He did manage to fall back to sleep, only for another hour or so, before hauling himself out of bed with the sunlight streaming in on his face. He'd spent a few more hours in front of the laptop searching for other possible locations where a pack of werewolves could be hiding out. There was some promise in a remote village in Alaska, and another in Morden, Manitoba, Canada. Potential for something in Valley City, North Dakota, and even more in Bangor, Maine. Stiles was steadily building a book on all the supernatural happenings in North America, it appeared. And there were far more supernatural things than he was entirely comfortable with, if only because there were so few people who really knew what was happening out there. The majority who did were on one end of the spectrum or another. Hunters vs supernatural.
Stiles stood under the water in his shower, debating its current purpose. He'd showered yesterday after dinner and hadn't done much beyond laze around since then. Really, he should have waited until after the meet tonight when he was bound to be dirty from running around the preserve under the full moon. What were they even supposed to be doing tonight?
Stiles wasn't ashamed to admit, to himself anyway, that he'd tried to research it. Aside from what real wolves did on the full moon -which wasn't any different from their norm- and the fan fiction theories from people's favorite television shows, movies, and books, there was everything from orgies under the moon (God, he hoped not), pack hunts in which they mercilessly slaughtered whatever animal they came across and feasted on its internal organs (he also hoped that wasn't on the itinerary), all the way up to the whole pack just literally running through the woods and howling at one another. Which sort of felt wholly anticlimactic. Though, if he were given the choice between the three, it was no surprise which he'd choose.
Realizing the water had begun to run cold while lost in his thoughts, Stiles quickly finished washing and climbed out. It only took a few minutes to get dressed, and then pack a bag to take with him.
Without knowing how dirty he might get or if his clothes from the night's adventures might get ruined, he felt it a safe bet to bring a change just in case. Jackson had sent a text telling him to bring a sleeping bag while he'd been in the shower and he paused, staring at it and wondering what he'd need one for.
After shaking his head he sent a response back telling him that he didn't even own one. The last time Stiles had gone camping, the night Scott had been bitten, he'd borrowed one from Scott. Any time he and his dad went camping they'd had a tent, or once had just laid on a blanket with different ones to cover them.
Jackson immediately replied with an eye roll emoji, then said he'd bring him one. Stiles just chuckled to himself and shouldered his bag while making his way down the stairs when his phone chirped again. Erica sent a group text to everyone in the pack, which included Lydia and Allison, to remind everyone to be at the Hale house at seven. It was followed up by several thumbs-up emoji's and 'okay's from others. Stiles didn't bother to reply since he'd already talked to Derek.
After hauling himself into Roscoe he turned the engine over, listening to the soft clunking within. If he didn't get that fixed soon it was going to become a bigger problem. The real problem was, that whatever it was would likely be expensive. And he'd already blown through most of his savings to repair the damages to his tire and fender. Maybe he needed to find a job. Though, the idea of working in some retail store or behind the counter of a fast food chain made his nose wrinkle. Neither held an appeal. He knew that, eventually, something had to give. Whether it was his desire to get the Jeep fixed or find a better job, he wasn't sure. He'd debated talking to Erica about getting part-time work at the cafe she was working at. Deaton had offered him a job at the clinic, but he'd rather avoid the guy who gave him the creeps where he could.
Since he was going to be starting his senior year, he supposed it was time to really think about what he wanted to do with his life. The only thing that had ever had any draw for him was being a cop, like his dad. He wasn't sure if that was even in the realm of possibility now. Now that the whole claws and fangs thing applied. Maybe if he didn't have to worry about control it would be. So far, he hadn't been struggling with it in the same way Scott had. Scott had had to suppress himself often, he'd gotten worked up over everything from Allison to school to lacrosse.
Stiles had only felt slightly out of control once. Yesterday. When the Jeep wouldn't start and he'd needed to make a run to the store for a few things. Well, actually, it had been when he'd been trying to fix the problem (a bad spark plug) and the hood had fallen onto his shoulder. He'd been so angry and frustrated he'd nearly ripped the hood off entirely. Instead, he'd just left deep scratches in the underside before finding his center again.
