The afternoon of the full moon found the pack preparing an early dinner together and readying themselves for their moonlit run. The past couple of weeks had passed quickly but happily. Lydia hadn't had any more occurrences of truth telling or what they learned was called the Veritas Spirit. Apparently Lydia's power opened her to the ancient spirit of truth, who would temporarily fill in and share the truth in whatever situation she found herself in. From the research she, Stiles and Peter did, it was harmless to her as long as she didn't try to fight it. If she fought it, it could make her sick until she cooperated. Lydia said it had felt like a daydream and didn't think it would be hard to let it take over when needed.
The three research buddies had bonded and could often be found pouring over ancient books together. Stiles had fit in seamlessly with the rest of the pack as well, seeming to find something to connect with each smaller group within the whole. He and Erica had tortured Boyd with a trip to the comic store when she found out that Stiles had never treated himself to a graphic novel due to the fear of it being stolen or ruined. Derek had no problem spoiling his mate and Stiles was now the proud owner of a modest collection that grew almost daily. Derek swore he didn't know where the comics were coming from, but Erica couldn't keep a secret if she tried. Parrish, Kira, Isaac and Liam recruited Stiles into the neighborhood lacrosse team they played on. He wasn't the most coordinated player, but he could evade like nobody's business and proved a useful teammate.
Peter was the next packmate to gain a power. A few days after the mating ceremony, a bunch of them had taken Stiles to a nearby farmer's market where he promptly got lost. When Kira discovered he wasn't with them, she called Peter over and as soon as she posed the question of where Stiles could be, Peter got a flash of his new nephew in his mind and was able to see where he was. He found him in less than a minute then had to take a moment to hug Stiles for all he was worth. Though he had confidence he would find him – he had been able to feel Stiles' presence still – he'd had a brief moment of panic and couldn't imagine having to tell Derek something had happened to his beloved mate. After that, it had turned into a city wide game of Marco Polo where the pack would scatter and Peter tested his ability to find them in different scenarios and environments. It didn't matter if they were outside or in the concrete basement of building, Peter was able to locate each one if he concentrated on the need to find them. With practice, he found he could push the visual of the pack member's location through to another packmate.
"Damn it!"
Stiles turned quickly at Lydia's cry of pain. He rushed over to where she was dicing potatoes and saw a long slice along her forefinger. "Oh Lydia, that looks bad. Alpha!" He shouted. Maybe Derek could heal her. He took her by the hand and led her to the sink, glaring at her as she tried to yank it away from him. "Stop it. We need to make sure there is no food residue in there."
"I'll be fine, Stiles, I just need a bandage," she said with a huff then gave a small whimper as the water washed over the bleeding cut.
Stiles heart ached seeing her in pain. He'd quickly learned he was the comforter of the pack. He hated seeing people in pain, sad, upset and always did his best to help. But in this situation, he knew the best thing would be to get Derek to heal her or she'd end up needing stitches. He just wished he could do more.
"Stiles, what's wrong, mate?" Derek demanded, coming into the kitchen and heading over to them.
"Lydia cut herself with a knife and I was hoping you could heal her like you did me," Stiles began.
"It's not necessary," Lydia interrupted.
"Hush, you. What do you think, Derek?" Stiles looked at his mate.
"I don't think it's necessary either," Derek said. Seeing the hurt look on his little mate's face, he gently turned Stiles chin to look at Lydia.
Lydia moved her hand out of the water and Stiles gasped at the pale, dripping finger that was no longer split open. He took her hand and twisted it this way and that. No way, he thought. No freaking way.
"Yes freaking way," Lydia said with a big grin. "We have a healer in the pack!" she declared loudly.
Within a minute the room was filled with every pack member and she and Derek told and retold the story, showing the pack the still bloody cutting board and her perfectly healed finger.
"What did you do when it happened? What was going through your mind?" Peter immediately wanted to know. Stiles knew he was already thinking about the newest entry he would make in the pack journal the three researchers had started. It was kept in Derek's safe because they still didn't know for sure if Talia and the Sheriff were truly done with their machinations or not.
