Derek hugged his knees tighter to his chest, his mind was spinning as he tried to figure out what had happened since he was last awake. The last thing he remembered was being in the basement, still chained to that steel chair, and Kali coming down those creaky stairs. It wasn't uncommon for the sadistic woman to visit him only to beat him for her own amusement. He had suspected that she was there for her usual entertainment; he had even prepared himself for the usual beating. But before she came into view he had felt a sting in the side of his neck, probably from a needle and then everything went black.
Now he had woken to find himself back in his own bed, surrounded by the familiar scents and sights of everything he owned. He was trying to get his head around how he had got here; when he had heard movement from the other side of the open room. When he laid his eyes on Styles a rush of panic and fear filled him, he had even tried to run but his body was too weak to move, hence why he had made himself as small a target as possible.
The teen was now stood a few feet away from the end of the bed with his arms still raised in the air. Neither man had yet to say a word, both too afraid to say the wrong thing and break the already tense atmosphere. It was a long drawn out moment that they both stayed in the same positions, Stiles was the first to move by slowly lowering his aching arms, yet he kept his hands visible to the injured werewolf on the bed.
Derek just watched as the Alpha in front of him moved, he had no idea what to do. He was still fearful about what Deucalion had revealed to him and he was unaware of how much Stiles knew at this point. He hoped that because the teen was obviously trying to show that he was not a threat, that Stiles was at least willing to hear him out over the events that happened, he didn't know how long ago. Derek slowly took a breath in and opened his mouth to speak, just as the words were about to leave his lips Stiles started to talk.
"Derek, I know this is all messed up right now, but I'm not gonna hurt you. A lot of shit has happened over the past week and I really think we need to work all this out". The teen spoke in his usual fast-paced ramble when he was nervous and had too much stored energy.
Derek quickly processed Stiles words and felt a small wave of hope wash over him, he was relieved to know Stiles would listen to him but still felt the dread knot up in his stomach. The teen was still an Alpha and also his mate. He had no idea how Stiles would react when he learnt the truth about how deep their bond now went. Even with every nerve in his body on edge, he knew he needed to respond.
"There is a lot we need to discuss" Derek's voice sounded hoarse and dry, the past week with very little water and the screams that had been torn from him during Kali's torture sessions, had taken its toll on the poor man's vocal cords. He hated how weak he sounded right now, knowing that Stiles was seeing him this.
The Alpha teen relaxed his posture now knowing that Derek was willing to talk. But the first thing that he needed to do was get the poor man a drink of water, after hearing his raspy voice he knew his previous assumption was correct. Stiles pointed a finger back over to the kitchen and watched Derek for his reaction, the man seemed to puzzle over the signal for a second before he realized what the teen meant and nodded his head in approval. Stiles smiled and then walked back over to the kitchen, he grabbed the two tumblers he had pulled out before and filled them both with cold crisp water.
Taking a sip from one of the tumblers he instantly felt refreshed, he then turned back towards the bed. Ever so slowly he approached Derek, who still was sat under the covers holding his knees. The man never took his eyes of the teen as he came closer; once he was close enough Stiles offered the full glass of water to the other werewolf.
Derek stared at the offered glass full of fresh water, almost waiting for it to be snatched away. Ennis had been the one who enjoyed tormenting him with food and water, the bald man would come down to the basement to eat and drink, purely to make Derek feel more hungry and parched. Slowly he let go of his knee with his left hand and reached towards the glass, he carefully wrapped his fingers around it and held it tight.
As soon as the teen released the glass Derek had it to his lips taking long sips of the cool refreshing water. It felt so good to have the cold fluid run down his throat; he felt a tiny amount of his strength slowly return.
Stiles took a step back and watched as the dehydrated man gulped at every drop of water in the glass. After a few seconds, the teen used the opportunity of the man's distraction to sit at the end of the bed. He continued to watch as Derek finished every drop of water, he noticed that the man's green eyes looked up at him as he pulled the empty glass away from his still dry lips.
Derek lowered the empty glass and rested it down on top of the bed sheets; he kept his gaze locked on the teen who was now sat only a few feet in front of him. He stared at Stiles expectantly, slightly surprised that the teen had managed to go so long without saying a word.
