"A pack is coming," Derek answered. "A pack of Alphas."
All Stiles could hear was the soft rush of wind through the trees. The pack stared at Derek dumbly, no words to be found.
"What," Jackson croaked out, face pale and hands shaking, setting of a chain reaction.
"How the hell can you have a pack of Alphas?" Erica screeched as she jumped out of Boyd's lap. "How would that even work?"
Isaac started pacing furiously. "How many are there?"
"Why do they even exist?" Lydia asked, seemingly calm and collected but Stiles could see her fingernails digging into Jackson's shoulder even if he was too shocked to even flinch.
Derek sighed heavily. "They're sort of the council of werewolves. Any time a werewolf gains Alpha status or a new pack starts gaining attention, they come around to check in on things."
Isaac and Jackson immediately relaxed but Erica and Boyd jerked around to look at Peter. It was the first actual sign of their deference that Stiles had seen.
Of course, Peter took the opportunity to be dramatic eagerly. Walking over to Derek, he laid a hand on his shoulder and smirked.
"What Derek is trying to ignore is that they aren't just a council. When the Alpha Pack comes around, they are most definitely acting as judge, jury, and executioner. And they only come around when the attention a new pack is getting is bad attention."
"Like several dead bodies bad attention," Stiles finally spoke up, his pack bonds flaring slightly under the Betas' sudden and intense awareness. He tilted his head and sighed. "Of course, the Omega roaming around pack territory also causes problems."
Derek scowled. "Hopefully that won't still be a problem by the time the Alphas get here."
"Wait, what Omega?" Jackson sneered.
"Why, little Scotty," Peter said. "Don't you think that if he were part of the pack he would be here?"
Crossing his arms defensively, Stiles turned away with a frown. "I did text him to ask what he might be doing today, but I never got an answer."
"Wait, I thought Scott was a Beta," Lydia interrupted, flinching slightly as Erica glared at her hatefully but ignoring her. She turned to look at Peter with cold eyes. "You bit him when you were an Alpha, that made him a Beta, right?"
Something in Stiles wanted to scream out that Peter was still an Alpha, was his Alpha. That that knowledge should be kept secret didn't seem to matter in the face of a challenge on his Alpha's suitability. Only the way Erica and Boyd looked as if they wanted to scream the same and Peter's own expression of amusement held him back.
"If Scott had accepted me as his Alpha, then he would have been my Beta, yes. However," Peter drawled when Lydia looked triumphant. "not only did he fight me every step of the way thus leading to his Omega status, but if he had accepted then we wouldn't even be having this discussion."
"What do you mean?" Erica asked when it became clear that Lydia wasn't going to.
Peter laughed. "Because with a Beta, I would have been stabilized. With two, even more so- and Derek was on the verge of accepting when Scott decided to rebel. Nothing looks better to the Alpha Pack than a tiny, stable pack not looking to expand or claim new territory. They would have come and gone within days."
"But that's not what happened," Stiles interrupted, glaring at Peter in warning. If he got any further into his 'I would have been a better Alpha' speech, that was their hand tipped. "So now we have to come up with a plan that shows our pack in a good light to the Alphas and that resolves the Scott situation."
Everyone fell silent, the heavy weight of expectations crushing any desire to talk.
Finally, after everyone had gotten comfortable and was employing Stiles's usual way of dealing with problems, Isaac spoke up hesitantly.
"Can't Scott just...join our pack?"
All the silence of the past quarter hour was obliterated. Erica was growling, Jackson was scoffing, Lydia was huffing, and Boyd was rumbling. Derek, of course, was letting his disbelief at Isaac's question be known solely through his eyebrows which, Stiles assumed, were valiantly trying to become one in the center of his forehead.
It was Peter that had the decency to answer.
"Of course he could," he said, using that slow and falsely patient voice adults used when explaining things to children. Alright, Stiles conceded to himself, so Peter didn't actually have that much decency. He was basically nothing but an unrepentant asshole. "If he hadn't spent the last two weeks lying to Derek and betraying this pack."
