Second Spring

by Takara Phoenix

ABOverse - To secure an alliance against a shared enemy, King Christopher agrees to an arranged marriage to the omega prince of the neighboring kingdom, even though his heart belongs to his trusted general and fellow alpha Peter. How will Stiles fit into that…? Chris/Peter/Stiles

Teen Wolf || Stetopher || Teen Wolf || Second Spring || Teen Wolf || Stetopher || Teen Wolf

Title: Second Spring – Jack of All Trades, Prince of Hearts

TW Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Jeff Davis and MTV. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Tags: m/m/m, polyamory, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, arranged marriage, Pack Alpha Peter, Nogitsune Stiles, hurt/comfort, fluff, f/f, m/f

Main Pairing: Chris/Peter/Stiles

Side Pairings: Allison/Kira, Boyd/Erica, Scott/Lydia, Noah/Melissa

Teen Wolf Characters: Mieczysław 'Stiles' Stilinski, Chris Argent, Peter Hale, Allison Argent, Kira Yukimura, Derek Hale, Cora Hale, Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd, Isaac Lahey, Jackson Whittemore, Noah Stilinski, Melissa McCall, Lydia Martin, Scott McCall

Summary: To secure an alliance against a shared enemy, King Christopher agrees to an arranged marriage to the omega prince of the neighboring kingdom, even though his heart belongs to his trusted general and fellow alpha Peter. How will Stiles fit into that…?

Second Spring

Jack of All Trades, Prince of Hearts

King Christopher of the Silver Lake Kingdom was a good man. A good alpha. A good king.

That was what anyone who met him said about him, anyway. And Stiles had done his research. He hadn't just talked to the nobles. He'd asked the maidens, the servants, the foot soldiers. It was surprisingly easy to sneak into the palace, but then being an omega did pay off there. Nobody was ever suspicious about omegas. Dressed in the right servant clothes, nobody questioned an omega doing busy work in a palace. Even if they had never seen him before.

"He gave me a second chance when I had lost everything," Isaac, a young knight around Stiles' age, had told him. "My family was dead, I was a minor with nothing left and he allowed me into the palace, gave me work and gave me the chance to become a knight, even without lineage."

"He helped me open my bakery," Boyd, the young baker from the palace town had said. "My family had lost my little sister young and my parents never quite recovered, we always struggled. But when I was ready to build something for myself, his generosity saved us. He invests in our community, makes sure his people are fed and can survive, instead of hoarding his wealth."

"He's awesome, he allowed me to accept the bite from General Hale," Erica, the princess' handmaid, had told him with a bounce in her steps. "The kingdom I came from, I wouldn't have been allowed because omegas can't make these kind of decisions for themselves, right? Accepting the bite is for soldiers, being a werewolf is for warriors. Not for omegas. But I knew the bite could heal me. I used to have epilepsy. And it did heal me."

"He is a fair man," Cora, one of the servants, had said. "When we had nothing left, he took me and my siblings into the palace and helped us rebuild after the fire."

Stiles had heard about the Hale Fire, as it was referred to around the palace. The house of Hale was the most prestigious noble family of the Silver Lake Kingdom, after the royal Argent family. A long line of advisers, generals and highly decorated soldiers. And then their mansion was burned down, leaving only four members alive, the then Captain Peter Hale, two of his nieces and his nephew.

All of that, Stiles brought back home and reported to his father. Repeatedly. King Noah kept frowning at him, even as Queen Melissa reached over to hold his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"I just," Noah sighed and rubbed his face. "I don't like this, kiddo."

"I'm aware, dad," Stiles heaved a sigh of his own and slumped in his seat. "That's why I snuck into their palace to get some intel on the king. Outside perspective."

"Noah," Melissa looked at her husband with warm eyes. "You know King Christopher is a good man, you have worked with him before, after his father's death."

"Being a good man on the battlefield isn't the same as… being a good husband, being a good alpha to his omega," Noah argued tensely. "The circumstances of his last mate's death were suspicious."

Stiles bit his lip at that. The one point he couldn't argue with. Victoria's death had been suspicious and everyone at the palace had been tight-lipped about it. Turning, Stiles offered his stepbrother a hopeful look. He needed Scotty to step in here and distract their parents.

"I, uh," Scott spoke up, feeling Stiles' eyes on him. "I mean, Stiles is… Isn't it his choice?"

Brave words from the young prince. Stiles grinned amused and leaned back. Ever since their parents had gotten married and that back then shy and kinda awkward kid had moved into the palace, Stiles had pretty much imprinted on him. Scott was his brother from day one, much to their parents' relief (and very frequent headache). They'd worried how their kids would get along.

"You're the heir of the throne, Stiles," Noah tried, one more time.

"You acquired a spare son," Stiles pointed out, waving at Scott. "Plus, he's an alpha."

"That's not," Scott made a soft, distressed noise at that. "I'm not..."

"Eloquent? Yeah, not really," Stiles teased amused, face softening a little. "I know you guys love me and all of that. I know in your minds, I'd be the next king of Beacon Hills. That's not how the world works. I'm an omega. Nobody outside our kingdom would take me seriously and that's kind of impractical for a king. Scott's an alpha, he'll be more respected. Let me at least use my position as an omega for the good of our kingdom."

"Marriage shouldn't be convenience, kiddo," Noah looked at him so pleadingly.

Stiles' lips twisted into a sad smile. "You're lucky, you got two shots at love. Not everyone does. I need you to trust me on this, dad. I know what I'm doing. I don't need true love, I need our people to be safe. Scotty got true love. And Lydia is going to be the best queen he could ask for."

Lydia shared a smile with him, as mildly sad as Stiles'. She'd kept out of the conversation so far, because she knew Stiles had a point but she also generally agreed with the rest of the family. Stiles had exactly three friends, Scott included. Lydia was his oldest friend. She was a clever omega, had been Stiles' handmaid until her and Scott fell in love and he started courting her. Now, she was his sister-in-law. She was a fierce, strong-willed and brilliant omega. Stiles meant it, she would make a great queen, she was the kind of person Scott needed at his side. If not for Lydia, he would feel much less comfortable leaving, because while Scott was brave and kind, sometimes he was too kind. He needed a sharp strategist who could look at things a little more critically.

"I don't want to lose you, kiddo," Noah whispered with sad eyes. "I lost your mom and I…"

Stiles walked over in quick strides and wrapped his arms tightly around his dad. "You're not losing me, dad. Silver Lake borders Beacon Hills. We can… I'll still see you, dad. The whole point of this marriage is to forge an alliance with their kingdom. Working together."

Noah grumbled and buried himself in his son's arms. "I love you, kiddo. I just want you happy."

"I'll be happy when our people are safe from this threat," Stiles muttered softly.

"We know that, Stiles," Melissa smiled kindly at her stepson when she joined their hug. "You're a good kid. And you will be a good ruler. The king better appreciate that."

"Oh, if the king doesn't know to appreciate Stiles, I'm fairly sure Stiles will just make him," Scott quipped, even though his voice sounded a little wet. "I'm gonna miss you so much, bro."

"This palace is going to be very boring without you," Lydia agreed gently.

/break\

"I hate this," Chris whispered, voice rough.

"Few people hate the sunrise," Peter quipped, eyes on the pink and red over their kingdom.

He was sprawled out on the bed, half on top of his king. His arms were folded on top of Chris' chest so he could watch the sunrise. Chris heaved a sigh and wrapped an arm around Peter to pull him close enough to kiss. Peter made a soft, pleased noise at that.

"Not the sunrise," Chris' voice was softer now. "This marriage idea. I hate that I will no longer be able to wake up with you, because I will wake up with a stranger."

Peter heaved a sigh at that, the mood effectively ruined. "You know you don't have to do this."

"We need this alliance, Peter," Chris gave his lover a hard look. "This is a threat to both our kingdoms and only as a united front could we stand against it. Marriage is the strongest foundation for such an alliance, it is our best shot at face this."

"Your alpha daughter and heir is still unmated," Peter pointed out casually.

"I will never force Allison into an arranged marriage," Chris growled softly in warning.

"Then what else were you supposed to do," Peter wanted to know, patient and casual. "This is for the best of our kingdom, it will prevent Allison from being stuck in a loveless marriage. Besides, whoever your omega ends up being, they can't be worse than Victoria."

"Peter," Chris made a soft noise of exasperation. "Please, rather just… help me learn to say his name. I don't want to insult him by mispronouncing it. I know you speak his kingdom's tongue."

In a fairer world, this wouldn't be necessary. In a fairer world, they would be able to work together without a forced marriage. In a fairer world, Chris and Peter would be allowed to be together, to be mates, even though they were both alphas. But their world wasn't fair.

Their world wasn't fair, so Chris needed to get mated to an omega with most likely even less choice in this than him. Their world wasn't fair, so Chris had to sneak around with the love of his life, stealing moments together wherever they could. Their world wasn't fair.

