Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The house is two storeys high of colonial design. It has a boxy and symmetrical design with central door and balanced windows. It has brick siding with restrained ornament, and it is painted with calming dark grey. Derek first saw its leasing advertisement on the internet when he was trying to find a house for his pack. He found this house and fell in love with it instantly. He knows that although he only has three pack members, relatively a small number for a pack, but it is too large of numbers to settle at an apartment. Especially, a pack of werewolves is anything but quiet. They are way too loud for a subtle life in an apartment somewhere in the city. They received too many complains to count and moved from one apartment to the other as often. Derek tried to return to his childhood house to live with his family. But Talia, his mother, as one of the strongest alphas ever exist, is leading a huge pack, so to squeeze another four werewolves is highly impossible for an option.

Therefore, Derek resorts to start spending his allowance to buy him and his pack a house. He started his hunting by the end of the last year, found this beautiful colonial house on his first search, visited its open house and decided to buy it. After he made some renovations and spent around four months to finish the project, just shortly before the summer starts, he finally could haul his pack to move to their new house. The house itself is located in Beacon Hills, a small town surrounded by lush forestry that is perfect for a run. That is one of the major reasons why Derek likes the house very much. When he visited the open house, he checked their preserve too, and decided that his pack could use it during the full moon without need to worry to harm anyone or to be seen during their full shift.

He, however, received fair warnings from his mother’s senior pack members. It is more to hearsay, if he may guesses, that Beacon Hills has some reports on supernatural activities. Yet, no one ever confirms it, so, as Derek thought previously, it may only be hearsay. Hell, which place on earth doesn’t have it? Moreover, he is leading a pack of werewolves!  A small one, indeed, but they are werewolves nonetheless. They could protect themselves.  So, dismissing the warning, Derek bought the house, renovated it, and moves there.

“Is this it?” Erica’s big eyes widen. She looks thrilled, and jumps off the car as soon as Derek pulls over at the driveway. Like a little curious child, she runs around the vicinity and bouncing excitedly at the porch, hardly can wait until Derek opens the door.

“Can you at least help us first, Er’?” Isaac pouts while taking out their suitcases from the SUV trunk. Boyd chuckles at the sight of his girlfriend’s excitement, while Derek rolls his eyes and tosses Erica the keys. The blonde catches it and opens the door swiftly. Not long after, the three men could hear her footsteps stomping and echoing inside the house, as she is browsing the interior.

“Boyd, baby, this room has great view!!” She yells from one of the windows, just right above the porch. “We take this one, Okay?”

“Are you sure that’s not the master bedroom, Babe?” Boyd yells back, frowning. The room Erica is in looks quite big, and the location is, as Erica stated, great. “Master bedroom is for Derek!”

Derek chuckles behind Boyd. Dragging his suitcase in one hand and a box of electronics in his other hand, he brushes off Boyd’s worry. “I’ve chosen my own room at the first floor. It's facing the forestry at the back and the backyard. I like it more than that one. You two can use that master bedroom if you like it.”

“You are spoiling her,” Boyd grins. “She is getting harder and harder to be tamed, you know. I’ll blame you for that.”

“Is there other bedroom downstairs, Derek?” Isaac puts his suitcase in front of the hall closet next to the door and gazes his eyes around the hallway. There are the staircases greeting them once they opened the door, with long hallway that Isaac sure will lead to the backyard and the particular bedroom Derek told them. On the right of the stairways is the dining room and kitchen, whereas a large living room is on their left. There are three doors along the hallway, and they are what Isaac is eyeing. “I want to have proper sleep and not get tortured with their promiscuous voice and behaviour at night time.”

Derek laughs, “I figured you’ll ask that. That’s one of the many reasons why I bought this house in the first place. The master bedroom is upstairs, which Erica could claim however she wants to, but it still has these rooms downstairs,” he grins at the blushing Boyd, before signaling Isaac to follow him to one of the doors at the hallway. He opens it and letting Isaac examines it. The room is not too big, but spacious enough for one person to occupy it, and it has big windows for great lighting. Derek even had the four walls painted in sky-blue colour, one of Isaac’s favourite colours.

“What do you think about this room?” He asks. “It is supposed to be a study, the realtor told me, but the last owner transformed it into a bedroom, and I'm maintaining its function as bedroom also. It’s tad small, in comparison with the other bedrooms upstairs, and you need to use the bathroom next door, though.”

Isaac stretches his arms and takes a spin. Wide smile flashes across his face. He is beaming and his big eyes start to get teary. “I love it, Der. Thank you,” he whispers.

Derek nods and walks to the bedroom he chose, at the end of the hallway, to put his suitcase. The room has two big windows with view of the forestry and small porch leads to the beautiful backyard. With this kind of view, Derek is sure he can do his work properly even without a study. He is a novelist and this house offers him one hell of view and quiet neighbourhood he needs to write. He already sees himself lounging at the small porch, with his laptop on his lap, and a glass of hot coffee resting on the railing. Whenever he gets tired facing the computer screen, he could gaze toward the lush green forestry and the flower beds on the backyard. He smiles to the imagination and patting himself for his luck to be able to buy this house.

The room has spacious dresser, and Derek puts his suitcases there. He will unpack it as soon as they took all the boxes out from the moving truck.

“It’s here!!” Boyd yells, just before the sound of the said moving truck approaching heard. There are loud running steps descending the stairs and Erica sharp voice is heard greeting the movers. Derek shakes his head and smiles. He is more likely raising pups instead of a pack.

When he is walking outside, his pack members have been busy helping the movers. Erica has two large boxes piling in her arms, makes one of the movers gaping. Derek sighs. He takes mental notice to have a word with that blonde girl, reminding her to be more subtle with her power around ordinary human. It’s not natural, no matter how you see it, for a girl to move two big heavy boxes of (great, out of other boxes, she chose that particular ones) books. Derek grins to the mover, tries to distract him by asking him to help with the couch. The young mover finally takes his eyes away from Erica, and deftly helps Derek.

When Derek is on his third round moving big furniture to the living room, he hears another voice of vehicle. From the sound, it is a big car, probably a cruiser. Derek frowns and walks to the door to greet the guest. Once he’s stepping out the yard, he sees a Beacon Hills Police Department’s cruiser is parked behind his SUV. A young sheriff jumps out the cruiser and nods to Derek with a professional smile. Baffled, the raven hair walks approaching him.

That young sheriff is tall and has short dark brown hair on top of his high forehead. He has soft facial feature, but his eyes are sharp and alert. He is watching Derek intensely, although the smile is still plastered on his face. He extends his hand, offering Derek a handshake.

“Good afternoon, Sheriff,” Derek returns the handshake. “I’m Derek Hale.”

“I heard you are moving in today, so I came to greet you. My name is Jordan Parrish, and the sheriff office is at the town center, just next to the Fire Department. Have you look around the town?”

“No, not yet. We just arrived and decided to finish the moving first. Maybe we’ll head downtown in two or three days, as soon as we’re done unpacking.”

Sheriff Parrish nods understandingly, before he tilts toward Derek’s pack who are watching them not too stealthily. “Who are you taking with you?” Derek whips his head to them and flashing his red eye subtly, too fast for any human eyes to see, but enough for the wolves, as a warning for his pack to stand down and not to wolf out in front of a sheriff. His pack got his message and return to help the movers.

“The blonde siblings are my cousins, Isaac and Erica,” he points to Isaac and Erica respectively. To avoid suspicion, they had agreed beforehand to tell such of cover story. Since they are both blonde, Erica and Isaac will go as siblings, while Boyd is being Boyd. Derek throws his chin toward the dark-skinned guy, “And the other guy is Boyd, Erica’s boyfriend. They have been staying with me since they left their family house. Isaac will start his uni this year, and he got accepted at your BHU. That’s one of the reasons of our moving too. I’m a writer, so I could use this kind of neighbourhood very much. Boyd and Erica are tagging along in the process.”

“I see,” Parrish seems satisfied with the explanation. “Have your cousin Erica and his boyfriend found job here?”

Derek shakes his head, and Parrish smiles again. “We could use someone like Boyd to be deputy or to help with the Fire Department. We always need more people anyway. Don’t get me wrong, the crime rate at Beacon Hills is low, but there are a lot of senior citizens and children here, and they are always in need for our help on trivial matters. Thus, we’re extremely overwhelmed on our busiest days. I’ve been fetching three cats from trees all this morning, so you know.”

Derek laughs, and waves to Boyd and Erica. “Why don’t you tell them yourself, Sheriff? Boyd!! Erica!!”

The couple jogging down the driveway and stop in front of them with befuddled expression. Derek frowns when he catches Parrish squints his nose a bit when the couple are approaching, like he is sniffing their scents, but he smiles again, so the raven hair dismisses it. It is most likely nothing, Derek thinks. His mother's pack members never tell him about another werewolf pack in Beacon Hills, anyway. He returns his attention to the conversation, as Parrish tells Boyd and Erica everything he told Derek previously and offers them some job vacancies they could do.

“So, what do you think?” The sheriff asks.

Boyd nods. “I’ll check your office and the FD as soon as we’re done with our stuffs. I can moon lighting on both, right?”

“It’s a small town. Many people have two jobs in one time here. I help doing errands too, sometimes,” Parrish chuckles.

Erica and Boyd laughs. “I think I’ll try the library and other admin jobs you have,” Erica chimes in.

“I’ll wait for the two of you then,” Parrish shakes their hands again, before the couple dart back to the house. “Well, welcome to Beacon Hills, Mr. Hale. I hope you like it here.”

“I’m sure we will,” Derek assures him.

Parrish is pacing back to his cruiser before he stops again and turns back. “Right, the house. Everything’s good?”

“Yes, we like it very much. Why?” Derek frowns.

“Nah, nothing. Just wanted to make sure, is all. Welcome once more, Mr. Hale,” the sheriff taps his hat and resumes walking to his cruiser, leaving the bemused Derek standing on the driveway.

The house? Derek observes the property he just owned. It’s perfect. Right?

**

Derek is thirsty and is woken up against his will because of it. He sees his alarm clock still shows 2AM. He grumbles and tries to sleep again, ignoring his thirst, but his throat is killing him. Cursing, he finally pulls himself to slip off his bed and drags his heels to the kitchen. He blames himself for not bringing a glass of water before he went to bed. He curses when his foot bumps one of the stray boxes left at the hallway. He should have asks Isaac to move them somewhere safe, instead.

Thanks to the pain, Derek is wide awake now. He takes out the glass from the cupboard and pours himself water. Derek is walking back to his room and about to close the door when he sees it. He almost drops his glass out of surprise, but he gets his ass together as fast as he could, and secures the fragile glassware on his dresser table. It is sitting on the window seat cushion next to his bed. Derek blinks rapidly, making sure he isn’t dreaming. It’s still there, a silhouette of a young boy, presumably on his late teens, sitting with his knees on his chest, arms around his legs, and his face buries into his knees.

Derek could feel his heartbeat is escalating from the sight. He is afraid of no ghost, of course, but having one in his house will never be a pleasant knowledge. Is him what the good sheriff was trying to talk about? That this house is haunted? If so, he’ll make sure to sue that realtor tomorrow. He has right to be in know beforehand about this shit, before he was shoved with all those buying agreements and decided to put down his signature on them.

A soothing smell suddenly fills his nostrils. Derek frowns, with eyes are still on that thing. Where does it come from? It’s a smell of wild flowers, of forest after the rain, of earth. The scent is so soothing, anchors him to the ground and it feels like home. Derek didn’t smell it when he first entered the house and this room. He didn’t even smell it when he went to sleep. However, it is dancing in the air at the moment, once the creature shows himself. Derek frowns to a realization. Could it be this is its scent? Could a ghost smell?

Whatever, Derek can google it tomorrow, once he sued that realtor. But now, he is tired from the unpacking and moving things, he just wants his sleep. And in order to do so, that creature needs to leave him alone. Derek paces forward and is about to ward it out when the boy suddenly lifts his head and turns it to face Derek.

Derek could hear his breath hitches. That boy has the most beautiful face Derek ever sees. His amber eyes are big and expressive, and they’re locking into Derek’s. He has cute turn-up nose and rosy thin upper lips. His lily-white skin is glowing under the soft moonlight, and Derek could see constellation of moles on his cheek down to his neck, until they are hidden by his shirt. His neck is long and is inviting to plant kisses there. He is lean and presumably tall. The boy flutters his long eyelashes, looks equally perplexed as Derek is, and is about to open his mouth, before he is suddenly gone.

“Wait!” Derek instinctively rushes toward the cushion to catch the boy, but he’s gone. Nothing is there, but the scent is still lingering for a while, before it is completely dissolved in the air, like its owner.

**

Chapter Text

Thanks to the creature, Derek is having a hard time to go back to sleep and repeatedly awakes to check whether the boy is showing himself again or not. He doesn’t.  Derek doesn’t know should he be relieved or annoyed from the fact. He knows he wants to see the boy again. He is curious, that’s for sure. However, he should be glad that the ghost doesn’t disturb him anymore. When he finally drifted away, it’s almost dawn. Soon after, his pups waking him up again with the voice of them rummaging the house. Groaning, he stretches his body and decides he better get up soon before his pack tear the house apart. He really is raising pups, he sighs.

Derek is dead on track when he’s about to get off his bed and facing the window seat cushion. The boy is sitting there, reading. If last night he was wearing T-shirt and loose sweatpants, this morning he is seen wearing short khakis and short –sleeves plaid shirt with Tee beneath it. The scent is poking Derek’s nostrils again, assures him that it is indeed the boy’s scent. The boy, on the other hand, seems unaware that Derek had wake up and looks absorbed in his reading. However, when Derek moves, he startles and tilts his face toward the raven haired. Those amber eyes get widen for seconds. But shortly, a smile follows.

The boy is a brunette, with a messy short hairstyle and he is basking under the morning light, smiling sweetly to Derek. Derek could feel his heartbeats are escalating and he is frozen on his spot. Hesitates, he returns the boy’s smile, makes his boyish face beaming even more. This time, Derek really is having hard time to tame his drumming heart beats.

“Derek!!” Isaac’s voice cuts their moment. Derek snaps his head to the door before turns back to see the boy. Much for his disappointment, the boy has disappeared. The raven haired sighs exasperatedly and paces to open the door. On the other side, Isaac is wearing a concerned expression on his face. “Are you alright?” The curly blonde asks. “I heard your heartbeats are beating like crazy. Oh…, it’s back to normal…”

“I was dreaming,” Derek flashes him a soothing smile. They faced some nasty rival packs in the past, which they fought to defend their territory, and it gives more reason for Isaac to be always worried for almost everything. He acts as if everywhere, anything, is potentially dangerous for the pack. Isaac was a victim of an abusive household, thus the constant feeling of insecurity he has. When Derek found him, he was broken and it took a lot of time and effort to convince the boy that he is safe now, that no one will harm him again. Once Isaac finally trusts him and the pack, seeing them as his new family, the curly blonde starts to worry he’d lose them, and is being paranoid for their safety. Isaac is in his late teen too, Derek realizes, younger by eight years from him. Maybe not much different from the boy, he thinks, before he shakes his head. What is he thinking? Why does he bother himself with a thought of a ghost? Who cares how old was he when he died? When he died. Perplexed, Derek doesn’t understand why his heart stings only from the thought.

“Earth to Derek, yuhuuuu…,” Erica waves his hands in front of Derek’s eyes, until he snaps back to reality. “Ah, he’s back,” the girl grins. “I’m hungry, Der…,” she pouts.

“Fix your own breakfast, Er’!!” Isaac pushes Erica away. “Or ask Boyd!” He whips his head back to Derek once Erica is trotting back to the kitchen. The uneasiness returns on Isaac’s young face. “Are you really okay, Derek?”

Derek pats Isaac’s shoulder, assuring him, and herds him to the kitchen. “I’m alright. It was just a dream. Right, Isaac, just before, did you smell other scent besides mine?”

Isaac shakes his head. “Why?”

“Nothing. I thought I smell something,” Derek smiles assuring him again. So, from the look of it, only Derek who could see and smell the boy.

“Did you have nightmares?”

Derek is silent for a while, before he cracks another smile. “No. It’s quite a pleasant dream, actually…”

“Are you blushing?” Isaac frowns.

“Oh, my goodness!! Our Derek is literally blushing!! Boyd, come see!! Is it a sexual dream?” Erica chimes in with mouth stuffs with muffins, eyelashes batting swiftly.

“Don’t talk while you’re eating!!” Isaac scolds her. “You’re gross!!”

The curly blonde is smacked by Boyd in instance. The dark-skinned boy glares fiercely to the youngest member, “No scolding my girlfriend gross!”

“Then school her properly!!” Isaac retorts, eyes glowing yellow.

“Isaac!!” Derek warns him. “You too, Boyd, Erica. Sit down and have your breakfast calmly. As for my dream, none of your business!!”

