The Big Bad

Chapter 16


It had been a fortnight since Harry Potter came and slid into their lives, fitting like a glove despite his…oddities. Stiles absolutely adored Harry and constantly boggled him down with questions, but it was definitely Peter who could keep up with Stiles the most out of them all. Peter was…also sliding effortlessly into his own role, and more often than not they were all working together to keep the pack safe and come up with a way to deal with the Alpha pack.

"I just don't like how quickly they showed their hands," Stiles admitted, as they stared at the board, "I mean having the twins showing up at our school," gesturing towards himself, Isaac, Lydia, Erica, Boyd, Cora and Jackson as he ate yet more pasta that Harry had made. He was used to being the one cooking…so someone else doing it had stunned him a little in the beginning. Getting takeaway was different, at least in his opinion. No effort was put into it, except money of course.

"You've said that a dozen times, and we've agreed with you," Harry snorted wryly, from where he sat by Peter, "They simply think they're unbeatable, so they don't feel the need for subterfuge, however, they've had their faith shaken no doubt by the death of Ennis."

"The twins are not their upper hand, the Demon wolf considers himself the strongest and most deadliest predator there is." Peter stated bluntly, "Everyone else is just a side show."

Harry cocked his head to the side and nodded, conceding Peter's point, bad guys always like to think they're the strongest and deadliest thing on the planet.

"Do you think they're going to look for another Alpha before attacking again?" Isaac asked, he still couldn't really remember the memory that Peter managed to see. Derek thinks it's doubtful that he would, that it was damn near impossible to regain memories taken by an Alpha. This was before Harry entered their lives of course, weeks ago.

"It's not as easy as you think to find an Alpha," Peter said amused, "Deucalion has spent the past decade on his crusade and only has four Alpha's to show for it. Admittedly I haven't heard back from the majority of my contacts yet, so he may have been killing the Alpha's as well."

"I believe that Deucalion is using all his conniving wiles to convince and stop Kali from attacking immediately. Promising her retribution and such, how are the boys when they're in school and not deliberately antagonising you?" Harry queried, apparently one of the twins had trapped Allison and Isaac in a cupboard, so the Alpha pack had done some digging and found out that Isaac was claustrophobic. Fortunately, for all concerned, it didn't go the way the twins desired, Isaac had taken those bad memories and turned them into good ones. Walked out of that cupboard as cool as a cucumber after Stiles and Jackson came for him. Much to the twins disbelief.

"They actually looked scared," Stiles admitted, his brow furrowed, "I don't know what they were expecting to happen…really, I don't but when it didn't go their way…they seemed really worried and scared…it reminded me of Isaac not wanting to go home after Lacrosse."

Isaac grimaced, he didn't like to be reminded of those days, thank you very much.

"They were," Jackson confirmed, "They smelt of apprehension and fear and maybe a little bit of disbelief."

"Just as I thought, they don't have the confidence the others have, they're new recruits, considering how young they are…Deucalion must have only wanted them for their ability." Harry mused, "It is something, I've never met twin born werewolves who had the ability to merge." they were definitely unique.

"Deucalion will have helped them harness the ability," Peter said, "They most definitely attacked their alpha while co-joined, it would explain their joint alpha powers." They'd reached out to all their contacts all along the coasts to see if any packs were missing alphas. None were, so it was something easy to deduce.

"Does that mean if you kill one the other loses their Alpha status?" Stiles asked, perking up, his mind already going a mile a minute in order to come up with an answer to his latest theory.

Jackson, Cora, Boyd, Erica, Isaac, Lydia, Stiles and Derek all immediately glanced at Harry and Peter for answers.

"It's a fair question," Harry said wryly, smirking at them, "But I don't think so, but I do believe if one of the twins die the other will enter berserker mode so I wouldn't be trying it without backup."

"Wait…what's a berserker?" Stiles asked predictably, the others didn't roll their eyes for once, truly curious themselves.

"It's a completely feral mindset, Peter was a step away from it himself, fortunately, he still had his smarts about him…but a Berserker? Completely focused on one single task, a rage so blinding that they become deformed and kill anything in their path. They wouldn't stop until they had succeeded in doing what their mind had set out." Harry explained shrugging his shoulders, using two fingers to have the empty plates, bowls and cutlery washing themselves in the sink.

