Alex meets Alessa again, and he wonders what Derek will say when he hear the news about her. Stiles is angry at Derek for keeping secrets. Allison knows more than she let out, and mysterious things are happening around the house.
The creature moved slowly through the dense vegetation. A thick layer of pine-needles cushioned it's steps, and in the darkness between the trees, it was practically invisible.
The trails created by the animals residing there had hardly ever been tread on by any human, and most people wouldn't even be able to detect the narrow paths in the first place.
A fox jumped out from the bushes, startled by the big beast that suddenly came so close to it's hiding place. The sound of rustling leaves as the fox hurriedly ran away, stirred up some smaller animals, and the creature stopped and listened to the high pitch squeaks from a couple of mice, alerting each other about this imminent threat to their lives.
Sniffing the ground, the big animal could smell where their nest was, but this was not a hunting-trip, and chasing mice was not even remotely interesting regardless.
A few minutes later, it reached the part of the woods that was less impenetrable. The light from the moon reached the ground here, and there was hardly any shrubbery. The trees were further apart and the dry leaves on the ground weren't as soundproof as the pine-needles.
Crossing this area was necessary in order to get to the destination; another option was to double back and walk around, but that would take too long.
On the last leg of this trip, the creature stepped into the almost open field before it started running. It wasn't because it was scared; it wasn't because it was in a hurry; he just wanted to test his legs, and feel the wind against it's body.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Alex was about to pour himself some coffee when he looked out the window in the kitchen. He saw the sheriff's cruiser roll slowly towards the house. He guessed it was Mr Stilinski, but he couldn't understand what he was doing here at this time of day. Derek wasn't even out of bed yet, and the rest of the housemates had left for school only a half an hour ago.
He picked another cup out of the cupboard. No matter what the reason for this visit was, he would at least offer the man some coffee.
Not even sure if this was a social call, Alex unwrapped the two leftover sandwiches that he'd made for breakfast. He cut them in both into four little triangles and put them on the table. It wasn't much, but he was pretty sure that Stiles' dad didn't come for the food.
When he looked out the window again, he saw that Mr Stilinski wasn't alone. Alex recognized the woman as Shantaya Jones – Alessa's social worker – and he realized that they were there to visit him. As he tried to keep an eye on the yard, he picked out another cup, and he almost dropped it when Ms Jones opened the back door of the car to let another passenger out.
Alessa was rubbing her eyes; she'd probably been sleeping in the back of the car, and Ms Jones lifted her up and carried her towards the porch. Alex' hands were slightly convulsing as he rushed over to open the door for them.
If he'd known, he would have prepared something other than a couple of sandwiches, but it was a little too late to think about that now.
Peri, who'd been busy with his own breakfast, had obviously noticed that someone was coming. He'd abandoned his food and was standing by the door, wagging his tail as the visitors entered.
Alex wasn't quite sure how to greet them. He'd never had guests before; not any guests that were there solely for him in any case.
It went very well. Shantaya told him that they had found family for Alessa in Beacon Hills, and that they were on their way to deliver her. Who would eventually get custody of the little girl was still pending; Sonya's wish was being considered, but at the moment. Alex was only granted visitation rights.
Ms Jones apologized for not informing him earlier, but the final paperwork wasn't ready until yesterday. "Your mom signed all the necessary papers, and there are only a few things to go through before this is settled."
Alex was very excited, but it had happened very fast. Even if it could take a while before Alessa could spend a night here, he wondered how Derek would feel about this. He was thoroughly informed about the slim chance that this could happen, but he hadn't really given his opinion.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The big wolf-like creature stared at the house. He'd been careless once before and gotten too close, so he made sure to stay in the shadows between the trees.
As he softly put his paws down on the ground, walking the perimeter of the yard, he listened carefully for sounds from the inhabitants. He startled when a light got turned on upstairs, and withdrew further into the bushes as he kept his eyes focused on the bright rectangular window. There was a movement in the curtains before a pale face appeared behind the glass.
The animal squinted to make sure that the light from up there wouldn't reflect in his eyes. The time was not right yet.
Ten nights in a row he'd walked the same route through the woods; sometimes trailing off towards the driveway, but after the first little mishap, he'd never got out in the open treeless yard.
A few minutes later, the light went out and the whole back of the house was covered in darkness again.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Another full moon was coming. It would be the second one for him without the chains and cuffs. Stiles had managed the last one pretty well, although he'd felt kind of antsy when it was at it's peek. His housemates had kept an eye on him, and Derek had been the ultimate support.