The young wolves have their head hung low and drag their heels back to the dining table, minding their own breakfast. None of them dares to let out another word. Derek sighs and takes his plate, tries to make new conversation to ward off the unpleasant atmosphere. He loves his pack and he tries as less as possible to use his alpha authority to discipline them. He wants to be an alpha like his mother, who’s treating her pack members as family, as human being, not as mere betas that she could use as tools and bossing around. That’s also why, her mother’s pack members love and respect her so much, and they are growing significantly.

“What time is your first class, Isaac?”

“Half-ten. I’ll go at nine,” Isaac answers his alpha. He’s still ducking his head, clearly feeling embarrassed for lashing out to Erica just then. Derek has always reminding his betas to tame their shift and to not get irritated too easy. However, as the most recently turned, Isaac is still having hard time to deal with his shift.

Derek ruffles his hair, tries to tell him that he wasn’t mad. “I’ll drive you. You can go back by yourself, right?” The youngest member nods.

“Do you wanna go somewhere, Derek?” Boyd asks. “We’re wondering if we can use the SUV in the afternoon. We want to check the PD and FD.”

“Also the library,” Erica adds on.

“I’m just gonna visit the realtor. You can use the car afterward. The Camaro is on the way. Laura said maybe it’ll arrive tomorrow. You can use the SUV for work once it arrived.” Derek tells them, as the couple grin. The alpha then shifts his attention to his youngest beta. “What about you, Isaac? Do you need a car to go to uni?”

“We can drive him on our way to work,” Erica offers.

“Isaac?” Derek shoots his female beta a pointed look, makes her shut her mouth instantly.

“They can drive me,” Isaac says. “I don’t like driving anyway.”

“Okay, just tell me if you change your mind.”      

Isaac nods. Not long after, they finish their breakfast, and the eighteen years old curly blonde returns to his room to grab his backpack while the older members of the pack washing up the dishes. When Derek and Isaac go out and ready to drive, Boyd and Erica return to unpack things and do other chores around the house.

The university is around twenty minutes drive from the house and it is a large compound of modern design buildings and sport fields. All the buildings there are painted in sands-brown colour, giving pleasant combination with the surrounding forestry. Derek drops his youngest pack member in front of the uni’s admission building and waves him a good bye. Isaac waves back and runs to his class with head down, drawing a sigh from Derek. Isaac is handsome, but he is so timid, introvert and prefers to stay outside the crowd, if possible. He has been better in expressing himself with Boyd and Erica, obviously he has been feeling comfortable around them, but whenever they’re outside, Isaac will return to be his old self. Derek hopes he would befriend someone who could help him to socialize more and grows some confidence.

Derek turns his wheels and heads back to the city centre to meet the realtor. However, he realizes that he has not yet made appointment once he arrives at the real-estate office, but it’s too late to return home now, so he decides to try his luck. A young brunette girl greets him at the front desk.

“Do you have an appointment, Sir?” She asks, unabashedly is checking Derek out. Derek knows he is quite attractive as a man, but he never likes it when someone is objectifying him. Moreover, he is more into guys than girls. He pulls out his glowering face that successfully makes the receptionist back off. Her flirty smile turns to that of courteous one in no time. That’s better, Derek mentally smiles.

“No. But I’d like to meet Ms. Romero. Is she here?”

The girl makes a very bad sympathetic expression. Derek doesn’t want to know who trained that girl for such expression and thought that would work to console any client who is unable to meet the realtors, because she is failing miserably. The expression is more to a mock in Derek’s eyes.

“I’m very sorry Sir, but she is taking sabbatical leaves for now. She won’t return until the end of next month…”

“What about your manager?”

“Eh, Mr. Deaton?” The girl has strain of panic in her face and voice, makes Derek smirk.

“Are you calling me, Bianca?” Suddenly, a tall and built, dark-skinned, middle aged man walks out from one of the office rooms. He is looking at the receptionist, before shifting his attention to Derek. He looks a bit perplexed, “And this gentleman is…?”

“Ah, he is looking for Ms. Romero, but when I told him she is in sabbatical leave, he asked for you instead.”

“My name is Alan Deaton, the manager,” Deaton offers his handshake. “Is there anything I can help you with, Sir?”

“Derek Hale,” Derek shakes back. “I recently purchased a colonial design house just near the preserve. There is something I’d like to ask about that property.”

Deaton stretches his hand toward his office door. “Come, then. Let’s talk in my office.”

Derek swings his heels, follows the manager swiftly. His office is small, but neat. It has glass door and window on one side, and white walls on the other three sides. Pictures of houses with their leasing prices are hanged on one corner, while a meter and half tall file cabinet occupies the opposite corner, with Deaton’s desk installed at the centre of the room. Derek takes one of the chairs in front of Deaton’s desk and seated himself there.

“So, what can I help about the house?” The manager asks without any prelude. “I hope you are not coming here to sell it back to us,” he jokes.

Derek crosses his leg on top of the other and chuckles. “I like the property,” he says sincerely. “However, I have something that bugs me.”

“And what is that?”

Derek pauses a bit. He tries to compose a reasonable question that would not make him sounds insane to the other man. “Well.., I kind of forgot to ask whether the house has…, some sort of history.”

“What kind of history are we talking about here?” Deaton is shuffling his file cabinet now, looking for Derek’s purchase and pulls out the file once he found it. He opens it and reads it for a while, before returns his attention back to the client. “It’s a rather old house…,” he says.

“Yes, I’m aware of that,” Derek clears his throat, starts to feel annoyed with the fact that he will ask some kind of ridiculous question. “May I know a brief information about the past owner or the family who lived there before me?”

The realtor chuckles. “You know, Mr. Hale. Usually, our client asks us that first before they signed the agreement. You do know that we have right not to satisfy your curiosity after the purchase is made, don’t you?”

“I know that,” Derek grits his teeth. “I just…”

“May I possibly ask what raised your curiosity all of sudden? I mean, you were buying that house months ago, and not even once you return to us to ask such question. So why now?”

“I just moved in…”

“And…?”

Derek shifts his body uncomfortably on his seat. What shall he tell the other guy now? That he saw a ghost of a beautiful boy lounging around in his room? Moreover, none of his pack members sees that boy in other room, or feels his presence. The raven haired rubs his face harshly and finally stands up.

“You know what? You’re right. This is stupid of me. Sorry, I shouldn’t have taken your time like this.”

“I’m not saying I won’t tell you, though, Mr. Hale. I’m just curious why now, after some times, that you returned with such question. I just wanted to make sure you are satisfied with our deal, is all.”

Derek pauses on his track and looks back to the manager. “You’ll tell me?”

Deaton shrugs. “Not much to tell, actually. Before you, the house had been empty for ten years. Not because of anything, just because it is a tad far from the town center and barely has neighbouring houses. Many young couples backed out solely for that reason. The house is older than the town itself. Beacon Hills is actually the name of the preserve surrounding the house, and the town just recently prosperous, around a decade ago. Before that, the town was only a small village. The house has been there long before the village or the town established. The last owner of the house, the local archive records, was a mother with her teenage boy.”

The information sends cold down to Derek’s spine. Teenage boy. Just like the ghost he saw. “W-what happened to them? They moved out or…?” Dead? Derek is unable to speak the last word out loud.

“Hmm, according to the record, the mother died from illness. She left everything, the house, the land, to her son. However, no one knows where the son went after his mother died.”

“He was missing?”

Deaton shrugs. “I think you need to find news article regarding the matter, if you’re that curious. What I have here is merely information that someone left a legal letter that stated the house is for the district to sell. There was assumption that the letter was left by the boy. If you ask me, I think the boy simply abandoned the house after his mother’s death, because it was too painful for him to stay there. He might move out one night and told no one about it. The police investigated it briefly too, for your information, and they found no foul play there. So, if you are worried whether a crime ever took place in that house, I think it’s safe to say there was none.”

The problem is, Derek knows that the boy never left. His spirit is entrapped inside the walls of that house, which means, he died somewhere in that house. However, Derek has no idea how to break this knowledge to the man in front of him, without makes him look like a lunatic. Derek is also familiar with the character of realtors. He dealt with a lot of them to know that they are basically sharks. They could sell shit as hundreds of thousands of dollars invaluable property, if they want to. They won’t sympathize him, moreover, since like he said at the beginning, the deal is sealed month ago. He is extending courtesy to Derek today, with all the information, but Derek is highly doubt Deaton will do more than that.

Hence, the raven haired bid his farewell and walks out of the office. It’s still quite early. He could go to the library and browse more information about the house, but he also has deadline to meet. The moving had delayed his schedule and his editor is breathing on his neck, urges him to submit his manuscript. Derek sighs, contemplating if he is better to go back home first and do his work. Moreover, the boy didn’t bother him or the pack so far, and it’s just been once or twice sightings of the boy, so it maybe alright if he drops the matter for a while. Boyd and Erica also need the car, the more reason to go back. If he wants to spend time at the library, he may need a whole day to do so. And, recalling the information Deaton gave, about the house is older than the town itself, the town’s public library may not store any archive about the family. He is most likely need to go to the neighbouring city’s library, which is established around the house was built, and it will require a long drive. After flip-flopping all of his options, Derek takes out his keys and decided to go home. He’ll do the research another day, he tells himself, once he finished his manuscript.

**

Chapter Text

Derek comes home to another addition of the furniture, which is laying in his living room, occupying one of the corners, just next to the window. He stares at the piano blankly. He can plays it, his mother made sure of it, but he is pretty damn sure he doesn’t have one of those in possession. The piano looks old, but is built of a very good craftsmanship. It looks like it is never been used for quite some time and when Derek hits one of the keys, he is assured of it.

“Hey, Der! You’re home!” Erica greets him as she drags out a very big trash bag down the stairs.

“What’s this?” The Alpha points the piano.

“Piano…,” she replies flatly, makes Derek narrows his eyes. This particular beta he has especially likes to tease him whenever she can. “We found it at the attic,” she explains with a wide grin. “Boyd thought it’s such a shame to let a good piano is sitting all rusty up there, so we decided to take it down. Boyd said he can fix it in no time, so you can play it. You can play it, right?”

“Attic?”

“Yep, Boyd’s still up there, cleaning it up. This is the trash we collected from there,” Erica slightly wiggles the bag in her hand.

Derek is now paying attention to the trash bag. It’s stuffed with trashes and from the look of it, it must have been worth some weight. If only Erica does not have werewolf strength, she is most likely will be having hard time to move it all in one go.

“What are those?”

“Stuffs that the last home owner left,” she shrugs. “There are a lot of them…”

Stuffs of the last owner, Derek could feel his heart is pounding harder. The boy’s  stuffs. He’s been thinking to find information about that boy from the public library that he forgot his house was where the boy lived and last seen. He should have start the investigation from his own house, instead!

“Erica, wait, let me sort those trashes out,” Derek absently reaches for the bag.

Erica jerks the bag back, bemused. “Are you sure? Der, these are trashes. You know, worn clothes, broken toys, things like that. All of them are worthless and beyond salvageable. If you want to sort something out, there are still more stuffs up there. Boyd is tiding them up.”

“I…,” the Alpha is clueless. He knows if he kept pushing, it will raise flag from his betas. He is not ready to share with them about the boy’s existence yet. Derek assures himself that the reason is because he is the Alpha. He should be the one who test the water and dip down head first in all occasions. At least, until he can figure out who the boy really was, and explains it to his betas about him. The information is necessary to calm them down, in case one of them freaked out. Hence, Derek thinks it’s better to keep them in dark about it for now. Moreover, so far it’s only him who could see the boy. The boy didn’t reveal himself to Derek’s betas.

Derek eventually lets Erica off to dump the trash, as Boyd comes running downstairs with a toolbox in his hand. “Hey, Der!” He greets.

“Erica said you can fix the piano?”

“Yep, I fixed one just like this type before. I’m pretty sure I can fix it in no time. You can use it afterward,” he grins.

Derek nods and chooses to let Boyd does his thing. The dark-skinned guy is really skillful in fixing things, and he does have a degree in engineering and tried to open his own shop before he was turned. Afterward, he was trying to run the shop again once he’s able to tame his new power, but with the constant move of the pack, it was hard for him to run a physical shop. So, he shifted to online service and it manages at least to keep his and Erica’s head above water. Now, with them moving to this small town, Boyd can have another set of more fixed clientele list, while taking other jobs that interests him, for the couple to have extra incomes. Derek is their Alpha, and he offered to take care of them, for them not to worry financially, because Derek can afford it, but they refused. They said they like to keep busy, and it’s more fun for them to spend their own hard-earned money instead. Moreover, Derek still needs to pay for Isaac's tuition and books, so it’s just reasonable for the older couple not to add more of Derek’s burden financially.

The Alpha walks back to his room and decides to start writing until lunch time. He takes out his laptop and sits on the small couch he installed at the porch. He sprawls his tall body on it and starts typing. He enters his fictional world and is on his 5,000 words when Derek realizes that he has company. Sitting on the railings, with his back leaning on the column, is the boy. He is reading, like this morning, and looks dwelt in his book. Derek stops from his work and lets his eyes studies that exclusive company of his. The boy is reading The Magician’s Nephew, one of the Narnia sagas, Derek notices, makes him smile. He liked fantasy, Derek mentally says. The boy’s amber eyes is burning on to the book, moves swiftly through the lines, and he flashes thin smiles whenever he reads something that amuses him in the book. His long fingers deftly flip the book pages, and Derek is having a hard time to tear his eyes from those beautiful lips and those elegant fingers. That boy is mesmerizing. Derek feels he would never get bored to watch him like this for the rest of his life, and he feels warm inside whenever he gets to see the boy. He feels so peaceful all of the sudden and is oozing with happiness. The raven haired doesn’t understand this kind of feeling, nor he is trying to understand it, but he will never complain for this kind of company, that’s for sure. It just feels so easy and natural (although he does acknowledge nothing is natural to be extremely comfortable before the sight of a ghost. But that’s what he feels…) to share their spaces like this.

A knock on the door snaps Derek out of his reverie, and makes the boy disappeared as well, drawing a long sigh from the Alpha. He stands up and answers it, to find Boyd is grinning on the other side.

“Fixed it,” he saY's shortly. “And I’d like to borrow the car.”

Derek nods. “Thanks. Keys are on the table next to the front door.”

“Got it.”

“Will you be back for lunch?” Derek stops him before he walks away.

“Nah, I don’t think so. We’d like to try the town’s cuisine and will pick Isaac up once his class is done. Do you want something for dinner later?”

The Alpha cocks his head for a second, contemplating, before he finally decides he could use a nice burgers or pizza, if they have pizza joint.

“Noted,” Boyd grins and waves. As soon as his betas leave, Derek returns to assume his position on the porch once more. He keeps staring at the railing for a good half an hour, but the boy does not show up anymore, much for his disappointment. Sighing hard, Derek forces himself to resume writing.

**

Derek loses track on time from working. When he stops because his stomach starts to rumble, he sees it’s already three in the afternoon on his digital clock. He saves all of his work and decides to fix something for lunch.

He is walking out of his room when Derek feels subtle vibration on the walls. Befuddled, he keeps walking. Not only the walls vibrate, but the floor too, as if some echoes or sound waves are bouncing from corner to corner, shakes the entire house. Derek is alarmed and his wolf alerts too. When he reaches the living room, he finds the cause.

In the living room, in front of the piano, the boy is playing it. Derek can hear no sound, but as if the house remembers how the boy used to play, it vibrates according to the notes he plays. The long fingers on the piano move deftly from one key to the other, and the boy’s head is rocking along the rhythm. Derek puts his palm flat on the wall next to him and closes his eyes, tries to make out what song is the boy playing from the vibration and the rippling of the sound wave. Not long after, he hums along and opens his eyes again. A big smile splits his face. That boy is playing Beethoven’s “Sonata Pathetique” second movement, adagio cantabile. It is Derek’s personal favorite piece. Derek has been playing that piece ever since he was a boy, soon after he heard it the first time from his grandmother’s cassette collection.

Derek knows every key of the piece, every single of its scale and chord, and by observing the boy, he knows the other guy is familiar with the song too. The song is a warm, sweet, beautiful melody, a special gift from Beethoven himself for his beloved friend, thus thick with emotion. The boy doesn’t seem to realize the presence of an audience behind him. He displays his long neck every time he cocks his head and rocks it slowly following the rhythm, and Derek could see trail of moles spatter down from the boy’s face to his neck and back. Absently, Derek observes the trail with his eyes and is distracted from the music in instance.

The sound of door buzz drags Derek out of his train of thoughts and the boy disappears again, makes Derek’s wolf extremely agitates. Who the hell is it? He curses mentally and yanks the damn door open. He is met with Sheriff Jordan Parish’s stern gaze.

“Mr. Hale,” the sheriff gives him clipped nod. “May I come in?”

Derek steps aside to let the young sheriff walks in. He herds the younger man to the living room, and offers him something to drink.