"Unless they've been made that way…certain creatures can bring it out in them, make them nothing more than mindless drones." Peter pointed out, it was a horrific prospect, Omega's were more susceptible, but Beta's could end up that way it rarely worked on Alpha's unless they didn't have a pack or lost one. Only mated werewolves were not susceptible to it, unless of course it's their mate that died.

"Is there a book about them?" Stiles asked as always, so hungry for information, and as great as the internet was…it didn't hold a candle to the information he'd been gaining recently from both Harry and Peter's library. At least he knew, he knew, the information he was reading in those books were genuine and real, with the internet one had to make guesses.

"I believe so, a chapter, in my bestiary," Harry informed him thoughtfully, "It will be in the creature section, near the front of the row," if there was a mixture of creatures in any book, it was at the front, but whole books about creatures were in alphabetical order. At least the kid had learned that fast, and put everything back where it was meant to go. He wasn't the only one, Derek was devouring anything that caught his eye, determined to be a good alpha. Also, he had learned, Derek loved to read, not just practical reading but for pleasure reading too, he just didn't get the chance. With a little calmness and grounding in his life, he was showing the pack just how smart he actually was, Lydia's mouth had hung open when Derek had shown her the correct equation in her math homework, which she'd gotten wrong. She'd argued until he pointed out the entire thing much to her shock and dismay. Since then she'd demanded that Derek always check over her work when she was done.

"Brilliant!" already feeling the urge to go down and grab it, but Stiles instead continued to eat. He was a good cook but he was nothing on Harry, the food was bloody delicious. Even food conscious Lydia was eating the pasta. Admittedly she hadn't put as much as the rest of them on her plate – the werewolves had piled it high – but it was more than she normally ate. It helped when a week ago Harry explained anything he put into the food from his wand was without calories. He didn't know how that worked, but either way, it was awesome.

"Where exactly do your parents think you are?" Harry asked after a few moments of silence while the teens finished off their food. they had been coming here every evening after school, doing their homework and training, they only went home when they had to, and Stiles had stayed over five times if memory served him. Another flick of his wand the remaining plates joined the others in the sink. "Once or twice I get, but every night? For fourteen days?" hell, even Ron and Hermione wouldn't have gotten away with that, he reckoned that Molly Weasley would have sent Ron a howler if he tried. Plus, two had just 'ran away' so the parents surely kept a better eye on them?

"My parents constantly work, they're never home," Jackson said with a grimace, 'parents' that was still a sore spot for him. He wasn't as angry about it as he used to be, he was more resigned now. Especially knowing what had actually happened to his biological parents.

"My dad too," Stiles admitted, he was hardly away from the station so he didn't need to come up with excuses. Not that he would need to, his dad knew everything now, was aware of the fact he was in a pack.

"My mom is too drunk to notice," Lydia said flippantly, as if she didn't care, she'd been drinking heavily since the divorce. Lydia barely saw her father, got text messages now and again but that was it, not that she cared she was still furious at him for leaving her mom for a woman barely legal.

Isaac didn't say anything, he lived here, and his mother, father and brother was dead. Grateful for one death and still grieving for two. Losing his brother and mother…had broken something in him, and it made his father's attempts to break him further truly pathetic.

"My parents…well, they're just glad not to have more hospital bills to pay, they're going out and doing things they couldn't when I was sick." Erica explained, a faraway look in her eyes. She didn't blame them for enjoying their marriage and life now they could. Sixteen years of staying in Beacon Hills, doing nothing because their daughter was sick…it would affect everyone.

Boyd remained stubbornly silent, his mom didn't care about what he did, she hadn't been all there since his sister went missing. He had wanted to ask Harry a question about that, since hearing all the rumours about what he could do…but he'd yet to get the courage. Harry was…very intimidating, and coming from him that said a lot.

"Pack is family," Derek stated firmly, staring at Isaac, "Blood doesn't always have to make up a family, pack can too." Their new family, its what they had been desperate for. "We're all in this together." He still couldn't believe he had them all back, including his sister. As always, he felt extremely awkward after saying something like that.

"Feeling alright there sourwolf?" Stiles teased, pressing his hand against Derek's forehead, only to snatch it away when Derek playfully tried to bite his hand in retaliation. Grateful that the tension eased and everyone laughed as Stiles flailed nearly right off his seat.

It ceased all too soon, as the werewolves glanced at the doorway and inhaled sharply, some even flashing their eyes at the scent, the only one who didn't glance at the doorway was Peter and Harry.

