It's been a while, but I kind of like this chapter so I hope you guys will too! Thank you for sticking this out with me, it's a hard storyline and I know there is controversy and mixed feelings on the way things have gone, but hopefully, by the end(which isn't any time soon) you will all be happy with the way things go.
Verne's pack is three members short of Derek's, having lost members when they came across the Alpha pack a year before Beacon Hills did. That did not, however, mean they were weaker. A pack made up of four born wolves and two bitten is stronger than a pack that had been, at the time, made up of one born wolf, five bitten, two humans and the daughter of a hunter. Before the attacks, Verne's pack had been fifteen strong, mostly born wolves, and heavy on tradition. After the attacks, they might have been smaller, but tradition still stuck. That was the only reason Stiles was still human now, Verne had offered the mate bite of an Alpha and Stiles had declined, if the tradition of consent and pack integration hadn't been an issue for them, there is every chance he would have turned her anyway. Consent or no. He had, however, left the offer open if she was to ever change her mind. At the time, she told her that if she did, her own alpha would be the one to do it.
Today she was apparently proving herself wrong.
Isaac was at her side the moment they were out of the car, arm wrapped lightly around her waist. Careful of her injuries but in a position to keep her close and safe. There was a swelling point of guilt and pain inside her heart that she had brought Isaac, innocent, hurt, baby Isaac who would give his life to keep her safe no matter what. With her every step of the way. Even if it meant it was something he couldn't save her from. Even if she was walking into this danger as a fully consenting woman.
Verne watched with a polite, blank smile on his face from the porch of his house, flanked by his second and third beta's. His first was currently a pregnant female whose mate had died slowly of wolfsbane poisoning, caused by a tiny wooden spike lodged in his spine coated in the dust of the flower. It had been a slow, painful way to die and Stiles had seen him the day they made the treaty with this pack, just days before he died. They had heard nothing but the customary once a month check ins.
The arm around her waist was trembling slightly, she could feel the soft, shaking pressure against the skin of her back below the injuries she had sustained over the past few weeks. However, every other part of Isaac was poised and ready, alert for danger and on guard to keep them both safe. He tensed against her as Verne stepped off the porch towards them, however the other man froze at the miniscule movement and his polite blankness slipped into something akin to concern.
"Miss Stilinski, Mr Lahey. Not that we aren't happy to see you both, but may i ask why you have come into Fallen land without an arrangement from your alpha?" Stiles stepped out of the warmth of Isaac's arm, much to his dismay, and took a step towards the others. Slowly, she tilted her head to the side and bared her neck, an acknowledgement of his rank over her, before taking another step forward to address him.
"Mr Fallen, Verne, please. We- i- can we please go inside to discuss this?" Her entire body way shaking, trembling. Stiles hadn't been outside of Beacon Hills, outside of her pack, since the attacks and being this far away from known safety was bringing forward fears and memories that she didn't want. Isaac rushed forwards, extending an arm so that she could wrap her fingers around his wrist, finding her familiarity in the fast thrum of a pack member's heartbeat. Verne looked confused, but nodded his consent and waved them on in front of him.
Stiles knew that move, had learnt it in between months of danger.
Never let the unknown at your back. They're likely to stab you in it.
They followed Andrew and Oliver, Verne's second and third respectively, into a house that was only a slight bit smaller than the rebuilt Hale house. Derek's had once housed eighteen pack members at it's lowest amount before the fire. Those extra rooms were gyms, libraries, extra bathrooms now. Verne had never had a pack exceed 15 even at their height. They were lead into a large sitting room, and Stiles stopped dead at the unexpected sight of the other members of the pack in the room. Suddenly, they were a lot more outnumbered, and the fear wormed its way back in. The familiar feeling of Isaac against her was no comfort as the panic and memories threatened at the edge of her conscious.
"You need to calm down, Stiles. Please, please calm down."Isaac begged in a whisper against his ear, his own fear breaking through. Verne appeared at her other side suddenly.
"Stiles? Is everything-" He reached out to put a hand on her arm but she threw herself away from both of them, out of Isaac's arm and against the door frame behind her. There, she lowered herself to the ground, curling up despite the pain and burying her face into her arms, curled around her knees.
"Don't touch me. Please don't touch me. I don't want to do it anymore. I'm sorry. Please. Please. Don't touch me again." All there was in her head was the imaginary feel of two dead men's hands all over her, tugging at clothes, grabbing at her wrists and her waist and everywhere else their clammy, filthy fingers could get to.
