P.S. Don't worry; there will be no incest between Eli, Derek, and Peter.
December 24th, 2022
6:20 AM
The Guys were still at Lydia's Lake House, resting from the ritual. Derek had to go back to the Loft to gather himself. He had been trying out Yoga. Lately, it is said if you reach Zen and enlightenment, you can manifest being the Alpha again. The rest of the Pack tried deciding if they wanted to spend Christmas Eve together at the Lake House or Derek's Loft. He wouldn't admit it, but he started to like the holidays since Stiles took them over. He would normally have some hot chocolate with a peppermint stick in the mug like his Mom used to make on Christmas Day.
"Derek," Stiles whispered as he lightly ran on the wood floors with his barefoot. Derek thought he hadn't woken anyone up when he left the bed. The Omega ran up to him folding his arms. Derek took this as he was uncomfortable. He also thought he could be cold, he doesn't pay attention to the weather, and Lydia likes her thermostat at 60 Degrees any time of the year. "Hey…" Stiles said awkwardly when he caught up to Derek at the front door, "Where are you going?"
"To my left, is everything okay?" He asked
"I just… wanted to thank you for last night," Stiles looked down bashfully. He and Derek always had this hatred between one another. "You didn't have to… but you did it to save me. I just wanted to say thank you, I know your commitment and intimacy issues, and it was very sweet you wanted to help me," Stiles blushed.
"My commitment issues?"
"Yeah… your first girlfriend was Paige, then Kate… and then Jennifer. You're a good guy that attracts the wrong girls… Sorry," Stiles sighed, trying to stop himself from rambling. "Listen… I just wanted to tell you I am sorry,"
"Sorry for my taste in women?" Derek raised his eyebrow
"No, I'm sorry for whatever I did that makes you hate me. Since we are marked now, I want to start over, especially if I conceive…." Stiles touched his belly; he had mixed feelings about it. He always wanted to be a parent, but not like this.
"You think I hate you?" Derek crossed his arms, upset with himself when Stiles nodded. "Look, kid, I don't hate you… I see a lot of myself in you,"
"Well yeah, you proved that last night," Stiles tried to joke to lighten up the air. He widened his eyes when Derek smiled. "You remind me of myself before Paige, I … don't want to see it leave you, so I didn't try to associate with you. As for Marking you, I didn't have to say yes when Scott told me what the agents told you. I wanted to," Derek explained. "Starting now, okay?" He pat the top of Stiles' head; he hadn't noticed, but Stiles was right. He did have intimacy issues; he was balls deep in him last night, and as he said bye, he couldn't do anything but pat Stiles' head when he left.
As much as Derek was good at dissociating from his feelings and thoughts the 30-minute drive home, Stiles' word loomed over him like that Therapist he saw once… he didn't take his word kindly either. He punched the doctor when he said Derek was emotionally constipated. Derek knew something was wrong when he drove through the city limits, but he could smell it when he got out of his car in the Loft Parking lot. He could smell an Alpha in his territory. He growled under his breath and ran into the woods to find him. He knew he should have waited for backup, but Beacon Hills was his territory. Well… it was Scott and his. But sharing the territory and his pack with one alpha was one too much.
He followed the scent to the burned-down Hale Manor, Making him only angrier. The Alpha smelled like he was radiating power; did he know who Derek was? Derek growled as he walked up the fragile steps of his old house. He was expecting to see a big monster of Alpha.
"Hey! Kid," Derek had a soft spot for younger wolves. He was reminded of himself after the fire. He would try to find an abandoned house and sleep until he was kicked out or ran off. The Kid looked around 18, had tattered clothing, and was curled at the top of the corner of the porch. The Kid woke up and stood up. He didn't run away, so he wasn't afraid or wanted to fight. "Can I help you? Why are you in my town?"
"Hi… is this the Hale Manor?" he asked. Derek wasn't asking if he wanted help. "And You're Derek Hale…"
"What do you want from me?"
"Nothing… I don't want anything," Eli kicked his feet at the rubble. Derek walked closer to him and loomed over him, trying to show if he wasn't intimidated by him. That's when he caught his scent apart from being an Alpha. It is a scent every wolf would know.
"How…" Derek took a step back
"How what?" Eli crossed his arms
"How do you exist… I don't."
"Well, when a woman and a man love each other-"
"I know how," Derek cut him off, "I don't know with who… who raised you? Where do you live? What's your name?"
"You didn't know I existed?" Eli asked
"No, I didn't," Derek said, and Eli listened to his heart and believed him.
"Vera and Aaron Lockwood raised me in Colorado… I didn't know I was adopted until I found my birth certificate. Then for my 16th birthday two years ago, my parents hired a PI to find out who my father is," He explained and pulled out a paper giving it to Derek. "Elijah Gerard Argent… I was put up for adoption when I was 2. I don't remember Kate Argent, do you?"
"I wish I didn't," Derek gave Eli the paperback.
"She can't be that bad?" He asked, leaving out that he had met her last night when she was about to sacrifice him.
"She is the biggest cunt I have ever met," he sighed.
"Hey, she's my mother," Eli growled.
"She killed my family. You're standing on the-" Derek stopped himself from talking and pinched the bridge of his nose, the kid was just confused, and he shouldn't have said that to him.
"She did this?" Eli asked, knitting his brows together and looking at the house in horror.
"Do your parents know where you are?" Derek asked, and Eli shook his head, "Do you have a phone?"
"Look, I don't want to go back there; I am 18 and can live on my own."
"Do you have money?"
"No… I just wanted to meet you. If you don't want to get to know me-"
"No, I do," Derek cut him off, "I just… I don't know how to do this, okay? Be patient with me," Derek told him, and Eli nodded, "Come on… we will go to my loft. You will call your parents to let them know you are alive. You can take a shower and borrow some clothes. You can stay as long as you want,"
"I won't be ruining your Christmas Eve?"
"The Pack will love you," Derek smiled and then frowned. He would have to fill Eli in on what's been going on.
