Scott and Stiles looked at the alphas, trying to comprehend the statement. Mates. That was the word he used. Stiles, having done a bit of research understood it was a strong relationship, but the internet hadn't really had much information to offer. Unless you counted all the articles on the mating habits of actual wolves. They stood there, all trying to think of something to say, when a third car pulled out of the driveway. Melissa got out of the car.

"Scott. What's going on?" She asked, looking at the gaggle of teenagers in her driveway.

"Mom. I…Uh…" Scott stuttered, trying to think of some excuse for the impromptu meeting. Mel saw the hesitation on the others. With an internal sigh, she walked over to the woman.

"Hi. You must be Mrs. McCall." Mel said offering her hand. She gave the most sincere smile possible. Melissa took the offering and the pair shook hands. "I'm Mel. Scott's new teammate."

"Teammate?" She looked at the girl confused. Mel just smiled wider.

"Well actually if I don't screw up in the scrimmage I'm co-captain." Mel laughed. She saw the woman's eyes jump to the swarm occupying her driveway. "Sorry about the intrusion. I heard about Scott's academic troubles. I want our best players on the field so I organized a little impromptu study session. Is that alright?" She allowed a look of worry to cross her face. The older woman seemed to relax.

"No, no it's fine. Glad someone's getting him back on track. I just wish I would have known. Would have brought something to drink." She laughed.

"Don't worry about it." Mel said. She tossed the keys to Saint. "Go pick up some food for everyone please. Burgers seems right for the occasion."

"You don't have to-"Melissa tried to say.

"I insist. We did kind of show up unannounced." Mel chuckled, eliciting a small laugh from the woman. She turned and went to unlock the door. Saint jumped in the car and drove off to complete his mission.

"Well, everyone welcome to my house. Sorry about the mess." Melissa laughed as she held the door open. The group of kids filed past her. She recognized one of the boys from Scott's team, but she didn't know about the one with black hair. He seemed very familiar, but she couldn't place him. As he walked past her, she held her hand up. "Do I know you from somewhere? I mean, I think I've seen you, but I'm not sure."

"I'm Derek." He answered. She turned the name over in her mind. Trying to think. Her eyes went wide.

"You're Derek Hale aren't you?" The group froze at the question. "I didn't think you were still in high school." She looked at the boy questioningly. The air was thick with tension. Derek scrambled through his brain, trying to think of something. Wondering if he could flirt his way out of this.

"He's not." Mel interrupted, stepping towards the woman. Melissa turned her attention away from the young man. A sheepish smile spread on the younger girl's face. "Sorry, another stupid liberty I took. I invited him." She watched the confusion flicker across the woman's face and allowed a bit of panic into her tone. Not enough to betray her lie, but enough to seem nervous. Like someone that forgot to ask permission. "He's an old friend of the family. A genius at math. I thought it would help Scott. Really sorry."

"It's fine honey. Just didn't expect so many houseguests at once." Melissa laughed, put at ease by the girl. Mel smiled. Scott watched the interaction in amazement. Impressed with the Mel's ability to manipulate. Mel shot him a look, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"Um, yeah. We're gonna go study in my room now." He rushed over and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Love you!" He called out, running up the stairs. The others followed quickly, while Melissa just stared at the fleeing pack. Scott closed the door behind him, breathing a sigh of relief. He glared at Derek. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Like I said, came to talk to you." Derek answered, taking the seat by the bed. Stiles sat on the edge of the bed. Mel sat down next to him.

"Um...Hi." He said in panic. She gave him a questioning look as she put her bag on the floor.

"Pull up a seat Scott. We have a lot to go over." She said gently. Scott grabbed the chair from his desk, and rolled it to the bed. He dropped into the chair and faced the female alpha.

"Ok, talk."

"There is a lot of crap to sift through, so why don't you start by asking something." Mel offered, with a small smile.

"I have like a million questions. I can't choose." He threw his hands up in frustration.

"Just start out slow." She advised.

"Ok. How many are in your pack?"

"Including myself, six."

"Are any of them…like you?"

