Derek roamed aimlessly around the forest in his wolf form, his paws making no sound as he ran. Lately his wolf had become more and more restless until he just couldn't sleep at night. It didn't help that when he did sleep a big pair of molten doe eyes seemed to haunt his dreams, waking him and his wolf up with a yearning to search out the owner of those eyes.
But no matter what Derek told his wolf, about how Stiles didn't belong to them, how he would just get hurt being their mate, the teen was always on his mind. Stiles' pale flesh with moles decorating it here and there, his full sensual lips that never stopped moving, his beautiful musician hands that always fluttered about. Even his spastic tone with the soft lilt and his warm vanilla scent made his wolf perk up and take notice.
Derek didn't realize until later that it was that warm vanilla scent he'd been unconsciously looking for all night. He also didn't realize that he'd been following the traces of that scent until later as well.
But what he did realize, as he shot off into the dark after a terrified scream, was that that particular scream belonged to Stiles.
Derek sprinted through the woods, his powerful black form tearing through low hanging branches. He could hear the panicked murmur of Stiles and the powerful smell of definite lust and possession from a wolf hit him hard.
As Derek burst into the clearing, his vision went red as he locked on the intruding wolf. The rogue was bent over Stiles and the sweetly bitter tank of blood tainted the air. The huge black wolf roared with challenge and lunged. Derek clamped down on the stranger's throat with his teeth and hurled him away from the sobbing boy. Stiles whirled around and went flying when the caramel wolf charged and knocked the teen towards a tree. Derek roared at the smaller wolf and stood alert between the two.
Derek waited for the other to lunge first, and feinted left, turning at the last second to clamp down on the others leg. A howl of pain rang through the air when Derek roughly shook his head. The smaller wolf swiped at Derek with a growl that turned into a yelp as Derek rolled away from the unconscious Stiles.
Derek sprang up and grabbed the unaware wolf by his throat, shaking his head again and threatening to rip the bite out. The pain became too much for the rogue wolf and he changed shapes, unable to hold onto his wolf form.
The black wolf threw the man to the side and quickly changed form before the man could get up. The darker man growled at the one on the ground, who responded with a growl of his own. Still seeing red, Derek grabbed his neck with clawed hands and lifted him, dangling his feet from the ground.
"You deserve to die," Derek hissed, voice more gravel than velvet. "He is not yours to touch or claim."
The injured man choked out a laugh. "I have scraped my fangs across his skin. I own him. He is my mate!"
"You know nothing about him." Derek tightened his grasp. "Not even his name. My scent is the one over him, not yours."
"Not anymore." The loner's eyes began to glow.
"Growling, he brought the stranger closer. "I am Alpha here. And he is my pack. Leave before I decide to kill you. If your scent so much as drifts into my territory, I will rip your throat out with my teeth." He allowed his eyes to flash blood red before he threw the stranger to the ground and bared his fangs.
Surprised, he scrambled into a crouch. "You aren't just going to kill me?"
"Not yet. You aren't worth the price. Now leave."
"Let me have him an-"
Derek's roar cut him off as he slammed the caramel man into a very solid tree. He could feel his control slipping, his wolf pushing to get out. "He is pack, therefore, you. Can not. Have him." His claws pushed out, shredding the stranger's skin.
The man winced, the smell of blood permeating the air. "I'll leave, Alpha. I'll go." He turned his neck up as far as the tree would allow.
The wolf in Derek receded a little bit at the sign on submission. "Then go." He released him and watched him take off into the dark, away from Beacon Hills.
It was only when Derek couldn't smell the stranger anymore that he relaxed his stance and went to Stiles. He carefully picked the boy up, cradling him gently to his chest. The smell of Stiles' blood and fear wafted up to him, pushing his control again. Stiles stirred and Derek looked at him.
The teen's whiskey colored eyes were dazed when they locked onto Derek's. Stiles smiled slightly and whispered, "Derek," before he snuggled closer and passed out again. Derek held him firmly and took off toward the Hale house at a run.
