Stiles woke up for the second time that day in a world of pain. There was a constant and sharp ringing in his ears, like he'd just been at a festival. His vision was blurred for a long time until he fluttered his eyes open and realised he was waking in a strange room.
''Allison? ALLISON!'' He called out as he tried to sit up.
But getting up so fast caused him to become dizzy. He couldn't stop himself vomiting from the side of his bed and onto the floor.
He could hear Scott gipping and repeating the word ''Gross!'' over and over again followed by a variety of disgusted groans.
But he just called out her name again and was gently pushed back into his bed by Scott. He tried to fight back weakly but Scott just kept saying ''Easy'' over and over, eventually obeying him and lying back again.
Allison had just finished getting changed into a pair of leggings and a shirt left in the wardrobe for her, when she heard her brother crying out.
''Stiles? STILES!'' She answered back and made a rapid dash into the hall and tried to figure out where it was coming from.
But she could hear all sorts of noises that were disorientating her: Erica chewing gum downstairs or all the different heartbeats filling the house prevented her from knowing where to go until Scott came out of Stiles' room and approached her.
''Where is he?!'' She yelled.
He pointed to the room and warned her it wasn't a pretty sight but she couldn't give a damn about that at this point. There were more important things to worry about.
As soon as she entered, she leapt on the bed throwing her arms around him and crushing him in a sisterly embrace.
''Allison'' he repeated drowsily.
''I'm right here Stiles. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here'' she reassured him.
He leant his face down into her shoulder. She smelt... different... not like Allison.
''You don't smell the same'' he commented.
''Well I did just take a shower so maybe I don't quite smell of death anymore!'' she laughed.
She let go of him and let him sit up. He looked absolutely terrible. His skin became a grey sickly colour and there were dark rings around his sedated eyes. His hair was still in the out of control spikes as they always were, but they were now dampened by sweat.
It broke her heart to look at the pillow and see the dried blood that had inevitably dripped from his neck. She wondered if he was even aware he'd been bitten or if he'd forgotten after he'd passed out from the pain.
''I know. I look like shit'' he joked.
She merely laughed. It was a desperate laugh. When he stroked her face, she stopped.
''Why do you have tears in your eyes?'' he asked her.
She didn't even realise she had. But she couldn't tell him the truth.
''I'm just glad to see you''.
He didn't know how but he knew. ''You're lying''.
It was in an epiphany that he remembered that he'd listened to her heartbeat and heard it skip. Something only werewolves could do.
He felt at his neck where the pain was and looked at his hand as he pulled it away and saw the blood.
''Oh god!'' He cried out.
She panicked. ''It's okay. We can... we can get cured, right? You're the genius, the-the-the bookworm. There is a cure for this, isn't there?''.
He had studied lycanthropy for years. There were rumours. But that's all they were: rumours. Absolutely nothing had been proven to cure it. But he couldn't bare to tell her this so he just shook his head.
She pulled him into another hug and he sobbed quietly to her that he was sorry.
Her newly heightened hearing allowed her to hear it. ''It's not your fault Stiles''.
Her sadness soon turned to anger, looking at Scott she yelled, ''It's theirs!''.
Scott just returned her stare but she couldn't hold it and broke away to hug Stiles again.
If Allison wasn't here, he doesn't know what he would have done without her. Then as she rested his head on her shoulder, he noticed Derek standing there looking at him.
He moved Allison off her gently and told her, ''I want to talk to him. Alone''
She was going to ask to when she saw the direction of his stare was at Derek. She was still curious about that but she broke away and obeyed his wish.
Scott took the hint and left as well.
They were now alone.
Derek looked at what he'd reduced Stiles to. A sick and bloody mess.
The hateful way he was looking at him made him feel more guilty than he thought he could have done.
''Do you remember me?'' before Derek could answer Stiles carried on anyway. ''I could tell you did by the way you looked at me. I started thinking that maybe you didn't. Because you wouldn't bite me after I'd saved you both, right?'' He asked bitterly.
He scoffed. ''Except you did. I was so naïve. I actually expected you to help me the way I helped you three years ago. I won't be that stupid... or that kind again''.
Derek gave the only defence he could think of, ''I had to. My alpha told me. I'd be punished if I didn't''
Stiles sat up on his bed and slowly began to unbutton his shirt.
''What are you doing?'' Derek asked, feeling alarmed and confused.
''You know this isn't the first time I've been marked because of you and your pack''.
When he shed off his shirt and turned around, Derek could see what he meant. There were deep whip marks on his back. They were faded but still a very prominent sight on his back, the pink flesh risen in the marks where he would have felt the horrible force of something hard and sharp on his gentle skin.
Derek felt as if he was going to be the next one to vomit. He just stood there, wide-eyed and silent.
''You didn't think I'd be punished when I let you guys go?'' Stiles turned around and began to button his shirt back up again. ''Or didn't you think of that?''
Derek didn't have an answer to give him. He couldn't believe what the boy had suffered through for the price of their freedom. And now his own freedom had been taken away from him. By the very people he'd released.
''I asked you for pity and I got none!'' he cried.
It soon transformed into something much darker. ''I should have left you to rot so my aunt would have slit your throats like the dogs you are!''.
Something animalistic-like came over Derek. He leapt over the bed, now placing his strong hand around Stiles' flimsy neck in a vice-like grip. His claws were retracted and began to dig in and re-enter the sensitive wound.
Yet he didn't hear Stiles' heartbeat increase one bit.
''Do it then'' he dared him. ''Finish the fucking job'' he choked out.
Derek realised what he was doing and let go. Stiles' body reacted naturally in trying to gasp for air again. Even Derek had surprised himself with his own actions.
Derek broke the silence.
''You aren't one of them because you're one of us''.
The words rang in Stiles' ears like walls closing in on him. He just shook his head. ''No. I'm not. I will never be one of you!''
Derek sighed. ''Then what are you? You're not one of us and you're not one of them. So what are you?''
''I guess that makes me an omega''
Derek tilted his head to the side. He was impressed. He clearly knew a lot about werewolves.
''You know what an omega is?''
''I know a lot about your kind'' he said bitterly.
Derek nodded. He might be useful to see what information hunters had about wolves.
''You might want to get a shower and get changed. There's some of Scott's old clothes in the wardrobe. You fucking reek''
Stiles realised what he was doing and shouted ''No.'' at him defiantly.
''Excuse me? I understand you don't want to obey any of us because you still feel like you can rebel but I don't get why you'd fight me on this. You look and smell terrible''.
''I won't wear Scott's old clothes''
Derek wanted to see if he had figured it out, ''Why?''
''Because I'll start to smell like him. Like I'm pack. So thanks but no thanks. I don't want any other werewolves thinking I'm with you guys cause I'm not''.
Derek couldn't lie. This was the second time the kid proved he wasn't just a pretty face.
''You know, your sister underestimates you a lot. She told us back there you were harmless. Clearly she was wrong. We might have use for you here after all. Now do as you're told and get cleaned up''.
With that last lingering comment in his mind Stiles obeyed. After he came out of the shower, he smelt the clothes and tried to pick the ones with the least amount of scent on them. The smell of Scott wouldn't linger on him as much then. It was a small victory but he would take all he could get.