FIVE

He hated having to call and interrupt Scott's time with Allison. Especially since the boy was so damned head over heels for her. Unfortunately, as Derek had pointed out, it was probably the right time for it. Before Stiles had called Scott, Derek informed him that there were a few other wolves he was going to call in as well. He'd eyed Stiles for several long moments before disappearing onto the porch to make his calls.

Something about the way Derek eyed him made Stiles more than a little curious as to who they could be. There wasn't much time to dwell on it when he had his own call to make. Besides, he figured he'd learn who they were soon enough. The call with Scott was shorter than he'd expected it to be, really. The slightly younger boy promised he'd be there soon before hanging up. For a few moments he debated calling his father but what the hell was he supposed to tell him?

That a bloodthirsty werewolf had its sights set on Stiles? That was the perfect way to end up on a 72-hour hold with a Thorazine drip. No thanks. A padded room didn't sound like an ideal vacation at the moment. Stiles had to wonder if it would keep him safe from the alpha. It also brought about the question of why the alpha hadn't just broken into the house to get at him. If it wanted him that badly, anyway.

His fingers drummed on the counter beside his hips while listening to the hum of the refrigerator and the overhead light. Stiles hated that he could hear both of them. The television still droned on behind him in the living room, he'd not had the energy to go in and turn it off. After hanging up with Scott he'd leaned back against the granite counter and just stared at the wall opposite him. Without really seeing anything. His vision did that funny thing where it all became unfocused, just.. staring. All the while he was trying to run things over in his head.

Why the alpha had tried to attack him, not once but at least twice? Why he would be any sort of target for him? Skinny, spastic, talkative him. He wasn't much of a meal, after all. And Stiles didn't particularly think he'd make for a good werewolf. So what was it about him? He chewed at his lower lip idly in thought.

Those thoughts turned over and over in his head. At least, until his peripheral detected a mass of black approaching from his right. He jerked away with a startled yelp, then huffed when his vision cleared and he realized it was only Derek. "Could you try making some noise, geez!"

A glimmer of amusement formed in the other teen's eye, though his expression remained ever so stony. "It's not my fault you don't pay attention."

Stiles cast a glare at him in response. Shoving off of the counter, he moved to the fridge. He grabbed himself a bottle of water before snagging one for Derek as an afterthought. Without a word, he lobbed it toward the guy, who caught it with an easy grace. Unfair. "How, uh, how far were you? You know, when I called? You got here pretty fast."

"I drive fast." Stiles fixed him with an unimpressed stare that caused the corner of Derek's mouth to twitch in an almost smile. "A couple of streets over. I'd been trying to track the alpha's scent all day. When I thought about how it's always strongest around you, I figured that might be a good place to start. So, when you called I was already on my way here."

He nodded, more to himself than in recognition. Unbidden, his gaze flicked toward the window again, though the mass hadn't reappeared since Derek had shown up. From the corner of his eye, he saw the guy tense slightly and when he turned back at him Derek's attention was focused toward the front of the house. Clearly, he'd heard something Stiles hadn't. Without even realizing he'd done it Stiles shifted just a touch closer to him while looking toward the front door. Though the momentary panic was uncalled for as Derek began to relax beside him, exhaling a soft breath.

When the knock came he glanced up at Derek, who offered a sharp nod, then strode quickly through the house to pull open the door. There stood two people he wasn't sure he'd ever seen before. A tall and stocky black man who dressed in much of the same fashion as Derek. All dark clothes, including the jean jacket. Next to him was a curvy blonde. Her honey-brown hues looked Stiles over from head to toe before she'd turn toward the man at her side with a smile that Stiles thought looked both vicious and seductive. Maybe it was a fine line.

"Erica. Boyd. This is Stiles." Stiles jumped when Derek spoke from right behind him.

"Seriously! Noise! Make some!" He snapped, wide-eyed, with his arms flailing animatedly. Stupid werewolves and their ability to move silently despite being made of sheer freaking muscle.

"He's a little on edge." The elder teen replied with a hint of a smirk.

"A little?" The girl, Erica, laughed quietly. She didn't wait for an invitation, just waltzed right passed Stiles into the house.

"Please, come in, make yourself at home." Stiles waved a hand toward the living room, his entire personality dripping in sarcasm.

Boyd, it seemed, waited for the half-hearted invitation before he stepped inside. Erica flopped onto the couch and propped one foot onto the coffee table, Boyd hovered almost protectively behind her. Derek had moved into the living room where he switched off the television, then turned on a lamp. More than likely it was only for Stiles' benefit as the three of them could easily see in the dark.

