Chapter Seven: Family That Runs Together

Stiles hopped around on the back porch with Derek and Ricky standing next to him and he was incapable of standing still, they were going running! As a family and he couldn't wait, thankfully everyone was there including Peter and Carmen who seemed to forgive some blunder from this morning that Derek was snickering over. Stiles knew all the women were going to shift just inside the door and then they were going to race out, to then be followed by the guys. For the most part, Weres' didn't really care about modesty especially during a Moon Run but this was a little different especially with so many new families shoving themselves together. Inside was Shelby and Ravyn who were pairing with one of the Hales' since they didn't know the area very well until they could at least make it back to the house on their own but also Melissa and Alison had been asked to join and were preparing with Talia as well as Laura, Cora and Carmen too. Carmen of course would stick close to Peter until she learned the area better as far as Stiles could tell. She and Peter had only recently met and Stiles knew they hadn't even gone through their first Heat yet because they didn't smell like one smell, but the pre-bonding was definitely going well for them it seemed.

The guys were all standing around, pulling off outerwear and getting down to their boxers or shorts. Stiles and his mates were standing on the porch with Stiles' dad, Scott and Braeden. Otto and Peter were already running around the back yard, trying to alleviate some of the tension that was running high from having so many revved up wolves in the same space.

Then like there was some unspoken command everyone started shifting, falling easily into their wolf forms and Stiles was suddenly looking through the very different eyes of his wolf counterpart and his heart sang when Derek rubbed the side of his muzzle into Stiles' neck and Ricky did it as well. Stiles could feel and hear the deep whine his wolf body emitted without mental permission, just a release of happy in a sound then the girls were taking off past them and were gone, the males yipped and pranced as they all took off together. Stiles focused on the run, giving over to this wolf who knew they were safe between his mates, who were pressing in on both sides of him. As the Pack raced through the forest with wolfy abandon, Stiles could see others moving around them, scenting who they were easily despite their shifted form. They were family after all, no matter their form. Nothing could ever truly compare to this for the omega, especially after years of suppressants, which didn't stop the shift, but they did curtail some of his senses, even in his other form. Plus being an omega meant that Stiles hadn't gone running all that much since puberty struck and now here he was, running with mates and his Pack and it was so big and beautiful as they all bounced off trees and raced through the Preserve which housed the Hale House as well as enough acreage to run them ragged before they returned to the house.

During the whole run, Ricky and Derek never moved away from Stiles and he could sense the intense concentration of his mates, though Stiles wished they could relax he understood that with a hunter in town gunning for Stiles specifically, it would be impossible to ask them or expect them to calm down. Stiles was constantly sniffing out for scents that didn't belong in the forest but he never noticed anything, thankful for the time away from the house. It was something they all needed, sometimes Pack dynamics and bonds could only be born of running together and knowing they were a unit and that they would need to trust one another. Stiles could feel his wolf settling, not only because his mates were with him but because he dad was here, his best friend as well and especially because the Oseric family was with them every step of the way. Stiles could see Shelby, a dark and stunning wolf though it wasn't quite the lustrous black of Derek and Talia who stood as the tallest among them all. Scott's brown wolf form was slightly shorter and Stiles' father; a similar red gold that Stiles was in his form, was slightly smaller as well though stood proudly an inch or so over Scott at the withers. Stiles knew his mental acuity was trained on his wolf right now but he could understand the hierarchy of power that was happening in wolf form, where the voice of the humans were silenced in the face of the raw power and instinct of the wolf. Talia was the strength of the Hale pack, despite her loss of not only her omega but her strongest beta as well. Derek did not kowtow to anyone besides her, standing firm in the face of Peter's alpha arrogance though the timber wolf that Stiles knew was his uncle-by-mating was slightly smaller than Derek's black form. The betas of the group, though a much smaller number tended to circle the perimeter, to see to the protection of the others and Stiles was surprised to see that Ravyn's wolf form was a smaller replica of her brother, that black brown coat but her size would distinguish her an omega but Ricky had been sure of her alpha status, especially since she had the attitude to match. It would be interesting to know if she was hiding something from her parents, it was a rarity for betas and turned wolves to birth an omega but it wasn't impossible.

All of these little experiences and observations spun around inside Stiles, making him think and pulling him from the delicate sensation of the run but just as enjoyable. He would be pleased to know so much more about his knew in-laws than their human counterparts could ever say, this was just another way for him to know them, the wolf was at the heart of them and it pleased Stiles that after all the dram they'd all had the Oseric family were here putting themselves out in front of the Hale pack for all to see and they seemed genuinely happy to do so.

