AN: I am just amazed at the response I have had for this story. Thank you so much. For once I am not only on track with my updates but ahead chapter wise so you can keep expecting an update on Wednesdays and Sundays. I answer all comments and reviews so if you have any question please feel free to send me a PM. Thanks again!
Lunch with Stiles
He watched as his Mate shifted nervously in his chair, the half glances toward his sister showed his nervousness in the presence of an alpha. But he drawn out looks toward his mate from beneath long lashes and the unconscious way he rubbed his fingers along the back of Derek's arm revealed that the human was feeling the bond between them as well. Derek let the happiness bubbling in his chest show with a warm smile as he took a deep breath filled with the scent of Mate overlain with his own from the jacket he had wrapped around the males thin frame.
Laura texted furiously on her phone from the other side of the table her fingers a blur on the small keyboard. Derek refused to get upset with the knowledge that his entire family and most likely the state would know he had found a mate by the end of the day. Instead he let his focus remain on his Mate. God, he loved the sound, Mate, his Mate.
Beneath the layer of dirt was an expanse of pale skin with a light scattering of dark freckles that left an appealing pattern against the whiteness. His hair was hacked short, spiky and uneven, making the angles of his cheekbones more prevalent. Long fingers with blunt nails shifted constantly between stroking the fabric of the jacket and playing gently with his lower lip. Derek found his eyes drawn to those lips, fantasizing about the moment that it would be his fingers caressing and memorizing their shape.
Derek's study of the young human came to an end as the two betas returned with the cart owner in tow. The omega was large and slovenly, the reason for his packless status obvious to the alpha's eyes: lazy, petty, and most likely dishonest.
"That's the boy! He's a thief. Stole my hard earned money straight from the till of my cart, the little bastard." Derek's eyes widened at the blatant lie coming from the omegas mouth. He let his lip curl and his fangs to drop into view as he prepared to tear the worthless cur into pieces for slandering his Mate.
"I didn't steal your money. It was an apple, just one small bruised apple that fell off your stupid cart." The human jumped to his feet defending himself against the charges with his face blushing red with anger.
"See? The little shit even admits he's a thief." The omega made the mistake of reaching out to grab Derek's Mate, twisting his arm to pull him in closer.
Snarling Derek lunged forward, his obvious rage forcing the omega to release the human and drop to a submissive kneel on the sidewalk flanked by the two betas. His Mate stumbled backwards and into the protective circle of Derek's arms.
The omega's act of submission did nothing to halt the anger that raged in Derek especially at the smell of blood rising to the surface of his Mate's skin as the scent of the bruise that was just starting to form reached his nose. His growl deepened filling the small café with the sound of his fury.
His attention was targeted on the omega cowering at his feet until Laura snapped, "Derek, your scaring your mate."
The human was hunched within his hold, head down and eyes closed. Cupping the back of his neck Derek pulled him closer to his chest attempting to ease away the fear he could now smell wafting from his Mate.
"Only a fool would lie to a wolf," Laura said softly from her seat, having done no more than turn her chair slightly during the confrontation. "I don't even have the vocabulary to express the mountainous level of shear idiocy required to attempt to lie to not just one alpha but two." Her voice remained level but even Derek felt the outward push of her power and restrained anger.
"Maybe my brother will be gracious enough to forgive your lying tongue and not rip it from your worthless mouth if you would accept his payment of the misappropriated apple and agree not to press charges against the boy."
Derek didn't even wait for the omegas reply. Reaching into his wallet he pulled out a hundred and tossed it to the ground in front of the cringing wolf.
"It was all just a misunderstanding. Poor boy must not have noticed it came from my cart. Of course I won't press charges. Thank you, alphas." Snatching the bill in his thick fingers the omega bowed and scraped his way backwards babbling constantly his apologies for the inconvenience he had caused.
Once the betas and the lone omega were out of sight both alphas turned their full attention back to the human who sank into the chair as if hiding from their gaze.
There was silence at the table; Derek staring at his new mate while Laura watched from her seat across from them, the thin human twisting further into his chair under the combined attention of the two alphas. The silence was so thick it was almost hard to breath.
"I'm Laura Hale and this is my brother Derek." The human seemed to pull himself in even tighter at the name Hale and the scent of fear intensified. Responding to his distress Derek pulled their chairs closer together until their knees touched.
"Are you claimed? Do you have a pack that we should contact?" Derek asked, trying to keep his voice calming. His mate shook his head, a quick, jerky motion.
"Do you have a job? Work documents?" Laura had her phone back out ready to locate his employer so that the transfer of documentation could happen as soon as they had the human's work number but another jerky head shake stilled her hand. "Where are you staying?" The frightened glance made the human suddenly look years younger. Derek growled as the smell of fear rose in a thickening cloud around his mate.
"Where are you staying?" Derek reached out to touch his mate's chin. There was no answer except for a helpless shrug.
"Sweetie, how old are you?"
"Seventeen." The human whispered.
"Shit!" Derek and Laura snarled at the same time causing the human to scoot backwards in fear.
Derek caught his mate's chair as it tilted back precariously as Laura fumbled around in her large purse finally pulling out a small scanner device. Without explanation she reached across the table and grabbed the human's right arm, running the scanner over his inner wrist while ignoring her brother's warning growl with a fang tipped smile. "I'm not hurting your mate, Derek, but we need to find out who he is."
