Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Derek pulls the Camaro over as soon as he smells the Death on the wind. Wolves have many names for many things – and even more symbols – but there is none for the black tar that has haunted Derek’s life. He remembers asking his mother about the dark ooze that seeped out of Paige’s body. Talia had done her best to explain that Wolves only knew to describe the substance by the inevitable result: Death. It was taboo to mention it. The last time Derek had brought it up before the fire was when he caught Talia burning his clothes that Paige’s Death had seeped into.

 

Flashes of the other times said Death had marked Derek’s life flashed through his mind. The scent of the Death coupled with Peter’s burning flesh just before Derek cut through his throat. The trickle out of Jackson’s nose as he looked to Derek for guidance, begging to know what was wrong with him. Gerard choking down the goo as he shouted about Scott’s mountain ash trickery. Erica’s surprise seizures at the abandoned subway station. Cora lying sick in the hospital with the Death slowly massing beneath her wounds.

 

It took everything Derek had to turn the car back onto the road and keep driving to the school. Especially knowing that what awaited him was the next Death-related scene in the reel of nightmares that he would spend the rest of his life replaying in his mind. He only prayed that this was the rare exception when the Death didn’t win. The thought of witnessing Stiles – the frail human with more gumption than all of his wolves combined – threatened to break something equally fragile in Derek.

 

He doesn’t bother texting Scott back for further directions. The smell of the Death is so ingrained in his memory that he can follow the scent alone. Derek’s wolf practically cowers within him as he continues to pursue the vile smell to the parking lot closest to the preserve. He notes absently that Scott was smart to bring Stiles there. It’s isolated enough that most students and faculty won’t park there and there’s a line of hedges separating it from the tennis courts that will provide good cover.

 

Nothing quite prepares him for seeing Stiles cradled between Scott’s legs looking completely lifeless. Scott looks up at Derek with an expression so lost and broken that it reminds him of the first time Scott was ever desperate enough to seek Derek out for answers. Much like that first time Derek wishes he had more than bullshit and educated guesses to give the young wolf.

 

Derek crouches down next to them but stops himself from touching either teenager. The veins in Scott’s arm are ink black as he struggles to leech as much of the agony out of his friend as possible. There are tear tracks on his face and Derek’s isn’t sure how much of that is from the pain and how much is helpless grief.

 

“I had to get him out of the school,” Scott explains, his ramblings coming out in a hollow tone. “I was trying for the woods but he keeps whimpering when I try to move him and I’m afraid I’m making it worse…”

 

 “What happened, Scott?” Derek interrupted the numb rambling. Scott hadn’t been clear on the details. Only that Stiles was dying and needed the Bite. From what Derek could see it looked like someone had already tried. He might have suspected the desperate boy but, despite his potential for becoming a True Alpha, Scott still wasn’t able to actually turn anyone yet. “Why is he transitioning?”

 

Scott’s eyes finally focused at the term. “Transitioning? Like… turning into one of us?”

 

Derek let out a non-committal noise as he scanned for bite marks. “That’s the only time I’ve seen something like this in a human. Any other time has been a supernatural injured or dying.”

 

“He’s been keeping something from me,” Scott confessed quietly. His gaze had turned away from Derek to look at the boy clutched protectively against his chest with a probing eye. “Do you think he found an Alpha to bite him?”

 

A bitter, self-deprecating part of Derek thought that the scenario made the most sense. He and Stiles had come a long way in their friendship but there were times Derek doubted that Stiles really looked up to Derek as his Alpha. There’d been a nagging suspicion that Stiles was simply waiting for Scott’s True Alpha to emerge and simply take the Bite from him – if he ever decided to turn.

 

But Derek also remembered Stiles’ impressive loyalty and knew that the teenager would never consciously do that to someone he considered a friend. “No, Scott. We know how Stiles feels about staying human.”

 

“Then there’s still time,” Scott pressed. “If he’s still human than you can Bite him.”

 

Derek leaned further back from the pair at the harsh determination in Scott’s voice. That glimmer of True Alpha breaking through and reminding him of the power that comes with having the ability emerge instead of inheriting or stealing it. But Derek was still the only real Alpha there and he wasn’t going to be bullied into making another messy mistake.

 

“And here I thought we just established how Stiles felt about being turned.”

 

Scott’s voice is deceptively quiet and collected when he responds but Derek can see the fangs tipping passed his lips. He can see the claws cutting into Stiles’ clothes as Scott grips the limp form of his best friend ever tighter. “I’d do it if I could, Derek, so just for once be there for me. For us.”

 

Derek let his eyes turn red. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t. Just that you have to be sure, Scott. This is a choice you’re making for Stiles. It could go wrong and that’s not easy to live with… believe me on that.”

 

“This isn’t like Paige,” Scott snarled. “I won’t let him die.”

 

“Than where are the others?” Derek pointed out, gesturing at the empty lot around them. He could feel his Beta’s through the bond. He could sense their worry from inside the school. If they’d known how sick Stiles was or how desperate it was making Scott than they’d have been at their sides in a heartbeat. The only reason they weren’t was if Scott had kept that knowledge from them. And there was only one reason Scott would have done that. “You didn’t tell them because you know they’d try to stop you.”

 

There was a dull flash of Alpha red in Scott’s eyes when they finally met Derek’s gaze. “He’s mine, Derek. Do you understand?” The red gave way to the honey amber that resembled Stiles’ natural eye color more than Scott’s usual yellow tint. “Before any of you came along it was just the two of us so if anyone’s getting a say in this it’s me!”

 

“And me,” Derek reminded him. “Unless your plan is to force me to Bite him like with Gerard?”

 

Scott’s shoulders sagged under the weight of the dig. “He forgave me for that. He’ll forgive me for this, too.”

 

“If he survives it.”

 

“When he survives it. And, yes, he will understand why I gave him away to save his life.”

 

Derek frowned. “Gave him away?”

 

“He won’t be mine anymore. Not anymore.” A trembling claw pulled up the edge of Stiles’ signature plaid button down along with the graphic tee underneath. The stench of Death increased as the pale fleshy side of Stiles’ stomach was revealed. “Tell me you don’t want him in your Pack, Derek. Tell me you don’t want to see how grateful he would be that you saved him.”