"Who is it?" Lydia and Stiles asked in sync, the only ones there who couldn't tell, naturally.

"Scott," came the echoed timbre of growls of the wolves, except for Cora who wasn't familiar with him, but knew everything they did.

"What does he want?" Jackson scowled, eyeing the doorway in extreme distaste.

"I didn't think he was getting out today!" Stiles said, excited to see his best friend again, he'd been visiting the hospital giving him his school work so he didn't fall behind, or at least he tried to. Unfortunately, Allison had been there and he just felt like a third wheel. Scott barely spoke to him, as is normal when Allison was about so he'd restricted it to a thirty minute visit every other day. "He didn't tell me." And he assumed Allison wasn't there since they didn't mention her. Obviously Scott had deduced he wasn't at home and had come to hang out. He hoped.

Derek shook his head silently, feeling bad for Stiles. Scott wasn't there for Stiles, and no doubt the teen thought he was, the scent of desperation that was clouding Scott could only mean one thing. Perhaps it was best for Stiles to realise what kind of best friend he had. The door was wrenched open and Stiles called out to his friend with a happy smile on his face.

"He is always too loyal," Erica muttered, even to them, the beating in the basement had proven that.

"It has always been one sided," Lydia stated haughtily, as if she'd known all along that Scott wasn't suitable.

"I don't know, I mean if it was Stiles who became a werewolf he might have let popularity get to his head," Isaac mused, staring at Stiles almost jumping on the spot.

Peter snorted derisively, "He had the opportunity to become a werewolf," he informed the deluded group, "At the height of Scott's popularity, and he said no." which was a good thing, normally one couldn't be two things, there was a massive possibility that Stiles' magic would have disappeared.

Derek growled lowly, not liking that at all, Stiles was his.

That made Jackson and Isaac stare at Peter as if he was suddenly insane again, he'd turned down the offer of the bite? It was inconceivable to them, turning back to Stiles, they realized just how strong the teen was to run willingly with wolves after deciding he didn't want the bite.

"What's wrong?" Stiles asked, concern blanketing his scent, when he caught sight of Scott, he looked awful, "Should you be out of the hospital yet?" as always the caretaker.

"Where's Derek?" Scott wheezed out.

"What?" Stiles asked clearly taken aback, "Why? Did something happen?" worried that the Alpha pack had found Scott and threatened him. "Scott?" he asked again as the asthmatic teen walked away from him coming further into the loft as if he owed the place.

Scott stopped at the sight in front of him, the loft had undergone major changes in the last few weeks. Instead of a bare pathetic looking building site, it was fully furnished with every conceivable gadget a nerd would want. Painted and well…it looked nothing like it used to and Scott was overwhelmed by the sight of it. It looked like a home now, and the sight of all the gadgets made Scott squirm with envy.

"Scott, what happened?" Stiles asked again.

"I'm fine, Stiles," Scott waved away his concern. "I want the bite," he demanded of Derek, not asked, demanded. "You owe me that much."

Utter silence descended with that pronouncement, it wasn't entirely unexpected even his attitude.

"No," Derek replied after a few minutes of silence, his tone booked no argument. Furious with Scott's words, how dare he? He didn't owe the boy anything! He'd done nothing but try to help him and Scott had done nothing but fight him every step of the way. How could Scott think for a second that Derek would bite him again? Especially considering everything that had happened in the past? How many times had he been thrown under the bus?

Everyone remained silent, this was between their Alpha and the trespasser, even if it irked them the way he was talking to Derek.

"You owe me!" Scott blustered, "After everything…"

"I don't owe you anything," Derek argued right back, eyes flashing red in warning, "Ever since I returned to Beacon Hills, I only ever tried to help you, Scott. Every attempt I made was rebuffed, that's on you not me."

"It was your Uncle who bit me!" Scott protested, "Your families fault!"

"Something that has thankfully been rectified," Derek said coolly, and he was so, so grateful he wasn't having to put up with an Omega in his territory. "You're human like you always wanted to be again," unable to help but taunt the teen. After all the time of him spitting on the gift, desiring to be human again…and here he was, trying to become a werewolf again.

"Please…I need, I just need the bite!" Scott back peddled and pleaded with the Alpha.