Okay, if he were honest, if Derek hadn't shown up when he had Stiles probably wouldn't have calmed as quickly. Something that didn't occur to him until later. The scent of cinnamon and leather had permeated the air and he'd breathed it in deeply. It grounded him as the claws retracted. He couldn't help feeling that that was just another reason he was crushing on the guy. Stiles didn't feel as restless around him. His usual frantic energy abated to a point of normality. A highly unfamiliar feeling.
Knowing how his father got while working, Stiles stopped to pick him up a healthy late lunch, and something for himself, before making his way to the station. He figured the two could eat together before he went off to the meet. The new deputy, Parrish, informed him that his father wasn't in but didn't stop him from waltzing into the sheriff's office to set the bag of food onto his desk. Stiles plopped onto the sofa so that he could eat his own food and wait for him. Unfortunately, his dad didn't show up by the time he'd finished and the clock was ticking closer to seven.
After cleaning up, he waved to Parrish, then Tara, as he made his way back out to the Jeep. It was oddly pleasant not to feel like someone was continuously watching his every movement now. Not that he wanted someone watching him all the time but at the same time there had been some comfort in knowing he wasn't alone. What with the whole pack looking out for him and all. For the first time in forever, there were others around. There were people to watch his back. Stiles had spent the majority of his life alone. No siblings, no real family aside from his father, no friends apart from Scott. Now there was a whole pack. A whole family he could call on when and/or if he needed them.
The Jeep shuddered to a stop between Jackson's Porsche and Allison's Mazda. Before he'd even pulled out the key it sputtered out and died. With a disheartened sigh, he yanked the key free and clambered out. Shoving his keys into a side pocket on his bag -so he didn't risk losing them- he shouldered it once more and trekked along the path. Stiles figured he was probably the last one to arrive but when he stepped into the clearing he noted that both Hale's, Isaac, Boyd and Erica were absent. Scott and Jackson were in the process of setting up a tent while the girls were collecting sticks and logs for a campfire.
"A tent?" He asked, dropping his bag nearby.
"For the girls," Jackson replied, hammering a peg into the ground. "They'll probably be ready to sleep long before we are and Lydia will not sleep on the ground."
"I don't think Allison would mind." Scott stated, chuckling.
"So, why did we need sleeping bags? Are we sleeping on the ground?" Stiles eyed the small stack of them nearby.
Jackson scoffed, "no, dumbass, we're sleeping in a tree."
A grin formed on Stiles' lips, loving when his friends used sarcasm on him. It was the greatest showing of love in the world for him. "So, this whole full moon, pack hunt thing is nothing more than a camping night?" He asked, feeling some of the nerves surrounding it dissipate.
"Kind of. It's more like a super intense training session with full access to our powers." Isaac stated from nearby. He crossed into the clearing and cast a smile toward the group, tossing his own sleeping bag with the others. "But, yeah. Camping. We'll spend some of the night training, some just running through the woods, and then some hanging out before we crash. It'll be fun."
"And you guys have done this every month without us? Rude." Stiles declared. Even though he'd only been a werewolf for a week, Scott had been for over a year and hadn't been privy to this treatment. So, rude! He could have been having awesome werewolf sleepovers for ages. He wasn't including the weeks that one wolf or another slept at his house. There was an unfairness to it, in his eyes.
"Not rude, Stiles. You've only recently acquired an invitation to the party." Peter added, stepping up beside Isaac. "It is not often we extend one to anyone who is not pack.. nor wolf." His gaze danced toward Allison as though to accentuate the gravity of her 'invitation'.
She merely cast one of her sweet smiles his way while plucking up another log. Peter's own smile turned fond. He really was like a doting uncle. Erica and Boyd appeared from the dimming light and tossed three sleeping bags among the steadily growing pile. Stiles noticed Peter did not bring one. "Are you not joining in?" He asked, looking pointedly toward the pile.
Peter made an affronted sound. "I'm much too old to sleep in the dirt. I will be making the drive home afterward."
"No, you're not." Derek stepped out from the trees nearby and flashed a grin at his uncle. One that made Stiles' stomach do a somersault. He dragged a larger cooler behind him, which was passed to Isaac who carried it over toward the pile of sleeping bags. "The whole pack is camping out and we're making breakfast here in the morning."
