Chapter Text
The Stilinskis had arrived from the southern territories. They said they were packless but it was obvious they had been escaping Deucalion. The younger one stank of Deucalion's touch and Talia wouldn't send them back. It's not like she wasn't aware that the old alpha had an eye on her territories and a confrontation would happen sooner or later. If anything, seeing one of their own in her pack could prove to be in her advantage.
The older Stilinski had been trained as a "peacekeeper", which is what Deucalion called those that did his dirty work for him. He was a strong beta and was put to work as a bodyguard of one of their pack's healers, Melissa, who was often out in the woods looking for medicinal plants.
The younger Stilinski was an omega who seemed afraid to talk or move. It angered Talia to see that Deucalion could treat a young wolf in such a manner that he would be reduced to act like prey among his own kind.
Omegas instinctively liked to care for their pack, so they were often seen cooking or doing housework. More conservative packs would insist that omegas do only that but Talia and her husband were more forward thinking. They had two omegas in their hunting party and her own alpha daughter, Laura, was training to be a healer rather than a warrior. So the younger Stilinski (Stiles, as his father called him, his real name was apparently a touchy issue) was left to find what work made him comfortable.
It was Cora who noticed how Stiles would look at books from the corner of his eye and then look down, afraid.
"You know you can just ask for one, right?" she said with an easy smile. They were having breakfast without any of the adults. Stiles needed rest to recover from his time in Deucalion's company and Cora had been taking care of him since his first night at their manor.
"I wouldn't really know what to do with it," he answered, not looking up from his plate.
"Come on, if you want you can read any of the books in the library."
"No, I couldn't," he muttered. "I couldn't read any of them."
Cora looked at him questioningly. "You can't read?"
"I…" Stiles began, shaking a little. "I know the basics. My old alpha didn't think it was necessary for me to learn."
"Well, then we'll start with something simple," Cora said, grinning. "And tomorrow we'll go to Deaton's and see about getting you a tutor."
The face of pure shock in Stiles' face was the best thing Cora had seen from him until he saw his look of pure joy at being able to hold a book, open it, turn the pages, smell the paper. Stiles was a full year older than Cora but he still acted like a puppy as Cora guided him through reading Goodnight Moon.
The next day they visited Deaton, who saw Stiles' natural curiosity around the lab and decided to take him on as an apprentice.
"First you'll need to get up to speed in your reading and natural sciences studies," he said off handedly. "Isaac will help you with that. He's around your age so you should get along fine. I expect you to work extra hard to catch up with him."
From then on Stiles would rise with the sun, have a quick breakfast and be off to Deaton's lab before anyone in the Hale manor was even awake. Isaac lived with Deaton so he was already working when he arrived. Stiles made quick progress, and soon Deaton had him learning how to work simple magic.
It was in the middle of a lesson that they heard a commotion in town. Isaac seemed to hear something and he smiled widely running to the door.
"It's Scott!" he yelled. "He's back!"
Stiles looked at Deaton, confused.
"Haven't you heard of him? I'd imagined Isaac wouldn't stop talking about his best friend."
"I guess? He mentions a lot of people," Stiles answered, apologetically. "Can I go see?"
Deaton smiled and nodded and Stiles walked out to find a small group of people coming up the street. People greeted them happily and lots of people came out of their houses to see them. He was slowly walking towards them when his eyes met with a boy around his age. Since Isaac was hugging him, he assumed it was Scott. His smile was instant and bright and Stiles felt himself stop and blush.
Scott walked up to him, Isaac at his side and a tall man behind him.
"Hey, Stiles right? Isaac here was telling me about you. So you escaped Deucalion?"
At the mention of the name Stiles looked around him, as if the mention of his name would summon him. He felt the need to bolt, hide, but he was only two steps away when he felt strong arms catch him and tighten around him.
"You're fine. Calm down. You're fine," the voice was calming, firm. Stiles both wanted to run away from it and curl right there in those arms and believe it. "Breathe with me."
It took a couple of moments, but soon Stiles found himself breathing deeply alongside the person holding him. He finally was able to look up and see the man that was standing behind Scott. His eyes were a mixture of blue, green and gray and he found himself staring at them for perhaps a bit too long.