It took an amount of time that Stiles couldn't even imagine to pass before Isaac's worried, pained voice broke through the memories and into her mind. He coaxed her gently away from the pain. From the anger and violation and the emptiness. He was crying in front of her, on his knee's and begging, hands outstretched but not touching. Verne was the only other pack member left in the room when she finally raised her eyes, wiping furiously at the tears making hot tracks along her sunken cheeks.
"Isaac." She managed to choke out, before crawling to him and falling into his lap as she sobbed. There was only a faint acknowledgement of Isaac lifting her, and then sitting on the sofa closest to them so she could cling to him, fall into him as closely as she could. There was only a murmur at the back of her conscious that Verne was still in the room, perching on the high wooden coffee table in front of them.
Slowly, with the soothing sounds of Isaac's voice in her ear, and his heartbeat against her fingers, she managed to pull herself away from the feelings left over from the flashbacks. Isaac let her out of the embrace as she pulled away, wiping at her face again as the last of the tears escaped from her tired eyes.
"Sorry, Mr Fallen." She murmured, not looking up to meet his eyes.
"Please, Stiles. Call me Verne. And i'm the one who should be sorry, i didn't mean to.. trigger you like that." She let out a mirthless chuckle, clutching again at Isaac's hand like a lifeline.
"Everything triggers me these days, don't worry about it." In Stiles' periphery, she could see him nodding reluctantly. Isaac leant forward and picked up a glass of cool water from the table, Verne must have gotten it during her freak out, and offered it to her to sip from.
"So," Verne started once the glass had been put back on the side table, "How about we start with why you two are here without calling ahead?" He didn't sound angry, concerned and confused, but not angry. Stiles took in a deep breath, letting her doubts about this course of action, of what it would mean, overtake her again for a moment before she shook it away and managed to look up and meet the Alpha's eyes.
"I want you to turn me."
Derek paced, and paced, and then punched a wall, before pacing some more. The pack watched him warily, Stiles' father sat with his head buried in his hands.
"Call him." Lydia suggested, watching him make another lap of the room in agitation.
"And say what? Oh, sorry, don't turn a human and make your pack stronger because i want her to keep the child conceived through rape inside of her?" He snapped back, growling at the end as he paused his pacing and panted harshly. The fear, guilt and agitation was building inside of him, threatening to crush him under their weight. Lydia sighed heavily, hopping down from her seat on an examination table and coming to stand right in front of him, hand on her hips, determined look on her face.
"Say whatever you want, Alpha. Just make him listen, make him stop." The stared each other down, and he's once again reminded that if she was a wolf, if that was possible, she'd make an exceptional second. Not as good as Stiles would, if she were to be turned by him, but exceptional non-the-less. Derek finally let out a frustrated sigh, dragging a hand through his already messed up hair.
"Okay.. Okay. Erica, Boyd, i need you to go to Scott's and collect him. Tell him this isn't forgiveness, but it's a step up from being abjured from the pack. We need numbers in case Verne puts up a fight. Lydia, Jackson, go to the house. In the safe there are all the treaties that have been signed, find the Hale-Fallen agreement and bring it with me. I want you all back here in half an hour tops. Be ready to leave as soon as we're all here." Lydia smirked at him, grabbing Jackson as she turned to leave. Erica and Boyd already having left as soon as the order had been given. Deaton, Danny and the Sheriff watched him closely as he stood frozen, trying to work out in his head what he was going to say to Verne.
"Danny, do you have the pack Alpha's number on your phone?" Danny stepped forward, phone in hand with the number already highlighted. Derek gave him a tense smile, more like a grimace, as he took the phone from his hand.
"Derek." The Sheriff croaked out, standing and coming to stand right in front of him, hand on his outstretched as he reached to press a reassuring squeeze to Derek's shoulder.
"You love her." Stiles' dad whispers to him. He goes to deny it, but can't. He does. He does love her. He should have told her that already. "You love her, and you have to bring her back. Focus on that okay? You can do this, son." John gives his shoulder another squeeze, and remains right in front of him, eye contact and all, as Derek nods and presses the call button.
It rings and rings and ring, before someone finally answers.
"Amelia Fallen." Derek remembers this woman, Verne's second, his sister. At least seven months pregnant and without a mate.
"Ms. Fallen, this is Derek Hale."
"Ah, Alpha Hale. I assume you are calling about the two pack members that just turned up in our territory?" He nods before remembering she can't see him.
"Yes, that's right. I need to talk to Verne. Tell him this is vital, literally life or death." Derek isn't, as a rule, as much of a catastrophist as he used to be, but this moment is cause for dramatic introductions.
"Alpha Fallen is currently talking to a very distressed Stiles and Isaac. I can't really disrupt them right now." A growl slips past his lips and the Sheriff gives him a reassuring look, a silent 'you can do this'.
