"Derek?"
Stiles looked at the man standing at his door. In all the previously imagined scenarios of this very moment, he was overjoyed to see the man who once wanted to be his mate. He would explain why he ran and Derek would forgive him without question and they would hug and maybe kiss each other senseless. But now, with his werewolf wet dream standing in front of him, Stiles knew things were not going to go according to any dream.
"Stiles," Derek said quietly. He looked younger than his years in his tshirt and runners. "Can we ... can we talk?"
Stiles stepped back to allow Derek in the house. No matter their past, Derek was still the son of the pack alpha. Stiles had to make a good impression of Jackson's household.
"Wanna beer? Jackson likes the same disgusting wolfsbane brand you do," Stiles said with a grin.
Derek nodded and followed Stiles into the kitchen. He'd never been in Jackson's house before but it certainly reflected the man. Everything was clean lines and order. Taking the offered beer, he twisted off the cap and sat at the island. Stiles had a bottled water and did the same. The silence was anything but comfortable. Stiles finally broke it.
"So what brings you by, sourwolf?"
Derek snorted. "You always call me that."
"That's because you always have that look on your face like you're mad the sky is blue," Stiles replied teasingly.
"You could always make me laugh," Derek said softly.
Stiles shrugged. "Can I help it you have a simple sense of humor?"
Derek chuckled, but then his expression grew somber.
"Stiles ..."
"Don't ask me to leave him, Derek," Stiles warned.
Derek met Stiles' gaze with a miserable expression.
"That's it, then?" Derek asked hoarsely. "I've lost you?"
"Lost-Derek you never had me!" Stiles snapped angrily. "I barely find out you care about me the way I always wanted ...always dreamed ... and then everything goes pear-shaped!"
"Stiles, I still don't understand! Why did you run? Of all the things to do, why that? You've been Pack all your life ... you knew what would happen," Derek asked helplessly.
"You wouldn't understand, Derek," Stiles answered.
"But Jackson can? Stiles I don't ... I can't even begin to get this," Derek gestured broadly around the room."He never gave you the time of day before ... now you're going to mate him?"
Stiles growled softly at Derek's dismissive tone toward Jackson. The noise surprised him a little and it struck him that he might actually be falling in love with the beta.
"People change, Derek," Stiles said. "He loves me ... He wants me ... why is that so hard to understand?"
"I know how he could fall in love with you ... but Stiles ... I'm still in love with you," Derek said.
Stiles stood, anger welling up in him. "No! No, you do not get to come back into my life and just drop that on me! Fuck you, Derek! What the hell? You find out I'm happy with someone else and just have to come over to declare your love and devotion?! Fuck. You."
"I know I screwed up, Stiles," Derek offered. "From the minute we brought you home, I've regretted everything I've done."
"No 'screwed up' is you forgot my birthday. Putting that collar on me? That's you 'fucked up', Derek," Stiles said angrily. "Jackson ... Derek, he's been great to me. He loves me and I think ... I think I'm in love with him too." The omega suddenly realized there wasn't a question about how he felt. When had things changed?
Derek suddenly couldn't breathe. It was all coming apart because of his own stupidity and pride. He looked at Stiles and tears no one else would ever see flowed down his face. "Please don't go ... please ... I'm sorry ... please please please ... "
The man Stiles thought could never break dissolved into hiccuping sobs. He moved around the island and let Derek lean against against him while he soothed the werewolf. He could feel the muscled body shaking and Stiles swallowed the lump in his throat. Derek Hale was in his arms. His long-time dream could be had for the asking ... he could have Derek and be mated by nightfall ... probably even be pregnant not long after. Everything was in front of him. Except that Derek wasn't Jackson and Stiles knew where he wanted to be.
Pressing a kiss to the thick mane of dark hair, Stiles exhaled shakily. "I can't, Derek. God knows I want you -"
Derek hugged him tighter. "Then come with me ... Stiles, please ... I can take care of you. I'll make it up to you ... I swear I would ... I was so stupid ... please ..."