“I’m good, thank you, anyway,” Parrish smiles as he sits down on one of the couches. Derek frowns when he notices that the other man’s eyes is staring at the piano—now empty—stool. Something in Parrish’s eyes makes Derek feels uncomfortable, as if he, too, could sense the boy. The Alpha clears his throat, tries to get the sheriff’s attention. “Right, sorry,” Parrish smiles sheepishly. “I come since I heard from Deaton, you were looking for him this morning, asking about this house?”

The straight-forward question puts Derek alarmed. What is going on? He was asking about the house in the morning and he gets the sheriff’s visit in the afternoon? Such reaction given by the two men raises suspicion in Derek’s heart. There must have been something major happened in this house, something that needs immediate response from the authority in case it is being unveiled once more.

“Yes. Was it a misconduct, Sheriff?” The Alpha challenges Parrish’s stern gaze, as the sheriff shakes his head.

“No, no… I’m just curious on why.”

“That is the exact question that Mr. Deaton asked to me. I know, it’s maybe unusual for his client to ask about the house when the deal is done, especially after so many months had passed. There’s nothing major, actually, sheriff. Like you, I was curious. Frankly, the trigger nonetheless was you.”

“Me?”

“You asked me weird question yesterday, about how I found the house? It makes me wonder, did something happen here?” It isn’t a lie. The sheriff’s question was the initial trigger of his curiosity, whereas the occurrence of the boy complements it.

Jordan Parrish now scratches his not-so-itchy head. He exhales a heavy intake of breath. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have. It’s a good house.”

“Yet you asked me, Sheriff. And today, you came, just a couple of hours from my visit to the realtor. That means he informed you about my inquiry. Now, why would he do that? What was actually happened in this house when it was still in the last owner’s possession? You’re the sheriff, you must’ve known something from your predecessors.”

Parrish sighs again. “Nothing, really. I mean, when the last owner died, I was only 15 year old, and my family lived at the neighbouring city, bigger and older than Beacon Hills. Deaton must have informed you that Beacon Hills that time was a small village, and it didn’t have any sheriff office, only Park Rangers for the preserves. My father was multitasking and responsible for both of the city and village's safety. So…, he led the investigation when the boy was reported missing.”

“Who reported it?”

“The realtor who received the legal letter and files to wave off the boy’s right of possession of this house. The realtor wanted to confirm it himself, so he made a visit. When he arrived here, the boy was nowhere to be found. After his third visits in vain, he eventually called the sheriff office. My father responded, but his team found no foul play inside the house or the surrounding premises. It was like the boy was vanished into the thin air. So, the best guess was he left the house one day, presumably due to his sadness from the lost of his mother.”

Derek gulps, tries to maintain his straight face, although his heart is beating hard in his chest. “The boy…, do you know what his name…was?”

Parrish cocks his head, trying to recall the information. “The mother’s name was Claudia…Stilinski… Not your average surname. They were of Polish descent, I think. And the son…, his name was close to that Stilinski… Ste…Stie…Ah! Stiles! His name is Stiles Stilinski!”

Stiles. The name is echoing in Derek’s heart like a chant. It’s alien in his ears, but somewhat suits the boy. Stiles…, Derek whispers his name once more in his heart.

“Mr. Hale?” Parrish waves to draw the host’s attention. Derek snaps back to reality and he cracks an apologetic smile for spacing out. “I’ll be heading back to the station then, if everything is alright. To be honest, Deaton is worried someone might whisper some nasty gossips about the house just because it was empty for a decade. We are just hoping you like your stay here, because Beacon Hills welcomes you sincerely.”

Derek is smiling wider. He shakes the sheriff’s hand and accompanies him to the front door. He assures the good sheriff once more, that he likes the house and the town. Once the sheriff’s cruiser leaves, Derek slams shut the front door and rushes to the attic. Now he got the boy’s name, he couldn’t hold the urge to find more information about him. Derek doesn’t understand this childish thrill he has at the moment, since this is the first time he ever feels something like this to someone. Wait, scratch that. To a ghost. The thought makes Derek dead in his track and his foot planted on the floor. What the hell is he doing? The boy was dead, ten years ago. Even if he finds anything about him now, what will it change? He was late. Derek was late behind for ten fucking years. Ten years ago Derek was only sixteen years old. When that boy, Stiles, took his last breath ten years ago, heaven knows where Derek was, which party he was attending, which girlfriend or boyfriend he kissed? It was too late… Derek will never ever have that soothing scent lingers next to him when he wakes up, nor to feel the softness of his pale skin with his hands, nor has the opportunity to hold the boy in his arms, showering him his affection. Derek sinks to the floor at the top of the stairs. He drags his knees close to his chest, tries his best to stop his heart from crushing and shattering, while his wolf is wailing inside him. The house seems to understand his feelings. With all the quietness, it reminds itself when it lost its previous owner. When it, too, mourns the abrupt lost of a very young soul. Along with Derek, the walls are echoing his sobs, as if they are, too, crying.

**

Chapter Text

He was handsome. That man, the ghost, was tall, well-built, and handsome. Okay, handsome might be an understatement. That man was gorgeous. Yes, Stiles might not meet a lot of people, but he had hereditary gift for art from his mother, and he definitely could appreciate any form of art that presented itself in front of him. And, that ghost was one of them. He was the embodiment of Adonis himself. Jet-black hair, chiselled jaw, perfect nose above a pair of appealing thin lips… He had the greenest iris Stiles ever saw, and they were locking with his own amber eyes when they first met, and on many meetings after. Stiles couldn’t tear his eyes away once their gaze locked together. He didn’t want to. He wanted to see those jades as long as he could, until that man was gone into thin air.

That man looked older than Stiles was, might be at the end of his twenties. He looked as surprised as Stiles when he first saw him. That monumental night was a couple of nights after Stiles turned sixteen the week before. Stiles was at his room, wide awoke in the middle of the night, sitting like a ball on his window cushion, tried his best to suppress the flow of power that was trying to eat his consciousness without waking his mother up and made her worried. His mother had warned him about this; that his power would reach its true form and potential once he turned sixteen, and he had been struggling with it for a while, so Stiles knew what to do. He would need minutes to calm himself down, calm his own power, and to anchor himself to the ground, doing his best not to burn his power out. However, little that he knew, how agonizing those couple of minutes could be, and each day it was getting harder and harder to contain it, as his power grew stronger and stronger. The brunette knew how strong he might be, but he never realized that his power was that strong. He was about to give up, when he felt the ghost’s presence. He was standing at Stiles’ room door, looked bemused like Stiles was, but once their eyes met, Stiles calmed down instantly. His power was succumbed effortlessly and slowly died down. Stiles felt it when the urge of his power left him, and he tried to communicate with that man soon after, but he had suddenly gone.

Stiles knew about supernatural realm, since his family was all about supernatural. His mother was a spark, same like him. Spark’s power was quite similar with the sorcerer’s craft, but they never needed to learn it, because they were born with spark fire which allowed them to use natural elements, like wood or earth for protection and to make offensive attack when necessary. Spark power indeed was meant to protect the living beings. They were existed as protectors. Therefore, many Sparks laid their life to maintain the stability between natural and supernatural realm, or acted as intermediary between the two. Spark power was coveted by many covens, because it was a rare yet strong power. However, many principal things between sparks and sorcery communities were not compatible with one another, so Sparks usually would refuse to be ‘owned’ by a coven, while the other party was never good in taking a no, and often operated with their numbers to push their way through.

Therefore, many Sparks lived in hidings or sought protection from strong werewolves pack. Werewolves, on the other hand, were known as guardians of a certain land, which they claimed as territory. Like Sparks, they were protectors and their power was corresponding well with Sparks’ power. Hence, Sparks preferred to be associated with them, mostly taking role as their emissary for werewolves’ politics.

Stiles and his mother had been in hidings for as long as they could remember. They were living in a city one time, when Stiles was still a kid, when his father was still alive. His father was a remarkable cop, and their community respected him. However, one of the strongest covens found them one day, killed his father and half of their community members. The incident forced his mother to run. She took Stiles to her old family house in a preserve called Beacon Hills. The place was no ordinary preserve. It possessed powerful force of earth and was able to offer protection for them. The place had been his mother’s family’s sanctuary for generations. His mother spent her childhood and teenage years there, and had only left when she met Stiles’ father and married him. The decision gave her the best and happiest time of her life, she told Stiles one day, but also gave her the most painful heartbreak she ever felt. There would never be one day passed without her mother lost in grief for mourning her husband, consuming her health bit by bit in the process.

Stiles would always try to cheer his mother up, trying his best to take his mother’s attention off her memory of his father, so she would not harm her health even more. Therefore, Stiles chose not to continue pursuing his formal education and resorted to home-schooling instead. He was one of the clever clogs ever since he was a kid, anyway. He could learn everything that he needed to learn, and beyond, from books, and internet. So, it was a good choice in his opinion, dismissing his mother’s constant persuasion for him to go back to school. He knew he’d lost his teenage years and networking of friends by choosing home schooling, but he could take care his mother that way, so it was worth it.

Anyway, back to supernatural being, the ghost. Stiles had to admit, this was the first time he ever saw one. He saw a nymph once, deep in the woods, but never a ghost. Especially, one that was really gorgeous. He looked extremely real, moreover, made Stiles thought it was a real person who barged into his room. However, after he was suddenly gone, Stiles knew what it was. Stiles was indecisive at first, should he tell his mother about this or not, but after a while, he decided not to. He should not let his mother worried, for this might be the side effect from his growing power. Moreover, the ghost was never showing any harmful intention toward him.

It was quite the contrary, actually. The ghost was proven to be a great companion Stiles ever had. Stiles had no siblings or friend, so when he was having that ghost accompany him reading, or simply sitting, or playing him a song on the piano (although it was inaudible, but Stiles could feel the sound waves it was emitting in the air, and he could enjoy it as if he heard it clearly), he was extremely enjoying it. The gaze of those jade eyes made Stiles feel special, made his heart skip a beat and he could feel his soul elevated with happiness. He loved every second when their eyes met and locked together. However, recently, those jades had glint of pain and bitterness when they saw Stiles. The boy didn’t know what the reason was, but it broke his heart. He would never want to see that man sad. He wished he could touch him and give him comfort, but with their world separated like this, it was impossible.

Today, he saw him again, playing the piano. The ghost’s taste of music was surprisingly the same as Stiles’. That man loved to play Beethoven’s “Sonata Pathetique” second movement. It was Stiles’ favourite. Stiles observed how those strong fingers and broad shoulders move to play the chords. He gave more power to the keys than Stiles did when he played the piece, so it should be an extremely powerful play if he could hear it. The air was vibrating, rippling, with each press on the key, and Stiles felt really peaceful. It was their moment, and he loved each second of it.

Hence, he hardly realized when his mother sat on his opposite with a sketchbook on her hands.

“Mom!” Stiles shrieked when he realized his mom was there, when the ghost had gone. “When did you come back?”

His mother was spending her morning to take a walk in the woods, collecting herbs. Stiles offered to help, of course, but she dismissed him. So, Stiles was being a good boy and home sitting, reading his book in the living room, until the ghost decided to keep him company.

Claudia cocked her head, recalling.  She shrugged, “Maybe around five minutes ago, or so. I was about to walk back to my room and clean myself up when I saw you are sitting there with that priceless look on your face. I couldn’t resist the urge to draw you, so I did.”

Stiles blushed instantly. “Mom! You drew me?!” He dashed to take a look of his mother’s sketch book and he was grimacing in instance. His mom had him looked so dopey on her picture. He looked like he was drooling. Yes, he might, a little (who won’t, with the display of that perfect specimen of masculinity in front of him? But that didn’t mean his mother needed to draw it to remind him?!). Stiles never felt his face was burning as hot as it did at the moment. “Mom…, please shred it away. I look so stupid here…!” Stiles whimpered.

Claudia laughed heartedly and took her sketch book back from her son, before he could vandalize it. “What are you talking about? I love every single stroke I made on this, and I will add colour to it, make it a perfect painting. What did you mean you look stupid? You look like you are in love, Stiles! You never have this kind of expression before…” Claudia paused, before her eyes bugged wide. “Stiles Stilinski!! Are you?!!”

“Am I what?!”

“Did you meet someone?”

“Mom!!” Stiles shrieked again. He was not having this embarrassing conversation with his mother. “What are you talking about? What someone?! No!!”

“Then, what were you thinking when you were making that adorable expression? Or shall I say, who?”

“Mom!! No one!!”

Claudia’s eyes gazed her son softly. She reached for Stiles’ cheek and rubbed them gently. “Stiles, honey, it’s okay if you do. It’s about time, anyway. You’ve turned sixteen, and the age is the ideal age for us Sparks to find our mate. Or should I rephrase it, it’s best to have mate on that age, because a mate will help us to anchor ourselves and tame our power down. When we turned sixteen, our true power is revealed, and it is an excruciating experience. I’m pretty sure you have experienced it, even though you never come to me for help. Well, now I know why you didn’t, anyway. Your mate helps you with it, didn’t she?”

Stiles was blushing again. He shook his head hard. That couldn’t be. He knew the ghost did help him with his power, but there should be no way he was his mate. How could he mate a ghost, anyway?

His mother caught the blushing as a silent yes, but Stiles was too shy to admit it. “You know what, I met your father when I was sixteen, just a week after my birthday.”

Stiles tilted his head and gaped. “Really?”

“Yes,” his mother nodded. “He was a senior that time, two years older than me, and he was making a trip with his friends to Beacon Hills, before their graduation. He got lost and found me when I was collecting the herbs, so I helped him track his way back. He told me he was fallen for me since our last meeting, so he decided to stay longer, although his friends had returned home. I was engulfed with my power one day, almost losing myself, but he came in the nick of time. Once he came approached, my power died down. He wasn’t afraid of my power either, and in contrary was motivated to help me taming it. That very second I knew that your father was the one. He was my one and true mate.”

Stiles was squealing happily, as his mother gave him a mocking glare. “Stop teasing me, you silly. So Stiles, do you want to share your little secret with me and make your mother happy together with you?”

The brunette ducked his head back, with beet red cheek. He bit his thin-upper lips and hesitated for a while, but he eventually decided to tell his mother honestly. He was curious about the ghost too, anyway, since his mother seemed unable to sense the man’s presence.

“I met no new person,” Stiles started. Hey, ghost was not a person, alright? His mother sighed, so he carried on hastily. “No, please hear me out, Mom. I wasn’t trying to deflect, I just…,” he sighed too and took a heavy intake of breath. “Mom, didn’t you feel anything when you entered the house just then, because he was here, playing the piano.”

Claudia frowned, bemused, before she shook her head. “I think he is a ghost, Mom…,” Stiles finally told her.

“What?”

“I-I first saw him a couple of days ago, when I was this close in losing myself to my power. I didn’t want to make you worried, so I tried to fight it myself. I almost failed, but then he came. My power was succumbed in instance, Mom…”

“And you felt at peace all of sudden?”

“Yes.”

“And you could feel something like a strong bond established at the sudden, like you were drawn into him?”

Stiles cocked his head, thinking, before finally shyly nodded. His mother smiled softly to him. “Oh, Stiles… He is your mate…”

“But!” Stiles protested. “H-he…, he’s a ghost, Mom! He…,” the word choked his throat, as it torn his heart into pieces. “…died….”

Claudia frowned. “Yes, that bit I don’t really understand. I need to consult some books about it.”

“Mom, please don’t. Don’t tire yourself with my problem…”

“What are you talking about?!!” Claudia snapped. She glared at Stiles, before brushing his cheek again. “It’s really important, Stiles,” her voice softened. “It’s about you future. We need a mate to help us in check with our power, especially in our early years of developing the power. No Spark had ever known success to contain their power by their own so far. Yes, it could be done with the help of other Sparks, but it’s best to be done with our respective mate. Now, I don’t understand why you are bonded with a ghost. Especially, the bond is established after that man you told me about was died? It’s just doesn’t make any sense. I mean, your dad died, and with that, so did our bond. What lives in me is the memory about him, but not the bond itself.”

Claudia couldn’t help not to sob at the mentioning of her deceased husband, so Stiles swiftly hugged her. She calmed herself after a few minutes, and wiped her tears. She pulled away from her son and smiling reassuringly to him.

“I’ll get you your answer, honey. I’ll make sure of it. But, I also promised you to take care of my health, so don’t you worry. Meanwhile, if you get to see that ghost again, say hi to him for me.”

“I can’t talk to him, Mom. We could see each other, but we can’t touch nor talking,” Stiles pouted.

“Fine…,” Claudia smiled sweetly. “Smile to him every time you meet him, then. Let him know your feelings.”

Stiles was blushing again, but he nodded nonetheless.

**

Chapter Text

“Is everything alright, Der?” Isaac asks.

