no wolves in these, woods considering no one had seen one in years, so I came to explore, I'm a bit of a loner you see, only really got one friend and he has a girlfriend now and hardly ever talks to me, well that's another story anyway, so I came for a stroll…and well my theory of no wolves was proved wrong by you!" Stiles mocked angrily. Derek laughed at the boy, amused by his actions, he may have only known him for a brief period of time but he couldn't imagine him to ever be angry, and if he was he imagined him to be like a feisty little kitten.
"You are a peculiar boy, now what was this about your friend who doesn't pay you any attention anymore? And why aren't you more popular? You seem funny and smart to me." Shit Derek thought to himself, he didn't mean to say that, mate or not he needed to control his words and actions around the teen. Stiles blushed pink at the compliment but acted nonchalant.
"Basically this new girl moved in to town, her names Allison Argent," Stiles noticed Derek's shoulders tense at the name Argent, and told himself to ask about that later. "and ever since they have been joined at the hip, I even have to sit by myself at lunch now because he became one of the popular people, and when I tried to sit with them they told me to fuck off and he done nothing to stick up for me, and when I try to talk to him he always says he is busy, so yer, I'm lonely old Stiles Stilinski now." He sighed to himself quietly and looked away from the wolf's blue eyes not wanting to see the pity within them.
"I'm sorry you had such a shit friend that would leave you like that…HOLY SHIT!" the man shouted suddenly. "You are the sheriffs son." He exclaimed frantically.
"Yes, what's wrong with that?" Stiles demanded.
"Well, it's just you know, your dad has a gun, and he is like the town official…please don't tell him what my family is, a normal bullet may not kill me or us should I say, but it hurts." For a few moments the werewolf looked truly frightened, Stiles wasn't going to tell his dad anyway because that meant telling him he went into the woods, which would result in having his car taken away from him, and that just weren't happening.
"I won't tell him, don't worry, I'm not even gunna tell him I came inside these woods today." The boy smiled widely at Derek revealing his blunt, white human teeth. It was the most adorable smile Derek Hale had ever seen.
"I should have known this whole thing would have been a secret anyway, no need to worry about my arse getting shot." The pair laughed heartedly at this. Derek's laugh was loud, infectious, and made him look even more beautiful it that was possible. "Now I want to know why you aren't popular." By this point the mud had dried and caked on Stiles' clothing and skin, so he was left uncomfortable, and dirty; any normal day he would have gone home, and not sat around like this for anyone, but he felt like if he left he'd never see this beautiful creature again, and he just couldn't have that. So he answered the question while trying to pick mud off his arm and face.
"I think it's because I talk way too much, if you hadn't noticed and people find that really annoying, and also I always seem to say the things people really don't want to hear. So people don't like to be around me, I don't mind that much, and it wasn't as lonely when I had Scott." Derek hated seeing his mate look so hurt, and his instincts told him to move forward to comfort the boy, and hold him, but he denied his instincts, and just hummed in approval to his answer. "You must be lonely, always hiding your true self from people, I don't mean to be rude, but do you have any true friends?"
"No, I have no-one, except for my family, well and I guess you," the both smiled at that, Stiles wouldn't admit it, but he felt privileged to know about Derek and who he was. "Now this has been nice, sat here in this freezing cold weather, with a muddy arse but I'd like to get home and I think you need a shower." Derek said eyeing Stiles' soiled clothing and shaking his head with amusement.
"Oi! You trying to say I smell!" Stiles huffed clambering to his feet, Derek following in one quick, fluid movement, much more graceful than Stiles.
"No, you smell fine, but you look a mess. Now I'll lead you to your car so you can get home, it will take about 30 minutes that okay?" Stiles nodded but gave no other reply, truthfully he didn't want to leave this man's company. The walked in silence for a few minutes leaving them both to their own thoughts.
Derek thought of the moment he first saw the boy stumbling through the woods, picking random leaves of trees and flowers, humming a song to himself, his finger strumming against his dark jean clad thigh. He felt the burning need run through his body before he could control himself, and his body began to shake as his body changed into a large black wolf. His claws dug into the earth, and he pulled in a deep breath the strong smell of his mate fogging any focused part of his mind and he began to run, chasing his mate through the woods, with no proper control over himself for at least ten minute until he heard a low whimper pierce through the silence, it came from Stiles' mouth and he knew at that moment he was scaring his mate and with that he stopped immediately.
In these moments of silence Stiles was trying to figure out why Derek stopped chasing him so suddenly, and then appeared again in human form and was truly sorry, he didn't understand what had made the wolf transform at his presence, he said it's because he didn't expect to see a human, but he was around humans all the time, so Stiles was pretty sure Derek had lied about that but he wasn't going to push him, well not about that anyway.
"So why'd you tense at the name Argent?" The question dragged Derek from his own thoughts.
"I didn't," Derek tried to deny his reaction, but Stiles gave him a look that said he knew he was bullshitting. "I'd rather not talk about it in detail, but basically the Argent family is a family of Werewolf hunters, they know the truth of what the wolves are in this area, they just don't know who they are, who we are." Stiles nodded in understanding, and continued walking without digging for any more information, he could tell the topic made him feel uncomfortable and even maybe a little vulnerable.
The two men were walking so close together their shoulders kept brushing against one another, neither of them mentioned it but just continued to walk in silence, looking at each other now and again with mild curiosity.
"Maybe we could, I dunno, er meet up again, as long as you promise not to chase me next time, big guy cause' I nearly shit myself." Derek was shocked by the request but, he couldn't deny how much he wanted to see the young man again.
"Yes, I'd love that!" He came across maybe a little too enthusiastic but he didn't care. "And I promise not to chase after you…well unless you asked," Stiles realised the man was flirting with him, but he was clueless on how to flirt back, didn't mean he wouldn't try.
"Maybe one day Sourwolf," The audible gasp that echoed though the silent tree's after passing though Derek's lips, made Stiles believe he'd said the right thing.
"Don't test me, Little Red." Derek smiled down at the boy his eyes flicking to the bright red hoodie he was wearing, before chuckling lightly. "We're about 5 minutes from your car."
"How the fuck do you know that?"
"My sense of smell is much stronger than yours, so I could smell your car from where we were sat together."
"That's awesome." Stiles exclaimed excitedly, "Is there anything about you that is better than humans, accept the obvious fact you can turn into one huge freaking wolf."
"How about we talk about that another time, cause theirs your car," Derek pointed between the tree's, Stiles could just make out the blue curve of his bonnet, but knew this was as far as Derek was going to take him.
"Thanks, but could you come with to the car, so I can write my number down on a piece of paper for you."
"I would but no point really, as I'm gunna run home and when I change I will lose the clothes and piece of paper," Stiles' face sunk in disappointment. "I'll type my number in your phone though, and you make sure you text me when you get home, saying you got there safe, how about that?" Stiles' faced lifted into a huge smile as he handed his phone over. Derek quickly typed his number in, before handing the phone back and moving away from the teen.
"I'll see you soon, I hope and make sure you text me." Derek smiled, softly but Stiles still caught to the tone of authority as though it was an order, Stiles wouldn't admit it not even to himself, but it aroused a hunger and passion within him.
"Will do, see you Derek." Stiles said before walking away towards his car. Derek watched him until he was in his car and driving away.