Chapter Ten: Lone Wolf
Author's Note: Last catching up update, wanted to post this chapter before I left on my vacation. Hopefully now that we are caught up I can stay caught up. Reviews help with that. :D ;)
Dr. Marcus couldn't get the meeting set up until the next Saturday so the week carried on normally. Jackson started spending time with them in the evenings but still wasn't treating them like friends in school, which somehow Stiles thought was hilarious. They didn't go to the Martin residence in deference to Jackson the few times they were meeting and Jackson only ever shifted when Stiles was being an ass to him.
Something else that Stiles thought was funny which he capitalized on frequently but it was something. Echo was always there next to Stiles, but she was starting to figure out what Stiles smelled like so when he was sparring or training with Jackson. She didn't growl at Jackson as long as he didn't hurt Stiles and due to his training, Jackson was rarely able to put his hands on Stiles.
Sheriff Stilinski continued to look into the murder of the hunter; he spoke to Argent about why the man was out in the woods and to be sure that his other lackeys were careful out there. Argent didn't know what was out there anymore than Derek did and he wasn't in the mood to work with them anyway. Derek wasn't surprised when Noah came back, ranting about idiotic hunters with stupid moral codes that account for killing teenagers and werewolves but not for working with the Sheriff's department. They just let him rant and Stiles patted his shoulder in comfort when he was done.
Friday night passed by with movies and pizza, Stiles shouting at the screen while they watched some teen movie. Jackson was sitting in the kitchen pretending not to be with them though he didn't leave the house and Derek figured after seeing him here only a couple of times that was an incredible win. Lydia was sitting in a chair so she could subtly watch Jackson out of the corner of her eye. Allison was laughing at Stiles and Derek was holding him lightly on the couch with her on the other side of him. They wiled away the night like that and everyone crashed in the living room except Derek and Stiles who went upstairs to his room.
He'd already spoken to Stiles about meeting with the beta. Derek was meeting with Marcus and the beta at ten in the morning and then they would either go their separate ways or he would bring the beta back to the Stilinski house and introduce them to Stiles and the others. Any other decisions would have to wait for another day.
Stiles woke up with him the next morning because he didn't sleep well and was sick of tossing and turning in the bed. They made some breakfast for the betas, all of whom were still there including Jackson though the popular boy already up and looking ready to bolt.
"You don't have to leave," Stiles told Jackson as the others stumbled into the kitchen to grab plates and stack them with waffles and ham.
"I'm not going to be here when you bring the new beta, they don't need to be mobbed and I'm sure my parents will care if I don't come home. I shouldn't have stayed."
"Glad you did," Derek said clearly and the others nodded along, even Allison. Both of the girls forced hugs on him as he grabbed a spare waffle and headed for the door without another word. A minute later the Porsche sped off and Stiles whooped with a fist pump.
"Idiot," Derek said with a chuckle.
"Hey, Mr. 'I'm too cool to need a pack' Jackson Whittmore stayed here for pack night and that, my good Alpha sir, is a good thing," Stiles said and smacked a kiss to the side of Derek's face before continuing, "I doubt we're going to ever see the end of the jackass Jackson routine but that's like we are never going to see the end of Lydia being the Ice Queen thing. Its just who they are."
"Hey, sitting right here," Lydia said, sitting primly in her silk pajama bottoms and tank top looking about as put together as she always looked. If it wasn't for the fact that he saw her sleeping before she walked into the kitchen Derek would accuse her of fluffing her hair and putting on a little blush in the bathroom but she just naturally looked like that.
It was strange, especially for a human.
"Well I am going to leave you guys to it and meet Dr. Marcus, we can go running tonight in the woods if you want? Might help more with loosening up Jackson. Stiles and Lydia can stay here or come out with us?"
"You could carry me," Stiles said and accidently fwapped Derek in the shoulder with a flailing arm. "And Allison could carry Lydia, it would be like a game."
