Chapter Text
Months had passed since the appearance of the other Stiles. The Nemeton had been quiet since then, only summoning Stiles when he needed help focusing his Spark. The packs had learned a good flow with how to work together when it came to threats to the people of the territory. They had established boundaries between the packs, giving Derek complete control over the preserve while Scott took care of the town.
“Hey, Scott?” Stiles asked, putting his phone between his shoulder and ear.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Scott said.
“I know that we are supposed to hang out tonight, but I’m going to have to push it till tomorrow. Something is going on out here at the preserve and Derek doesn’t think that it’s safe enough for me to leave the packhouse until he has it handled.”
“You know, I would say that he just doesn’t want us to hang out, but I know that he is more protective over you than anyone else. I’m free tomorrow, but I head out to campus for exams after dinner so it will have to be before then.”
“That’s fine. I will let you know when I’m on my way. Love you, man.”
“Love you too.” Stiles hung up his phone and looked down at Shadow. The dog was looking up at him, his head cocked to the side. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not my fault that dad is overprotective. He even left Issac here to protect us.”
“I volunteered. I knew that you would be baking while you wait for the pack to come back and I wanted first dibs,” Issac said, walking into the room.
“Uh-huh, you always want first dibs,” Stiles said, going back to icing the cupcakes he was making.
“No, Shadow does. I know that Derek usually wins, but it doesn’t hurt to try, right?” Issac asked, hopping onto the counter.
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Stiles and Derek were just sitting outside on the porch of the Hale house when Shadow jumped to his feet. Stiles was immediately concerned as the dog’s ears lifted and his tail went rigid.
“Babe?” Derek asked, seeing the way Stiles was watching his familiar.
“He’s smelling something or sensing something. The new moon is messing with me a bit so I’m having a hard time getting an accurate read,” Stiles said, gripping his husband’s hand tightly in his.
Derek closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Stiles jumped slightly when he gripped his hand tightly and his claws started to emerge. The Alpha was quick to rein himself back in and get control of his shift before opening his eyes.
“Wolves in the preserve. Shadow knows something we don’t, that’s why he hasn’t taken off without us yet,” Derek explained, his eyes still flashing between hazel and red as he looked at his husband.
“Well, let’s go investigate. If they wandered into the preserve, they could be hurt,” Stiles said, standing from the swing.
“Are you sure about this, Stiles?” Derek asked, following his husband down the stairs.
“I’m sure. If it was dangerous, Shadow never would have let me step off the porch. Sometimes it feels like a competition between the two of you, who can be more protective over Stiles.”
Derek shook his head and took Stiles’ hand. They made their way through the woods, following Shadow as he hopped his way through the leaves. He was leading them to whatever he was feeling, so they knew that he would lead them to whatever it was without getting lost.
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Derek knew that they were very close to the next territory by the time Shadow came to a stop. He was still sniffing, so they knew that he was trying to see exactly where the other wolves were. Derek closed his eyes and took a deep breath, scenting the area. He felt his heart drop when he realized why the smell wasn’t triggering a bad reaction in the dog.
“Stiles,” He said, opening his eyes and looking over at his husband.
“Der?” Stiles said, cocking his head to the side.
“It’s pups,” He whispered.
Just then, the smell of ozone was around them. Stiles shook his head when Derek looked at him, only for the smell to dissipate as Shadow walked over to a group of bushes under a tree. The two men walked over and parted the bushes.
“Der…”
Situated in the bushes were two little wolves and a little girl. The little girl briefly flashed a smell of ozone before looking at Shadow.
“Hello there, little ones,” Derek said, kneeling down to their level.
“Are you Alpha Hale?” The little girl asked, looking at Derek.
“I am, this is my mate, Stiles. Can you tell me how you got here?”
“Mean people came to our pack. They were making everyone burn. Mama gave me my brothers and told me to find Alpha Hale. My magic brought me here,” The little girl said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Stiles knelt down and pulled the little girl close. The pups followed suit, curling up in Stiles’ lap as he tried to comfort them all. He looked up at Derek, tears welling up in his eyes.
“Come on, little ones. We will take you somewhere safe and then we will find out what happened to your pack,” Derek said, lifting the two pups from Stiles’ lap before helping his husband stand.
When they got back to the house, Stiles took the children into their bedroom while Derek started making calls. When he finally found someone who knew about the burning of a pack, he made his way into the bedroom. All three children, the pups finally back in human form, were sleeping in the middle of the bed, while Stiles sat on his side and Shadow laid below them.
“Their names are Luna, Max, and Toby. Luna is eight and her brothers are both two. That’s all she would tell me before she fell asleep. I’m surprised she stayed awake as long as she did, it takes a lot to travel people. What did you find out?” Stiles said, looking up at his husband.
“I will tell you in the morning. Do you think we should leave them here for the night?” Derek asked, looking down at the sleeping children.
“I think so. I think they would be afraid if they woke up somewhere new right now.”