4.

"Hey dad, I'm just making supper now, it'll be another few minutes though so you have time to…dad? Everything ok?" Stiles back tracked from where he had been walking passed the kitchen door so that he could see his dad again. The Sherriff was standing in the middle of the living room blinking at nothing with a completely stunned expression on his face which said he had no idea what he should be feeling right now. Kind of like the time Stiles managed to make the toilet explode with different household chemicals. Or when he found the collection of homemade Molotov Cocktails underneath his bed in a shoes box next to his porn stash. Or when he found that Stiles porn stash contained as much gay porn as straight porn…maybe a little bit more.

But yeah, the point was generally only Stiles put that expression on his dad's face, and he was fairly sure that he hadn't done anything lately that left enough incriminating evidence for his father to find out. And if that didn't make him sound really bad he didn't know what would. At least his dad knew most…a fair bit about what was going on in Beacon Hills now. He grabbed his dad's arms and pushed him into his armchair.

"Dad? Is everything ok?" Kind of a stupid question but oh well.

"Stiles?" The Sheriff's voice sounded worryingly faint making Stiles concerned that maybe he was coming down with something.

"Why is Derek Hale peeing in our back garden?" The Sheriff's question had Stiles choking on air. His dad at least broke out of his shock in time to smack Stiles on the back.

"He was what!" Stiles forced out through his choking.

"Peeing in our back garden," The Sheriff nodded, seemingly happier now that he had a companion in his confused shock.

"Peeing in our back garden?" Stiles blinked.

"Peeing in our back garden," The Sheriff repeated, still nodding. "And the front I think, there was a stain up the front gate," he added.

"I…well…erm…There's only one thing that I can think of," Stiles winced really not wanting to say the phrase out loud, fairly sure that Derek might actually kill him for it.

"Marking his territory?" The Sheriff apparently was braver than his son. Stiles looked to the front and back door quickly and then the windows panicked waiting for the furious and offended werewolf to come crashing in. "He ran away as soon as he had zipped up," The Sheriff informed him.

"At least he didn't try and run and zip," Stiles said wincing.

"I did see a hell of a lot more of Derek than I ever really wanted to," The Sheriff grimaced. "So there a reason he is marking his territory here?"

"No idea, but I am going to ask him," Stiles coughed standing and making his way to the kitchen.

"And to ask him why he feels the need to come and pee in our yard you feel the need to take him supper?" The Sheriff asked amused from the kitchen doorway where he was watching Stiles plate up some for bolognaise for him before shoving the rest into a Tupperware bowl.

"Have you seen the things he cooks?!" Stiles protested, blushing darker as he realized that he was blushing.

"Missed me!" The Sheriff shouted over his shoulder as he dodged the kitchen roll Stiles through at him in response to his laughter. "I won't stay up, remember to use protection!"

"DAD!" Stiles was sure his cheeks would never be the pale again as he finished putting the food into it tub grumbling to himself.

"Derek Hale!" Stiles shouted storming into the house and glaring at Derek and the puppies gathered on the sofa. Almost as one they all froze and stared at him wide eyed.

"Yes?" Derek tried his charming 'bend to my will' smile that totally didn't work on Stiles. Ok it did a little but then he reminded himself that Derek had been peeing in his back garden, without permission, and his dad had seen. Raising his eyebrow in a way that was perfected from the last three months of dealing with misbehaving puppies Stiles waited it out. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for your dad to see me!" Derek finally broke.

"Didn't mean for…how long have you been peeing in my garden!" Stiles choked. "Sit!" He snapped pointing at the puppies as they all tried to sneak out without him noticing. "How long have you all been peeing in my garden?"

"Well Derek's the only one who has been peeing in your garden, but we all knew about it. We've just all been scent marking you," Jackson answered, the first one to break under Stiles' glare and receiving glares from the others.

"This is a pack/werewolf thing?" Stiles sighed.

"Yes," Derek answered sulkily.

"Why couldn't you just tell me?" Stiles sighed again. At a motion from Derek the rest of them fled for the door, though Jackson paused to nuzzle Stiles slightly before leaving. The Kanima had become more than a little attached to Stiles, seemingly crossing between protecting him and wanting to be protected by him.

"I didn't think you would be happy about it but I didn't want to leave you unprotected and unmarked as part of my pack. You are still hanging around a lot with Scott and helping him, and you're worried about what he thinks about you being around the pack so much, you haven't outright told him that you are pack," Derek huffed, the end coming out as a little bit of a growl.