The device let out a high pitched beep and Laura read the scrolling information out loud. "Stilinski. Gemin Stilinski. Or is it pronounced Jemin? Gamin?"
"Stiles. I like to be called Stiles."
"Okay Stiles. It says here that you are seventeen and you birthday is in a little over six weeks. Your parents were killed a few years back. Who are you living with? How are you not in a pack home?" Neither Laura nor Derek missed the flinch at that question as Stiles sank further into the chair.
"Okay, I need to make some calls to figure out what we need to do at this point. I'll be right back." Gathering her purse and phone Laura stepped inside to call for reinforcements.
Derek watched his sister enter the café smelling the unease in her scent. At twenty four Derek was the youngest full alpha on record but a seventeen year old Mate was unheard of and would cause quite a scandal. Sighing he turned back to his Mate in time to see him shove a handful of cellophane wrapped crackers into his frayed pockets.
A dark blush travels up Stiles' features once he notices the alpha caught him in the act of pilfering crackers. He cowered when Derek moved, shoulders pulled in tight in anticipation of an angry blow. Instead Derek pushed the basket closer, opening and handing a cracker to the young man.
"You hungry?" Derek felt like an idiot the moment the words left his mouth. Of course Stiles was hungry. Amber brown eyes briefly met his own green for a split second before dropping back down to the table, darting between Derek's half eaten meal still on the plate in front of him and the basket of crackers.
"Yes sir." Derek smiled at the hint of attitude in his Mate's voice. His mother had always held her own against his father. An alpha needed a strong Mate.
"Okay, let's get you something to eat." Derek barely finished his sentence before Stiles was pulling his plate over and attacking the food. "Not that!" Derek started to pull the plate away but stopped as Stiles violently flinched back.
"Hey, it's okay. I just meant did you want to get something off the menu. Something fresh?"
Blushing once again Stiles pushed the plate away from him and nodded. Waving a waiter over Derek quickly ordered a soup and sandwich, handing the man a large bill to help speed the order along. Turning back to his embarrassed Mate Derek opened another packet of crackers for him. Stiles took them quickly but made a show of breaking them in half and chewing slowly.
The food came out a few minutes later and Derek watched as Stiles tried to eat politely but the bites were too big, the chewing just this side of frantic, and Stiles never took his hand off the sandwich even when spooning the warm soup into his mouth.
His Mate's eyes remained on him, never looking at his face but keeping his hands and body in line of sight at all times. Derek let one arm rest on the back of Stiles' chair allowing his thumb to rub gently against the back of the human's neck. After the first startled reaction, Stiles leaned into each stroke, head tilting toward the alpha in encouragement.
The sandwich was gone and Stiles was scrapping the last bit of soup from his bowl when Laura returned. She flopped into her seat with an aggravated huff. "He's not on any registry. It's like he dropped off the face of the earth when his parents were killed. I can't believe he's been on the streets for almost four years."
Derek noticed the look of shock on Stiles' face and made a note to ask him about it at his first opportunity. Most of Stiles' reactions to him were fear based, the flinching and submissive glances, but underneath it all was the trust that the bond was forging between the two of them. Derek knew that if pushed now Stiles wouldn't have the trust in him to feel like he could answer truthfully but if given a couple of days, once the bond was stronger, he hoped his Mate would be more willing to share his tale.
From the way Laura was shifting in her seat, Derek knew that she was about to give him some bad news. "Tell me," he rumbled.
"Derek, he's seventeen. I know it's hard but you can't Mark him until he is of age. No matter what happens the media is going to go crazy with this story but we need to keep it as civil as possible. I've called the HPS and they will take care of him until he is eighteen. It's only a little over six weeks. You can visit him and get to know him. It's not like you are losing him." Laura soothed Derek as his eyes flashed brighter and brighter.
Derek was having trouble keeping his wolf under control. The thought of losing his Mate even for a short period of time tearing his control away. The rising scent of panic from his Mate made it even harder to keep from shifting, scooping his Mate into the safety of his arms, and bolting for his apartment.
Stiles had paled his breathing uneven and shallow as he looked at Derek with a mixture of fear and pleading. He started to visibly shake as a large black car with the Human Protective Services logo painted on its side pulled up to the café.
Reaching over Laura placed a calming hand on Stiles. "You are going to be okay. The HPS will take you to the Hale Pack House for Orphans where they will keep you safe. There is no reason for you to be out on the streets."
"I'm not going back there." Pulling away from Laura and leaping to his feet Stiles all but growled out, "I'm never going back there again." Derek and Laura stood slowly and approached Stiles murmuring calming words as they reached out for him.
A man in a dark blue suit exited the HPS car. "Boy, stop right there," he commanded.
His demand had the opposite effect on Stiles. The young human turned, twisting under Derek's grasp and leapt the small fence that separated the outdoor part of the café from the sidewalk.
Darting around two overly helpful betas who tried to stop his escape, Stiles ran straight into the oncoming traffic bouncing off the front grill of a taxi that screeched to a halt just seconds too late to miss hitting the human.
Stiles was knocked backwards several feet before tumbling down, his head striking the asphalt, to lay motionless in the middle of the street.