Stiles extricated himself from Derek's arms but kept hold of the strong hands. He was crying now ... crying for everything they'd lost between them. "Derek ... I can't ... I will always love you ... I'll always wish things would've worked out. We could have been great, sourwolf. I know it."
Derek looked bleakly at Stiles. "It was always you, Stiles." He gently cupped the side of Stiles' face. "I should have gone to get you and mated you that night ... whatever it is that made you run ... nothing will ever make me love you less." He hitched a breath. "I'm always gonna love you ... probably forever. I'm always gonna want you and I'm never going to forget you."
Stiles wished Derek would stop talking ... every word sliced into his heart. He'd loved Derek for so long and had never expected to hear these words from the alpha's son. The kiss came as a surprise to neither of them but there was no heat - only love and regret. Stiles pulled back first.
"We're both idiots ... you know that right?"
Derek chuckled sadly, wiping at his eyes. "Yeah ... " he looked around the house. "You've been great for him, you know. His designs have always been good but the plans for my house? Inspired."
"Who wouldn't be inspired lookin' at this every day?" Stiles teased. He ran his hand through Derek's thick hair, smoothing it. "Wanted to be your mate my whole life, Derek. Never thought I'd get the chance ... then it came and I couldn't."
"Can you tell me why, at least? I wanted to give you everything and when you ran ..."
"Ask me again another day, Derek ... when we aren't so twisted up. Maybe things would have been fine ... but I'm too fucking broken for you." Stiles said softly.
Derek kissed the omega's forehead. "Would have put you back together."
Stiles smiled but said nothing. Derek stood and looked down at the omega. He couldn't believe that when he walked out the door, Stiles would be lost to him. How had things gone so very wrong? Leaning down he gently scented along Stiles' neck. He growled and stepped back.
"Always loved the way you smelled, Stiles," Derek said. "Jackson's gonna love it too."
Stiles blushed. "You say the sweetest things, sourwolf."
Derek laughed again. It faded as he registered another scent. Jackson. Derek turned to see the other beta standing at the doorway.
"Jackson."
"Derek."
"Uh, yeah ... ok ... no beta pissing contests you two," Stiles said.
"You know, standing on the stairs wondering if you should get your ass in here is wasting valuable make-out time," Stiles called from the kitchen.
Jackson rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen with some trepidation. Stiles was sitting at the island with one beer opened for Jackson and another bottled water for himself. Jackson sat down slowly. He hadn't been able to get a sense of the conversation Derek Hale was having with Stiles when he came home so he simply greeted Derek and went upstairs to change. He could have listened in but he didn't want to know. If Stiles was going to tell him he was leaving with Derek ... Jackson really did not want to know.
"Did I lose you?" Jackson asked, unaware that Derek had posed that same question earlier.
Stiles looked down at the countertop. "Looks like the only way you're getting rid of me is if you toss me out on my ass."
He looked up to gauge Jackson's expression only to find that the werewolf had moved around to stand beside him. Stiles was pulled off the stool and into a long kiss. A warm twisting curl of heat began growing inside Stiles and he returned the kiss with as much passion as he could. The resulting growl made the spiral of heat grow. Jackson had lifted him up and so he wrapped his legs around the beta's torso. He pressed his forehead to Jackson's and whispered, "I love you, too."
Jackson answered that with a kiss tasting of salty tears. Stiles would have brushed them away but he was too busy adding to them. Jackson kissed down Stiles' jaw and then snarled when the omega bared his throat. "Stiles ... "
The ember in Stiles flared, sudden and vicious. He blinked as his body suddenly produced far more slick than normal, soaking his jeans and Jackson's shirt where he pressed against him. Jackson looked down, shocked. Then he looked at Stiles with wide eyes. "You ... your ... but it's not for another two weeks!"