"Derek," Stiles groaned making his way to the sofa and flopping down on it.

"Do you still want to be part of this pack?" Derek asked quietly making Stiles snap his head around to look at him quick enough that he winced in pain.

"Yes! Derek! Geez! How…I can't…Its not that easy Derek! Its not me just walking up to Scott and saying hey I'm with Derek now and in his pack and haven't really been part of yours for a hell of a long time, still buddies?" Stiles gestured wildly.

"Pretty sure that's it yeah," Derek scowled.

"Derek. Scott and I only had each other for a hell of a long time, and no matter what I have always had his back, I always swore that I would. I have always been there for him. And let's face it you and him are hardly friends, for me to say I'm on your side now, which is exactly what it would be!" Derek grabbed Stiles' flailing hands.

"Stiles me and pack, we're all over you, our scents, you belong to this pack. No amount of showering or changes of clothes removes that scent once you have been accepted and you accept that place. He's not smelt it on you. What does that say?"

"I…" Stiles frowned trying to pull his hands away.

"Stiles I'm not saying this to hurt you!" Derek panicked, grabbing Stiles' wrists and tugging him onto his lap. "Stiles you give so much for him and he doesn't even notice what's right underneath his supernatural nose? You deserve better. He doesn't stop to think of you first. Stiles put yourself and what you want first, for once, even if that's not me," Derek lowered his eyes away from Stiles stopping the angry and annoyed retort that he was going to come back with a sucking in a deep breath stopping his normal automatic reaction to defend Scott.

"Derek I'm pretty sure you're going to be my first choice for a long time," He admitted dropping his head onto Derek's shoulder and nuzzling into his neck.

"But…"

"But no matter what he's done I can never not be there for Scott,"

"I'm not expecting you to never have anything to do with him again or help him out you know,"

"Really?" Stiles lifted his head and blinked at Derek hopefully.

"Stiles, I'm not going to control you, we're equals, mostly," Derek smirked at him leaning forwards to snatch a kiss before carrying on. "I would never demand anything of you that would hurt you or make you unhappy, I was taught to treat mates better than that, I don't want to see you unhappy,"

"Mates?" Stiles smiled, his heart fluttering in a way that he knew Derek could hear.

"M..mates," Derek nodded, pale green eyes flecking with red and searching his face nervously.

"Mate," Stiles hummed kissing Derek again with a wide smile on his lips, grinning even more when Derek breathed out a sigh of relief into his mouth even as he cupped the back of Stiles' head.

"Ow!" Stiles groaned at another thorn went through his thumb. The movies, TV shows and werewolves had a lot to own up to for making this look so easy! Scaling a plant covered trellis was not easy! Or anything like managing to climb Scott's porch. And why the hell did Lydia have to have her bedroom on the third floor?!

Groaning he managed to hook his hands onto the window ledge of Lydia's bedroom window and yanked himself forwards and through, tumbling to the ground in a messy puddle groaning in pain.

"Oh thank god! Derek is totally and completely going to kill me! Like pump me full of wolfs bane and torture me before ripping out my still beating heart and holding it in front of me to see as I die, and we know now from experience that a werewolf can last up to a minute before dying and…"

"Lydia why do you have Danny hog tied on your bedroom floor?" Stiles blinked at Danny where the goalie was lying on his stomach, completely hog tied, gag made of one of Lydia's scarves from the looks of it in his mouth. Though Lydia had put a pillow under him head at least.

"He knows! We were talking and he said something and I…"

"You flashed your eyes," Stiles sighed pulling himself into a sitting position and eyeing Danny where he was lying looking a whole lot frustrated, a little panicked, a lot confused and a lot angry.

"Yeah and Derek is going to kill me!" Lydia hissed.

"Which is why you called me?" Stiles snickered.

"I didn't mean to! And then he was turning to run and I just…I didn't know what to do so I…" Lydia gestured generally in Danny's hogtied direction. Danny who started shouted behind his gag, something Stiles was fairly sure wasn't pleasant. "And then I panicked and I didn't know what to do and I…I was calling you before I realised," Lydia slumped onto her bed tiredly.

