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Stiles knew he wasn’t really pack anymore—nor was he Scott’s best friend. He wasn’t really surprised when a rogue alpha was mentioned and he was the only one that hadn’t heard anything about it before. He was more surprised by the fact that he was expected to help find this alpha. To talk, of course, because Scott thought everyone could be convinced to be a good guy.
Everyone except Stiles, that is. He still wasn’t forgiven for killing Donovan. But this alpha should be forgiven even after killing six town people.
Stiles didn’t really want to be there when they all went out to the preserve to look for this feral alpha. But he went, because a part of him was still trying to fix things with Scott. He has been friends with this guy since third grade. But he was getting tired of feeling like he was the only one trying.
Stiles had stood back, with Mason, as the pack fought the alpha. He had a gun tucked away that he had talked with his dad and Chris about. Scott never asked about the smell of wolfs bane and gun powder, so Stiles never explained.
Stiles’ hand had strayed towards the gun a couple times when it was obvious that talking wasn’t going to work. Scott kept trying to talk, though, and the alpha just kept trying to kill him.
Stiles wasn’t sure what changed or how it happened, but with a cry from Mason, he was on the ground with pain ripping through his side.
The fucking alpha had bit him. He was surprised by how calm he was when it fully hit him. He knew that he would either turn or he would die. He was kinda hoping for the first one though.
The alpha was flung off Stiles and the pack squared back up with him. Mason kneeled next to Stiles, looking lost as to how to help.
Stiles watched the pack. Liam looked ready to tear the alpha apart, despite still being a just a pup. Kira looked worried and took a couple steps towards him. And fucking Scott was still trying to talk to the fucking Alpha.
Stiles didn’t even bother thinking it through as he pulled his gun out and shoot three bullets into the alpha’s skull. There was a deafening silence as the echo of the last shoot faded.
Scott whipped around, looking ready to yell at Stiles. He ignored his once best friend and used Mason’s shoulder to unsteadily get onto his feet.
“I would like to be home for whatever’s about to happen next,” Stiles said. “Mind giving me a hand, Mason? Not sure I can drive right now.”
Mason nodded and helped steady him. Liam showed up on his other side, looking like a kicked puppy. Stiles wondered if Liam would embrace the wolf if he only had a different Alpha.
“Stiles, where are you going?” Kira asked.
“Home,” Stiles answered. “Home to see my dad because I’m about to either turn or die and I want to see my dad before either of those happen.”
“You need to go to the hospital,” Scott said, having the gall to sound worried now. “Or Deaton.”
Stiles shook his head. “They can’t do anything for me, Scotty,” Stiles answered. “You know how this works.”
“Maybe Deaton can stop it,” Scott tired, “You don’t have to be a wolf.”
Stiles growled, it still sounded human but he was hoping the urge to growl was a good sign for him living through this. “I don’t mind being a wolf, Scott. There’s a lot that has happened since Peter bit you that I regret and wished didn’t happen. I always kept turning in my back pocket if I needed it. This was forced on me, but I will fucking take it. Because, unlike you, I believed Derek when he said the bite was a gift.”
“Stiles—“
“Just let me go, Scott,” Stiles sighed. “I got this.”
Mason and Liam started to pull Stiles towards his jeep and he heard Scott trying to stay more but he ignored it because the blood loss was starting to get to him.
Stiles thinks he blacked out for the ride home because too soon Mason was shaking his shoulder and they were in his driveway.
“I called your dad on the way,” Mason said.
“Thanks, kid,” Stiles took a breath before pushing his way up. “Help me inside, yeah? Then you guys can get out of here.”
Liam huffed as he helped Stiles carefully out of the jeep. “Yeah right, we’re staying.”
“Scott wont like that,” Stiles said.
“I don’t really give a fuck right now,” Liam growled.
Stiles let Liam help him inside as Mason got the front door open.
“He’s your alpha,” Stiles argued.
“You’re pack,” Liam countered.
“Not any more,” Stiles sighed. “If the bite does take, I don’t think I can be in a pack with Scott anymore.”
“What will you do?” Mason asked as the boys helped him onto the couch.
“I’ll call the Hales,” Stiles said then realized what he said.