Derek growled from his place leaning against the doorway.
Unfazed, Peter waved a hand at his nephew and continued. "And then there's the whole issue of him making Derek bite Gerard against his will."
Stiles shivered. He had gone along with a lot of Scott's dumb plans in the spirit of brotherhood, but if he had known about that before it had happened, he would've done anything to stop it. The whole situation was just too...non-consensual for his comfort.
"Scott is a problem," Derek confirmed, scowling. "But it's not our only problem. We have time before the Alphas get here. Let's focus on this pack first."
"Focus how?" Boyd asked.
A truly terrifying smile stretched across Derek's face. "If we want to impress the Alpha Pack enough so they don't kill us on sight, we need to be a strong, cohesive pack. Which means bonding."
"And training," Boyd concluded as Erica groaned and Isaac winced.
"Defnitely training," Derek confirmed.
Jackson snorted loudly. "It can't be any worse than Coach's practice schedule."
Even Stiles turned to look at him as if he was dumb.
"I can't believe you honestly just said that," Stiles said before turning to look at Derek. "Of course, I'm taking this opportunity to remind you that I am human and fragile, so I won't be joining in on your little dog fights. Doctor's orders."
Lydia nodded in agreement.
"Fine," Derek agreed. "Then the two of you can help Peter research what it will take to protect the territory magically."
Standing to leave, Lydia frowned and looked at him with raised eyebrows. "And where will we do this research? In your burned out shell of a house? I don't think so. Of course, if you want to fix that problem as well, I know some people."
"Fine," he agreed again, less enthusiastically. "Peter will help you and Stiles with that as well."
Stiles grinned shyly when he caught Peter staring at him smugly. Derek had just handed the two of them the perfect excuse to spend all their time together. Granted, Lydia had to be included as well, but Stiles already had a dozen excuses lined up for that.
"Awesome," he said honestly.
Lydia snorted. "Yeah, awesome."
-x-
The table in Stiles's kitchen was covered in the references that Lydia and Stiles were painstakingly going through, a clear divide between the stacks of housing magazines and old grimoires.
"No. No. No. Definitely not," Lydia sighed as she flicked through one of the magazines. She got to the last page and tossed it aside, reaching for another blindly.
"Don't you think the interior design should be something that Peter and Derek decide on?" Stiles asked, not looking up from his notebook. In the two weeks since Derek had given everyone their assignments, Stiles had filled over half the notebook with various magical protections while Lydia just sat there and looked at pictures. It wasn't a stretch to say that he was a bit fed up with her at this point.
"Sure," Lydia agreed breezily. "And where are they? Especially Peter. He's supposed to be here helping us."
Stiles chewed at the inside of his lip, resisting the urge to scream I know! at her. This wasn't the first time she had brought it up. Instead, he sighed and answered her in the same relaxed tone.
"Derek is at the house, training the puppies and clearing the place out for the construction crew. Peter is-"
"Right here."
Flinching from the sudden noise so close to his ear, Stiles turned to glare up at Peter. The apologetic look hiding behind his smirk, however, made him sigh and turn back to his notes.
Peter leaned against the table and read over Stiles's shoulder. "This is what you have so far?"
"This is what I have so far," Stiles said as he lifted the notebook for Peter's inspection. "Over forty pages of different rune patterns, wards, incantations, and rituals all focused on the protection or blessing of a new home."
"Oh, is that all?" Peter teased, resting a hand on the back of Stiles's neck as he flipped through the notebook. "And what about you, Miss Martin? What do you have?"
Lydia stared at him over her magazine for a long moment. "A few ideas about colors."
"Wonderful. I'm sure Derek will love to hear about it," he said, almost completely sincere.
Staring for a little longer, she finally let her gaze fall away. She followed the length of Peter's arm until she froze at the sight of his hand still on Stiles's neck.
"I'm sure he will," she said absentmindedly, watching as Stiles continued his research completely unfazed. She stood from her chair suddenly and grabbed a few of the closest magazines. "In fact, I think I'll go talk to him about it. Right now."
