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“Stiles, baby, come backstage. We need your help with the new Queen," Sugar says, all brightness and cheer while dragging him backstage, "They’re a little nervous for their first show in about a decade, since it’s been years since they allowed themselves to even indulge themselves this way, much less perform in front of others.”
“Well hello to you too, Sugar. Yes, it’s nice to see you again. I’m doing well, thanks for asking,” he sasses, hurrying after her despite his slight frustration, like she knew that he would, willing to do just about anything for those he cares about.
They were on a time crunch to fix this considering the show starts soon, which is honestly the main reason why he immediately followed her. Sugar only chuckles in response which causes him to roll his eyes, wondering why he’s being summoned for this when they're normally so good at helping new or veteran Queens on their own.
He’s more than happy to help his friends out but it just really doesn’t make sense to him why he’s being brought in for this. Normally it’s just when they need an extra hand for the costumes or big events. Though admittedly he loves being involved behind the scenes and helping his friends whenever he can. It’s really a great escape from all of the other stress in his life.
Going to college and doing most of the work for the Pack gets to be overwhelming at times so this levity, when allowed, is wonderful. The sight that finds him as he’s stepping into the dressing room causes him to stop dead in his tracks, breath catching rather embarrassingly, helplessly gaping at the Wolf, HIS Wolf, dressed to the nines. Eyes tracing over the beauty in front of him, helpless to resist drinking the Wolf in like a man in the desert.
“Hello, darling. I take it you like what you see?” Peter asks teasingly, smirk on his burgundy lips, though there’s a fragility in his eyes, one that is only visible to those that know the Wolf well enough for the walls to thin or come down altogether with those lucky enough for that.
“I’m so mad at you for not telling me about this. I thought we were friends dude. I would have loved to be involved with your first fucking show you dickhead. Yes you look gorgeous like you have any doubt about that. But how dare you not let me help, Big Bad?” he says torn between teasing and offended, striding closer to the Wolf, genuinely not sure how to take the fact that this was kept from him despite their closeness.
“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Peter says, head tilted as if genuinely confused, but there is a teasing in his tone for those that know him well, meaning that while confused by the reaction, the Wolf is well aware what caused it.
“Hale, don’t you pretend not to know why I’m frustrated. We will discuss this later, you won’t get out of this conversation. What is your stage name? So that I actually know when you’re going to perform going forwards. Since you’re clearly not going to tell me yourself like a complete brat.” he says more annoyed than he meant to sound, but genuinely upset about the Wolf not telling him about this when they have been close recently.
“Ivanna Howle, darling… Don’t give me that face. How rude.” Ivanna says with a smirk covering her lips, but there’s a genuine sadness in her eyes at the reaction Stiles is having to the surprise, making Stiles feel a little guilty as well for upsetting her.
“I love it, Ms. Howle. The irony is on point. I can’t wait to see you on the stage. Knowing you it’s going to be quite the show. You’re going to thrive under all that attention, the lights on you, all the people watching you, enthralled with everything you are.” he says teasingly, a knowing smile on his face, enjoying the fact that he knows something the Wolf clearly doesn’t, something that it will take a while for the Wolf to learn.
The look that Ivanna shoots him tears a chuckle out of his throat, helpless to stop it in time. Ignoring the elbow that Sugar shoves into his side, walking closer again to the Wolf. The mischief is easy to read in his eyes and he’s surprised with the genuine confusion in Ivanna’s.
He smirks and shakes his head teasingly, refusing to explain himself to the Wolf. Planning on letting the Were figure it out on her own. More than willing to be a little shit after the way that this was kept from him. Feeling a little vindictive due to the slight against him, purposeful or not.
Since he is genuinely upset with the fact that he wasn’t told at all about this, he would think that they were closer than to hide something like this from each other. So he’s not above getting some petty revenge for the slight. Even knowing that it wasn’t intentional, it still hurts him.
“Are you hitting on me, darling?” Ivanna says strutting to meet him halfway, putting next to no space between them, leaning even closer so their faces are inches apart.
“You would know if I was hitting on you, Big Bad. Just stroking your ego the exact way you like. I know how you get when you’re in your head and exactly how to get you out of that state whenever necessary.” he says simply, tapping the Wolf carefully on the nose, making sure to not mess up her makeup at all.
He smiles in response to the raised eyebrow he gets in return, not willing to bow down to the Wolf. Especially not with the hurt coursing through his veins. Trying valiantly to push the hurt away, knowing that it’s probably just the Wolf wanting to get a bigger reaction out of him. Knowing how much the Were loves getting an intense reaction to his dramatics.