/break\

Peter forced his most charming smile as he got out of the carriage to greet the young prince. He was part of the escort meeting Prince Mieczysław at the border. He had insisted on that, wanting to meet the future royal consort who was going to replace him in Christopher's bed. With him were Derek, Isaac and Jackson. Two soldiers to ride on either side of the prince's carriage, the king's most trusted general and the captain of the royal guard, to show how important the prince was to them.

"Prince Mieczysław, it is an honor," Peter bowed to the carriage just across their border.

He looked up when the omega stepped out of it. It gave Peter pause, how beautiful the omega was. With his fair skin and beauty marks, the golden-brown eyes, a cutely upturned nose, dark hair that fell around his chin in slight waves, a lithe built and a very long, tempting neck.

"You actually said that," the prince blinked surprised, his eyes impossibly large.

What pretty doe-eyes those were, with long lashes painting even longer shadows on his cheeks. Peter was far too busy counting shades of brown and gold in the boy's wide eyes to register what the omega had said until Derek next to him cleared his throat to make Peter react.

"Pardon me?" Peter asked confused, drawing his eyebrows together.

"My name," the prince said, still sounding so strangely surprised. "You actually said it."

"What is he talking about?" Jackson asked Derek lowly. "Why's he surprised Peter said his name?"

"People usually don't bother trying to pronounce all that," the prince shrugged, regarding Jackson. "It's old, in the native tongue of our kingdom, before this continental attempt of unification forced the common tongue onto everyone. Too many even in my kingdom have forgotten how to speak it. Outsiders usually don't even try. They also usually assume addressing me with 'omega' is enough."

"Well, that's not your name," Peter frowned, feeling offended on the prince's behalf. "It's your designation. And you deserve more respect than that, Prince Mieczysław."

A small but clearly pleased smile spread over pretty pink lips. "Call me Stiles."

"Stiles," Isaac echoed curiously. "Is that like a 'translation' of your name?"

"Nah," Stiles shrugged, the smile turning more playful. "Short for the royal house of Stilinski. Kind of a family nickname my grandfather and uncle went by too. Everyone calls me that. Actual translation of my name into the common tongue would be something like 'sword of glory' and if you call me sword or glory, I might kick you."

Oh, Peter liked that boy. He wasn't supposed to like him. He had mentally prepared himself for animosity, the kind of cold hatred he had felt for Victoria. Chris' second spouse wasn't supposed to be charming or cute or beautiful. Peter was supposed to have an easy time resenting him.

"Very well then, Prince Stiles," Peter smiled, more genuinely this time. "In the name of our king, we welcome you in our kingdom. He is already anxiously awaiting you."

"Nice," Stiles nodded. "Care to actually introduce yourselves too?"

Peter blinked stunned at the blunt omega. It was, of course, a misstep on Peter's part. But in his experience, omegas tended to duck their heads about it and would never point an alpha's mistake out like that, in public. Tilting his head intrigued, Peter bowed a little.

"Of course, pardon me," Peter offered a charming smile. "I'm General Peter Hale, this is my nephew, Captain Derek Hale of the royal guard. These are two of Derek's top guards, Isaac and Jackson. We're your escort back to our palace."

Stiles smiled at that and nodded at them. "Thank you for your hospitality."

He turned back toward the carriage, waiting. Now that this exchange was over, the doors opened and more people existed. Two omegas and an alpha. The alpha went to the luggage and Peter motioned for Isaac and Jackson to help him unload and carry all of the prince's things onto their own carriage. One of the omegas, with expensive fine clothes and red hair, grabbed the prince and pulled him into the tightest hug. The scent of salt clung to them both as they hugged.

"I'll miss you, I'll miss you so much, Stiles," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I'll miss you too, Lydia," Stiles smiled, though it was sad. "I'll see you guys at the mating ceremony in a week. Watch over Scott, you know he'd be lost without us."

"I am not completely helpless, you know that, Stiles," the alpha whined.

He returned from where he'd loaded some of the luggage, just to be pulled into a hug by Stiles too. Too fine clothes to be a servant, too familiar with the unmated omega prince. Peter tilted his head.

"Care to introduce yourselves?" Peter asked playfully.

"Right," Stiles chuckled awkwardly. "This is my brother, Prince Scott, his fiance Lydia and this is my handmaid Kira, who… will come with us."

There was hesitancy there at the end, the prince's confidence that he had exuded so far broken a little. Somehow, it made Peter's heart clench. It wasn't a given that an omega moving into the new territory of their future mate and pack would be allowed to take anyone with them.

"Of course," Peter smiled kindly at Kira. "I'm sure you will be a wonderful addition to the palace."

Kindness, true kindness, did not come naturally to Peter. He found it pesky and troublesome, really. Yet ever since Erica had joined his pack, he had grown much more aware of the struggles omegas faced in their society. His They were rare and seen as valuable by many, which meant they ended up used as bargaining chips or sheltered to a point of making really living near impossible. Both Stiles and Kira relaxed visibly at his words, before they hugged Scott and Lydia goodbye one last time.

Peter offered Stiles a charming smile and his hand to help him up into the carriage. "I will be driving inside with you, for your protection, in case something happens. Isaac and Jackson will guard us from either side and my dear nephew will lead."

Stiles' eyes darted around between them, calculating, before he nodded. "Good plan."

Usually, Peter would have taken mild offense to someone else acting like they could approve or disapprove of his strategy. But the sharpness of those honey-colored eyes gave Peter the impression that these weren't just empty words of a noble who wanted to sound like they knew what they were talking about. Somehow, Peter had a feeling that the young prince was a strategist himself.

"We're in for a ten hour ride, please get comfortable. We brought water and some snacks, cheese, bread and apples," Peter offered while the three of them settled in.

"Thank you," Kira smiled at him, fidgeting a little.

She was clearly nervous. Peter watched Stiles intensely and though he hid it better than his companion, he also seemed nervous. Of course he'd be. Peter's eyes softened some. It would be easy to be vindictive and hate the one who was going to marry his Christopher. It had been easy with Victoria. But the circumstances had been different back then, hadn't they?

Chris had been a young prince, barely legal, and his father had chosen his bride for him, from an influential and rich family. This time was different, wasn't it? Chris was the king now, made the decision. Chris held the power and Stiles had been torn from his home. Peter sighed softly.

/break\

King Christopher was handsome. With the silver in his hair and beard, the sharp features, strong arms and broad chest and the steel-blue eyes. He smelt pleasant too, like citrus and pines.

"Prince Mieczysław, it's a pleasure to meet you," Chris smiled and took Stiles' hand to kiss.

Stiles' cheeks darkened at that, both the smile and the kiss. But what really got him was his name.

"Oh," Stiles looked from the king to Peter. "You rehearsed how to say my name together, huh?"

Both king and general froze at that and turned to stare wide-eyed at each other for just a split second before smoothing it over again. Easy to miss for someone who hadn't been watching them as closely as Stiles had. What a strange reaction.

"What makes you say that?" Chris asked, his voice straining to sound calm.

"You say it the same way," Stiles grinned a little. "It's not butchered but it is still off in a distinct way. And the fact that you say it the same way makes me think you rehearsed that together. I'm guessing your general taught you? I know he's worked with General Parrish before, who reported back to my father and me that General Hale was able to understand the codes our army used."

Peter regarded him with those same inquisitive eyes as he had when they first met and multiple times during the drive to the palace. Like he was trying to dissect Stiles, figure out how he ticked.

"Ah," Chris cleared his throat. "Yes, Peter taught me. Would you mind correcting me?"

Stiles looked at the alpha in surprise. Not only did most people not bother to even try, but most alphas didn't want to be corrected. Alphas had reacted with anger and flustered frustration when Stiles pointed out that they had mispronounced his name in the past.

"It's Mieczys-wav, not Mieczys-vaw. It's the ł that usually trips non-native speakers up."

"I promise to do better," Chris nodded and then, carefully, added. "Prince Mieczysław."

How utterly charming. Stiles blinked at the king who already proved to be more than expected.

"Or just call me Stiles," Stiles offered with a soft smile. "Everyone calls me Stiles, it's fine."

"Stiles, then. And please, call me Chris," Chris gave him a smile and held out his hand. "Let me show you around the palace. Unless you're too tired from your travels, of course."

Stiles took the offered hand and allowed his future husband to show him the palace, pretending that everything was all new and that he hadn't just recently broken in here for recon. Chris stayed charming and considerate the entire time and coupled with what he had learned during his recon mission, he really did think that the alpha could be a good man, maybe even a good husband. Hopefully a good alpha. Stiles was under no illusions of finding true love, but he hoped to at least find kinship and perhaps even friendship with the man.

/break\

"Peter," Chris gave a low warning growl, pushing his lover away.