"Alright. Danny I'm going to take the gag and bindings off. I'm guessing you probably already know that Lydia can throw you around like a rag doll if you try running, but I am going to explain what's been going on, so I think you might want to sit and listen," Stiles smiled trying to come across as comforting and friendly as best he could.

When Danny was finally untied – 'what the hell did you do with these knots Lydia?' 'I read up on some that I thought might come in handy for hunters' 'oh you as well?' – and sitting on the bed rubbing his red wrists and glaring at them both Stiles and Lydia started talking, explaining nearly everything that they reckoned he needed to know before sitting back and letting him soak everything in.

"What's stopping me from going and telling everyone, your dad, Jackson's?" Danny frowned.

"Well my dad already knows. There's only so many times that things can happen before he has to overcome his natural denial and come up with werewolf, despite what some people think he's incredibly intelligent and good at his job. I had to tell when he was getting too close to the truth. As to going out there and telling everyone? Aside from the fact that you would probably be laughed straight into a life jacket, not sure you heard the part about werewolves, super strength, hearing, speed. If you become a threat to revealing us you become a threat to the pack, and I would be the first in line to stop you from hurting them, never mind the supernatural portion of us," Stiles said firmly, all trace of joking, fool Stiles gone. And as Lydia pressed into his side for comfort she suddenly completely realised that this was the Alpha mate of her pack, this was who Derek needed and the person Stiles had always had the ability to be.

"You're threatening me?" Danny choked.

"I really really don't want to have to Danny. I like you. You're a nice guy whose got a good heart. But if you threaten the safety and lives of my pack, my puppies and my mate, I won't hesitate. But you are Jackson's best friend and Lydia's and I honestly don't think that you would ever do anything to hurt them. You might think that telling people, telling their parents is the best thing to do and the safest for them. But listen to the people who have dealt with this, who know what's going on. Its not. You will only be putting them at risk,"

"I…I need….I need space…time…I need to…I…" Danny stammered.

"Its ok, just we'll know," Stiles shrugged his warning.

"Ok…if I don't tell and can accept it…what happens then?" Danny paused in the doorway.

"I'm fairly sure we have more than enough room in the pack for one more, especially someone with your loyalty, friendship, kindness…not to mention hacking skills. Just don't expect any more peep shows of my mate, he's claimed now," Stiles grinned and managed to get an answering grin, shaky though it was from Danny before he fled.

Stiles turned and tugged Lydia fully into his arms and she wrapped hers tight enough around him they both heard his bones complain until she eased up.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"No worries, and I will go talk to Derek now and make sure he has his major hissy fit out the way before he sees you. You trust Danny and he's been a good friend for a long time, not to mention he probably reeks of Jackson and you, of pack in a way, its no wonder it happened. I'll make him see that," Stiles assured her before making his way to the window again with a grumble.

He had just pried it open and shuffled the lower half of his body out to get a foot hold onto the trellis when Lydia called his name, hurrying over to the window and kissing him on the cheek in thanks.

"Just so you know, you make a totally amazing mate for Derek, he doesn't deserve to get to have you,"

"Yeah he does. If anyone deserves to have a little bit of happiness in his life it is that man…werewolf…alpha. Its Derek," Stiles shrugged before blinking when Lydia smiled a smile that said a whole lot, but nothing that he could interpret. "What?"

"That's exactly what makes you completely perfect for him," Lydia shook her head. Stiles snorted attempting to hide the fact that he was blushing by shuffling further out the window. But once he was only a little of the way down Lydia's red curls appeared out her window, completely with her teasing grin aiming down at him. "You also make an amazing Pack mom!"

"Shut up I am not pack mom! Stop saying that! I'm Pack Dad! Derek is Pack Father! Like my masculinity isn't damaged enough being surrounded by you and Erica who move sofas like they are empty cardboard boxes!" Stiles grumbled all the way down knowing that Lydia could still hear him. "Oh who am I kidding, I'm totally pack mom," He sighed reaching the bottom.

"Told you," Lydia called down.

"Yeah, yeah keep grinning! I still have to convince pack daddy not to make you run 700 laps of the house!" Stiles snorted turning and making his way towards the jeep, readying himself for Derek's blow up and proceeding pout that was likely to happen when Stiles lost his temper and snapped at him. Honestly the Alpha had some pout on him, and the worst part was it was totally more adorable and effective for breaking Stiles than Scott's puppy dog eyes, or even Isaac's! And he was sure Derek knew it!