Derek rolled his eyes, squeezed Stiles's hand before he headed out. They were supposed to meet at the high school since it would be empty today, there wouldn't be anyone around and there would be plenty of open space for an alpha and an unclaimed beta to meet. As far as Derek remembered, running into unclaimed betas could be difficult sometimes just because they appear to be a threat against the alpha's pack or they represent unclaimed power to be had but only to an alpha who was capable of bonding with betas that weren't created by him which he seemed to be doing well at. He could already feel that well of power inside him growing as Jackson got a little better at shifting, staying over last night had helped though it might just make Jackson feel uncertain.
For now though, Derek parked the Camaro and walked around to the lacrosse field and scented the air. Dr. Marcus was already here and she was talking gently to someone. Obviously the beta and as he got around the corner and got the first glimpse, Derek took a deep breath to center himself.
The beta was tall and wide across the shoulder, an African American who stood at least a foot over Derek's head. In direct opposition of the figure he cut, the beta's arms were wrapped around his stomach like he was holding himself together as Derek got close enough and greeted them.
"Dr. Marcus, nice to see you again."
"Derek Hale, this is Vernon Boyd."
"Boyd," the guy muttered and Derek nodded with a small smile.
"Nice to meet you Boyd, can I ask you a couple things? You can ask me things as well."
Dr. Marcus gestured to the bleachers and smiled, "Why don't we sit and be comfortable."
Boyd nodded and they all walked over to the bleachers and settled down. Dr. Marcus sat down and Boyd sat down right next to her, smelling like nerves and fear. Though there was this sliver of hopeful excitement there too. Derek settled down next to Boyd but about three feet in between them.
"You know what we are dealing with here in Beacon Hills? We had an alpha who was hurting and killing people and I took his power and his betas. There is still hunters in town and they know who I am so if you start hanging with me, they are going to put two and two together but I will do what I can to protect you if you stay."
"Dr. Marcus prepped me before bringing me here."
"Do you have family?" Derek asked, concerned about why he was coming to a different town to find an alpha.
Boyd looked down and away, "I had a sister, she died when I was younger. When I was turned, my parents called me a monster and tried to kill me. I left."
Derek nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that. Its tough to lose family because of something you can't change."
"Thanks, so I can ask too?"
Derek nodded and waited.
"Dr. Marcus said that you have a human in your pack?"
"Several, though one more than the other."
"And they are okay with what you—we are?"
"Of course," Derek reached out then aborted the attempt to touch the younger man. He didn't have the right to comfort or touch. He put his hand back down, "Stiles, he was the reason I am still in town and I have the alpha power. He's a genius, too smart for his own good in fact. And Lydia was brought in because she found out about the weird happenings with the alpha and she is best friends with one of my betas. Ex-girlfriend of my other, more reluctant beta."
"Are you teaching them to control the shift, so they can be normal? Go to school and stuff?"
Derek frowned, "Are you not in school?"
"No," Boyd shook his head, "I can't control it sometimes especially around a lot of people. I know that I'm this different thing now but I want to finish high school and everything."
"The others are in high school, I can teach you to control it even on the full moon."
At that, Boyd smiled, "And I would have friends?"
"More than that," Derek said with a small smile, "You would have a pack."
"I'm in if you're okay with it," the beta said and waited. He actually held his breath while he waited for Derek to answer so he quickly did.
"Well I would like to introduce you to everyone but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't join us. Just remember that I am a new alpha, so sometimes I don't really know what I'm doing."
Boyd snorted, "I never know what I'm doing these days so I think we're good there."
Dr. Marcus smiled at both of them, "Well Boyd has some things in my car, Derek would you like to take him now and get him settled here in town? You would have to do some figuring to get him back into school but we can discuss that at our next session."
Derek nodded, not taking his eyes off the hulking beta who was making himself look smaller like he was suddenly going to get rejected after all. His family had done a number on him, that's for sure. "I guess it was a good call to drive here then, not that Beacon Hills is so big that we couldn't make it there in a couple minutes but I like my car."