 

The truth was that it was tempting. Enough so that Derek could already imagine what biting down on the flesh would be like. How Stiles’ presence would strengthen the Pack Bond in more ways than one. There was so much benefit to any Pack with someone like Stiles as a full-fledged member.

 

“Manipulation is a terrible look on you,” Derek said instead of any of that.

 

Scott’s bitter laugh echoed across the lot. “What can I say? Stiles taught me everything I know.”

 

“He really won’t forgive us, you know,” Derek muttered into the growing silence.

 

“At least he’ll be alive to hate us,” Scott replied just as quietly.

 

Derek nodded just the once before letting the rest of his teeth elongate into fangs. While Scott’s clawed hands held the clothing tops up to the shoulders, Derek placed his own on Stiles’ hips to keep him from thrashing after the initial pain of the Bite inevitably registered. Scott’s breathing intensified the closer Derek got to Stiles’ exposed side while the boy in question maintained that deathly slow heartbeat and slack body.

 

In his limited experience only Erica hadn’t reacted to the pain. Ever the strong one she’d smiled down at him with something like triumph in her expression. Jackson had kept up a stoic silence but the scent of tears in the air had been telling. Boyd actually screamed but recovered the fastest. Isaac had clung so hard to Derek that the bruises had taken hours to heal. All of them had tensed as teeth met flesh.

 

This was the first time Derek met zero resistance. Stiles’ blood gushed into his mouth. Derek forced himself to hold the bite even as blood tainted with bitter Death flooded his mouth. There was something extra in the flavor that had his wolf howling in warning. The instinct to stop and flee was even stronger than it had been when just the scent of Death was in the air. His wolf was recognizing that there was something larger going on with the newly bitten boy that Derek hadn’t yet recognized.

 

A suspicion fully confirmed when Stiles’ eyes opened and were glowing an ethereal gold unlike any werewolf yellow Derek had ever seen. His eyes shut after that one hopeful moment before the thrashing began. Derek quickly unlatched his jaw so that he didn’t rip the chunk of flesh right out of Stiles’ side. The worst part wasn’t the black Death gushing from the Bite nor the full body seizures that took the combined strength of both werewolves to contain.

 

The worst part were the hoarse screams of Stiles’ pain bouncing off the school walls and the parking lot blacktop that were bitter reminders of the mistake he and Scott had clearly just made.

 

“Deaton’s!” Derek shouted over the sound of Stiles’ wailing.

 

Scott nodded once before hoisting Stiles up and dragging him into the backseat of the Camaro. Any concern that moving him might possibly be hurting Stiles had become secondary to the all too real possibility that they’d just killed their friend.

 

*

 

Thankfully it’s not the first time Derek’s made the mad drive to Deaton’s Vet Clinic at top speeds because his mind isn’t on it. Derek knows he should be fully focused on the cars he’s weaving between down side streets and not plowing down any pedestrians unfortunate enough to jaywalk during a pack emergency. Even focusing on Scott’s growing distress would be better. But Derek can’t stop thinking about the uneasy feeling in his gut that something even more bizarre is going on with Stiles.

 

There’s a space in Derek’s head, and in the Pack Bond, now that wasn’t there before. A Stiles-shaped hole carved out in his soul that should mean that the Bite took. But that should also mean that Stiles is healing and he’s clearly not. Even more unsettling was that Stiles’ spot in the Pack Bond felt larger than a new member’s should. Derek’s mother used to say that – to an Alpha – the Bond felt like one large house and that each family member had their own room in it. Until he’d fully bonded with them, all of Derek’s Betas had felt like their place in the bond took only the size of a closet in said house. It should have been the same with Stiles.

 

Instead Stiles already felt like he’d claimed a warehouse worth of space rather than a room or a closet. It also was nothing like Derek had imagined Stiles’ presence within the Pack Bond would be. The cavernous depths weren’t filled with uncontrollable energy or chaotic thoughts and emotions. Instead there was a thrum of power resonating somewhere within that simultaneously piqued Derek’s interest and warned him away.

 

Derek had a feeling that this time the mess Stiles had gotten himself into wasn’t one that the Pack would be able to save him from.

 

*

 

The clinic is clear of patrons when they come to a tire squealing halt in the veterinarian’s small parking lot. Derek’s mind was so preoccupied during the drive that he hadn’t noticed whether or not Scott had called ahead to warn his boss they were coming. Derek can still smell the lingering scents of patrons so he assumes Deaton cleared them out. Scott gives Derek a nervous look when they pull Stiles from the car and he doesn’t cry out in pain like he had when they put him in the Camaro. Derek tries not to think if that means Stiles has gotten better or worse.

 

“Oh,” Deaton breathes out as soon as they’ve entered the building, Stiles’ lithe and lifeless form spread out between them. “I didn’t realize…”

 

Derek frowns at the black ooze running out of Stiles’ every orifice before gathering at the congealed blood pool on Stiles’ lap. He’d never seen Deaton show much emotion before let alone the shocked expression on the older man’s face. The man was a veterinarian and surely must have been used to seeing blood before. If not professionally than Derek knew the witch was at least used to seeing gore as an Emissary for the former Hale Pack. Derek’s mother, Talia, had been a fearsome and well respected Alpha but that hadn’t stopped strays from trying to gain the same power by harming her.

 

“I’ll take him to the back,” Derek informed them before moving to walk behind the counter. Only instead of walking into the exam room like always, Derek was held back by an invisible barrier. “What the hell?”

 

Deaton cleared his throat and looked down at the sealed mountain ash counter pointedly. “Invitation only, Derek.”

 

“We don’t have time for this,” Derek all but growled in frustration. “Stiles could be dying.”

 

“It’s not Stiles I’m worried about dying today,” Deaton replied with his usual vagueness.

 

Derek flashed the man some fang. “You better mean you’re worried about yourself because if you don’t let us through this damn door right now I am going to rip your throat out with my teeth.”

 

Deaton raised an eyebrow completely unmoved by the threat.

