Class had finished nearly fifteen minutes ago but Stiles couldn't find it in himself to leave the locker room. After finding out that Danny was like him, an inhuman, he was in shock. Never in all his life had he knowingly met someone like him. Of course, there were bound to be others out there who had powers of their own but the thought had never crossed his mind that those others might be here in Beacon Hills, let alone his school and the weeks he spends at the institute isn't exactly a social gathering for people like him.
There were so many questions Stiles had, so many things he wanted answers to, like what does it feel like to not be afraid of yourself. But Stiles doubted that Danny would have any more answers then he did.
God, everything is such a mess.
"Stiles?" A gentle voice called to him. Stiles' head shot up at the sudden voice sending a jolt of pain through his neck. He cursed under his breath, his hand coming up to massage the side of his aching neck. The sound of a loud thud echoed through the locker room before a heavy hand settled over his own, gentle fingers brushing against the side of his neck. "What are you doing?" Stiles breathed. He could feel his heart pick up speed, thumping against this chest like a snare drum.
"Taking your pain?" The uncertainty was clear in Isaac's eyes. He looked like someone just kicked his puppy but he didn't pull away, instead, his thumb softly stroked along the underside of Stiles jaw, it was an oddly intimate gesture. But the gentle rhythm sent tingles down Stiles' spine.
He wanted to say something, the words were on the tip of his tongue but no sound came out, the words were stuck in his throat and all Stiles could do was gaze into Isaac's eyes. They were an unnatural shade of blue he realized; the area around his Irises was gray with flecks of yellow and green but the blue got darker towards the edge of his eyes. They were beautiful. Stiles quickly pulled away from Isaac's hold and diverted his eyes. There is no way in hell he will let himself feel anything but disdain towards the werewolf, not after everything that's happened.
Stiles cleared his throat but he didn't dare turn back to meet the wolves' eyes, "What are you doing here?" Isaac seemed to heisted for a moment before he slowly withdrew his hand from Stiles neck. He stood and straightened his gray Henley, a hand-me-down from Derek no doubt.
"I forgot my phone. Why are you still here? I thought you'd be the first one in the cafeteria, it's curly fries day."
"Not hungry," he mumbled. It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the truth either. Stiles just couldn't bring himself to eat anything; his mind was abuzz with too many thoughts to concentrate on something as simple as eating. Now with Isaac here it's even harder not to get lost in his own thoughts. His confession last night is still fresh in Stiles mind. No one has ever liked him before, well not that he knows of anyway. It's insane to think that anyone would like him. Stiles knows that he's weird, he talks too much and he can't seem to sit still so the idea that someone thinks he's attractive is bizarre. There are a hundred other guys at this school who are taller, stronger and far more attractive then he will ever be, there is no way Isaac actually likes him.
"Last night," Stiles started but Isaac was quick to intervene.
"Yeah…Do you maybe wanna talk about this over lunch?" Stiles' head snapped up, his eyebrows were drawn together and his heart gave a loud thud against this chest. Was Isaac seriously asking him out? "I-I meant lunch, now, the cafeteria. I'm kind of hungry." His mouth fell open in a silent 'o'. Of course, Isaac wasn't asking him out, that was a stupid thought. For some reason, though he felt disappointed.
Stiles nodded. He grabbed his things and quickly left through the double doors of the locker room, not bothering to check if Isaac was following him. He was too embarrassed by his own stupidity,
They waited in silence in the short cue in the cafeteria. Isaac grabbed a serve of curly fries, a ham sandwich, and three chocolate chip cookies but was quick to grab a second serve of fries and an extra cookie when Stiles' stomach rumbled with a hunger he hadn't realized he had and to add insult to injury Isaac refused to let him pay for it.
Stiles grumbled under his breath about stupid werewolves and their inability to let people pay for things as he shoveled another handful of curly fries into his mouth. He sat opposite Isaac in the back of the cafeteria away from prying eyes, well all except for one pair of prying eyes. Since they sat down Danny has not stopped glancing over and smiling, he even went as far as to give him thumbs up and a very suggestive wink, can a wink be suggestive? "You smell embarrassed." Isaac was watching him closely. His food lay abandoned, curly fries now soggy from the ungodly amount of tomato sauce he used to drown them in. "It's Danny," he mumbled. Stiles glanced towards the front of the cafeteria where Danny was seated and instantly regretted it when he caught the other teen giving him a knowing smirk. Heat flooded his cheeks. Even though Danny seemed mad at him before he defiantly wasn't letting that stop him from making silent innuendos across the cafeteria.