They are on the way to Isaac’s uni one morning, with Derek driving his Black Camaro (yes, after two days delayed from the estimated time, Derek finally gets his car back. Thank you, Laura…). Some days have passed since Derek first saw Stiles. He buries his curiosity, and tries to ignore Stiles’ presence as much as he could, but damn if it isn’t so fucking hard. Not to mention that the boy’s unique scent always invades Derek’s sense and drives him crazy, but all the grace movements that boy makes with his long fingers, tall neck, and also his smile, all of them put Derek and his wolf on the edge of their sanity. Bottom line, Derek cannot ignore him. Period.

The raven haired keeps reminding himself how stupid it is to harbour feelings toward a deceased one. He should not have been that desperate, should he? He knows it’s been a while since he is in a relationship, although all of his past relationships ended badly, but to eventually captivated by a ghost is somewhat could be considered as pathetic. Derek really wants to bang his head to the wall for this realization, but he cannot not admit how he is enjoying Stiles’ company. Usually, they are sitting together, with the boy reading his book and Derek writing his manuscript. That kind of moments they share are really peaceful and makes Derek feels comfortable. It is as if they have been together for a long time, when the passionate curiosity of having sex has passed, and they are left with deep bond of love, where they know each other’s heartbeats, exchanging glances of affection every now and then, and sharing spaces as if they were one person instead of two. Checking the list he once got from his mother, Derek knows what kind of bond it is. It’s a deep bond of mates.

The problem is, and that’s what making Derek ultimately furious, Stiles is fucking dead! And how, on earth, could Derek mate a ghost?! Derek really has no idea whether to laugh or cry in how destiny is playing on his part. Mate is a big issue for any werewolf. Each one of them is waiting for that particular one. Derek has been searching for his too, these times, also amongst his exes. However, none of them made his heart racing like Stiles does; none of them made him feel as comfortable as Stiles does, none of them had comforting scent as Stiles has, and none of them drew him in effortlessly the way Stiles does. Every single sign is pointing toward that one conclusion, yet with one sole impossibility. They are separated between two realms, for crying out loud!! That’s why, no matter how curious he is, he is holding back to investigate about Stiles’ past. He really doesn’t need another form of bittersweet torture than what he is already in at the moment. Especially, he knows where it’s going to lead. Nowhere.

“What do you mean?”

Isaac shrugs. “You’re a bit cranky these past weeks, and have this bittersweet expression every so often. We are worried, but those two at home don’t know how to ask.”

“So you are taking the lead?” Derek tugs the corner of his lips.

“Someone has to start it,” the youngest beta shrugs again.

So his betas are aware of his mood swing. Yes, they should have been. Derek is their Alpha, nonetheless. He supposes to be their reliable support and leader. He really needs to stop moping and grow a pair, for his betas’ sake. Derek takes a heavy intake of breath.

“I’m fine. I’m just a bit cranky with all this moving. I just need to adapt. I’ll be fine soon.”

Isaac’s icy blue eyes have not yet leaving his Alpha. He frowns. “You are holding something. I can tell, Der…”

Derek sighs. Isaac maybe the youngest beta, but he is the most perceptive one amongst the other. Nothing can escape his keen observation.

“But I can’t force you to tell me, if you don’t feel like it…,” he carries on, ducking his head like a lost puppy. Derek smiles; he can’t stand the urge not to ruffle the blonde’s hair, so he does.

“How’s your college?” The Alpha tries to stir their conversation toward Isaac. Isaac needs seconds before he answers, and Derek sees a shred of red on tip of the beta’s ear.

“It’s great,” he replies.

“Do you make new friends?”

The reds have now spoiled Isaac’s high cheekbones. “Y-yeah…”

That kind of reaction of course alerts Derek. He is about to pursue it, but they have arrived at the uni’s gate, and Isaac is more than eager to flee the conversation. He opens the passenger’s door rather too hastily and jumps off with his back pack.

“Thank you for driving me!!” He yells and waves without really looking at Derek, and jets. All of that are happening in matter of minute, makes Derek bug his eyes in disbelief. Is this how a parent with a teenage kid feels? He sighs. He really needs to call his parents later, just to thank them for their grave patience, since Derek realizes he was way worse than Isaac in his rebellious teenage years.

Derek is about to exit the parking lot and drives back when he sees there is a small notebook on the passenger’s floor. He picks it up and smells a faint scent of an Alpha that isn’t his lingers on the notebook. He frowns. He opens it and sees Isaac’s hand-writings on it, so it should have belongs to his beta. However, Derek is certain with his smelling. It is a trace of an Alpha scent, no doubt. As an Alpha too, he will recognize another Alpha no matter what. It’s just natural as it is a basic instinct of survival.

Bad feeling starts to creep Derek’s heart. What does it mean then? Is there another werewolf pack in Beacon Hills that Derek doesn't aware of? Does Isaac get himself involved with another Alpha or another pack? Does he in trouble, but doesn’t want to worry the pack with his problem, so he never tells them? Since when does his beta get acquainted with this particular Alpha? Derek hardly smells it on Isaac, but if the other Alpha’s scent lingers on the beta’s notebook, he should have it on him on any other time, yet Derek didn’t acknowledge it before this. The raven haired hits the steer hard. Not that Derek didn’t acknowledge it, but he was distracted!! He was too distracted with Stiles that he fails to do his role as an Alpha.

Derek grits his teeth and gets off his car. He closes the door rather too hard and walks to find Isaac with big steps. His nails dig into his palm as he holds his hand in fist. Derek focuses his sense to smell his beta’s scent as he is walking toward the direction Isaac took. He needs a good five minutes before he finally picks up Isaac’s scent. It is coming from one of the buildings. The building looks as part of the uni, but if someone observes better, it is located just a meter outside the uni’s complex. When Derek casts his eyes, he notices a sign informs that the building is an apartment building. From the look of it, most of the tenants are students, so it is basically the extension of the dorm.

The raven haired enters the building and walks following his beta’s scent. He is about to make a turn when two female students bump into him. One of them is a blonde with sweet smile, and the other one is a ginger with a pair of big, bright eyes, showcasing her high intelligence. The two apologize and hastily walk away while talking, allows Derek to hear their conversation clearly.

“I can’t believe Scott is kicking me out this early just because he wants to have his morning sex with that freshman!” The blonde says exasperatedly. “Luckily you came to pick me up, Lyds. Otherwise I have no idea what I will do to him!!”

The ginger chuckles. “Oh, Heather, we love him too much that we won’t have heart to do anything to him. Anyway, isn’t it good for him to be smitten with that freshman and get over his devastating heartbroken experience from Allison? She won’t come back no matter what, and that freshman is too cute to be ignored.”

The blonde sighs, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Derek ignores the rest of their conversation and returns his focus back to Isaac’s scent. It is stronger this time, but it is mixed with the other Alpha’s scent, and both of their scents are mixed with another distinctive scent of…arousal. Derek stops in front of one green door, where the scents are the strongest. They are inside of that room, he won’t be mistaken. However, the scent of the arousal is getting stronger too, almost makes Derek dizzy. Moreover, the smell of sex starts to infiltrate his nostrils. Derek frowns and knocks. He gets no answer, so he tries the knob. It’s unlocked.

Hesitate, Derek enters the small apartment. It’s tidier than his own dorm room back on his uni year, but there is no sight of Isaac. However, his beta’s scent is emitting from one of the bedrooms, so Derek swings his heels there. The room door is not closed properly, and it’s open with only a single nudge from the Alpha. Derek gulps hard when he sees what is behind it.

He sees his beta is balls deep and on top of a tanned young boy with curly jet-black hair and crooked jaw, which now is hanging so low at the sight of the equally dumbfounded Derek. That boy may looks young, is flustering at the moment, in Isaac’s arms, but he unmistakably is an Alpha. Isaac is unaware of Derek’s coming, since he is busy showering the tan boy his affections, but he is dead in his track soon after his partner is suddenly frozen. After Isaac’s senses returned, with one sniff, he knows who is coming. With all the colours leaving his face, he whips his head to Derek, and he goes lily-livered.

“Derek…,” Isaac finally manages to pull the word, before he hastily exits his partner and covers himself with his jacket.

“Isaac…,” Derek replies. He sees in his peripheral vision, the tan-skinned boy is busy collecting his blanket from the floor and covers his naked body too. Derek waves the notebook in his hand, before tosses it to Isaac’s lap. “You dropped that.”

“I…,” Isaac’s eyes darts from the notebook to the equally pale raven haired boy next to him. “Thanks…?”

“Isaac…,” the tan-skinned boy squeaks, “He’s your…”

“Yes, Alpha,” Derek interposes. He stares the boy sternly and flashes his red eyes. “I am his Alpha.”

The boy flashes his red eyes too, but soon whimpers from Derek’s intimidation. The boy maybe an Alpha, but he is too young and still inexperience to be in par with Derek.

“Derek, I-I can explain this,” Isaac chimes in.

“Sure, explain it after your class is over. Of which I hope you won’t be late to attend, considering your early extra-curricular activity,” Derek arches his eyebrows, and swings his feet to walk away from that place. He lets the apartment door shuts with loud sound and he marches back to his car.

**

Derek is still in his foul mood even after he reaches home. How could Isaac be in that kind of relationship with another Alpha? How it will turn out afterward? It is not unusual for an Alpha to be in sexual relationship with their beta, but the problem is, that Alpha is not Isaac’s Alpha! Derek is Isaac’s Alpha! So what this will make him afterward? Will Isaac leave him to be with his other Alpha? Derek shudders. He is not ready for that, to be left by his beta just like that. He loves every single beta he has. They are his family, his siblings… Derek grits his teeth and tries his best not to break down. Boyd and Erica are still at home, he can’t make them worry about this, or throwing tantrum at Isaac once that boy returned home. Isaac will need them to be his family, not to be his judges.

“Der, is everything okay?” Boyd snaps Derek out of his reverie. He is walking out from the living room, frowning. “You smell agitated…”

Derek clears his throat and tries to compose himself. He cracks his smile. “Yeah, just over thinking something…,” he pats Boyd’s shoulder. “What are you two up to?”

“We found this painting at the attic, and were thinking where to hang it. We finally decided to hang it at the living room. I’m getting the nail now. Erica is there with it, if you want to see it.”

“Painting?” Derek frowns. He walks into the living room and sees Erica is sitting on one of the small couch, with a painting in half meter times half meter wide on her lap. She is staring at it with fond gaze. Derek clears his throat to announce his coming.

Erica tilts her head and beams. She lifts the painting and shows it off to Derek. “Hey, Der! Look what we found at the attic. He is handsome, isn’t he? Well, maybe not as handsome as Boyd, but there is something captivating about him.”

The object of the picture is indeed captivating, and the sight of it makes Derek’s heart skip a beat. Stiles’ amber eyes are staring fondly to him, and his lips flashes a sweet, tender smile to him. Derek could see splatter of his moles on the face, extremely precise with what Derek often sees in their meetings. Derek gapes, lost on his words, and he can feels his eyes start to teary.

“It looks like he is in love, right?” Erica chimes again. “I wonder how the person he was looking at feels when they were gazed by this kind of eyes. Even my heart skipped a beat when I first saw this painting. It’s so realistic. I wonder who this boy was…”

His name was Stiles, Derek answers mentally, but nothing comes out of his mouth. He walks approaching Erica and reaches to take the painting from her hands. He stares back to those ambers, as fondly as he ever does when he sees Stiles’ ghost. His finger absently traces the face on the painting; his eyes, nose, lips and moles. They are so vivid, so…mesmerizing.

“Whom did you see with this kind of eyes, Stiles?” Derek asks him, hoping that his mental voice somehow is able to reach Stiles’ ghost somewhere in this house. “If you’re still alive, will you see me with this kind of eyes?”

“Derek?”

Derek snaps from Erica’s cold touch. When he tilts his face to meet her eyes, he feels something wet drops down his cheek. He flinches and reflexively touches the wet part, up to his eye. He was crying?

“What happened, Erica?” Derek hears Boyd’s voice.

“I-I don’t know. Derek is suddenly crying… What is it, Der? Do you know this boy?”

Derek shakes his head. “Nothing. I…I’m too tired, I guess,” he tries to escape. He hugs the painting and tries to dismiss his betas. “It’s about time you go to work, isn’t it? I wanna rest a bit before I start writing. Th-this painting…, let me keep it, okay?”

The raven haired doesn’t wait for his betas’ answer and bolts to his room. Once he is in there, he locks the door. He puts the painting on his dressing table gingerly and stares at it once more. Derek can’t hold a smile on his face when he looks at Stiles’ eyes. They are as if staring at him, lovingly. Derek traces his face once more, imagining how happy he would be if he could touch Stiles like this; to feel his skin against his… His hand stops, along with the piercing pain in his heart. How many times does he have to tell himself that it is useless to harbor this kind of feelings for a dead person? He is such a pathetic Alpha. He maybe can do nothing if Isaac does decide to leave him. Derek lets out a sarcastic chuckle. Even if Stiles is still alive, could Derek make him fall in love to him? Him, being such a weak and pathetic man, and an equally useless Alpha?

With a heavy heart, Derek rests his head on the table. Watching Stiles’ portrait with eyes blur with tears, he finally drifts away. In his dream, he sees Stiles is smiling widely to him, before the brunette running toward the woods, with a little boy in his hand.

**

Chapter Text

Stiles is squatting at the front yard, planting herbs. He isn’t aware of Derek’s presence and gives him his back, which now has soaked from sweat. Derek is savouring the view in front of him, savouring the sight of how Stiles’ lily-white skin is glimmering under the sun, makes him look more ethereal than usual. However, Derek’s wolf is complaining because he doesn’t seem able to pick Stiles’ scent. The raven haired tries to calm it down, telling him that they are currently dreaming. Derek is thinking about Stiles too much that he succumbs to dreams right now. Not that he’d complain, no. Derek is more than eager to seize any chance to meet Stiles; an eagerness he is afraid to address for the very reason.

“Stiles!”

Both Derek and Stiles whip their heads to the voice. A little boy with curvy jet-black hair is running closer. He is maybe no more than nine years old. He is skinny, yet full with energy. Derek notices that the boy’s jaw is slightly crooked sideways and he is somehow looks familiar, but Derek is unable to recall where he saw him or someone who has resemblance with the boy.

The little boy extends a piece of paper and gives it to Stiles. The brunette reads it for a while, before he smiles ear to ear. He reaches for the boy’s head and ruffles the curly hair.

“You scored an A for your science exam? That’s great, Scotty!” Stiles squeals happily.

The boy is smiling so wide too. “You taught me a lot about the plants and the fauna, they helped! Thank you, Stiles.”

Stiles ruffles the boy’s hair again. “You’re most welcome, Scotty. We’re friends, right?”

“Then…, will you teach me more about plants and the wilds? My mother allows me to play at your place until four. Is it okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” it’s on that second, Stiles turns his head and smiles gently at Derek’s direction, and the Alpha could feel how his heartbeats escalate significantly. He smiles back with a nervous smile, before he realizes Stiles’ eyes are shooting sharp through him, toward someone behind him. Derek snaps his head and sees a beautiful middle-aged woman with brown hair like Stiles is sitting at the porch with a sketchbook on her lap. Derek could see her resemblance on Stiles' facial features, thus he is assured that she must be Claudia Stilinski, Stiles’ mother.

“Mom, it’s okay, right?” Stiles confirms with her.

Claudia smiles softly toward his son and the little boy. “Don’t get too deep into the woods. The trail is a bit dangerous from the rain these couple of days,” she advises them.

“We won’t,” Stiles smiles again and takes the raven haired boy’s hand, herds him to the woods.

“They are like brothers,” Derek is looking at Stiles direction, watching him closely until the trees hide the sight of his body. The soft voice immediately makes Derek whips his head back toward the woman. He could feel his breath hitches when he realizes that Claudia Stilinski is smiling and staring at him in the eye.

**

The loud voice of someone knocking on his door wakes Derek up. He casts his eyes at the surrounding and bewilders for a while, before he is finally aware that he was only dreaming and never leaves his room. He has been thinking about Stiles a lot that he starts to have dream about him, Derek sighs. But, was it all a mere dream? Why did he dreaming about Claudia Stilinski? Derek doesn’t even know how she looked like. Derek draws his eyes toward the portrait. Stiles is looking back at him with the same soft eyes and smile that carved in Derek’s heart since their first meeting. Derek frowns when he notices that there is a signature on the corner of the painting, and he is sure it is read as Claudia. Stiles’ mother painted this portrait, he realizes.

Derek isn’t allowed to register more of his dream because the knocks are heard again, louder this time.

“Come in,” he finally found his words back and sees Isaac pokes his head in shortly. Derek frowns and glances toward the clock. It’s still eleven o’clock. “Why are you here? Don’t you have class?”