He was brought back to reality by someone clearing his throat, he looked past the large man to see Scott smiling at him. "Yeah, he seems like a total grump but as you can see he's a huge teddy bear."
"Shut up," the man said, more amused than annoyed. "I'm Derek, by the way."
"Stiles," he answered. "I'm sorry about that. It's…" his voice faded but neither of them pressed him on.
"We need to report to Talia so we'll leave you two bookworms to get back to Deaton," Scott said. "Come on Derek, I'm sure your mom is eager to see her favorite puppy."
"Wow, that joke never gets old," Derek said, flat. He turned to see Stiles. "You're gonna be ok?"
Stiles nods. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I-"
"Nothing to be sorry about. See you around."
Stiles saw them both walk away alongside a couple other wolves around Scott's age. He walked back to Deaton's and spent the rest of the afternoon reading a text Isaac had chosen for him to practice on. He was immensely happy to see he was given more and more difficult texts to read, but he was also a tad jealous of Isaac. While Stiles played catch-up, Isaac was being taught higher magics by Deaton.
A messenger came by a few hours later and Deaton told him to get ready to leave.
"Where are we going?" Stiles asked.
"The Lords want us all present at dinner tonight," Deaton explained. "You have to go back so you can wash yourself before that. Isaac and I will be there after sundown."
Stiles nodded and did as he was told. He walked slowly, looking around several stores and buying a couple of trinkets. When he arrived at the manor Cora received him.
"Finally!" She said, pulling him over to his bedroom. On his bed a new set of clothes had been laid out for him. It was a soft cotton shirt and black pants.
"Wash and change," Cora said. "I need to fix up myself for dinner tonight."
"Does Alpha Talia always receive your brother like this?" Stiles asked.
"No, but Derek and his mate have been gone for weeks and they brought back great news," she said, beaming. "It will be a small affair, really. Mom, just wants it to feel special."
"Well, thanks for including me," Stiles said, voice low.
Cora smiled sweetly at him and left. By the time Stiles was washed and dressed the sun was already setting and he could hear many servants busy in the kitchen. He walked downstairs and saw Derek and Scott talking in hushed tones in one of the waiting rooms.
"Stiles," Scott said, standing up and greeting him with a hug. "So nice to see you again."
"My pleasure, my lord," Stiles answered and Scott rolled his eyes. "No, please, call me Scott."
"Feeling better," Derek asked. He was standing behind Scott.
"Yeah, sorry about earlier," Stiles said.
"Nothing to be sorry about," Derek stated. "Will you join us for refreshments outside? I've been dying to see the sunset from our land ever since we left."
Stiles nodded and Derek took his hand and led him outside, Scott walking on Derek's other side. They asked Stiles a few questions about his life before coming to Hale territories but stopped when they saw how uncomfortable that made him.
"Don't bother him so much," Derek said. They sat in amiable silence as they watched the sun set.
"It's beautiful," Stiles said.
"Yes," Scott said, echoed by Derek, and when he turned to look at them they were looking directly at him. He blushed.
"You haven't told me of your travels," Stiles said.
"We can tell you now but mom will have us repeat everything at dinner," Derek said. "What I can tell you is that I'm amazed at Scott's stamina. We would ride for a whole day and still we would ride each other before going to sleep."
Stiles widened his eyes.
Scott laughed as he finished a glass of wine. "Don't scandalize him," he admonished, kissing Derek's cheek afterwards.
"I thought you wanted me to-"
Derek's words are cut off by a hungry kiss from Scott. Stiles shifts in his seat, trying not show discomfort, or stare. He wished he could have something like what Derek and Scott had in each other.
"Must be nice, being mates," Stiles said. Scott nodded and Derek looked away, blushing.
"I wish I could be allowed to mate," Stiles went on.
"Why wouldn't you be?" Scott asked, confused.
"I'm an impure omega," Stiles answered, just as confused. He thought that much was clear.
Derek frowned and Scott rolled his eyes. "Please don't tell me that you think Talia would forbid you to mate just because you're not a virgin," Scott pleads.