Peter smiled shamelessly at him and ran a hand down Chris' chest. "Relax, Christopher. Your little fiance is all tuckered out from the day and peacefully asleep in his own room. We could have…"

Excessive knocking interrupted them. With a groan did Peter push off Chris, thankfully enough. It was already hard enough to say no to Peter when they were all alone. And with Prince Mie—with Stiles now at the palace, Peter and Chris really shouldn't.

"Isaac," Peter drawled unimpressed when he opened the war room's door. "...And more pups."

Chris frowned when he came to stand next to Peter. Isaac had a wide-eyed look on his face and he indeed wasn't alone. With him were Peter's niece Cora, who worked at the palace, Boyd, the young baker, and his mate Erica, the handmaid of Chris' daughter. They all looked excited.

"I know where I know the prince from," Isaac blurted out.

"What," Chris' frown deepened and he looked between the beta and Peter.

"Isaac kept saying that, after we picked the prince and his handmaid up," Peter sighed. "That he seemed familiar, but Isaac couldn't place where."

"He's the servant who kept asking about Chris," Erica butted in. "Like, I saw him, when he accompanied his handmaid to the servant's quarters. Sweet girl, by the way. But yeah! He was the one who asked about you and it hadn't been suspicious back then but when I got home to Boyd, he said that an omega with moles had been asking about what kind of king you are too that day and it got more suspicious when he never showed up again and I swear this prince, that's the servant."

"Yeah, I was there with Erica. Both times. Today and when the 'new servant' asked about what kind of employer our king is," Cora confirmed with furrowed brows. "These moles are distinct."

"What they said," Boyd nodded slowly. "He told me he'd recently moved to the kingdom and wanted to know how this kingdom was run. Erica and Cora dragged me to see him, when he was out in the garden earlier, and… that is him."

Somehow, Chris' frown managed to deepen at that. How was that possible? He turned to look at his lover, since these were all Betas in Peter's pack. Peter gave a short nod, meaning he believed them. Chris had no reason to doubt them either, he trusted them, but why would Stiles have been here?

"I think I need to speak to my future husband," Chris heaved a sigh.

Naturally, when he left, he was trailed by werewolves like they were little ducklings. There was a saying about curiosity and cats, but in his experience, wolves were worse. Heaving a deep sigh, Chris raised his hand to knock on the door of his fiance's temporary bedroom. He knocked again, louder, when no answer came. His frown returned. And then it was replaced by flustered embarrassment when Stiles opened the door, wearing nothing but a half-buttoned, oversized dress-shirt that reached down to his mid-thighs, his hair messy and eyes sleepy. Oh.

"You know, when you said I could get some rest after the long travels, I had hoped for more than an hour," Stiles quipped, rubbing his eyes in a far too cute way. "What… Ah. Mh."

His gaze wandered past Chris, taking in Cora, Boyd, Erica and Isaac. Suddenly, he seemed more awake. Chris raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, partially to keep from touching the very tempting looking omega. Stiles was beautiful, that much was plain to see, but right now, he was like temptation incarnate. His gaze turned more stern as he regarded Stiles.

"These four claim that you have been to my palace before, snooping around, pretending to be a servant," Chris pointed out, both eyebrows raised. "But surely that can't be. How and why would you, member of a neighboring royal family, break into my palace under false pretense."

Stiles shrugged and leaned against the door-frame, his own arms crossed too. "I'm not stupid. I wasn't going to blindly agree to a marriage with a total stranger and to be sent there wholly unprepared and alone. That's how you get yourself killed or stuck in a bad situation. So before proposing this union to you, I came here to get a little more information about you. Nobody is going to tell the prince the truth, everyone will only say the best things about their king. But a new servant who needs to feel safe? People will be honest about how this place is run."

"You… broke into our palace? All on your own?" Peter asked, sounding amused and impressed.

Another shrug as Stiles pushed off the door-frame. "Your security is good. But your kingdom is overall far too trusting of omegas. With the right clothes and the right attitude, I got all the way to the king's chambers. You should… really look into that. Omegas can be assassins too, you know."

Erica full on cackled at that. "Oh, I like you. You're not like the usual nobles who try to schmooze Chris and Ally. You could be fun to have in the palace."

Stiles offered a half-grin at that. "Thanks, I guess? But yeah. I wanted to make sure that I didn't get myself stuck in a miserable, abusive marriage for the rest of my life before I could propose this. Also because dad would have never agreed without some good arguments."

"You proposed this," Chris asked surprised.

Stiles raised one eyebrow at him, looking somewhat amused. "Would you like to come inside? So we can have this conversation not in the middle of the hall, my king? And though I'm sure these guys are great, I think this may be above their pay grade."

Chris stepped forward, just to hesitate. His eyes fell onto the scantly clad omega in front of him, who had just invited Chris into his bedroom. Stiles tilted his head and rolled his eyes.

"Bring your general along to chaperon, if you're concerned about the optics. Though to be frank, that seems ridiculous to me. We'll be mated in a week's time."

Peter stepped up next to Chris and quickly herded the king inside, under protests from his curious Betas. Yes, perhaps moving this conversation behind closed doors was the right call. Chris knew better. But something about this blunt omega was really messing with him.

"Yes, it was my idea," Stiles replied, once he sat down on his bed. "Your sister is a serious threat, to both our kingdoms. The best way to fight her is together."

Both Chris and Peter froze at his words and stared at Stiles with wide, surprised eyes. Stiles smoothed his shirt out over his knees to give the illusion of wearing more clothes than he really was. His creamy thighs were wildly distracting and all the motion did was draw attention to them.

"Yes, I know your supposedly dead sister is the ominous 'threat' we are facing. No, nobody else knows," Stiles answered the unasked question. "It wasn't all that hard to figure out. Your general had tried to kill her, but the sharp claws of an Alpha wolf? When they dig in deep enough, they can turn a human. The way this one had gone after exactly the things Gerard and her had been after, before you… took over the throne. She knows too much to not have been involved on a high level. Her rage is largely focused on the Hales, retribution for the attempted murder on her."

"You're not even from this kingdom, how did you…" Peter trailed off, genuinely startled.

Chris didn't think he remembered ever seeing Peter lost for words. Though he wasn't fairing much better. The fact that the were jaguar leader of the Berserker army they were fighting was Chris' estranged sister was his best kept secret. Her and the late king had been… deeply bigoted. Under Gerard, werewolves had practically been enslaved guard dogs. Peter and Chris had worked together to take down Gerard and with him, Kate, who had taken sadistic joy in mistreating the wolves in their army. They'd both thought Peter had killed Kate that day. They'd been wrong.

"I like figuring things out," Stiles shrugged and then bit his lips. "That's why I proposed this marriage. Kate's teaming up with Jennifer now. The Berserkers had already been a force without a dark druid backing them up. Your worst threat and our worst threat are working together, and so should we. I know the strongest alliances are forged with matebonds."

It really had been Stiles' idea. Heaving a sigh, Chris sank down onto the heavy chair by the desk. A weight was lifted from his heart at that. He'd been afraid that his mate-to-be had been forced by his parents, sent here against his will as something to be bargained with.

"Everyone only had good things to say about you," Stiles' voice was soft. "Especially the wolves. Not just about how you helped liberate them and gave them a choice, but… individually. How you helped them, personally. You're a good king and a good man and I hope you will be a good husband. But yes, I had to make sure first."

"You are a clever little thing," Peter looked at Stiles with greed and intrigue.

"You can make even a compliment sound condescending," Stiles looked amused.

"I assure you, it was not meant that way," Peter offered his most charming smile to Stiles.

Chris turned sharp eyes on his lover, who was flirting with Chris' fiance. He couldn't even begin to figure out what he felt about that. Shaking his head, Chris decided to instead focus on Stiles.

"I understand your suspicions," Chris sighed and rubbed his face. "But to do something as reckless and risky as to come here, all on your own, pretending to be someone else? If I weren't the man I am, this could have gotten you killed, Stiles."

Stiles clicked his tongue. "Yeah, you'll have to get used to that. That's kinda my thing."

"What is?" Chris asked, trying not to sound too strained.

"Gathering information. Figuring out problems. Doing reckless and risky things."

Chris rubbed his face a couple of times. He had gotten himself a little trouble magnet there. Hadn't the first one – Peter – been bad enough? This was going to age him so many years. With a sigh did Chris get up. He looked at Stiles one last time – beautiful, clever, reckless omega, barely dressed, on the bed, and it shouldn't do things to Chris but it did.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep. Please, rest some more. I'll make sure one of the servants brings you dinner, you've had a long day, you don't have to put up with the social intricacies of court just yet," Chris offered, resting a gentle hand on Stiles' shoulder.

"Thank you," Stiles blinked at him doe-eyed.