He was pretty sure he could handle it this time, but he wanted Derek by his side, just in case.
Derek's curious absence at night, had supposedly ceased. Stiles had asked him about it, and the explanation had not been particularly satisfying. They were safe here, and there should be no reason for Derek to keep checking the grounds for intruders.
Stiles had to use the term 'supposedly', because he didn't really know for sure. Every night after the little confrontation, he'd tried to stay awake until he was sure that Derek had fallen asleep. It took a while, and when Stiles eventually shut his eyes, he practically fell into a coma. The lore about werwolves not needing to sleep so much seemed a little far fetched, because Stiles really felt that he needed all the sleep he could get.
Another thing that he'd noticed with both Derek and Scott was that they were extremely light sleepers. Any little sound could alert them. Allison was the same, but Stiles had never slept in the same room as her, so he didn't have first hand knowledge of this.
The way Alex worked was a puzzle. He was almost always the last one to turn in, but he was also the first one to get up in the morning. Normally he looked unseemly awake and alert, and it was sometimes quite annoying.
Isaac was the only one Stiles could relate to on this. The two of them were equally tired in the morning; sometimes walking around like zombies, and pretty much acting on instinct.
When he woke up last night alone in bed – again – Stiles had been both angry and sad. He didn't bother to check the house; he could feel that Derek wasn't inside. He turned on the light and went to the bathroom before he threw a quick peek out the window. For a second, he felt that someone was watching him, and a shiver went down his spine.
-o-o-o-o-o-
It was time. The moon was almost full; he could feel the power from it throughout his whole being. Standing in the shade at the side of the house, the Alpha howled against the almost full moon. He never meant to do that, so he froze up, waiting for a reaction from inside.
A chuckle tickled his throat when he heard a high-pitch whine from inside the house. The little puppy tried to respond with it's still under-developed puppy voice.
He knew for sure that the two-legged residents of the house could have heard him as well, but nobody came to check. It was actually a little disturbing that they were able to ignore something that could be a threat to them.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Alex had heard a howl last night; he'd also heard Peri's response, and had rushed to the window to look outside. After he saw that big black beast out there almost two weeks ago, he had pushed it away, thinking it was just his imagination running away with him. It was probably just a stray dog. In the darkness, it could easily have looked bigger than it really was.
He now started to wonder, but decided to not do anything about at the moment. He snuck out in the hall and whispered Peri's name. He didn't want the puppy to wake the rest of the house with his whining, so tonight he'd let him stay in the room.
Alex was extremely tired at the moment, and he knew that he didn't get enough sleep. He wanted to keep this house pristine, and he stayed up late to make sure that there everything was in order. Tired and somewhat exhausted, he got up early almost every morning to have breakfast ready for the rest of his housemates.
In his heart, he knew that he didn't have to, but at the moment it was impossible to stop. The fact that he wanted his sister to come and live there, was another reason to try to make the Alpha happy.
He himself was a stray that Derek decided to take in. How could he possibly ask for more? Alex pushed himself to the limit to make amends, but he didn't know if it was good enough.
-o-o-o-o-
Stiles hadn't spoken with Derek all day. He was angry and disappointed. When he got up to get ready for school, he hadn't even kissed his fiancee goodbye before he went downstairs.
He, Scott, and Isaac had Lacrosse practice after school, so they all came home late. Allison and Alex were in the kitchen making sandwiches. They were obviously not getting any proper supper tonight.
The expression on Alex' face was probably the saddest one Stiles had ever seen on the guy, but when he tried to address it, Allison just pushed him away, rolling her eyes.
Derek was nowhere to be seen, but Allison briefly explained that he was just out for a walk. That didn't even make sense, and Stiles got even more angry than he'd been this morning.
When he learned that Derek had planned a family meeting under the full moon, Stiles' anger dissipated somewhat. Maybe he'd get some explanation as to Derek's clandestine behavior. He wondered if there was something out there that they needed to worry about, and he wanted answers.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Allison knew exactly what was going on. She was positive that this meeting was about Derek getting his pack back. She knew that she'd lost it sometime during the last couple of weeks, but she didn't know how or why.
The 'why' wasn't such a puzzle. She could feel that Derek had gotten his status back, and it was technically his pack in the first place. She hadn't mentioned it to anyone else in the house; they should have been able to sense it themselves, but she suspected that they were too busy adjusting to the house and their new living arrangement to catch it.