Boyd looked up in semi-veiled interest, "You drive? A car?"
"Yes of course, I have a Camaro. I don't really like to run everywhere I go though its good to stay in shape. Even as a werewolf."
"I clearly have some things to learn," Boyd said with a snort.
"Well, let's get your stuff and you can make with the pack bonding. I think you are going to do well here Boyd, and I will see you both at our sessions sometime this week."
They both nodded and got up, heading for the cars. Boyd only had one duffel bag, but then again when Derek came back here, he'd brought a pack and that was it. Most everything he owned was still in New York at the apartment. He stowed the pack into the trunk of the Camaro and invited Boyd into the passenger seat. He walked around the back of the vehicle and slid into the driver seat and headed back to the Stilinski house, thinking that pretty soon they were going to have to figure out another place to stay. Stiles's home with his father didn't have a lot of spare room for homeless werewolves. Maybe he would have to find a place to stay, for him and Boyd but the idea of leaving Stiles was not appealing in the least.
They made it back to the house and Derek opened the trunk to grab the duffel bag and handed it over to the quiet beta before they walked up to the front door. Derek listened inside, to see who was there and nodded.
"Okay, Stiles and his dad are here. Lydia isn't and neither is Allison. Maybe that's a good thing, you can come into this slowly. We are supposed to be meeting up later to possibly go running in the preserve but they all had to go home."
Boyd nodded.
"You ready?"
"Are you telling me that I am joining a pack and I'm not going to meet with other werewolves?" He asked incredulously.
Derek shrugged and chuckled, "I guess so. I am closer to Stiles than any of them right now though I am getting closer to the others. He's the reason I have a pack."
Boyd nodded, "Then he's important. I would like to meet him."
Derek reached out his hand and pulled open the door just as Echo woofed and he paused, "Stiles has a dog, she's his protector so just stay calm and let her get used to you." When the beta nodded again they walked inside and Echo was there waiting. She saw Derek and wagged her tail, coming over to him and rubbing up against his legs to scent mark him. Derek patted her side. "Echo this is Boyd. Boyd this is Echo."
Boyd looked down at her in quiet contemplation, "Hi Echo," he held out his hand and let her smell him. She sniffed and Boyd looked over at Derek, "Why does he have a dog for protection?"
"Because," Stiles said from the doorway into the kitchen as he walked over to them, "I was kidnapped by a hunter who wanted to hurt the werewolves and control my dad. Then Peter Hale, the alpha that Derek took the power from, buried me alive. Echo helps me function. I'm Stiles Stilinski."
Boyd reached out and shook Stiles's hand, "Boyd. Call me Boyd."
"Come on and meet my dad, he's the Sheriff."
Boyd took a half step back towards the door, fear wafting through his scent and Echo was put on alert, looking around for the threat. Stiles looked over in surprise, as did Derek.
"What is it?" Derek asked.
"Echo," Stiles snapped his fingers and she refocused on her master, moving to stand next to him even as she continued to stare at Boyd.
"Look, maybe this isn't such a good idea," Boyd started, backing up towards the door fumbling to reach for the knob.
"Boyd, what is it?" Derek asked, letting his eyes bleed red for a second to remind Boyd that he was the alpha.
The big beta stopped, "My family blamed me when they found out what I am, they said that I killed someone. They didn't have any proof besides that I was a monster. It was one of the other victims. I can't stay under the radar meeting the Sheriff of a neighboring town."
Derek looked over as the Sheriff walked into the doorway and looked over at them, focusing on Boyd.
"My dad knows about the things that happened here, he knows about werewolves and he could help. He's not going to turn you in for something you didn't do."
"How would you know?" Boyd demanded, "You just met me, how would you know if I did it or not?"
Derek stepped into Boyd's line of sight and pressed a hand to his chest, touching his new beta for the first time and took a deep breath and listened to Boyd's heart as he asked, "Did you do it?"