Honestly he wouldn’t assume that this would be one of those times, but clearly it is. Despite all the growth they’ve had both together and apart over the years. He doesn’t quite understand why he wasn’t trusted with this but all he can do is focus on the moment.
Getting the Wolf to confidently go up on the stage is the only thing that matters right now, so he’ll push his own feelings to the side and focus on the task at hand.
“You are going to command that damn stage. You look absolutely stunning and you’re going to steal the show. You are going to leave a lasting impression on every single person in the crowd, just like you’re known to do.” he says firmly, holding eye contact with the Were, laying a hand carefully on the corset covered chest in front of him.
“Thank you, darling.” Ivanna says softly, melting slightly at the encouragement, worry and tension seemingly leaving easily now that praise has been given.
He smirks at the beauty in front of him, quickly darting in to kiss the Wolf on the cheek. Ignoring the surprise coloring Ivanna’s face, since part of the reason he decided to do it was to fully get the Were of her head. He’s fairly sure that it’s going to be exactly what Ivanna needed.
Something that would genuinely shake the beauty out of the funk that she is currently in. He just hopes that it doesn’t do any damage to their friendship, absolutely not wanting to risk that. But for now it’s more important for him to get her feeling better about being back on stage, so that she can take the stage the way she’d want to. He winks in response to the questioning eyebrow he receives, striding out from the area to join the crowd.
Not willing to do anything to get the beauty back in her head and honestly just ready to watch the show. He came here to enjoy himself and damn if he’s going to let anything distract him from that goal. Melting into the crowd happily to dance the night away.
Things, thankfully, have been okay between them since Peter’s first show. He was worried that kissing the Wolf that way would have caused some weirdness between them. It doesn’t matter that it was only on the cheek he still was worried about how it’d be reacted to but seemingly it had no effect on anything, at least not negatively. Honestly they might even be closer than they were before, which is decidedly saying something.
Being asked to help the Were get ready for the Halloween show came as quite a shock after it being hidden from him to begin with. But there was no way that he wasn’t going to be involved as much as he can be. He’s still honestly a little hurt by the fact that it was hidden from him to begin with, but he does understand Peter well enough to know it wasn’t meant to be a slight. The Wolf only wanted to enjoy a dramatic entrance, even if his nerves slightly ruined that.
Since it was bad enough that Sugar felt it was necessary to get him to help ease the anxieties of one of his Pack mates. Knowing that he would be the best option of settling the, his, Wolf down when riled up the way that she was before he got there based on what he was told after.
“Darling, what has you so lost in thought? You’re supposed to be helping me here. But instead you’re stuck in your head.” Ivanna says sassily, but there is an undertone of worry, telling him that he was letting too much show in his chemosignals.
“Sorry, Big Bad. Nothing, I’m here with you now.” he says comfortingly, addressing the hidden worry, no matter how much the Wolf may have wanted him not to notice it, he’s not going to ignore it when he does, even if he won’t just call him out openly about it.
“Is it school?” Ivanna asks, concerned no matter what Stiles said, a crease appearing between the Wolf’s brows.
“It’s really nothing, Ivanna, Peter, whichever you want me to address you by while not quite fully in Ivanna mindset.” he says passively, not wanting to have this conversation right now, turning his attention back to the costume he’s helping the Were with.
“Why are you avoiding this so strongly, darling? Is it me or the Pack? Because those are the only two things that it would make sense for you to avoid talking about this strongly.” Ivanna asks with open concern now, frown covering her pretty lips.
“Big Bad, we can talk about this later. Let me help you get ready and maybe after the show we can talk about it. I just want to help you get ready and watch you kill it on stage, okay? It’s nothing important enough to waste time on right now. Let’s get you ready to slay the stage.” he says affectionately, a small smile curling his lips, loving that he can have this easy rapport with the Wolf after everything they’ve been through.
He can tell based on the look that he’s getting that he will have no choice but to tell her what was on his mind after the show. There is no way out of it, he will not be allowed to avoid it and honestly he’s not all that sure that he would want to avoid it. The last thing he wants to do is anything that could damage their relationship or affect it negatively in any way.
Both of them having worked far too hard on building the closeness that they have to let it fail now. They've been through far too much together for it to be worth throwing it away. So honesty is the best way for them to continue being as close as they are currently.