/break\

It was terrifying how quickly Stiles settled into the palace. Peter kept a close eye on his lover's fiance. Stiles hit it off with Erica and since then spent a lot of time with the other omega. With Erica usually came Cora, Boyd and Isaac. Most of the times, Stiles was with his handmaid, who seemed like a shy and awkward thing at first, but when someone got her talking, she got excited and bubbly in a quite charming manner. She went wherever the prince went too.

Peter and Derek were training with the knights in the backward and Peter's eyes kept straying to Stiles, who sat under a tree together with Kira, Allison, Erica and Boyd. They were on a blanket eating a spontaneous picnic, with freshly baked bread Boyd had brought to the palace.

"You're paying a lot of close attention to the prince," Derek whispered. "Do you not trust him?"

Peter shook his head and returned his attention to the knights. How could he even begin to explain Stiles to Derek? The boy was fascinating. Not just pretty to look at and deliciously smelling. He was clever, calculating, brave, he didn't mince his words, not even before an alpha. He was everything Peter had always wanted in an omega but never found, before he'd gotten Chris. The irony that the perfect omega was now going to be mated to Peter's perfect alpha.

"You got this," Peter patted Derek on the back once. "I'll check on our royals."

He approached the blanket, catching the bright laughter from Kira at something Allison had said and the completely enamored way in which Allison looked at the other girl. Interesting. Erica was cackling herself, sitting half on Boyd's lap and leaning against her mate's chest.

"I hope we're not talking poorly about your father," Peter chimed in.

"Peter," Allison tilted her head back to smile at him, all dimples. "You know I would never. But everyone makes him out to be this perfect, regal, strict man and I have to reassure Stiles that dad can be goofy and soft too, you know."

"Riveting stories, General Hale," Stiles grinned cheekily at Peter.

"Please," Peter bowed his head a little. "Call me Peter."

He'd requested so multiple times in these past five days that Stiles had been with them yet. The boy didn't strike him as the type to adhere to authority, so it baffled him a little that Stiles kept insisting on referring to him as General Hale. Once again, he was met with that crooked grin of Stiles'.

"How is the wedding coming along?" Stiles asked instead, looking up at him, motioning over at the knights. "Rehearsals for the wedding, isn't it?"

"Your safety is my highest priority, my prince," Peter smiled indulgently at Stiles. "Many royals and important people will attend and we have to ensure everything will go without a hitch."

Stiles' eyes were intense as he regarded Peter. "I trust you'll make sure of it."

/break\

"You really ready for this, Stiles?" Kira asked, a worried frown on her face.

She was adjusting his robes for the fifth time. They sat perfectly. But she was nervous. Potentially more nervous than Stiles. If he was being honest, he just wanted this over with already. The past week of getting used to the palace and living here but more as an honored guest had left him tense. He had no real place here yet. Once he bore Chris' mate-mark, he would. He would be the royal consort, he would have a claim to this land, in a sense. And they could finally start making plans on how to go against Kate and Jennifer. Smiling amused, he caught Kira's hands before she could adjust his robes for a sixth time. He appreciated his friend's concern, he really did.

He could be glad to have her. After Lydia stopped being his handmaid, he thought there was no way he would manage to make a friend again, he'd had a long track-record of exasperated servants before Lydia. But Kira was an absolute treasure. She was kind, caring, protective, strong and fun.

"It's fine," Stiles smiled. "I'm ready for this. We got this, Ki."

"Sure," Kira nodded and rubbed her lips together. "Yeah. We got this. I just. I worry about you."

And the next moment, he had a kitsune wrapped around him, hugging him so tight he thought he was going to pass out. His smile grew more genuine as he hugged her back and buried his face in her neck, inhaling her soothing scent. Main reason why his handmaid was once again an omega, because omegas sought out a lot of physical affection, particularly with each other. Ever since coming to this palace, Erica had gravitated closer and closer to them and Stiles and Kira had been including her in their omega bonding too. Which was not something Stiles had expected. He hadn't expected to make friends here, but Erica and her mate Boyd were pretty awesome. He even liked Isaac and Cora, who usually hung out with Boyd and Erica, a lot too. And his future stepdaughter.

Allison was a young alpha, but not too young to be mated off. She was a year older than Stiles. For all intends and purposes, a match between Allison and Stiles would have made the most sense. The fact that the king himself had agreed to the matebond with Stiles was… confusing. But then his last mate had been dead for years now, so the king might just be missing an omega to share his bed. Stiles was curious about the upcoming wedding night. Chris was kind, Stiles hoped that would reflect in bed too. Shaking his head, he tried not to think about that.

"Okay, let's get going," Stiles breathed deeply and took Kira's hand.

He was greeted by his family outside his bedroom, Melissa pulling him into a hug and kissing his forehead. She didn't need to say it, but the Your mom would be so proud of you was conveyed. The I'm glad I can be here for you when she can't hung as heavy in the air. He squeezed her tightly and blinked away the tears. Scott and Lydia were next, hugging him from either side. When they parted, the couple took each other's hands and then walked ahead, together with Melissa and Kira. Leaving Stiles alone in the hallway with his dad. Noah's eyes were sad, guilty. I wish there was another way was radiating off his dad. Stiles offered him a thin smile and pulled him into a hug.

"I love you, dad," Stiles whispered. "This is for the best. I'll be fine."

"You will send word if you're not," Noah's voice wavered. "I'll come, with my whole army, tear this place down stone for stone and get you, Stiles. If he ever hurts you-"

"He won't," Stiles promised, sounding much surer than he should be.

He didn't know Christopher Argent. Not really. Some kind comments from his subjects and a week spent in the man's palace didn't mean he actually knew the alpha. But his gut told him that he was right. And Stiles always trusted his instincts. Chris wasn't going to hurt him.

"Well then," Noah heaved a defeated sigh and offered his son his arm. "Let's do this."

Grinning, Stiles hooked his arm with Noah's and let his dad lead him out of the palace. The yard had been decorated for the wedding with countless flowers, every noble of this kingdom and the majority of nobles from Noah's kingdom present and wearing their prettiest gowns. He swallowed hard when he saw his to-be-mate. Chris wore a white suit with silver embroidery in intricate patterns. It suited him, brought out the silver in his beard too.

"You're beautiful," Chris breathed, awe on his face once Noah and Stiles reached him.

Oh. Stiles blinked, unable to fight his blush at the honest compliment. His robes were long and white, embroidered with red roses and sunflowers along the chest and the bottom of the robes. They were traditional for his kingdom, he had specifically chosen this pattern because it was the same as his mother's wedding dress had been when she and his father had gotten mated.

"Thank you," Stiles smiled. "You look amazing too."

He took Chris' hand and turned toward the priest. His family was sitting in the first row, together with Allison. Biting his lip, Stiles did his best to focus on the ceremony at hand. It was all a little overwhelming though, if he was being honest, and he was relieved when he didn't screw up his vows or miss his cue for the kiss. Chris' beard scratched a little but his lips were gentle. His lips trailed down to Stiles' neck and he sank his teeth in to claim Stiles. It stung, but in a weirdly exciting way, leaving Stiles gasping and clinging onto his husband. Chris held him by the waist, steady and safe. Stiles took a few moments to just breath and calm down as the sensation of the matebond forming between them overwhelmed him.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Chris asked lowly, concerned.

"Yeah, no, just… a lot," Stiles muttered, still clinging onto him. "I mean, I've read about what a matebond feels like, but actually feeling it is… different."

Chris chuckled at that, but he didn't let go of Stiles. Once Stiles felt a little more steady, he leaned in and sank his own teeth into the thick of Chris' neck. The alpha growled lowly, a pleased noise that thrilled Stiles and made him want to hear it again. That was it. No turning back now.

"Long live King Christopher and Queen Mieczysław," the priest called out.

Everyone cheered and repeated after him (more or less, the majority stumbled over Stiles' name, unsurprisingly so). Stiles let his new husband lead him inside into the banquet hall where a feast was waiting for them. Once all their guests had followed and taken their seats, Chris stood and said a few words in thanks, praising the strong alliance they would form, complimenting his mate. Just with so many more words than that. Stiles tried to pay attention, he really did, but he hadn't eaten all day and there was a feast distracting him with delicious scents and his brain had never quite liked paying attention anyway. It took Chris tapping his shoulder to bring him back.

"Would you honor me with our first dance, dear?" Chris asked, holding a hand out.

Dancing. Right. Stiles prayed to every god watching to at the very least not let him fall flat on his face in front of everyone. But in the end, he didn't have to worry. Chris led him, with an arm around his waist to keep him steady even when Stiles stumbled. It was… actually nice.

As nice as the dance was, Stiles was still relieved when he got to sit down and actually eat. He couldn't find it in himself to participate in the conversations around him – most were boring politics and fake pleasantries anyway. He did talk to Allison, Scott and Lydia occasionally, but now that the bond was sealed, his nerves started acting up again so he spaced out a lot in between. Wedding night and all that. He'd never had sex before. He knew the basics, from books and from Scott way oversharing (but then he supposed sex between Scott and Lydia was different than what Chris and Stiles were going to do, anatomically alone already).