Boyd looked at him, "No." His heart didn't change, he wasn't sweating or any of the other tell tale signs of lying so Derek turned towards the Sheriff.
"Good enough for me," the alpha stated and the Sheriff shrugged. It wasn't a show for the elder Stilinski anyway, it was so Boyd knew that he would be heard and listened to. Noah waved them all into the kitchen and offered some food.
"Thanks," Boyd said and grabbed a couple of the waffles as they settled around the table. "So how did you get involved with all this?" he asked the Sheriff and Stiles.
Derek settled next to Boyd, close enough to the beta so he could feel the comfort of his presence without touching him. Boyd was a turned werewolf, he might not understand the desire for closeness but he didn't want to leave him without it either.
"My best friend was turned by Peter, I learned as much as I could from the Internet and books then I found out that Derek was a werewolf and asked him a bunch of questions. I stuck my nose where it didn't belong and it got me kidnapped by hunters and alphas but I love my best friend so I wouldn't change the reasons I got here, might not face off against Peter on my own though," he said the last the a self deprecating chuckle.
"The deaths that the alpha orchestrated were all over town, we were trying to figure it out. Stiles told me about werewolves later though I kind of knew a little about them before, just chose not to believe a long time ago."
Boyd nodded, "You don't want to be a werewolf?" he asked Stiles and Derek watched them. He knew why Stiles didn't want to be a werewolf, he knew that it was technically none of Boyd's business but the shame that eked off the other man's scent concerned him. In light of what his family had done, Boyd didn't know if he really accepted himself. Derek would have to remember that as he trained and bonded with him. It was a lot like Scott.
"I watched my best friend be turned and stopped being the person I knew," Stiles shrugged, "Maybe its idiotic for me to run with wolves and not be one but I'm okay being human though some of my favorite people these days are werewolves. Everyone deserves a chance to live, werewolf or human, and that's what I'm here for. To make sure that Derek has the right to live here when he's not hurting other people, which he doesn't."
"Where is this Scott?" Boyd asked, looking around like he'd missed this best friend in his sweep of the house. Stiles looked down to Echo, petting her head as his hurt resurfaced, the conversation with Scott was still in the forefront of his mind and Derek wanted to reach out and press in close to comfort him.
"He's omega," Stiles whispered and walked out of the room. Boyd took a deep breath and looked over at Derek while Echo trotted after her master.
"He's hurt, was that me?" he asked softly.
Derek shook his head, "The thing with Scott has been going badly for a while. Stiles is still hurt, he'll be back just needs a minute."
Boyd nodded and Derek looked over at the Sheriff, "So I don't know what to do here, I need someplace to settle with Boyd and the others at some point but I don't want to keep staying here if that's not what you want."
"You can't leave Stiles," the Sheriff stated and he didn't sound sarcastic or facetious. "There is a guest room as you know, you sleep with Stiles now anyway. Why would you need to change anything right now? You can't do that."
Derek frowned, "I figured you would have wanted me gone sooner rather than later?"
The sheriff shook his head, "I promised you that I would do things differently. I still don't think that you should be having sex with my underage son."
"Um whoa," Boyd cut in and Derek motioned for the Sheriff to continue, ignoring the beta for the moment. This was too important not to talk about right now.
"But that's not what your doing, you are taking care of your own, you are protecting my son and letting him find his own way. So you are going to take Boyd upstairs and show him the guest room. You are going to keep working with the other betas and someday soon when you are ready, you will find a place to live that's not here but not today. Now get going."
Derek nodded and patted Boyd's shoulder and led him to the stairs and headed up to the guest room. Boyd shucked his jacket and dropped the duffle bag on the bed and looked around. He listened for a second and Derek did the same, Stiles was in his room with Echo talking quietly though Derek couldn't tell if he was on the phone or talking to his dog. Stiles did that, would have whole conversations with her sometimes, so did Derek for that matter. She was a part of the family, a part of pack and just because she was a dog didn't mean that she should be treated any different sometimes.