Isaac is blushing. “I actually have no class so early this morning, only one in the afternoon. I’ll go back to uni again later. I-I’m sorry I lied to you…”

The explanation knots Derek’s brows tighter and he purses his lips in disapproval, but gestures the beta to sit on the bed stool across of him. The blonde complies and Derek knows he must have caught the Alpha’s fury because he is fidgeting, ducking his head, unable to meet Derek’s eyes. The Alpha says nothing and is simply crossing his arms in front of his chest, waiting for his youngest beta to pull himself together and starts talking.

“I-…,” Isaac clears his throat. “I think I owe you an explanation.”

“I think you do,” Derek nods. Isaac is abusing his lower lips, but finally tilts his head to see his Alpha. Derek smirks, “Especially, when you’ve been lying to us about your ‘morning class’.”

Isaac cheeks are blushing severely, and he needs to take a heavy intake of breath before he could open his mouth. “I’m sorry, Derek. I really do.”

“Who’s he? The other Alpha?”

“His name is Scott McCall,” Isaac answers meekly. “He’s a sophomore in Medicine.”

“How long have you been together?”

“H-he sniffed me out on my first day, and talked to me. He was excited to meet another were beside himself and his beta. We are together just a few days after that.”

Derek glowers, “How many are there in his pack? Why didn’t my mother aware of the existence of his pack?”

“Scott told me that he was recently bitten, around one year and a half ago, and he only has one bitten beta under him. His other pack members are a human and a banshee…”

“What?” Derek frowns so deep. How is that even possible? He blankly scratches his not-so-itchy head, tries to process everything. What the hell is happening in this place? He really needs to take a look about this place’s history deeper. This is the first time Derek ever heard about an Alpha with pack members who are not werewolves. And not to mention, the Alpha is a bitten wolf who is apparently inherited his position from his previous Alpha who bit him. “Do you know anything about his previous Alpha? The one who gave him the bite?”

Isaac shakes his head. “He trained Scott to control his power, but died soon after, so Scott was alone for some times, until he finally has his own pack.”

“Okay, that aside, why didn't you tell me about him, Isaac? About your relationship? You do know it’s not unusual for a Beta to get involved sexually with an Alpha, although in this case he is not your Alpha.”

Isaac buries his face and drags his hands through his hair harshly. “Everything about this is new for me, Derek! I am fucking clueless on what to do about this! I’m afraid you’ll disapprove our relationship, and I don’t know what to tell Boyd and Erica about Scott. I-… I only know that I care for him, love him, even… and I think he is…my mate…”

Mate? An invisible hand clutches Derek’s heart, gripping it hard, and it feels really painful. Derek turns away from his beta and glances toward Stiles' portrait that is sitting in front of him.

“So…, what now?” He asks bitterly. “Have you received mate bite from him? Will you leave our pack for him?”

The prompt makes Isaac jump from his seat and bolts toward Derek, before he drops on his knees and clings on Derek’s. “Derek…, for goodness sake, no, Alpha! I would never leave you and the pack!!” A restricted cry is audible in Isaac’s plea. “About the bite, Scott did offer, but I asked him to wait, until I can come clean to you and to the pack.”

Derek sighs relieved. Okay, that part about the biting is tad comforting. Isaac knows better to consider about Derek and the pack first. However, it doesn’t really change the fact, “But you love that other Alpha! His pack won’t let you two timing their pack like that!!” Derek growls and stares pointedly to his beta.

“His pack…,” Isaac exhales. “There’s something you need to know about him. Scott never wants to be an Alpha. He rose to Alpha status because he got it from his previous Alpha and because he laid his life to protect his group of friends. However, Scott is more than eager to let go his Alpha status if there is another more dependable and experienced Alpha to take the leadership role on his place. He told me all these.”

“Are you saying…”

“Scott is fine with joining your pack, Alpha…, especially when I told him about your family,” Isaac stares straight to Derek’s eyes. “He and his pack are willing to join you, if you are willing to accept them, which I hope you do.”

Derek massages his forehead. How did things developed into this one hell of crazy mess? The raven haired knows he has privileges from born and grown up as a Hale, one of the strongest pack on the earth. However, along with those privileges comes also the huge responsibility. He needs to live up to his family name, of which becomes a heavy burden for him. When he first became an Alpha, he was not thrilled, not even for a second. Ever since he was little, Derek was never good with people. Different with his outgoing siblings, Derek is the quiet one. He always stays at the corner, giving his best to never attract any attention to him. Although he did have his wild years during high school, thanks to his popular ex-girlfriends and boyfriends, he never changes in the core. He loves his quiet and solitaire life. That’s why, even though fate finally led him to take three betas under his care, he does not plan to add the number.  He is totally not ready to have another addition of two pups, let alone a human and a banshee.

“I really don’t know how to answer this, Isaac,” Derek admits. “You know me. I’m not good with new people, and I don’t really know your Scott. Not to mention his pack. I need time to think, okay? And, I need to run this proposition with Boyd and Erica too. You lot may be my beta, but your thoughts are matter to me. You need to tell them about this.”  

Isaac slumps to the floor and drags his knees close to his chest. “I understand…,” he murmurs. His blue eyes swipe the floor and he is like that for a while before he finally nods. “I’ll go and talk to them after my class…”

“Or maybe you can invite Scott and his pack for dinner, or just Scott first…”

“You make it sound like ‘invite your boyfriend to meet the parents’ dinner, Derek…,” the rosy cheeks grow on Isaac again, but he is smiling.

“I am technically your legal guardian and we are your family. He wants to court you, he gets to know us and gets our approval first,” Derek deadpans, as if Isaac is not blushing enough.

“I-I’ll tell Scott about this, then…,” he finally says. Derek smiles and lets them fall into silent, until Isaac notices the portrait behind Derek. He frowns. “Who is he, Derek? He looks…mesmerizing…”

Derek follows Isaac’s gaze and cracks a smile. He doesn’t really understand why, but he feels like a proud boyfriend who hears someone is praising his man. “He does, doesn’t he?”

“Is he your boyfriend?” Isaac asks bluntly.

“What?!” Derek shrieks. “No, he is…” Derek’s words dead in the air. Who is he, Derek? Who is he to you? “His name is Stiles…,” he finally answers. “He was this house’s previous owner’s son.”

“Why do you have his portrait here? I mean, I know it’s a hell work of art, but portrait is somewhat personal, isn’t it? And how you get to know him, anyway?”

The raven haired is suddenly lost all of his capability to talk. Derek is contemplating. He could feel how he is going insane with all those meetings with Stiles and he couldn’t tell anybody about it. Now, he is even dreaming about the boy. Shall he tell Isaac about it? The beta has always been the quiet one, and he may be the youngest, but in Derek’s opinion, Isaac is far mature than Erica. He is also very sensitive and observant. So maybe, Derek can confide to him about Stiles?

“I…,” Derek tries to construct a good explanation, but suddenly his phone rings. He flashes an apologetic smile and picks it up. Isaac nods understandingly and just sits on his place, chin on knees, staring at Stiles’ portrait. The sight somehow makes Derek feels warm in his heart, but he is also has the urge to leave them alone and answer his phone somewhere else. So, he does. He walks to the porch and greets the caller.

“Hello, sweetheart, how are you?” It’s his mother, Talia Hale.

“Hi, Mom. I’m fine. I’m sorry I haven’t got the right time to call you. How are you and the rest of the pack?”

“We are great as always. Yes, you should have call me sooner. Have you and the pack adapted with the new place?”

“Yeah, we did. The pack loves this place too. Boyd and Erica found jobs and Isaac got himself a boyfriend,” Derek smirks when Isaac snaps his head upon hearing his Alpha’s conversation. He bugs his eyes to his Alpha, draws more grins from the raven haired.

“Really?!” Derek knows his mother would be ecstatic too. She loves Derek’s pack like her own, and she is especially love Isaac like her own son. “Well, it’ll be a great time for me to come visit, then. Tell Isaac to bring his boyfriend for dinner tonight. I’m in California right now, and I could reach your place in another three hours. Care to pick me up at the bus station, Dear?”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me you’re coming, Mom? I could pick you up myself if only I knew! Why didn’t Laura tell me anything about this?!”

Talia chuckles on the end of the line. “I specifically threatened her not to tell you a soul. I received this exhibition invitation in California which due yesterday. So, I thought to myself, since I’m in the same state as my beloved son, why don’t I visit him before I make my return? You do know how much I love to give you surprise…”

Derek shakes his head, smiling. “It’s a pleasant surprise indeed. Okay, I’ll prepare your room and pick you up in the afternoon. Be careful, I’ll see you soon. Yeah. Bye…”

“Talia is coming?” Isaac blinks his big blue eyes, as Derek puts his phone back to his pocket. The raven haired nods.

“You get that Alpha of yours for dinner tonight,” he deadpans. Isaac is instantly blushing again. “My mother wants to meet him.”

Isaac buries his head into his knees and groans. “Ohh…, Scott will have panic attack for this. He almost had one this morning, when you caught us…”

Derek chuckles. “That’s why honesty is better, Pup,” he smirks. “Now, get your ass off my floor and help me to prepare the room for my mother before I send you back to your uni.”

The raven haired stretches his hand for his beta to take, and Isaac cranes his body up to go helping his Alpha. They go upstairs and after browsing the two empty bedrooms, they finally decide to use the one nearest to the stair and farthest from the master bedroom, just in case Boyd and Erica fail to school themselves properly at night. Not that Talia never got first-hand experience to witness their wanton behavior, but Derek wants to spare her as much as possible.

The room is the size of Isaac’s room downstairs. It is painted with soft yellow and has a single bed with drawer and small dressing table. The bed is bare and has no sheet, so Derek starts to shuffle the drawer to no avail. It is empty and Derek is closing it back when he hears a thud, like something is fallen at the back of the drawer. Frowning, Derek pulls out the rack and investigates the sound. After pulling out the racks, Derek’s eyes stumble with one maroon, leather skinned, journal book. Derek reaches for it and his heart is thumping loudly when he opens the cover, he reads Stiles’ name is scribbled on it, with a signature. When he flips through the pages, he is fully realize what it really is. He has his hand on Stiles’ diary. The drawer must have been the boy’s, and he hid his diary at the back of the racks, far from his mother's prying eyes. Derek feels excitement is creeping in his chest and he smiles lovingly to his newly acquired possession. He returns the racks just about time Isaac returns with bed sheets on his hands.

“Erica put them in the other room’s drawer,” he says, and gets silent as soon as he sees the diary. “What’s that?”

Derek tries to act casual, repressing his excitement so Isaac won’t smell them. “Nah, just some random book I found in the drawer. Must’ve been the previous owner’s.”

Isaac spreads the sheet and starts to make the bed, as Derek helps with the pillows. “They left a lot of things, didn’t they?”

“Yeah,” Derek nods. “It was furnished when I first came here for open house. The realtor said the previous owner left all the furniture. Their office only moved them a bit for more appeasing interior aesthetic. We didn’t have a lot either, so I’m keeping most of them.”

“I get the feeling the previous owner was somewhat an artsy person. I like their style.”

Derek smiles wider. “Yeah…”

“And you still owe me the explanation about the portrait,” Isaac is prying again when they are heading back downstairs. Derek is dead on track, but he lost all of his resolution to tell his beta about Stiles. He is never good in sharing, and this thing he is having with the ghost, whatever it is, Derek acknowledges that he enjoys it. He is on the edge of his sanity, that’s true, but the probability of losing whatever he is sharing with Stiles because his beta is aware of the boy’s existence worried him severely. The worry weight more in his heart than the potential threat of going insane for not be able to touch or to talk with a ghost, so he’ll postpone his resolution for now.

Hence, Derek is only grinning and sashays to his room. “I’ll take you back to uni in the jiffy. Let’s have lunch on the way,” he says before shutting his door, completely ignoring Isaac’s coo of protest.

Inside the room, Derek casts his eyes to search for the best place to safe-keep Stiles’ diary. He needs to prepare for his mother’s coming, so he won’t be reading it for a while. He finally decides to put it inside his nightstand’s drawer. When he straightens his back and gets ready to drive Isaac, the soothing scent that he familiars with filling the air. Derek turns his head toward the window cushion and found Stiles is lounging there, scribbling something on a journal similar with the one Derek retrieved just then. It is a plain confirmation of his possession. The raven haired flashes his smile, and as if Stiles is feeling it, the boy tilts his head. His amber eyes get wider for a beat, before they turn into a fond gaze and the boy returns Derek’s smile.

**

Chapter Text

June 27, 2006

Dear Diary,

It’s a great day today. The weather is great, and my herbs are growing splendidly. Mom is doing great too today. We were actually spent our day outside. She was drawing and I planted new set of herbs I collected from the woods yesterday. Scotty came too today. You remember Scotty, right? He’s Nurse McCall’s only son. His mother comes once a week to check on Mom. They are good people, and are actually like me and Mom. It’s us two against the world.

Anyway, Scotty showed me the result of his science exam. He scored an A, and he said it was because I helped him study about plants and animals during our hike last week. How great is that?! I like that kid, and he thinks I’m cool because I know a lot of stuffs. He…he…, I think I can be a good big brother, huh?

Okay, those things aside, now I’m going to tell you a secret. I know…I know…, you’re only a stupid book, but consider that I’m writing this for my future self. And I need to vent it out, anyway. SO…, I had this dream last night. It was a weird dream. Why was it weird, you ask? Because, it was not about me! The dream was about the ghost I told you previously, that super duper hot ghost (it really isn’t fair, is it? How could someone being dead and still look so gorgeous?). In my dream I saw him with his family inside this house. Well, I think they were his family, although they were at the same age. His family members were good looking too, but not as hot as him. Two of them were blonde, a boy and a girl, and one dark-skinned boy. I think the girl and the dark-skinned boy were an item. They were all touchy with each other, so cute. I somehow could feel how that ghost loved them so much, especially the blonde boy. Hot ghost had soft spot for him. Right, I think I should give hot ghost a more decent name. I mean, yes he’s hot, yes he’s a ghost, but… Or hot ghost is just fine. I’m too lazy to think of a name at the moment… ;P

What do you think about my dream, Diary? (I think I also need to give you a name. Calling you ‘Diary’ make me feel like a chick. Hm…, you are maroon-y in colour… so…, Martin? Rooney? Oooh, Rooney is cool. I have Roscoe for mom’s jeep, so you’ll be Rooney. I’ll name my stuffs with initial R, alright. Ha…ha…, so Rooney, should we name hot ghost with something starts with R too? Ro…nan…? Roland? Rory? Hm…, nothing seems fit. Oh well, hot ghost is just fine.

Back to hot ghost. What do you think about him? Because honestly, to start dreaming about him is quite weird (not that I’m not enjoying it, tho. I mean, that guy is literally a walking wet-dream. I bet he could get his laid only by arching his eyebrows when he was alive. Bottom line, I enjoyed it, but it was weird. Period). Why does it weird, you ask? Well, first of all, how could I dream about someone I don’t even know? I met him after he died, for goodness sake! I know nada about his previous life. So, how could I be dreaming about him and his family? I could even feel how much he cared for his family. That man has tough exterior, but deep down, he was a softy. Well, at least that was what I got from the dream. Once again, it’s weird. Was it not actually a dream? It was only me, imagining good things about him, since mom told me that he’s my mate? Yeah, probably (it is so me, anyway. Right, Rooney?).

About him as my possible mate (according to mom), I did some diggings. I spent two days holed up in the city library (and spent significant gas money thanks to that… T_T Sorry Mom). However, I found nothing. The archives all confirmed that this house has never exchanged hands from Mom’s family. Mom’s family had been living here since it was built in 1800. So, how could he end up here? (I’m crossing my fingers that he wasn’t my great-great-great granduncle, because that will be a real star-crossed tragedy, and I’m definitely don’t want to go all Greek mythology here).

According to the books I’ve read, ghost mostly is confined in the location that was familiar to them in their lifetime, or stuck at the place where they died. So, either he used to visit this house, or he died here. From the physical appearance, he didn’t look like Mom’s family (thanks to that, I flipped every single photo albums mom has on her family, back to the past two centuries. Awesome things, so I won’t complain. Much). Mom’s family all had fair hair or brunette, not jet-black hair like him. Our family also had lithe stature and lean, not muscular like him. AND… I have feeling he was not a Spark. He was more to wolfy type (ooh…, is that what he was? A werewolf?). Hm…, if he was a werewolf, then he might be from the older era, prior this house. A native, perhaps? That’d explain. I haven’t thought that far. Wow…, writing to you did help, Rooney. Thanks…

(Okay, I’m going to pause a bit here, because he just showed up in front of me. I need to savour this). *Five minutes after* Okay, he’s gone now. He is soooo hoooot… He’s wearing a tight Henley (as if he needs to show more people how awesome his biceps are, because yeah, I’m tad jealous. No matter how hard I exercising, I won’t have that kind of muscles… *sigh*).