The festivity finally wrapped for the night – or at least Chris decided to bow out of it (and Stiles had a suspicion that it was because of him because Chris had kept glancing at him in concern. Maybe he was spacing out with anxiety a little too much). With one arm around Stiles' waist did Chris leave the hall under the cheers of his – their – subjects. Stiles swallowed hard as he was steered to the king's chambers. His own things had been moved there today already. Getting changed and ready for the wedding was the last time he'd use the guest room he had stayed at this past week.

"It was a beautiful ceremony," Chris commented softly as he closed the door behind them.

Stiles' eyes wandered the room, taking it all in. There was only one painting at the wall and it was of Chris and Allison. Not the whole royal family. Not Victoria. The anxiety he already felt seemed to peak as silly thoughts about the late to-be-queen became more pressing all of a sudden.

"What happened to Allison's mother?" Stiles blurted out without thinking.

He tensed a little, eyes widening. This was not how he had wanted to approach this topic. And it was too late now anyway, wasn't it? The matebond was sealed. If Chris was some kind of black widower who disposed of his omegas when they became too old or something, then Stiles was stuck now already. Chris turned toward him in surprise at that. For a moment, he remained quiet, taking off his jacket and folding it over the heavy armchair.

"She… died, during a hunting accident," Chris replied.

"Lie," Stiles pointed out with sharp eyes and his chin raised because now it was too late anyway, now he could also go all the way. "I didn't just ask about you when I first snuck in here. I asked about her too. And every evasive awkward reply I got, every contradictory statement, it doesn't look good. I don't… believe that you murdered her in cold blood, but something about her death is suspicious and now that I am your mate, I think I deserve to know."

He straightened to his full height, not cowering, not backing down. Growing up as an omega, he had learned this lesson quickly. His mother had told him. Never back down from an alpha. They want to see omegas cower and submit, don't give them the satisfaction. Challenge them. Show your own strength. And Stiles had lived by these lessons for the past twenty years of his life.

Chris heaved a sigh and turned to look away from Stiles. "When… When I decided to take the throne from my father, my sister wasn't the only one to side with him. It turned out that my wife had been… bedding my father without my knowledge for… a long time. I had hoped… I had thought that she would side with me, but she chose him over me. Telling her about my plans was foolish and put them at risk and when she attacked me, furious and appalled by my ideology, by my plans for our kingdom… We had gone out, on horseback, I wanted to tell her away from prying ears. It had only been her, me and Peter, as our guard. He had been captain of the guard back then. When Victoria attacked me, Peter attacked her in return. He didn't kill her, but his claws went in deep enough to turn her. She… chose death over becoming a werewolf."

Stiles sat down heavily on the bed, staring wide-eyed at his husband. That was… a lot. He'd hoped that his mate and the mother of their cub would side with him, would become queen at his side, but she chose the king and his bigotry over Christopher. She chose death over life as a werewolf.

"Okay," Stiles nodded and bit his lips. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

"You aren't like her," Chris murmured and it sounded more like he was talking to himself. "You never looked down at any of the wolves at the palace since you moved in here. You brought your own handmaid, who is not human either, and you treat her… as a friend."

Stiles hummed and then bit his lips even harder. Hard enough to break the skin. Chris frowned at him when he noticed, approaching to cup Stiles' face and gently free his lip from his teeth. Stiles eased off it and turned to stare up at his husband, heart hammering in his chest.

"Because I'm not human either," Stiles offered softly, voice barely a breath. "And while I heard all these reports about how you fought to give the supernaturals in your kingdom human rights, I still… I… I think part of me was still terrified to tell you anyway and I thought it would be best to just keep it to myself, but after what you just told me… I'm not human."

Chris stared at him in surprise, but it wasn't a negative reaction. He seemed more intrigued.

"Would… you care to tell me what you are, then?" Chris asked gently.

Stiles closed his eyes for a moment and when he looked back at his alpha, he knew his eyes were black and silver and there was a pitch-black fox-aura around him. "I'm a dark kitsune."

He couldn't read the look on Chris' face and it made him nervous so he kept talking. "Years ago, I was possessed by a Nogitsune. My family hired every healer and magic user available trying to break it and while they managed to exorcise the spirit, its powers remained. That's why Kira became my handmaid. Her mother was a vital part in breaking the possession and Kira stayed with me to teach me how to control the fox. It's… I've gotten better, at accepting it. I hated it, at first, because it reminded me of a horrible and traumatic part of my life, but… it's mine now."

Chris kept simply staring at him and not speaking and it wasn't helping Stiles. "Say something, anything, please. This is kind of the bit I am self-conscious about and your silence-"

"You're beautiful," Chris whispered in awe. "That's… amazing. Can I… touch them?"

He was reaching out for Stiles' tails. Nine black shadows, flickering behind him. Stiles tilted his head confused. People were usually afraid of the dark kitsune he harbored. Nobody had ever called it beautiful, or wanted to get near it, much less touch it. But then the people who usually saw it were people from his kingdom. People who had suffered under the Nogitsune's terror.

"I… Yes, but… it feels weird? Or so I have been told?" Stiles shrugged. "Kind of like a velvet texture but also not since it's not… real. It's shadows. Dark kitsune control the void, space and darkness. The tails are solidified shadows."

Chris reached out and ran gentle fingers over one of the bushy tails. Stiles shuddered at the sensation. They weren't exactly physical but they were still a part of him and he could feel them. He'd never had someone pet them before. Chris looked absolutely mesmerized.

"It's…" Stiles swallowed hard. "Part of why I suggested this alliance, this marriage. I am your best asset in this fight. My kingdom are mostly human, we don't have a huge army of wolves like you do. We can back you up, but your army will do the brunt force of fighting. And I will join them."

"Our," Chris corrected him without looking away from the tails. "You're my mate now, Stiles. My kingdom is your kingdom and my army is your army. Our."

Stiles swallowed hard. He needed to stop feeling so charmed by this alpha, it was going to mess with him. This was a business arrangement, political. Useful. Not about love or desire or any fluffy feelings. They had no room in this. Stiles breathed deeply and made his aura vanish again.

"So," Stiles cleared his throat. "Now that we got these conversations out of the way… uhm…"

He couldn't fight the blush, nerves growing again. Chris offered him a smile and then smoothed his hair back before kissing his forehead. The touch was so gentle that it startled Stiles.

"Go to bed and sleep, Stiles," Chris instructed. "You had an exhausting day."

"Yeah, but we kind of…" Stiles trailed off and made some complicated hand gestures.

The look on Chris' face was very warm but also serious. "I don't take unwilling partners to bed, Stiles. Sex is something that should be wanted. I'm not a fool, I could see how nervous and tense you've been since we sealed the matebond. I will not force myself onto you. I will never intentionally hurt you, that I will promise you. So go to bed and sleep, Stiles."

Oh. Huh. Stiles blinked a couple of times at his alpha. He was mostly relieved but he couldn't deny that there was a tiny bit of disappointment. Not about the not being forced part, but honestly? His new husband was hot as hell and though nervous, Stiles wouldn't really be opposed to sleeping with the man. Maybe something they could revisit another night though. After all, they were mates now and Stiles doubted that Chris wanted to live in celibacy for the rest of their days either.

/break\

The moment they were alone in the war room, Chris had Peter pinned against the door, kissing him with all the heated passion that had been building up in him since yesterday. Peter made a surprised noise but eagerly opened his mouth and ran his hands down Chris' chest.

"And here I thought I wouldn't get to see you today. First day of being a married man."

"He's a kitsune," Chris got out between kisses, feeling Peter tense beneath his touch. "He showed me last night. He is… He is beautiful, Peter. It took all my self-control not to have him."

How much he'd wanted to kiss every inch of his new husband. The beautiful omega's sweet honey scent had already tempted him all week, but to see the kitsune? The glowing silver irises staring up at him, so powerful? It had taken Chris' breath away. He had wanted Stiles, desperately. He knew he shouldn't, because he was loyal to Peter and because Stiles hadn't chosen him, didn't want him like that and Chris had meant what he'd told the boy. He would never force Stiles.

"That is… an interesting surprise," Peter hummed while kissing down Chris' throat.

The wolf paused when he reached the fresh mate-mark on Chris' neck and pushed the king off. There was a pained and hurt look in Peter's eyes as he turned away from Chris and instead returned his attention to the table at the center of the room. Chris felt something heavy settle in his stomach.

"Love…?" Chris asked softly, unsure.

"You are a mated man now, Christopher," Peter didn't look at him. "You come to me to make out with me because your mate turned you on. Do you not see how ridiculous that is?"

Chris flinched away and averted his eyes. "I… You're right. You're right, this isn't fair to you."

"It's not," Peter agreed. "It's also not fair to him, is it?"