"Amelia, please. I need to talk to him before he agrees to whatever Stiles is asking of him. You know i wouldn't be calling unless this was vital." There is the faint sound of a discussion echoing along the line before Amelia is back on the line and telling him to hold on, that she will go and get her Alpha for him if it is so important. It feels like Derek's wolf is clawing under the surface, like he needs to run and howl and hunt, but he can't. He can't because Stiles is infinitely more important.
"Alpha Hale." Derek sighs in relief as Verne takes the phone.
"Alpha Fallen. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but i know you currently have two of my pack in your territory?" There is a hum of confirmation from the other line. "Has Stiles asked anything of you yet?" There is silence for a while on the other side before the other Alpha sighs and replies.
"Yes. Stiles has requested i change her just moments before Amelia came to me with your call... Derek.. What the hell is going on? That girl is a mess." Derek lets out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding when Verne finishes talking. Stiles is still human, still alive. He still has time to make this right. The Sheriff, still stood in front of him, deflates a little in relief at whatever expression or noise that Derek had made.
"Normally, i wouldn't tell you, but Verne. Please, don't turn her, don't do it. She isn't thinking straight."
"That much is obvious." Derek chokes out a mirthless laugh, dragging a hand down his face. The hardest part, he anticipates, is convincing Verne to not do this. He had wanted Stiles the moment he set eyes on her, and this vulnerability would be the perfect opportunity.
"She's pregnant." All noise stops on the end of the line and Derek is sure the other Alpha has hung up before Verne lets out a harsh breath.
"Okay, so why is she here like this?"
"Stiles was.. abused, by hunters who convinced her it was a kind of payment to keep our pack safe. They're dead now, and we thought it was over, but Stiles' latent spark became very, non-latent recently and through testing we found out.. The magic, it's protecting the baby, she can't.. not safely while she's magic, but she can't be magic and a wolf. It would cancel it out. I couldn't turn her. Verne.. Stiles is too weak, the bite won't take." The silence is back before the sound of general sounds of unease from people clearly listening in on the story being told.
"Fuck." Alpha Fallen hisses down the line, taking deep breaths.
"Verne, please." Derek pleads, begs down the line. He knows the other man can hear his desperation, it's practically a living entity inside this room.
"Okay, Derek. I'll do what i can. I'll tell her there are things we need to do, talk about, figure out. Try and get some food into them. But get here, as soon as you can."
"Thank you." Derek breaths, coughing to try and dislodge the emotion and gratitude trying to claw it's way out through his throat. "We're on our way, right now. Thank you." There is a noise of agreement, an unspoken 'you're welcome' and then the line disconnects.
Lydia, Jackson return five minutes later with the treaty, and Derek just nods at them to let them know that the call went okay. That Stiles is still safe. Erica and Boyd return not long after them, a quiet, worried looking Scott behind them.
"This is about Stiles, about keeping her safe. This does not mean you have access back to the pack, this is you making up for your mistakes. Understood?" Scott just nods, eyes averted in submission. They leave as soon as Deaton gives them some supplies, in case Stiles needs any 'magical assistance'.
Derek just hopes they make it before those supplies become necessities.
Stiles is fairly certain it's Derek on the phone when Verne is called away, and Isaac all but confirms it when he listens in on what he can hear of the conversation. However, the look on Verne's face, the way he glances down at her stomach as he walks back into the room, cements it.
"You know." She says, voice empty, and he just nods. It's a cold comfort that he looks more sympathetic than disgusted with her.
"Derek told me of your.. situation." Stiles sighs and goes to stand, pulling on Isaac's hand at the same time.
"Then i apologise for wasting your time. We'll be going now." Verne stands as quickly as she goes to move for the door. He doesn't touch her this time, luckily, be he does beg for her to stop a moment.
"You didn't. Stiles, it's okay. Just sit, i'm not saying no to your request, but there are traditions we have to follow, acts we have to go through before i can turn you." Stiles pauses, glancing hopefully up at the Alpha in front of her.
"What kind of traditions?" Verne gives her a smile, gesturing at the chair behind them.
"Well, we need to eat a dinner as a pack. Isaac, although i know you aren't applying for membership, you may join us. And then we discuss this with the rest of the pack, and if they agree we sign an agreement. And then, i can give you the bite."
Hope grows in Stiles' chest, that he will agree, that she will get the bite, that even if she doesn't survive, this will all be over. The hopeful glance she throws at Isaac is brighter than she's been in weeks, but he gives her a pained, tired look and it dampens it a little. Stiles chooses to ignore it though, tries to focus on the first positive for a very long time.
"Okay." Stiles agrees, and the grin Verne throws her is almost convincing.