Wait. A. Minute. Henley? How did people from the nineteenth century wear Henley? Yeah, they did have that long-john thingy, but I swear what hot ghost was wearing is the modern age Henley! Not to mention, his family’s outfits in my dream were also modern outfits. O…kay…, so…, unless ghost nowadays is into trends, he might was not dead long-long-long time ago. Now I have my brain short-circuited. What the heck is going on? (*sigh* and when you thought you’ve covered all in your research). Clearly, I need to find different angle to investigate this matter. Right-y, better start going. Talk to you again, Rooney. Bye…

**

Stiles re-read his diary once more and sighed. Where he should start his new angle of research, he wondered. He loved doing research, so he had no problem burying his nose under books, but he was literally having brain fart at the moment. His dream, he suddenly realized. Last night was the first dream he had after weeks meeting the ghost. Would that count as something? Stiles could feel the thrill excitement was seeping into his heart. He shot up from the window cushion and ran outside his room to go to their family library on the second floor.

Could it be Stiles was dream-sharing with that ghost? But halt, how could a ghost had a dream? Stiles was dead on his track. He didn’t really thinking about this thoroughly. He read Freud’s theory about dream. Basically, dream was everything about your suppressed libido. Yeah, Stiles did drool over that man. And, considering he was a virgin and had zero crush in his short lifetime, suggesting that man was Stiles' libido was not entirely off the track. However, he couldn’t just dismiss what her mother told him about a mate’s criteria. That ghost was able to help him tame his power! And not only once! That was a big deal to be concerned of. Now, he started this dream about him, about his family. If, it were only about Stiles’ libido, shouldn’t he dream about how they were doing something in the dream? Or, to build a family with that man was his deepest desire? Stiles shook his head. No, no, no, this was getting out of hand. He really should stop the train of thought before it was completely off-track.

Dream, however, would be a good starting point for new angle. If it were really a dream sharing, then, he might not really a ghost at all. Yes, Stiles thought, that was actually make sense. If hot ghost was a real ghost, then his mother should’ve been able to feel his energy around the house, but Stiles’ mother didn’t. Each time, the ghost was only showing himself to Stiles. The brunette started to feel excited once more. He resumed his pace to the stairs.

“It’s okay, Deaton…, we’ll be fine…”

Stiles stopped his track once more and peeked toward the living room. He frowned. He saw his mother was sitting on the couch, and one dark-skinned man was sitting on the other couch, of her opposite. Stiles knew the guy as Deaton, his mother’s acquaintance, also a Spark. However, according to Deaton himself, his power was not as strong as Stiles' and his mother’s power. Deaton’s family had been serving Stiles’ mother’s family for generations and protecting Beacon Hills too. Actually, Deaton’s family, Stiles’ family and one hell-hound family were three families that were responsible in protecting the strong supernatural power Beacon Hills possessed, that was linked closely to Stiles’ family. They should protect the place out from the reach of supernatural parties that were eager to monopolize the source of power for their own benefit. In short, Beacon Hills was not only Stiles’ family safe haven, but it was also their source of power, as well as their weakness.

Stiles saw Deaton frown and he seem distressed, until Claudia moved forward to tap his shoulder and gave him reassuring gesture. “We’ll be fine,” she said.

“It’s almost the Hunter’s Moon, Claudia. Last time it happened…,” Deaton’s face grew dark, as well as Stiles'. Deaton was unable to finish the sentence, but Stiles knew what was waiting at its end. The last time it happened, ten years ago, Stiles’ dad was killed. Stiles clenched his shirt, tried to ward off the painful feeling he started to have in his chest.

Claudia was silent too.

“I failed you and John that time,” Deaton continued. “I would never want to make the same mistake ever again, Claudia…”

“I told you so many times, Deaton,” Claudia replied sternly. “Stop blaming yourself! You came for us. Without your and Parrish’s help, there would be no way out for me and Stiles. John might not be the only one who died back then. You two saved my boy, and that matters!”

“We could’ve come sooner…”

“Drop. It.” Stiles could hear his mother raised her pitch, resorted to her authoritative manner. Her mother was rarely using it, but no one would want to see her using it, since it would be extremely intimidating. As proven, Deaton was immediately backed off.

“So…, it’s really okay if I answer to their distress plea?” He asked.

“I told you, yes. Your family and Parrish’s maybe lay your devotion to our family, but you were their emissary. It’s just the right thing to help them. Parrish could help me hold the fort if anything should happen during the Hunter’s Moon. Not to mention, Stiles came to age too. And Deaton, my boy is strong.”

Stiles flushed a bit to hear how his mother regarded him so highly. He cracked a shy smile.

“How’s he handling his power? I came today to check on him too, actually.”

Stiles could hear amused tone on her mother’s words, as she said, “You know what? He did have difficulty for the first days, although he was stupid and adamantly did not seek for my help, but he got help recently.”

“Your help, certainly?”

“Actually it wasn’t me,” Claudia chuckled. “I believe my boy found his mate.”

Deaton frowned again, before he was beaming. “For real? Great for him! Who is she?”

“It’s a he, actually. Or should I say, was,” Claudia burst a laugh when Deaton looked dumbfounded.  

“Was?”

“Stiles said he’s a ghost. A hot looking ghost, to be exact.”

“MOM!!” Stiles could no longer stay quiet and burst into the living room with beet red cheeks, drawn a rumbling laugh from his mother. “You are over-sharing!!!” Stiles shrieked.

His mother kept laughing, as Deaton was still perplexed. “What did you mean with ghost? How could he mate with a ghost?”

Half-laughing, Claudia replied. “That’s one thing I’d like you to help me investigate. How on earth my son could have a mate link with a ghost? Or, should I rephrase it, is he really a ghost?”

“Mom?” Stiles heartbeats were thumping hard in his chest. “What do you have in mind? D-do you know something about him?”

Claudia cocked her head and tugged her lips a bit. “Just something I’m wondering about, Stiles. I am as confuse as you are, frankly. That’s why I’m asking Deaton’s help here. What do you say, Deaton?” She turned her gaze back to the man. “The pack in Chicago is an old pack, isn’t it? And the last time I checked, their current emissary came from a very old Spark family. Should they hear something about this?”

Deaton finally nodded after some silent. “Okay…, I’ll ask around.”

“Pack?” Stiles suddenly remembered something. The hot ghost’s family. He thought hot ghost was a werewolf, from his appearance and his bearing, so his family in the dream might not be his real family, but his pack. Yes, that made sense. They were of same age, and had no resemblance between each other. So they were most likely a pack, instead of biological family. “That you mention about it, Mom, I think my ghost was a werewolf.”

Claudia frowned. “Are you sure?”

“I mean, if he’s a ghost, then he should’ve died here, right? But I checked our family photos, and none of them had same physical trait as he did. Moreover, he doesn’t feel like a Spark. His bearing is more like…, a wolf. That’s why I was thinking could he be a native?”

“That’s make sense. You heard it, Deaton?”

Deaton whistled. “A Spark mated with a werewolf?”

“W-why? Was it a bad thing?”

“It’s not your average mating, since werewolf’s wolf normally feels agitated around our power. However, it’s not unknown of. There were spark-werewolf mate before,” Claudia smiled sweetly.

“And they were a hell of couples, Stiles…”

“The bond they shared was extremely strong, Sweetheart…”

Stiles was nodding blankly. So it could happen. It happened before…, “If both of them are alive, that is,” he added weakly. The problem was, his wolf was most likely died.

Claudia stood up and squeezed his shoulders warmly. “We don’t know that for sure yet, Stiles. Let me and Deaton help you to investigate this, Okay.”

“Leave it to me, Stiles,” Deaton was standing too, and stared at Stiles. “I’ll get you your answer, and come back here as fast as I could. Take care of your mother. You be careful too, Claudia. I’ll have Parrish to check on you every two days.”

“The sheriff is busy, don’t you add his burden, Deaton,” Claudia said pointedly, but flashed him another assuring smile. “Don’t you worry about us. Just go to Chicago, we’ll be fine. Right, Stiles?”

Stiles nodded. Yeah, he’d protect his mother no matter what.

**

Chapter Text

“It’s a great house!” Talia exclaims once she enters the front door. She is quickly browsing the living room and the dining room, before waltzing through the hallways and out to the backyard. Derek is silently following her at her rear, smiling at the sight of his mother’s excitement. “You’ve made a great deal, Derek!”

“So you like it, Mom?”

“Like? Not at all. I’m loving it!!” Talia exclaims once more, but she suddenly stops in front of Derek’s room. She is frowning, so does Derek.

“Mom?”

“Whose room is this?” She asks, palm flats on the door.

“It’s mine,” Derek answers as he alarmed. None of his betas reacts like his mother does whenever they are around his room, so he assumes Stiles is only showing himself to him exclusively, and only Derek could feel and sees him. However, his mother is not his betas. She is way more perceptive even more from Derek, “Is there something wrong?”

Talia is silent for seconds, before she finally withdraws her hand and smiles to her son. “I must have over thinking it. For a moment I thought I felt some powerful energy flowing out of your room, but it was only for a split second. I feel nothing at all now.”

His mother’s explanation makes Derek heart is beating so loudly, and he is sure his mother hears it, because Talia is pausing and stares at him again, befuddled now.

“Derek?”

“Mom, I…”

“Talia!!!” Derek shuts his mouth and dismisses his shattering resolution once Boyd and Erica barge into the house. Talia is immediately occupied by the couple too, as they are dashing closer and hug her enthusiastically for scent marking. They are hugging for a while, letting the scent of the great Alpha rubs on them, before they are finally letting the raven haired woman go. Derek is silently watching his pups and mother, and feeling warm in his heart.

“How are you doing, Pups? I heard you found a job?”

“Not ‘a’, Talia. I have two jobs, as admin at the Sheriff office and as the librarian, while Boyd has three jobs,” Erica chimes.

“Three?” Derek arches his brow. “I thought he’s only at the FD and PD…”

“He just nailed his post at the local repair shop as freelancer,” Erica grins.

“You’ve been busy, I see,” Talia throws her head in laughter, followed by the couple.

“Have you seen your room?” Erica tangles her arm to Talia’s.

“Not yet, I went to see around the house first. Where is my room, Derek?”

“Ah, it’s upstairs, just next to the stairs. I let you sleep far from them, just to spare you from their indulgence at night,” Derek smirks, drawing a heavy pout from Erica.

“So not true!” She sticks her tongue out, as she herds Talia upstairs. “Our Alpha tends to exaggerating things, Talia. However, come, I’ll show you your room. Boyd, grab Talia’s suitcase.”

Talia laughs. “In my opinion, he just needs to find his mate, so he would understand the two of you better.”

“Mom!!”

“I agree!” Erica ignores Derek’s complaint, while Boyd shoots him apologetic gaze. Derek sighs, it’s going to be one long insufferable day, with his mother tag teaming with his pups, annoying him about finding a mate, or at least a lover. His mother has been all over him about finding a mate, or to get married, or at least to be in a fucking relationship. Not that he doesn’t want to, but his past experiences discouraged him a bit, since most of his love stories ended up badly. Then, he met his betas and gets occupied by them. And now…, Derek glances over his room door. After he met Stiles, that boy is everything that he could think of. How could Derek still has heart to find another conquest, when his heart is fully captivated by that brunette boy? He sighs to his gloomy future.

Derek listens to his mother and his betas. They are busy chatting upstairs, so Derek goes into his room. Once he is inside, after staring at Stiles’ portrait for a good ten minutes, Derek paces to his nightstand and takes out Stiles’ diary. He can uses it for a good reading while waiting his mother calls him to make dinner together. Derek makes himself comfortable on his bed, with his back leans on the headboard, and his long legs stretches straight on bed. He starts to flip the page, and soon a smile is drawn on his face.

He should have guess that Stiles was one energetic boy. Not only his writings were vigorous, but he was also portraying things vividly and burst with excitement. Derek imagines how great it could be, if they could meet ten years ago, sat together and talked about…everything. Derek is for sure would never mind to hear the brunette’s ranting, and imagines that his voice must be somewhat ringing so beautifully in his ears. The raven haired sighs to the imagination. That is what it is; an imagination, a wishful thinking.

He is about to close the diary, not letting himself drawn in deeper bittersweet feeling he creates for himself, when his eyes caught on one of Stiles latest entries. His eyes are quickly captured the words of: hot ghost, raven hair, jade eyes, his family, two blondes and dark-skinned boy. Derek flips more pages and realizes that Stiles was writing about his daily life, or bits of moments when they met.

The raven haired snaps his head to gawk at Stiles’ portrait, eyes open so widely. What does it mean? How come Stiles wrote about their meetings when he was alive? The one Derek met was Stiles’ ghost wasn’t it? So why, the ten years ago Stiles could write so many entries on him alone? On his pack too? Derek is now shivering with thrills. So, does it mean that the Stiles he saw was not really a ghost, yet the real Stiles from ten years ago? What is this? What kind of magic is playing here?

There are so many questions dancing, roaming and echoing in Derek’s mind that he could feel his heartbeats are throbbing wildly inside his chest. His hands are trembling and it requires minutes for him to pull himself together. He reminds himself that his mother and betas are at home, and if Derek werr unable to pull his shit together, they will smell him and put him under interrogation. He doesn’t want it. Not yet. He needs to find out himself first, what is actually happening between him and Stiles.

Derek takes a heavy intake of breath, calms himself down, then brings himself to flip more pages. He stops on Stiles’ last entry, when he was rambling on giving Derek a nick name. The raven haired chuckles upon reading Stiles’ “brilliant” suggestions. He casts his eyes to his nightstand and picks up a pen he put there on ready, in case some plots for his manuscript are dawning on him at unexpected time. Derek scribbles down his name. It’s Derek. The name is Derek, Stiles.

Derek is staring at his own handwriting for a while, before a knock on his door pulls him out his reveries. He hastily puts back Stiles' diary inside the drawer and answers the door. His mother is staring at him pointedly on the other side.

“Your mother came for a visit and you immediately holed up inside your room?”

Derek blushes upon his mother’s scolding and steps aside when she makes way to enter Derek’s room. “I’m sorry, Mom. I heard you and the pups are chatting excitedly upstairs, I just don’t want to interrupt.”

He warrants himself a pinch from Talia as soon as he said that. “Are you jealous of your own betas, you brat?” Talia scolds him again, but soon she stops when she sees Stiles’ portrait. “What a handsome boy,” Talia draws closer to the portrait and observes it, before she shoots knowing glance. “Who is he, Derek? Why don’t you ever tell me about him?”

Derek scratches his head, clueless on how to tell his mom about Stiles. An hour ago, he could go with: he was the previous owner’s deceased son, Mom. He’s a ghost, and I met him a couple of time. Most likely, I’ve fell for him. Yeah, it’s stupid, I know, but it happened. Now, he doesn’t know how to answer. The last two lines remain the same, but he isn’t so sure anymore about the first two sentences. So, he just goes with the name.

“His name is Stiles,” he huffs the answer.

His mother is about to open her mouth to answer him, when Erica lets out a loud kind of squealing noise at the living room.

“Isaac…!!! You got yourself a cutie…!!!!” That, and a gush of another Alpha’s scent infiltrates Derek’s sense. He is alarmed all of sudden, so does his mother. Talia puts back the portrait, and gestures at Derek to meet the new Alpha.

“We’ll continue about this Stiles later,” she says shortly.

Derek could not agrees more, sort of relieves even. He is definitely not ready to share about his little secret with Stiles to his mother yet, hence he eagerly follows her, and they swing their feet to the living room. All of Derek’s betas are there, crowding a young boy who is sitting restless next to Isaac. The youngest beta laces his fingers to the tan boy’s, trying his best to calm that curly raven-haired boy down. He is the same boy that Derek saw having intimate time with Isaac previously this morning. 

“So this is your boyfriend?” Talia flashes a sweet smile, but sheds her red eyes nonetheless, intimidating the young Alpha in instance. “My name is Talia Hale, Alpha. I’m Derek’s mother,” she extends her hand for the boy to shake.

The boy shyly stands up and returns the handshakes with low head. Derek saw him before, but this is the first time he really pays attention. The boy is shorter than him and Isaac; he has tanned skin and a slightly crooked jaw. Crooked jaw. Derek feels a kick on his gut when he realizes who the boy really is. He is the boy in his dream; the boy who was playing with Stiles, the one who was like a little brother to the brunette!

“My name is Scott McCall,” the boy says softly. “I heard a lot about the Hales from my deceased Alpha. It’s an honour, Ma’am…”

“Oh please, just call me Talia. So, how long have you been with Isaac?”

“We are together just for a couple of days after we got to know with each other since my first day at school,” Isaac answers on the behalf of the boy.

“That’s fast for you, Isaac…,” Erica chirps. “To trust people like that…”

“Isaac is my mate,” the curly-haired boy throws his glances to every single person in that room, and lastly to Isaac, where it lingers. “I know that from the first sniff,” he grins, as well as Isaac, while Erica is wolf-whistling at the background.