For some reason the felt right. He always felt more like pack with the Hales. Malia left a couple months to get to know her birth father when she heard that Peter settled down in a house with Derek and Cora. Stiles pushed her to go. Even if he couldn’t see Peter winning any father of the year awards, he doubted the wolf would hurt his daughter. And it would be good for her to get to know her cousins.
They had been keeping light tabs on either other since she left. It sounded like things were going good there, like the Hales finally remembered what it was like to be a pack.
Stiles wanted to go there before, to see what their pack was like. He hoped they would be okay with him coming by because he knew he couldn’t be a pack with Scott now.
Liam looked up a moment before Stiles heard the familiar sound of his dad’s cruiser screeching to a stop in the driveway.
John came banging through the door and the boys moved aside to let him sit next to Stiles.
“Stiles,” John breathed, hands hovering, like he wasn’t sure if he could touch.
“I’m okay, Dad,” Stiles said, reaching for John and pulling him into a hug.
“You’re bleeding all over the place, Kiddo. You’re not fine.” John said, but despite the blood, he made no move to pull away. “What happened?”
“The rogue alpha bit me,” Stiles said, letting himself lean into his dad.
“You’re going to turn into a werewolf?” John asked.
“If the bite takes,” Stiles said carefully.
**
Stiles stood in the bathroom without his shirt, starting at the area where his bite used to be. It was healed, within twenty four hours. Which meant he was now a werewolf. Fun times. He knew it was coming. For a few hours now, everything seemed a bit brighter and he could hear those little noises, like the bathroom light blob humming, that his human ears weren’t usually able quite pick up.
He started at his reflection. He didn’t look any different. But Scott hadn’t either, when he first turned. Erica and Isaac did, but that had more to do with self-confidence and better clothes.
He wanted to test it, try a beta shift. But then he would see his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to. He was scared he’d see blue eyes staring back at him.
Well, he would have to face it sooner or later. Might as well do it now while his dad was out. John was reluctant to leave his son home alone after the attack. But they were out of food, so the sheriff made a store run.
Taking a deep breath, Stiles closed his eyes and tried to focus.
He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but there had to be something a bit more wolfy in his head. He found something that seemed new and was chanting ‘packpackneedpack.’ Stiles thought about Scott’s rag tag pack, but a growl slipped out of his throat. No, that wasn’t his pack.
He focused on that part of himself, poking it mentally. He felt like a part of him, just newer. He didn’t really understand how to explain it. It didn’t feel wrong though. He felt like it was always there, waiting. He thought back to forever ago when Peter was an alpha and offered him the bite. Maybe Peter had seen this part of him sleeping inside.
Surprisingly, the thought of Peter seemed to please his inner wolf a lot more than the thought of Scott had. Stiles was sure he should be worried about himself that his wolf preferred the thought of a murder over his best friend.
Stiles pushed that aside for now. Instead he thought about the wolves he knew shifting. Picturing how Scott’s pack and the Hale pack looked when the changed.
He felt tingling around his gums and his fingertips. He moved his jaw, stretching it out and wiggled his fingers. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He was shifted alright, but he nearly startled himself right out of it as he started into his own red eyes.
How the fuck was he an alpha?!
He fell back against the wall behind him, his eyes popped wide as he stared at himself. He let himself slide down the wall, so his reflection slipped out of his sight. He tried to push the wolf down. That didn’t fell right. Taking a shaky breath, he imagined himself petting a little wolfy version of himself until it calmed down. It seemed to work for now as he watched his claws sink back into human nails. He knew he had to figure out his anchor, but that seemed enough to hold him over until he stopped freaking out.
His eyes were red.
He was an alpha.
He tilted his head back until it hit the wall and closed his eyes. He felt the panic attack rising. He counted out his breathing until he calmed down. He couldn’t stop thinking of his red eyes started back at him. Suddenly the memory of shooting the alpha that bit him between the eyes came back to him. He hadn’t thought that counted since he hadn’t really been a wolf yet when he killed the alpha. But apparently it was enough.
His eyes slowly blinked open and he started at the ceiling of the bathroom, where the moister dots had dried yellow.
