Stiles grunted as his body hit the forest floor. Despite popular belief, the deadened leaves did not cushion the impact at all. His body was covered in scrapes and bruises from weeks of combat training with the pack; Tylenol had become his new best friend. He didn't even see the point in hand to hand combat; he'd get shredded regardless if he wasn't or was good- which he definitely was not. Derek just wouldn't let it go though. Even his sharpshooter skills- being the son of the sheriff had its' advantages- weren't enough to impress the sour wolf.
They'd been at it for about two and a half weeks and Stiles knew it was pointless. The alphas hadn't attacked him again since the lacrosse field, but they had gone after Jackson one night. That particular fight was gruesome; Jackson couldn't use his left arm for about four days after. Yet Derek demanded daily practices. They normally started around seven and went until eleven on a basic warm up. The second session began at one o'clock sharply and ended around eight. During that time they either practiced combat, tracking, or other stealth training. After they'd have a little sparring tournament; Stiles predictably came out on bottom, Derek or Peter on top. By the end of the day Stiles seriously questioned his resolve to remain loyal to them. Wasn't there like a rule or something prohibiting such treatment? Where was his workforce union?
It wasn't necessarily that he wasn't tough; he may not have been brawny, but he could handle his own. It was his knack for somehow tripping over thin air or punching himself in the face that hindered him. And of course there was the ever helpful Derek constantly encouraging him in his "do it or I'll personally kill you" sort of way; great pep talk. Sometimes the others would even stop what they were doing simply to get him get beat up by the alpha; even greater teammates. At one point Erica had called it adorable when he'd fallen and managed to pull Derek down on top of him. He shot her in the forehead with a rubber dart later; it was oddly satisfying. Still, the whole thing was grating on his nerves.
"Come on Stiles, you can do this. Try to flip me over your back." Derek extended a hand which Stiles ignored. He huffed and pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled a bit, and Derek caught him. It took him a minute to realize he was against the man's nicely shaped and sweaty chest, his hands gripping Stiles waist. He couldn't help the blush that flooded his cheeks or the slight twitch in his jeans. The warmth, the embarrassment had him reeling backwards out of Derek's arms. How could he be stupid enough to get that close?
He muttered an apology and an excuse about needing to take a breather before retreating around the side of the burnt out shell of a home. Stiles knew he was in deep trouble- deep, deep trouble. He'd first felt the attraction the night Jackson had them stranded in the pool for four hours. He saw Derek fall in and even though his survival instincts fought against him, he'd jumped in. they'd almost drowned, but his mind had been on keeping the paralyzed man alive at all costs. It was hours later as he lay in bed that he realized he couldn't get him out of his head. That night he'd dreamt about Derek and his lips on his. That had only been night one.
Stiles took a deep breath. He needed to stay focused. Derek had no physical interest in him or any other male for that matter; he wasn't gay or bisexual. They also had a pack of deranged wolves to deal with. So far, the alphas had lost two players, but who knew how many other soldiers they had at their disposal. He'd managed to find out a little about them, like the fact that even if they were killed by a beta, the beta in question would not inherit that power because the alphas were genetic mutants. Oh, and let's not forget that they had human soldiers as well. Derek didn't have time to deal with his pathetic little feelings. Stiles would have to swallow his emotions and move on.
A hand grabbed his shoulder and he yelped in a very manly manner. Derek raised an eyebrow and smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. The hazel irises were overflowing with concern, honest concern. Stiles gulped, immediately dropping his gaze to study his feet. He was positive wolves had some sort of hypnotic abilities, because every time he looked into Derek's eyes he felt like he was melting. He grimaced inwardly. It had come to this; he officially sounded like a retarded teenage girl from a low budget chick flick.
"Stiles are you alright?" Derek asked. Stiles did his best not to gawp, but it was damn hard not to. The only tones he was accustomed to were "irritated", "pissed off", and "Shut up Stiles". He'd never heard Derek speak softly, especially to him.
"I'm fine, just a little tired." He waved it off, attempting to sound cavalier.
"You're exhausted and hurt. You're literally running on hot air." Derek noted, crossing his arms.
Damn werewolf senses. "What else is new? I'm a human who's had his ass handed to him one hundred thousand times every day."