The Alpha instantly recognised the look that Derek was giving him, the teen sighed and decided to take the most direct approach. "Ok Der, I need you to answer some questions so I can figure out all this shit"
Stiles paused and waited for Derek's reaction; the man looked nervous but gave a slight nod of his head for the teen to continue. "First thing I need to know is what happened that night before I came over, I need to know why you kicked Isaac out also where is Cora, we have all noticed that she hasn't been around"
Derek felt every muscle in his body tense, he had really hoped that he wouldn't have to relive that night all over again so soon but he knew that his mate needed to know the truth. He decided to start from the beginning; he placed the empty glass on the bedside table and wrapped both his arms back around his knees, looking down at the sheets he started to talk. He began from the night when he found the Alpha Packs symbol painted on the door of the old Hale house, retelling everything that he had learnt about Deucalion and the other Alphas. He went on about the night he and Scott rescued Erica, Boyd and Cora even reliving the part where they had no choice but to trap them in the school after they had escaped and finding the teacher, Jennifer, in there with the feral werewolves.
Just as he finished explaining how Eric and Boyd decided to go back to the train depot in order to stay away from the Alpha Pack, Derek stopped. He looked back up at the teen who was staring at him with his wide honey brown eyes. The older wolf was expecting to see some form of anger or contempt, but all he saw on the Alpha's face was understanding and sorrow. Seeing that the teen was still waiting for more he took a deep breath and carried on.
"A couple of days after, I went to the high school to make sure Jennifer was ok, also to make sure that she hadn't told anyone about what she had seen. When I came back here Cora was in a bad way, she kept trying to goad me into a fight, I knew she was disappointed in me for not being the Alpha she was expecting. As we were talking the alarm went off, Kali and Ennis turned up and started a fight with us. I tried to fight them but Cora was still weak and I was no match for them both, Kali managed to break a pipe off and when I was on the floor she pierced it through my back and pinned me to the floor, shortly after Deucalion arrived"
Derek had to pause again to compose himself, even though he had been in agony at that time his only concern had been Cora. He dreaded to think how he would cope with losing the last remaining part of his family that hadn't been tainted by darkness. Still, Stiles was looking at him with that same understanding expression on his face. He didn't know how the teen could remain so calm hearing how weak he had been that he couldn't even protect his sister. Now that he had gotten this far he knew he had to finish. Giving Stiles another thankful look Derek continued.
"Kali had me pinned to the floor with the pipe and Ennis had Cora by the throat, Deucalion had him release her but still wanted to talk, he told me he wanted me to kill one of my pack. He said that if an Alpha kills one of their own, that their power is added to the Alpha's making them stronger. I refused to do as he wanted. He screamed that he was the demon wolf and would have his way.
After he left it took me a while to heal, I had Cora pack all her things and Isaacs. When Isaac came back I told him he needed to leave, he persisted that he wanted to stay that's when I threw a glass at he because I knew it would scare him into leaving. Once he was gone and I had healed I drove Cora to the airport, she is back in Brazil with the pack she stayed with. I thought that if they were away from me that they would be safe. It wasn't long after I got back from the airport that you showed up"
By the time he had finished Derek had had enough, he just wanted to slip back into unconsciousness, but unfortunately, that wasn't an option. He didn't bother to look up at Stiles this time; he just kept his head down and stared at the grey blanket that was covering his knees.
Stiles sat in the same position that he was in when Derek had started retelling everything that had happened. The teen's mind was still processing everything the man had told him, he now understood why Derek had pushed Isaac and Cora away and even tried to push him away as well. Right now the only thing the Alpha wanted to do was wrap his arms around his mate and hold him tight, but he knew he needed to hear the rest of the story before they could move any further with this new relationship.
"Der, I understand why you had to do those things and I'm sorry you felt like the only way you could protect us was by pushing us away. But I need to know what happened after our fight here that night, why did you bite me? How did you give me your Alpha?" Stiles kept his voice calm and hushed, hoping to encourage Derek into continuing.
The older wolf scrunched his eyes shut and sighed, he really didn't want to do this. He couldn't handle seeing Stiles' face when he found out the truth. Derek's stomach was in knots, for once he felt lucky that he hadn't eaten in a week so that he couldn't throw up. He wanted to just pull the sheets over his head and hope that Stiles would get the message and leave him alone, but his Alpha and mate deserved to know the truth. Slowly he raised his head and looked Stiles straight in the eyes as he spoke. "I'll tell you, just know that I'm sorry for letting it happen"
Stiles was taken aback by Derek's statement, he wanted to respond but didn't for fear that the other man would clam up and refuse to speak. The teen just nodded his head and waited for Derek to continue.