"No. I'm the only born wolf if that's what you're asking." They sat there for a few moments. "Anything else you want to ask before I go into lecture mode?" Stiles threw his hand up in the air.

"Oh... I have a question. I have a question." He said waving his hand.

"No." Derek growled. The hand dropped quickly. Mel rolled her eyes and turned to the human.

"It's cool Stiles. What do you wanna know?"

"This wholes mating thing. Does that mean you guys are like boyfriend and girlfriend or something?" A look of panic hit his face as Derek growled again. Mel shushed the wolf, then looked back at Stiles.

"Sorry, but comparing mate status like that is kind of insulting." She laughed. "The girlfriend/boyfriend thing implies a lot of fluidity. Break ups, time outs. All that crap. The bond is a lot stronger. It's basically closer to marriage."

"Then why didn't you help us out with the alpha? Or the kanima?" Scott interrupted. Mel gave him a confused look. "We almost died multiple times. A lot of innocent people were killed." Images of the deputies flooded his mind. Of the club patrons whose body couldn't handle the kanima's venom. Even of the ones not entirely innocent, but not guilty enough to die like they did.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Mel answered softly, processing the words. Innocents dead. And she had done nothing to stop it.

"What! How could you not know?" He turned angrily to Derek. "There was a pack of six at your disposal and you still went after Boyd and Erica? After Isaac!" He gestured to the boy in the corner. Mel stared at the floor. She had been so focused on the crap they had gone through, she never stopped to think what might have happened before they arrived.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"You're sorry! Allison's mom. The four deputies at the station. The couple in the woods. The mechanic!"

"Actually that guy was kind of an asshole."

"Stiles!"

"Shutting up." He put his hand over his mouth, and stared at the floor. Scott was in rage mode. He had never seen him this angry. All the pain and struggle of the last year pouring out in one tirade. The majority of which was aimed at the girl next to him. Out of his peripheral, he saw her shoulders slump. He put his arm around her and she gave a weak smile. "Hey Scott, maybe you can't really blame her for all this. It's not like she knew about it."

"Yeah, but. I thought wolf packs talked to each other. You think if they were mates, she would have at least checked up. Who knows how much of this crap could have been stopped? With six of them they might have stopped Peter. Maybe before he ever got to Lydia." Scott fumed. Stiles felt the girl cringe at the mention of another name. Derek cleared his throat loudly, pulling everyone's eyes to him. He shot a look at Stiles, who promptly pulled back his arm. Then he turned his attention to the angry teen.

"Scott, calm down. Don't blame her for the crap that has gone down." He said calmly, looking intently at the boy.

"Why shouldn't I? She never thought to check in and help us, and your dumbass never thought to give her a damn call!" He practically yelled. Derek forced himself to remain calm.

"Alright. If you want to blame someone, I'm a good target. Fuckups a plenty. But leave her out of it. And don't count not calling her as one of the fuckups either."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because we didn't know them." Isaac interjected. He didn't like how the scene was playing out. She did nothing wrong. Felt beyond guilty just asking for help. Now he was laying thick blame on her for something she couldn't have done a damn thing about.

"What?" The anger in his tone diminished slightly, replaced by confusion.

"It's true." Derek answered. "We didn't meet them until after this stuff happened." The rest of the anger on Scott's face vanished. A look of guilt clouded his features.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry."

"No its fine." She said, trying to relax him.

"No. No I was really being a total asshole there. I shouldn't have gone off like that."

"It's fine, you weren't being an asshole."

"Yes he was." Stiles interjected. He looked around the room. "Hands up if you think Scott was being a total asshole." He shot his hand up. Joined by Isaac, Derek, and Scott. He turned back to the girl. "See, total asshole." She gave a faint smile.

"Well, not a total asshole." She sighed. The group looked at her. "I have a few connections. It's how I found Derek. Had them for a while. But, we were so wrapped up in our own situation. I never thought… Maybe if I just checked before things got so bad I could have helped all of us out."

"Will you stop playing Atlas already?" The voice called from the door. The looked up to find Saint standing there. A drink carrier in one hand, a giant bag in the other. He held up the bag. "Foods here." He put the stuff on the desk, and grabbed two of the soda cups. After handing one to Mel, he dropped onto the bed. He propped his head up on his hand and looked directly at Scott. "Please forgive my sister. Another of her curses is feeling responsible for everything."