Isaac swiveled around in his chair, his eyes following Stiles line of sight to where Danny sat, still smirking. "Does he uh…like you or something?"
"What? No!" The wolf seemed to sink in on himself, he looked so unsure of himself, like he was about to be rejected. A part of Stiles wanted to reach out and comfort him but there was still that voice screaming at him to keep the wolf at arms length. "Danny doesn't like me like that, he's just a friend. Besides, he's been teasing me about your smile fest all through gym." The wolf ducked his head, suddenly finding his lunch incredibly fascinating but Stiles could have sworn he saw Isaac's face turned a deep shade of red, even the tips of his ears seemed to glow. "It was pretty obvious huh?" Isaac didn't look up as he spoke, just continued to push the food around his plate.
"Just a little." The way Isaac blushes almost makes Stiles believe that this whole crush thing is true. "Although, you jumping out my window kind of ruins the whole facade." Isaac looked up, meeting his gaze head-on. Stiles didn't have the strength or the will to look away.
"I could have handled that better." Stiles nodded. "To be honest I hadn't planned to ever tell you how I feel." Something dark coiled in his gut. It seems that Stiles isn't the only one who thinks he's worthless. He picked at the edges of the wrapping on his chocolate chip cookie. His own emotions are really starting to get on his last nerve.
Neither said anything and for a moment silence passed between them before Isaac sat down his fork and continued to speak in a voice so soft Stiles could barley hear him at first over the loud chatter in the room. "When Derek first bit me I started to notice things, things I shouldn't have been able to notice. Everything was so different. For the first time in my life I felt powerful and I had all this excess energy running through my body, I felt like I could do anything. My senses were the biggest change though, not just my hearing and sight but also my sense of smell. At first I didn't realize it but once it was explained to me I realized that some of the strange things I was suddenly able to smell were emotions and people. Everyone has a natural scent, it differs from person to person but yours immediately caught my attention. You smell like cinnamon and chocolate, salt and freshly cut grass, like home and safety. The first time I caught a whiff of your scent I couldn't get enough, it's intoxicating. Your scent is so different that it should be unbearable but it's not, you smell so good." He emphasized this by taking a deep breath through his nose. The area around his Irises flashed Beta gold before settling back to his natural shade of blue. If Stiles didn't know any better he'd say that the wolf was losing control but he's seen enough wolves lose control to know that Isaac was in perfect control of his wolf. "At first your scent drove me insane. I wanted to be close to you yet I wanted nothing to do with you. You're human and I'm a werewolf. I was arrogant in thinking that humans were beneath me, that I was now suddenly a god that deserved to be worshiped." Isaac chuckled, his whole face seemed to light up. "And every time I said something nasty or cruel you were always there, reminding me that I'm not so big and mighty. You never let me believe that I was better then anyone, even when the claws came out you always stood your ground and over time I started to not only respect you but I fell for you and hard. Your scent isn't the only thing I find infectious, your smile lights up the room and every time you laugh it's-"
"I swear," Stiles said cutting him off, "if you say that my laugh sounds like angels singing I will jump over this table and smack you upside the head." Isaac's confession was dare he say it sweet. No one has ever said anything like that to him before, if anything people like to make fun of the way he laughs not compliment him on it. Isaac chuckled. "No nothing like that, but you do have an amazing laugh." What's he supposed to say to that? Maybe there is a handbook he can read about how to take a compliments from a guy who has a crush on you.
"I uh, I don't know what to say to all that."
"You don't have to say anything." Yea right, after all that Isaac must want him to say something, maybe confess to some feeling he has of his own but Stiles can't, he doesn't feel that way about Isaac. Well not yet, maybe one day he might feel something for the other teen. But there is one question he really wants answered. "I do have one question though…what changed between now and last week that made you want to tell me all this?" There is no way that months of hate can turn into attraction over night.