"A couple of hours after you left that night I got a text from Scott saying you were missing. I went out to try to find you, I knew you used to go on to the preserve when you wanted to be alone so that's the first place I looked. When I got there I saw your jeep but couldn't see or sense you around, that is when I heard the werewolf. I ran to where I heard it attacking and found you being clawed at by him. I lost all control and attacked it, we fought and I overpowered it but it managed to jump over the cliff and get away. When I came back to you, you were full of deep wounds and were losing a lot of blood, I went to call 911 but I knew you would die before help arrived. I had no choice…I had to bite you. I had to give you the Soul…"
Just as the werewolf was about to explain a loud banging came from the steel door. Derek instantly froze in fear and felt a shiver run down his spine. Stiles shocked him when he jumped up from the bed and faced the door with his fangs bared and was letting out a deep growl.
The door slid open to reveal the haggard form of Dr Deaton, the vet was panting for breath and looked like he had been hit by a bus. As soon as Stiles realized that there was no immediate threat, he turned his attention back to Derek. The older man had pulled the covers to completely cover himself; the only thing that was visible now was the mop of his dark hair that peeked out.
Stiles took a quick glance back at Deaton, who was still trying to catch his breath and gestured his head in Derek's direction. The vet simply nodded and gave a small encouraging wave of his hand. The teen turned back to his mate and cautiously approached the quivering lump under the sheets. He carefully sat down on the bed and slowly reached for the top of the sheet, before he started to remove it, he let out a soft rumble from his chest that always seemed to calm Scott and Isaac.
Slowly he removed the sheets from around the shaken werewolf. As he revealed Derek's head and shoulders he noticed that the man had his eyes firmly shut, Stiles allowed the rumble to become a little louder and moved closer to his mate. Once close enough the teen wrapped his arm around the man's shoulder and gently goaded him into an embrace.
As soon as Derek felt the arm around him, he couldn't hold back the flinch that shook his body. Even though he was tense Stiles persisted with pulling him in closer. Derek eventually gave in and lent into the teen's chest, as he felt himself relax he was overcome by a warm sensation that filled his chest and slowly spread around his body. The older werewolf subconsciously turned into Stiles' arms until he was almost completely in the teen's lap. He buried his head in the Alpha's neck and inhaled his scent instantly rendering him boneless.
Stiles smiled down at the man in his arms, having Derek snuggling into his chest felt so right. 24 hours ago if someone had told him that he would be sat here holding the man who he thought had attacked him, he would have laughed in their face and told them they were insane. But right now he felt strangely whole, like all this time something had been missing and he had finally found that piece that completed him.
Suddenly Stiles was snapped out of his stupor when he heard approaching footsteps, he had to bite back the growl that he felt rising in his throat knowing that the vet who was slowly coming closer wasn't a threat. He looked up from his position; fairly sure that Derek was now, either asleep or just so relaxed that he just didn't want to move, and made eye contact with Deaton.
The vet looked even more exhausted now that he was seeing him up close; it was obvious that the man hadn't rested since he had left the clinic with Derek. He hoped that the reason he was here was that he had really good news and couldn't wait to share it, but Stiles knew better than to hope for the impossible. The teen nodded to the vet to just get on with whatever he had to say. As he did so Derek decided to lift his head slightly showing that he was paying attention.
Deaton having finally caught his breath placed his briefcase on the floor in front of himself and pulled out numerous pieces of paper. He turned his attention back to the two men on the bed and began to speak. "Right before I tell you what I have discovered from Derek's blood tests, I need a few bits of information. Firstly I need to know about the bite that changed you, Stiles. So Derek I just need yes or no answers. Did you perform the Soul Bite ritual?"
Derek tensed in his mates hold, he looked up at Stiles first, and the teen just gave him an encouraging smile. He then turned his gaze back to the vet and nodded his head.
"Ok, I suspected as much, I take it you held on much longer than the ritual requires, hence the transference of the Alpha power" The vet then looked down at the papers in his hand and read through the figures on the sheet.