"Like?" Scott asked. He knew what was being referenced, but wanted a bit more backstory.

"Like watching her father die, and still having the strength to keep her family safe and thinking up plans to stop the Strix. Then feeling guilty she didn't think to check out what crap might possibly be going on several states away." Saint sighed.

"Wait, what's the Strix?" Stiles inquired. Saint looked at him.

"Did you guys literally spend the time I was gone bitching at her?" A low growl rumbled from his chest.

"Relax Saint. We were just talking and one thing led to another. We were just getting to that part." Mel answered. She turned back to Scott, and once again shared lessons on the Strix. She explained the process to create them, their food source, and their intense hatred of werewolves. The lesson was interrupted by the squeaking of the door.

"Does anyone want cookies?" Melissa asked, a plate of chocolate chip cookies in one hand.

"Cookies?" The word fell out of Scott's mouth.

"Yes cookies. Is it a crime for a mother to bring her son and his little friends some snacks?"

"Mom we just ate. And you don't know how to bake."

"Well, I thought you guys might still be hungry. A bunch of strapping young athletes such as yourself."

"Mom are you spying?"

"No, no. Of course not." Scott looked at her bluntly. Even without his wolf senses, he knew she was lying. "Well maybe a little." She walked into the room and put the plate on the nightstand. "Well now that we have that established, what are you guys working on?" She scooted on the bed next to Saint.

"MOM!"

"What, I just want to know what it is you kids are talking about. I heard the word Strix on the other side of the door." He looked at her incredulously. "What, I already admitted to spying."

"Mythologies." Mel answered, cutting short another of Scott's outbursts. "History project. We need to write a paper on something from a myth. I was just telling Scott about the Strix. A vampire like creature from Roman mythology. I heard Mr. Prysine loves a lot of detail in his papers. There's a lot on them so I figured it would be an easy A. Your welcome to stay if you want."

"That would be great, but I actually have to be at work in a little bit." She got up and walked to the door.

"Maybe next time. These talks get really interesting." Mel said after her. Melissa turned around.

"You know, I may take you up on that offer." With that she turned and left the room.

"What did you-" Mel placed a finger on Scott's lips, silencing him. They sat there like that for a few minutes, the only sound the ticking of the clock. The sound of water running came out of a room down the hall. Mel relaxed and pulled away.

"Mix grains of truth in every lie and it makes it easier not to get caught." She explained. "The name Strix comes from Roman mythology."

"But what about the whole assignment thing? Ever since my grades went down she actually checks my syllabus out."

"Grain of truth two. We do have that assignment coming up. But that's not why you are learning this. Though maybe we should actually focus on your school work if you forgot the paper due next week." Stiles snickered at the girl's words. "Ok, let's keep things to the realm of fantasy until total privacy is assured." They glossed over things patiently. Waiting to hear the sounds indicating they were alone. Their ears pricked up at the sound of the engine turning over. "And, she's halfway down the road."

"You know I'm starting to feel like the odd man out here." Stiles complained, watching the others listen to sounds he couldn't even guess at.

"You're not the odd man out. More like the pet." Isaac joked. Most of the room chuckled.

"Or a mascot." Scott laughed.

"Thanks for the nomination." Stiles huffed

"Relax Stiles." Mel said, looking at him. "Just think. How badass must you be to front for werewolves."

"You know what, yeah. I am pretty badass." He pointed at Scott. "More badass then you." Pointed at Isaac. "Then you." Turned to Saint. "Maybe not so much you." Derek raised his eyebrows as Stiles turned towards him. "Ok, definitely not as much as you."

"Ok. Let's get back to this whole lesson thing." Saint laughed.

"Where were we?" Mel asked.

"You were telling me about their weaknesses." Scott responded. Saint sat up. He grew his claws and nicked his arm. Taking a drop of blood, he ran it over Stiles arm.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Stiles shouted, jumping back. He landed in Mel's lap. Derek cleared his throat forcefully, and Stiles jumped back to his original spot.

