Hello, lovelies! Finally got this chapter up! I'm in a spot where I'm really trying to figure out what direction I want to take this story. Your reviews would be incredibly helpful! Let me know if there is something that you really want to see happen. Also, I want to know if you guys want the eventual sex scene to be rated M or rated T. I'm considering just leading into it and leaving it to the imagination, but then again I've never written smut before and I'm a bit eager to try it. Let me know what you think!

XOXO - Ryan

Chapter 7

"Good morning," I said as I crawled through Stiles window, the soft morning light bathing his room in a warm glow.

"Good morning." Stiles responded from his position in front of his closet. He was stooped down, moving scattered objects around the floor.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked as I took a seat in his desk chair to watch him.

Stiles leaned back and sat on his butt, turning around to face me. He had dark purple circles beneath his eyes and I felt a surge of guilt wash through my stomach.

"I had another nightmare," Stiles said, wrapping his arms around his knees, "a bad one. I don't like your new rule." Stiles' mouth turned down into a pout.

I stood from the desk chair and kneeled in front of him, kissing his forehead softly. I wanted so badly to break my new rule and stay with him every night, but now that our feelings were out in the open, I didn't trust myself enough to have the self-control I'd need around this beautiful, obnoxious boy, especially in a bed masked by the darkness of night.

"You know why I can't stay," I started, my heart fizzling with dread as I watched Stiles face contort into disappointment, "but maybe I can stay with you until you fall asleep and then come back in the mornings?" I offered, knowing it wouldn't be enough, but hoping that it might pacify Stiles.

"That won't work, the nightmares would come once you left." Stiles said, his voice blank. The far-off stare in his eyes scared me and I wrapped my arms around him. He hugged me back easily and held onto me tightly.

"We can try to figure out an arrangement when we get back on Sunday. I'll be there to keep the nightmares away for at least the next two nights." I soothed, rubbing his back softly. I felt him nod against my shoulder and I could feel the ripples of depression and fear emanating from his form. I knew that he was nervous to be in such close proximity to so many people at once and his nightmares really took a toll on his psyche and I felt miserable that I wasn't able to fix it. I reminded myself once again that it would be worse if we added the confusion that came with sex, especially if it happened too quickly. I promised myself that I would wait until Stiles was back to his normal self before allowing that to happen, no matter how desperately long it would take.

"Are you almost ready to go?" I asked, pulling back from the embrace to change the subject.

Stiles nodded and I pulled him to his feet. I began to gather his backpack, duffle-bag, and sleeping bag into a pile.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"I need that pillow with the green case on it and the lantern in my closet and then I'm good to go." He said. I gathered the remaining items and then helped Stiles get his backpack on over his shoulders before he adjusted himself onto his crutches. I put the strap of his duffle-bag over my shoulder, tucked his sleeping bag and pillow under my arm, and picked up the lantern from the floor before I followed him downstairs and out the door. The closer we got to his jeep, the more I noticed the charge of anxiety surrounding Stiles. I opened the passenger door and lifted Stiles into the seat by his waist with ease. I could hear him begin to grumble a protest but I quieted him with a quick, stolen kiss. I could feel the steady buzz of his nerves quiet slightly and the thought that such a simple kiss could do that to him made my heart pound. I busied myself with loading his bags into the roof compartment that I had installed yesterday after Stiles found it gathering dust in his garage and then I moved around to the driver's side.

"Hey." I said, pulling Stiles attention to me before I started the Jeep.

He just looked at me nervously and I leaned in to kiss his cheek and grab his hand. I could feel the anxiety easing just slightly and I pressed a kiss against his lips, feeling the stress melt away just a bit more.

"Do you want to tell them right away about us or do you want to wait until we're at the campsite?" I asked, letting Stiles makes the moves here.

"I'd prefer to wait until we're at the campsite. I don't want to be trapped in a car with them while they ask questions and run the risk of having a panic attack." Stiles said bluntly.

"Fair enough," I said, leaning back and removing my hand from his, "no handholding until we get there then." I joked.

When we arrived at Scott's house, both Scott and Isaac came out laughing, throwing their bags into the rack at the top of the roof before climbing into the cramped backseat. Isaac leaned in between the seats as I started to back out of the driveway and he punched Stiles lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey, man! Long time, no see! How have you bee- Whoa! What happened to your leg?!" Isaac said, leaning over the seat to get a better look at Stiles' cast.

Without looking, I reached my hand behind me and pushed Isaac back into his seat by his chest roughly.

"I'm laying down the law right now that you are to leave Stiles alone. No questions unless you run them by me first. He's had a rough few weeks and you WILL take it easy on him. Do you understand me?" I growled, lacing authority into my voice. I could feel Stiles' surprised gaze on me and I felt the gratitude charge the air.

"Understood, boss. Yeesh." Scott said. Isaac simply stayed quiet.

After a few tense moments, Stiles spoke, "I broke it when I fell down in the shower." His voice was calm and indifferent and he never tore his eyes from the road ahead of us as he answered.