He didn’t move until he heard his dad pull into the driveway. Yep, definitely wolf hearing. He shouldn’t be able to hear that from the bathroom at the back of the house. He slowly eased off the ground when his dad’s key jingled in the door.
John paused as when he saw Stiles slowly coming down the stairs. He must of looked like shit to have his dad get that worried look on his face.
“Did something happen?” John asked, taking a couple steps closer to his son.
“So, um,” Stiles hesitated. He wanted to protect his dad by not even telling him any of this. But he already knew about werewolves and keeping this from him, when Stiles wasn’t should when his control would break would only put him in danger. “I’m a werewolf now. My bite is healed and I can shift. And um, turns out got the alpha powers from killing the alpha that bit me.”
“Alpha powers?” John asked. “What does that mean?”
Stiles focused on his inner wolf and tried to focus his powers on his eyes. It must of worked by the gasp his father let out. “It means that I’m the alpha now.”
**
Stiles was avoiding the pack, but he knew John was keeping Melissa up to date. That was proven by all the missed calls from Scott. Stiles didn’t bother reading the texted or listening to the voice mails.
He expected Scott to stop by to talk to him, but when he finally heard someone pull into his driveway, the motor was too smooth to be the cop car or Scott’s motorcycle. Tilting his head curiously, he listened to the car turn off then what sounded like high heels walking up to his door. He opened the door before they could ring the bell and was greeted by strawberry blonde hair.
“Lyds?” He wondered if he was dreaming. Lydia got annoyed with the werewolf shit and graduated early to head off to college.
“A little birdy told me you’re a wolf now,” She said, crossing her arms and popping her hip out. “And what have I said about calling me ‘Lyds’?”
Stiles was sure if he actually had a tail it would be wagging right now. He ignored her question and pulled her straight into a hug. His wolf didn’t seem to like Scott’s pack very much. But Lydia made him feel like a puppy.
“Missed you, Lyds.”
She huffed at the nickname, but hugged him back. “Yeah, me too.”
He pulled her inside and to the living room eagerly. Finally, someone to properly talk to about this.
“So?” She said, raising an perfectly shaped eye brow at him.
He had been practicing his shifting and barely had to think about it to go into beta form.
Lydia gasped, staring at him with wide eyes. “You’re an alpha? No one thought to mention that.”
“Only my Dad knows,” Stiles shrugged.
“Are you doing okay?”
Stiles looked away. “I’m okay for now. But I can feel it. The pull for a pack. It seems like the only thing my wolfy side can think about.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Well, it seems to like you more than the thought of Scott’s pack, so,” Stiles grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes, but he saw the pleased little smile. “It better.” But she gave him a look, wanting a real answer.
He signed and slumped back into his seat.
“I don’t really know,” He admitted. “I… I thought about going to Derek and the others…”
“Really?” Lydia asked. “You’d leave Beacon Hills? I get if you having a hard time with Scott because you’re both alphas now, but—“
Stiles shock his head and cut her off. “Things between Scott and I have been bad. I think I’ve knew for awhile that I can’t really be pack with him. I can avoid him for now, but when I finally face him, I’m pretty sure I would fight him for the land.”
Lydia didn’t really seem surprised and he wondered what she picked up from her point of view.
“Jackson seems to be doing good out there,” Lydia said instead of following up about Scott.
“Yeah?” He asked. “Have you two been talking a lot?”
Jackson had came back to the states about a year after he left. But he kept butting heads with Scott, not agreeing on how he acted as alpha. Apparently he had stayed with a few packs in Europe and learned a lot. After talking with Danny and Lydia, he decided to go off after Derek, the wolf that bit him. Stiles was pretty sure Derek hadn’t gotten any alpha powers again, but they were a pack again. Cora and Peter were with him. Isaac joined them after learning some from Chris. Even Malia ended up there. They built something they couldn’t in Beacon Hills.
“A bit,” Lydia said. “He checks in with Danny and me every now and then. He said they found Erica and Boyd.”
Stiles froze at that. He hadn’t known that. “Are-are they okay?”
“Yeah,” Lydia said. “They are a pack there. A proper one, according to Jackson. He said Erica and Boyd were with some alpha that needed the numbers. It wasn’t too bad, but they felt like they only had each other because the pack didn’t care much about them. When they ran into Derek, they jumped at the chance to join him again.”