"Nephew, you know what a bear I am without coffee in the morning." Derek raised those brows and grinned in a way that clearly said 'too bad'. Peter rolled his eyes dramatically, then heaved a sigh. "Fine. But I'm camping in the tent. I don't want to wake up with leaves and dirt stuck in every pore."
"Wuss." Jackson muttered, though there was a smirk on his lips as well.
"The tent is for the girls. Unless you've undergone a recent surgery.." Lydia's lips pursed as her gaze tracked lower on Peter. A slender brow rose while she too grinned, "you won't be joining us."
Once more, Peter scoffed in indignation. "I don't have a sleeping bag, either."
"Boyd brought one just for you." Derek laughed, clearly having thought of everything except a second tent. Despite Peter's scowls, so far everyone seemed to be having a good time.
As the sun began to dip lower Jackson and Derek got the campfire going while Boyd dug into the cooler. As a whole, they sat around it roasting sausages on long kebab sticks that whistled and popped from their grease. Everyone talked over one another, telling stories or jokes about other pack nights like this. Erica nearly choked on her sausage while recounting a night when Boyd had gone after an elk only to end up in the pond at the center of the preserve when it kicked him. Isaac doubled over laughing when he regaled them with the story of Jackson chasing a rabbit into its burrow.. and promptly being bitten on the nose.
Jackson tore a piece of his sausage and whipped it at Isaac's head. The younger teen grinned after shifting his weight to catch it in his mouth. "Thanks, man. I ran out." The response caused everyone to fall to pieces in laughter again. Stiles glanced toward Derek, across from him, while chuckling still. He found the elder teen watching him. To mask any awkwardness as his cheeks warmed, he winked and shifted his gaze away just as quickly to tell them about a video chat he had had with Scott.
Wherein the boy had chained himself to a sapling in his backyard. One he wound up ripping out after less than an hour. "I thought it was stronger!" Scott's voice cracked, his face fully flushed while Stiles cackled with laughter.
"Scott, we planted that tree in the first grade! It was barely taller than you! I even told you it was a shit idea. You never listen to me." He sighed in dramatic indignation, "Anyway, so he broke off the tree and the chains were still wrapped around him. He's rolling on the ground howling and snarling to try and get free. He howls so loud it wakes up my dad who comes in screaming at me that it's three in the morning and I need to go to bed. Meanwhile, this idiot can't even get up because he lost the key." He jerked a thumb toward Scott.
"Hey, I found it!"
"Yeah, an hour later. During which time, I'm miles and miles away trying to calm him down enough to pay attention, through a freaking phone might I remind, thinking he's going to go out and maul someone. He finally calms down, finds the key half buried in the dirt, and has to fight now to unlock himself because he's wiggled so much his hands were nearly trapped. I thought I was going to have to call his mom. Pathetic, Scott, really it was." He was teasing, anyone who knew him could tell it easily enough. It was all said good-naturedly. He knew Scott didn't take any real offense to it.
"Dude. Do you have to remind me?" Scott rolled his eyes and reached out to shove Stiles' shoulder, almost knocking him into Jackson.
"What are brothers for?" He snickered while setting his stick down.
With the last of the sausages eaten and the moon rising higher into the sky, the chatter began to die down. Derek was the first on his feet, eyes flashing red. Jackson and Scott kissed their girlfriends while the rest of the wolves stood. The girls would stay behind, probably to catch up on their gossip or do whatever it was they wanted while the rest went off into the woods.
As they strode into the trees and away from the warmth of the campfire, Derek's voice rang out. Quiet, but loud enough that those with more sensitive hearing would have no issue picking it up. "Tonight your power is at its strongest. You have more strength than ever on the night of the full moon," Stiles was sure Derek was only reciting this for his and Scott's benefits as the rest already probably knew this. "It also means your control is lessened. While we can laugh about an animal getting the better of Boyd and Jackson now, at the time both of them were still new to this and their control was shaky, at best. All they saw was food." It took him a moment to realize all the wolves were now side-eyeing him. Oh! This was a lesson for him. Not for him and Scott. He was the 'new' one. He was the one who might not be in charge of himself tonight. "As with any other full moon, we keep an eye on the one who might get themselves into trouble."