"Relax. It was just a demonstration." Saint laughed. "If you were a Strix, your skin would be melting off right now."

"So your blood's a weapon?" Stiles asked, completely forgetting the previous interaction. Mel nodded. "Dude that is so cool."

"It's not just a weapon. It's the only weapon." Mel explained.

"But if it's a weapon, then why haven't you killed them?" Scott ventured. Sadness flashed in the girl's eyes.

"Because the stronger the Strix, the weaker our blood is against it. About a year ago my pack got overwhelmed. We weren't strong enough. I wasn't strong enough." She said softly. Saint rubbed her back soothingly.

"Mel, it's not your fault. You were 15." He whispered gently.

"And I was a fucking alpha for five years!" She shouted. "My dad had to lead them away from us. He had to sacrifice himself because I fucked up at my job." Her shoulders slumped and she stared at the ground. Tears were in her eyes and she hated herself for looking so weak. For being so weak. Saint wrapped his arms around his sister. Not knowing what else to do, Stiles rubbed her back. The pain was obvious and he just wanted to help. Scott looked at Derek, then threw a glance Mel's way. Shouldn't a mate be the one doing the comforting? The man just shrugged. Every fiber of his being wanted to go care for her, but her brother already knew what he was doing. And if he got that close, he would be a bit too tempted to take a nip at Stiles. He doubted that would make her feel better.

"Wait, how were you the alpha?" Scott chipped in. Mel looked up, surprised by the question. "Well you said your father was the born wolf. So why wasn't he the alpha?" The room glared at him, afraid he made things worse. That idea was dispelled when she started laughing.

"He really didn't teach you much." Mel chuckled, wiping the tears away. The two holding her dropped thier arms and she gave each a thanks. Her heart twisted again as she looked at Stiles. Definitely like Denver. "In our world, you can be an alpha two ways. You either kill an alpha, or it gets passed on to you. One of the ways we mimic real wolves is that we are a matriarchal society."

"Matriarchal?" Scott looked at her confused. Isaac rolled his eyes at the guy's cluelessness.

"It means female dominated." Mel explained. "Werewolves are weirdly similar to hunters. Females are predisposed to getting the power."

"Wait, but then why is Derek still the alpha with Erica around?" Stiles interjected.

"Because she was bitten." Mel replied. "The rules are a little different for her. When you are bitten, it's like a disease invades your body, takes it over and changes it. But if you're like me or Derek, it's just part of your genetics. A bite basically gives you a weaker strain. So a bitten wolf must kill an alpha to get their power. A born wolf just has to be the next in line to the dominant female."

"Which is why my sister became the alpha when my mother died." Derek offered. Mel nodded.

"Exactly. My father was the last of his clan, so he became an alpha. My mother was only bitten, so the power stayed with him."

"Wait, then why were you only an alpha for five years?" Stiles interrupted again.

"Because you have to be a mature wolf to be an alpha. When I reached maturity, the power automatically passed on to me. I was the dominant female at the time."

"And then you made us." Saint laughed. The others turned to him.

"Like Derek?" Scott accused.

"I wasn't doing it for power." Mel shook her head. "My family was a foster home. We had some really messed up cases. Sapphire had advanced cancer. Hana was dying of aids because her father pimped her out for drugs. Zen's mother smashed a liquor bottle over her head and put her in an irreversible coma. I gave them the bite to save them." The others stared in awe.

"Oh, don't think she's a complete angel." Saint laughed. "Tell them about Ruby." Mel rubbed the nape of her neck and chuckled nervously.

"I was a dumb ten year old."

"Tell them."

"Fine. She was one of the more aggressive kids in the house. Picked on my brother Denver. We got in a fight and I bit her."

"Is that why she's so disrespectful?" Derek asked. He was glad to hear the amount of strain in her voice was gone. The change in topic really seemed to help. Mel and Saint laughed.