Meaning he will tell her after the show, just like she wants him to. He would have told her on his own after anyway, he just really would rather not have that conversation while they are once more on a time crunch.
“I appreciate you aiding me, darling. It would have been far too time consuming to do it on my own. So having help definitely is making things go both smoother and quicker than they would have without you being here.” Ivanna says surprisingly affectionately, bright red lips curled into a soft smile.
“Anytime. Seriously I’m always down to be involved. I love having a hand in this, I feel like you should know that by now. Not to mention you are rather nice to look at, in case you weren’t aware. So having a hand in making you even prettier than you already are decidedly isn’t a hardship for me.” he says teasingly, though he truly does mean all that he just said even if he’s trying to act like it’s all teasing.
The reaction he gets is shocking to say the least. The Wolf ducks her head to hide a flush on her cheeks. He made her honest to gods blush and he doesn’t know what to do with that. But oh boy does it make him feel things , honestly, makes him feel powerful too.. Following his instincts, he steps up closer to the Wolf. Tilting her chin up to look him in the eye, he smiles softly at her. Wanting to capture this moment between them forever but not able to convince himself of doing anything stupid to ruin it.
“You are beautiful all the time. You are stunning in and out of drag. Look at me. You are gorgeous no matter what. I swear to you that is the truth.” he says firmly, seeing the reaction for what it is, understanding that the Wolf is still feeling the weight of everything that’s gone on for the last decade, at the minimum.
Ivanna doesn’t verbally respond, but he knows exactly what she’s saying when she melts into him. Scenting each other for a few moments, both needing the closeness even if just for a little while. Just soaking in each other’s presence until they calm down, knowing that this is what they both need. Though sooner than maybe either of them would like they separate to finish getting Ivanna ready for the Halloween show. Not wanting to ruin this night for Ivanna by making her late.
Especially not after accidentally knocking one of her walls down, leaving her more exposed than she’d probably like. So he goes about getting her ready to command the stage the way that he just knows she will, that’s just who his Wolf is. Truly he’s loving seeing this side of her, no matter how unexpected it had been, it’s been wonderful learning about her. Ivanna and Peter may technically be the same person, but there is quite a stark difference between the two as well. Ivanna is more open, more free, more at peace if he’s being honest.
It’s truly a beautiful thing to watch; his Wolf coming into her own, thriving under the lights. The change in Peter because of allowing Ivanna to exist once more has been rather surprising. The weight that always seems to be weighing Peter down is no longer as heavy, clearly, after letting Ivanna out amongst the real world, letting others meet her as well instead of just keeping her inside his head. Honestly it really affects him to see how much change has come about.
“Gods, you really are just too damn pretty. ” he mumbles to himself more than he means to actually say it to Ivanna, a little too lost in thought still to think through what is coming out of his mouth.
“Are you hitting on me this time?” Ivanna asks carefully, clearly torn about how to respond to that, causing Stiles to smirk teasingly, causing even more confusion for the Wolf on purpose, maybe more than he should have.
“Is that something you would want, baby?” he asks softly, torn between genuine and teasing, unsure how far to push this, but needing to test the waters even if only slightly, wondering if there is a chance of more.
“I… I don’t know… But it really feels like you are…” Ivanna responds with a voice barely above a whisper, clearly unsure how to handle this situation, which sends a thrill through Stiles that is maybe not the kindest reaction he could have.
“Would that make me the Big Bad Wolf to your Little Red Riding Hood, baby? You really do look beautiful in red. I still can’t believe you chose this for your Halloween costume but gods does it look fantastic on you.” he says honestly, unable to hold the words back, feeling like maybe he’s allowed to flirt more openly even if it means nothing to the Wolf, hand unconsciously gripping her waist, helpless to resist the draw between them.
“Do you think you could actually handle that, darling? Being my Big Bad Wolf?” Ivanna asks breathily, sending a thrill through Stiles at causing that reaction in her with just a little more blatant flirting.
“If that’s what you wanted from me, I know that I could handle that. I feel like you shouldn't doubt that by now. I mean I’ve been the Alpha of our Pack for years now, even before it had become official, so there’s really no other answer I could give to that question other than yes, of course I could handle that.” he responds firmly, pulling the Wolf closer, potentially crossing a line that might not be the best idea, but feeling bold enough to try.
“While that may be true, do you really think you could handle ME ? Not the Pack, I know that you are a good Alpha by this point, but that’s a whole different beast than keeping up with me that way. I don’t know if you know this or not but I’m, probably, more than a little high maintenance.” Ivanna says flirtily, tone crossing the line of teasing to genuine flirting, another line trampled between them heedless to the outcome.