"Ouch, dude. You okay? Orrr… Uhm, Derek, can I ask Stiles if he's okay?" Isaac stumbled over his words awkwardly.

I stoke a quick glance at Stiles and saw a minor panic color his features.

"No." I said simply.

We arrived to Lydia's house then and I told Scott to go fetch her and to explain the rules with Stiles on the way to the car. He obeyed, not speaking a word until he was on his way to the door, out of Stiles' earshot before beginning his mumbled complaints that he knew my ears would catch. I rolled my eyes, suddenly becoming very annoyed with Scott. I forced the irritation down my throat and relaxed my grip on the steering wheel. I wouldn't ruin the trip before it even started.

It took ten minutes to get Lydia out of the house and loaded into the car, nestled snugly in between Isaac and Scott, much to her very clear dismay.

"Good morning, Stiles." Lydia said politely, purposely overstepping my authority. I almost growled at her, but seeing as it wasn't a question and none of her words were too personal, I let it go.

I heard Stiles heart pick up it's pace ever so slightly before he swallowed and answered, "Good morning, Lyds." Again, he never took his eyes off of the road as he answered.

After a few awkward moments of silence, Scott piped up.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I made a mix for our road-trip. I tried to put a little something for everyone on it." Scott said, pushing a CD up between the seats. The thought of listening to whatever rediculous music Scott had chosen made me want to throw the CD out the window, but I was also thankful for the distraction that it would provide. It would fill the silence and cut the uncomfortable awkward silence and hopefully help Stiles to relax a little. I took the CD, growling at the back of my throat so Scott would know I didn't like the idea, but I popped it into the player anyway.

Surprisingly, the mix that Scott had made wasn't half bad. It contained a few songs by The Black Keys, Jack White, and a few other indie bands that I hadn't heard of. Only two of the songs really rubbed me the wrong way, but since it seemed to be soothing Stiles, I kept my peace about it. After the first song, Lydia, Isaac and Scott began chatting idly to each other while I kept Stiles' silence company in the front seat.

We let the mix play through several times before we arrived at the campground at about noon. I turned to look at the teens in the back-seat as I pulled into campsite number 15, the one I had already reserved. Lydia was sleeping on Isaacs shoulder while Scott was snoozing with his cheek against the window. The only one that was awake was Isaac and he simply stared out the window. I stopped the jeep and turned off the engine which woke up Lydia and Scott.

"We're here." I said as I dismounted the Jeep easily, sliding my seat forward so Isaac, Lydia and Scott could clamber out of the back. The all began stretching their legs and backs as I walked swiftly around to Stiles' side of the car. I pulled open the door and Stiles had already unbuckled his seatbelt and was turned as far as he was able to move towards the door, ready to get out.

I suddenly felt a little awkward, not knowing how much I should help Stiles. If I offered just my hand, I was afraid it wouldn't be enough to support Stiles and he'd struggle. If I picked him up bridal style and set him on his feet, it might look weird. I looked up at Stiles and he smiled softly at me, his eyes still harboring some fear.

I held out my hand and he took it gingerly, swinging his feet out to dangle over the ground. He began to move forward like he was going to jump down and try to catch himself on one foot and I realized how stupid that would be. As he pushed himself from his seat, tongue set at the side of his mouth in concentration, I quickly placed my hand at his waist, hiding it behind the door as I slowed his descent, placing his foot securely on the ground. I reached behind him and pulled out his crutches, helping him situate his armpits over them and then I stepped away, allowing him to move himself to the picnic table at the far end of the lot where the other teens were already wandering around, exploring the small space.

"Scott, Isaac, come help set-up." I demanded gruffly. Both of them skipped over, happiness and contentment bubbling up from them after only a few minutes out in the wilderness. This feeling comforted me more than I'd have expected. Seeing my betas happy filled in gaps in my heart that I didn't realize were there.

"Lydia, behave yourself. Don't push him." I said threateningly, throwing an untrusting glance in the redhead's direction. She rolled her eyes and sat on the table next to where Stiles had settled into his seat at the bench.

I cast glances in Stiles direction every few seconds as Isaac, Scott and I unloaded the supplies. After we finished unloading the Jeep and we began setting up the tent, Scott broke into my worry.

"What is with you, dude? Why are you staring at Stiles? He's fine." Scott seemed annoyed as he asked me this.

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head and returning my gaze to the halfway raised tent, clearing my throat before finishing, "I don't want Lydia to badger him. He's really having a rough time."

I was slightly uncomfortable talking about Stiles to Scott, especially after all that Stiles told him a few days before.

"I know, dude. I can smell it." Scott wrinkled his nose at the heavy scent of fear and stress that floated through the air towards us from where Stiles sat.

"Yeah, that's a strong smell." Isaac chirped in, not ripping his eyes from the tent pole in his hands.

"What is with you two? You've been looking at him with a weird look on your face all day." Scott demanded, not beating around the bush. He knew how Stiles felt about me and he was demanding that I tell him how I felt as well.