"You're dating Stiles then?" Boyd asked.
Derek shrugged, "Its hard to say. He's my partner, I love him but it's not sexual. It won't be sexual for a long time and we're both okay with that. Boyfriend is a silly term, made up for teenagers who can't help but grab at each other and find meaning in the mess. Stiles is more than that to me, he's my anchor."
"Anchor?" Boyd asked.
"You have a lot to learn," Derek responded and patted the younger man's shoulder, slightly amused that he was so much taller than his new alpha. "I need to go and see if he's okay. We will gather the others and go for a run later but there's no hurry."
Boyd nodded and Derek left the room, walking down the hall and knocked on Stiles's door. The teenager opened it after a second and opened the door wider with a grimace. Derek walked in, passing a hand over his shoulder in passing. Stiles followed his touch and pressed against his chest. The alpha's arms easily found their place around him and tightened imperceptibly.
"I know it hurts and you don't have to pretend it doesn't," Derek whispered into the side of Stiles's head.
"I didn't mean to make Boyd's intro to the family weird."
"Well that's going to be a little tough since you are weird," Derek whispered with a smile.
"Shut up," Stiles chuckled and tightened his arms around Derek's chest, linking his hands at his back.
"Boyd's not looking for normal, he's looking for pack. You are pack and that's all that matters."
Stiles nodded into his neck and he pushed away gently. Derek released him and watched as Stiles sat down in front of his laptop and spun around to look at Derek as he settled on the bed. He pressed his elbows into his knees, leaning forward and watching his partner.
"You know, I don't like boyfriend, it's a ridiculous term."
"Oh?" Stiles grinned as he turned back to his computer, "What would you prefer? Hunnybear, sweetie, snookums?"
Derek snorted, "No thank you to any of those options. I like partner but that's not good enough either. You're my anchor. That's so much more than romance and rainbows. You're so much more than that to me."
"Well if you call me your anchor to other people, they aren't going to get it. Partner is good but boyfriend is like a designation, the easiest most acceptable title for something that shouldn't have to be titled. It doesn't have to mean anything. We could make up a word."
Derek smiled, "I am sure that's your idea of fun but maybe this is just stupid. The last time I was a boyfriend, it didn't end well. The last time I had sex, well that didn't end well either. Maybe I just don't like the name because it just takes me back."
Stiles scooted the chair across the room and gripped Derek's hands, "I think that you are talking about it and that's a good thing. This isn't going to be like it was before, I know everything and I am learning how to protect myself. I have you and my dad and Echo; I have the other betas too. This isn't like it was, okay? Just try and remember that for me?"
Derek's gaze slipped down to Stiles's lips then back up to his eyes then back down again, getting distracted. Stiles flushed, the scent was happy and interested. "You wanna try something for a second?"
"Maybe more than a second," Stiles said with an incorrigible wink.
"Will you sit next to me?"
Stiles tripped over the chair in his haste to sit on the bed, Derek helped to keep him from hitting the ground and tugged him close so they were both sitting. Stiles turned a little, shifting uneasily next to Derek. He lifted a hand and pressed his palm into the underside of Stiles's jaw and watched as the human's eyes fluttered closed and took a deep breath.
"Can I kiss you?"
"God yes," Stiles groaned and Derek smiled as he leaned in the rest of the way, feeling as Stiles exhaled, the warm air passing across Derek's lips. He pressed his mouth to Stiles's gently and waited for a couple of seconds. Then Stiles opened his mouth and fed his tongue into Derek's mouth but it was all messy and high energy. Everything that Stiles was, Derek wrapped his other arm around Stiles's lower back and pulled him as close as he could while continuing to press his lips in again and again. Their tongues danced and Stiles started shifting closer, trying to climb into Derek's lap from the side which just made Derek pull away, chuckling gently.
"Slow, my hunnybear," Derek whispered.
Stiles snickered at the nickname and resettled next to Derek instead of clambering over his lap though his hands were still all over Derek's chest and shoulders. He looked over at Derek, grinning madly, "You know. I don't feel the buzzing; I can't hear her voice right now. That's pretty awesome."
