If you asked Stiles Stilinski about his senior year in high school, he would probably tell you it sucked. He might say it was dramatic or stressful or something like that. He most definitely would not tell you about werewolves, kanimas, banshees, or kitsunes. He wouldn't mention being possessed or being institutionalized. He 100% would never say the words Alpha Pack or Dread Doctors. And for certain he wouldn't tell you how much time he had spent in the hospital, how many friends of his had been hurt, or that he had seen death a few too many times.

If you asked Stiles Stilinski what he did after high school, he'd probably tell you he took a few years to travel and work before going to college. He might say that he needed to find himself or that he wasn't sure what he wanted to study. He most definitely wouldn't tell you that he spent a year each with hunters, kitsunes, and emissaries. He wouldn't mention that he had traveled all over Europe with Allison, Chris, and Isaac as he trained to be a hunter and learned about the supernatural. He 100% would not say a word about the year in Japan learning about spirituality and other realms from Kitsunes with Kira and the Yukimura's. And for certain he wouldn't tell you about the year spent with Lydia, Deaton, and Morrell studying to be an Emissary.

If you asked Stiles Stilinski about college he would say that he went to UC Berkley on a full ride from a private foundation and that he studied English and History with minors in anthropology and religion. He might say that he then went on to get a Masters in Cultural Anthropology with a focus in Mythology. He most definitely would not tell you about setting up a network of contacts across the globe to help research the monster of the week. He wouldn't mention reforming a pack with ten different species in it. He 100% would never say a word about helping the pack gain control of most of northern California. And for certain wouldn't tell you about setting up a side job as a magic problem-solver.

No, there are a lot of things that Stile Stilinski wouldn't tell you about. Most of them, it's good that you don't know… it's safer for you that way.

In the twelve years since high school, Stiles had changed. He knew it, his pack knew it, and their enemies knew it… the only person who didn't see it was his father. But he guessed that was normal.

As he stood in his study, staring out the window overlooking Beacon Hill's Main Street, he tried to control his tone of voice. Somehow he only had control issues with his father…ok and Scott… and probably Derek and Lydia… but really just his father.

"Dad, you do know I'm turning 30 in a few weeks right?" Stiles said with a sigh, "I kind of think the time when you had a say in how I spend my Saturdays are long passed."

"Stiles, I'm your father, I will always get a say in how you spend your time," the Sheriff huffed into the phone. "At least until you settle down and find someone else to take care of you."

"Dad, I'm almost 30, own a business & a house, am the emissary and third in one of the biggest and most powerful packs in the country, and I'm thought of world-wide as an expert in a few different fields including some that 90% of the population don't know anything about. I'd say I'm pretty settled down."

This was an old argument, one they had pretty much constantly… Every birthday, Christmas, and every time that Stiles broke up with someone (although Stiles' dates were few and far between).

"Fine Stiles, I don't want to argue," Stiles didn't agree with that but he let it slide. "I just wanted to make sure you were picking up Melissa and I from the Airport next week and that you were coming over for a small birthday dinner before the pack party?"

"I think Scott is going to end up picking you up actually, Erica and I are travelling to Toronto for a few days. An old friend from my Emissary days needs help with something."

"Anything serious? What friend?" John immediately sounded stressed.

"Dad! Calm down!" Stiles let out an exasperate sigh. "It's the Green Pack; you met their Alpha a few years ago when she came to Scott's wedding. Evelyn Green, short women, gray hair, looks like a too young, too hot grandmother that could still kill you."

"She's the one who gave Scott and Allison that weird knife thing right?"

"It was a ceremonial dagger from like 200 years ago and it had a crazy strong protection spell laid on it to help ward their house, but yes that's her." Stiles looked over at his bookshelf and saw the matching dagger she had given him at the same time. "Anyway, her pack has recently integrated a family of Harpies and they are having some issues with the pack bonds. Since we had similar problems when Kyle's group petitioned to join our pack, she asked if I could come take a look at things."

"Who else is going? Not just you and Lydia. I know that you can take care of yourselves and all but still…"

"No worries dad, Boyd is coming because well where Erica goes so does he, I think Kyle's coming to help with the Harpy side of things, and I'm going to ask with Avery can come as well. Her fae blood lets her see bonds as well as I can." There was a pause on the phone so Stiles asked, "You still there dad?"

"Yeah, I'm here, just trying to figure out when I started accepting conversations about Harpies, Fairies, and Magic as normal and not just stories?"

"I think it started with me being an idiot and looking for a dead body… but if you come up with an alternative where I'm not at blame, I'm open to hearing it."

"Not likely son. Well, give Scott the flight information, Melissa talks to him every day so we'll arrange everything."

"Between you calling me and Mel calling Scott, have y'all had any time to enjoy your trip? I hear Germany is lovely this time of year."

"Ha ha Stiles, I get it. The old man calls his Only Son too much." John emphasized only son a little too much for Stiles to believe that he was actually upset. "Alright, well we are about to go to dinner. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright, bye dad. Love ya."