"The answer is no, and I wont change my mind," Derek stated firmly, "I won't have an Omega in my territory, and I will never accept you in my pack." not after all he had done, decrying the bite as a curse then forcing him to bite Gerard Argent, there was no going back from that. Plus, he had chosen to aid hunters over his own kind, that kind of news spread, no self-respecting pack would take Scott in. Giving him the bite would just be killing him slowly, kind of like what he'd done with Gerard Argent. Worse still, he knew without Peter and Harry and the backing of a stable pack...he would have agreed to let Scott remain in the pack and it made him feel sick.

"You have to! The Alpha pack killed Doctor Deaton!" pleaded Scott, "They'll come for us next! They think I'm a werewolf!"

"Scott did they do anything, say anything to you?" Stiles asked, disheartened by Scott practically ignoring him, but as always ready to help where he could.

"No! but didn't you hear they killed Doc Deaton!" Scott bellowed at Stiles as if he was to blame for everything that was happening.

"Scott, they…" Stiles begun but he felt anger and disappointment surge through the pack bonds, something that urged him to stop. Facing them, Peter, Harry and Derek all shook their heads, pack secrets were pack secrets, outsiders never got to know anything. It was something Derek wished he had taken to heart, unfortunately, he hadn't and his family had burned for it. "Nobody will know you're a werewolf, not unless you tell them."

"You forget that Deaton's sister is the Alpha pack's Emissary," Harry pointed out dryly, "Anything he knew, she most definitely did. We must presume that everything was parroted right back to the Alpha pack. Considering what he was attempting, they might even have presumed to tell them that the boy is a 'True Alpha' so to speak."

Peter swore, he had forgotten actually, it made him extremely cautious and leery, given the way McCall liked to bad mouth them all…just what had he revealed to Deaton? Only one thing hadn't been revealed, McCall hadn't told Deaton about his sudden shift back to humanity. "Speaking of which, the hunters most definitely know about McCall now, it makes you wonder why they haven't started asking questions. They might want to whisk him off to run tests," Peter informed the teen who's eyes widened drastically at the not so subtle threat. Serves him right for blabbing, it also confirmed what he already knew that the hunters had been informed. It was just a matter of whether Chris and Allison were keeping it quiet or not.

Perhaps he should visit and impart some threats of his own, the thought of them coming after Harry caused his eyes to flare in protective fury.

"Who would have thought that your beloved Doctor Deaton would be the reason you're life is now in danger," Peter sneered, how he loathed McCall, he was grateful his mistake had been corrected. Thank goodness he didn't need to endure the pathetic idiot in the pack.

"It's not! He's a…was a good man!" Scott protested, his protests weren't as strong as usual due to his inability to breathe, as he wheezed a little. "This is all your fault!" if he hadn't bitten him none of this would be happening.

"Keep telling yourself that," Peter said with a wicked smirk.

"I need the bite!" Scott rounded on Derek again, "Please! I'll join your pack for real this time!" his puppy eyes staring at Derek in desperation. "Please!"

"You've had my answer, it's no," Derek stated firmly.

"Maybe…" Stiles started, worried about his best friend.

"No," Derek repeated, giving Stiles a warning look, he was an Alpha and faced with an outsider, he couldn't risk everyone thinking they could argue with him.

Stiles grimaced, looking wholly conflicted, on one hand he understood why Derek was saying no…but on the other this was his best friend.

"You'll be killing me! Do you want another death on your conscience?!" Scott spat out, breath heaving as he glared at Derek as if wishing for his death.

Derek flinched, unable to help it, feeling gutted but only the pack could feel that as Derek's face went utterly blank.

"That's interesting, so Deaton told you the truth at some point," Harry mused, purple eyes gleaming at Scott in warning, "Probably to reduce the possibility of Scott settling into the pack while he waited on the ritual taking effect."

"More likely to learn how to manipulate Derek to get what he wanted from him," Peter replied, claws out, eyes flashing as if he was just dying to attack McCall. "Coaching him what to say to get the biggest impact, including the lies about Laura to prevent Derek joining my pack so that the Hale Alpha powers would go to him instead of Derek. As we already thought, there was no way Deaton will have expected Derek to kill me. He knew nothing of him for the past six years…people change." He knew he certainly had.

Derek swallowed thickly, the whole 'has to be another way and not killing' making him feel sick to his stomach. Was he really that easy to manipulate all the time? First Kate Argent that rendered his enter pack ashes, and then Scott in order to manipulate him on Deaton's behest.

"What…no, Deaton wasn't like that! I didn't manipulate anyone!" Scott protested, his uneven jaw dropping dramatically.