"Yeah, it is," Derek whispered and pressed another kiss to Stiles's jaw. "So Boyd is going to be in the guest room and I am going to be sleeping with you for the foreseeable future."
Stiles snorted, "That's already been happening for a couple weeks now, the you sleeping with me thing."
"But this time your dad said he didn't want me to leave. For now, he's not trying to kick me out."
"Wow," Stiles said, eyebrows raised in surprise then wrapped his arms around Derek's shoulder; "You know that means that he's not going to stop us from being together."
"As long as I don't steal your virtue," Derek said and nudged Stiles away and the teenager just chortled again.
"For a while anyway," he said with a wink.
"For a while," Derek repeated gently and they fell silent and for the moment Stiles let them be still. The human just stuck close and sighed happily as they sat there together basking in the quiet and the closeness.
Stiles watched as the others got ready to go for a run, Derek was trying to settle Allison down but she was bouncing, her hair barely contained in a messy braid off to the side of her head. Lydia was there, grinning at her friend. Jackson was leaning against the farthest wall from them, tense and straining like he was still attempting to shift while they were standing there. Boyd was standing close to Derek but wasn't touching anyone, he'd been introduced to the others but the run seems to have superseded the enjoyment of a new beta for the others. Echo was easily swept up in the excitement, prancing around them in the Stilinski living room and the kitchen while Derek was trying to get the wolves to listen.
"Can we just go already? We still have to drive to the preserve and I want to run!" Allison said with an excited giggle then dropped down to hug Echo as the dog wandered around. Echo allowed the gentle contact, she was really good with the werewolves, and she seemed to understand how much they needed physical contact. After a couple of seconds Allison let Echo go again and Derek huffed.
"Okay, well stay with the group and I think we'll be okay. I don't know if the hunters are going to be out there so we don't want to go to far. Understood?"
"Yeah let's go!" Allison said again, grabbing his hand and trying to drag the alpha to the door. Boyd reached out and removed Allison's hand from his wrist calm and resolute even after she turned a quick snarl at him.
"What are you doing?" she snapped.
Derek easily stepped between them, hands up and out to both of them, "Allison, its okay."
"You shouldn't grab your alpha," Boyd said quietly into the space between them.
"Boyd, you're okay. We're okay. This is the instincts, Allison is young and she is tactile, she's not forcing me and you're okay here."
The big beta shivered hard, like the tension in his shoulders was leaving in the movement then nodded, "Okay. Sorry. I didn't mean to make it worse."
Stiles watched as everyone took another deep breath, even Jackson and Lydia. Derek pressed a hand to the side of Boyd's neck and squeezed gently while he reached his hand out for Allison who took it between hers. Stiles couldn't help the sappy smile on his face whenever Derek was being an alpha. He was a good man and Stiles was proud that someone else was seeing it.
"You didn't make it worse, we are all going to have to learn about each other," Derek said gently to Boyd then clasped his shoulder a little longer before he released them both, clapped his hands together and led them all to the cars. Stiles and Echo climbed into the Jeep with Allison and Lydia squished in with them, full of giggles from Allison and exasperated sighs from Lydia. Derek climbed into the Camaro with Boyd and Jackson wasn't willing to drive with any of them so he was in his car. They were parking at one of the trail beginning points and it took about fifteen minutes to get there, Stiles watched as the sun started to set. They weren't running in full dark but enough that they would be obscured by the darkness. As this was the first time running together, Stiles and Lydia were staying with the cars while they went out so when he put the jeep in park Stiles stayed where he was. Allison squealed again excitedly, her face already shifted with funny sideburns and no eyebrows.
"You look funny," Stiles chuckled quietly.
She growled then leaned forward and pressed a messy awkward kiss to Stiles's head then stumbled out of the car and pounced on Jackson's back. The other beta chuckled then dumped her back on the ground while Derek and Boyd stepped out of the Camaro. Derek turned and walked over to the jeep, walking around to the driver's side.