Erica smirked, "guess that means we're babysitting Jackson again." When the others looked toward the jock to laugh she winked at Stiles and he honestly couldn't love her any more than he did in this moment. Even if it were only a temporary distraction, he appreciated it all the same.
Derek chuckled along with the rest before continuing, "With our power at its height. Let's see who can take Boyd down tonight. Winner gets a prize." So, Isaac had been right. More intense training. Though Stiles hadn't expected their training to consist of taking down the largest member of the pack.
"That's profoundly unfair. Erica will cheat again!" Isaac whined.
To which, Derek rolled his eyes. "Fine, Erica will sit this one out." She grinned and sauntered over to her Alpha's side. Stiles had a feeling she'd have pounced on Boyd and kissed him and Boyd would have given in to her as he seemed to every time. It really was an unfair advantage.
Jackson ran at Boyd first, aiming his shoulder into the much larger man's gut. Boyd doubled over but only to wrap his arms around Jackson's waist. He hauled him up and flung him effortlessly over his shoulder, sending the jock sprawling into the leaves. Isaac moved with blinding speed, he was probably the fastest of the pack, and swiped his claws toward Boyd's chest. Boyd ducked back, then grasped Isaac's wrist and yanked him forward; his other hand came up to slam into Isaac's chest, launching him back.
Scott charged in next while Peter circled around behind. The younger male ducked low and aimed for Boyd's legs. He got in a kick, though it barely seemed to faze the big guy. Peter, at the same time, propelled himself onto Boyd's back, grappling to stay on. Stiles wondered why they weren't working together. Despite the appeal of a prize.
He was the only one who hadn't jumped in. Everyone else took turns trying to attack Boyd and the larger man repelled each of them. He watched each member closely from his place further back. Watched who was too cocky, who went for the throat -figuratively, and who was most likely to do real damage.
Derek said nothing, merely stood with his arms crossed over his chest, watching his pack with interest. Erica stood at his side looking bored while gazing at her crimson-painted nails. Stiles turned back as Boyd flung Peter from his shoulders, the elder male landed in a heap near his feet. Reaching down, Stiles helped haul the man upright again. "Why don't we try something different?"
"And what, pray tell, do you have in mind? In case you haven't noticed, Boyd has the strength of three of us on a good day. Under the light of the full moon.." Peter trailed off, the sentence didn't need finishing.
Stiles was pretty sure that the only one who really rivaled Boyd in strength was their Alpha, and even then he was willing to bet he'd give Derek a run for his money. "How about working together? It's clear none of us, Erica aside, can take him on our own." And Erica was only able to do so by using the fact that they were dating against him.
"That's what I was attempting, young Stilinski."
"Without any coordination between you and Scott," Stiles countered. Over Peter's shoulder, he could see Isaac and Scott both sweeping in again. Boyd knocked them back with ease. The guy hadn't even broken a sweat. In fact, he looked bored out of his mind. Because none of them presented any real challenge. "Jackson!" He waved the jock over.
Jackson grumbled as he stepped closer, his shirt torn in several places and he was bleeding from a wound across his chest. Stiles kept his voice as low as he possibly could, barely even whispering the words to avoid them carrying to Boyd. Words he had to repeat and rephrase as Isaac and Scott joined them.
Stiles noticed Derek was straining to hear them from his place across the clearing and was watching with even more interest than he had before. Probably because Stiles was flailing his hands around in that way he did when excited. Boyd stood like an immovable statue. Waiting.
Between them, they worked out a plan. Jackson and Scott both grumped about not being the sole winner of whatever prize Derek had on offer -likely because they wanted his praise- but Petet cuffed the both of them across the back of the head. Each of them had their strengths that needed to be used to their advantage as a whole. Jackson, the brilliant strategist he was in every sport he'd ever played, had plenty of insight to offer as well.
"Got it?" Stiles asked, a little louder now that everything was finalized. Everyone nodded and he grinned, for once feeling as though he was in some sports huddle and he was the captain. It was a good feeling.
