An Alpha Pack had made its way into Beacon Hills and had kidnapped three members of the Derek' pack. Isaac had managed to get away, but unfortunately they had taken away his memory of their location. They had managed to get them back through some very unorthodox manner. Right now, they just needed to save Boyd and Erica.
Which was now why Scott and Stiles were gathered in his loft trying to figure a way out to rescue the others. Derek still helped Scott with his powers after Scott apologized for the betrayal he had caused when Gerard was in town. Last thing he needed was untrained beta run amuck while there was another enemy in town. But Scott wasn't the problem for Derek, it was Stiles.
Derek and Stiles been together since the moment at the pool where Stiles saved his life, but after they took care of Gerard Derek ended it. He claimed it was because he didn't want to see Stiles get hurt trying to protect him. At some point, during the Kanima issue Gerard had kidnapped Stiles and…Derek didn't like thinking what happened.
So that's why he tried everything possible to make sure that both Scott and Stiles didn't get caught in between the crosshairs with the enemy pack, but the two friends, a ton of blueprints, and his back-from-the-dead uncle only proved that he didn't try hard enough.
Especially since Peter was all against the idea of trying to rescue Boyd and Erica in the first place, "Do I have to remind you what we're up against here?" Peter asked the group, from his place by the spiraling staircase, "A pack of alphas. All of them, killers." Peter told them. "And if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant Alpha." Peter reminded them. "I'm sure Erica and Boyd were sweet kids. They're gonna be missed."
Stiles, who had constructed the plan of getting Erica and Boyd out without detection made a noise of annoyance, "Could someone kill him again, please?"
For some reason, this causes Stiles and Derek to exchange an awkward glance before ignoring each other again. Stiles still wasn't going to talk to Derek and Derek was trying to ignore a scent that somehow managed to attack itself to Stiles.
"Derek, seriously?" Peter questioned him, noticing the exchange. "Not worth the risk."
"What about you?" Derek asked.
For a moment, Stiles thought that Derek was willing, "Yeah, I'm surprised..." Stiles agreed quickly.
"Not you." Derek interrupted with an annoyed tone, "I was talking to Scott."
"Yeah, how could I not see that coming?" Stiles replied, moving from the table and from Derek.
"We have to do something." Scott told them. He wanted to wait until Argents reinforcement came to help, but he also didn't want to have to wait on them as well, "We have to try."
That's how the plan was settled. They were going to wait till the moon was up before they go and break into the abandoned bank building where the Alphas had Boyd and Erica. It was an easy foolproof plan. But for some reason, Derek still couldn't relax and he wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't had his betas in his pack in a long time or the smell that Stiles was giving off.
He choose the latter as he grabbed Stiles away from Scott and pulled the human up on the rooftop of the loft, "Whoa, what has gotten into you?" Stiles demanded.
"Why do you smell like that?" Derek questioned roughly. That wasn't a question that Stiles was expecting to come out of his mouth.
"Smell like what?"
"You smell like another werewolf." Stiles gave him a judgmental look, "Someone was not Scott." He gritted.
"Don't see how it's any of your business," Stiles countered unimpressed, but Derek was giving a look that clearly showed he wasn't in the mood for Stiles' antics, "Well, I didn't run into any other supernatural creatures in the past…" But Stiles drifted remembering an event that happened recently, "The girl at Heather's party."
"What?" Derek questioned.
"At Heather's party I ran into this chick whose eyes looked like they had flashed red for a second, but I think it was the trick of the light." Stiles remembered, but there was look of alarm on Derek's face. "What?"
"Did she do anything to you?" He asked twisting and turning Stiles for inspection as if the girl had left a mark or something.
Stiles was having none of it and pushed away.
"Okay, one, stop that." Stiles snapped, "And two, the only thing she did was spill a drink on me." Stiles told him.
"She touched you." It wasn't a question.
"We shook hands after she apologized," Stiles told him, but now Derek had a worried expression on his face. "What, it's a normal thing to do. Why does this have you so worked up?"
"She's an Alpha, Stiles. She's a part of that pack. Her scent was a message for me."
"Well, at least she didn't beat the crap outta me." Stiles told him, but Derek's eyes flashed red. "Whoa, calm down big guy. Didn't mean to bring up an unpleasant memory."
"You're staying here with Peter." He told her. Stiles immediately began to protest the idea.
"What? No way! He tried-"
"I know what he tried to do." Derek interrupted, "But he'll keep you safe. You're my mate and they know who you are. So you're staying here." He repeated firmly.
"I can't believe you're leaving me here with him." Stiles huffed annoyed, walking back inside. It wasn't like Derek wanted to do in the first place.
Stiles didn't stay at the loft as planned. Instead, Stiles got trapped in the basement with his two rouged betas and a school teacher. Derek was close to losing Stiles again and this time it would've been in front of his own eyes if he hadn't distracted the two werewolves.
