James jerks in Derek's arms. Stiles raises an eyebrow at Derek.
"Scott is calling us down with all the pack." The werewolf explains. Stiles nods as James tenses further. Derek runs his free hand up and down James' forearm. "You need to meet the pack. We need to meet you. Nothing will happen to you."
"Not while we're around." Stiles smiles gently.
"As if a human can protect me from wolves." James replies back but the sharpness of his words is cut way down by the look of gratitude on his face.
"Come on. Lets go." Stiles begins to untangle his fingers from James and Derek's and moves to stand up. A small pain makes itself known in the lower part of his back, from standing in one position for far too long. He lets out a little hiss but suddenly Derek's hand is on his skin and the pain is gone, Derek's veins turning black as he draws in Stiles' discomfort. James watches the black disappear up Derek' arm. He touches one vein with a shaky forefinger. Derek shivers.
"How...?" James asks sounding like a reverent child.
"It's a thing we can do." Derek answers as if taking pain away is the most natural of things. And, maybe, for him, it is. Stiles thinks. James' eyes move to Derek's eyes. Stiles feels his pants tighten a little as Derek leans in to place a small, calming kiss on James' lips, still holding onto Stiles' skin as he does so. James sighs under Derek's gentle touch.
"Wolves can take away anxiety, too?" James asks, eyes closed, nose on Derek's as the gently break apart. Derek smiles with his whole face and it's a joy for Stiles to see, even if he's not the one who cause that smile to come to life.
"No. It's just a Derek thing." Stiles answers before Derek can. James smiles, too.
"Well, then, I guess I'll have to keep you around."
Derek opens his mouth to answer to that but a groan escapes his lips instead. "Alpha's getting anxious. We need to get out." James nods but gets a light shade of pink in his cheeks.
"Are... are you blushing?" Stiles asks like a little bitch, enjoying the shyness on the vampire. James snaps his steel eyes up, trying to look menacing and failing miserably.
"I'm naked over here..."
"Already seen it..." Stiles sing-songs as he moves to the bedroom to get them both towels. He hears Derek chuckle as he leaves to search through Derek's closet.
"Second shelf on the right." Derek calls to him as water slushes around in the bathroom. Stiles quickly finds the towels and grabs two soft looking ones. He brings them back to Derek and James but stops in the bathroom doorway seeing wet, naked Derek standing in the middle of the bathroom, hand extended for a towel. Stiles swallows. Derek blushes smelling Stiles' body betray him once more. James smirks as well, still a little pink in the face, but just as aroused, judging by his dilated pupils.
"You two! Stop it! And gimme that!" Derek snarls, snatching a towel out of Stiles' hand and stomps away to the bedroom, the blush on his face only getting deeper as a smiles tugs at his lips when he slips past Stiles into his own room. Stiles licks his lips watching him go.
"Hate to see him leave..." James whispers. Stiles nods.
"He definitely has that kind of ass to make you love to watch him go."
"YOU THREE! GET DOWN HERE!" Scott howlers from downstairs, loud enough for Stiles to pick up.
"COMING!" Stiles howlers back, just because he can, shoving the second towel to James who's once again pink in the face.
"Can you... turn around or...?"James asks as he grabs onto the proffered towel. Stiles arches an eyebrow.
"Dude. I'm the one who took your pants off... I know what's..." Stiles makes a lewd gesture to sign James' crotch. James looks down. "It's not like it would be the first time..." Stiles sighs seeing as James will not move but turns around. He goes to Derek's room to see the werewolf pull a black wife beater over his head. It covers the tattoo on Derek's back, but does nothing to cover the glory that are Derek's arms. Stiles grins. Water is slushing around in the bathroom again. James is finally getting out so Stiles moves forward to wrap his arms around Derek's waist and rest his chin over the man's left shoulder. Derek bashfully looks downward but closes his arms over Stiles'.
"Alpha's calling..."
"I know." Stiles whispers, but sighs happily just holding onto Derek.
"Emm...clothes..." James asks from the bathroom door, just a few moments later. Stiles lets go of Derek and turns to see James holding the towel around his waist with a grip that makes his white knuckles even more white, his face and chest a little pink. Derek moves quickly, grabbing a pair of his old sweats and a soft looking t-shirt from his drawers and handing them to James.
"I don't know if you want underwear... I... I've got..."
"I don't wear any..." James whispers shyly and runs back to the bathroom to put Derek's clothes on. Stiles can't help a smile.
"Since when am I the confident one?" He teases. Derek blushes furiously.
"You're a little shit, aren't you?" James emerges from the bathroom, Derek's clothing looking a little big on him but it makes him look soft and cuddle-able, Stiles thinks.
"Yeah, he is." Derek smirks and Stiles squeaks in outrage following the werewolf and vampire out the door. What even is his life anymore?
