Chapter Text
Stiles was awake before the sunlight snuck through their bedroom curtains. It had been a week since the packs had arrived in their home and the constant hum of energy throughout their halls distracted him and made it hard to sleep. Derek had been in meetings with the other alphas for most of the time leaving Stiles to keep up with the house and their many guests. There were a few humans with the spark amongst their ranks and Stiles had taken to teaching them to control and use their power in the front lawn with Danny and even Deaton when he was available. Despite having so much to fill his time, he still found time to miss his pack and his mate. They were besides him every step of the way, but there were too many people in their home to make him truly feel at home.
With more people came more opinions and it wasn’t a shock that they were still stuck in meetings and conversations instead of taking action. They were still in disagreement on the plan to take down Andrea and her misguided family. Stiles still believed that the children on both sides should be spared at all costs, but he could see he was fighting a losing battle. They would either have to wait for her to find and come to them or they would have to strike first. If they waited they would have more time for training, but if they struck hard and fast they just might have enough of an advantage that they could stop the woman.
With a deep sigh, he pulled himself out of bed and made his way down to the kitchen. It was still very early and the kitchen was empty and silent. Allison and Ethan were taking care of most of the food while they continued to host the other packs, but Stiles still liked to get into the kitchen when he could and at least make something to add to the massive amount of food that was being churned out for every meal. He set to work making blueberry muffins from scratch.
Baking had always been a stress reliever for the man and it was doing wonders to bring his anxiety level down. In the end he knew that the children would have to fight with them. He and his pack had just been children when they had first been thrown into the supernatural world. Unlike them, these children would have more people than they could count to help support them and keep them safe. He had to keep that in mind in the growing months if he was going to back any plans that involved using the children to help end this war.
Stiles was careful to sift the dry ingredients, making sure that the muffins would be light and fluff. The repetitive motion of sifting put him in a near meditative state and he hardly noticed when another one of his pack members joined him in the kitchen.
Allison watched from the doorway to the kitchen, a tired smile on her face. She and Stiles often disagreed and their fights had in the past ened in explosive screaming matches that put the pack in an awkward state after, but as much as they fought like siblings they also loved each other like siblings. She cleared her throat quietly, alerting Stiles of her presence before walking fully into the room.
“Would you mind a little help?”
“Not at all, that would be great.” Stiles gave her one of his bright smiles letting her know that all of the tension from their fight a week earlier was gone and the two began to work together in perfect harmony.
As the sun fully took its place in the sky, the manor began to stir. Scott had come down at one point and began to brew the coffee. Lydia was working their cappuccino machine while Ethan got to work making a breakfast spread of eggs, sausage, bacon, and homefries. Danny was setting up a full tea setting, putting out multiple different tea bags with cups, a teapot of hot water, and the cream and sugar. Jackson, Aiden, Maria, and Cora begin to move the food and drinks outside where they had set up a dining tent of sorts. Melissa and John were both at work and Chris had been in the early morning meeting with Derek and the rest of the alphas so they would no doubt be joining them outside when they were done. By the time the muffins were out of the oven and cooled enough to be placed in multiple bread baskets, the rest of the food was already out the door and on the tables.
“Let’s just eat and forget about everything else for now.” Allison smiled in the way that made the sun pale in comparison and it set Stiles at ease.
“Yeah, I think I can do that.” They walked out on the lawn with their arms linked, a clear sign that all was well between them. It seemed to set the tone under the tent and the conversation that had already existed lightened considerably.
“If I could just have everyone’s attention.” Derek called from front of the tent and all eyes fell on him. He motioned to Stiles to join him and when his mate stood by his side, he pulled him close with a tight single-arm hug. “I just wanted to thank everyone who has come out to make this amazing alliance possible. I know that there have been some tense moments and I know that not all of your alpha’s have had a chance to touch base with you in regards to things that were decided upon this morning, but I just wanted to say that we believe we have made the best decision for our families. With that in mind. I want everyone to dig in and enjoy. We’re going to have some tough times ahead of us, but right now we should remember that we have each other and we will see this thing through.” Derek nodded to those in line that they were able to continue piling up their plates. He turned to place a gentle kiss on his mate’s forehead.
“Hey there, sourwolf.” Stiles smiled, overjoyed to be in his mate’s arms again.
“Hey there yourself.” Derek smiled, the shine in his eye one of the most attractive things about his powerful werewolf.
“I missed you this morning. Was the meeting okay?”