"No that's just Ruby. She doesn't mean anything by it, teasing is just how she shows affection." Mel answered. The male alpha looked at her. "I mean it. The girl's been through hell. Grew up in foster care because her literally junkie whore mother didn't want her. She was swept up by one of the really bad agencies. It actually had to get shut down by the state for the bullshit going on. They would place kids in some of the worst homes and take a portion of the government check. She basically went through homes where she became a regular at the ER. She finally came to us and just couldn't let her guard down. She bullied Denver, and we fought. Then I bit her."

"So her loyalty is because you bit her?" Stiles put out the question the rest of the room was thinking.

"No. I came across a group of students beating her. I stopped them. Took her home and showed her how her wounds were healing. She was always afraid of getting moved, that was a big reason she wouldn't allow herself to become attached. I explained how the bite made her part of my pack. Even if it was an accident, she was my sister now."

"And with months of love and patience she managed to love again." Derek interjected mockingly. The talk of family was stirring up a few thoughts he didn't want to deal with.

"Dude quite being such an asshole." Stiles shot at him, before turning back to Mel. "No offense."

"No, you can call him an asshole." Mel answered. Derek looked at her in surprise. "What? You are kind of a dick." The guys couldn't help snickering. The male alpha glared, silencing the laughter.

"So, um, how long have you guys known each other?" Scott asked curiously. She was surprisingly comfortable with the guy. Even after all this time, he would never think to say something like that. Especially not so casually.

"About four days." Saint answered for her. Stiles began coughing, choking on his soda.

"Four days?" He asked, sucking in air. Mel nodded. "Why the hell would you basically marry the guy after four days?"

"Necessity." Mel whispered, remembering the topic they were on before. She could feel the unasked questions. "Like I said, you need strong blood to fight the Strix. As you guys know, bonds give us power, which gives us a more potent weapon. Mating is the second strongest bond we can have."

"What's the first?" Scott questioned.

"Motherhood." Mel laughed at the shocked look on the two outsider's faces. "It shouldn't be that big of a surprise. In the animal world, a mother protecting her young is the scariest animal. Even worse than a cornered one."

"So why didn't you go with that?" Stiles blurted out.

"How do you know she hasn't?" Saint laughed at the shock on the others faces. Mel smacked his arm.

"Werewolf pregnancy is risky as hell. Hormones go crazy making it harder to keep control. And bed rest is practically a requirement for most of the pregnancy." She noticed the confused looks. "Not all babies will have the wolf gene. The ones that do often damage the mother's body throughout the pregnancy. It's very high risk and incapacitating. Something not smart when you're preparing for war."

"So you pair up with a guy you know four days?" Scott couldn't stop himself.

"No. You need the full moon to forge the bond so it was closer to one day." Saint laughed, even as his alpha gave another smack. "In her defense, he was actually a fill in for the plan."

"My sister Sapphire made the plan several months ago." Mel took over. "The fight that cost us my dad, it took too much blood. Half the things were newbies and went down quick. The other half were stronger. Even with my alpha blood, I had trouble. We went into hiding. Tried to think of a way to get strong enough to kill the bastards. She figured out there was no way to get all of us to that level. But that wasn't necessary. We lost, but we didn't go down without a fight. Took a good chunk of their army with us. If they replaced their losses, it would be the weaklings. We didn't need everyone to power up, just needed a little boost to take care of the older ones. Denver was another born wolf. His parents were some of my grandfather's allies, so when they died we took him in. Our bond would have theoretically given both of us enough of an enhancement."

"So what happened?" Scott and Stiles asked in unison. Mel stared at the floor. Distressed by another one of her many fuckups. Saint rubbed her back.

"They found us." He answered for her. "We needed the full moon, and they attacked before we got the chance." Stiles placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked really bad.

"Do you think you guys could stop upsetting my mate?" Derek emphasized the last word as he glared at Stiles. Reminding him about the girl he was so carelessly touching. The human quickly pulled his hand back, rubbing his neck nervously.

"It's fine." Saint said. "We never really took the time to process his death. It's actually kind of nice to think about him again."

"He's right. We never got a chance to mourn him." Mel spoke softly. She turned to Stiles. "You know, you remind me a lot of him."

"I…I do?" Stiles stuttered. The girl smiled gently, nodding her head.