Just before he'd closed the door Stiles heard the familiar sound of a bike chain. Sure enough, when he peered down the street there was Scott. While he stood waiting for his friend Stiles stared off into the lamppost-lit darkness, watching for any shadows that seemed denser than the rest. Though everything seemed entirely normal. Or as normal as it could be when there were currently three werewolves sitting in his living room, about to be joined by a fourth.

How was this his freaking life?

He'd looked back toward the three of them to notice they were immersed in a whispered conversation. One that only cut off when Derek glanced up and realized he was watching. Great, they were talking about him. He knew it. Huffing to himself Stiles shifted his gaze back toward Scott as the boy lifted his bicycle up onto the porch. Stiles watched his lips part for speech before he'd freeze, his brows working in confusion. He guessed that his friend had finally picked up on the voices inside. Or maybe their scents. Or hell, maybe it was his own current emotional scent. The one that probably reeked of anxiety, terror, and anger.

"Stiles.. what's going on?"

Before he could answer, Derek had appeared behind him soundlessly. Again. "We need to talk."

His dark eyes darted uncertainly between the two of them, though he nodded and followed Stiles into the house. Once more he'd pause just over the threshold at the sight of the girl taking up space on the sofa. "Erica? Boyd?"

"You know them?" Stiles asked, feeling quite out of the loop.

Scott nodded. "Yeah, they graduated last year with Derek."

"They were also bitten last year," Derek told him, arms raising to cross over his chest, "around the same time you were."

"What?" This time it was both Stiles and Scott that spoke.

Erica smiled, waggling her fingers in a wave at them. Derek perked one brow at her and she shrugged, though dropped the hand back into her lap. Scott cleared his throat now, watching Derek with skepticism."You said.. bitten? You know about-"

"Werewolves?" Derek interjected. As Scott and Stiles looked at the others, Erica and Boyd's eyes flashed that magnificent golden color that mirrored Scott's while Derek's turned electric blue. "Of course we do."

–

It took almost three hours to talk about everything. Well, everything that Derek seemed willing to talk about. There was a lot that the guy seemed to be playing close to the vest. It just continued to uphold that mysterious air about him. They learned that Derek had found both Erica and Boyd on the night of their first shift out on the preserve, both in that same feral state Scott had been. The only difference was that Scott was holed up with Stiles, who had tried to keep his mind off of the whole thing.

You know, with the added bonus of Scott trying to rip his head off once or twice. Figuratively and literally. Derek had taken both of them under his wing and taught them to control it. There were still times when Erica struggled. Boyd, like Scott, had taken to it easily. Derek informed them that he hadn't learned about Scott having been bitten until the next full moon when he'd heard him howl. Something Stiles remembered with an uncomfortable clarity.

Only because they'd been video chatting when the werewolf on the phone had let out that sudden, and loud, howl and Noah had come bursting into his room at 3 in the morning hollering at Stiles to turn off the horror movies and go to bed.

For the most part, Stiles had sat on the very edge of his father's recliner just listening to the other four talk. Really, it was Derek doing most of the talking. He hadn't thought the werewolf was even capable of that much speech. Erica had told them that she'd been bitten after having fallen from a seizure into her backyard. Like many yards in Beacon Hills, it opened up to the forest. Which eventually gave way to the preserve.

Boyd had been checking the traps around his family's camper when he'd been bitten, in broad daylight. The only connections between the three bites were that all three had happened on the preserve and that all three were teenagers. After all of that was out of the way Derek talked a bit more, sharing what little he knew about the Alpha so far, before it was turned over to Stiles. Who wrung his hands while recounting the beast's attack on Roscoe. And then how he'd seen it tonight in the yard. Coupled with the phone calls it couldn't be a surprise to anyone that the teen's heart was racing.

He wasn't even sure why he felt so nervous talking about all of this, especially to Scott. Maybe because he hadn't been entirely honest with his best friend lately. Or maybe it had more to do with the fact that when he was talking all four sets of eyes were on him. Stiles didn't mind so much when people watched him when he was being a goof. But in these sorts of serious and tense moments, it made his palms sweat.

Worse was the near-sympathetic looks that Erica and Scott were giving him. Boyd, he noticed, was a lot like Derek in the way that the guy didn't seem to show his emotions. Those looks, however, bothered him in a way he couldn't put his finger on. Set him on edge. His tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek before it swiped across his lips.

"So.. we, um, we think it might have been coming after me last year. You just got in the way." Stiles finished, focusing on Scott.

The teen had sat in stoic silence for the last twenty minutes. Stiles could see the emotion brewing in his friend and was sure that his friend was about to blow up at him for lying. Instead, Scott nodded. "Then we need to figure out who the Alpha is. Before it can come after you again." He shifted a hand up through his hair, then added, "we probably shouldn't leave you alone either. Just in case.."