Breaking apart, the group moved in different directions all surrounding Boyd who stood ready for whatever might come. Jackson and Isaac moved first, the fastest of their group, with Peter and Scott right on their heels. Until they knew what Stiles could be capable of in a fight, he planned to bring up the rear. He'd been more focused on research than physical training, anyway.
It was a coordinated attack, in which Stiles leaped onto Boyd's back while the others all worked on tackling him or wearing him down. Each time he reached up to try and grasp for Stiles one of the others took his arm or distracted him with their claws. Which allowed him to wrap his arms around Boyd's neck in a chokehold, legs locked firmly around his waist to keep himself from being thrown or pulled off.
Thirty seconds.. forty-five.. sixty.. seventy-three and Boyd stumbled to one knee. Eighty-six was when the big man nearly passed out and everyone leaped back to give him room to breathe again. In the silence that followed, Derek clapped slowly. "I was starting to think you lot would never be able to take him down." It was easy to see several of the Betas shine under that praise. Those who sought it the most, like Isaac and Jackson. Boyd pushed himself upright once the oxygen had returned to his brain and Peter clapped him on the back. "It was good to see you all working together, rather than attempting to tackle the problem on your own."
"So, we all worked together, what's the prize?" Jackson asked, cocking a brow. Of course, he would be the one to ask.
"You get to try again next time." Derek grinned as though that were the greatest gift he could have offered. Jackson only huffed. Clearly, he'd thought he would have his hands on something physical. For a spoiled kid, it made sense.
"Isaac!" Derek then called out, causing the young wolf to grin. Stiles and Scott exchanged a confused look when everyone else seemed prepared for something. "Ten seconds." Isaac bolted through the trees. "Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Boyd." Boyd lumbered after him. "Four. Three. Two. Go!"
It was only when Erica and Jackson gave chase that Stiles understood. They were meant to catch the fastest one. Scott was a little slower to catch on. Bless him. Stiles snagged the younger teen's arm as he took off running in the same direction. Boyd had gotten a head start because he was bigger and slower. "Come on, man."
Once realization hit Scott, Stiles released him and noticed Derek had given chase too. So, they weren't just running wild through the woods. Derek actually put them through training on these nights. Training that would hone their tracking and physical strength. He was glad that the full moon had nothing to do with howling at the moon -or God forbid orgies- and it became horrifyingly clear why it was important to keep an eye on the 'weaker' member of the pack. Because as Stiles tapped into the wolf inside to trail Isaac's scent he was assaulted by literally everything in the preserve. The many small animals scampering or hiding from obvious predators, the smell of fish in the pond, damp earth underfoot, and worse was the scent of Lydia and Allison. The scent of their blood made his steps falter as some feral part of him wanted to turn toward them. His head turned in their direction, scenting the air. It was all too easy to focus past everything else and hear the sound of Allison's laughter, the smell of Lydia's perfume.
This was what Derek had meant. That he would have less control over himself. Stiles froze in place, panting heavily, at war between the human part of his brain and the wolf. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly he shook his head and scented beyond them forcing his attention back toward Isaac's scent. It was harder than he wanted to admit to focus on it. Claws dug into his palms while trying to ground himself and not turn fully back toward them. He had a feeling that if he allowed his feet to shift in that direction, he might not be able to stop himself from running in it. Inhaling deeply, he tried to pick Isaac's scent back up. Instead, his senses were assaulted by the scent of leather. His eyes flew open to see Derek standing only a few feet away, watching him cautiously. "You okay?" Derek's hands were raised in a non-threatening way, though Stiles knew that if needed the elder teen was able to knock him on his ass without much effort.
Stiles took a moment to answer, noting that he barely picked up the human's scents now. Derek's was grounding him. Nodding, he forced a quick smile because he wasn't entirely sure. If Derek hadn't shown up when he had: would he have been able to return to tracking Isaac or would he have turned on heel and gone after the girls? It was a scary thought. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Super."
One of those brows went up as he assessed Stiles, likely trying to discern the chemo signals rolling off of him. Derek reached out and placed one hand on his shoulder, turning him back in the direction Isaac had gone. He cast a quick smile, then motioned them on with his other hand. "Come on, we better catch up with the others, then."