"He was on the scrawny side too."

"Well I don't know if I would call myself scraw-"

"And he had the same sweet and totally spastic personality."

"I guess you could call it spastic-"

"And the same soft youthful face." Stiles jumped back when she ran a finger down his cheek. Her eyes went wide in surprise as he landed on the floor. She offered her hand to help him up. "You ok?"

"I'm fine. Good. Perfectly really." He chuckled nervously as he helped himself off the floor. Intentionally ignoring her hand. "Well I should probably be going now."

"Let us give you a ride." Mel offered.

"No. I couldn't possibly-"

"It's cool. It's getting dark and Gramps will want us home soon. Scott, you know a good bit about this already, so we will continue this conversation later." She grabbed her bag and walked out, Saint following behind. Stiles walked slowly behind them. Trying to keep his heartbeat relaxed. He felt the tension drain as he stepped down the porch. Saint was already in the front seat. Mel just opening her door. But just as he approached the car, he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder.

"You know, I should probably give him a ride." Derek's voice drifted by his ear. Mel and Saint turned back. "You guys have to practically go to the other side of town. I'm a lot closer. Besides." He turned to look down at the human, a smile wide on his face. "I already know where he lives." Stiles didn't miss the implied threat.

"You know, I think I'm just gonna go with Derek." Stiles felt the words slip out of his mouth.

"Are you sure? It's not a problem for us." Mel answered. She heard the loud thumping as if it were a drumbeat. A look of concern filled her eyes. "Stiles are you ok?"

"I'm great. Why do you ask?"

"Because your heart is going crazy."

"Oh, that's just because I'm standing next to such a handsome gentlemen." He laughed nervously, stopping when he felt the arm tighten. "Really I think I'm just gonna catch a ride with Derek."

"Ok. If you're sure?" She offered once more. Stiles nodded furiously, wondering if Derek would squeeze hard enough to break bone. Probably not, as his tortures seemed designed not to let anyone else know what was happening.

"Don't worry. I promise to get him home." Derek smiled. Mel looked a bit uncertain, but Stiles forced a smile. She visibly relaxed and got into the car. She shut the door and a minute later his possible protectors drove away. He felt the arm drop.

"So, I think I'm just gonna go to the bus stop and-"

"Get in the car."

"Yes sir." Stiles rushed over. Isaac was stretched out in the backseat, so he sat in the front. Derek got in, and Stiles felt a rush of fear as the engine turned over. The fear increased as the wolf turned to look at him.

"You might want to buckle up." Stiles laughed nervously, grabbing the seatbelt. The moment the click indicating it was fastened was heard, Derek sped off. The wolf stared straight ahead as they raced through the streets. Isaac laughed as he bounced around in the back. Stiles winced as his head cracked against the window on a sharp turn. He prayed to make it out alive. His hopes were dashed when they turned down an unfamiliar road.

"Um, where are we going?" He forced the question out.

"Dropping Isaac off first." The words gave no comfort. The car slowed in a rundown neighborhood. Stopping in front of a large concrete building. Stiles unbuckled his seatbelt, anxious to get out of the car. A hand pressed against his chest. Looking over, he gulped at the owner.

"Stay." Derek ordered. He got out of his own seat, and pulled it forward. Isaac crawled out. He gave the vehicle's last occupant a small smile and mouthed the words good luck. Derek said a few words to the other wolf. Too low for him to pick up. Then he fixed the seat and got back in.

"You know Derek I really could just-" His words were cut off by the clicking of the doors. He was locked in. He looked over, and found the wolf still staring out ahead.

"I said I'd take you home. Promised really. And a promise between mates is a really big deal. You understand that right?"

"Um, yeah. So what did you say to Isaac back there?"

"Told him I'd be back in 20 minutes."

"But it only takes 10 minutes to get to my house from here."

"I know." Stiles felt his stomach drop at the words. He hoped desperately that his father was home. His stomach dropped a second time as the car speed off, pinning him helplessly to the seat. He watched the streetlights and buildings go by in a flash, turning away from the scene when he got to dizzy. After what seemed like a painful eternity, they arrived at his house.