"I was just wishing there was more I could do to help her, nothing specific. I didn't make a wish or say a prayer or anything," he related, still feeling quite off center with this new development. Always aware of how he was feeling, Derek tucked him into his side, rubbing his hip with his large hand.
"It must have to do with your intentions then," Parrish suggested.
"But I've wanted to help the rest of you at different points," Stiles brought up. "That didn't do anything."
"That could be because we already have accelerated healing," Boyd said.
"There's nothing saying you didn't speed up the process even more. We have no way of really knowing," Kira said. "Unless…"
"No way," Stiles shouted, seeing her thought progression. "There is no way you are purposely breaking a bone just to see if I can help."
"But I'm an omega like you," she pointed out. "I would heal slower than the betas and alphas would, so we would know for sure." Without further ado, she grabbed her pinky finger and jerked it the opposite way with all her strength, letting out a shriek of pain.
"Dammit, Kira!" Derek yelled, reaching for her. He held her hand steady and there was no question that her finger was severely broken. He looked at his mate and shrugged. May as well try, he thought.
What if I can't, came Stiles' fearful reply, though he quickly stepped over and gently held her wrist while closing his eyes. He purposely thought of her finger straightening, the bones popping back into place, cracked bones becoming whole once more. He couldn't bear to open his eyes only to see her finger still crooked and probably grotesquely swollen by now.
"Look, little mate. Look what you did," Derek whispered in his ear.
Stiles peeked one eye open and gasped. Kira's finger was back to normal and she was grinning and flexing it easily. The pack around them were clapping and cheering for him. His jaw was stuck wide open until Derek gently moved it back in place.
"That was amazing, Stiles! The pain stopped as soon as you touched me. Then when you closed your eyes, I swear I could feel the bones knitting back together. It was so bizarre and awesome all at the same time," Kira said with a giggle.
"Don't you ever do that again!" he yelled in her face.
The entire pack froze, having never seen him so obviously angry at one of them before.
"You had no way of knowing if I could actually help you. What if it hadn't worked?" he demanded.
"Then I would have been sore, but healed by tomorrow," she said softly, trying to ease him.
"But did you think about what that would have done to me?" he asked, his voice breaking on the last word.
Her face paled as her hands cupped her mouth. "Oh god, I didn't. Stiles, I am so sorry. I just… I knew you could do it. There was no doubt in my mind. Please forgive me?" she couldn't believe she had hurt the Omega Mate, more importantly her newest friend who loved geeking out over swords and old movies with her. She wrapped her arms around his trembling body and murmured another apology in his ear. He whispered his forgiveness back and they stayed snuggled for another minute, comforting each other. They all knew how much Stiles loved to snuggle. Pack piles were common enough in their pack, but since Stiles came, there was always someone open and ready and wanting to cuddle with the warm, loving omega.
"This is a lesson to us all," Derek said to the remaining pack who looked like they were all ready to jump in and snuggle the pink-nosed Stiles. "These powers are not predictable and we can't test them without planning and agreement from all parties involved. It is not fair or right to put that kind of pressure on a pack brother or sister. Agreed?"
Everyone nodded and thought out their agreement. The serious moment was broken when Liam's belly rumbled hungrily which seemed to set off a chain reaction in Stiles, Boyd, Isaac and Derek, each tummy adding to the cacophony. With a laugh, they all got back to work on their first full moon feast as a newly expanded pack.
. ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ .
Stiles in wolf form was always fascinating to Derek. He moved with a grace he sometimes lacked in his human shape. There was a joy, a freedom, in the way he ran, leapt, and tried to bowl over the larger pack members that was beautiful to behold. Derek had warned his pack members subtly that when he and Stiles disappeared to not come and find them. He had a claim to renew under the full moon. Seeing his mate bound over after another stealth attack on Boyd, he rumbled to Stiles and bade him to follow him further into the woods. Stiles yipped in agreement and ran with him, his coat shimmering in the sporadic glow of the moon through the trees above them. He led his mate to his favorite clearing, a place he loved to come and nap in when it was sunny and he was stressed. It would be a perfect fit for the two of them.
Derek shifted and stretched in the moonlight, grinning as he saw Stiles' literally panting as he watched, his pink tongue lolling out at him adorably.