 

“Please,” Scott begged, moving forward to stand shoulder and shoulder with Derek. “It’s Stiles, Deaton. Stiles.”

 

The veterinarian looked between Scott’s pleading expression and Stiles’ gauntly features. After a moment of deliberation – interrupted only by Derek’s impatient growls – Deaton sighed his defeat and opened the counter partition to let them through. Derek used the bulk of Stiles’ legs hanging off his elbow to knock Deaton backwards a few feet on his way into the back room. Scott steadied the man and muttered a half-hearted apology on Derek’s behalf.

 

Stiles looked even worse beneath the bright artificial lighting hanging above the gunmetal grey examination table. His skin looked paler which made the black trails of Death stand out even more harshly. The only bits of color on Stiles’ body were the blush to his slightly parted lips and the hint of gold glowing beneath his eyelids.

 

“So what do we do?” Scott asked after bunching up a spare blanket and placing it under Stiles’ head like a pillow. “Ice bath? Some kind of ritual? If you want, I can get Lydia to start looking up what might have done this to Stiles in the Argent Bestiary?”

 

Deaton waved off his suggestions. “There’s no question of what happened to Stiles, Scott.” He turned his gaze to Derek. “Haven’t you learned that you just can’t go around biting people without there being consequences?”

 

To Derek’s surprise Scott jumped to his defense. “It wasn’t Derek, Doc. He only bit Stiles because I asked him to. It was the only way to save his life… or at least I thought it was.”

 

“What could be a worse consequence than Stiles dying?” Derek asked. “I know he was pretty clear that receiving the Bite wasn’t what he wanted but Stiles wouldn’t want to just leave the Sheriff alone like that.”

 

“Or us,” Scott added quietly.

 

Deaton shook his head. “You misunderstood the meaning of my question, boys. The dire consequence of giving the Bite wasn’t to Stiles. It was to you, Derek, and the rest of your Pack.”

 

Scott frowned. “You mean giving Stiles the Bite is going to kill Derek?”

 

“What Stiles chooses to do with the connection Derek has established between them is up to him,” Deaton answered. “I’m afraid I won’t be much help in stopping Mr. Stilinski, here, if he wants to harm any of you.”

 

“Stiles wouldn’t do that.”

 

The veterinarian offered a thin smile. “Your faith in your best friend is remarkable, Scott, but at some point you have to realize that the being on my examination table is no longer your best friend… at least not the same version anyways.”

 

Derek noted for the first time the distance Deaton was keeping from the table Stiles was lying on. He hadn’t tried to help them carry the boy in. He hadn’t made any move to examine Stiles or provide him medical help. In fact Derek could see that Deaton was keeping a clear pathway between himself and the back door.

 

“He’s not turning into a werewolf is he,” Derek said, all too clearly not asking a question. Pieces of a Stiles-sized puzzle began to fall into place in his mind. “Because he was already something else when I gave him the Bite.”

 

Deaton nodded. “I apologize. I assumed you already knew what you were bringing into my office.”

 

Derek crossed his arms and stepped away from the table. “No. He never told me.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Scott demanded taking up Stiles’ hand as if it would compensate for the distance the other men had put between them and his best friend. “He’s a human boy, Derek. He’s just… he’s just a boy.”

 

There wasn’t a force on Earth that could make Derek meet Scott’s eyes after hearing his voice crack and break like that. Even without a Pack Bond connecting them, Derek could sense the intensity of emotions Scott was feeling. Derek felt overwhelmed at the scene of Scott cycling through grief, anger, love, betrayal and utter sadness. For just a moment Derek was jealous of their friendship and wished that he’d had a friend like that. The closest he’d ever come was Peter and that was nothing to brag about.

 

When Scott finally blinked back the tears his voice was alarmingly steady. There was also no more denial. Derek could hear in it the future Alpha he might become. “Giving him the Bite isn’t going to kill him, is it?”

 

Deaton shook his head. “So long as he’s provided sustenance in time. By the look of him it appears as if Stiles was trying to starve himself.” Scott’s nails lengthened into claws at that bit of news. “The Bite will have hastened things along but only hunger can kill an Incubus.”

 

Derek chanced a glance at Scott’s face before looking away once more. Apparently the potential True Alpha had also figured out what his best friend had become.

 

“So it is him? The sex demon, I mean.”

 

Deaton nodded. “They give off a particular energy that’s hard to ignore if you know what to look for. Ever since your Pack came asking for information on Succubus lore I’ve been paying careful attention to anyone who comes through my door.”

 

“They’re that dangerous?”

 

“They can be,” Deaton answered calmly enough though the distance he maintained was more telling. “Especially young ones or those without their Makers’ guidance. It looks like, in Stiles’ case, he may fall into both categories.”

 

Scott’s answering growl was low. “I still don’t think Stiles would hurt us.”

 

“Because you never tried to eat him just after Peter turned you?” Derek pointed out. God knows he’d heard Stiles tell the infamous My-Best-Friend-Tried-To-Eat-Me-In-A-Filthy-Locker-Room story every time he needed to guilt trip Scott into giving him the last slice of pizza.

 

“Stiles is also the one who taught me control,” Scott insisted. Somehow he still made it clear that Derek hadn’t been the one to do so. “I can do the same for him. It can’t be that different.”

 

“On the contrary. You lose control and your more aggressive instincts kick in. Stiles had to reign in his hunger.” Deaton chuckled darkly. “I have seen first hand how your friend consumes food, Scott. Can you imagine the self control it must take for him not to feed now that it’s a supernatural appetite?”

 

Derek wasn’t sure if Scott’s answering grimace was from picturing Stiles’ already messy eating habits or how Stiles would feed that hunger now.

 

“You said there would be consequences for the Pack,” Derek reminded the veterinarian.

 

“You can feel him in the Bond already, yes?”

 

Derek nodded. “It’s… different than it should be.”

 

The former Emissary let his gaze drift to the body lying between them. “Humans are the preferred food of choice for a Succubus but supernatural creatures like werewolves have their benefits too. Their recovery time and accelerated healing make them prime candidates for repeat feedings with a lesser chance of killing the victim.”