“I know I could, baby, I don’t know if you remember this, but you were the first one to treat me as your Alpha, long before the others if we’re being honest. I’m more than capable of keeping up with you and maintaining you the way you need. Don’t you know that by now?” he answers honestly, showing maybe just a little too much of his feelings for his Wolf, but helpless to resist the moment, no matter the outcome.
“You seem rather confident about that, maybe I should take your ego down a peg, show you just how high maintenance I’d be when it comes to…” Ivanna starts, voice cutting off abruptly at the appearance of Sugar in the dressing room.
“Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time to go on stage, Ivanna, go join the crowd, Stiles.” Sugar commands, causing waves of frustration in both of them, but the two separate like they were asked to.
He can’t resist resenting Sugar for breaking the moment, well aware that there won’t be another chance to cross lines for a while. Making him more than a little frustrated despite himself, wanting to have been able to see where it could go. But he also knows that it probably isn’t time for them to take those kinds of steps, not while things are so fragile between them, not when the Pack is far too interested in their interactions.
They need to be absolutely positive in what they want out of this before they actually cross too many lines… He may think of Peter and Ivanna as His Wolf, but that doesn’t mean that it’s reciprocated. Flirting is all well and good, but crossing the lines that can’t be crossed again is probably not the best thing for them to do right now. Maybe, just maybe, in time they will be able to cross those lines, but now is just not the time for it.
While yes he’s sure about his feelings, despite the way he tries so hard to hide them, he’s not sure that his Wolf feels the same way about him, about them, about what they could be if they allowed themselves to. Doing his best to push that away for the moment, he focuses on the Queen on the stage, hoping to distract himself. Finally, after longer than he’d like, he loses himself in the performances, loving the show just as much as he normally does.
Arriving far too close to the start of the show for comfort, he and Peter race to get the Wolf ready to go on stage, to become Ivanna. Leaving the Pack to wait in the crowd for the show to start, not caring about them when they have to rush to get the Wolf ready to perform. Thankfully magic, his magic, did most of the clean up, leaving them only to get her dressed and made up.
Luckily, the nails, they had charmed so that they would survive the fight, since as much as he made fun of the names of the polishes he really does love how they look. Mind wandering to that conversation, heedless to the fact that he doesn’t really have the time to be distracted.
‘You… Wait a second… You mean to tell me that you chose these polishes for your nails?” he asks incredulously, barely holding back the jokes he wants to make, trying to be kind.
‘Yes and the problem is what, Stiles?!’ Peter responds frustratedly, seemingly genuinely upset with the response.
‘Honey, you chose nail polishes named size matters and well prepared and honestly expect me not to make jokes about that?’ he asks honestly, chuckles breaking through slightly, leaving him no escape from Peter’s glare.
‘It’s just the truth if I’m being honest. I mean do you think you’d have a problem living up to that? Is that why you’re being so insecure?’ Peter asks sassily, tone torn between teasing and upset.
‘Oh trust me, that would not be a problem, but it’s still quite a funny name for nail polishes.’ he responds more seriously than he has intended, a little offended at the insinuation that he would have trouble pleasing his Wolf, despite how harshly he’s trying to push it away, figures that Peter would be a size queen though.
‘Hmmm. Whatever you say, darling. I’ll believe it when I see it…’ Peter responds rather flirtatiously, clearly feeling surprisingly bold.
Shaking the memory off he drags himself back to the moment, knowing they don’t actually have the time to waste on him getting lost in his own thoughts. The fight really cutting into the time they would normally have to get Peter/Ivanna ready for the show. Cursing the Big Bad of the week for getting in the way of their routine, but honestly not all that surprised that it’d happen the first time that they are showing the Pack Ivanna, it just makes sense that it’d happen this way.
“Gods, I can’t believe this is the time that this happens. The first time I’m sharing this part of myself with the Pack. Of course I won’t get to show them when I’m at my best, I never should have expected any different.” Peter complains rather brokenly, clearly genuinely upset by the course of events after all the work that they put into planning the perfect performance for the first time the Pack meets Ivanna.
“Hey, look at me right now. You are going to blow them away, no matter what, you are absolutely stunning and a slight delay is not going to change that. I will not allow you to be mean to yourself about this, I fucking refuse. You are going to strut out there with your beautiful head held high and slay the stage like you always do. Do you understand me?!” he says firmly, cutting through the spiral that Peter threw himself into, not allowing his Wolf to lose himself, not before this performance, knowing that it would break his Wolf’s heart to mess up this show, with the entire Pack in the crowd.