Stiles was looking between Deaton and Derek with a look of confusion etched onto his face. "Hold up a sec Doc, what is the Soul Bite ritual?"
The vet looked back at the two men, then focused on Derek. When it was obvious the man was not comfortable enough to explain he took it upon himself to answer. "It is a ritual performed by Alpha's to help heal their beta's or to quickly turn a human that is at risk of losing their lives. The Alpha bites the person and uses it to transfer a fraction of their power or Soul into them. Usually, only a small amount is needed to help the person but it is also possible for them to bite hold the bite long enough for the whole of their Alpha power to be transferred. Such is the case here. I have looked through all my texts and I haven't come across this happening in the last 300 years"
Both Stiles and Derek stared at the vet with worried expressions; they both felt the same fear that the ritual had somehow made this situation worse than it already was. They looked at the vet wanting to ask the question but Deaton started to speak again.
"I know you both want to know more about it but there is a more pressing issue we need to address first. That being the fact that you are mated and the impact that has on you both"
Derek completely seized up in Stiles' arms; he looked up at the teen waiting to see the horror and anger on his face. But once again the Alpha completely baffled him by giving him a look saying I knew and it's ok. The older man instantly wanted to start apologizing for tying them together in such a permanent way, but he just couldn't find to strength to open his mouth and speak.
The Alpha teen could tell that his mate had started to internally panic. He didn't know why Derek was freaking out over this announcement as he had thought that Derek knew about their bond. Before the Deaton had the chance to continue he took the chance to reassure his mate.
"Derek I know this is scary but I swear that we will get through this". Stiles watched as Derek's cheeks tinted pink and then he hid his face back into the crook of his neck. After a minute or so he felt Derek give a small nod against his chest. Stiles smiled down at his mate feeling like he had just made a small step in the right direction for the first time in the past week.
Deaton waits until both werewolves' have calmed themselves before he makes a humming sound to get their attention again. Stiles looks up at him but Derek refuses to move from his position hiding in the Alpha's neck. He waits a few more seconds before he decides to continue.
"Derek I'm sorry but I still need to know something that is very important. So far I have figured out that you are the one that was… erm claimed by Stiles, Is that correct?"
The vet studied Derek's reaction very carefully; he felt a pang of guilt when he watched the werewolf flinch and release a low whimper. That reaction alone gave him the answer he needed. He took a second to glance at the teen who looked extremely bewildered. Deaton sighed knowing that what he had to say next would break the Alpha.
"Derek I am so sorry but he needs to know the truth. Stiles after Derek bit you and transferred the Alpha spark, you would have had to claim him in order to become mates meaning that you…" Deaton had to pause and try to figure a way to explain. But it took one look at Stiles' face to realise the explanation wasn't needed; the teen had figured it out.
Stiles felt like ice was running through his veins, he had raped Derek. He had fucking raped the man who saved his life. The teen suddenly wanted to do nothing but get on his knees and beg for forgiveness. As he started to rise from the bed, Derek's grip on him tightened and he pulled himself even closer. How on earth Derek could even bear to be close to him?!
"Derek please let go, I… I did that to you. How can you want me close to you?"
Derek held on to his mate with last of his strength. He feared that if he let go that he would never have this again. The older werewolf didn't blame Stiles at all for what happened that night if anything it should be the other way round. He knew that he needed to convince Stiles that it wasn't his fault.
"Stiles it wasn't you. It wasn't your fault. I…" Derek paused hung his head low before he whispered in a small voice "I deserved it"
The Alpha teen felt like he had been struck by a lightning bolt. He knew Derek had issues after everything he had endured but to truly believe that he deserved to be raped, it was like someone had speared his heart with a steel spike. Stiles turned back to the man clinging to him and embraced him as tight as he could.
"No Der. You didn't deserve that, you deserve so much better than that. I am so sorry that you had to go through that. I can't change the fact that we're mated but I promise from now on I will try to be the mate you deserve" Stiles felt Derek bury himself as close to him as possible and he held him as tight as he could without the fear of hurting him further.
Deaton watched from where he was stood, he didn't know how he was going to tell them both that their troubles were only just beginning. He looked down at the papers in his hands and then pulled the sheet that was at the back out to the front. His eyes flicked over it for the thousandth time that night.
Test Results:-
Pregnant.