 

“So why do they prefer humans?” Scott asked.

 

“I suppose you could say that humans provide more nutritional value.” Deaton sighed at Scott’s continued look of confusion. “Feeding from a human being – to an Incubus – is like going to a fancy restaurant; the food tastes better but you can’t afford to eat there all the time. Feeding from a non-human entity is like going to a cheap buffet; the food isn’t quite as good for you but you can feast until you’re full and it’s a more practical option because there’s always another course waiting.”

 

Derek realized what the man was getting at. “You think the Bite will allow him to feed on the Pack?”

 

Deaton shrugged. “Like I said before, Stiles can and will feed on anyone he’d like. The Bite merely gives him an added advantage for bringing you and your Pack to the dinner table.”

 

“Such as?” Derek pressed, growing tired of the man’s cyclical conversations.

 

“For one, Stiles could feed on the energy of the Pack Bond from a distance,” Deaton explained. “Much of a Succubus’ powers lie in their ability to manipulate their victims’ psyche. By adding Stiles to your Bond, you’ve given him free reign to all of yours. Once he learns how to properly navigate the bond, he’ll understand more about each of you than you comprehend about yourselves.”

 

Scott shifted uncomfortably from his spot next to Stiles. “So we need to have sex with him?”

 

Deaton shook his head sharply. “He’s too far gone now into his hunger. Anyone who engages him that way will not walk away. Stiles would drain them dry without even realizing it.”

 

“Then how do we feed him?”

 

“You’re sure you want to do that?” Deaton asked, meeting Derek’s eyes. “It might be more compassionate for all involved to simply let him drift away. He’s nearly gone as it is.”

 

Derek understood what Deaton was really asking and he didn’t appreciate it. Was Derek sure that he wanted to bring yet another threat into his Pack? Relying on Peter for guidance had cost Paige her life. He’d been the one who let Kate in and it had cost him his family. Trusting Jennifer had nearly cost him his second Pack.

 

What would saving Stiles cost him?

 

“Derek,” Scott snapped.

 

The Alpha flashed red eyes at the other werewolf. “I’m thinking.”

 

 “There has to be a benefit to having an Incubus in a wolf pack, too, though, right?” Scott turned to Deaton in desperation. “You taught me that remember? Parasitic versus Symbiotic relationships?”

 

Deaton nodded with a small, proud smile on his lips. “That was the first Biology paper you asked me for help with.” He stepped closer to the examination table to get a better look at Stiles. “I suppose his control is more impressive than I first thought if Stilinski managed to keep this from you for so long.”

 

“Told you,” Scott said smugly to Derek. “I told you.”

 

Derek rolled his eyes. “I never said we wouldn’t save him. I just want to protect the Pack.”

 

“Stiles is pack too!”

 

“I wasn’t saying otherwise!”

 

“Your Betas are getting older, Derek,” Deaton pointed out. “Having a Succubus on hand for Heats might not be a bad solution… assuming you weren’t planning on shared heats as a bargaining strategy to form alliances with other packs?”

 

Scott looked ill at the idea. “Heats?”

 

Derek shook his head and ignored Scott. That was conversation for another day. “I think we’ve had our fill of dealing with other Packs for awhile. Besides if I handled Pack negotiations like that, I wouldn’t have an excuse to send Peter away so often.”

 

Deaton offered them both a rare smile. “Also assuming that Stiles agrees to it, you would might consider A Mate bond. It would benefit you both.” The smile grew slightly as Derek openly growled at the suggestion. “You must admit he already takes on most of the traditional roles of the Alpha Mate, Derek. He spends more time working out the kinks amongst your Pack than you do.”

 

“I thought you said there weren’t such things as Mates?” Scott asked.

 

“There are different types,” Deaton answered when it was clear that Derek wasn’t going to. “The first person you and your wolf pledge themselves to is your chosen Mate. They’re the only person you could love with – for lack of a better term – all of your heart.”

 

Scott’s hand drifted to the banded tattoo on his arm and for the first time understood what was broken inside Derek. He and Allison drifted apart from time to time but to truly lose her like Derek had lost Paige would be… irreparable.

 

“You can have other Mates,” Derek grunted pointedly, unable to meet Scott’s too knowing look.

 

Deaton cleared his throat awkwardly. “Yes, of course, though each time you do so you pledge a bit more of your soul to them so the Mate Bond declines each time. Essentially you lose a bit of your heart with each failed love. It’s one of the reasons why wolves are so frugal about such things.”

 

Scott shifted in his half-perched position next to Stiles. “So you and Stiles would be… dating?”

 

“No,” Derek dismissed immediately.

 

Scott visibly bristled on his friend’s behalf.

 

“The position of Alpha’s Mate does not have to be taken out of love, Scott,” Deaton explained quickly before another fight could break out. “It’s more of a formal role in the pack hierarchy. Given Stiles’ new talents it would be a benefit to them both since Derek could rely on Stiles as a co-leader and Stiles… well Stiles would be able to feed on the Pack’s energy through Derek’s bond as the Alpha.”

 

“I know you think he’s really practical about the romance stuff,” Scott explained, clearly uncomfortable with sharing inside secrets about his best friend, “but Stiles would want more eventually. He wants to find the kind of love his parents had.” At Derek’s angry look Scott quickly added, “Not that you don’t totally deserve to find something equally meaningful, too, dude.”

 

Deaton chanced a look in Derek’s direction. “The bond between an Alpha and their Alpha Mate has been known to evolve into something more emotional… over time that is.”

 

Derek tensed but said nothing to refute it.

 

“So is the Mate Bond how we, you know,” Scott performed an indecipherable series of hand gestures meant to underscore his question, “feed Stiles since it’s too dangerous to do it directly.”

 

“I never agreed to Mate anyone,” Derek pointed out though he got the distinct impression that both men chose to ignore him.

 

Deaton mulled the idea over in his head. “Would you feel comfortable making the decision to become Derek’s Mate for Stiles?”

 

Scott didn’t need anytime to decide before he was shaking his head. “Not if there’s another option.”