"Derek." Isaac answered simply. "Before you I have never felt anything towards a guy before and I was scared so I lashed out, my fear turned to anger. Last night when we were talking I didn't notice but Derek had followed me to your house. He heard everything we said and after I ran away he cornered me and in simple Derek terms told me to get over my human barriers and embrace every part of myself. Except with more growling and that weird thing he does with his eyebrows." That doesn't sound like Derek Sourwolf Hale at all. The guy gives off a killer beast vibe that's hard to miss
"Wait, so Derek gave you actual advise?"
"Yeah, he's actually a really good Alpha, well once you get past the murder eyes and the growling."Derek and good Alpha, those are three words that have never been uttered in the same sentence before.
It wouldn't be so hard to believe if Derek didn't have an affinity for pushing him into hard surfaces and growling at him like a wild animal. "Speaking of Derek, why exactly did he corner me in the boy's bathroom last night?"
Isaac raised his eyebrow but didn't comment on the sudden change of subject. "It was about Scott, he's missed the last couple of pack meetings and refuses to answer his phone whenever we call. It's grating on Derek's last nerve. He's stressed out as it is with this new threat in town and now with Scott being difficult it's only adding to his stress level. I suppose he thought that you guys were still friends and that maybe you could talk some sense into him. I'm really sorry about that by the way." Everything always seems to lead back to Scott. Scott this, Scott that, why does this town seem to revolve around him?
And this new threat, did no one think to tell him? Is he really that insignificant that the pack didn't think to even give him a heads up. He can't protect his dad from everything that goes bump in the night if he doesn't know whats going bump. "So…new threat. Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"
"It's nothing to worry about, really, it's just a couple of rouge wolves that crossed over into our territory. Derek's taking care of it." Isaac didn't so much as flinch when he spoke. He seems to believe and trust in Derek wholeheartedly. It's weird because Stiles only knows him as the growly douche bag who growls and yet Isaac spends several weeks living with the Alpha and suddenly they trust in each other. However, Stiles still reserves the right to distrust him. "Well he can't be doing too good of a job if my dad's out in the preserve right now putting together dismembered bodies." He shoved his unopened cookie into his backpack and quickly stood. He needs to get to the bottom of this rouge wolf situation. "Where are you going?" Isaac asked.
"The preserve, where else?"
"You're not going alone, wait for me!" He shoved his own unopened cookies into his ratty backpack and jogged to catch up to Stiles who was already halfway across the cafeteria.
With Stiles sporadic driving it didn't take long before they reached the edge of the preserve. As soon as Stiles put the Jeep into park Isaac was out of the car. He lay spread egal amongst the dirt and leaves, breathing heavily. Stiles raised an eyebrow as he closed the passenger side door and lent back against the side of his Jeep. "Is this a werewolf thing?"
"No," Isaac breathed, "this is an 'I'm thankful to still be alive because you're a psychotic driver' thing."
"I resent that. I'm a great driver and if you want to be in my presence you will continue to tell me that I am a great driver."
Isaac pushed himself up onto his elbows and raised one of his judgey eyebrows. "How many speeding tickets do you have?"
"None," Stiles said, ignoring the slight blip in his heartbeat as he lied but Isaac wasn't willing to ignore it so easily. He got to his feet and closed the small space between them. He leaned in close to Stiles side, one hand resting on his hip and the other plastered against the side of the Jeep. "How many would you have if your dad wasn't the Sheriff?" Stiles could almost hear his heart thud against his chest. The feeling of Isaac's warm body pressed against his side felt so strange especially since they're not very close. Before last night they were almost like enemies and now they have an odd sort of 'friendship' Not that Stiles has fully forgiven him but it is nice to have someone to talk to who isn't his dad. "That's beside the point."
"No, it's not-"
"Shut up Isaac." They shared an easy smile between them. It's like falling into an old routine with Isaac, even though he doesn't trust the wolf as far as he can throw him (which isn't very far) they just seem to fit together with such ease like they have known each other forever.