The 'how' was more intricate. She couldn't understand what Derek had done that made it possible for him to just take over. As far as she knew, it wasn't enough to just be an Alpha. He had to step up one way or another to earn the pack.
She stared at Stiles over the flames of the fire in the pit. He seemed sad as he kept picking on the ring – the engagement ring – that he got a few weeks ago. Was that it? Could Derek have earned this by making a commitment to his mate?
Another little thing that could be of importance was the fact that Derek had earned his GED. He had been very secretive about taking the test; only Alex knew about it, but he'd passed with a satisfactory result. Everybody had been excited when Alex revealed it, although Derek himself had been quite humble about it.
Allison had caught him sifting through college catalogs, and he seemed determined to use his degree.
Scott came over and sat down next to her. "Do you know what this is all about?" He kissed her cheek and stroke her belly. She smiled at him and nodded. "I think I know, but I'm not going to spoil the surprise." Leaning her head on Scott's shoulder, Allison decided to share something else with him.
"You know..." She whispered into his ear; she didn't want the others to hear her. "Unless some wayward werewolf girl comes along willing to act as an incubator, there will be no new Hale-baby in this house ever."
Scott pulled away a little bit and looked into her eyes. "Yeah? Uh, what do you... what are you getting at?" He'd grabbed her hands, and their fingers were tangled together. Allison had to take a moment to plan her next words.
"This baby..." She pushed their intertwined hands against her belly. "Our baby should be a Hale. She – or he – will be born into the Hale-pack, and should carry that name."
Sensing that Scott froze up for a second, Allison waited for him to give his view on this. She noticed that he stared at their hands before he drew his breath heavily. "The Hale-pack?" He looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face, but didn't get a chance to say anything more.
Except for their quiet little conversation, the only sound out there was the crackling from the fire. Stiles was still sitting there staring at his own hands; Isaac and Alex were huddled together under a blanket in the surprisingly cold late-summer's night, and Periwinkle was rolled up like a little fur-ball next to them.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The roar from the woods startled them all. Isaac and Alex gasped in unison as if on cue; Peri was up on his feet in a split second, and both Allison and Scott – their backs turned towards the wood – flipped their heads around to stare into the darkness.
Stiles saw a movement between the trees, and he could feel that his claws were emerging. Scott started to get up from the log he was sitting on, as he tried to push Allison away. It was clearly an attempt to protect her – as if she needed protection. Stiles was pretty sure she could hold her own.
In the corner of his eyes, he saw the yellow flash in Isaac's eyes as he too got up from his seat. Alex reached his hand out to grab Peri's collar, but the dog scooted away from him before it leaped over the log and darted in between the trees.
Alex was on his way to run after him, but Isaac held him back. Another roar got abruptly cut off, and they could hear Peri whining and yapping.
Suddenly, the woods were just as quiet as it had been before. A piece of wood fell over in the fire pit, causing a burst of sparkles. Focusing intently on the area where the puppy had disappeared, Stiles picked up a faint whisper. It was completely illegible, but seconds later, Periwinkle came running back.
Isaac and Scott were on their feet and in combat position as the shadow between the trees started to take form. A wolf – a big black beast – pushed though the shrubbery and stared right at them. It's eyes were flickering between blue and red before the glow in them settled on a crimson color.
Stiles knew; in his heart he'd known for a while, but he hadn't payed attention to his heart lately. He'd been too focused on the anger to understand what was going on. Averting his gaze quickly, he could see that Allison smiled, as if she knew as well.
Scott was about to attack when Periwinkle got between him and the newcomer. The puppy stood up on his hind legs and licked the creature's snout, causing it to take a step back. It was pretty darn dark where it was standing now. The light from the fire didn't really reach him when both Scott and Allison were on their feet.
It was still possible to see what happened when the beast straightened himself up and started to transform into something more familiar. "Peri almost ruined the surprise." Derek's voice was practically unrecognizable. It sounded more like growls than actual word, but they all understood.
Completely naked and only partially covered up by some leafy branches, Derek looked down at himself as his eyes stopped glowing. Alex, who had sunk down on the log again during the transformation, jumped up and threw the blanket he'd been wrapped in to Derek.
"The Hale-pack." Scott's words came out more like a huff as he turned to look at Allison. "You knew?"
Wrapped in the blanket, Derek came over and sat down next to Stiles. He tugged him into an embrace and kissed him, before he drew his breath heavily. "She gave it to me. She gave me the pack."