Everyone with the exception of Lydia and Stiles heard the tell-tale heart skips with those two lies.

Peter roared in fury, fully shifted as he moved as if to make a beeline for Scott.

"Peter," was all Derek had to say, before the shift faded and Peter glared at his nephew his disappointment prominently displayed before he reluctantly sat back down.

"Please, Derek, please! I need it! You'll be killing me!" Scott pleaded, ignoring Peter and his posturing, an idiotic thing to do, but Scott had never really had much of a survival instinct. "Stiles tell him!" sending his puppy eyes to Stiles, knowing how effective his best friend was with words and how he managed to always get his way with his dad and with others.

"Scott…Derek wont do it, and you can't blame him," Stiles said stiffly, hating what he was doing, feeling torn in two. "You forced him to bite Gerard Argent, you know werewolves think the bite a gift, and you've spent the last year decrying it. You were prepared to kill in order to become human again for god sake! The supernatural community knows what you did, no pack would welcome you after you essentially raped Derek…"

"I didn't rape him!" Scott shrieked, shuddering in disgust at the mere mention of that word.

"You did, you really did, you took away his body anatomy, you forced him to do something he didn't want to do. Something he fundamentally would never have wanted to do. You worked with the Argent's Scott," Stiles stressed, "Werewolf hunters, no pack would willingly accept you into their ranks, they won't be able to trust you. If he gave you the bite he'd just be killing you the same way you attempted to kill Gerard Argent, slowly. You'd go Omega again."

"I wasn't an Omega! I had pack, I thought you were my best friend!" Scott said, staring at Stiles as if he hadn't seen him before.

"And we still can be friends, Scott, if we aren't it will all be on you," Stiles said stiffly, relaxing a little at the feel of Erica's hand on his shoulder. "You can't keep blaming everyone else for your actions, it's not right and not fair." He'd worked with Deaton and manipulated other people…Stiles wasn't sure if Scott had always been that way or if it had only begun after the bite and became too big for his britches. Perhaps he and Scott had been more alike than he thought, except for his moral compass of course. Nobody else could accomplish Scott's moral compass. Although he'd never manipulated anyone to the detrimental to someone's family or worse.

"Hard to be friends with anyone when I'll be dead!" Scott roared only to end up in a coughing fit, after a year of being able to do whatever he wanted, including raising his voice…it was a damn wakeup call to realize there was so much he couldn't do again. shakily using his inhaler. "Coach has pulled me off the team! Mom's hardly ever home! Everyone is pissed of at me!" he whined, "Please Derek, I'll do whatever you want me to do, I promise, please?" he just wanted everyone to stop being pissed at him, to get back on the team and stop feeling like shit constantly.

Derek shifted uncomfortably, beginning to feel like running away, yet he knew he couldn't do that. He had to be the Alpha, had to be a good Alpha to his pack. Running wasn't going to solve anything. He wasn't going to give in, he wasn't going to bite Scott McCall, who it sounded as though wanted the bite again because he was off the Lacrosse team and losing his popularity, it sickened him to the core.

Surprisingly it wasn't Stiles who stepped in – although he'd been about to – it was Harry.

"Even if you were to find someone to give you the bite, it wouldn't take," Harry said deeply amused, grinning almost ferally, uncaring about anyone's feelings. "Oh, you wouldn't die, you'd just have a very painful bite that will take months to heal. There's no creature left in you Scott, once you're one thing you cannot become something else…same applies here even if you aren't technically a werewolf anymore."

Peter snorted, a wicked grin of his own appearing on his features, oh, that was just amusing. His own amusement and the others were felt down the pack bonds. As Jackson, Cora and Isaac joined him in his merriment over this latest revelation. Glancing at Harry, he kissed him in front of the entire pack, murmuring "How I adore you," and he did, eyes flaring with possessiveness.

Harry just arched an pleased brow, almost preening over the approval.

"Is that true?" Stiles asked, subdued.

"Yes," Harry said seriously, giving Stiles a slight apologetic look, he knew Stiles cared very much for the teenager, but some best friends…didn't deserve the title.

Scott just stood there looking lost, looking close to tears, for the first time he begun to realize what it was that he had lost.

"Come on, Scotty, let's get you home," Stiles sighed, standing up, ready to help his best friend home. "I'll be back in a bit,"

"No, you're either with them or you're with me!" Scott said stubbornly, his jaw clenched and head jerked up in a show of determination.