A tension left Stiles that he didn’t know he still had. “I’m glad they’re safe.”
“Maybe it would be good for you to go out there,” Lydia said. “Everyone kind of agrees that Scott refuses to let go of his human side. You are going to need to be around real wolves if you’re going to keep your head. I know you, Stiles, you’re going to have to be a real wolf. This half way crap barely cuts it for you as a human; you won’t be able to do it as a wolf.”
**
Stiles could feel his control slipping. He seemed to have gotten a grace period. But that ran out and he couldn’t figure out his ancher. The only thing that seemed to calm him was thinking about running off to the new Hale pack. He thought of it because he needed to keep his dad safe. But just focusing on the name ‘Hale’ had him breathing calmer.
He closed his eyes and pictured Derek. Then moved through the pack he knew was out there. Erica, Boyd, Isaac, Cora, Malia. Even Jackson. When Peter’s face flickered behind his eyes, the last of his tension melted out of him and his inner wolf whispered ‘pack’.
He was able to get himself moving enough to collapse face down on his bed. He wasn’t sure how long he laid there. The effort it had been taking the last couple days to stay in control was wearing him out.
He needed to talk to his dad when he got home. He was pretty sure he was going to have to go visit the Hale pack.
**
His dad wasn’t overly happy about the idea. Stiles was only a month and a half into eighteen and still have a quarter left of high school. But Stiles explained his control slipping. He didn’t want to put his dad in danger. He needed a pack and people who could teach him how to be a werewolf. John knew he was out of his league here and finally gave in.
So, Stiles was packing up what he would need for a road trip. He was planning to come back at some point. He wasn’t going to let being a werewolf or Scott stop him from seeing his dad.
Speaking of, Stiles growled when he heard a familiar motorcycle pull up outside. He was barely holding on. He wasn’t sure he could handle Scott and his Scottness right now.
He huffed and stomped down the stairs, coming to a stop behind his dad who appeared to be trying to shoo Scott.
“What are you doing here?” Stiles growled, barely keeping his wolf in.
“Stiles!” Scott pouted at him. Seriously, with all that was happening right now, he thought a pout was the way to go? “You haven’t been returning my calls, dude! You need to come around so we can bond with the pack.”
“You’re not my pack,” Stiles growled and bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself under control. How dare he?! After everything, after defending the wolf that turned him, act like he was supposed to bow to him. The urge to fight this alpha that dared to show up at his den burned under his skin.
“What?” Scott asked in his confused puppy voice. “Of course you’re pack, Stiles. Don’t be silly.”
Stiles felt his shift taking without his consent. He couldn’t fight it, though. It took everything he had not to lung at the other boy. He couldn’t be bothered worrying about his claws popping.
He was panting as he looked Scott directly in the eyes with his own red. “You. Are. Not. My. Pack.”
Shock flashed across Scott’s face, but he couldn’t stop his own eyes from flashing red in response.
“…. You’re… an alpha?” Scott asked. Stiles could see the confused puppy and alpha fight for dominance in Scott’s brain.
“Turns out, killing the alpha that turned you doesn’t reverse the bite.”
That reminded Stiles how mad Scott was at Derek when he killed Peter. Protectiveness over his pack, over Derek, shot through him, only making him angrier at Scott. And made his wolf howl in his mind for his pack.
“We can fix this!” Scott insisted.
“There is nothing to fix, Scott,” Stiles growled. “Despite what you think, the bite is a gift.”
Stiles’ hand was gripped on the end of the stair rail. Knowing his dad was too close to be safe from an alpha fight was the only thing keeping him rooted in place. That didn’t, however, stop the wood in the handrail to crack then snap under this grip.
**
Stiles pulled his jeep over to the side of the road, looking down the little barely-a-road that would lead him to where the Hale pack lived. Now that he was here, he was nervous. He wasn’t sure how the pack would react to him. If he was just a beta, he was sure he would be at least somewhat welcome. But being an alpha, he wasn’t sure how they would react. He wasn’t even sure who the alpha was. Somehow, it never came up. Not that he ever had really long talks with Malia. But what if the alpha was someone he didn’t know? He would be just some strange alpha rolling up on someone else’s territory.