"What do you plan to do, post up around my house? I think my dad might get a little curious about that. And just in case what? It doesn't want to turn me? Wants to just rip my head off and be done with it?" Stiles was trying not to get worked up again.

"There are other ways we can protect Stiles." The others turned toward Derek now. "Mountain ash."

"Mountain-" Scott's brows knitted in thought. "Deaton. He'd told me that the clinic is covered in it. I'll talk to him, see if he has any to spare."

"Okay, so that covers the house," Stiles interjected, feeling irritated now. "What about when I leave? Because I'm not staying cooped up here." He'd lose his sanity. It wasn't often that he was able to sit in one place for too long. Hell, the few hours he'd already been sitting here left him with that urge to pace. Suppressing hadn't helped matters.

"If you leave, one of us will be with you. Scott.." Derek began, then hesitated. He seemed to mull his words over a bit, choosing them carefully. As though they knew what he was going to say, Erica and Boyd both grew restless. "It's not just the three of you. The alpha bit two others a few months before."

"Who?" Scott was both dumbstruck and curious.

"Isaac Lahey." A kid Stiles only knew by name. He remembered the kid back in grade school and had heard he was on the lacrosse team, though hadn't met him since he'd been back. "And Jackson."

Scott took this newest revelation as a personal insult. Not that Stiles could blame him. The two were friends, sort of. An indignant scoff escaped him. It was Stiles who spoke up. "Wait. Jackson. As in Mr. All-American? The jock with attitude for days? Rich, entitled Jackson is a werewolf?"

Derek didn't reply. Instead, he simply stared at Scott who shook his head. Stiles didn't need the keen werewolf senses to detect his friends annoyance. "How did I not know? I practice with Jackson. I play games with Jackson. I hang out with Jackson."

"He doesn't know about you. Neither does Isaac." Derek countered with ease.

"How?"

Stiles' phone rang while Derek offered a reply consisting of Scott's not knowing about a lot. He felt his stomach drop when he saw the number flash across the screen. None of the others were paying attention to him now, their attention was focused on Derek's werewolf knowledge. Though Stiles was pretty sure he saw the elder teens ear twitch just before he answered the call. And promptly dropped his phone when a roaring howl echoed through the speaker.

Scott, Derek, Boyd, Erica. All of their eyes immediately glowed in response. Even Stiles noticed that the roar hadn't just come from his phone, it sounded as though it were in the house too. Without another glance at them, or his phone, Stiles bolted to the kitchen. His shoes squeaked on the tiled floor when he skidded to a stop. In the light flooding the yard stood what he could only describe as a nightmare. A bipedal black beast. All claws and teeth and fur. But on legs. The thing that stood out the most?

The flaring red eyes.

As the beast suddenly charged forward Stiles' eyes widened and he took a faltering step backward, right into a solid chest. A firm hand gripped his arm and maneuvered him around so that he was standing behind Derek now instead. Before it had even reached the deck the other werewolves tore through the kitchen. Thank god one of them had the foresight to open the door because he wasn't sure how he would explain to his dad that it had been broken down. From the inside. Hard to claim it was a break-in when it would have looked as though someone broke out.

With all the wolves in the yard Stiles flexed his hands uncomfortably. He didn't like standing here while the rest of them were out there fighting. What he disliked more was feeling useless. Like other people had to defend him. Whiskey-brown hues danced around the kitchen. Unless he planned to throw dining utensils at the Alpha for a distraction there was little of use in here. While Stiles searched he could hear the fight outside. Cries of pain were mingled with the snarls and growls. He didn't know what sound came from who and that unnerved him more. Another low howl echoed, one that he felt reverberate into his bones.

When his gaze landed on the closet Stiles remembered the bat he had placed inside while unpacking. He didn't spare another glance toward the fight while rushing for it. As he threw the door open, however, a yelp echoed into the house. Without even looking Stiles knew who it was and for some reason, it caused a painful clenching around his heart. He heard the voice just as his fingers closed around the cold aluminum bat.

"Stiles.." Derek. "Run." The words were barely audible over the din, but they still made his blood run cold. Less because he was being told to run and more from the gurgling sound in the words, like Derek's mouth was filled with blood.

Heavy footsteps seemed to shake the room behind him. None of the werewolves that had been inside earlier would have made that much noise. Ignoring the hammer of his heart Stiles tightened his grip on the bat. His face screwed up with the force he put behind it, as he turned Stiles swung the bat. If not for the sheer terror of knowing that the beast was so close to him Stiles could have jumped up and down when he'd clocked it in the side of the head.