“It was, but we can talk about this later, I meant it when I said everyone should take this opportunity to relax.”
“Okay.” Stiles let the matter drop and moved to get food. He quickly scanned the room to make sure that all of his pups were already fed. It was a natural instinct at this point and he would never allow himself to eat if those in his charge were not being fed first.
There were many small tables all around the lawn to allow the many packs to mingle. A single long table or even a few long tables would not have lent to flowing conversation so they felt that small round tables of six to eight was the perfect way to make sure everyone was getting to know each other. They also enforced that for at least one meal a day there was only one alpha per table and there were never more than three people from the same pack at a table. Stiles took a seat with Maria and the young girl Hannah. Helena was the alpha of the table along with Alex, the youngest child of her pack. The rest of the seats were empty until they were joined by two adult members from the Washington pack.
“Have you heard from Jason?” Helena started the conversation with a relatively heavy topic. Stiles had half the mind to not answer her, but thought better of it.
“Yes we have, he was able to check in with us not to long after everyone arrived and again last night. He’s working his way through her organization, but he hasn’t managed to gain anyone’s trust yet. I suppose the most I can hope for is that he stays safe.”
“It was quite the risk on his part to go undercover, but I think that is one of the best and most remarkable things about children. Your pack is all young and I know from the stories that you all took quite large risks, but I think that in the end it was all worth it, no?”
Stiles couldn’t help, but agree. Helena let the conversation drop and instead turned to Hannah to ask her how things were in her own pack. Her pack was the newest by far and they seemed to function incredibly well despite the adversity that they had overcome. The two were deep in conversation allowing Stiles a moment to gather his own thoughts without the need to worry about another alpha’s scrutiny.
Breakfast finished with little fanfare. The alphas returned to the manor to finish their meeting which left Stiles feeling wholly alone once more. The rest of his pack seemed to be doing a decent job of cleaning up and there were no spark classes to be had today and so Stiles wandered away from the overcrowded lawn and back into the house. The inner garden had always been Stiles’ favorite place, but since the addition of so many packs it had become his sanctuary. He loved to sit in the middle of the colorful foliage and just think.
“Stiles, are you okay?” Scott spoke gently from his right and Stiles was pulled from his thoughts to face the worried face of his oldest friends.
“Hey Scotty, sorry I didn’t hear you.” Scott slid down onto the the bench besides him.
“I know, I’m just worried about you, is all.” Stiles couldn’t help, but smile as he leaned his body into the man. Scott instinctively wrapped his arms around Stiles and began to rub small circles into his arm. “You know that we will get her, right? We’ve never failed before.”
“I know, I’m just afraid of the cost of winning.”
“We both know that you and Derek would never let anything happen to any of those kids if you could help it. Hell I wouldn’t either.” Stiles hummed in response, preferring not to speak. He rather enjoyed the quiet when he could manage it especially with so many people in their house. The calm spell that had fallen over them vanished when both men felt a shock of pain through the pack bond.
“Isaac!” They locked eyes for a mere moment before tearing into the house toward the unmistakable howl of Scott’s mate.
“What’s going on?” Scott demanded, the echo of his alpha past rising to the front. Stiles had no answers, but he knew better than to point that out. Scott had always had the ability to become an alpha again, it would have taken time and persistence, but Derek had come into his own and he had gracefully stepped aside for the older wolf. Now it seemed as if all of those instincts were coming to the foreground and even Stiles had to put extra energy into his steps to keep up with his best friend.
Together they made it through the house and up the stairs, past the landing that divided the two wings from the main house and straight toward the alpha’s wing. Isaac and his mates had been placed in the closest rooms to Derek and Stiles’. It was the farthest point from the middle of the manor but it took them seconds to arrive at the open door.
Lydia and Allison were already there with the twins. Isaac was lying in one of guest beds in the alpha wing, his body propped up by multiple pillows. Both women were holding his hands and Lydia fled from the wolf’s side when she saw Scott’s shaking form in the door.
“He’s having contractions. His body is trying to ready him for birth, but he obviously can’t have a natural birth so it’s straining his body more than it would for a woman.” Lydia explained, wringing her hands as she anxiously looked between their alpha mom and his favorite pup.
“Call Deaton and get Melissa in here immediately. If you could also get my Dad and Chris that would be great.” The twins left the room to get the others and Lydia was already pulling her phone from her pocket and dialing their emissary. Stiles was a very powerful druid, a natural gift due to his spark, but he would need Deaton’s knowledge to help Isaac have a safe birth.