“That’s so sweet,” Talia smiles amused. “It’s a great thing for us to find our true mate,” she adds on while shooting pointed gaze towards Derek. The raven haired suddenly feels the sight of the clock on the wall is far more demanding than his mother’s. Talia could only sigh.

“Oh well, my son is trying to be oblivious on my comment,” she complains, makes Derek’s betas huff a laugh, but composing themselves the second their Alpha shoots them warning glance. Scott seems confused with what’s going on, so Isaac explains to him in a whisper, which of course is still extremely audible for the rest. Derek rolls his eyes.

“Mom, shall we start to make dinner for our guest?” Derek suggests, antsy to get himself out of there.

“Oh, fine…, come on,” Talia finally caves in and makes way to the kitchen, followed by Derek and Boyd, while Erica and Isaac stay behind with Scott.

Talia scans all the ingredients available inside Derek’s fridge before she finally resorts to cook Italian and makes Derek and Boyd her helper. They are cooking the main course when they suddenly hear a song played on the piano. Derek is frozen when he recognizes it. It is his and Stiles’ favourite song. Once more, the house is vibrating with the familiar piece.

“Scotty, how do you know this song?” Derek hears Isaac ask his boyfriend when the song ends.

“Frankly, I knew well the previous owner of this house. The Stilinski family. I often came here to play with their son, Stiles, who was seven years older than me. I looked up to him like my own big brother. It was him who taught me this song. It was his favourite piece.”

“Funny, it’s Derek’s favourite song too…”

“Really?”

Derek could hardly control his hands from trembling, that he almost cuts himself. Luckily, he manages to pull himself together on time and drops the knife. He pretends that he needs to grab another ingredient and hides his flustered face behind the fridge door, but he could feel his mother’s burning gaze behind him. He knows he’d have some explaining to do once Scott went home.

The rest of the dinner goes smoothly. Scott is the centre of attention, and he tells the pack about his own pack. His bitten Beta’s name is Liam, whom he gave the bite to keep him from dying due to a fatal accident. The beta is still adjusting at the moment, as he is spending his last year of high school. The other two of Scott’s pack members are Heather and Lydia, whom Derek immediately recognized when Scott shows them their photo. The two female were the students who bumped Derek when he was tracking Isaac down to Scott’s apartment.

“Heather is my childhood friend,” Scott explains, when Talia seems curious about the ‘diversity’ in his pack. “She was with me when I received the bite. Well, I took the bite so she won’t have to, actually. After that, she’s been helping me to manage my power and to be a good Alpha. Lydia is her best friend, and it happened to be, she is from a family line of banshee and familiar with the supernatural ever since she was a kid. When she found out about me, she was intrigued and voluntarily joins the pack ever since.”

“To be honest, it’s quite unusual for our kind to have such a diverse pack,” Talia comments, as Scott blushes.

“I know it might be weird, but the essence of pack is the crowd that makes you feel the safest and most comfortable with, right? Like family? I have that feeling with them, and now with you all…”

“Your point, Alpha?” Derek raises his eyebrow.

Scott puts down his cutlery and with a quick glance toward Isaac, he elaborates sternly. “I’m with Isaac now, and I understand it will put him in tough spot if he has to choose between his pack and my pack. Therefore, if you are not despising me, Alpha, I am proposing to join your pack. Me, and my pack…”

Derek’s brows arched even higher. “I told Isaac I need more time to think it through. I don’t know my Betas’ opinion about this yet.”

“Ooh, we don’t mind,” Erica interposes. “If we add more numbers, we will be stronger.”

“I’m with Erica,” Boyd nods.

“I think it is a good proposition, Derek,” Talia interjects softly. “This place could make a good use of one strong Alpha pack. It will be better if you are joining into one pack instead of doing things separately.”

“I’ll consider it, Mom,” Derek promises, before returning his eyes back to Scott. “Please give me time, Alpha. I’ll return with the answer soon.”

Scott cracks a thin smile, but nodding his head nonetheless. “Take your time, Alpha,” he says. “I just hope I can still see Isaac while you are thinking it through.”

Derek shrugs off the boy’s worry. “I have no objection…,” he deadpans, drawing a happy smile on the couple’s faces.

They finally end their dinner with a free pass for Scott to come whenever he wants to, and Derek promises that he will tell Scott his decision via Isaac. After dinner, Boyd drives Isaac and Scott back to send the sophomore Alpha home, while Erica, Derek and Talia clean after the dishes. Erica and Talia are wiping dry the plates, as Derek is washing them, when Stiles’ scent infiltrates Derek’s sense. The raven haired immediately casts his eyes around the vicinity, looking for the brunette’s ghost, but he sees no one. However, the scent is so strong, like when Stiles is around him.

Derek takes another sniff before he realizes the scent flavor is somewhat slightly altered. There are mixture of anxiety and agony in it, making Derek’s wolf alarmed and agitated all of sudden. Derek’s heartbeats are picking up more speed and he could feel his head is spinning with anxiousness. Stiles is in trouble, he is in grave agony, and he needs help! Derek doesn’t know how he would know. He just knows.

“Derek?”

Derek vaguely hears his mother calling him, but he doesn’t respond. He merely swings his feet back to his room. All of his sense and focus are targeted to find Stiles, to help him. The raven-haired yanks open his room door harshly, and he immediately could feel his breath hitches. Stiles’ ghost is laying on his bed, with his back arches so high, and his face is contorting in grave pain.

The brunette boy doesn’t seem aware of Derek’s coming. He looks like he is having a seizure, and his hand is desperately tries to grip on something, as the other hand is clutching to his chest.

“Stiles!!” Derek dashes forward, caging Stiles with his own hands and legs. As he is closer to Stiles, he could feel more of Stiles’ pain and anxiety, and those feelings make his wolf extremely agitated. “Stiles!!” Derek calls him again, and he can’t help to feel frustrated because he couldn’t touch Stiles to comfort and calm the boy down, while the brunette is desperately crying for help.

“Damn it, Stiles!! Calm down, please!!” Derek pleas, not even realizing a drop of his tear has fallen down. Derek futilely rubbing his hand on Stiles’ cheek, only to feel cold wind gushes on his palm. “Stiles!!” He cries more.

Stiles’ eyes widen suddenly, and they are casting wildly before finally return their focus. His body has stop jolting and his face relaxes back. His heaving chest is flatting down, and he finally catches Derek’s gaze. Stiles is still clutching his chest, but he looks better, no longer in pain. Derek could smell the brunette’s original scent returns, no longer mixed with anything else, just the usual peace and tranquility it always offers. Derek is still watching him with worry, but Stiles dismisses it with a fond smile. He raises the hand he was using to anchor himself to the bed before, to try to touch Derek’s cheek, in vain. However, Stiles’ eyes are still shooting his gentle gaze, and mouthing a ‘thank you’ that Derek could easily catch on, he disappears.

“No, Stiles!!” Derek tries to catch the brunette’s silhouette, to no avail. “NO!!” He roars, half shifting.

“Derek!!”

Someone is pulling Derek away from the bed, but he has lost to his wolf and wards that person with his claws, as he is bearing his teeth and fangs.

“DEREK!!” That person yells again, full of authority and flashes a pair of red eyes, which put Derek’s wolf in full submission. However, he is still half shifting and barely regaining his consciousness. He feels his cheek smarting when that person slaps him hard. “Calm yourself down, Son!!”

Derek blinks and flusters his eyes, while his consciousness returns to his mind. He has his mother pinning him to the wall, her eyes remaining flashes red, while Erica is whimpering at the door, too afraid to come closer.

“M-mom…,” he is choked with his own words.

“What happened? You were suddenly went feral and even using your claws to attack me,” Talia slowly lets him go, but her eyes are still watching him closely.

“I…,” Derek shivers to the thought that he was attacking his own mother. If only his mother is not an Alpha, she is surely would get hurt by his attack. Still trembling, Derek casts his eyes toward his bed. Stiles is gone, and the thought crushes his heart. He could feel his wolf starts to agitate again inside him. “I-I’m sorry…, I…, I’ll take a run…”

Derek ignores his mother’s calling and pushes his way out through Erica. He just wants to run into the wood, running away from the agony that Stiles just went through, and the agony for not being able to be there for the brunette boy, for not being able to help him when he needs him the most. Derek tears his clothes and goes to full shift. He is running faster and faster, letting the wood embraces him, and the wind helps him to blow his heartache away. Then, under the moon, he lets his wolf wailing, as he sends his mate the voice of his own longing.

In the house, Erica jolts surprised when she hears the wailing. She knows her Alpha well, and she knows they are Derek’s. The blonde beta glances over to Talia and sees that the woman is frowning too.

“Talia, that’s…”

“It’s the wail of a wolf who lost its mate…,” Talia nods, with a stern face, as her eyes lock onto Stiles’ portrait.

**

Chapter Text

Derek opens his eyes as the first sunlight is beaming down upon him. He could feel his chest is wet from the morning dew, and soiled with red earth. Derek rubs his eyes before he casts his gaze around. He wasn’t sleeping in his room. He wasn’t sleeping in any room, in fact. Derek is lying on his stomach between the trees, in the wood. He doesn’t recall when he finally fell asleep during his run, and when he shifted back to his human form. He was devastated with hurt and agony last night, so he ran as long as he could, as far as he could, until he got tired and fell asleep.

The raven haired stirs and sits with his back leans on a tree, gazing at the tree top. The heavy feeling is still clinging in his heart. Why would he feel so miserable? He barely knows Stiles, but it feels like he has known him for a life time, understands him so well. He could feel Stiles’ agony and pain, but he can’t do anything to ease them away. What is the universe trying to tell him? Why does he have to face such crude joke of fate? When he found his mate; when he found the only person he loves so deeply and wants to spend an eternity with him, Derek is faced with bitter reality that that person is a mere ghost of the past.

No! Derek grits his teeth. He won’t accept it. Everything happens for a cause; that was how he raised by his mother. If there is any magic playing in this thing, magic that brings him to Stiles or vice-versa, Derek will make sure to see it undone. Whoever is playing with Stiles’ and Derek’s fate, Derek will make sure they will be stopped. Even if there is only zero point one percent of chance that Stiles is still alive, Derek will grasp onto it, like his life is depending on it. If Stiles is still alive in any corner of the world or time, Derek will find him. He will not declare defeat before he even starts his war.

With such of a resolution, Derek stands up. He shifts back to his wolf-form and starts tracking his way back to the house. After some time passed running, he finally sees his backyard. Derek decides to enter through his porch instead of the front door, just in case, since he is fully naked. Derek shifts to his human form and silently enters his room. He sniffs the air and finds out that no one seems at home. He doesn’t know where his mother went, but he feels slightly relieved. He was just calming down, and not really in the mood to have ‘the’ conversation with his mother just yet. Derek slips into his bathroom and takes a shower.

After cleaned up and refreshed, wearing jeans and his Henley, Derek sits down on the bed. Staring at Stiles’ portrait, he is thinking the best way to start his investigation about what happened to the brunette ten years ago. Suddenly, one familiar scent is invading his sense. Derek perks up, and he doesn’t need to search for long, because Stiles is seating next to him, writing on his diary. Derek could feel how relief floods down his heart, and he can’t stop himself for smiling so happily, or to blinks the swollen tears away. There is nothing could make him happier than he is at the moment, seeing Stiles is fine, that he is no longer in pain.

Stiles is writing with eyes gawking to the page of his diary, before he lifts his head and turns it to Derek. He jolts a bit from surprise, because he just realizes that Derek is watching him so closely. He grins sheepishly and points to his diary, before he vanishes again to thin air. Derek blinks, and without fully registering what was just happened, he blankly reaches for his nightstand drawer and pulls Stiles’ diary out. He might have missed some clues in it, he thinks, and opens it.

Derek meticulously reading Stiles’ writing page by page, but found nothing. Why would Stiles point his diary? What was he trying to say if there is nothing in it?! He is about to close it exasperatedly when some blue inks catch his attention. The blue inks are the same ones like Stiles used on the previous pages. However, the position of them was what really caught Derek’s eyes. They are scribbled under Derek’s own writings of black ink. And, the blue inks are written: Dude!

Derek’s eyelids fluster swiftly before anything is dawning on him. Dude? He reads it again. Yes, it’s still that word. He is pretty sure it wasn’t there yesterday, nor if he wrote it himself. Derek is never ‘dude’-ing anyone. He got his confirmation when he sees more blue inks magically appear on the page. This time they are written: “We can communicate through Rooney? Way to go, Dude!!”

The raven haired shakes with thrill and excitement. Whatever magic this is, he doesn’t mind! He’d do anything to be able to talk with Stiles, and he could now! (Well, writing in the essence, but he won’t complain. It’s better than nothing…). Derek takes his pen and starts to reply.

“Dude? Rooney?”

After waiting for couple of seconds, Derek receives his reply. “Figure of speech. Don’t mind it…^^ And Rooney is the name of my diary.”

Derek shakes his head in disbelief. Why does Stiles have to be this enchanting and cute, he chuckles. “Are you okay? You looked so miserable last night. What happened?”

Derek stills. Will he being too prying and pushy by asking those all of sudden? His heart is drumming anxiously, but he exhales his relieved breath when Stiles writes back.

“I’m fine. I’m sorry you got to see that. My power is often acting out, and it puts me in agony whenever it happens. But you are always helping, hot ghost Derek. Thank you.”

Derek’s laughter is rumbling in his chest. Stiles is so in habit to call him hot ghost. However, Derek frowns on Stiles’ next statement. How did he help, actually?

“I don’t understand. How did I help? I did nothing. And, what power are you talking about? What are you?”

“Yes, you are. With you just being there helped me, Derek. To be honest…, oh Dude, please don’t think I’m crazy for telling you this. Okay… I am a spark. Do you know spark? We are like sorcerer, but our magic is born with us, instead of we learn it out. Once we reach the age of 16, our true power starts to exhibit itself before we could control them, and the process is painful. Our power is acting out on us.”

Derek pauses for a second. Spark? Yes, being a supernatural creature himself, it is compulsory for him to know other supernatural beings. Spark is one of the most mentioned by his family, since many sparks are affiliated with werewolf packs as emissary. So is that it? He is dealing with Spark’s magic? Derek finally decides to tell Stiles everything. He has been honest to Derek anyway.

“I won’t be thinking that you’re crazy. I’m a werewolf myself…”

Derek is cut off by Stiles’ haste replies. “DUDE!! So you are truly a werewolf?!! I’m mating with a werewolf…??”

Stiles was crossing his words, but they are still readable for Derek. He frowns, before he could stop himself from smiling ear to ear.

“I could still read the words you scratched out, you know? Mate? We are mate?”

“Shoot. Sorry. Please don’t freak out!!”

“Will you freak out if I tell you that you make me so happy just from reading your words? I don’t mind it at all, Stiles. You know what; I think you are my mate too…”

Stiles takes longer to reply, but Derek understands. The boy must be surprised. “How? I mean, I know that you are my mate because my power is tamed down whenever you are around. The only one who can tame down a spark’s power when they are acting out is that spark’s respective mate. When I first saw you that night, I was in agony too, and almost lost to my power. You saved me, Derek. And last night too. Last night was more horrible because the Hunter’s Moon is coming. My power reacted to that. But once you came, it was subdued. If you are not my mate, there will be no way you can do that.”

Derek takes in everything Stiles told him. He heard about some Alphas who have a Spark as their respective mate, and how strong their bond is. He’d never thought the same thing is happening on him. He is mated with a Spark!

“What about in your case? How did you know that I am your mate?”

Derek picks up his pen again and writes back. “Your scent. I smell it since we first met. It intrigued me since you looked like a ghost whenever you show up, yet I can smell your scent, while my pack can’t. Even my mother didn’t smell it. She’s a more experienced and stronger Alpha than I am, but she failed to notice you. And, for many other reasons, I’m assured that you are the one I’ve been waiting for, Stiles. You are my mate.”

Stiles doesn’t reply, makes Derek agitated. “Stiles?” He pries.

“I’m sorry. I just need time to digest this. You looked like a ghost to me too, yet you have access to help me with my power. So we are mate? How is that even possible? Wait, are you still alive?”

“I’m alive, Stiles, and I know you are alive too. Otherwise, we can’t write back and forth to each other like this. However, I think we are in different timeline. Mine here is 2016.”

Longer reply time, but Derek takes it easy. He grabs his laptop and starts his research while waiting for Stiles’ reply. He types in Beacon Hills library for the address. He’ll make his visit there today.

“DUDE! You live ten years apart? You are in the future? Wait, I’m not there in the future? You are living in my house, right? I saw you.”

“That’s exactly my question. I bought your house last year, and just moved in the night we first met. I asked around after I saw you, and they all answered you were missing after…”

Derek is dead on his track. He hesitates. Does Stiles aware about his mother’s demise? Did she still alive on Stiles’ time?