"Especially if one of them is likely to be taken out by an owl or something. I'd die laughing if Hedwig got the better of Isaac." Stiles chuckled softly, then darted back through the trees.
–
The rest of their 'hunt' went without incident. Stiles noticed after that one faltering moment that Derek stayed fairly close to him. Just in case. He appreciated it, yet at the same time found that the guy's scent usually overpowered Isaac's. For him, anyway. Which meant that he and Derek were the last to catch up to the rest of the pack.
Jackson had been the first to find Isaac, hiding in a tree on the outskirts of the pond. As they made their way back toward the Hale house Peter told them that based off of Stiles' research he, Erica, and Boyd were going to Ohio in search of the Hale women. Jackson complained about not being able to go. "We can help."
"You have school starting in two weeks, Jackson. You absolutely will not be coming along. Erica and Boyd have already graduated." Peter countered with ease.
"My grades will be fine."
"It's your senior year. You won't miss school where I can help it." Derek spoke up.
No one mentioned that Derek had taken off for several years after the fire to try and help Peter. Considering he'd still managed to graduate top of his class, it was probably best that no one did. What worried Stiles most, and probably several others, was what the size of the pack that they faced could be. If this were the pack that had the Hale women. And if three of them would be enough.
"While they are gone," Derek began, speaking over Jackson and Isaac's protests, "the rest of us will be taking time every day to work on rebuilding the pack house. Exceptions are only made for prior commitments. Meaning work and sports. Not for girlfriends." He looked pointedly at Jackson and Scott now.
Stiles could see Allison being all too willing to help. Lydia, not so much. She'd worry too much about her manicure. He loved the girl, no doubt, but he doubted she'd enjoy construction. Though, he figured, she might still surprise him.
"Each of you," Peter interjected, "will have your own space within the house, so we fully expect you to put in your best effort."
Isaac, Scott, and Jackson had sports commitments and Scott had a job. This meant he probably would help the least and Stiles would shoulder more work than the others still in school as he had neither. He didn't mind this, though. Though he tried not to think about this being as big of a perk as it was, it meant he had one-on-one time with Derek. More importantly, it was a chance to do something with all of his restless energy. So long as he could keep his focus on it, that is.
God knew, that becoming a werewolf had done little for his ADHD. He was assuming, since there were no studies he could research on it, that because it was a mental affliction rather than something physical -like Erica's seizures- it didn't have the same 'curative' effect. After all, Isaac was still prone to bouts of depression and PTSD from the trauma his father had put him through. Or maybe all of his ADHD traits had just become so ingrained in his personality that he couldn't shake them. He doubted that much since he still felt so restless and jittery sometimes, add in his general lack of focus until he hyper-fixated on something. Like the research.
He was stirred from his thoughts on the house by Jackson's typically arrogant voice. "What do you mean our 'own space'?"
"Precisely what I said. Much like the pack house was before, each member will have their own room, should you choose to make use of it when you come of age." Peter replied, waving a hand toward the foundation that had been laid as they moved into the clearing. The fire had burned to nothing but embers. Allison leaned against Scott's sleeping bag, asleep near it. Lydia must have retreated into the tent.
Stiles glanced at his watch and was surprised to see it was well after three in the morning. He also noticed that that pull he'd felt toward the girls earlier was still there and he ground his teeth to push it back. For a moment he contemplated sleeping in the Jeep to make sure he didn't try to hurt anyone but then figured he would just stay awake until the pull of the moon had gone away.
Derek must have picked up on something from him because the elder teen was at his side in an instant, hand on his shoulder. "You did much better than I would have figured for your first time out here."
Stiles shrugged the other shoulder, feeling slightly awkward despite the fact Derek was offering him praise. Or maybe because of it. Or maybe it had more to do with his almost slip-up earlier. He decided it was better to get that into the air, so he admitted, "I was worried for a minute there."
"I know." Derek offered another smile that caused his stomach to flutter again. That needed to stop. Like, now! With a glance toward the others, all of whom were getting their sleeping bags ready to settle in for the remainder of the night, Derek turned back to him and then nodded toward the trees again.