They set off into the preserve with only the sound of leaves crunching under foot to cut through the silence. Stiles could feel Isaac's eyes boring into his back as they walked and every so often he could distinctly make out the sound of Isaac leaning forward and sniffing
He was so lost in though that Stiles didn't notice when Isaac suddenly stopped mid-stride, his nose turned up in the air like a dog trying to sniff out his next treat. If he was paying attention Stiles would have made some sort of dog joke and had he been paying attention he would have noticed when the beta's eyes turned gold and his claws lengthened but he wasn't paying attention and that was how Stiles ended up face down in the dirt, a hard body pressed against his back and one arm tightly wrapped around his chest while the other, claws included pressed against his parted lips. Stiles tried to scream and wiggle his way out of Isaac's hold but the beta only tightened his grip, crushing Stiles further against the cold floor of the preserve. "Shh," Isaac hissed against the shell of Stiles' ear. The sound came out muffled around his sharpened canines.
Stiles immediately went still, his breath coming in heavy pants against Isaac's sweaty palm. He tried to listen over the erratic beating of his heart which seemed to echo around in his head. It took a moment but eventually Stiles' heart calmed down enough that he was able to hear what had spooked Isaac. The shuffling of leaves was the first thing that caught his attention. It sounded close but not close enough to warrant panic but just as Stiles was beginning to think that they had stumbled upon his dad's deputies he heard a low growl, almost like a whine. Isaac tensed behind him. His arm tightened further around Stiles before he released him entirely. "Stay," Isaac whispered when Stiles opened his mouth to speak. He clicked his mouth shut and continued to lay there in silence, his eyes wide as Isaac lent over him. The wolf seemed torn like his head was pulling him in a different direction than his body. Isaac's eyes suddenly flashed gold and he let out a growl before throwing himself over the small embankment.
It was silent for a second. Only the sound of the rustling leaves high up in the trees reached his ears. Stiles was just about to jump up and yell at the wolf for leaving him alone with his cryptic message to stay, maybe throw in a few insults about his wolfiness but he didn't get the chance. As soon as the silence began it ended. The air became filled with growls and the sound of claws clashing and ripping through flesh. Stiles breath hitched as Isaac let out a roar of pain. "Shit," he hissed. When Stiles had planned to go looking for the remains of the dismembered bodies he hadn't planned to actually run into the thing responsible and now Isaac's hurt because of him.
He crawled towards the edge of the embankment and peered over the edge, fisting the earth beneath him with shaky hands. Down below two wolves fought, their claws clashing in what Stiles could only describe as a pure primal need to kill.
The other wolf threw a bloody, clawed hand towards Isaac's face. The beta ducked just in time, he swung his leg out kicking the other wolfs legs out from under him. He went down with a thud, roaring as his head connected with an exposed tree root. Isaac didn't wait for him to regain his bearings, he threw his leg over the wolf and crouched down until he was sitting on the wolf's chest. Isaac raised one clawed hand and swiped down, aiming for his neck but the other wolf was faster, he swung his claws up and into Isaac' stomach. The sound is something that will forever haunt Stiles. The beta stopped, seeming to be in shock as he looked down at his bloodied stomach. The other wolf chuckled and with a quick flick of his wrist raked his claws up, the tearing of flesh was indescribable. More blood gushed from Isaac's stomach, it ran down his front and soaked into the fabric of his jeans. All the fight seemed to drain out of his body and the other wolf seemed to notice this as well. He raised his hand, intending to copy Isaac's previous attack and aimed for his exposed neck.
Stiles looked around him wildly trying to find some sort of weapon he could use but found nothing but sticks. That's it sticks! He grabbed the biggest and thickest branch he could find and ran back to the edge of the embankment. With no time to think or aim Stiles threw the heavy branch with all his might. It landed a few feet from him and rolled the rest of the way down the embankment. "Oi ugly!" he screamed when the wolf still didn't turn to acknowledge him.
The nameless wolf turned his head towards Stiles, one arm still raised ready to deliver the killing blow. His glowing blue eyes held no trace of anything human, it was just pure animal. He let out a purely animalistic roar and threw Isaac off of his chest. Stiles couldn't help but watch as Isaac sailed through the air like he weighed nothing; he didn't fight, not even when he landed against a nearby tree with a sickening crack. The limp body of the beta flopped against the earth, unmoving, his eyes still wide open and glassed over. Stiles' heart gave an unusually loud thud against his chest. Is he dead?
