"SHUT UP!" was roared out visciously from their Alpha which made every wolf cower in submission and even the humans to flinch in fear of Derek's wrath. Letting out a growl Derek prowled along the length of the room looking down at his pack feeling nothing but contempt and longing. He hated how they feared him but needed them to follow his instructions without question. He longed for the way his pack worked when Stiles had been around, he had been the glue that held everyone together and now with him gone Derek wasn't sure how to take charge other than with brute force because that's what he's best at. Brute force.
Now he ruled over the pack with an iron fist of fear and as much as he wanted to he couldn't change any of it, without an anchor, a balance things would never get better they'd just get worse. Because without Stiles they had neither. He could feel himself slipping, he was doing things he never would have even considered before and there was no way to stop it. He was grasping at straws trying to keep control, but knew he was failing which did nothing but further frustrate the Alpha.
"Just do what I say!" The Betas wouldn't be able to resist the Alpha command to his voice, but there was a whisper there in the back of his head saying that the Alpha command shouldn't be necessary, that his pack should want to do whatever was best. What would protect everyone. Instead his Betas seem to want the opposite of what his instincts are screaming at him to do.
"I think it's well past time for us to test our sweet little Stiles' skill set, don't you think Argent?" Peter asked as they were planning their next attack. Which caused Stiles' attention to snap to the wolf, anger simmering just below the surface as he asked in turn, "Do you not trust me to be able to protect my pack, zombie wolf?" Of course that wasn't what Peter had meant at all, he was simply curious as to what Stiles did and did not know because so far he had surpassed every expectation, but this new Stiles was easier to anger in a way that the old one was just slightly irritated. It was quite the jarring change to be honest, and one that he had yet to adjust to if he was being honest.
"Ya Hale, don't you think our sweet little Stiles is capable of protecting us?" Chris asked smirk firmly in place at Peter's fumble in his words that caused the boy's temper to flare in offense to the question of his abilities. It wasn't often that Peter said the wrong thing but it seemed that this new version of Stiles caught the wolf off guard, which was a feat in and of itself because Peter always seemed to be prepared for anything and everything. At least where the hunter was concerned, that was. Peter glared right back at the hunter no doubt pissed that the hunter was mocking him using his own words against him, no matter that Chris was just as curious as to what other skills and tools that Stiles had hidden away.
The wolf growled as he moved towards the hunter who was mocking him. Nobody was allowed to mock him, least of all this man. But he was stopped by Stiles stepping into his path towards the hunter he had intended to teach a lesson in what was and wasn't allowed when it came to speaking to him. "Do you really need another show of dominance oh wolf of mine, was my not taking down our hunter in two moves not enough proof?" Dropping his Alpha's gaze while baring his neck in a plea for forgiveness in his careless words Peter said in a matter of fact tone, "I simply meant we should know your capabilities and limitations oh Alpha mine."
He didn't see the punch coming that hit him straight across the cheek or the knee to his solar plexus that stole his breath for just long enough for the boy to sweep kick his already unsteady feet right out from under him landing on his back before Stiles fell upon his knees bracketing Peter's arms with a wolfsbane infused knife from seemingly nowhere pressed daringly to his neck. "Does this answer your question then Hale?" Eyes wide in surprise glowing Beta blue at the smell of wolfsbane Peter pushed his neck up into the knife in a show of trust and submission gasping out a, "Alpha" that ended with a growl of approval.
"Looks like you've been bested there Hale." Chris said in both shock and approval as a curl of want spread through his belly at the show of dominance against not just another human but a wolf. Stiles stood after leaning down to nuzzle into the neck presented to him that bore a small cut that would heal human slow as proof of his dominance to the Beta wolf. "I wouldn't sound so superior there Argent, you've already been bested by me and it only took two moves."
At the look from the boy Alpha Chris bore his neck without hesitation with a lowered gaze to appease the boy. "Now that that is out of the way let's get back to the problem at hand and finish planning our next attack."
"Derek! The hunters have Boyd and Erica!" Jackson exclaimed after spending the last five minutes trying to get it through to the Alpha that he had important news. The roar of an Alpha on the edge of losing himself to the lure of the Alpha power, of a were that was more animal than man now echoed through the loft at the thought of his Betas at the mercy of hunters.