Chris heaved a sigh and sat down, his head in his hands. It wasn't fair to any of them, him included. He looked up at his lover's tense back. He loved this man so much, he wished he could be with him, without having to sneak around. Now… Now he may not even get that anymore and the thought broke Chris' heart into a million pieces. He got up to approach Peter, but before he even reached the wolf, there was a knocking on the door. The next moment, Stiles poked his head in.

"Oh, Chris," Stiles blinked in surprise. "I was looking for the general. Derek said he'd be here."

"Why is it 'Derek' and not 'the captain', but it's 'the general' and not 'Peter'," Peter muttered before offered Stiles a dazzling smile. "What can I do for you, my queen?"

"Oh, absolutely not," Stiles wrinkled his nose. "I know it's the proper title but please don't."

Peter raised both his eyebrows in challenge. "You use my name, I use yours. Your highness."

Stiles huffed and entered the war room, his eyes landing on Chris, filled with curiosity. Suddenly, Chris was relieved that Peter had stopped them. If Stiles had walked in on…

"I was just telling Peter about what you… shared with me last night," Chris replied, not entirely untruthful. "The asset you will be in this fight."

"Ah," Stiles raised his eyebrows but he didn't seem angry that Chris had told Peter. "That's actually why I came to talk to the general about too. It'd be best if we took out the threat sooner rather than later, so I'd hate to waste time. Me and Kira will be joining the knights in their training."

"You will," Peter arched one eyebrow. "Your handmaid too."

Stiles snorted, looking amused. "My handmaid could kick your ass with her eyes blindfolded."

Peter tilted his head. "Very well, I will see the both of you out on the field this afternoon."

Chris didn't know how he felt about putting omegas on the front line. He rubbed his face.

"Well then," Peter cleared his throat and headed for the door. "I suppose I will prepare today's training course accordingly. To adjust to… two foxes among the wolves."

He left, so it was only Stiles and Chris in the war room. Stiles stepped up to the large desk at the center, taking in the miniatures that made up their kingdom and the neighboring kingdoms. Their forces and the force of Chris' sister, hiding out in the Dark Woods.

"I will be a part of this," Stiles spoke firmly, not allowing argument. "When you meet with your general in the war room to strategize. I will not be left out of this, alpha."

He turned hard eyes on Chris, bracing himself for a fight. Chris felt himself soften at that.

"Of course," Chris sighed and got up. "You're right. You have a right to be here too."

Stiles seemed surprised at the quick willingness to include him. That boy was clever far beyond his years. He had great instincts, a brilliant mind, Chris would be a fool not to use those. Standing next to his mate, Chris rested a hand on Stiles' lower back and then directed his attention to the figures before he launched into an explanation of the strategy him and Peter had come up with so far.

/break\

Chris hadn't been exaggerating. Stiles was absolutely breathtaking with the black fox aura around him, ears and snout see-through as it was projected around his face, the nine black tails behind him seeming much more solid, his eyeballs black but irises a deadly silver. When he raised his lips a little, he bared too sharp teeth. Peter felt want well up inside him. Stiles radiated power and Peter had always been attracted to power. Power and intelligence. And Stiles had both. It was a problem.

"Okay," Isaac whispered beneath his breath. "That's… really cool."

There was also an enchanting contrast between Stiles and Kira, whose aura was golden-orange and bright, her eyes pure gold. Light and darkness. Having both on their side was going to be a game changer, indeed. Though so far, Peter didn't entirely know what they could do.

"We'd love a demonstration," Peter suggested and stepped aside. "Give us a sense of what you're capable of, what powers you have and what we will be working with."

Chris, Allison and Erica were sitting aside, watching with captivated gazes. Most servants close by were drawn out too by the light and shadow show as Kira and Stiles faced each other. The sky above darkened from light-blue summer day into pitch-black darkness. Thunder roared deafeningly loud and lightning crackled around them. It hit down and the wolves dove for cover on instinct, but it didn't cause damage. It seemed to surround Kira, who glowed with energy.

"Thunder kitsune," Kira offered. "I control lightning."

She wielded nature's most destructive force like it was a weapon, used it as though it was a tamed pet at her command. Peter swallowed dryly. The shadows around them darkened until it felt as though they were going to drown in ink, losing not just sight but a sense of space.

"Void kitsune," Stiles stated, a wicked smile on his lips. "Darkness and space are my realm. I can warp them, use them. Solidify the shadows to use as weapons too."

Peter startled when the darkness seemed to grab his leg and drag him before his queen. Stiles was looming over him, that wicked smile oh so tempting as he had the Alpha wolf beneath him. Yes, this was going to be a problem for Peter. A big problem.

/break\

Stiles was laying awake in his marital bed, staring at the door. Not that it was too much of a marital bed. All he'd done in it so far was sleep, right next to his husband. His alpha. His mate. Chris was being a perfect gentleman, never touching Stiles. The only kiss between them remained the kiss in front of the priest. They'd been married for two weeks now. Stiles stared at the door.

"We need to talk about your general," Stiles said into the silence of the bedroom.

Chris was sitting at the desk, writing a letter to one of their allies. He made that soft humming noise that Stiles had come to understand as Chris listening and paying attention. Part of Stiles hated that he knew this, that he had come to read the little things about Chris already, in the three weeks they'd known each other now. Stiles fixated the door with a glare.

"What about him, sweetheart?" Chris asked without looking up from his letter. "I heard training went well today. He isn't too hard on you, is he?"

"No, he is not," Stiles sighed and sat up, looking from the door over to his husband. "I think it's time that we talk about the fact that you're fucking him."

The sound of the writing feather in Chris' hand snapping under the force of his grip echoed in the room. The king looked up from his papers to stare at Stiles with wide, near fearful eyes.

"What…" Chris swallowed hard.

"No," Stiles shook his head slowly. "Don't insult me by pretending you have no idea what I'm talking about. I really thought that, over the past three weeks that we've known each other, I established the fact that I'm observant and clever."

Chris looked away, shame in his eyes. "I'm sorry, you're right. I don't mean to insult you."

Stiles hummed softly at that and returned his attention to the door. "Might as well join the conversation since it's about you, general."

It took a moment but then the door opened and Peter entered the bedroom. "How did you…"

"Werewolf hearing," Stiles shrugged. "The whole supposed point to your room having a connecting door to the king was that you can rush in to save him in case of an attack, isn't it?"

"So that's it, then? How you figured it out?" Peter asked curiously. "The connecting rooms?"

"I mean, they didn't help your case," Stiles offered, both eyebrows raised. "But no, they're not how I figured it out. You two… aren't as professional or subtle as you're apparently thinking. Everyone in the palace working close with you must be used to your level of intimacy, but… As Chris' mate, I'm noticing the lingering touches and looks between you two, the way you're touching more than necessary between a king and his general."

Because he doesn't touch me, Stiles' mind screamed, his inner omega snarling. Maybe that was what had put him enough on edge to notice. He was so touch-starved at this point, his inner omega was seething with envy at every gentle touch his alpha gave to other people. Every pat on the shoulder any of the knights got in praising, every hug Allison got.

"Stiles," Chris' voice was very low and very careful. "Can you… calm down and we talk?"

Calm down…? Stiles looked up and blinked, startled by the low growl he was emitting. Closing his eyes, he covered his face with both hands. Yeah, this was really getting to him. Wasn't that stupid? Shouldn't he be grateful that this man, who had been a stranger to him just three weeks ago, wasn't touching him? But Stiles was an omega and he'd been cut off from everyone. The only one from whom he now got comfort and touch was Kira. And Kira was great! But he missed his dad, Melissa, Scott and Lydia. And there was the matebond too, it was drawing Stiles to the alpha, his instincts told him that his alpha should be comforting him, should be touching him.

That there had to be something wrong with him if his mate didn't want to touch him. There was something wrong with him. There was still a dark fox inside him. Maybe that was it, in the end. Maybe the reason Chris wasn't touching him wasn't the wolf he'd rather touch but the fox he didn't want to touch. He'd shown what he could do, everyone at the court knew how destructive and dangerous he really was. What alpha would want such an omega?

"Okay, this is actually worse than the low warning growl," Peter spoke up. "Why do you smell miserable now, Stiles? Can you… share with us? Let's talk about this, please."

Sighing, Stiles rubbed his eyes. "I'm… I get it. This matebond wasn't what you want. And you two were probably already a thing way before I came into the picture, weren't you?"

"We haven't had sex since you moved to the palace, Stiles," Chris searched Stiles' eyes, trying to convey honesty. "You… are right that there is something between Peter and I. After Victoria's death… Peter helped me pick up the pieces. We grew close and fell in love. But I swear to you that we haven't slept with each other since you and I sealed our matebond. You are my mate and you deserve my respect, Stiles. Sleeping around, even with the man I love, isn't that."

"Okay," Stiles blinked surprised. "Well, now I feel like an asshole for bringing it up."