"Finally." Scott growls when they get down the stairs. Then he makes a face.
"What?" Stiles asks stupidly.
"Both of them? Really?" Scott asks but Stiles is not sure who's the addressee of the question but he replies either way.
"Yeah, cause I'm awesome that way." Scott simply shakes his head and leads the way to the living room where the whole pack has gathered around. Stiles walks in after his best friend, cockily defying all pack ranking. He hears Derek give a huff behind him but he pretends not to hear it and moves to sit on the couch - the only piece of furniture that has three seats - as he's cataloging everyone's reaction.
Boyd has taken over one of the love chairs, Erica claiming his lap like she belongs there and only there; Jackson is on the second love chair, Lydia perched on the arm rest, her legs crossed at the ankles, looking poised, almost regal, Jackson's hand on her knee in a gesture of pure possession that she seems to enjoy a bit too much; Isaac is sitting on the window sill, with Allison by his side, a little bit of space in between the them, as their relationship is tentative and new; Scott sits down on the floor, by the last love chair, at Kira's feet, with a look of pure happiness flashing for just a moment on his face as her hand slips to his shoulder and their fingers lock together a half a second later. The whole pack is here. Stiles smiles feeling safe.
Derek enters the living room, radiating happiness as the pack's omega trails in after him. Derek sits on the other side of the couch that Stiles has claimed for them, leaving James with only one option. James sits between Derek and Stiles, looking at the carpet as if it's the most interesting thing he's seen in his life. Stiles places a hand on James' forearm, trying to calm him down, and realizes that he has mirrored Derek's movement without even thinking about it.
"So, I guess introductions are in order." Scott speaks up. James nods, not looking up. "Pack. This is James. Our new omega." Scott says in his Alpha voice. "Omega." James lifts his eyes and meets Scott's deep brown gaze. Stiles tightens his grip just a little. "You know Derek. My second in command. And his mate."
"Mates..." James whispers ever so quietly, just a little louder than a breath. A smile tugs at his lips.
"Yes. I noticed." Scott replies. Jackson snickers. Lydia elbows him. Scott grins. "The snickering one is Jackson. His mate, Lydia." James' eyes follow Scott hand as he gestures and nods at them. Jackson bares his teeth and Lydia elbows him again. "Boyd and his mate Erica." Another little nod from James, a dirty wink from Erica and a nod from Boyd, who tightens his hold on his mate, knowing her too well for his own good. "Isaac, the youngest of my pack... until now... and his mate, Allison." James nods. Allison blushes brighter than the sun. "And this is Kira. My beautiful mate." Scott finally says looking up with adoring puppy eyes. Kira beams down at him. James nods once more. "Derek, Boyd, Erica, Isaac and myself are werewolves, as you very well know. Jackson is a kanima. Lydia is banshee. Kira is kitsune. Allison and Stiles are humans, but she's a werewolf hunter and Stiles has a rather powerful Spark. I guess a vampire is a nice addition to our pack." Scott finishes. "Is there anything you would like to ask?" James looks at Scott for a second.
"Kanima?" Scott turns to Jackson.
"Show him." He orders. Jackson rolls his eyes, but gets up, pulls his shirt off and shifts into his beta form then even further into his kanima form.
"Reptile?" James gasps. Jackson crooks his head to the side, his tail swooshing from side to side to wrap it around Lydia's lower legs. Lydia pets his head lovingly.
"He was bit by a rogue Alpha. He had some issues, felt guilty and turned to a kanima instead of a werewolf. Once his issues were fixed and Lydia accepted to be his mate Jackson gained his beta form. He rarely uses the kanima form, though. It's harder to control. You may shift back, Jackson." Scott orders, his eyes flashing red. Jackson shifts to his beta form under the Alpha gaze. He sits down just as he is. Lydia rolls her eyes but pats his hairy hand. "Anything else?" James nods eagerly, a bit more courage.
"Kitsune?" Kira beams. Scott looks up at her and nods.
"Look at me as if it were night." She says, her voice sweet, gentle, melodic. James frowns but turns his eyes blood red. He gasps audibly.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Scott asks with a dreamy tone of voice. Kira beams brighter.
"You're such a love sick pup." Stiles shakes his head. Scott frowns at him.
"Thank you for showing me." James says directly to Kira. She nods once.
"You're pack now, James. You're family."
"Coven..." James says, his eyes turning steel once more. He looks downwards, with sadness. Derek pulls him into his side. Stiles squeezes his leg.
"Tell me what happened. With the other pack." Scott orders, a little hint of Alpha voice, to bypass James' walls. James nods.