“What’s happening?” Derek arrived and the rest of the pack seemed to be right behind him.
“Cora go get towels and water, I can heat it here. Maria tell the other packs that everything is okay, Isaac is just going into labor. Take Danny and Jackson with you so you can spread the word faster.”
“What do you need from me?” Derek asked. He had a slightly panicked expression on his face that Stiles had learned from experience meant he was feeling useless and wanted so desperately to help. Stiles did the only thing that he knew would take the look away quickly and gave his mate a short, hard kiss.
“Stay with Allison. We’re going to need you in the room for the spell to work, but right now I need enough room to set up. Melissa will let you know if you can help any other way.”
Their resident nurse and soon to be grandmother appeared as if on cue, her eyes full of worry. “Technically I’ve done this before, but not quite like this.”
“Well you’re in luck because that is still more experience than we have.” Stiles tried for humor, but fell a bit short of the mark.
“Where is Deaton?” Scott growled, the wolf in him taking over more. He was taking as much of Isaac’s pain as he could and Derek helped intermittently, but their bodies were not handled to take it. Isaac’s own body could only handle the phantom contractions of muscles that he didn’t even have because of the magic coursing through his veins that had made this entire ordeal possible.
“He said he’ll be here in ten minutes. John and Chris are also going to be here soon.” Lydia spoke as she walked back into the room. “Do you want me to go find Danny again? We’re going to need him.”
“Thank you, Lyds. When everyone is done with the tasks that I sent them on have them wait together. The gardens might be the best. I don’t want this room over crowded.” She nodded to her alpha’s mate and left the room again in search of Danny and the rest of the pack.
“You’re handling this remarkably well. I can’t see why you needed my help.” Deaton’s soft voice was teasing as the mysterious man entered the room.
“Oh thank god.” Stiles huffed out, his hands beginning to shake and his voice growing unsteady. “Do you know how difficult it is to be brave and calm when you have no clue what the fuck you’re doing?”
“My grandbaby better not hear swears as their first word.” Melissa threatened from her place by the bed as Isaac screamed his way through another contracting.
“They’re getting closer together.” Allison warned and all humor fell from Deaton’s face.
“Alright then, as soon as Danny arrives we can start.” Deaton set down the bag on his arm and began to take out runes and necessary ingredients for the spell. They would be doing a cesarean section or at least as close to one as they could. Isaac’s body had allowed itself to carry the child through magic and it would take similar magic for the birth. Danny, Allison, and Stiles would act as the three parts of the pact to anchor the spell as it took three parts of the pack to create the magic necessary to conceive the child. Deaton represented magic in its pure form and together they would see the baby to a healthy birth.
“Alright, I’m here. Are we ready to start?” Danny slipped into the room looking more calm than he felt through the pack bond, but Stiles was glad for the show. His demeanor set the tone for the room and building panic subsided.
“Good, into the positions that we practiced.” Deaton instructed and the three each took up a side of the bed.
Scott was remaining on the bed right at Isaac’s side while Allison sat behind him, her arms holding on to his sides to keep him physically anchored to the spell and to herself. Stiles stood to the right, beside Scott, and Derek stayed right behind him while Danny stood opposite them to the left of the bed. Deaton and Melissa took up the available space at the foot of the bed and they were ready to begin. The spell itself was extremely complicated and for that Deaton would be doing nearly all of the work on his own. Stiles was the second most skilled druid in the room. He needed the older man’s guidance through the spell even though in raw power he surpassed Deaton’s own abilities.
Deaton and Melissa laid out the necessary runes while the emissary began to chant in an ancient tongue that Stiles was sure only Lydia would have understood. The air in the room seemed to shift, the magic taking hold. The spell was meant to create the surgical cut that would allow Melissa to follow through with a relatively routine cesarean birth. Stiles’ hand naturally found Scott’s as the former alpha sat between him and Isaac. Danny was taking Allison’s hand on the other side, keeping every member in the room rooted to the spell.
The last words of the chant had only just left Deaton’s mouth when a cut began to run across Isaac’s swollen belly. They needed to perform the spell because unlike in a natural pregnancy, Melissa would have had no idea where exactly an incision had to be made and this way also allowed Isaac’s body to not heal the cut right away. With the real magic done, Melissa took charge acting every bit the professional until the moment that she lifted her crying grandson up, the pride clear in her watery eyes.