He'd hit hard enough that it sent the Alpha reeling back. It staggered into the counter before growling loudly once more, those terrifying red eyes snapped back to his face. It recovered much too quickly, honestly. He tried not to think 'I'm gonna die' but that was easier said than done. Stiles raised the bat again, ready to take another swing. He knew his heartbeat could be heard by all of the wolves, considering how loud it was in his own head. Once more the question popped into his head.

How was this his freaking life?

The Alpha snarled and took a step toward him. Stiles didn't give himself time to think before he swung again. This time the bat slammed into its shoulder with an almost sickening thud, the reverberation along the steel bat probably hurt him more than he'd hurt the beast. It didn't faze the alpha as much as the first swing had, even having put equal force behind it. What it did do was give the others ample time to get back onto their feet.

Stiles was thankful for that because he really didn't know if he could have managed another swing. At least not an effective one. Boyd grabbed the Alpha around the waist and threw him forcefully toward the door where Scott shoved him back out. Derek hadn't gotten back up from his place on the kitchen floor, deep gashes were tracked across his chest. The worst one against the elder teens' throat.

He didn't give himself time to think about the action before Stiles dashed across the kitchen, yanking his button-up off as he went. Blood seeped and spurted from the wound and Stiles shoved the shirt against it to try and staunch the flow. Derek's hand raised to press over Stiles'-who had turned to watch the others fight-putting more pressure on the wound. The other three seemed to be holding up well enough against the alpha. For now.

"Derek.. you need to heal. Like, now!" He ordered, looking back down at the guy. Derek managed a weak laugh, like he found Stiles giving anyone commands comical. Yeah, right, hilarious. "Come on, they need you out there."

Derek's eyes flashed that magnificent cerulean and his features began to shift once more. He was trying. His grip on Stiles' hand tightened so that he could try and push himself up. Stiles tried to ignore the way that simple action caused a flutter in his stomach. He tucked his free hand under Derek to help haul the guy to his feet.

Even though he was bleeding heavily still he held out an arm and gently pushed Stiles aside, then staggered toward the door. When he slumped against the frame Stiles rushed forward and caught him around the waist, wanting to keep him on his feet. A wry laugh escaped the elder teen as he caught sight of the fight.

When Stiles turned his attention toward it he noticed two new additions to the fight. Jackson and what must have been Isaac were knocking the Alpha back. They must have been among those Derek had called earlier. The fact that none of these wolves had come to the Alpha's aid must have pissed it off even more. After all, it had bitten each of them.

Derek snarled, then shoved off of the door frame to rejoin the fight. Picking up his bat, Stiles had had every intention of going out there with them. Unfortunately-really, it was probably a good thing-by the time he'd made it out onto the deck the Alpha was gone.

Everyone else had begun to slump down into the yard, exhausted from the fight.

–

Jackson had been the only one, aside from Stiles, who hadn't been mauled in some way by the Alpha. He'd taken damage, sure, but he was able to move around of his own volition. He also wasn't as blood soaked as the rest. Everyone else had needed help to get back into the house. Which meant that Stiles got to play nurse. Awesome. While he knew he could be a pretty decent detective, having dug through some of his father's cases in his time, he had never been all that great with blood.

Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about trying to stitch anyone up, each of them assured him that they would heal in time. Still, he was compelled to try and help in what way he could. Which meant sacrificing a few of his graphic tees to those who could fit them and raiding his father's closet for the two that couldn't: Derek and Boyd. Once each person had a shirt to change into he gathered bottles of water for them.

Boyd leaned against the wall beside Erica, who had draped herself into Noah's recliner. Scott and Isaac were seated on the sofa with Derek looming over them from behind while Jackson stood sentry in the doorway between the rooms, glaring toward the back door. Stiles paced the room, chewing on his thumb.

"Okay, so clearly this dude isn't afraid to try and get into my house." He rambled without realizing that each of the wolves tracked his movements. "And it took all of you to freaking scare him away, so having just one of you out standing guard-"

"Stiles." Scott made sure to speak loud enough so that he had the boy's attention. "I'll call Deaton, we'll get the mountain ash. He won't be able to get in. Okay?"

"And what about when I leave, Scott? Am I supposed to just cover myself in the stuff. School will start again soon and I think my dad might get a little concerned if I don't leave the house for the next two months. Add in, I'd really, REALLY like to not have this guy hounding me every night." The pun was unintentional. His fingers raked back through his hair while wearing a groove into the carpet.

"We'll figure it out, Stiles." Derek's voice was much smoother, much more calming. Hell, the guy didn't even have a real plan but for some reason, Stiles still exhaled heavily and let himself relax. A little. He hated that that beautiful face was so damned calming.

–

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