 

“Then we use the Pack Bond to feed him over distance until he’s healed enough – and conscious enough – to make choices for himself,” Deaton replied. He grabbed his prescription pad and started writing out notes. “It’ll be safer this way for all involved. The lack of physical access will make it harder for Stiles to gorge himself to the point of peril for any of you.” He gave Derek a pointed look. “The more participants we have the less the strain on their bodies for those involved.”

 

Derek took the hint – plus the opportunity to escape the conversation entirely – and disappeared into the waiting room to call Isaac. Scott took the list of ingredients Deaton would need and started hunting for them among the Veterinarian’s private stash of all things supernatural.

 

Deaton hesitated before finally giving Stiles’ shoulder a gentle pat of encouragement. “You have an impressive group of loyal friends, Stiles. I only hope you’ll remain the same young man who earned them in the first place.”

 

*

 

Ditching school early shouldn’t seem so effortless for the Pack but they’ve done it so often that it hardly fazes any of them anymore. Lydia only offers a disappointed sigh at the hit her GPA takes every time they have to rush off for some emergency or other before climbing into Jackson’s sports car. If it weren’t for the disturbing and tumultuous emotions they’d been feeling through the Pack Bond all day she might even have asked to sit out the meeting. But Stiles and Scott were missing and their Alpha had been worryingly vague – or rather even more vague than usual – about why they all had to rush to get to Deaton’s place.

 

Plus Lydia could connect the dots. Somehow Stiles’ succubus secret had been uncovered and her Pack would need her to keep them together. She’d already kept Isaac from stress-fighting with some Neanderthals on the soccer team after they’d realized both Scott and Stiles had bailed. The only real blessing for the day had been the lack of hormones since Stiles wasn’t there to drown them in lust for once.

 

“Stop freaking out and think, damn it. Did he say anything else?” Erica demanded loudly into her cell phone from the back seat.

 

Jackson glared at her through the rear mirror. Erica caught the look and used her free hand to give him the finger. Lydia ignored their antics and used her enhanced hearing to eavesdrop on Erica’s call with Isaac. Yet another benefit of having all werewolves in the car was the speaker phone option was completely unnecessary. They could all hear Isaac’s frustrated words as clear as day.

 

“Just that there was something wrong with Stiles and Deaton has some kind of ritual to heal him,” Isaac explained yet again. Lydia could see his shadowy outline from his spot behind them in the passenger’s seat of Allison’s car. Boyd and Danny even more vague figures in Allison’s back seat.

 

“That can’t have been everything.”

 

Isaac let out a rush of air that made the phone fill with static. “Just that it would pull energy out of the Pack Bond. And that we’d all have to agree since it’s an all or nothing type deal.”

 

Lydia tensed at that fresh bit of information. She could guess just what kind of energy would be needed to help Stiles. Lydia had never been comfortable with non-quantifiable things. It was why Lydia had often left the Emissary side of things to Stiles and taken more of the research for herself. It wasn’t just because of what Peter had done to her but rather that there wasn’t always logic or order to magic.

 

Even with her limited understanding of all things mystical it still seemed like a terrible idea to use the Pack Bond to actually feed Stiles. At least if it were in person they could pull Stiles off of them if he started draining them too far. She hoped Deaton had a means of blocking Stiles’ metaphysical feeding tube if things got out of hand especially since they would be the ones giving him sustenance.

 

Lydia’s sudden thoughtful silence must have made her fellow passengers suspicious because when she finally tuned back into the conversation both Jackson and Erica were eying her.

 

“What’s going on?” Isaac asked, breaking the tense silence of the car. “Why isn’t anyone saying anything?”

 

Erica narrowed her eyes at Lydia. “I’ll call you back.”

 

“Stiles is the succubus we’ve been looking for,” Lydia said in a preemptive strike. The resulting silence was totally worth it.

 

Also, in her defense, Lydia had been on edge enough for one day. Dealing with Erica’s bumbling attempts at interrogation in combination with Jackson’s epic bitch-face would just be too much. She could already feel the tension headache mounting. Stiles would just have to forgive her for letting the cat out of the bag – or the sex demon out of the closet as it were – a few minutes early.

 

That and the expression on Jackson’s face was incredibly amusing.

 

“And you didn’t say anything?”

 

Lydia shrugged. “I promised Stiles I’d keep it quiet.”

 

Erica finally realized her mouth was still hanging open and shut it with a sharp snap of teeth. “When did it happen?”

 

“When he was visiting colleges.” There was a lack of nonchalance in Lydia’s answer that betrayed how upsetting it was to her wolf that a member of their Pack was hurt so far from home. She could see the same reaction in the others’ faces as well.

 

Jackson pressed down harder on the gas pedal and the noise of the rising engine flooded their ears. “That fucking asshole.”

 

Erica smacked his shoulder. “It’s not his fault.”

 

“After all the Kanima bullshit I went through and he doesn’t say anything?” Jackson shouted over the engine’s roar. “After all the shit he put me through? He’s lucky I don’t get that restraining order back in place or kidnap him.”

 

Erica’s ringtone blaring interrupted either of the girls from talking Jackson down.

 

“What?” she snapped into the receiver.

 

It was Danny’s voice that echoed over the line this time. “Why is Jackson going Road Warrior on us all of the sudden?”

 

“He got some bad news about Stiles,” Erica said before looking at Lydia for guidance. They had no idea how the other car would take to the news about Stiles and she wasn’t sure if she should tell them. Jackson’s reaction was certainly not a ringing endorsement on the combination of sudden revelations and automobiles.

 

They could hear Danny’s nervous intake of breath over the phone. “What bad news about Stiles?”

 

Erica must have caught the same hint of deception in Danny’s tone that Lydia had. She pulled the phone away from her ear so that she could give it a proper glare. “You fucking knew about him, too, didn’t you?”

 

“Know about what? I don’t – ”

 

“Danny knew?” Jackson roared. The metal steering wheel groaned under the pressure his grip was putting on it. “Did everybody know we had a sex demon in the pack?”