Allison looked just as surprised as everybody else. She cocked her head and stared at Derek. "Did I? I didn't do anything."
Stiles had his arm wrapped around Derek' waist, and he could feel the little shiver in his body. It was obviously a little too chilly outside to be strutting around naked without a fur. He was still a little shook up, but realized that he should have understood this earlier. The bond he shared with Derek had been tickled for a while; he had felt it in his bones, but had disregarded it.
He felt another shiver from his mate, and pushed away a little to pull off his sweater. "Take this." He shoved into Derek's arms and waited for him to put it on before he scooted back into the embrace.
"I don't fit." The fabric was stretched to it's limits over Derek's muscular chest, but he didn't shake so much anymore.
Isaac threw a couple more logs on the fire as Alex was poking it. Allison was still staring at Derek, obviously waiting for an answer to her question.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Derek stared into the fire for a second. He was a little intimidated by his own appearance at the moment, but the others didn't seem to care so much. Their eyes were focused on him, and he knew that it wasn't only Allison who wanted answers.
"You gave it to me when you told me you didn't want to lead the pack; when you told me that it was really my pack in the first place." Derek shook his head and gave them a crocked smile. "I didn't know how I could earn it back; I just knew that I had to find the strength within myself."
For a moment, he got a little embarrassed. He stared at his lap before he grabbed Stiles' hand. "From the stories about my heritage, I learned a lot. Some of it I knew already, but I had never really been interested before. Maybe that was my downfall. I think so." He scooted a little closer to the fire and shrugged. "I was too self-absorbed. I felt sorry for myself and was more focused on my failures than on my achievements. Well... on what I could achieve."
Derek drew his breath quickly before he continued. "I learned more than I expected. What I told you about my heritage was just part of the story. I wanted to warn you, or maybe just give you the idea." He paused for a second and panned the crowd. "I learned that I was indeed a born-wolf, but my spirit was low. I didn't believe, but then... I started to believe."
He paused for a second before he got up. "This is just too ridiculous." With one arm clenched to his side in order to hold the blanket up, he pointed to himself with the other hand. "I need to find some clothes. I don't feel particularly powerful in this outfit."
It was uplifting to hear a little giggle from Stiles. He'd been afraid that his mate would still be a little angry about the secrecy. "You know what? You're so vain." Stiles got up also and tugged teasingly on the blanket. "Why don't we all go inside, it's cold out here." Derek knew, and after giving away his sweater, Stiles was kind of skimpy dressed as well.
Derek ran inside to find some pants, and to save time, he just kept the sweater on. When he came downstairs again he could hear whispers from the living room, but it died down as soon as he entered.
"You were out there once before; more than a week ago, right?" Alex was standing behind the couch where the other four was cramped together. "You have known this for a while already."
Derek rolled his eyes and huffed a little. "I was, eh, I did... but I wasn't ready. I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't just turn on a whim." He went over to the dining table to grab a chair and pulled it over towards the couch. "Every night I struggled to turn back; I had to find a special anchor to manage."
With a sigh, he slumped down on the chair and panned the still slightly disturbed faces in front of him. "I found it. I found it closer to home than I had anticipated." He reached his hand out and signaled for Stiles put his hand on his palm. "This." He rubbed Stiles' ring with his thumb. "I searched for a mantra or a thought that would ground me, but it was right here."
Stiles looked at him with fear in his eyes. "You need it back?" His voice was trembling a little, and he was about to pull his hand away. Before he got that far, Derek grabbed it and shook his head. "NO, no, no." He had five sets of eyes staring right at him, but he focused only on those orbs straight ahead. "No Stiles. The ring is exactly where it needs to be. You are my anchor. You made it possible for me to be a strong leader."
It would have been possible to hear a pin drop; it was like everybody was holding their breath, until a little sniffle from Alex broke the silence. Derek cocked his head and gave them all a crocked smile. "I wanted a pack of my own in this house, but I didn't know that I had to jump through hoops to get it."
He shrugged and squeezed Stiles hand again. "But it was better this way. I was too cocky and ungrateful before. All of this... all of you have taught me so much. You have taught me to fight for the privilege to be a strong and humble leader. This is the best pack I could ever wish for."
In a long and elaborate last chapter, I will do my best to wrap up loose ends. If something is forgotten I will have to live with it. There will not be a sequel, so that'll be it. Chapter 85 will be posted later this week.