"Join me, little mate," he beckoned, holding out his hand.
Stiles shifted and took Derek's hand, shaking his head in wonder. "You look like a god in this light," he said weakly, his body already reacting to the sexual pull of his mate and the moon.
"It is you who take my breath away," Derek murmured, his eyes roving hungrily over Stiles' sleek, lithe form. "I'm going to take you under the moon, mate. Will you take my knot and let me claim you in this final way?"
Stiles' eyes closed as he fought off the urge to come at his mate's words. "Yes, my alpha, please give me your knot."
Derek's gaze was drawn to the pearl of fluid already leaking from Stiles' cock, he immediately reached out a thumb and cleared the head of his cock and put it in his mouth, moaning as the taste exploded on his tongue. "Stiles, the moon is not giving me a lot of patience. This will be a rough mating," he had to warn him because he knew there was no way he would be able to hold back.
"That sounds perfect, actually," Stiles admitted with a desperate grin. He took it one step further by kneeling on the soft grass and lowering himself so his ass was an offering in the air and his head rested on his hands on the ground.
Derek growled loudly as he cursed at the sight. Falling to his knees, took Stiles perfectly formed ass in his hands and held him still as he hungrily drew his tongue from his balls, over his already leaking hole, up to the small dimples at the small of his back several times. His body continued to urge him onward as he pushed two fingers into his mate, both of them filling the air with growls at the sensation. He felt Stiles relax his muscles and was able to quickly add a third then fourth finger, thrusting them in and out several times, making sure his lubrication was flowing enough to handle his knot. Unable to resist, he sucked his fingers when he withdrew them, his eyes closing momentarily. This was everything that was good and right. He had to finish this now. With no further hesitation, he thrust his cock into his tight mate and began claiming him with hard, direct lunges, angling for his prostate. He wanted Stiles to come before he knotted him to ensure even less pain.
Stiles cried out, unable to hold back a low scream as he came after just a minute of being pounded by his mate. Derek howled, his throat opening up like his wolf as he finally allowed his knot to swell and fill his mate, claiming him under the full moon. Pumping as long as he could, he finally slowed, then stopped as the knot at the base of his cock swelled and locked them in place. That was when the orgasm hit him like a semi-truck. He roared Stiles' name like an offering to the gods as he filled his mate with his come. Feeling light-headed, he gently lowered them to their sides, small orgasms shaking his body as he continued to fill his mate with his come. Instinct led his hand to rest on Stiles' lower stomach, feeling the tiniest swelling there. He couldn't help but picture the day when the bump would be a cub, growing inside his beautiful mate.
Stiles had never felt so owned, claimed, wanted, and loved. Derek's knot had surprised him with its size, but he quickly adjusted and realized he loved the extra-full feeling, the way it constantly nudged his prostate, sending tiny shocks of pleasure through him with each breath. He felt his mate's hand on his stomach and knew that it wouldn't be too much longer until they would be ready to invoke the magic that would allow him to carry their cub. For now, they agreed they wanted time for just themselves.
"Thank you for being mine, my beautiful, perfect mate," Derek whispered against his ear.
Stiles sighed happily. "Thank you for finding me, for choosing me, for giving me this perfect life."
And that was what he had now. A perfect life. He snuggled back into his alpha, knowing he was perfectly safe to doze off for a few minutes. Nothing could touch him now.
. ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ .
Stiles smiled at the clerk who handed him his new art supplies the next day. He'd needed a few specific colors to be able to finish the large piece he was painting. It was a secret for now, but when it was done, it would be a depiction of their pack in wolf form, running through their favorite bit of forest. Checking his phone he realized it was time to meet Isaac down at the bookstore. He was too busy composing a new text to Derek to watch where he was walking on the sidewalk. A small smile played on his lips as he felt the slight ache in his low back, already looking forward to experiencing the full moon with his alpha mate again. He didn't see the eyes watching him or the car that pulled up next to him on the street. But a familiar sound made his head pop up and fear to instantly fill him as if it had never left. The flip lighter caught and lit, a familiar voice accompanying the sound.
"Hello Stiles. Miss me?"