Stiles was so wrapped up in his pack and his observations of them that he didn't notice they were turning back until they were almost to the house. He gave a happy and tired yip, which threw his snout into the air, and he scented something slight and stalled causing Derek and Ricky to stumble to a stop in front of him. They turned, tilting their heads in question and a whimpered yip escaped Stiles as he looked around the area of the house and wondered what brought him to a screeching halt to begin with. He didn't notice the scent that he'd been so sure was there only seconds before, a slight fragrance mixed with the bitter painful of wolfsbane, as if someone crushed it into powder and put traces of it into a perfume or something. Stiles shook his wolf head with a snort of disbelief as well as a bit of getting the scent out of his nose. That was to crazy to think, having wolfsbane on the skin; even slight amounts could still make someone sick. Ricky whimpered a little and Stiles shook off the feeling, there was nothing there anymore. He chuffed out a quick sound to his mates and they all walked towards the house where everyone else was shifting and getting dressed again. Talia walked out of the house as Stiles and his mates walked up to the house and shifted. She averted her gaze but Stiles knew she was talking to him as soon as she opened her mouth, "What was that?"

"I don't know, smelled something weird with a barely there hint of wolfsbane. It was weird, there then gone," he spoke even as he picked up his boxers and slipped them on followed by his pants and red sweater.

"Did you scent anything Derek or Ricky?" Talia asked, Stiles shifted his gaze to the alpha as he wondered if she just didn't believe him or if she was just looking for more information. Derek gave a grunt in answer and Stiles looked over to his alpha who was giving him one of those eyebrow-centric looks that asked him to give his mother a break. Then Talia spoke up, "I think I scented something as well but there was so little of it and I didn't even get the hint of Wolfsbane so I was hoping a few of us could maybe put the components of the scent together. We will have to be aware if the hunter is ballsy enough to come onto the preserve, even when we weren't at the house."

Stiles nodded and they all walked inside to rejoin the rest of the family, Shelby and Braeden were sitting in one of the couches, curled in close to one another with smiles and sleepy chuckles coming from them. They had rosy cheeks and Ravyn was bounding around the room back in human form with Cora, happy to share in the exuberance of the post-run. Running with pack, Stiles knew, affected everyone but sometimes it had different responses such as sexual energy, or the coma like Otto was experience as he curled up on the sofa on the other side of the room even when the girls attempted to pull him up. Stiles enjoyed the moment, of seeing what each of his pack members were like though he knew from how much Derek was touching him and Ricky's nose was almost plastered against the back of his neck know that they were standing still. Peter and Carmen apparently had already disappeared and Stiles snickered at that, though they were pre-bonding so spending as much time together making out or getting it on was a good thing. Stiles knew Carmen was probably coming off some sort of suppressant so much like Stiles; they would have to wait till Heat to complete their bond. Stiles on the other hand waved off the rest of the family and walked up the stairs with Derek and Ricky close behind. One of them grabbed Stiles at the top of the stairs and pushed him against the nearest wall and Stiles grinned when he realized Derek was pressing against him the surface and suddenly the alpha's hot mouth was pressing over his and Stiles moaned into the hot cavern before he shoved Derek away from him and the alpha tripped back a step and the omega leapt forward and his mate caught him easily. Within seconds Ricky was pushing open the bedroom door in front of them and slammed it behind them. Stiles dropped to the floor and quickly jerked his sweater back off and watched his mates as they sinuously stripped off their shirts and Stiles took a moment to truly appreciate the beauty of both his lovers.

Derek's dark hair and fantastic stubble as well as the well defined muscles next to the subtler strength of Ricky. They weren't the same but they were both so beautiful in their own way. "You guys are so perfect."

Derek grinned, "Not as perfect as you," the alpha whispered. Stiles blushed and then stumbled back towards the bed and flopped down to sit on the side, the other two mates stalked over to the other side of the room with feral looking grins but there was nothing to be scared about, these were his mates and they were incapable of harming him.

Derek leaned his knee into the bed next to Stiles' thigh. Stiles smiled as he looked over to Ricky and reached his hand out to pull both his mates down for some bonding time of their own. With Talia in charge and Christmas right around the corner, they had to use their private times whenever the opportunity arose.