Watching her carefully, Peter waited for her to hesitate in the doorway before speaking up. "I'll let Stiles know where you've gone."
She scoffed and headed out. "I'm sure."
"She does know that Derek is just going to growl at her until she leaves, right?"
"Of course she does," Stiles answered as he closed his notebook and tucked it into the book he had been going through. Leaning into Peter's hand, he tilted his head up and smiled at him. "She just used that as an excuse to leave before she had to watch you do anything inappropriate to me."
Peter laughed and brought his hand up to pet at Stiles's hair. "You'd think she'd stay if only to try and stop me."
Shaking his head, Stiles stood up and raised his arms to stretch as he spoke. "Nah, Lydia thinks you're gonna do something dirty and that I want it so she was just doing what she'd like other people to do when it comes to her and Jackson."
"And what's that?" Peter asked as he followed Stiles into the living room. They settled on the couch in front of the television and fell together naturally.
"Leave it alone," Stiles said bluntly. He flipped through the channels until he came to an old episode of Stargate.
The living room was quiet for a long moment, only the low murmur of the television cutting through the silence as they sat together peacefully.
Finally, Peter couldn't hold it in anymore. "Is this really what you're going to do instead of research?"
"I've done nothing but research for two weeks straight while listening to Lydia bitch about design choices," Stiles muttered tiredly as he pushed his way under Peter's arm. "Shut up and let me have this."
Peter hummed in acquiescence. "Of course, darling. I'll wake you when your father gets here."
A soft snore answered him.
-x-
"Stiles, I'm home! If you haven't started dinner I was thinking we could-" John cut off his attempt to con his son into getting takeout for dinner and stared dumbly at the sight in front of him.
Get the facts, Stilinksi, he thought to himself distantly.
Fact: his underage son was laying on top of a man significantly older than him, a man he had already admitted to wanting to be with intimately. Fact: both Stiles and Peter were asleep and, apparently, fully clothed. Fact: despite being asleep, Peter had immediately shifted Stiles closer to the back of the couch when John had walked in.
"Ah, hell," John groaned.
He walked over to the couch and hesitantly reached to wake Stiles. A clawed hand caught his wrist before he could make contact, squeezing it roughly.
Grimacing at the pain, he turned to face Peter and started whispering. "Hey, hey, it's alright. Just me."
"Sheriff," Peter said quietly, immediately dropping his hand. "I was going to wake Stiles when you came in, but I fell asleep. What time is it?"
"Six," John answered. He watched curiously as Peter's claws retracted slowly. "Has the research been that draining?"
Peter scoffed. "I'm afraid it's only been draining for Stiles. Miss Martin has been entirely too busy playing interior designer and I've been stuck helping Derek train his pups."
"You mean your pups."
A hint of wonder crossed Peter's face but was quickly hidden. "I suppose two of the four are mine, aren't they? Well, no wonder they listen better than Isaac. At least they make sure to show up everyday, unlike him."
"He's been with Scott," Stiles spoke up, his voice slow and scratchy. He sat up carefully, trying to avoid shoving an elbow or a knee into a delicate place, and rubbed a hand over his face. "I saw them together at the animal clinic."
Peter sighed in resignation as he stood, stretching his arms out to the side and over his head. "Of course. I don't suppose you know why Jackson has been missing more often than not as well."
"I thought he was showing up pretty regularly?"
"He was until a few days ago," Peter confirmed. "He hasn't come by in a few days."
"The Whittemores went on vacation," John spoke up from where he'd settled into his recliner. "They left Thursday."
Frustration wrinkled Peter's brow and he let out a short growl. "Stiles, would you please-"
"Text him and explain why it's a bad idea to skip out on werewolf school without the Alpha's permission?" Stiles smiled up at him affectionately before a sudden thought caused it to stretch out into a wicked grin. "Just to be clear, do you mean your permission? Or Derek's?"
"Brat," Peter huffed, reaching out to grab Stiles by the neck and shake him softly. "You know exactly what I mean."