Stiles was shivering in Jackson's arms. "Ja-Jackson ... ask me n-now before I c-can't -"
Murmuring against Stiles ear, Jackson asked the omega to be his mate ... to allow him to claim him as his own. Stiles sucked in a surprised breath because Jackson used his real name and there was only one way he could have found that out.
"You ... you ta-talked to m-my dad?" Stiles stuttered.
Jackson nodded, tasting the sweat that was beginning to film the omegas skin. "I asked his permission to offer my claim to you ... in case ... in case you changed your mind about Derek."
Stiles met Jackson's gaze, staring into the eyes that had gone dark with desire.
"Yes," was all Stiles said.
Later, hands interlocked while Jackson moved inside Stiles, he lowered himself and kissed Stiles.
"Are you sure, little omega? Will you let me claim you?"
Stiles sobbed out, "Yes ... now now now ... jackson please now!"
Jackson shuddered and without another word buried his fangs deep into the muscle of Stiles' chest. The omega arched up with a hoarse cry as he came. Jackson fell into his own climax listening to his name being uttered over and over like a prayer.
"Does it look like it's gonna scar?" Stiles asked Scott.
His friend rolled his eyes. "I don't know, Stiles ... but if Jackson sees you showing me that mark he'll probably knock me into next Tuesday. Dude, he's still pissed that I kept your secret."
Stiles shrugged. "I asked and you did. He should be pissed at me."
"Right ... Jackson Whittemore being pissed at you. He's got it so bad for you Stiles. God help anyone that tries to hit on you ... ever." Scott teased.
Stiles laughed. "Yeah ... he's a jealous guy, that's for sure. But not in a creepy I'm bugging your cell phone sorta way. He just ... I dunno ... he doesn't want to share me with anyone. It's kinda nice."
"Derek would have been the same ... I still can't believe you picked him over Derek, dude. You've been drooling over Grumpy for years," Scott reminded the omega.
"Yeah and now I'm not ... geez, does nobody notice that the pack alpha's only son is getting mated in two weeks and not to me?" Stiles complained. "Now come on ... I gotta figure out the updated floor plan for the new house."
Scott chuckled. Since his claiming by Jackson a week ago during an early Heat, Stiles was showing signs of a successful shift to being a werewolf and he'd started 'nesting'. Scott had tagged along to the building location for the day. It gave the friends time to be alone together and share a few things. Stiles got out of the Jeep and, as always, grinned broadly at the marked off boundaries of what would soon be his and Jackson's home.
Scott walked through the tall grass and looked out at the spectacular view. Jackson's family was stupid wealthy and Jackson had also done very well for himself. Scott suspected that Stiles was never going to want for anything ever again. From pack human to mate of a successful architect and now a werewolf ... Stiles' life had done a one-eighty from a year ago when he'd been tied down in the mudroom. Scott inhaled deeply of the fresh air when he caught wind of something. He looked over at Stiles and frowned. Walking over to his friend, Scott inhaled again, only closer to Stiles' neck.
"Whoa!" Stiles yelped. "You think he'll be pissed if you see my mark ... you oughta brace yourself for what Jackson will do if he catches you scenting me."
"I'm not ... Stiles, your scent ... it's different."
"Duh ... werewolf now. Plus Jackson practically flattens me every morning putting his scent all over me," Stiles said with a curious look.
"Ok, never tell me what Jackson does to you ever again," Scott said with a wince. "It's different ... I mean, I smell you and Jackson but there's something else ..."
Scott broke off and he and Stiles stared at each other.
"Don't mess with me, Scott," Stiles pleaded.
"Dude ... that's totally it ... you pupped on your claiming night!" Scott crowed.
In werewolf culture, it was traditionally thought to be good luck to have an omega mate. The ultimate positive omen, however, was for an omega mate to become pregnant on the night they were claimed. Stiles had managed a trifecta ... he'd been claimed, turned and conceived. And Stiles knew just how he was going to tell Jackson.
Finding Peter on his doorstep when he got home was not part of the plan.