 

Danny sighed on his side of the phone at the same time as Boyd and Isaac started shouting. Erica hung up the phone again just as they could hear Allison demanding to know what the hell they were all fighting about. A few seconds later Allison’s car hit the brakes, swerved slightly over the yellow line, corrected itself and then sped up to catch up to Jackson’s car. It would have been amusing in any other circumstances.

 

Erica’s cell phone rang once more.

 

“WHAT?” Erica shouted her frustration.

 

“Erica,” Derek rebuked her using his Alpha voice that had all three Beta’s cringing in their seats.

 

Erica held the phone away from her. “Sorry, Derek, I thought it was Isaac or Danny again – ”

 

Derek’s answering growl had her breaking off midsentence. “How far away are you?”

 

The occupants of the car tensed once more at the urgency in his voice.

 

Lydia plucked the phone from Erica’s hand. “We’re at least fifteen minutes away.”

 

“Too far,” Derek muttered to himself but they all heard it just fine. “Listen, we can’t wait for explanations. Stiles won’t last much longer.”

 

“I told them,” Lydia confessed. “About Stiles being the Succubus.”

 

There was a weighted pause on Derek’s end. “So you understand what the ritual we’re going to do involves?”

 

Lydia resisted the urge to preen. “Of course I do. I’m me. The others might not though.”

 

“Explain it to them,” Derek ordered. “Get them to agree and do it fast.”

 

“Just do it. They’ll agree.”

 

Derek sighed. “It’s a big decision, Lydia. You can’t just assume they’ll say yes. They need to give consent.”

 

“Is consent part of the ritual?” Lydia pressed.

 

“No.”

 

“Then go ahead.” Lydia gave Erica and Jackson a pointed look. “I don’t like the plan. I don’t think you do either. Given enough time we could probably figure something better out… but you wouldn’t be asking if it weren’t important.” She swallowed around the sudden attack of emotions. “If Stiles weren’t about to die, right?”

 

Derek’s silence was an answer in and of itself.

 

“Then do it. We’d give a lot more than this to save his life and you know it.”

 

Still silence.

 

“If it’s blame you’re worried about than just lay it on me,” Lydia snapped. They didn’t have time for Derek’s issues. “I’m the one consenting on everyone else’s behalf anyway.”

 

Derek hung up.

 

Lydia tossed Erica the phone. “Tell the others to be ready.”

 

“For what?” Erica asked.

 

“We’ll know it when it happens,” Lydia answered before placing a calming hand over the one Jackson had a death grip on the steering wheel with.

 

The car slowed back down.

 

*

 

Stiles was straining against the metal chains Scott and Deaton had used to secure him to the table. As soon as Deaton had given Stiles the injection of strange liquid necessary for the ritual the former teenage boy had woken up. His eyes were glowing gold and showed no hint of the Stiles they had once known. The noises the Succubus within him made were animalistic and desperate. That he was putting so much effort into reaching for the others only served to highlight how different the creature was than Stiles used to be.

 

Deaton had already relocated himself into the back office which he had assured them would offer protection should Stiles actually break free. Scott looked torn between a desire to comfort his friend and hiding away from the truth of what Stiles had lurking within. Derek did his best to ignore the arousal building within as he stepped in range of Stiles’ pheromones and made his way to the back room.

 

“They won’t get here in time,” Derek answered Deaton’s questioning look as he closed the door behind them. True to his word the effects of Stiles’ influence died out almost instantly with the barrier between them. The creature’s efforts to escape were still loud as ever. “We should start.”

 

Scott stepped away from the small window that allowed him to keep and eye on Stiles. “Are you sure? Did they all agree?”

 

“Lydia’s taking care of that.”

 

Apparently that was good enough for Deaton who immediately handed Derek a vial with the same liquid that had been injected into Stiles. Scott poured himself a glass as well which had both Derek and Deaton raising questioning eyebrows at him.

 

Scott offered a weak smile in response. “I’m still not part of Derek’s pack, right? This will give him access to mine as well.”

 

Derek plucked the glass from Scott’s hand and set it back on the table. “You’re also not an Alpha yet. No matter how much I want to see the conversation where you tell Stiles you werewolf married him while he was unconscious.”

 

“Yeah, no, I didn’t really think about that one did I?” Scott muttered with a sheepish smile on his face.

 

“As touching as this is I think Mr. Stilinski is about to slip his way out of those bonds,” Deaton warned them.

 

Sure enough the distinct sound of chains clattering onto the floor echoed from the next room. Deaton locked the door and ignored the pounding on the other side.

 

“Shall we begin?”

 

Derek didn’t give himself a chance to rethink it. Stiles was the one who always said his plans were the worst anyway so he might as well get it over with. In one quick move he had downed the liquid – surprisingly not completely disgusting tasting – and dropped the glass onto the table.

 

His vision instant began to blur. Only Scott’s grip on his arms kept him from falling face forward into the tiled floors. In the distance he could hear Stiles’ mindless banging stop. Scott finished lowering him into one of Deaton’s plush chair and propped a pillow behind his head.

 

His last clear image was of Deaton’s face swimming in front of him. “I really wish you’d have sipped that.”

 

Then all was darkness.

 

Then all was pleasure.

 

*

 

Jackson didn’t realize something was wrong until his car was already in the ditch.

 

The shift in his body had been subtle but strong. At first it was just his body temperature inching higher until he was tugging at the collar of his fitted button down for relief. The uncomfortable erection would probably been a more obvious clue had he not been doused in Succubus pheromones for a week and a half straight. There had been so many random dicks going hard at school that it had become common courtesy to act like there weren’t boners everywhere. The number of times Jackson had caught a teammates grinding a chub against his thigh after knocking them down at lacrosse practice had reached double digits within the first week.

 

The desperate need for release was the same as it had always been but the rest of it was new. For the first time in his life Jackson felt constricted in his clothes instead of empowered by how good he knew he looked in them. Jackson had forgotten the importance of driving his sports car safely but pulling over and into a complete stop was just not as important as getting off to him.

 

Not anymore.