“But…” Peter starts to argue, but Stiles isn’t going to allow that, not about this.
“Baby, I need you to shut your mouth and listen to me. You will not allow your nerves to ruin this for you. I will not allow that to happen. We worked hard to get to this point and I refuse to allow some godsdamn Harpy to fucking ruin it. So pull yourself together and own that godsdamn stage like you know that you are capable of, do you understand me?” he responds firmly, not giving the Wolf space to argue against him, not about this.
“Do you really think that I can do this?” Peter asks far too timidly for Stiles’ comfort.
“I don’t think you can, I know you can do it, baby. There is no doubt in my mind. You can and will do this, okay?” he responds firmly, doing what he can to nip the insecurity in the bud, hoping that it doesn’t grow beyond what it is currently.
“You promise?” Peter asks softly, averting his eyes, trying to hide the vulnerability, despite knowing that it’ll do no good.
“I swear on my mother’s grave, baby. You can and will do it. I know you and what you are capable of, don’t you doubt me, you know me better than to believe that I’m wrong about this.” he says firmly, tipping the Wolf’s head to make eye contact once more, needing him to see the truth in his eyes.
“Okay… Yeah… You’re right… I trust you. You’ll stay close for this performance right?” Peter asks hopefully, knowing that Stiles will agree no matter how much he prefers being in the crowd with the others.
He nods easily, knowing that it’s in his best interest to just agree, his presence nearby will comfort the Wolf enough to get into and stay in the Ivanna mindset despite his anxieties. Understanding just how serious the Wolf is taking this situation, how much the Pack’s reaction to this part of him will affect his self worth. More than aware of that fact after the conversation they had while shopping for the dress for this show..
‘Absolutely not. The entire pack will be there. I'm not a common whore showing off my clavicles and neck!’ Peter protests the beautiful purple gown with a deep plunge on the chest and back that he picked out for the Wolf to try on.
‘You've been completely naked walking around them several times this week.’ he responds incredulously, unable to comprehend what is going on in his Wolf’s head this time, confused with the strict rules.
‘No low cut dresses, that's final.” Peter responds firmly, glaring slightly, leaving Stiles maybe even more confused than before.
He understands it now, but in that moment he was confused as all hell. Peter wasn’t even the one to help him understand, no of course not. Ironically it was Derek of all people to explain what was going on to him. It made sense once it was explained that Peter was always especially worried about seeming weak, which of course he knew, but what he didn’t know was how much Peter’s first Alpha, his grandmother, made him feel like exposing any part of his neck was weakness.
She was also the one who made Peter feel shame when it came to indulging this part of himself to begin with, having been the only one to ever catch young Peter dressing up in Talia’s old dresses soon before his sister took over from their grandmother. It was the first time and practically the last time anyone in his Pack had known that he wanted to look beautiful in this way as well.
Trying to shake off those memories, knowing that if he thinks too hard about the way that his Wolf had been shamed for something that never should have been shamed, especially not in a Pack setting, he’d rile Peter back up after finally calming the Wolf down. Taking a discreet deep breath he pushes those thoughts violently out of his head, not allowing them to affect him, no matter how much they may want to. Thanking the gods that the Wolf hadn’t noticed anything amiss, smiling at the sight that meets him.
“Good to see you back, Ivanna. Now let’s get you out on that stage, okay? Gods, red really does suit you, I love this wig on you, baby,” he says affectionately, unable to hold it back, not this time, too enthralled with her beauty.
“I think red suits you just as well, Alpha.” Ivanna responds suggestively, causing Stiles to choke on his own tongue in surprise.
“Fucking hell. I… Gods, Ivanna…” he starts, but cuts himself off, knowing that this isn’t the time or place for them to unpack that in any way.
Shaking his head, doing his best to ignore the short look of disappointment that crosses Ivanna’s face, he pushes himself to finish getting her ready. Making sure that she is truly going to shine the way she deserves to. Running his hand over the not quite sheer lace top of the brilliant copper dress, he double checks her entire outfit, using the texture of the dress to bring himself to focus fully on the moment.
Comfortable and confident that she is ready to go out on stage he kisses her cheek lightly, walking her to meet the other Queens, ignoring the looks he’s getting from his closest friends in the group, not ready to address what he knows they want him to. Instead he just takes the few minutes they have left until show time to check over all of the Queens, rather than letting any of them corner him about what he knows they want to.