"You're not," Chris assured him. "You… You were right to bring it up. If I made you feel…"

"No, no, it's not you, it's me," Stiles heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyes.

"How is our relationship on you?" Peter asked, eyebrows raised.

"It's not," Stiles waved a hand. "It's just… Forget it."

"I'd rather not," Chris frowned at him. "Something agitated you enough to bring this up. I know that our matebond isn't… what you deserve, but I want to be there for you. I want you to be able to trust me, talk to me and rely on me. Please."

Heaving a sigh, Stiles looked away from the two alphas, embarrassed. "The reason I noticed things between you two is because my instincts have been in overdrive lately. We share a matebond now. I'm your omega. Or supposed to be, anyway. My instincts don't exactly understand the concept of a marriage of convenience. All my inner omega knows is that you're supposed to be my alpha and you're supposed to touch me, but you won't, and instead, I keep noticing every time you touch someone else. Especially the touches between you two stood out."

"I'm supposed to touch you," Chris repeated slowly, sounding unsure.

"I'm your omega!" Stiles' head snapped up to stare at Chris, baring his teeth a little, feeling defensive. "You're… I… Omegas are tactile, Chris. I used to have my family for that, but I don't anymore. I barely know anyone at this palace. I only have Kira for this now. But you're my mate, you're supposed to… to be my comfort. And you haven't touched me once since our wedding."

"You're touch starved," Peter whispered in surprise. "Oh, sweetheart..."

Stiles looked up at the general, unsure how he felt about Peter using the same petname as Chris had taken to use for him. Before he could think about that more closely did Peter actually step up to him. A large, warm hand came to rest in Stiles' neck, squeezing it softly. Stiles' eyelids fluttered shut as the warm touch sent shudders down his spine. With a soft, pleased keening noise, Stiles leaned forward until he was leaning against the wolf's side, resting his head against Peter's hip.

"What," Chris asked, soft and confused.

"Right, the only omega you were ever close to was your frigid wife," Peter heaved a sigh. "Omegas who aren't soulless ice queens seek physical comfort. I somehow assumed you would know this and provide it for your mate. What does he mean you haven't touched him? At all?"

"I didn't want him to feel pressured in any way, I didn't want to touch him the wrong way, I thought it'd be best…" Chris actually looked devastated. "What do you mean omegas need physical comfort? I didn't… I didn't know that. Why didn't you… say something, sweetheart?"

Stiles tried to lean away from Peter to have this conversation, but he really couldn't. The wolf was so warm and comfortable. Peter's free hand started carding through Stiles' hair and Stiles was absolutely ready to just melt. He made a soft, pleased noise, nuzzling into Peter.

"I didn't… I thought you didn't want to touch me," Stiles whispered softly. "Neither of us chose this matebond. I didn't want to make you touch me if you didn't want to either, but it's… it's been getting to me. Besides, I'm… I'm used to people being afraid of me for the fox…"

"I am not afraid of you, Stiles," Chris walked over to stand on Stiles' other side, reaching out to cup Stiles' cheek and oh that felt good. "You are… powerful and magnificent, but I am not afraid of you. I truly just didn't want to make you uncomfortable, sweetheart."

"Erica is an omega too. You could come and seek her out, omegas often prefer to provide each other with this kind of comfort," Peter spoke in a gentle voice, still caressing Stiles. "Is this okay, sweetheart? Or would you prefer I step away?"

"This is… very good," Stiles hummed, closing his eyes and leaning into the two alphas. "Stay."

"Anything you need, sweetheart," Peter promised, playing with Stiles' hair. "I'm sorry I made you believe that I was sleeping with your mate. And that this only heightened your sense of isolation."

"Not your fault," Stiles mumbled, sighing contently as Chris wrapped his other arm around him. "I'm sorry for taking your boyfriend away, I guess."

"Not your fault either," Peter smiled, but it was a sad expression. "I always knew I couldn't have him. We're both alphas and there are prejudices not even the king can change."

The two of them stayed close to Stiles, caressing and holding him in some manner until he felt more put together than in the past two weeks. He sighed contently and stretched, staring up at the two alphas, who were both looking at him like he was the most important thing right now.

"Thank you," Stiles averted his eyes from them. "I… really needed that."

"Please, when you need… anything, tell me," Chris requested, cupping Stiles' cheek one more time, his thumb rubbing it gently. "I want to provide you with everything you need that I can provide you with. I want to give you the happiest and safest life you can have here."

Stiles looked at his husband and then turned to look at the general. "I want that for you too. I don't… I don't actually mind if the two of you are having sex."

"What," Chris and Peter both stared at him in surprise.

"I was… mostly agitated because of the touch-starved thing and because I thought you were making a fool of me," Stiles tilted his head. "But I do want you happy. And if Peter makes you happy and if you're not… sneaking around behind my back, but are careful enough not to make a mockery of me by everyone knowing what you two are doing? I don't see why not."

"Are you… serious?" Peter asked, sounding hopeful.

Peter really was in love with Chris, wasn't he? Stiles bit his lips and turned to look at Chris, who was staring at Peter with just as much love. That tasted strangely bitter. Even if he had never set out to find love, it did sting to see his husband in love with another man, truly dooming him to a loveless marriage. What little fairy tale illusions he'd had about them falling in love died now.

/break\

Chris laid back in bed, relaxed, his lover laying on top of him. Peter was trailing lazy kisses down Chris neck, clawed fingers running down his chest. That he got to have his wolf in his bed again was incredible. That his perfect little mate would allow this still baffled him.

The door to the bedroom opened and Stiles walked in. Chris' first instinct was still to freeze up, to feel ashamed. But Stiles just glanced at them before shrugging out of his jacket, kicking off his shoes and then throwing himself onto the bed with a heavy sigh. Chris reached one arm out to wrap around Stiles and pull him closer until the omega's head was resting on his shoulder. Stiles made a content little noise and curled closer against him. Peter adjusted himself to lay on Chris' other side instead of on top of him, so Stiles had more room on Chris' chest.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Peter asked, reaching a hand out to caress Stiles' face. "Hard day?"

"Drained," Stiles mumbled. "Frustrated."

Stiles was involving himself a lot in the search for Kate and Jennifer, using his kitsune powers to help. So far, the two had evaded them well though, most likely thanks to Jennifer's magic. Chris curled his arm around Stiles more, so he could cup the back of his head, pulling him even closer.

"You work too hard, sweetheart," Chris murmured, kissing Stiles' forehead.

"Well, someone has to, while you are lazying about with your hot general," Stiles quipped.

Chris snorted while Peter preened. "We can make Chris go and do work and you could laze about all day in bed with me, sweetheart. You deserve it. And I'm your general too."

Peter winked at Stiles and Chris needed a moment to process the images that came to mind. Those two would look so good together. Chris' mind ran away with it, not just the innocent, gentle cuddling that they had been providing for Stiles in the past weeks. Kissing, less innocent caresses. Peter shot him a surprised look, nostrils flaring and eyes flashing red. Damn werewolf.

"Peter's right," Chris cleared his throat. "You deserve to rest. Finding them will be useless if you're too exhausted to fight, you know? You're taking tomorrow off to recharge. King's order."

Stiles snorted softly but snuggled up against him, offering a cheeky, teasing grin. "As the good, obedient omega I am, I shall obey my alpha's command."

Now it was on both Peter and Chris to snort amused. They knew Stiles was anything but blindly obedient. He was a spitfire, a fighter, baring his teeth at all times. It was one of his best qualities.

/break\

Stiles was devastation and destruction and he did it with a gleeful smile on his lips. It might be the hottest thing Peter had ever seen, but he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by the pretty omega. They charged in, claws and fangs ready, wolves tearing into Berserkers. Kira next to Stiles was wielding not just lightning but also her sword with deadly precision. Stiles pushed past the minions together with Peter, chasing after their real enemies. It felt absolutely glorious to fight at Stiles' side, Peter fought Kate while Stiles took on Jennifer. Dark magic versus dark magic, claws against claws.

It was brutal, vicious and by the time Peter had torn out Kate's throat for good – ripping off her head too, just to be sure – he had multiple broken bones and was bleeding all over. He dragged himself against a tree just to watch Stiles' claws sink into Jennifer's throat. The kitsune aura was already hot, but seeing their little fox ruthlessly tear apart their enemies was incredible.

"It's over," Stiles whispered, voice hoarse, blood dripping from his hands.

He collapsed forward in exhaustion and Peter barely managed to catch him and pull him up into his lap. Not just to keep Stiles from injuring himself in the fall, but also because his wolf needed their omega close. They were both exhausted and injured and he needed Stiles safe. Stiles made a soft noise and adjusted himself to properly sit on Peter's lap.

"You look like a mess," Stiles commented, peeking at Peter's face.

Huffing out a laugh, Peter wrapped his arms tightly around Stiles' waist. "You're not looking that much better either. But unlike you, I'll be all healed up by tomorrow."