"Love you too, Son."

Stiles hung up and looked over at the clock on the wall, just past 9am in California which would make it just past 6pm in Germany. He should really get back to grading the stack of papers he had sitting on his desk.

After college, Stiles had spent some time helping Derek and Scott set up the Hale-McCall Pack and had needed a job in Beacon Hill. Not many knew that it was the Nameton that gave Stiles so much power, and he had to be near it to continually maintain the link. So Stiles had gotten a position teaching English and History at his old Alma Mater, Beacon Hills High School. It wasn't exactly what he expected to do with his degree, but it was good still and since the principle was a member of the pack he was able to get the time off he needed to handle pack business.

The papers took him a few hours to grade, and by the time he looked up at the clock it was almost noon. The council was meeting at 12:30 so he had better get moving. He threw the rest of the papers and tablet into his emergency bag and grabbed his phone. A quick text to Lydia ("Stopping for coffee, you want your usual?") and he was on his way out the door. His downtown apartment was about a 20 minute drive to the house in the preserve.

He jumped in his jeep and patted her fondly. His first jeep, the only that had accompanied him on so many adventures in high school, had died in North Dakota when he was hunting a Yeti with Deaton the year he turned 21. He had been through a few cars since then, but this blue on black jeep was by far his favorite. It was like his jeep had been reincarnated.

A quick stop for coffee, which became less quick when he got Lydia's text back ("Thank you dear. Can you get Allison an Americano, Kyle a chai, and Jon a bone-dry cappuccino?"), and then Stiles head out to the Pack house. These meetings happened once a week with full pack meetings once a month. The council made things much easier to deal with instead of having all 40 something pack members get together ever week.

Stiles walked in and passed out drinks before grabbing his normal seat near one end of the table. He looked around the room, noting a few people still weren't there yet. Currently, Lydia and Allison sat to his left talking easily. They had been a part of the council from its beginning; Allison because of her hunting background and job at a fairly well know law firm and Lydia because of her skills as a banshee and her sheer genius.

Jon Sawyer sat on the opposite side of the table from the girls, about middle of the table. Jon, his wife Avery, and his brother Jordan had joined the pack Stile's senior year of college. All three had fae blood in them and grown up in a pack in New England. Fae-borns only have access to their powers when in a pack with other supernatural creatures, and with very few packs that would accept them they hadn't had many options. They had approached Derek and Scott about joining and after some time were welcomed. Jon is the city planner in Beacon Hills and represented the fae on the council. There were six fae altogether: Jon, Avery, their two children, Jordan, and Jordan's girlfriend Danni.

Kyle Miller sat next Jon, their conversation friendly and a little loud. Kyle and his husband Dylan along with his younger sister Kinsey were all Harpies. Similar to werewolves but a few more feathers and wings that could be sprouted when they transformed. Kyle was a doctor at Beacon Hill Memorial and the council's medical expert.

Boyd sat towards the head of the table across from Danny and Lucas. Boyd served on the police department and was pretty much the general for the Pack, Danny ran a small software company and served as technical expertise, and Lucas Sanchez (one of the Chimeras that were still around from the awful Dread Doctor's business their senior year of high school) was a Financial planner and manager at a local firm and helped the pack with money issues.

So it was just Scott and Derek they were waiting for… big surprise. Stiles rolled his eyes at his two Alphas; they were equally unable to keep track of time. His relationship with both was strong if different. Scott had been his friend since they were 4 years old and was always going to be the first person Stiles looked to for support. Derek was different; he supported Stiles by respecting him. He trusted in Stiles' abilities and listen to his input as an equal. They were friends and that was all. There had been a moment when Stiles though more might happen but then Derek met Tiffany Wells when visiting another pack and that was it, he was mated. Tiffany and her brother had been great additions to the pack and Stiles was glad to see Derek happy, and expecting his first child soon as well.

These meetings hadn't been very eventful the last year or so. The pack was stable and growing at a comfortable rate but now that growth was through children. Lydia and Aiden had a daughter, as did Erica and Boyd, Allison and Scott had a pair of twin boys, and Jackson and Malia had a son. Add in Derek's expectant baby and the two Sawyer kids and the there were 8 little ones running around. All the adults were gainfully employed and their territory hadn't been threatened in years. They were a large pack for sure, with almost 50 members if you included Scott, Allison, Lydia, and his parents. With Derek in his mid thirties no one saw him as too young to lead and the only people who could really challenge his claim would be Peter or Cora, the first of which hadn't been seen in years (god, Stiles' hoped he was dead) and the latter of which was happy in her life as a Beta and mated to Isaac.

Stiles had just pulled out his laptop when Scott and Derek came into the room from the door that connected to Derek's office. Both had easy smiles on and took their seats at either end of the table.

"So let's go through weekly reports and then on to any other topics." And with those words, Derek started the meeting…