He was almost tempted to turn around and head home. But he drove hours to get here and just the thought of having to face Scott again made a low growl roll up his throat.
Logically, he knew what all could go wrong with this. But his wolf wanted this. And seeing as he almost lost control (of both his wolf and the jeep) a few times on his way here because of jerk drivers, he wasn’t sure he could even safely make the drive all the back to Beacon Hills.
He took a deep breath, put his jeep back into drive, and turned down the small, bumpy road.
Stiles figured everyone remembered the sound of his jeep, so he couldn’t imagine having to go up to the door to knock.
When he made the last turn on and the house came into view, he was proven right. Derek appeared to be coming out of the house with Erica and Malia pushing past him. Some more of the pack was following them out, but Stiles focused on Erica. Shit, she was really alive. His breath caught in his throat seeing her. He parked his jeep in the vague area where the other cars were parked and jumped out without even turning the jeep off.
“Erica,” He breathed. They meet each other half way across the lawn in a tight hug.
“Batman!” Erica cheered, nuzzling into him with a happy puppy noise. “Oh my god, you’re a wolf.” She mumbled into his neck.
He made a happy noise back at her and couldn’t help but scent mark her. If he was thinking clearly, he might have realized that that wasn’t the best idea.
Malia trotted up to them and pressed against Stiles’ back, joining into the hug. Stiles made more happy noises that he didn’t even really understand yet.
“Well, this is a surprise,” A voice said from nearby, making Stiles look up. Peter smirked at him from a few feet away. Stiles’s eyes brushed over the rest of the pack standing around, noting a couple new faces.
He could feel his wolf inside his chest, happily howling. A peace went over him as he took in the pack. He was pretty sure if he could do a full shift, he would be running around all of them with his tail wagging like crazy right now. He felt a bit like doing that anyhow.
His focus went back to Peter. He never thought he would be so happy to see the guy.
His wolf was right at the surface, so he wasn’t really thinking when he carefully pulled away from the girls, kissing their cheeks, and moved towards Peter. He heard whining and it took him a moment to realize it was coming from him. He stopped in front of Peter and tilted his head submissively.
Peter raised an brow at him, his smirk very satisfied as he flashed his eyes at Stiles. “Never thought I’d see you submitting to me, darling.”
Stiles was surprised, and yet not, to see Peter’s eyes red. Instinct lead him to flash his own red eyes back.
Peter froze, actual shock covered his expression when he saw Stiles’ eyes.
“I never thought I could get that reaction out of you,” Stiles replied, with a smirk and a small laugh slipping out. “Darling.”
“You’re an alpha,” Peter said. “How?”
“A rogue came through Beacon Hills. Again.” Stiles explained, adding a pointed looked at Peter. “Scott tried peacemaking, it didn’t work, alpha bit me, Scott still tried to talk to him, I got pissed off and shot the alpha between the eyes. And, wala! Stiles is an alpha werewolf now!”
“And you came here?” Peter asked. Some of the tense left him, but he was watching Stiles closely.
Stiles realized it was distrust and his wolf whined. That hurt more than he expected, and he looked down.
“This was… This felt like pack.” Stiles forced himself to look back up at Peter, with determination. “Please, alpha.” He added.
Something flashed in Peter’s eyes that Stiles couldn’t quite place. Slowly, Peter raised his hand up and placed it against Stiles’ neck. Stiles kept eye contact with Peter, never tensing under his hand.
“It will be hard, with two alphas around,” Peter pointed out as his thumb brushed along Stiles’ jaw.
Stiles leaned into the touch, letting his eyes flutter closed. “My wolf seems to think we can figure it out.”
Peter chuckled, “I knew I’d get you in my pack someday, my dear.”
Stiles let out a playful growl, nipping softly at Peter’s hand.
Suddenly, Peter’s hand tightened around his neck and he pulled Stiles’ closer to him. He tucked his face into Stiles’ neck and started scent marking him. “Welcome home, darling.”
Stiles scent marked him back, hold him tight as happy whines slipped out of throat.