"My coven... we were big... powerful... but then... dogs came... dogs like you, with red eyes and big teeth... they killed my parents... my brothers... my whole family... I only escaped because my eldest brother killed their leader... or tried to... I don't know... I ran... I just ran..." Stiles moves to cuddle into James' other side. Derek is running his hand up and down James' arm to help him fight off the tears. Scott gets up and moves to stand in front of James, his eyes bright red. A loud growl escapes his chest. It makes all the wolves whimper, Derek's blue eyes lifting up to plead for James. The Alpha, however, does not let that stop him. He grips the front of James' shirt and easily lifts him up to be eye level. James makes a small strangled noise. Derek lifts one hand to bring James back, but Scott lets out another growl and the wolf pulls back looking positively hurt and conflicted.
"Scott..." Stiles tries, since he is the one who is least affected by Scott's Alpha power.
"Don't." Scott spits out making Stiles shut his mouth. "You listen, Omega." Scott is using his Alpha voice and even Stiles can feel the power in his bones, making him shiver. No wonder all the wolves are now making themselves as small as they can, small whimpers escaping their lips, necks fully bared in submission. Lydia is cradling Jackson to her chest as he's shifted back to his fully human form. Even Allison is trying to soothe Isaac where he's pulled himself into a tight ball on the window sill. She's got a hand on Isaac's forearm, trying to look brave for him, even though she's clearly shaking. "You will NEVER address ANY werewolves as dogs. EVER. AGAIN." Scott bellows. James lets out another small noise, his eyes huge, almost out of his head. "EVER!"
"Yes, Alpha." James finally says, baring his neck instinctively. Scott shakes him once with a growl then allows him to fall back onto the couch in a heap of limbs. Derek envelops him in a tight hug, whimpering, but still showing Scott his neck. Stiles drapes himself over Derek's arms, placing himself between Scott and James. Kira stands from her place.
"Scott..." She says quietly, pleading to both Scott and his wolf. "He didn't mean to offend." Scott growls. "It's the way he's been brought up, Scott... please..." Scott growls again but allows the red to bleed out of his gaze. The wolves instinctively relax the tiniest bit. Stiles and Derek still hold their places.
"I'm sorry..." James lets out.
"He's an idiot." Stiles tries again. "Please, Scott."
"Just like you." Scott snarls. "He was definitely made for you." Scott teases making Stiles let out an outraged hey. Derek almost smiles. Stiles knows even if he can't see it. He can feel Derek's smile like a warmth inside of him, waiting to take over, but not being allowed. Not just yet. Not until the Alpha is soothed. Kira is helping. So is James' submission.
A few tense moments roll over them until Scott fully calms down. He is still standing. Still looking down at the three of them when he speaks next.
"Who were the wolves that killed your pac... coven? Why did the target you?"
"I... I don't know... they all had red eyes... like yours... Mom and Dad... they... they didn't want to give up our territory... I think... I'm not sure... I am... was... the youngest... they wanted... wanted to keep me away from that... keep me safe..." James tries to explain, his voice breaking almost with every word.
"All of them..." Derek whispers from behind them.
"You know anything?" Scott asks. Derek swallows. Stiles feels fear, pure fear, grip at his insides. He turns to look at Derek, still holding his hands on James who's now crawled up in a ball on Derek's lap.
"Yes... The Alpha pack..." Everyone's eyes bulge out.
"The what?" Scott asks incredulously.
"Alpha Pack... made of alphas..." Derek explains, very eloquently.
"How does that even work?" Stiles asks. Allison sighs. She stands moving to the middle of the room to sit on the couch's arm rest, by Derek, placing a comforting hand on James' shoulder.
"One of them is their chosen leader. They chose him. Sort of like a beta chooses his alpha, at times, but not exactly... they draw power from one another... are more powerful than any wolf out there and together nothing can stop them." She explains. "My family has been hunting them for decades. We have never managed to catch any of them... they kill everything in their path... and don't stop until they have decimated all members of the pack... or coven... they target..." James' eyes snap to her.
"You mean...?" Allison nods. "I'm bringing them here..." Allison looks down at James, pain clear in her eyes as she acknowledges his statement as correct. James suddenly jumps to his feet. "NO! I won't! I can't! I much rather go find them, let them finish it... then lose another family... no!" He moves to leave the room, but Derek is faster, stronger in his beta form, as he shifts suddenly and wraps both of his shifted arms around James' torso. Stiles stands as well, taking James' hand. Scott is the next to react.
"No." Derek snarls.
"James..." Stiles tries.
"SIT!" Scott orders in his Alpha voice. Derek sits on instinct. James yields. Stiles sits down next to them. Scott moves in front of them. He pulls James up slowly. Derek reluctantly lets go of his mate. Scott's reaction of hugging James is certainly unexpected by the whole pack. "You are pack now, James. It's already too late. We'll protect you, even when you act like a child."