The wolf growled again. He lunged up the side of the embankment, just a few feet from where Stiles was standing. Up close Stiles could almost make out every feature of the feral wolf. He looked the same age as his dad, late forties with a full beard and platinum hair that was so long it reached down past his shoulders. The man looks like he hasn't seen a decent meal in months; he's all skin and bone, sharp edges and sunken eyes. He looked like a mess but a mess with claws and fangs that's coming right for him. Stiles turned around and ran in the direction he hoped lead further into the preserve. He knows he can't outrun a werewolf, not even in his wildest dreams but at least he can lead the thing-man further away from town.
Stiles barely managed to make it a few feet before the wolf was upon him. Sharp claws dug into his back, piercing his pale flesh. It felt like a hot poker was stripping away layers of his skin.
An involuntary scream was ripped from Stiles' throat. He fell forward against the hard earth, scraping his hands against exposed roots and rocks as his arms shot out, trying to protect his face from the fall but it had little effect as the wolf landed on top of him. His weight wasn't warm or comforting like Isaac's had been, instead, the feeling of the wolf pressing down on him made Stiles want to be sick. The wolfs prominent ribs dug roughly into Stiles back and his breath smelt of rotting flesh and moldy bread. Stiles could feel him flex his fingers where they were still stuck in his back, just below his shoulders. He screamed, tears prickling at the edges of his eyes. The wolf growled in satisfaction. He dug his claws in deeper with what sounded like a chuckled. Could feral wolves even laugh?
Suddenly he pulled back, ripping his claws free from Stiles back in the process. His body rocked back above him, seemingly getting ready to strike the final blow. 'This is it,' Stiles thought, 'I'm going to die a virgin.' He threw his arms up trying to protect his face. The last thing he wanted was for his dad to find his body lying in the preserve but at least he can stop his face from becoming horribly disfigured.
A loud roar ripped through the trees, louder then the feral wolf atop him had managed thus far, it seemed to shake the very earth beneath him. The nameless wolf went still, his body rigid but then his body shook and he unleashed a roar of his own. The trees roared back in answer, closer this time than the last.
Despite Stiles better judgment he slowly lowered his arms and peered up from where his face was smashed into the earth. At first, he saw nothing but the fog drifting between trees but then from the corner of his eye he noticed a black blur streak towards them faster then his eyes could track and then all of a sudden the weight pressing down on his back was gone and his ears were filled with the sound of snarling. It reminded Stiles of when the neighbor's dogs used to fight.
Stiles quickly scrambled to his feet despite the pain flaring through his back. He almost choked out a sob when he noticed the black wolf. A black wolf, a legitimate wolf with fur and paws and…glowing red eyes was standing over the now motionless body of the feral man. His throat was a bloody mess as was the wolf's muzzle. That could have been him; he could have just as easily been the one lying there with his throat slashed and blood gushing from a wound that would not heal. The wolf jumped off the man's chest and stalked towards him. It seemed to roll its eyes and chuffed out a sound that almost seemed like a chuckle.
"Derek?" Stiles asked. If it were any other Alpha they would have killed him by now and besides Derek is the only wolf that can manage to both look terrifying and like a father trying to scowl his pups. "Nice timing and all that but since when can you do...well that." With shaky hands, he gestured to the whole of Derek's fury body. He was huge even for a wolf. While standing his head came up just past his waist. No one told him that Derek could shift into an actual wolf, he would defiantly remember if someone did. Derek huffed and none too gently butted his head against Stiles side. He pushed wolf Derek's head away. The dude can't stand him and yet wolfy him wants to get all up in his business, it's weird. Oh, shit Isaac. "Dude," growl, "Derek! Whatever. Isaac's hurt, I don't know if he's…." dead.
Derek seemed to get his message anyway because he took off in the direction Stiles had come running from moments ago. Stile hesitated. He glanced over at the still form of the bloody man just to make sure that he was still dead before he followed Derek but at a much slower pace. By the time he reached the edge of the embankment Derek's naked human form was climbing back up, he had one arm wrapped around Isaac's waist, supporting his mostly dead weight. The beta was breathing heavily and his skin was pale and sweaty. He looked like death warmed over. "Isaac!" Stiles screamed. He's never been so relieved to see the curly haired wolf. When Isaac noticed him his mouth curved into a smile that looked more like a grimace. One of his hands was pressed against his stomach but even from this far away Stiles could see that the wound was still bleeding heavily. "Dude I thought you were dead!"
"That makes two of us," he chuckled breathlessly.