Not trusting them not to do it even with the knowledge that Ivanna would easily be able to hear them if they did that. Clearly wanting to meddle more than he is ready for them to, no matter how prepared he thought he was for them to get in the middle of it. That was before things got so… real… Real is the best way for him to describe it. So now he’s just, very much not prepared for whatever they have planned, not with everything else going on.
“Okay, you guys are all good. You’re all going to do great. It’s time for y’all to get out there.” he says, spurring all of the Queens into action, knowing that they would be too distracted wanting to meddle to notice on their own.
“Thank you, Alpha…” Ivanna whispers near silently against Stiles’ ear, before walking out on the stage to join the others, killing him slightly, leaving him shaken and far more turned on than he thinks he has any right to be.
“Gods, she’s trying to kill me… ” he whispers to himself, ignoring the chuckle he hears from Ivanna, refusing to acknowledge the fact that she heard him.
Trying to push his thoughts away to deal with at literally any different time, not thinking this is the time or place to make these kinds of discoveries. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he forces those thoughts away, knowing that he’ll have to deal with them when he’s safely alone, not in front of so many supernaturals that very much would be able to tell. Focusing on his friends performing, trying not to count the seconds until Ivanna takes center stage.
Hoping to survive this with as little embarrassment as possible, especially with the Pack in the audience, close enough to be able to scent him. The last thing he needs is to give any of the Pack a reason to get pissy or jealous. Things are still a little too fresh for the boat to be rocked, only officially having been Alpha for a little longer than a year by this point. Not comfortable to do anything that could cause friction within the Pack.
Pushing those thoughts away as well, not thinking that stressing about this right now will do him any good. Instead thinking about how he has watched many of the Queens over the years, most starting after he became close with Sugar and Raven (maniac), it’s always amazing to see how far all of them have come in the time that he’s watched them grow and develop. Honestly all thoughts leaving the second Ivanna takes the stage, helpless to stop it, focus solely on her.
Somehow, despite the way they had to rush, Ivanna still seems to coruscate, leaving the whole crowd to be transfixed by her. Knowing that he helped with that, that he was able to take part in making her shine the way she deserves… Well it leaves him feeling both humbled and privileged to have the chance to be a part of something surprisingly meaningful. His heart races more than he’d ever admit to. Just as transfixed as the rest of the people watching her perform.
Still unable to quite accept that this is his Wolf, that he had a hand in getting her onto that stage. Biting his lip he watches her perform, helpless to take his eyes off her for even a second, too enthralled with her. Embarrassingly so. Ignoring the voice inside his head that is beating himself up for the way he feels about his Wolf, he focuses helplessly on the flash of her panties he gets every once in a while. So distracted by her, despite his attempts to be normal, unable to resist…
Already having known what was going to happen the second Sugar brought it up to him and Ivanna, he’s not surprised by the fact he’s getting dragged into the middle of it. Nor is he by the fact that Sugar and Ivanna somehow convinced most of his male Pack mates to join in on the drag show. Though he’s pretty sure Danny and Raven (maniac) helped with that endeavor. Some of them he’s surprised by, but honestly it’s also very them to do something like this.
Honestly he’s feeling incredibly fucking proud of his Pack, both in general and specifically of the ones preforming tonight. Knowing that they're doing this partially due to the fact that it’s for charity, but honestly most of the reason is just to show genuine support to Peter and Ivanna. They’ve all been growing closer since the first night the Pack had met Ivanna and truly he’s so insanely grateful for that fact. His Pups have just grown so much over the years which he’s so proud of.
Running around helping everyone get ready is wearing on him but honestly he loves this part of it as well. No matter how stressful this is, especially right now, he’s so humbled by the chance of being so involved in all of this. The way all of them are putting their trust in him, both his Pack and the rest of the Queens, is one of his favorite things in the world. Leaving him feeling a near overwhelming mixture of awe and excitement, so incredibly humbled by the depth of the trust in him.
Thoughts barely registering, he just focuses on getting everyone ready for the show, knowing just how important that this show is going to be. So he is more careful about how everything turns out more than aware of how things could quickly go wrong if they, he, don’t, doesn’t, pay everything the proper amount of focus needed. Which they just don’t have the time to deal with, not with how important this show is.