"We won't be gone long," Derek whispered and pressed a hand over Stiles's arm.
The human smiled, "I'm going to be fine Derek, you are going to take the pups out and you guys are going to do great."
Derek smirked, "I would take you with me but I think they need to get used to each other."
Stiles leaned through the open window a little; pressing a quick kiss to Derek's knuckles, "Don't worry about me."
"Never going to happen," Derek returned and gripped Stiles's chin to pull him in for a quick chaste kiss. "Stay with Echo and Lydia. Stay safe, okay?"
Stiles nodded then watched as the man and his three betas took off towards the woods. Lydia was sitting in the passenger seat and watched them for a minute until that got boring so she took out her phone and started taking selfies, making funny faces. Stiles let her amuse herself while he took out his phone and started doing some research about the hunter who died, to see if there was anything else since the body had been found but there was nothing else that he could find without breaking into his dad's office or the station which he wasn't interested in doing especially since Derek had already said they were going to stay out of it unless it was necessary. He looked up the hunter instead, to see if he could figure out anything about him in particular.
He didn't even know the last name so that was a exercise in futility until he just looked up social media and the guy's first name and found him. Of course his name was "BennettHunter" because someone thought that was a good idea but with the guy's page he could see that Bennett was actually from Beacon Hills and was 25 years old. Stiles bookmarked his page to go back and look again later, maybe there was some way to see who his friends were and see if there was any connections to Argent on there.
Any information was better than nothing.
He put his phone down and turned to catch sight of Echo who was staring intently out the window. He clicked his tongue and her and she turned to look at him, "Do you see them, girl?"
"You know she can't actually answer you?" Lydia muttered in her special 'Ice Queen' way.
"You telling me you don't talk to Prada?"
"My dog?" Lydia asked, turning to spare him a lifted brow and impatient look.
"No, your designer handbag," Stiles snarked back, enjoying the sarcasm more than he thought humanly possible. "Yes, your dog."
"I guess I do talk to her," Lydia responded with a shrug.
"Well then leave me to my conversation," Stiles said and looked back again at Echo just as she stood up and stared out the window. He frowned, "Echo?"
She turned and looked at him then dropped her head and focused on something in the woods but when he looked out there he didn't see anything.
"Does she see something? Is it them?" Lydia asked as she focused on the dog in the back seat.
Stiles kept watching the woods but there wasn't anything that he could see. Then she started barking and Stiles clapped his hands over his ears in surprise while Lydia did the same. He hunched low in his seat just as something swooped by and slammed into the side of the jeep, making it sway for a second then it was gone. He looked back towards the woods while Echo settled down in the back seat just as the others came out of the forest. Derek and the three betas were all there and yet something had run into the side of the jeep and freaked out the dog. The dog that was specifically trained to protect Stiles from danger so he didn't think it was nothing.
He opened the door, coming around the front just as Derek swept him into his embrace, "Are you okay?" the alpha demanded.
"Yes, was that the thing from the other night? The thing that killed Bennett?"
Derek shrugged even as he released Stiles, "I don't know. It slammed into us, and then it was gone. I have no idea what happened out there but it was strong."
Stiles looked around, reaching out to clasp Allison shoulder before she walked over to the jeep and climbed in with Lydia, squishing into the front seat with her friend while Jackson and Boyd panted, both still partially shifted from the excitement of the run or possibly the danger.
"We should go get settled back at the house, I don't think we should be out here with two measly humans," Stiles said as he pulled away from Derek and turned back to the jeep only to notice the dent in the rear end of the cab. He frowned as he walked over and pressed his hand into the welt of bent metal and wondered again, what had struck the side of the jeep as he pressed his hand into dent, and it fit perfectly into the shape left behind.
"Yeah, let's get out of here," Derek said, startling Stiles into getting back into the driver seat and they headed back to the Stilinski residence for the night.