The ride to the loft had been a quiet one. Derek hadn't spoken a word to Stiles since the basement. Not even as he placed Stiles in his car and slammed the door shut. Stiles knew better than to say anything.
Derek was staring out the large window, while Stiles stood by the table awkwardly in silence. Even as the sun began filling inside the loft, Derek remained silent and Stiles couldn't take the silence any longer, "They didn't kill anyone."
At the sound of Stiles' voice, Derek whipped his head around, "They could've killed you." He snapped, "What would you have done if that cage hadn't been down there?"
Stiles wasn't surprised by the harsh tone Derek had been using, "I'd get into the fetal position and play dead."
"That isn't funny." Derek countered with a serious expression and his arms crossed.
"Do you see me laughing?" Stiles questioned back to him, "I saw two dead bodies tonight. That's more than what I wanted to see."
"Maybe you wouldn't have if you had stayed in this loft like I told you to in the first place."
"Oh for the love of-let it go."
"I will not let it go." Derek roared, "I told you to stay in this loft for your own protection. You were to stay here so they couldn't get to you, but no you went out and did whatever the hell you wanted like you always do."
"Excuse me?" Stiles countered angrily, "You're the one who left me with someone who has not only tried to kill me, but has threatened to do so on multiple occasions. Besides Lydia needed me and honestly I would rather take my chances getting attacked by rabid werewolves than to be stuck with Peter."
"I told you he would protect you." Derek counted walking up the table that separated them. He leaned across the table and took a hold of one of Stiles' hands.
"And I told you that I was no longer a concern for you," Stiles spilled easily, struggling to get the hand back, "And if they had wanted me I'm sure I would've been taken already, but no they took Boyd, Erica, and Isaac instead."
"And looked what happened…" Derek's voice finally dropped, causing Stiles to stop struggling against his hold, "Which is why you're wearing this."
Stiles watched as Derek went up the stairs for a moment, only to come down holding his old leather jacket.
"I'm not putting that on," Stiles rejected quickly, "If anything that screams "Target" rather than "Hands Off"! I mean seriously?!"
"You are a target," Derek reminded Stiles, "The news of a new alpha, especially one with a mate, travels fast. People start taking notice."
"Yeah, well someone should tell them that we aren't together. Did someone in the supernatural grapevine forget to mention that?"
"It wouldn't have mattered. To them you're just someone with the unfortunate luck of being soul-bonded to an Alpha."
"Fine." Stiles caved in, "I'll wear it."
Derek handed the jacket without another word and watched Stiles put on the jacket. To him, it looked so right for Stiles to be wearing it.
"What are you staring at?" Stiles asked, interrupting Derek's thought process.
"I need to put more of my scent on it."
Stiles gave him a challenging look, "What you need a handshake too."
"No," Derek countered, "Just don't move."
Stiles does as directed even as Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles pulling them close together. Derek tried hard not to listen to the sound of Stiles' rapid heartbeat or take in the smell of them mixing together.
No one says a word about the kiss that was shared in the basement earlier.
Scott was going to attempt to talk to Deucalion in hopes to avoid another fight. Stiles just hope that it would work. Because really Stiles couldn't handle finding more dead bodies. Stiles was so focused on trying to stay distracted, that Derek's presences goes unnoticed until Stiles caved from the computer and pushed back from the desk.
Stiles wasn't to admit that jumping may have occurred.
"Okay, you seriously need to stop doing that." Stiles told him, "I should probably start putting mountain ash on the window, but then Scott would never get in." A ramble began to form, "Well, normal people use the front door, but he's not normal anymore. He's a freaking creature of the night like you." Stiles turned towards Derek and it brought back the last time Derek had been in the bedroom, talk about horrible déjà vu. "Speaking of which, what are you doing here?"
"I came to see if you actually are actual going to stay inside tonight. Some people don't have a good track record of doing what they're told." Derek says.
"Yeah, I already promised Scott-"
"So you'll listen to Scott, but not me? I'm your mate." Derek gritted making his way over to the computer chair that Stiles occupied. "You're supposed to listen to me." His eyes flashed the Alpha red.
"Scott's my best friend and he already has enough to deal with, last thing he needs is me in the way." Stiles argued.
"Why does that sound so vaguely familiar?"
"Maybe I'd actually listen if you weren't so dead set on pushing me away all the time. I, mean, when I saw the Alpha pack symbol on the door it suddenly made sense. Seriously, you could've said "Hey, Stiles enemy in town, they may come after you", you know?"
"I could've handled it better."
"You got that right."
There is a moment of silence, before anyone speaks again, "Just don't die, okay?" Stiles told him, earning a weird look, "I know we aren't together and the kiss was a fluke but-"
Derek interrupted Stiles, "It wasn't a fluke." And to prove his point Derek kissed Stiles again.
"I love you Derek Hale."
"I love you too, Stiles Stilinski."
The Alpha pack was defeated the same night.