"Yes, Alpha," Stiles simpered and reached into his pocket, not finding what he was looking for. He frowned. "That's weird. I don't remember what I did with my phone."
"It's probably on that mess of a kitchen table," John said, pulling out his own phone. "While you go look for it, I'm going to call for a pizza. Are you staying, Peter?"
Peter hesitated, trying to find the answer in John's neutral expression. "I should really-"
"Stay," Stiles suggested.
"Derek is probably expecting me back," Peter said evasively.
"So text him and tell him to expect you back later."
When it looked like Peter was going to hold out, Stiles huffed and leaned forward, tilting his head just enough to come off as submissive. "Please? I've hardly seen you lately."
"Fine," Peter caved, his eyes tracing the long line of Stiles's bared throat.
"Yes! Better make that two pizzas, Dad," Stiles suggested as he finally jumped up to find his phone. "Werewolves eat a lot."
-x-
To Jackson: hope you have a doctor's note
From Jackson: i culdnt just skip this. my parents wuld b pissed
To Jackson: you should have said something tho
From Jackson: lyds said she wuld.
To Jackson: she didn't
From Jackson: fuk.
Stiles snorted and dropped his head to rest against Peter's shoulder. He had an idea that would help Jackson but he didn't know if Peter would go for it.
"What is it?" Peter asked, his attention caught by Stiles's quickening heartbeat. They'd all put away quite a bit of pizza, using the time to relax and update the Sheriff on what was happening with the pack. The only thing that could get Stiles's heart rate up would be whatever he was discussing with Jackson.
Rubbing his forehead against the rough skin of Peter's neck, Stiles took a quick peek at his father. The amusement was expected as he was more familiar with Stiles's bargaining tactics than anyone else. Just because they'd been updated to appeal to an Alpha werewolf instead of a father didn't mean they were any less recognizable.
"You could always tell Derek that you knew Jackson was going on vacation," he suggested.
"Why in the world would I do that?" Peter asked, more curious than disbelieving. He would do it simply if Stiles asked, but he was eager to see what Stiles thought he had to offer in return.
"Well, I'm sure that Jackson would be grateful," Stiles started. He grinned at Peter's uninterested hum. "I didn't think you'd go for that."
"Gratitude doesn't really benefit me," Peter agreed, ignoring the snort that came from John.
"What about a very rare, very old book of magic?" Stiles asked teasingly.
This time, Peter was the one that snorted. "That sounds more like it would benefit you."
Stiles didn't even try to deny it. "Which would benefit you in the long run."
Pulling away to look down at Stiles, Peter lifted his eyebrow in question. "Do you really want me to smooth things over with Derek? For Jackson?"
Stiles's breath hitched as his heartbeat kicked up even faster. "Yes."
Peter nodded. "Alright."
"Thanks," Stiles said quietly, turning back to his phone as he tried to ignore the way his hands were shaking. He knew that Peter was only agreeing because he trusted Stiles, as the emissary of their pack, to advise him competently. "It'll be worth it."
"I know," Peter replied. He lifted his hand from the back of the couch and brushed it against Stiles's arm comfortingly. "Especially when Jackson brings me an appropriately expensive gift for being so giving."
"Of course."
To Jackson: peter's got your back
From Jackson: 4 how much?
To Jackson: i'll send you some links. there's a book or two in the city you should pick up too
From Jackson: awsum.
To Jackson: you could at least try to be thankful
From Jackson: yeah yeah stilinski. thx.
From Jackson: srsly.
Stiles smiled down at his phone. With how easily the puppies were rolling over for Peter, the pack would almost all be following him as Alpha before too long. Then, they could either continue to follow Derek's orders as their Alpha's Alpha, or Derek would figure it out and cede his powers to Peter.
Either way, they would be ready when the Alpha Pack arrived.
To Jackson: no problem. we're pack dude
A/N: i know it's been almost a year since i've updated this story so if you've been waiting i'm so so sorry. if you'd like to yell at me for the wait you can find me on tumblr at stilesthesasswolf.
please review,
~S.