"You'll find out soon enough." I muttered, suddenly nervous about telling the pack about Stiles and I. I refocused my attention to the tent to prevent the smell of my emotions from reaching Scott's sensitive nose.

After we had the tent set up, the air mattresses blown up, and the sleeping bags arranged within the tent, I walked over to Lydia and Stiles.

"She bothering you?" I asked Stiles gruffly, keeping the stoic appearance for Lydia's sake.

"No. It's okay. She's being polite." Stiles said, looking over at Lydia gratefully. I could tell that Lydia had forced him to talk about things because I could feel the twitchy emotion that I wasn't able to identify. I hadn't sensed it since the first night at Stiles' house and I had thought that we had buried it deep enough that it was gone but talking to Lydia had brought it back up. I was grateful that Stiles didn't look upset though. There was comfort present in the air between them and I figured that even though Lydia had forced Stiles to speak, something in him had been relieved to let out some of his steam.

"Go help Scott and Isaac start the fire." I told Lydia.

"Why me?" She asked.

"Because although you're a smartass, you're actually smart. They're cavemen, help them." I said, rolling my eyes at her.

She grinned, happy with the backhanded compliment as she hopped lithely off the table, sauntering over to the fire pit where Scott and Isaac were stacking sticks.

I moved to sit beside Stiles, keeping a 6-inch gap between us.

"How are you?" I asked, looking at him. Trying not to let the emotions dance over my face too obviously, expressing what I could through just my eyes.

"I'm okay, actually. I'm still a bit nervous but Lydia actually helped a little." He said.

"Good. I was really worried that she'd pester you and make you worse." I admitted. Stiles just shook his head and smiled.

"So… As soon as the fire starts, I'm starting the pack meeting and everything is going to be hashed out, including our news. Are you okay with that?" I asked simply.

"Yeah," Stiles' voice was small and I heard his heart pick up pace, "Can you please tell them instead of me? I'm really nervous."

"Of course." I said, glancing at the others to make sure that they weren't looking before I moved my hand to Stiles', giving it a little squeeze before moving over the fire, which was just starting to build.

We arranged the chairs in a circle around the fire. I was flanked by Stiles on my right and Isaac on my left. Lydia and Scott sat directly across from me, Scott sitting closer to Stiles as he gave off a protective vibe. I ignored this and started the meeting.

"Thank you guys for coming. I'm glad we get this chance to bond. Since we haven't met in far too long, I want to start by allowing each of you to share any news about what is going on in your lives to catch us all up." I said, looking at the small pack in front of me. Lydia spoke first.

"Well I have some news." She said confidently. Everyone's gaze moved to her as she continued, "I got accepted to Stanford." She said smiling widely. Everyone in the group smiled too, Isaac leaning over to give her a giant wolf-hug. She laughed and the group went quiet again.

"Isaac?" I prompted, turning the floor to him.

"Hmm… Not a lot has been going on with me. I got promoted at my job to assistant manager, so that's kinda cool," Everyone nodded in agreement, "but otherwise, everything has been the same.

"Scott?" I asked.

"Not a lot for me either. My mom got a raise at the hospital so that has been good for us, but they've also cut her hours down and they're not letting her work overtime so it's working out to be about the same amount of money. However, since she doesn't work as much now, I get to see her more." I could feel strong emotions behind Scott's words as he talked about his mom and I felt my heart tighten as it brought up memories of my own mother. I swallowed hard, pushing the lump down my throat as I spoke up.

"Anyone else?" Everyone's eyes unconsciously drifted to Stiles, knowing that he clearly had the most news to tell.

His heart started to sprint while everyone looked at him and I heard him gulp twice before he opened his mouth to speak.

"You don't have to." I reminded him quietly.

He looked at me and nodded before continuing his sentence. "Clearly, I broke my leg. I was getting into the shower and I slipped. I'll have this cast for another two weeks before they switch me to a walking boot so I can lose the crutches." He said, hesitating before continuing. "And yeah, I have been having a difficult time. Derek has been helpful but I'm not there yet. I appreciate you all respecting my privacy." He sounded too formal, his words stiff.

I saw Isaac and Lydia look at me in surprise, as if it was shocking that I could ever be helpful, but Scott just glared. I gave each member a quick moment of eye contact, holding a little longer with Stiles as I saw him nod just slightly, before telling the group my own news.

"Well, I have news myself." I started, figuring out how to word what I was going to say. "I've found a mate." I said, letting the bomb drop.

I heard Isaac gasp, Lydia squeal, and Scott's mouth merely dropped open at my statement.

"Who is it?!" Lydia demanded, bouncing in her chair at the knowledge of this scandalous piece of gossip.

Again, I looked to each member of the pack before returning my gaze to Scott, speaking directly to him.

I reached over and picked up Stiles hand without looking away from Scott. I wanted him to feel my words as I spoke them. I wanted him to realize that I was going to take care of Stiles and that he could cool it with the protective best friend act. I squeezed Stiles hand once before speaking.

"Stiles."