 

He hadn’t reacted to Erica screaming at him to take back the wheel when he’d abandoned it to take off his shift instead. By the time he’d slipped off the too tight top Lydia had taken the wheel. Jackson’s foot had accidentally pressed down on the gas as he tried to find the right leverage to free his leg from his sculpted skinny jeans. Jackson doubted he’d ever wear clothes again, not when they were stopping all the access to his skin like that. Jackson wasn’t sure if the tremors that wracked his body as he finally freed his dick were a results of the air conditioning hitting his crotch or from the crash into the ditch.

 

“JACKSON!” Lydia screeched before slapping him hard across the face.

 

His dick twitched in excitement. “Oh god, Lyds, do that again.”

 

The bleeding cut on Erica’s forehead didn’t stop her from commenting from the back seat. “I didn’t know Jackson was so kinky in bed, Martin.”

 

Lydia shook her head worriedly. “He’s actually very vanilla in bed.”

 

“Really?” Erica asked skeptically. She leaned forward in the seat and twisted the closest of Jackson’s nipples. “Cause he really seems to like it now.”

 

Lydia smacked her hand away. “Do you mind? This is clearly part of whatever ritual Deaton’s doing.”

 

“Please,” Jackson begged. “Please help me.”

 

“We will, baby,” Lydia promised. “Where are you hurt? I don’t see you bleeding.”

 

Jackson thrust forwards with his hips enough that the tip of his dick smacked hard against the steering wheel. “I’m stuck. Can’t get off with this shit on.”

 

“We just crashed you expensive as hell car into a fucking ditch and you want her to help get your pants off?” Erica demanded.

 

“You could help?” Jackson offered in his daze.

 

Erica flicked him off.

 

The rejection seemed to much for the boy to handle as tears sprung into his eyes. “I have to fucking come. Please.”

 

Both girls ignored his pitiful expression in favor of climbing out of the car. Lydia’s door was jammed shut so she made the very easy decision to climb into the back and out of Erica’s door instead of climbing over Jackson. Her boyfriend had let out a high pitched keening noise at the double rebuff that was more animal than human. In fact it was becoming apparent to both girls that the further along Jackson slipped into his desperation, the more his wolf side came out and his humanity evaporated.

 

Jackson hadn’t remembered how to take off his seat belt and had been forced to tear through it with his claws instead. Relief finally arrived as Jackson’s wolf used the same method to shred the tops of his jeans enough to slip out of them. The broken glass did nothing to dissuade Jackson from climbing into the backseat and stroking himself with abandon.

 

Which is exactly how the others found them when Allison’s car came screeching to a halt next to theirs. Thankfully the country road wasn’t used very often so there was little risk of anyone else joining them.

 

“We saw the car go off the road,” Danny explained as he dashed from the sedan to the wrecked sports mobile. “Are you guys okay?”

 

“Physically fine,” Erica grumbled, extracting shards of glass from her hair. “I may be mentally scarred for life though.”

 

Danny frowned in confusion. “What does that even mean? And where the hell is Jackson?”

 

Lydia and Erica exchanged vindictive looks before moving away from the back seat like a parting curtain. Lydia added to Danny’s view by throwing the back door open as well. Danny’s eyes opened wide as he was treated to sight of Jackson in all his glory pounding away at his own dick. The display was quite impressive since Jackson had attempted to gain leverage by throwing his legs up against the side of the car and propped his head up against the opposing arm rest. The position also spread his legs wide enough to show off the pink of his hole tensing and relaxing with every wet stroke of his spit-slicked palm.

 

“Jackson! Put that away!” Danny ordered, jogging just close enough to close the door once more.

 

If it also helped distort the sounds of Jackson begging Danny for a hand or a mouth to help him out it was just an added benefit that went unmentioned. Allison, Boyd, and Isaac were already looking Lydia and Erica over for any injuries when Danny joined them on the embankment.

 

Boyd raised his eyebrows in question. “So is what they said true? About Jackson?”

 

Danny flushed slightly. “Probably.”

 

“So if it’s part of the spell healing Stiles than it’s a good thing, right?” Allison asked in her most Disney-Princess-optimistic-voice.

 

Lydia sighed. “I figured something like this would happen.”

 

“You did?” Danny asked, surprised.

 

“You know better than anyone what it’s like to feed a sex demon, Danny,” Lydia mocked. Her mood was clearly tipped to the sour after the car accident. “What did you think it was going to involve? Chanting? A bit of human blood on an altar?”

 

“To be fair the last bit of ritual magic we dealt with was Ms. Blake and she did like all of that,” Isaac added with a helpful smile before he caught on to what Lydia had also said. “Wait so you and Stiles really aren’t just dating? You were feeding him?”

 

Danny avoided their accusatory gazes. “I found out by accident and then decided to help out my friend.”

 

“By accident?” Boyd pressed.

 

“Meaning Stiles jumped him and it felt good enough to keep letting him do it,” Lydia answered on his behalf. “That and he’s totally enslaved to him now.”

 

“It’s not what it sounds like!” Danny shouted before the others could start freaking out. “I mean he could totally control my body and keep me from saying anything to you guys about it but besides that it’s really been kind of nice.”

 

Allison still didn’t look convinced. “He made it so you couldn’t speak about it?”

 

Danny nodded. “I even tried to act it out Charades-style with Jackson but my body just froze up.”

 

“So how are you telling us about it now?” Erica asked.

 

Danny froze. He hadn’t thought of that.

 

“Stiles’ power over Danny is basically depleted since he’s nearly…” Lydia trailed off at what her logical conclusion was going to be. She pointedly cleared her throat and offered her friends a weak smile. “Though with the way Jackson is treating himself back there I’m sure you’ll start to feel fully under Stiles’ control again in no time.”

 

“So that’s the ritual then?” Allison guessed just as Jackson’s moans reach a new high. “Jackson feeds him his energy? Through what? The Pack Bond?”

 

Lydia nodded. “I assume that’s why Derek wanted our permission. He didn’t want us debasing ourselves without consent.”

 

“From what Stiles told me about Derek’s history with sex that actually makes perfect sense,” Danny said. For such a bossy guy consent was certainly big deal to their Alpha.

 

“Um, guys,” Isaac said worriedly, “I don’t think it’s just Jackson getting fed on.”

