AN: WOW! Thank you so much for all the reviews. They really mean so much to me and I do read and respond to every one.

I've set this story up to basically bounce back and forth between Derek and Stiles' POV. Each chapter is from one or the other. I hope you enjoy it and continue to read (and leave review ).

Lunch with Laura

Stiles lay on the hard concrete with his jaw aching from the glancing blow he received from the beta. Seeing the deadly flash of red from the alpha's eyes, the same alpha that he had plowed into, Stiles pulled himself into the tightest knot he could manage, trying to protect his vulnerable parts. That fiery red was a sure sign of the inevitable beating to come. Maybe if he was lucky the betas would drag him off to jail before the unmated alpha had a chance to do too much damage.

How was it his luck that he would run head on into what was most likely the only unmated alpha in the city? Alphas were the pinnacle of strength within the werewolf society but the unmated were known to be temperamental, their control unstable on the best of days.

It was almost unheard of for an unmated alpha to be walking alone on the streets. Without the anchor of a mate they tended to be unstable and violent when provoked. Families of young alphas never let them roam unattended surrounding their precious royalty with specially trained betas to keep them calm or, in worse case scenarios, keep the body count to a minimum.

No one in their right mind wanted to annoy an unmated alpha and Stiles was sure that running head long into one was a good way of provoking an undesirable reaction from the werewolf elite.

The cement was cool under his shoulder and the little heat he had left in his thin frame from the run was quickly sapped from his body causing him to shiver. Stiles closed his eyes as the alpha's shadow fell over him, the large male kneeling over his prone body, sure that his time on this earth was over. Curling tighter into a ball beneath the wolf Stiles prayed that it would end quickly, painlessly.

Stiles could only manage to breathe in short panicked pants making it impossible to do more than whimper slightly and plead as the alpha reached out and stroked his bare back.

"Shhhh. Not going to hurt you," the alpha soothed running his hands lightly over the flesh of his back. The unexpected kindness of the touch made Stiles go limp beneath the alpha's gentle touch. Strong blunt fingers found the ridges of his scars and the rumbled growl that followed had him curling into a protective ball again.

The voice that thundered over his head, making him shiver with fear, was directed at the betas. Stiles knew they were talking about him but between the calming circles the alpha was tracing on his back and the stars and sparkles he still saw as after images in his brain from the punch he couldn't seem to follow what was being said. The cold that was seeping into his bones, filling his brain with static, made his ability to process any information impossible.

The angry conversation flowed overhead as he concentrated on the warmth of the alpha's touch. The panic in his chest lessened by small degrees which made his body jerk in response as he forced himself to remember that it was an unmated alpha stroking him. Dropping his guard could get him killed and no matter how safe his body felt Stiles knew that the danger was far from over.

The rising crescendo of anger from the alpha above him had the betas cowering in fear. From his position trapped between the alpha's legs he could still see the terror on their faces. The dark curl of anger that he kept tucked deep inside felt that it was about time they had a taste of their own medicine, to know how it felt to be so very afraid.

Stiles continued to lay passively on the sidewalk as the betas hurried away, the heat from each stroke of the alpha flowing up his body, working its way deep inside to fill an emptiness that he never even knew he possessed. He flinched slightly as the wolf withdrew his hand and stood up, missing the touch as soon as it was gone.

Strong hands gripped his arms just below his shoulders and pulled him to his feet. Stiles leaned against a wall of warm granite that was masquerading as a chest for a second, completely lost in a whirl of new sensations. The soft huffs of breath tickled his neck as the alpha allowed him to rest against him before gently guiding him down the sidewalk.

Stiles found himself stumbling as the adrenaline fueling his body gave way to exhaustion and the alpha wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him tight up against his body, half carrying him to a small café down the street.

As they neared the café, a dark haired women who was slightly older than the alpha pulling him down the sidewalk and obviously a mated by the flash of darker red in her eye, looked over her shoulder at the strange sight that was approaching the table.

Her eyes widened with surprise as the male pushed Stiles into a chair, wrapping him in his jacket before taking a seat himself. Stiles' brain was still filled with the strange hiss of mental static and he watched the wolves' mouths move as they talked to each other, their hands punctuating the air for emphasis. The jacket draped over his shoulders still had the warmth of the alpha permeating it as well as the scent of the older man who was sitting close enough to his side that their knees brushed.

Stiles let his nose drop to the fabric allowing the scent envelope him. It smelled of old growth forests, sunshine, and strangely enough cinnamon. The exhaustion that he had been fighting caught him all at once, the shock of the day making him light headed and weak, and he listed to one side. Immediately he was carefully pulled up right by the alpha's arms as they circled his shoulders tugging at him until he was resting fully against the warmth of the wolf.

The world wavered and then came into sharp focus. Stiles' ears seemed to pop and suddenly the conversation taking place around him started to reach his rattled brain.

"How in the hell can he be your mate? Derek, you haven't even been gone five minutes." The long haired alpha stared at the younger man in shock, her eyes flashing between a light hazel and the burgundy of a mated alpha.

Derek shrugged causing his white linen shirt to tighten over his chest and back. He looked sheepishly from under his lashes at, what Stiles thought, must be his sister. "He just is Laura. It's like every cell in my body is calling out for him."

Laura sighed and smiled softly in Stiles' direction as if to calm a frightened animal. "He looks half starved. Do you even know how old he is?" Stiles stiffened and twisted in his chair at her scrutiny, dropping his eyes in submission and fear.

Both wolves reacted as the scent of his fear intensified. Derek moved closer trying to sooth and protect with the press of his body as Laura leaned back, keeping he movements slow to calm the panicked human.

"Where did you find him?" Laura's voice was barely above a whisper. She watched Stiles from the corner of her eye.

"He was running away from some betas from Fair Security. I gathered he was caught doing something illegal. I will fix it." With slow movements, as if he were dealing with a wild animal prone to flight, the alpha reached over the stroked the back of Stiles' hand where it was clinched on the arm rest. "Hey," Derek nudged the curve of Stiles' thumb and finger to get his attention. "I will fix it. You don't need to worry. Okay?"

Stiles found himself staring into hazel green eyes even though years of training told him never to look directly at a werewolf because it was a sign of aggression as well as a show of dominance. Torn between the need to run, to put as much distance between himself in the danger that seemed to lurk in his future, and the desire to curl up in Derek's lap and never leave, Stiles settled for letting his free hand cover the alpha's and slowly trace the tendons and blood vessels that were just visible beneath his golden skin.

Stiles had to swallow twice before he managed to whisper, "okay."