Stiles entire body locked up at Scott's words, he stopped moving.

"Some friend you are," Erica snapped, "You're an absolutely dickhead!" how could he try and force Stiles to choose, apprehension warred within her, within them all. They all knew how loyal Stiles was, what if he chose to go with him? They'd lose their Emissary – Emissary-in-training more like – and more importantly they'd lose a friend. He was a childish immature idiot, he didn't deserve Stiles, not for that ultimatum.

Even Jackson was, he'd seen what Stiles was capable of, the thought of losing that…well, didn't sit well with him at all.

The most worry, resignation and apprehension was coming directly from their Alpha though. It was clear that Derek expected to see Stiles back walking out of the loft for the last time today.

"Well?" Scott demanded impatiently, already feeling smug and sure of Stiles answer. Seeing their reaction and knowing what Deaton said Stiles could be one day…he knew this was the best way to get them back. Before long they'd be running back to them to get on their good side. Harry had to be lying, he was human again, the bite could take. "Are you coming?" he'd find a way to become a werewolf again, he didn't need Derek-fucking-Hale for anything.

"So I can go back to being the third wheel and ignored?" Stiles asked, his voice quiet and sure without his flailing that was uncharacteristically unlike Stiles and it was daunting. "I came to visit you every single day and do you know you've said less than a hundred words to me in that time." His choice already made.

"What? No!" Scott protested, shaking his head, it had to be them, turning Stiles against him. "That's not true," once again lying in the presence of werewolves. Stupid thing to do really.

"I heard it sigh, it told a lie," Cora sang teasingly, singing the quote that Laura used to sing with a bittersweet smile on her face.

Derek inhaled sharply, but a smile of his own appeared, remembering the good days. His primary focus was on Stiles though, gauging his stance, his emotions everything, hoping against hope that they weren't about to lose him. The thought was enough to make him almost panic and flee so he didn't need to hear the words leaving his mouth.

"Look at your phone, Scott, you barely answer my calls, rarely answer my texts messages…whether they're important or not. I've tried, I really have…because I understood you were going through a rough time…but I'm not going to give this up, not for some scraps of attention from you," Stiles said, gesturing towards everyone there, who had been there for him at one point or another when Scott's head was so far up his ass he couldn't see anything but his own bullshit. Except for Jackson. "If you get your head out of your ass that I can have more than just you for a friend, give me a call." He added, bitter and furious over Scott's ultimatum. Hating him for forcing him to choose, but was it really a choice? He'd made it the second Scott spoke…that itself spoke volumes.

"Some friend you are!" Scott spat, "It was your fault this even happened! I've been the only one there for you for years! Listening to you going on about your mother…no wonder she…" before he could get more out Derek roared stopping Scott from saying what he suspected he might.

"Peter," Derek ordered, not having to say a single thing more, already making his way over to Stiles who had crumbled upon the mention of his mother. Gripping Stiles tightly and literally lifting him out of the room, taking Stiles to his bedroom where privacy was assured due to the spells on the room that Harry had enacted. Holding Stiles tightly, as the smell of salty water that indicated tears were falling from the heartbroken teen.

Peter didn't hold back, he grabbed the teen by the neck, snarling ferociously, preventing him from saying what they all knew what he was about to say 'No wonder she left' and he was disgusted by the idiotic little shit. He bodily lifted him by the neck, ignoring the hands scratching at his arm, they'd heal within moments. Ignoring his gasping and spluttering, as he continued to move, and once they were at the gates, he literally flung him outside of their den. There definitely would be bruises after that, good, he deserved them.

"You come near any member of my pack again and I will do what I've wanted to since I made the mistake of biting you, McCall, do you understand me?" Peter snarled, eyes flashing blue, is protective fury nearly overwhelming him, pressing his clawed hand to Scott's chest. "Do you?" he roared when the teen just continued to splutter.

"Yes! Yes! I understand," Scott said, scrambling to get away on his hands and feet, fear finally prevailing over his anger. Shaken to the core, Scott continued to crawl away as Peter watched on in satisfaction. The second he was on his bike, he took off like a bat out of hell.


