Stiles bit into the warm pizza slice appreciatively, savoring the taste. Meat lovers, his favorite. Suddenly he felt like something else in him was almost rejoicing, almost like a second presence.

The presence inside of him liked the meat on the pizza. He felt hungrier.

"Derek something's weird," he said. "I feel like there's something else inside of me, almost like another... "

"Side of yourself?" Derek asked him. "Your body is taking to the bite better than I thought. If you keep accepting the change that other side will become your wolf."

"He likes the meat," Stiles explained. "Like loves it actually. Is that what I call my wolf- he?"

"That's what I call mine," Derek replied with a little smile. "You're going to be craving flesh a lot more, and I do mean a lot. That's what your diet will mostly consist of. You'll also feel a lot more competitive and aggresive sometimes, like almost to the point of needing to vent or act out."

Stiles found he actually wanted that in a way. He wanted to be more confident, more exertive, not weak.

Then something flashed in his mind, or was it more like the presence's mind? Derek throwing him into walls. Stiles envisioned himself grabbing the alpha's wrist, twisting, making Derek cry out in pain. Pay him back...

Stiles swallowed the sudden aggresive thoughts down. Why was he angry at Derek? Yet he had a right to be! No one had a right to throw him around like that!

Was this his wolf emerging, making him feel so angry toward Derek? He felt his fingers clenching into a fist and unclenching. Derek took notice.

"Stiles calm down," he spoke suddenly with authority. "Tell me what you're feeling."

Stiles inhaled, trying to calm the aggression, such a new feeling to him.

"I feel angry Derek."

Stiles actually gave him an accusatory glare. Derek flinched inwardly at it. Stiles was angry, and it was directed at him.

"Tell me something," Stiles hissed at him. "What right do you have to treat me like shit!? I get so tired of it!"

Derek felt his own anger rising.

"Is that what you call this!?" Derek snapped at him. "I just ordered your ass a pizza!"

Derek's voice and temper rising made Stiles' aggression ebb a little. Suddenly it was gone. He felt like himself again.

"Derek I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that stuff."

Derek clenched his fingers into a fist and sighed, getting a hold on his anger.

"I know you didn't Stiles. He made you say it. What will become him, your wolf. Its important we talk about this."

"What's to talk about?" Stiles asked, suddenly a little defensive. "I would like to know myself what makes you treat me that way. Sometimes I think you hate me."

Derek felt a little shocked. Is that what Stiles thought?

"Stiles I don't hate you," he found himself saying. "You know I don't."

Blue eyes gazed into him with a hint of sadness and hurt. Stiles knew it. Derek didn't hate him. He was being stupid.

"You're right Derek. I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm feeling."

"I do," Derek said, eying him with slight concern. "The bite's taking. Its taking way faster then I expected. You should sleep. That'll help calm you."

Stiles crammed down another slice of pizza, feeling like things were suddenly alright between them again. Derek was concerned about him, that made the other side back down.

He was a little tired. Maybe a nap couldn't hurt. He stood from his chair and stretched a little, yawning.

"Nap might not hurt," Stiles told him. "Where do you keep the bed stuff?"

"Living room closet."

Stiles found what he was looking for, spare pillows, sheets, blankets. Not that he'd need a blanket. It was a pretty warm evening.

He hadn't felt tired until he'd thought about it. He settled down on the couch, pulling the sheet around himself.

"Hey Derek?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"Where's your sister and Isaac?"

"Lydia's," came the alpha's reply. "Lydia and Cora are becoming pretty good friends, and Isaac... gods, he follows my sister everywhere these days."

Stiles snuggled against the pillow, eyes dropping closed. He was way more exhausted than he could have guessed, he was soon falling into the dark nothingness of sleep.

ooOoo

Stiles had tossed and turned all night. He'd also woke a few times sweating, feeling intensely hot like he was burning up with fever. When he did Derek would place a cool cloth on his forehead and shush him back to sleep.

Stiles barely remembered it the next morning. He groaned and his eyes opened. Had he slept all night?

The first thing he noticed was how much more radiant the sunlight looked to his eyes. He could see spectrums of color in it, he could see all kinds of colors. The loft looked more real, like he was only now seeing the world for the first time.

He also heard things now that he listened. Derek's breathing, not just his snores, but his heart pounding inside his chest. He heard the pipes in the walls groaning and making noises.

Stiles held his hands in front of his eyes. He could feel the change that had taken place within him, the shift. He was a werewolf!

"Derek," he spoke.

Derek groaned from the other side of the loft where his bed was. The alpha sat up and rubbed his eyes, his black hair sticking up slightly.

"What time is it?"

"Derek its happened," Stiles spoke with excitement. "I've become a werewolf. I can see and hear things... "

Derek blinked a few times and actually managed a sleepy grin.

"Congrats," he said. "I think we need coffee though."

Stiles was curious as he watched Derek get up from his bed. He wondered...

"Derek could I change now if I wanted? You know, shift?"

"You can try," the alpha replied. "Just think about the wolf you want to be. Envision yourself with claws, fangs. It isn't the full moon, so you should be in control."

Stiles closed his eyes and fixed the image in his mind. He thought about his nails lengthening into claws, his fangs and beta yellow eyes.

He gasped a little as his fingers seemed to stretch, a sharp pain. Stiles opened his eyes and looked down at his new claws, hardly daring to believe it.

He felt that rush of confidence, that exertiveness again.

Derek watched all this alertly. He didn't need coffee now. His gaze drank in Stiles' golden beta eyes, his claws and fangs.

Stiles drew on something inside of him, that confidence, that feeling of being powerful. He felt it rising in him.

Derek took note of the golden eyes locking directly on him. Stiles snarled and then puffed his chest out, releasing a mighty, piercing howl.

"Stiles try to anchor yourself," Derek spoke. "Think about what makes you feel. Love, sadness... "

Stiles combed his mind, thinking almost immediately of his mother. He thought about her cinnamon eyes like his own, her smiling at him and laughing.

He felt the longing and sadness at missing her. It seemed to bring his other side, his wolf back under submission.

"You've done it Stiles," Derek told him. "That's your anchor. That's what keeps you human."

Stiles still found it all so hard to believe. He'd felt so powerful, and he was actually a werewolf. He could shift now just like Derek or Scott.

Derek was still eying him with interest. Stiles was unusual. Shifting wasn't unheard of for a fledgling, but anchoring yourself effectively the first time...

Stiles had done it like it was nothing. Derek had seen the golden eyes shift back to cinnamon brown. He'd seen the human features slowly return.

He smiled a little.

"I'm impressed Stiles. That was very good for your first time. Let's say we go out for breakfast somewhere? My treat."

Stiles could definitely go for that.