It’s not often that the Queens are given this kind of opportunity, so he absolutely refuses to mess it up for them. He’s just grateful that the Pack never asked what the charity is exactly, because it would ruin having Ivanna figure out how aware the Queens are on her own. Considering it’s a charity to help at risk or hunted supernaturals, getting them to safety no matter what it takes… Stomach twisting into knots he can feel what’s coming but is just too late to stop it.
“It’s kind of funny that the Pack that practically embodies the charity are the stars of the show.” Sugar says almost distractedly, immediately causing Stiles to tense, aware that this is a chaos that they just really don’t need right now.
“Sugar what the literal fuck?! They… You know damn good and well that they don’t, didn’t, know how aware you guys are. Gods, this is when you choose to pull this shit?! Why couldn’t you at least wait until after the fucking show?!” he responds angrily, genuinely upset with Sugar for doing this.
“I… Stiles, baby, bestie, I… I swear I didn’t mean to, it just slipped out.” Sugar rushes to respond, doing her best to calm the Alpha down.
“Wait. Let’s see if I’m understanding what’s happening correctly or not… Are you saying the Queens have been aware this entire time and you knew that they knew but decided against telling me?!” Ivanna asks incredulously, seeming torn between hurt and anger, making Stiles feel incredibly guilty.
“You have to understand, I didn’t hide it maliciously, I just wasn’t fully ready for… I wanted you to like them before telling you that they were aware. And before you worry about how they know, well about 95% of them are creatures and the others are well, mostly, they’re dating the creatures.” he reasons tiredly, already so mentally done, livid with Sugar for doing this right now.
“You let me… Stiles… You…” Ivanna struggles to communicate what she wants to, but Stiles knows her well enough by now to have a pretty solid idea about what she was going for.
Rushing over to her, he tilts her head up to meet his eyes, saying, “Baby, I’m sorry. I should have thought about how this would affect you. I should have been… That’s beside the point, I’m so sorry. I should have told you that first night after the show, no matter how I felt. But I just didn’t. I’m really sorry about that, baby, I should have told you.”
“You… You betrayed me… You left me unaware and potentially unsafe…” Ivanna whispers brokenly, showing her devastation at the mere thought.
“Baby I never would have let anyone hurt you, every godsdamn soul knows that you and the rest of the Pack are under my protection. If a single one of them posed any kind of danger to you I would have said something and kept you away as best I could, okay? You can accuse me of betrayal and leaving you unaware but you have no standing saying I left you unsafe, I’ve more than proven myself by now.
I would, and will, never allow anyone to harm my people, I’ve proven that time and time again. But I especially wouldn’t allow you to get hurt, baby, gods how don’t you see what you mean to me by now?!” he says honestly, tone laced with steel, leaving not even a bit of space for his Wolf to argue against him.
Ivanna meets his eyes, searching for something, something they clearly find. Relaxing into him, breathless, they stare at him, mouth agape in a way that he’s never seen on them. Violently realizing what he did, he tries to keep his cool but he knows they read him well enough to know despite his attempts to hide it. It doesn’t matter what he says or does at this point they already know too much..
“You… You see me as your Mate, don’t you? That’s why the Pups have been extra affectionate and accommodating towards me, isn’t it?” Ivanna asks, voice barely audible, but Stiles hears them clearly as if they were yelling it.
“No one was supposed to know before you, I swear to you. But I’m really rather bad at pretending I’m not enamored with you. So all of the Queens and the entire Pack saw it before I could find a way to confess to you.” he responds quickly, needing them to understand that he wasn’t just talking about them behind their back or anything of the sort.
“That’s not exactly an answer to my question, Stiles, I need you to give me a straight answer, please?” Ivanna responds much more firmly than the first time, telling Stiles that he needs to answer them before they shut down.
“Yes, of course I see you as my Mate, baby. How could I not? I couldn’t even create someone more suited for me, for being my Mate. I’ve been gone on you since I was 17 in that’s godsdamn parking garage. The closer we got the more I fell for you and the more I couldn’t deny that what I felt for you was both very real and a forever thing for me.” he confesses honestly, not willing to allow Ivanna to question the validity in his feelings or the way that everyone else has easily accepted how he feels about his Wolf, without him needing to even say a single word.
“I… I probably shouldn’t have pushed this topic in front of an audience… But I’m honored that you… That you feel so strongly for me. And you’re sure about how you feel about me? Like you want me forever? To be your Alpha Mate?” Ivanna asks almost timidly, seemingly afraid that Stiles is just going to rip it all away from the Wolf.