The wolf seemed taken aback and almost…regretful. "Sorry about that. It's supposed to help you defend yourself. You won't always have a gun with you."
That was the line they'd all been feeding him since day one. But he came to the conclusion that even having his own gun would be pointless since the wolves were around him twenty four seven. What really irritated him about that explanation was Allison. She wasn't getting the lecture or being put through training. All she had to do was show up to practice her hunting and stealth; sometimes she was even allowed to hunt the wolves- with non lethal weapons of course. Though it was hilarious when she'd shown up the second day armed more extensively than the military; Erica had thrown a hissy fit that day. (Apparently Allison was far from being forgiven.) The fact of the matter was she was not forced to fight freaking werewolves without her crossbow or some other type of hunter equipment. Hell, even Lydia wasn't classified as a fighter. She'd warm up with them, but then she and Peter would skip happily ever after to Deaton's for "specialized" training. It was all a conspiracy.
"I don't see the point Derek at all. I can't fight a wolf and you know it. Allison gets along just fine with her weapons; why can't that be enough for me too? I'm even better than she is. She admitted it!" He knew he sounded whiny, but he didn't care.
Derek's face clouded over, something unreadable in his eyes. He stepped closer until Stiles could feel the heat radiating from his body. ""Hopefully you won't ever need to use the skills I've taught you. Just… I need you to please trust me. I need to know you're okay."
Stiles looked into Derek's eyes incredulously. The man was offering his trust to him; extending the olive branch. Had he done the same thing months ago, Stiles would have been literally rolling on the floor laughing. But that was before they'd fought side by side, before they knew each other. He laid his hand on his bicep. "I'm okay. I trust you."
The man was staring intently at him again in a way that had his nerves tingling and body flushing. He didn't realize how close they were until he felt Derek press his nose into his neck. The man's hands were firm against his hips, pinning him against the side of the house. A sound akin to a purr rumbled deep within the alpha's chest. Derek pressed so close their fronts were actually touching; and he was fairly certain something was poking him as well.
He squirmed as Derek pressed his mouth along the vein in his neck. His hands fisted in Derek's hair and tugged. He did not need this right now. He was trying to be thee responsible one for once. "Derek stop. W-we can't…not-not now-"
He was cut off by a surprised gasp. He turned his head and saw Scott, who did not look pleased at all. His eyes were staring daggers at Derek who had hastily stepped back. It was a good thing looks couldn't kill. As it was, his best friend was storming towards them, eyes ablaze. Isaac, Boyd, and Jackson rounded the corner, tensed to attack. They took a moment to assess the situation, eyes growing comically wide as they concluded what was going on and smelled his arousal. Stiles face was scarlet.
"What the heck Derek?!" Scott raged. His body was shaking.
"Scott calm down man." Isaac came to his side, grabbing his arm.
"He. Promised. He. Wouldn't." he forced out. His eyes began to glow. Jackson and Boyd quickly tackled him to the ground, holding his arms and legs. Derek had slipped into a defensive crouch in front of Stiles, his eyes bright red and fangs glistening. Isaac stood in the middle, clearly at a loss about what to do.
Stiles couldn't figure out why they were all acting so weird. Derek had just been scenting him hadn't he? All the wolves did it. He coughed to get their attention. They ignored him. "Yo, dudes! What's everyone's problem? I thought we were all cool."
Scott was struggling fiercely. "Derek promised. He promised he wouldn't do it. He lied!"
"He wouldn't do what? What did he lie about?" Stiles was beginning to panic. His head was throbbing painfully. He hadn't taken his medication…it was too much… too much.
Derek was holding before he realized what was going on. He rubbed his back slowly, whispering to him. The panic waned, but his head was still thrumming. He clutched Derek's chest, breathing heavily. Scott's growls subsided until he was simply panting from exertion. Stiles took a peek at him; yup, still pissed. The boys let him up, but hovered just in case.
"How could you Derek? Are you that selfish? Does his life mean nothing to you at all?"
Jackson's fist came out of nowhere and caught him in the jaw. Scott was too stunned to get angry. "Back off McCall. It's not any of your business."
"What the-? It is my business! He's my best friend! I won't let him die because the all powerful alpha claimed him!"