"Yeah. Thanks for the ride I guess. So if you could just unlock the door I'll be out of your hair-"

"Stiles, do you know what it feels like to have a chunk of flesh ripped out. Not surgically removed or any of that, but literally grabbed and pulled out."

"Can't say that I have. Maybe I'll put it on my to do list." He chuckled nervously. "Well, this was fun and all but my dad's waiting for me and-"

"No he's not."

"What, yeah he is. He's just-" His words were cut off when he felt a hand lightly squeeze his shoulder. He looked over. Derek turned slowly, menacingly, and gazed into the young man's eyes.

"His office is short staffed at the moment. Lot of cases happening recently. I say he'll be at the office until 11 or so."

"That's great. That gives me enough time to do homework and have dinner on the table. He loves a hot dinner when he walks through the-"

"Shut up Stiles." Derek's eyes hardened. His hand slide and wrapped around the back of the neck. He forced him down, and the car echoed with the thump as flesh met plastic. Stiles felt his breathing get more erratic as his cheek dug into the dashboard. Derek leaned in so close he could feel warm breath on his skin. The sound of blood rushing to his head almost covered up when Derek spoke again. "I know about your little thing with Lydia."

"What does Lydia have to do-" He felt himself press harder into the dash "Shutting up."

"You pursued her for years, knowing full well she had a boyfriend." Stiles did his best to glance at the guy.

"Wait, are you taking some revenge on behalf of Jackson so something?" Derek scoffed.

"Please. I wouldn't do anything for that egotistical selfish little twat."

"Look who's talking." Stiles mumbled under his breath. The low growl reminded him of who was listening. He tried to think of something to say. He blurted out the first thing that popped into mind "So if this doesn't involve Jackson, what's with the inquisition act?" Another growl rumbled through the car.

"You have shown no respect for the boundaries of your human relationships. I do not want you repeating that with mine." The hand was released and Derek moved away. Stiles sat up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Dude if you're talking about Scott, our friendship kind of trumps your whole whatever the hell you call it." He said defiantly.

"I'm not talking about Scott you idiot. Mates share a special bond and should only be with each other."

"Wait, are you talking about Mel?"

"Of course I am dumbass. I know your little project with the redhead was a bust. And I could smell your pheromones back in the room. It was disgusting." He turned back and glared. "She has me. That's a lot more permanent than just a boyfriend so don't even think about trying any of your crap."

"Dude are you jealous?" Stiles laughed as he watched the slight look of surprise. "Dude you are so totally jealous."

"Get out." The click announced the doors were now open. Stiles grabbed the handle, but froze just before he turned it. A thought crossed his mind and it brought a smile to his face. Derek had been rough, but it was far gentler than a few previous interactions.

"You won't really hurt me because I remind her of that Denver guy." Derek's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel, proving him right. "And that's also why your jealous. Since I remind her. You know she sounded really sad when she talked about him. You should have seen her in school. Sat next to me all day. No matter what, always picked the seat next to me. And didn't she seem really happy when I rubbed her back or wrapped my arms around h-"

"Shut up." The wolf hissed.

"Why?" Stiles challenged. He knew he was being a jerk, but this was the only time he ever got the upper hand on the wolf. After all they crap that had gone down. The guy had been a total prick and really screwed him and Scott over. It was time for a little payback. "I asked you a question." He shrieked as Derek yanked him forward by the front of his shirt. Eyes flashed momentarily red.

"Because her affection keeps me from killing you. Not simply mauling you." With that, his fist relaxed. Stiles jumped out the car and practically ran to his house. He used every lock on the door, slumping against it when they were all locked.

Derek felt the buzz in his pocket and pulled the phone out. It was a text from Mel.

Stiles was really nervous before we left. I don't have his number to check on him. Is everything ok?

Derek typed out a message, then read it to make sure it sounded good. Yeah, everything's fine. He's just a little worried about his dad. Don't worry. Dropped him off at his house, made sure he locked up tight. A smile formed on the wolf's lips as he pressed send.

I hope I'm capturing the random humor the show has. Thanks for reading and see you next chapter.