Melissa brought the baby to the side of the room where they had set up a cleaning station while Deaton began the chant to reverse the spell, allowing the cut to heal normally. It also righted the boy’s body so any changes it might have suffered while accommodating a baby it was never meant to carry would be reversed. By the time that Melissa was done cleaning and swaddling her grandson, Isaac’s body had returned to its normal fit shape.
“Isaac, say hello to your son.” Melissa beamed as she handed the small baby to his mother.
“What will you name him?” Deaton asked, having procured a birth certificate from places where Stiles prefered not to think about. There emissary had connections everywhere and it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that he had pulled a few strings to get a legal document for them that would have taken much longer for the pack to accomplish on their own.
“Camden, after my older brother.” Isaac spoke through the biggest smile that anyone had ever seen on his face.
“Camden Christopher McCall. We wanted to make sure all of his parents are represented.” Allison said just as her father and John walked through the door.
“You’re naming him after me?” Chris walked to the bed cautiously as if he wasn’t sure if he was invited. He was pack in all but name and they had offered him to take him in officially many times, but the past was hard to forget and he still seemed unsure if he was truly welcomed.
“I am naming him after the most loving, bravest man I know.” Allison removed herself from her mate to pull her father into a hug. “Come meet your grandson.” While not biologically her child, any magical creature would be able to smell her scent or feel her magical presence in her child.
“I would like to officially welcome him to the pack in front of all of its members tonight, if it’s not too soon.” Derek defered to Scott both as the child’s other father and as his second.
“It would be an honor.” Scott said the traditional words as if he meant it will all of his heart and he and Derek clasped hands briefly before the happy father returned to fawn over his son.
Danny, Stiles, and Derek fell back to let Isaac have some space as his mates’ very happy parents crowd them. Their happy moment was very short-lived.
“Excuse me?” A small voice from the doorway made the three turn to face Hannah. She looked scared and Stiles was at her side instantly.
“What’s the matter, sweetie?”
“I know it’s not a good time, but we got contact from Jason via the message boards. It’s not good.”
“Show me.” Hannah lead him to the small library near the alpha’s suite and right to a laptop. Derek and Danny were at his side in an instant and the three crowded the small screen. Jason often checked in online rather than on the phone, it was much easier to right off a teenager surfing the web and they used that to their advantage. He did not often check in so frequently as too many messages would seem suspicious.
I’ve been found out. Send help.
“We should have never sent him.” Stiles cursed and began to pace the room. “We have to go, now.”
“We have to think about this, Stiles. It’s obviously a trap.” Danny reasoned and was leveled with a furious glare.
“We are not leaving that boy.”
“Of course not, but we do need a plan.” Derek cut in to stop the fight that they had no time for. “We will call a pack meeting first and discuss this. Then we have all of the alphas and their packs join us for a final decision. We will get him back, Stiles, but we need a plan.”
His mate’s words were a magic all their own and Stiles immediately calmed. He could still feel panic threatening to squeeze his lungs until it would be too hard to breath, but his mind stopped racing and his heart along with it. He knew without a doubt that they were going to get Jason back home safe, but it was going to take all of their exhaustible resources to not only find the boy, but also to bring down Andrea and her ragtag organization.
“We will bring him home, I promise.” Derek whispered as he pulled his mate closer. “We have always been able to accomplish what we’ve set out to do, why would we stop now?”
The sun was just beginning to rise on the balcony when one of the smaller boys came to Andrea’s side. She could feel his nervous energy upsetting the air. She knew that some of the younger, newer recruits were afraid of her. It was the price she had to pay to keep the reputation necessary to pull this entire scheme off. She beckoned the boy closer, satisfied when he obeyed without questions.
“I have word from Christian. They sent the message to the Hale Pack.”
“Good.” Andrea turned to face the boy. He seemed more confident by her answer and he lifted his head to look her in the eyes.
“Are we sure that they are going to take the bait?”
Andrea motioned for him to come to her. She held his small body to her side, her chin resting on his dirty blond hair. He was younger than most, only eleven, and he hadn’t taken to their lifestyle as well as others, but he was growing to accept her as a parent figure. “Because, my dear, for all that they may be, that monstrous pack is lead by a strong-willed boy who looks after each member like his own child. Are there any lengths that I would not go for you?”
“No.”
“Exactly. Neither will they. Come on now, we have a war to win.” She drew the boy up besides her as they reentered the house. There was very little time left and she would not lose her family to the same monsters who destroyed it to begin with. She would win this war at any cost necessary.