It took hours to calm Stiles down, with only two bouts of accidental magic due to his intense emotions. Fortunately, nobody got hurt in the process otherwise Stiles would have just felt even worse. "I just…don't understand," Stiles swallowed, still curled up in Derek's bed. Looking impossibly small in the special made bed, "How could he even think to say something like that…he knew…he knows…"

"What does he know?" Derek asked, brushing his hand through Stiles hair or what was there, relishing in the close contact, that he could blame entirely on the pack bonds without it coming across as creepy.

"Do you know how she died?" Stiles asked, his Beta-like eyes peering up at Derek looking as miserable as he felt.

"No," Derek shook his head, he knew nothing about her.

Shifting about, he grabbed something from his pocket, opening his wallet, he pulled out a copy of his favourite picture of them, "Her name was Claudia, she was amazing, everyone loved her, I know most people say that about their parents but she really was. She came to every outing, baked cakes for the sales, and nearly every weekend we would go somewhere whether or not dad could join us. Then she began forgetting things, we didn't think anything of it of course, but it got bad enough that my dad suggested she go to the hospital and get checked out, for their own piece of mind."

Derek looked at the picture and was not surprised by how much Stiles resembled her, since he didn't exactly look like Noah's double. Same hair colour, eyes, and lanky stature, even her smile was similar and she had freckles too. "We were told she had frontotemporal Dementia, it explained why she was forgetting things, there was a mass growing in her brain making it worse and worse. Dad didn't tell me, I overheard and looked it up…and I knew my mom was going to die."

Derek said nothing, just continued his light petting, touch always meant more than words in a pack.

"Nothing prepared me for the reality of it though," Stiles voice trembled with emotion, "At first I was able to help her…it was just small things she forgot, keys, to cook, her baking…then she forgot me, she screamed blue murder one day when I walked into the living room, shouting that her husband was the sheriff that I'd be arrested for breaking and entering…she started throwing things at me to get me out the house…so I did, she locked me out, I was out there for hours…I didn't want anyone to know in case she was taken away. I didn't have my phone with me so I couldn't call my dad and I didn't want to leave her."

Derek closed his eyes, the horror of Scott's words becoming clear for what they were for the first time.

"Eventually I was so cold I went to the McCall's and called dad there, he came home and her episode was over by then. I think dad thought I exaggerated the whole thing. She kept forgetting through, forgetting me." Stiles choked out, pressing down on what could only be phantom pains. Derek didn't need further confirmation that Claudia hadn't just been emotionally hurting her son – unwittingly – but physically too. "Dad still doesn't know everything…but he came home a month later and saw it happen himself, he got her calmed down." a hint of bitterness in his tone that belayed how he felt about the fact his dad got his mom comfortable before helping his son, but Derek wasn't even sure if Stiles even realized he felt bitter about it. "She was put in the hospital after that."

"I'm sorry," Derek murmured quietly, what the hell did you say to someone after a story like that? He hadn't just lost his mother, he'd seen her become someone else, that was…awful.

"I try to remember the good times, but all I think about is the times she calls me a demon or insisted I wasn't her son. I kept visiting right to the end, dad…dad was working when she passed," Stiles admitted, calming down some. "I know it wasn't her, I know that," he insisted.

The mind versus the heart, if anyone intimately understood that, it was Derek. He blamed himself for the fire…despite knowing intellectually that he wasn't to blame, that he was as much a victim as his family.

"Tell me more about the good times," Derek said quietly, still staring at the picture that Stiles had yet to put away. He too desperately tried to cling to the good memories while trying to make new ones with his new pack.

And Stiles did, talking and talking and talking fondly about the various things he did with his mom over the years. Derek noticed a pattern, his father seemed absent more often than not, but it was the same way with him. It had been him and his dad and Peter mostly, with his mom often away visiting and trying to broker peace with other packs between packs. Stiles didn't stop talking until his voice became hoarse and exhaustion swamped him.

Sleep eventually claimed him, safe in the hold of his Alpha and perhaps one day…something more.


There we go! :D finally got a chapter out sorry for the long wait guys I've been too busy with extra temp jobs to pay of my bills (Vet bills man they're awful lol) so no writing has been getting done soooo what do you think? more pack bonding before the Alpha pack get there's? Will we see Harry and the Demon wolf fight? Or will Stiles prove his worth for the pack so very early on and kill Duke with tricks he's been learning from Harry? OR will it be Kali that gets it from Stiles and Harry that kills Duke? what of the twins? Will they merely be stripped of their Alpha powers and sent on their way as Beta's or will they too face the same consequences as the rest of the Alpha pack? R&R please