"Best friend? He'd be dead if it wasn't for his brains and Derek! How many times Scott did you leave him, push him aside, and forgot him, for Allison? Huh?! While you're up Derek's ass did you even consider that or what Stiles may want?"
Silence, just a suspenseful silence. The trees rustled overhead; leaves rained down on them. He had a sneaky suspicion that this had nothing to do with scenting. Scott had said he'd been claimed. "By…claimed…you mean?"
"You're smart Stiles. He's claimed you as his. You're his-"
"Scott!" Derek barked warningly.
"You're his mate! He's chosen you to be his mate!" Scott bellowed defiantly.
The training session had ended early. Stiles had numbly broken away from the bickering men, disregarded an affronted Lydia, and drove home. His mind was still processing everything because it didn't make sense. Derek could have chosen anyone and he'd chosen him. Why? What could he possibly offer? From what he understood, wolves mated for life and it was not taken lightly. Was he ready for that? And if so, how much longer would he be able to remain human?
By the time he pulled into the driveway his brain was mush, unrecognizable mush. He slid his keys into the front door and pushed his way inside. His father would be working late again; he didn't bother locking the door. He took off his jacket and flung it into the living room before bounding up the stairs. He collapsed face down on the mattress, sighing contentedly. Naturally his mind wandered back to earlier that afternoon. The feel of Derek against him, of his lips…it drove him insane. He loved him, really loved the guy. Did it matter if he was a wolf? Yeah it made it cool and everything, but he'd want him either way. He knew deep down he could adjust to settling down with him forever, because not even his crush on Lydia was anything like this. Derek had only made the first move because Stiles was distressed, which made his wolf distressed. He had tried to be comforting by scenting him, but he had inadvertently claimed him by the gesture.
The longer he thought about it the more he wanted to kick Scott's ass. Jackson had just about summed up everything he'd kept bottled up inside and that was surprising. Jackson had only hated Scott because he'd hated Stiles. Still, best friend or not, Scott had no right to say those things. Derek cared, that much was obvious to Helen Keller herself. He needed to talk to Derek, to make things right. He sat up, and screamed like a girl. Yeah…he wouldn't be the man in any relationship. The man he'd just spent the rest of the day fantasizing about was climbing through his window.
"Derek!" he said excitedly. The older man grinned and came around to his bedside. He shuffled a bit, unsure of himself.
"Stiles…we need to talk. I-I know this must be confusing, but I won't force or guilt you into being with me."
"What are you talking about sour wolf? Of course I want to be with you. Are you dense or something?" He pulled on the man's hand until he sat on the edge of the mattress.
"What Scott said is true though. You may be in danger now, but that's nothing compared to what will happen after the claim is official. I couldn't bear it if- if they hurt you." He closed his eyes and turned away. Yeah, Scott was getting a major ass kicking. Stiles reached out and gripped his hand.
"Derek don't do this before anything even happens. Don't shut me out, please. I'm not afraid; I know I'll be fine."
He wheeled back, his eyes burning. "How could you possibly know that?" his voice broke.
"Because I trust you." He knew the words meant more to Derek than anything else he said could. The hazel eyes widened, before softening. Derek leaned in and forcefully pressed his lips to Stiles'. He pulled back and gingerly grabbed his wrist, exposing his pale veins. Stiles watched in awe as he leaned down and bit him. At first he felt nothing, and then a warm tingling sensation rushed through him. His body quivered as his senses were heightened. Every time Derek touched him he felt a thousand bolts racing from his roots to his toes. He gasped as he suddenly fell back to earth. He looked down at the crescent shaped mark. It hadn't even broken the skin and he'd felt all of that?
He looked at Derek who was grinning proudly. "We're bonded. It's not as strong because I didn't turn you, but that's okay. I prefer you human." The wolf wrapped him into his arms and pulled him down. Stiles snuggled against him and closed his eyes, for once at peace.
author's notes
i know you have been waiting for this moment and ta da, here it is! to me this makes sense, but let me clarify a few things. Stiles is still 100% human...for now. Allison is in the story, but she won't make her on screen appearance yet..and boy do i have plans for her! anyway, review and i hope you guys enjoy. next chapter really heats up.