“Baby, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I absolutely want you to be my Alpha Mate for the rest of our lives and even the next if we’re so lucky. There’s no world or life where I wouldn’t want to spend my life with you. As Pater, as Ivanna, as anyone you could ever want to be. Forever and always you are it for me . And I truly wouldn’t change a godsdamn thing about it.
I chose you a long time ago and I haven’t stopped choosing you every day since. And I will continue to choose you for as long as we live. I couldn’t and wouldn’t want anyone else. I love you and I couldn’t be happier about that fact, okay? Even if you don’t want that, which I will of course respect, I wouldn’t stop choosing you honestly.
I’m so in love with you and have been for years. I’d never change a thing about loving you, I will continue to be in love with you and choosing to do so.” he responds honestly, not caring about their audience, merely making sure that his Wolf doesn’t misunderstand or doubt him about this, any of it.
His Wolf crumbles in response, hiding their face in his neck, tears clearly streaming down their face. Following his instincts, he pulls them even closer, with a comforting hand cupped around the back of their neck. Allowing them to feel safe even while so vulnerable, showing that he will keep them safe no matter what, letting them hide safely against him. Understanding that this was a lot to drop on them with no warning especially with an audience.
“I hate you for doing this here like this… But fuck I love you so much. There’s nothing I would want more than being your Mate. Gods, you’re going to have to fix my makeup, Alpha . There’s no way I’ll be able to do it in time.” Ivanna says quietly, voice rough with emotions, showing just how affected they are.
“Thank gods honestly. I didn’t mean to do this here and now, baby, it just happened to go that way. I’ll do anything and everything to help you get ready again since I’m the reason your makeup got messed up. Come on baby. Let’s get you cleaned up and ready to go kick ass.” he says affectionately, leading his Wolf over to the makeup area to restart.
Efficiently going through and redoing the makeup look Ivanna was going for he comforts both of them with the rather meditative actions. Thankfully it doesn’t take long to get Ivanna back to looking their best. Still both of them are ignoring their audience who, for once, is allowing that to happen, not doing or saying anything that could remove them from their safe little bubble. Allowing them to enjoy it for as long as possible.
Though, despite how it may feel like it in moments like these, time didn’t truly stop or slow down. Meaning it’s not too long that they’re able to savor their moment before it’s about to be time for the show to start. Double checking everyone else is still ready over Ivanna’s shoulder, he takes a deep breath, brushing a kiss to their hairline. Pulling out of their little bubble he leads them over to the Pack and the other Queens.
Going around checking the others again up close, he calms himself as best he can, knowing that he is going to have to seem as normal as possible considering the fact that he’s in charge of announcing all of them and playing host since Sugar is too involved in the show this time to do it. Comforted with everyone looking as perfect as they possibly can, he squeezes Sugar’s hand in apology, knowing he’ll have to talk to her later.
Brushing a kiss against Ivanna’s forehead and smiling to the others, grabbing the microphone before running out onto the stage. Fairly sure that he’s going to be as high energy as he possibly can, looking out to the crowd he realizes that everyone is supernatural or aware, personally recognizing most of them. Chucking softly to himself, he really should have known, which means he can do exactly what he craves.
He’s going to use this to his advantage, but for now he begins to introduce everyone, starting with the normal Queens before moving onto most of his Pack mates. Saving his Wolf for last, hoping that they won’t get upset for what he has planned, but unable to resist this perfect opportunity. Since it’ll be a whole nine months before another supernatural event happens giving him the chance to announce them the way that he needs to.
“And last, but surely not least, my future Alpha Mate Ivanna Howle! …” the crowd goes absolutely wild at the announcement, bringing a smile to his face, “Save it for the performances, all of them have worked insanely hard on this show, so give them all the love they deserve!” he calls out, smirking at the crowd.
Turning towards his Wolf, praying that they aren’t going to be upset with him. Not only are they not upset, but they are crying all over again. Shit he’s probably going to pay for that later, making them cry in front of people all over again, but for now his Wolf is too focused on jumping into his arms. Catching them easily, he smiles lovingly at them, grateful he no longer has to even attempt to hide his feelings.
Ivanna bares their throat to him and honestly he just barely resists biting down. Brushing a kiss where he’ll soon mark them for life, feeling so humbled at the knowledge that he’s truly getting the person he’s always wanted. Only slightly surprised when in response to the kiss against where the mating bite will be, his Wolf shivers near violently.
Clearly steeling themselves, Ivanna takes initiative, smirking at him before kissing him soundly in front of everyone..