"Why would anyone want-"
"Stop," Scott said, stepping towards him. "Having sex is just that, Stiles. Maybe in your old pack claiming was done with sex, but here it's different."
"So Derek wasn't your first?" Stiles asks.
Scott blushes. "Well, yeah. But I wasn't his. And it doesn't matter, I decided to claim Derek as my mate because I love him, not because he was my first."
"But he's a beta," Stiles says. "Betas are allowed to breed-"
"Oh my god," Scott again interrupted him. "No one in our pack is for breeding, Stiles. Not omegas, not betas, not alphas. What did you think? That we were waiting to breed you with someone as an unpaired omega."
Stiles looks down, embarrassed. "No, I thought that Alpha Talia had decided to school me because she didn't want me breeding with any of her pack."
"Well, stop thinking that," Scott admonished. "Talia didn't choose to school you, you chose to go learn with Deaton from what I hear."
"And mom doesn't force or forbid couples from having children like other alphas," Derek adds.
"Sorry," Stiles says hastily, hearing Derek's angry tone. "I'm really sorry to have offended you."
Scott sighs deeply and frowns at Derek. "You scared him."
Derek frowns and rolls his eyes. "I'm sorry, Stiles, I didn't mean to go off like that."
Stiles nods, not really understanding why Derek had felt the need to apologize. Thankfully he's spared any more thoughts by a servant announcing that they're expected in the main dining room.
Scott takes his hand this time, and Derek walks beside him, apologizing one more time before reaching the dining room. A long, large wooden table is set. Alpha Talia sits at the head, her husband to her right and Laura to her left. Next to Laura Derek and Scott sit down, followed by Cora and Melissa. Next to Talia's husband, Deaton, Isaac, Stiles and his father take their places.
Dinner lasts for several hours, as Laura and Cora ask Scott and Derek a lot of questions about their trip. Talia is pleased to know that the truce with neighboring packs is strong, and Deucalion is being pressured further south and losing territory constantly.
"We should be on the ready for an attack, though," Scott says. "Word is Deucalion wants our territory and revenge for the theft of his mate."
Stiles pales at the words and his father instantly lays a hand on his shoulder to calm him. The whole table grows quiet and Scott looks at him.
"You're Deucalion's mate?" he snarls eyes glowing red.
"Scott," Talia warns him before turning to Stiles. "I already knew this, Stiles. His smell was very obvious on you."
"I'm sorry Alpha Talia," Stiles says, getting off his chair and on his knees. "I can leave tonight just please take care of my father."
"Stiles, stand up," Talia says using he most authoritative tone. Stiles hurries to obey, but won't dare look at her in the eye.
"Look at me, Stiles."
It takes a lot of strength, but he does.
"I didn't receive you into my manor to have you treat me like the monster your last alpha and mate was," she says, her tone still stern. "We received you and your father with open arms not out of pity, but because I felt you would strengthen our pack."
"I'm just an omega, what can I-"
"You've got a great knack for wards," Isaac interrupts him.
Deaton chuckles beside him.
"Sit," Talia orders, and Stiles does as he's told. "Now, Scott, I believe you were about to share some ideas as to how we can prepare from an attack from Deucalion."
Scott tells his ideas to Talia, who simply nods every once in a while as she eats. Once he's finished Talia looks at him again. "And about your territory?"
"Derek and I found a great area near the beach," he says. "We would also help keep the area southwest better guarded."
"Near the beach?" Talia's husband asked. "You would have to protect against storms. They hit much harder there."
Scott nods. "Yeah, but with Boyd and Erica as head builders we should be fine. We're going back after the rainy season to look for a place where we can settle."
"Settle?" Stiles' dad asks. "Your alpha is giving you permission to settle away from the main pack?"
Scott nods. "It will take some years before we actually have a place where we can comfortably live, but yeah. This pack's getting too big for all of us."
"We still have to talk about hunting grounds," Talia reminds him. "Since the beach is calling to you maybe you should ask the foxes up north to teach you how to fish."