Stiles didn't need more prompting than that to know the guy wanted him to follow. When they'd gone a short distance, just far enough to be out of earshot of the others, Derek leaned back against the closest tree and observed him again. "That's why we normally don't allow humans to be with us on full moon nights. Especially when there's a new wolf out here. They become a temptation that most have too much trouble resisting." Stiles frowned and nodded while scuffing the leaves beneath him with the toe of his shoe. "You were able to, though."
"It wasn't easy. There was some part of me that wanted to go after them." He felt ashamed to admit it, even though Derek wasn't berating him for it. Stiles assumed that was the human part of his mind telling him just how wrong it would have been even if the wolf had wanted it.
"Unfortunately, that's something you'll struggle with for a while. All of us do. Especially on the full moon. While our powers are heightened so is the bloodlust. What's important to remember, Stiles, is that you didn't give in to it. If you find yourself fighting for control then you need to find an anchor. Something that keeps you grounded when you want to give in."
Stiles tucked his hands into his pockets and leaned his shoulder against the tree across from Derek. "Like what? What's yours?" It was only after he had asked that he realized that might have been too personal of a question.
Derek hesitated for a moment to answer, like he was thinking about whether or not to give one. "When I was younger it was my sister. Laura and I were close in age and we were always close. After the fire the anger I had toward her and toward the Argent's became my anchor. Now…" He paused, watching Stiles again. After a soft sigh, he shook his head, "I don't know what it is. The pack, I guess." There was a slight uptick in his heartrate that Stiles wasn't sure indicated a lie, or maybe even just the pain of realizing he'd had to change his anchor so often. "Remembering that I need to be there for them, for you, it helps." His shoulders rose ever so slightly, "you just need to find something that helps you. Some people use mantras, others focus on their significant others, some have talismans. Each wolf is different."
Stiles nodded his understanding while thinking about both times he'd felt his control slipping. How both of those times it had been Derek to rein him back in. How somehow just being around Derek instilled this calm in him that he couldn't explain. Somehow he didn't think he could tell Derek that he was fairly sure he had become his anchor without his even knowing it. It felt too awkward, especially when he thought about the fact that he'd only known the guy for a couple months. He also wasn't too sure how well Derek actually liked him. The guy was so closed off and surly half the time, he only seemed at ease around a handful of people. Stiles didn't feel as though he was one of them.
"I'm sure I'll figure it out," he finally replied.
Derek regarded him again, then asked, "did you still feel the wolf rearing its head when we were near them?"
Stiles released a quiet sigh. "A little. It wasn't as bad as earlier though." A shoulder rose in a quick shrug. To change the subject before Derek could respond, he then asked, "when do Peter and the others leave?"
"Day after tomorrow. It'll get easier." Well.. that didn't work. "If you ever need help just ask."
Stiles felt the smile slipping onto his lips before he could stop himself. "I will. Thanks, man."
As though that were the end of the conversation, Derek straightened and began leading them back toward the clearing. "Looks like it'll be just you and me for a while." He said when they'd nearly reached it. Seeing that Stiles' brain hadn't caught up, he chuckled and clarified. "Working on the house."
"Oh! Yeah, I thought about that too. Everyone else has too much going on. I don't know much about building a house but I'm sure I can figure it out. Wait. You're not expecting me to run electrical or anything, are you? Because I can assure you, I'd be terrible at it. And I'd prefer not to get a seven thousand volt shock." Stiles laughed softly.
Derek joined in and shook his head, "no, I think Peter has someone lined up for that." When they'd reached the others, who were already bunkered down in their sleeping bags, he offered a quick smile. "Get some sleep, Stiles. You did really well tonight, getting everyone to work together isn't an easy task. I've been trying for a year." Without another word, Derek moved around the others to grab his bag.
Stiles watched him carry it further from the rest of the group. For a few moments, he wondered why, and then it dawned on him that their Alpha was putting himself away from the rest to keep watch and not risk keeping everyone else awake. Because he wasn't planning to sleep. Stiles settled his own, courtesy of Jackson, between Jackson and Scott and settled in. He had planned to stay awake for fear that when he fell asleep the wolf would emerge on its own and put the girls at risk; he'd barely settled in, however, and the exhaustion from the night took hold. Sleep pulled him under within only minutes.