 

The group turned to see that Isaac was already planted on the ground with his shoes and socks off. The teenager was using his latest scarf to wipe away the sweat building on his brow. As the scarf came away they could see the faint amber glow of his wolf eyes slowly taking over his human ones.

 

“We should get him off the road before he’s incoherent,” Lydia suggested. “I don’t want another incident like with Jackson.”

 

“Aren’t you going to help me stop this?” Isaac demanded as he pulled off his trendy over coat and threw it as far into the bushes as he could.

 

Lydia raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him. “Do you want us to stop it?”

 

Isaac didn’t appear to be aware that he was already stroking himself to full hardness though his pants when he answered. “No? Maybe?”

 

“Is the spell forcing him to enjoy it?” Boyd asked, clearly torn about what to do.

 

“That’s not usually how it works,” Danny answered. “I mean – for me, at least – it was always a bit sketchy. Like my body was always for it and I didn’t personally care enough to fight against it. But usually it was like Stiles just knew what turned me on and kept offering it to me.”

 

“Yeah – that’s – ” Isaac blushed as he let out a long moan of pleasure at finally getting the rest of his clothes off save his boxers. The tent in the front of said undergarments gave a telling twitch at Danny’s explanation though. “It’s like all those hot spots on my body are waking up all at once. Even some I didn’t know about.”

 

“Like Jackson getting rough and kinky in the car,” Erica nodded.

 

Isaac shivered at the description. “Right now any kind of contact sounds amazing.”

 

Allison tilted her head back towards the wreckage. “Do you want us to put you and Jackson together?”

 

“It might go faster,” Lydia added as a means of reassuring Isaac that she was okay with that arrangement. She was comfortable enough in their relationship to let Jackson’s wolf go wild with its pack mate. “Unless you’ll feel weird about it later?”

 

Isaac chuckled and slid his underwear over his hips. The others diverted their gazes as he kicked them off the rest of the way where they landed on Allison’s side mirror. “I think we’re all going to feel a little weird about this later.”

 

Boyd couldn’t help but agree after watching Isaac’s dick flop around as he walked through the group towards the car.

 

“Not me,” Danny tried to joke. “I’ve seen you all frolicking in wolf form before. Perks of being human on the full moon.”

 

“You and Allison will be watching us do a lot more than that,” Isaac responded as he reached the other car. A wide, pleased grin settled across his features as he watched Jackson. “Might want to keep an eye on our clothes, too.”

 

Boyd froze at the implications. “Why just Danny and Allison?”

 

Isaac either ignored him or was too lost to the heat as he climbed in. The last they saw of him was Jackson’s clawed hands reaching out to help him inside and then legs mingling together.

 

Lydia swore. “Of course. I can’t believe Lahey figured it out before me.”

 

“Figured what out?” Danny asked.

 

“Oh,” Allison said before shutting her mouth with a sharp click. “Sorry. I just figured it out too.”

 

“Figured what out?” Danny asked again, growing impatient and more than a bit worried.

 

“First Jackson then Isaac,” Lydia explained through gritted teeth. “And Derek isn’t picking up his phone so he must have already been first… which makes sense.”

 

Danny still wasn’t getting the clue. “So?”

 

“Stiles is feeding off our Bond,” Boyd replied. “Derek’s the Alpha. Jackson was the first Beta he ever made.”

 

Danny frowned. “I thought Isaac was?”

 

Allison shook her head. “Technically Jackson received the Bite first. Him turning into a Kanima only delayed his being fully added to the pack collective.”

 

“So the feeding started with Derek, then moved to Jackson as the first to receive the Bite,” Lydia summarized. “Isaac was after that which means…”

 

Erica’s eyes shot open wide as she finally understood too. “Fuck that means I’m next.”

 

“We’re all in the same boat,” Boyd grunted as he stripped off his plain black t-shirt. He paused at their collective look of bewilderment. “No, I’m not feeling the effect yet. But if it’s going to happen I’m not going to worry about it.” He offered a hand up to Erica. “We doing this together or what?”

 

Erica grinned up at him. “I always did want to try this on the full moon some time.”

 

Boyd matched her grin. “I know.”

 

“There will be hell to pay if I get knocked up,” Lydia announced before untying the bindings of her dress.

 

Allison gaped at her. “How can you joke about that?”

 

“What else am I supposed to do about?” Lydia asked rhetorically. “You better not let my clothes get wrinkled or mud on my heels, Argent.”

 

Danny accepted – or more accurately didn’t dodge – the clothes tossed his way by Erica and Boyd who were already touching one another with abandon.  Lydia huffed at being left out and stomped away towards the car.

 

“Why am I always naked in the fucking woods,” she asked before climbing into the back seat with the two wolves already lost in each other.

 

Allison watched the couple struggle to fit into the back seat before giving up and getting on the undamaged trunk of the car instead. Allison and Danny both made sure to get a good eyeful before moving away to collect Isaac’s discarded clothing. They worked in relative silence only interrupted by the sounds of Erica then Boyd then Lydia succumbing to their wolf states and rutting with abandon.

 

It wasn’t until after Jackson humped Isaac through the back windshield and all five of them finally formed one giant mass of writhing bodies did Allison start to giggle hysterically.

 

Danny gaped. “What are you laughing about?”

 

“I was just – just thinking,” Allison answered, struggling to breath around her laughter. “That it’s a good thing Jackson’s car hit that ditch because he would never have driven it again anyways. Not after what they did on that back seat.”

 

“Are you kidding?” Danny asked, feeling giddy himself. “Jackson’s probably going to put that car on display as evidence of his first orgy.”

 

At that Allison began laughing so uncontrollably that Danny had to prop her up. Danny felt bad that it had been so long since either of them had laughed like that. He sent out a silent prayer that next time it would take the combination of a car wreck, a near death, a Succubus, a sex spell and an orgy to bring them to such hysterics again.

 

Well, Danny corrected himself, the orgy could happen again.

 

An echo of his amusement bounced around his mind and Danny tensed at the sensation.

 

“What?” Allison asked after feeling his body freeze against hers.

 

“It’s Stiles,” Danny whispered. “I can feel him. He’s back.”