Stiles and his dad are speechless as the other talk. Only once had a wolf in their pack dared to suggest a break from the main pack. It had not been a pretty sight to watch. Talia and her husband, on the other hand, are making sure Scott and his mate can build a strong pack.
After dinner, Scott asks Stiles to follow him to the library. Once there Scott takes his hands and kisses them.
"I'm sorry for my outburst," he says.
"I didn't tell you," Stiles says, cheeks flushing at Scott's gesture and proximity. "Please don't do that, Lord Derek might see."
"I might see what?" Derek says, appearing from the doorway. Stiles tries to pull his hands away but Scott grasps them tightly.
"Scott," Derek says, approaching.
"Derek," Scott says back, smirking.
Without letting go of Stiles, Scott kisses Derek. Stiles looks away, embarrassed and turned on at the same time.
"Stiles," Scott says, and when the omega looks at him he sees that Derek is plastered to Scott's side, looking playfully at him.
"Derek and I would like to court you," Scott says.
Stiles opens his mouth to say something but stops as the words register. "What?"
"Derek and I," Scott repeats slowly, bringing his hand up to kiss it again. "Would like to court you," he offers Stiles' hand to Derek, who also kisses it tenderly.
"My father-"
"We will ask for your father's permission if you want us to," Scott interrupts him.
Stiles looks from Scott's dark brown eyes to Derek's light blue ones and he almost believes he's dreaming for a second. But Scott's hand holding his and Derek's hopeful gaze are real.
"I-" Stiles says. "Is this only because you need an omega for your new pack?"
Derek frowns but Scott rolls his eyes. "Stiles, if all we wanted was an omega we could ask any omega. We met several in our journey. Derek and I want to try it with you."
"If it doesn't work out," Derek says, placing his hand carefully on Stiles' shoulder. "If for whatever reason you decide you don't want us, we'll break it off and you'll find someone else."
"Things are so different here," Stiles says with a chuckle. That dies quick as he remembers his mating to Deucalion.
"Deucalion hurt me," he says. "A lot."
"And we will kill him for that," Scott says, his eyes shining red.
Stiles shakes his head, his eyes beginning to water. "I mean, he didn't want me enjoying being mated. So, he..."
Scott lets go of his hand and cups Stiles' face. Slowly, his lips near the omega's and Stiles is too stunned to do anything. His eyes are wide, surprised, and Scott pulls back smiling.
"What was that?" Stiles asks, looking down.
"A kiss," Scott says. "Did Deucalion never kiss you?"
Stiles shakes his head again, he feels a larger hand on his cheek and he looks up to see Derek looking at him through half-lidded eyes. The beta kisses him, as fast and innocent as Scott had.
"I think I like kissing," Stiles says, blushing.
"Oh, it gets a lot better," Scott says, wrapping an arm around the omega and kissing him again. Derek's mouth finds Stiles' neck and the surprised noise he makes, half gasp and half moan, makes Scott laugh into their kiss.
"So, I take it he does want you to court him."
The three of them jump almost a foot in the air. Stiles loses his balance and both Scott and Derek fail to keep him up and fall with him. They look up to find Talia smirking at them. Stiles' tries to hide under Derek's arm.
"Um, yeah?" Scott says. "Right, Stiles?"
"If it pleases you, Alpha Talia," Stiles says, voice muffled.
"It does," she says, smiling. Stiles peeks out from where he's hiding and sees Talia wink at him before leaving the library. Once she's gone Scott starts laughing. Derek frowns at him.
"You do know she will bring this up at breakfast, right?"
That shuts Scott up.
"Well, Stiles will be there with us, so who cares?" Scott says.
"Actually, I usually have breakfast at Deaton's. Isaac needs help at the greenhouse from really early in the morning."
Scott's face falls, and now it's Derek who laughs.
They stand up and share a few more chaste kisses before leaving Stiles in his room.
He gets a message around noon the next day. A letter from his dad saying that he has allowed Derek and Scott to court him. He shares the news with Isaac, who's ecstatic to hear them.
"That is awesome!" the blonde boy says. "But no falling behind here," he adds, tone stern.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Stiles says.