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“Where is he,” Stiles immediately demanded to know as he barged into the clinic.
“In here,” Deaton called and then promptly excused himself when Stiles came into the room.
Deucalion was backed into a corner, eyes burned and red, unseeingly flitting through the room and Stiles’ heart clenched.
He should have been there.
“It’s okay,” he said lowly as he walked closer to Deucalion. “It’s just me.”
When Stiles tried to reach out for Deuc he flinched away, and Stiles immediately took a few steps back, clamping down on his bond to Deucalion, not wanting to let the hurt he felt filter through. Deuc was already in enough pain.
“He said the same,” Deucalion hissed at him and Stiles frowned.
“Who? Marko? Where is he?”
Deucalion’s second should have been here with him.
“Dead and buried, I hope,” Deuc spat out.
“What? What happened?” Stiles asked, concerned and took a step towards Deucalion again.
“When he realized that I was blind, he tried to attack me,” Deucalion told him and Stiles cursed.
He had trusted Marko, they both had, and having him backstab them like this hurt a whole lot.
“Where is he? I’m gonna wrangle his neck until he stops breathing, I swear to god,” Stiles cursed and a small pained smile flitted over Deucalion’s face.
“Ennis took him. He stopped him,” Deucalion explained and Stiles nodded.
“Okay, alright, that’s a problem for later,” he decided and then walked towards Deucalion again.
“Can I touch you?” he asked, waiting a few steps away for his alpha to give his permission.
“Yeah,” Deuc said after a few tense seconds and Stiles crossed the distance between them, hands raising up to carefully, softly touch the skin around Deucalion’s eyes.
“Can you heal them?” Deuc asked, no real hope in his voice.
He knew the extend of Stiles powers, sometimes even better than he himself did.
“No,” Stiles regretfully told him though it didn’t come as a surprise to Deucalion.
He slumped forward, head resting on Stiles’ shoulder and he took a few deep breaths.
Stiles pushed his fingers through his hair before he rested them at his neck, pressing his nose into Deuc’s temple.
“Ellie and James are here,” he whispered and Deucalion immediately tensed in him arms.
“I don’t want to see them. They’ll try to take my power from me as well. They’ll think I’m weak.”
Stiles gently pushed him away, so that he could look at Deuc.
“They won’t, and you know it. They are your family; they can feel that you’re hurt and confused and they worry. And you’re not weak. You’re vulnerable right now, but that’s what you have me for. They won’t hurt you.”
“I thought the same about Marko,” Deucalion said through clenched teeth and Stiles didn’t even wonder if the rage he felt was his own or a projection from Deucalion because it didn’t matter.
He would kill Marko, if it wasn’t already done, and he would feel no remorse.
You don’t just turn on your alpha in their time of need. That was not what pack was about.
“He won’t be a problem for long,” Stiles promised him and Deuc smiled at him, despite his pain and injuries.
Stiles really wished the butterflies would stop at one point.
“Don’t leave?” Deucalion asked him and Stiles twined their fingers together.
“I won’t leave, but they won’t hurt you,” Stiles told him. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Not again, he didn’t say because they both knew it.
Stiles should have been there, should have protected his alpha, his partner, his mate, like it was his duty and not follow a false trail into the preserve. He would beat himself up for a long time over this.
“I love you,” Deucalion whispered and kissed a path down from Stiles forehead over his temple until he could reach his lips.
Stiles smiled and brought a hand up to cup Deuc’s cheek in it. He would have loved to hear those words under any circumstances, but these, though he knew it didn’t lessen the truth in it. He had just pictured something more romantic than this, somehow.
“I love you, too,” he gave back, readily meeting Deuc’s lips and they only separated when there was a knock at the door.
“As great as it is to see you like this,” Ellie started, “our alpha is in serious need of some cuddles from more than just his emissary.”
“And partner,” Stiles indignantly said and James laughed at him.
“Whatever, Spark. Stop hogging his attention, he needs some wolves around,” and before Stiles could stop either of them they were both smothered in hugs.
Stiles bit his lips so he didn’t say ‘I told you so’ but going by the huff Deucalion let out, he heard it anyway.
He didn’t let go of Stiles, but he also readily reciprocated the physical affection his pack bestowed upon him and Stiles squeezed his hand.
They would deal with Marko and Deucalion’s new situation and they would be stronger for it. That was what pack did after all.