"Jackass," Stiles muttered, slapping Peter's chest lightly.

"Where are they?" Chris' voice sounded frantic in the distance. "Peter! Stiles!"

Moments later and he came rushing out from behind the trees, sword raised and eyes filled with fear. That fear intensified, spiking in his scent too, when he first laid eyes on them. Peter groaned and moved, adjusting Stiles a little and prompting the omega to also react. Once Chris saw that they were both alive and conscious, the king sagged with relief.

"You're okay," Chris whispered and collapsed next to them. "You're okay."

He wrapped his arms around them both, kissing Stiles' forehead and then also kissing Peter's forehead. At what point had Stiles become such a natural part of their relationship? When did he become not just the arranged match of Peter's Chris, but became… theirs? Peter turned to look at the omega curiously while Chris pulled them both closer.

"Okay might be a bit of a stretch," Stiles argued. "I'm fairly sure my arm is broken. And something in my chest is also a bit wonky because breathing kinda hurts?"

"Okay," Chris sounded more distressed now. "Gotta get you to a healer right now, baby."

"Also fairly sure I sprained my foot," Stiles added after a moment. "Not that I'd be up to a lot of walking right now, I fully drained my magic fighting her. I can't move. Sorry."

Peter watched with dark eyes how Chris stood and easily lifted their omega up in his arms. Stiles gave a little squeak before wrapping his arms around Chris' neck to hold on. Instead of heading out, Chris remained, staring down at Peter in concern. With a sigh did Peter force himself up.

"I'll be fine to walk, don't worry about me, dear," Peter assured him. "Make sure our little fox is getting the medical attention he needs. I'm right beside you."

/break\

Being bedridden actually sucked. Even more so because he was missing all the big debriefings with their allies. He knew Chris and Peter had those covered, but he'd still prefer to be a part of it. Instead, he was stuck in bed with guard dogs. Well, mostly guard wolves and one fox today.

"What do you mean you kissed Allison?" Stiles raised both his eyebrows in surprise.

"I don't know," Kira squeaked and blushed. "We were fighting side by side, cutting up our enemies together. She was… so badass. And then when the Berserkers fell apart because you cut up the puppeteer, Allison turned to me with that smile that was all dimples and I got weak in my knees because the adrenaline just left me and she was right there and we kissed?"

Stiles blinked repeatedly. "Good for you. Do you want me to put a good word in with her dad? I got, ya know, pretty good connections with him. And considering he married me, instead of making Allison marry me? I do think he wants her to find love. Uh, not getting ahead of you."

Kira ducked her head, with a soft, little smile. They were interrupted by a gentle knock and the next moment, the two Argents walked in together. Allison's face lit up when she spotted Kira. Sure, they'd been spending a lot of time together – Stiles and Allison, bringing their respective handmaids with them, partially so Stiles could have omega bonding time with both Kira and Erica – and Kira and Allison had really hit it off, but Stiles hadn't expected the young alpha to actually go for it.

"Kira," Allison was still smiling and that smile really was all dimples. "I was thinking that, uh, would you like to spar some? You could maybe teach me how to use a sword?"

Both girls looked highly flustered and were so not subtle about it as Kira got up and walked over to the princess. Chris raised an eyebrow, watching the two of them leave. They passed Peter, who also gave them a curious look before entering the bedroom. The wolf pressed a kiss to Chris' lips as soon as the door was closed and then made a beeline for the bed. Stiles blinked a little when Peter climbed into bed with him and immediately pulled him close. Months ago, they had started hugging and cuddling him to calm his omega instincts down, but sometimes, when Peter would hug him, it felt like the general did that more so for himself, to appease his own inner wolf.

"Clingy wolf," Stiles muttered but still snuggled closer.

"I loathe leaving your side while you're still injured, sweetheart," Peter growled softly, nosing Stiles' neck. "At least one of us should stay with you at all times, make sure you're safe. I do so hate when a meeting requires both Christopher and me."

Chris sighed and shed the heavy uniform, leaving him in his shirt and underpants before he got into bed with them on Stiles' other side. He gently traced Stiles' bruised cheek, his brows furrowed.

"Peter's right," Chris muttered concerned. "You can't defend yourself right now."

"There is an average of at least one wolf, or one powerful kitsune, with me at all times," Stiles heaved a sigh. "I spent all morning with Boyd and Erica, when they had to go back to work, Kira clocked in on watch duty. If you hadn't returned, I know Derek and Cora were waiting their turn. I really don't need that many babysitters, you know. I'm not that helpless."

"It's not…" Chris heaved a sigh and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "It's not about thinking you're helpless or about babysitting you. Do you know how close you came to dying? How close we got to losing you during that fight? We just… We want to make sure you're still here, with us, safe and alive. So please, indulge our clinginess."

Stiles' breath hitched a little at that. It sounded like much more than an arrangement. Tilting his head, he looked at the wolf on his other side, who seemed quite appeased now that he got to cuddle Stiles, nose buried in Stiles' hair, inhaling deeply.

"You know…" Stiles trailed off, feeling nervous. "You know that you two act like alphas act about their omega, right? Like I'm yours. I mean, truly yours. And both of yours, at that."

Both alphas tensed and looked like they were caught red-handed. Chris sat up, looking guilty.

"I'm sorry," Chris turned to look away. "That's not… This is exactly why I tried to keep a physical distance to you. To not confuse things. I didn't… I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I didn't say I was uncomfortable, Chris," Stiles groaned softly as he also sat up so he could look at Chris. "I was just pointing out the way you two are behaving."

"You're right," Peter admitted after a long moment. "You are everything I never thought I'd find in an omega. My wolf has grown attached to you, sees you as mine, because you're in our den, you smell like us, we hold you, comfort you and you… comfort me too."

"I might have fallen in love with you, Stiles," Chris spoke softly, still looking guilty.

"Good," Stiles smiled. "Because I might have spent the past two months falling more and more for you guys too. I… I've been feeling really foolish for wanting you, while you guys are happy with each other and don't need me."

"Maybe not need, but want," Peter offered gently. "If you'll have us."

"I think," Stiles grinned a little. "I think I already do have you, don't I?"

He reached out to cup Peter's face so he could bring the wolf in for a kiss. Peter's lips were soft but demanding and Stiles melted a little into the kiss, leaning against the general, who held him close.

"Yes, you do," Peter whispered against his lips. "You are… amazing."

"I know," Stiles grinned impishly and then turned to look at Chris. "Well, husband. Kiss me?"

"Been yearning to do that again since our wedding," Chris admitted.

He grasped Stiles' neck and pulled him into a kiss of their own. Stiles gasped breathlessly, hands against Chris' chest. Peter knelt behind him, kissing his neck, the side where Chris' mate-mark sat. Like he was trying to claim Chris' claim. Kind of cute, definitely very possessive.

"Okay, that's enough action for now," Stiles panted softly. "Sitting upright hurts."

The alphas gently helped him back down onto the bed, Stiles facing Chris, while Peter snuggled up against his back, arms around Stiles' waist. Stiles gave a content little sigh at the feeling of being surrounded by his alphas like that. Maybe Peter was right. He had felt safe with the pack watching him, but having both Chris and Peter with him like that felt so much better.

"You know your daughter and Kira may be a thing now?" Stiles asked into the silence. "Apparently they did some kissing after the fight and you did notice the weird way they left."

Chris grunted and heaved a sigh. "Well, Kira is a sweet girl and also… a complete powerhouse."

"So you… don't disapprove? Kira's technically a handmaid," Stiles argued. "Not a royal."

Chris cupped Stiles' face and smiled at him. "The reason I married you was so my daughter won't be stuck in a loveless mating. I want her to find true love and that goes beyond class too."

"Well," Stiles couldn't help but grin. "Guess neither of you are stuck in a loveless mating now."

The way Chris' eyes crinkled at that made Stiles' heart flutter. "Guess not. You know, I… When my father first picked out my future mate, I resigned myself to what my life would be like. I could have never anticipated either of you, or that I would get a second chance like this."

Peter hummed softly, still nosing Stiles' neck. "Aren't you a lucky man, Christopher?"

"I think," Stiles turned a little to look at him. "I think all three of us are pretty lucky."

Luckier than Stiles ever thought he would get to be. His eyelids fluttered shut as he slowly succumbed to sleep, in the safety of his alphas' arms like that. Pretty lucky indeed.

~*~ The End ~*~

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Author's note: Oh I love a good arranged marriage fic. And while I loved the way the last one turned out, it FULLY skipped the part about arranged marriage AUs that I love the most. The seemingly hopeless pining, the slowly falling in love with your spouse while thinking you aren't supposed to because they don't love you back, since it was all just arranged. Glad I took a shot at scratching that itch and hope you guys enjoyed it too and if so, feel free to let me know in the comments ;)