Stiles stands and hugs James from behind, resting his cheek on the vampire's shoulder blade, his arms encompassing Scott as best he can. Derek moves as well. He gets on Stiles' right side, hugging him and James at the same time. Kira comes up from behind Scott, who lifts up his right arm and envelops her in his warmth as she clings onto both him and James. Allison comes up next hugging Stiles and Kira. Isaac moves behind Allison to hug her and Stiles, his hand sliding in under Derek's arm. Lydia hugs Derek and Scott and Jackson moves in behind her, his arms enveloping Scott as well. Erica hugs Kira and Scott and Boyd gets over his shyness to hug Erica and Allison. Stiles feels warmth and love and safety. Things could not be better. Or, maybe, they could. If only James would relax in his arms.
It takes time. But slowly, as Stiles' core heat increases from the wolf man shaped furnaces all around him, James relaxes in the middle of the group hug. He sighs into Scott's chest where the Alpha has seriously crushed him.
"Thank you." He finally whispers.
"You're our omega now. It's our responsibility - MY responsibility - to keep you safe." Scott whispers in his ear.
James begins crying quietly. Everyone tightens their grip on whomever they're hugging. Kira places a gentle kiss on James' forehead.
"They may all be alphas, but we have diversity on our side." She says with mischief bleeding out of her words, pure kitsune way of thinking. Scott grins at her.
"See why I love her?" He asks at random making Stiles chuckle.
James calms down. Scott makes him look up and meet his deep brown fully human eyes.
"There's one more thing you need to tell us." James nods his whole body tensing up in anticipation. "What do you like on your pizza?"
"Meat." Is the instant answer. Stiles barks out a laugh.
"See - you fit right in."
"Boyd." Scott begins to delegate. "Order us a few meat on meat pizzas from Pete's. "Jackson - beer duty. Allison - pillows. Stiles - popcorn. Don't burn it again! Erica - blankets. Isaac - sodas and whatever drinks the girls want. Derek - movie. Lydia - chips. Please." Scott ads after a moment. Lydia nods, satisfied, as everyone moves away to their respective tasks as Scott and Kira settle on the living room couch, holding James in between them, to assure him, scent him, comfort him.
Stiles moves to the kitchen with a smile. Derek catches up to him and hugs him from behind, burying his nose in Stiles' neck for a second and breathing in deeply, as if he needs comfort himself. Stiles leans back against the rock that is Derek's chest allowing it. The pizza will take a bit to get ordered and arrive, so Stiles can selfishly indulge in a few stolen moments for just the two of them.
When the girls come back downstairs with their arms filled with pillows and blankets, Derek lets go of Stiles. But not before placing a small kiss on the side of his neck, right behind his right ear. Stiles shivers a little but lets Derek go in favor of getting to his task. He'll need to pop a lot of corn to keep the whole pack happy. He'll also need to melt a bit of butter and make caramel to cater to all of the different preferences around.
Forty minutes later the living room floor has been turned into a great big pile of fluff. Blankets cover the plush carpet, pillows creating a crater in the middle of the floor as all the furniture has been pushed against the walls. Scott is fumbling around at the fire place making a small mood fire and Derek is setting up the multi dvd system up to play five different movies so the pack can switch easily between them, without having to get up. The middle of the room holds a round coffee table that has been filled with steaming meat over meat and more meat pizzas, a couple of lasagna choices and an assortment of chips and pretzels. The middle of the table is filled with beers and sodas and Lydia's martini of choice.
Stiles comes in with two huge popcorn bowls - one with salty melted butter, the other with freshly made caramel. He places them under the table before going back to the kitchen to carry over the simple popcorn and the one with just salt on them. He's gone full out tonight. The girls are just settling in as he places the last of the popcorn .
Scott gets the fire started and settles next to Kira, calling James over next to him. Stiles settles next to James and Derek sits down next to him, a small, relaxed smile on his face. Derek points the remote at the dvd system and starts to scroll through the movies he's chosen just as Erica sits down next to him, Boyd following her not even a second later. Allison cuddles next to Kira, Isaac pushing into her other side. Lydia sits next to Isaac and Jackson crowds her in.
There is a bit of settling down, blanket pulling, pizza claiming, beer grabbing and a lot of cuddling happening as the starting credits roll on the first movie. Stiles cuddles in close into Derek's chest, his back plastered to James' as both him and Derek allow their Alpha to fully claim the omega into the pack and properly scent him. It takes less than five minutes for James to completely relax and fall asleep on the left side of Scott's chest. Stiles understands him, as he can barely hold his eye lids from falling closed as Derek keeps raking his fingers through the hair on the back of Stiles' head.
A yawn comes from someplace behind him. The whole pack is drifting to sleep. Stiles still fights dreamworld. Cuddle sessions are too good to be slept through. It's of little use as Derek's heat and his steady heartbeat lull him away without a fighting chance.