“After? After what, Derek?”

Derek decides not to make Stiles upset. It isn’t his story to tell either. “Nothing. You just went missing. No one knew where you were.”

“You are holding things from me, Derek. Why?”

“Shoot. My mom calls me. We’ll continue this later, Derek. You are going to tell me everything. Otherwise, I’ll be mad to you!!”

Derek chuckles. They are not even met face to face, yet Stiles had been treating Derek with his sassy remarks and demanding self. Clearly, he feels comfortable with Derek already. And Derek, he has never thought he could indulge someone besides his family treating him like that, even before they seal the deal. Mates are surely different, he chuckles again.

“I’m going to find you, Stiles, no matter what. I love you.”

With that, he closes the diary and returns it to his drawer. Derek wears his shoes, goes out of his room with his keys in hand. He’ll tear the city upside down if he has to, but he’ll definitely find his mate, he tells himself.

**

Derek drives his Camaro to the library address he browsed out on the internet, however his stomach is rumbling when he is passing by the diner, reminding him that he has not yet eat breakfast. Half cursing his biological hour, he parks his car and goes into the place. It’s better for him to eat something first and to hit caffeine before he spends his day inside the library, anyway. Once he enters the diner, he looks around to find a seat when his eyes catch two familiar figures. Frowning, Derek swings his heels to their direction.

“Mom?”

Talia and the dark-skinned man who is seating on her opposite raise their head. They look surprise for a beat, but smile to him not long after. Alan Deaton hastily stands up from his chair and shakes Derek’s hand. Derek takes it and sits next to his mother. Still frowning, he shoots the two inquiring glance. He is frowning even deeper when he realizes that Deaton is paying him more attention than he could be comfortable with.

“Where are you going, Derek?” Talia asks.

“I’m heading to the library, but I got hungry on the way there,” Derek shifts his attention to the waiter who is approaching and writes down his orders. “Why are you here with him, Mom?”

Before Talia could answer, Deaton catches on. “So you are Stiles’ mate?”

Derek blinks and shoots him stern glare. “You know Stiles,” he states.

Deaton sighs, but nods. “I’ve known him since he was just a red baby, up to when he went missing, ten years ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell me so when I first came to you?” Derek grits his teeth.

“Derek…”

“You were asking about the house, I gave you your answer,” Deaton retorts. “How I supposed to know that you and Stiles are mates? I won’t possibly know that if your mother didn’t come to find me this morning.”

Derek glances over to his mother, asking for confirmation and explanation. Talia merely shrugs. “You went feral to me last night, Derek. You were clawing your bed-sheet while calling that boy’s name, as if he were there. But I saw nothing, neither did Erica. I sensed something though, a powerful energy, but nothing else. Then, you went out and wailed your lungs out in that kind of manner. Tell me, should I just sit calmly and waiting for your return, expecting you to come out with satisfying explanation, if you could explain anything, that is?”

Derek massages his forehead. He should have see this coming. His mother’s words hit home and they are all right on the money. Yes, Derek has no satisfying explanation for what he has been going through with Stiles. However…, “And you assume he knows?”

“I was shooting in the dark, Son. I was delegating tasks with your betas. Yes, Honey, I'm involving your betas on this, because they deserve to know why their Alpha is suddenly become unstable. I thought as the seller of the house, the realtor might know something, so I tried my luck, while the pups are working different angle. And, ain’t I lucky?”

Deaton chuckles. “Your mom sniffed me the second she entered my office.”

“You?” Derek bemused.

“He’s a Spark, Sweetheart. An old and experienced Spark. He knows how to disguise his scent from us; that must have been the reason why you missed him the first time. That little trick won’t fool me though, Deaton. I was exposed with too many Sparks to count.”

The dark-skinned man chuckles again. “The mighty Alpha indeed, I think nothing could fool you, Mrs. Hale.”

Derek doesn’t really want to hear the flattering competition. Something demands his more important attention. “So you’re a Spark like Stiles?”

“You knew Stiles was a spark?”

“Is,” Derek corrects him. “He’s alive. Somewhere, at some time.”

“Honey…,” Talia rubs Derek’s forearm.

“Are you sure about it? Wait, how did you know that he… is a Spark, in the first place? I’m guessing that he shows himself to you, but I never guess he could communicate with you.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you know about the Stilinskis first, then I’ll tell you what he told me,” Derek deadpans.

Deaton sighs. “Okay. I’ll tell you everything I told your mother just then. You deserve to know, anyway, being Stiles’ mate. My name is Alan Deaton. My family had been serving Claudia Stilinski’s family ever since nineteenth century. Claudia and John, Stiles’ father, were my best friends, as well as Parrish, the sheriff’s father. When Claudia and John got married, they went to live in the big city, leaving Beacon Hills behind. I and Parrish were left here to guard this place. This place is the power source for Claudia’s family, but it is also possessed strong force for any other supernatural entity. Our job is to protect this place from falling into the wrong hands."

"Spark power is always coveted by strong covens. And one of them, the Aruoyan, was targeting Claudia. They seized the chance when Hunter’s Moon on its peak, twenty years ago. Hunter’s Moon gravitational power is significant to enhance the sorcerers’ power, as well as the sparks’. I and Marshall Parrish received the news rather too late. When we came to the Stilinski’s house, they killed John, and Claudia was in her last effort to safe herself and Stiles. Without Beacon Hills’ power, Claudia was weaker than the whole coven’s join power. We managed to ward them off and took Claudia and Stiles back to Beacon Hills. They were safe for another ten years, up to Stiles came to age, sixteen year old."

"Claudia told me that Stiles got help from his mate to control his new power, but she had no idea why the mate was a ghost. Because once our mate died, our bond with our mate died too. However, Stiles conversely established his bond with his mate, after that respective mate died. Now I know, he wasn’t dead at all. It was you, right Derek?”

Derek nods. “I saw Stiles on the first night I moved in. I thought he’s a ghost, but strangely I could smell his scent. That was why I visited you the next morning. I thought your office scammed me, since you were not telling me of any criminal case ever happened in the house. Now I realized that what I saw was not his ghost at all. I’m seeing the alive Stiles from ten years ago. Our timeline, I don’t know how, presumably collided. I could see the past him, and he could see the future me. Is this your spark magic in work or something?”

Deaton’s face shades darker. He rubs his face and slams his fist on the table.

“Mr. Deaton…,” Talia uses her authoritative tone.

“I’m sorry. I just…,” his chest is heaving heavily. “Now I know why Claudia was lost to them. She was using her last power to make this magic. She was hiding Stiles from them and made sure you will find him in the future to protect Stiles from the coven. She died protecting Stiles,” a bead of tear wets Deaton’s cheek, and he wipes it swiftly.

“So I assume there was another big fight ten years ago which resulted on Mrs. Stilinski’s demise?” Talia concludes. 

“Where were you that time that you failed to notice Claudia was doing that magic; that you failed to notice that Stiles is alive, somehow?” Derek adds on. His eyes are burning flames.

Deaton casts his eyes outside the window. Glint of remorse and pain are visible there. “I got called by my previous pack to come to Chicago and helped them. I wasn’t sure to respond, because I was worried for Claudia and Stiles' safety, since the Hunter’s Moon was coming approach that time. But, Claudia was adamant to let me go, assured me that they will be fine. So I went. I asked Marshall to protect them, but I didn’t really understand why he came tad late that night, resulted on Claudia’s death and Stiles went missing. He told me that Claudia sent him on errand to find herbs for Stiles. I didn’t know how, but apparently Stiles got hurt the night before. That was also why they were so defenseless. When I returned, Marshall was wounded heavily, which cost him his own life two years afterward, while Claudia was dead and Stiles was missing. I initially wanted to keep the house the way it was during my investigation to find Stiles back, but then I received the letter that granted me every legal right to put the house on the market, signed by Claudia herself. I was hesitated at first, but Marshall encouraged me to fulfill Claudia’s last wish, so I eventually did. However, no one bought the house for ten years, as well as I found no clue on Stiles, until you came along. I was bewildered at first, but now I understand why. Claudia was waiting for you. She hid Stiles for only you to find. She was counting on your bond.”

Derek is shivering. So, is that mean…is that mean Stiles is at his house all these times?

“I-I don’t know about that. He never shows himself to me all these time,” Deaton says bluntly. “However, this time might be different. Look, I need to go there to check it out…with you.”

The young Alpha stands up promptly and grabs the older man’s elbow. “What are you waiting for, then? Come on, let’s go.”

“Derek, Dear,” Talia stands up too and taps her son’s shoulder. “Manners…, and patience.”

“Mom…!!” Derek protests, just like a little child in candy store. How could he possibly wait for any longer? “Stiles might need the saving soon!!”

“He is right, Alpha Hale. Stiles has been waiting for too long, and the Hunter’s Moon is coming again. Who knows what it will cause this time? Better to make our move soon,” Deaton nods, and dutifully follows Derek.

**

Chapter Text

Derek is parking his car on the driveway when Parrish’s cruiser comes approach and parks right behind the Camaro. Puzzled, Derek narrows his eyes to Deaton. The dark-skinned man is frowning too.

“I didn’t call him,” he said, “Yet.”

They jump off the Camaro as Parrish is walking closer with a beautiful ginger girl following him. Their faces are both stern and their eyes alarmed. When Derek pays more attention to the girl, he notices that she is one of the female students he met at Scott’s apartment, one of the young Alpha’s betas, Lydia.

“Jordan, I haven’t called you, yet you knew?” Deaton greets the young sheriff. “Your Hellhound instinct is impeccable.”

“Hellhound?” Talia sniffs the air. “I see,” she smiles to the befuddled Derek. “They are the protector of supernatural realm, the fiery dog. You can’t smell him?”

Derek blushes. He can’t blame anyone but himself for his lack of experience. He was hardly have interest to live as supernatural being, hence never let himself to be exposed to the other kinds of supernatural entity  too much.

“Can’t blame him, Mrs. Hale. Jordan is trained to disguise his scent by me,” Deaton chuckles. “You came in time. We found clue on Stiles. But I bet you knew it, somehow…”

Parrish looks bemused. He shakes his head. “I wasn’t come here for Stiles. I came here to help Lydia. She received a distressed phone call from Heather. She said they are in danger.”

“They?”

“My pack,” Lydia elaborates. She looks extremely antsy and casts her eyes to the surroundings. “Heather said the Alpha Pack that have been wanting Scott for months are hot on his trail. Liam and Heather bumped onto them at the city, and Liam immediately went to Scott’s to warn him and Isaac. They agreed to meet up here, at Isaac’s Alpha’s house. They aren’t here yet?”

“We just arrived,” Derek answers. “We are not yet check the house,” he continues, although his heightened hearing has hinted him that there is in fact no heartbeat inside the house. Derek raises his hand and makes gesture for his guests to follow suit and enters the house with him. Inside, with one sniff, Derek confirms that Isaac has not yet returned. He shakes his head to Lydia to inform her, while fishing his phone out of his pocket to call his Beta.

After he fails to reach Isaac for a couple of times, Derek tries his luck with Erica. The phone call finally gets through. “Er, do you know where Isaac is?” The raven haired asks, shortly before he frowns, looks unhappy with the answer and pursues. “Take Boyd and come back home now. Isaac may be in danger and needs our help.”

“What is this Alpha Pack?” Talia asks Lydia.

“They are a pack consist of a bunch of lone Alphas. Some dude called Deucalion gathers them together and formed the pack. To add their members, they have been hunting other Alpha to join them. They heard about Scott and have been eyeing him to join them since months ago. They tried any possible way to lure Scott, but he is adamant to be with us and not leaving Beacon Hills. From what I got from Heather, this time they will resort to violence to get what they want.”

Derek grits his teeth. Just when he is about to be able to save Stiles! Talia flicks her eyes and shoots him pointed glare, warning him to school his feelings. Pack is as important as mate, no matter what. Sighing, Derek knows he could only focus on his beta’s problem at the moment. He tries to call Isaac again, to no avail.

“This Deucalion character,” Talia frowns with distaste face. “His action is unacceptable. Moreover, this is the first time I heard his name, so either he is a recently turned Alpha, or he is using some sort of alias. What he’s trying to do is defying the concept of pack itself. He must be stopped.”

“I agree, Alpha Hale,” Deaton nods. “He’s been expanding his territory at Beacon Hills, and even tried to claim our local Alpha. He can ruin all the balance in supernatural world. Say, Alpha, is it possible for us to ask your interference regarding this matter? We are clearly lack of numbers here. Scott's pack members no matter what are still kids. They could help to an extent, but I doubt they could withhold for a long and fierce battle, due to their lack of experience. I’m afraid, with the Hunter’s Moon is coming closer, the Aruoyans will come again for their third attempt to get their hands on Stiles. It’s already going to be a tough battle for Parrish and I, but we thought we could survive the calamity with Scott and Derek’s help. However, if we still have another threat from this so-called Alpha pack, I’m not quite optimistic we could survive, even if we found Stiles here and now.”

“You were talking about Stiles,” Parrish interjects. “You got clue about him?”

Deaton tosses his head toward Derek, as the Alpha watching them sharply while making his phone calls. “Derek is Stiles’ mate. Stiles shows himself to him in this house. My best guess is Claudia was hiding him inside this house. Or at the very least, Stiles’ power and consciousness is hidden here for ten years. I was going to check it with Derek, before you came.”

Parrish frowns. “But we have checked this house for numerous times. He never showed himself to us.”

“Because we are not Derek. We are not his mate, Jordan. Claudia performed the magic for Stiles’ mate solely.”

Parrish has not yet get any chance to say another word, nor Talia to give any response for Deaton’s plea when a loud crash is heard from the woods. In instance, Derek feels his goose bumps rise, so does with Talia’s. In unison, all of them are running to the windows to see what happened. They first see a silhouette is sent flying and crashes with loud thump near the flower beds. When they are narrowing their eyes to get better look, the wounded body is a dirty blonde werewolf in his beta form. He is short, although muscular, and badly wounded.

“Liam!!” Lydia screams and bolts to the door.

As Lydia opens the door, another black silhouette has towering over Liam with magnificent speed, with his claws in ready to rip the blonde beta apart. The ginger could only shrieks in horror to see the coming predicament for her friend. Fortunately, Talia is faster. With one swift movement, she pushes the assaulter with her Alpha power and snatches the unconscious beta back to the house. Lydia receives his friend with relieved tears.

Another loud crash is heard from the woods, and before all of them are able to fully grasp the situation, Isaac is seen running carrying someone on his back. He is in his beta form and torn clothes which reveals his numerous bleeding wounds. The person Isaac is carrying on his back has jet-black hair and seems unconscious. From the curly hairs and tanned skin, it is easy to notice that Isaac is carrying Scott. The bloods running on the guy’s head and arms are good indication to explain the cause why he is out cold and barely responsive.

The blonde werewolf who was pushed back by Talia minutes ago sees Isaac too and makes his move toward him. The other wolf is an Alpha, with eyes as red as blood, fill with mischievous hunger toward the Beta. Derek roars to the threat and dashes forward to protect his Beta, followed by his mother. However, another three Alphas dart out from the wood and two of them block Talia’s track, while the other one goes sideway to help his friend facing Derek. The mighty Alpha now has her hands busy with the two new coming Alphas, as Derek is in fierce battle with the other two Alphas.

“Run to the house!!” Deaton runs toward Isaac and helps him with Scott, while Parrish has shifted to his fiery Hellhound beta form to aid Talia. “I’ll make barrier for all of us!!”

One of the Alphas who is facing Derek hears the instruction and makes his move to stop Deaton and catches Scott. His friend acknowledges his intention and adds the severity of his attack to prevent Derek helps Deaton. Derek growls and retaliates. He adds his speed and power to his claws. After a while, he finally manages to push his opponent a bit, just in the nick of time to stall the other Alpha and opens path for Deaton to take the boys back to the house.

The other Alpha could feel how Derek is approaching, and before Derek realizes, the blonde Alpha dodges and sent him flying with his strong claws. The second after, Derek is already hit the porch column and there are three deep cuts on his chest.

“Derek!!” Talia screams in horror when she sees the blonde Alpha and his friend are seizing chance to deliver their final blow to end Derek’s life. Talia is hastily moving back to her son. However, the brunette Alpha she is facing doesn’t let his guard down and does not give her any chance to save his son. Talia lets out a frustrated sharp roar and fiercer attacks. She is finally succeeded. Her opponent sways a bit from the wounds she manages to inflict, but the other wolf’s claws are only a mere inch from Derek’s throat.

Deaton turns back to cast his magic. His body is glimmering green sparkly fire, but before he gets any chance to shoot his power out and save Derek, a ball of light blue fire is shot from inside the house and hits the blonde Alpha mercilessly. The said Alpha immediately falls unconscious. Follows suit, Deaton sees a pillar of light blue fire is coming forward from the house. Soon after, he sees a protective wall of blue fire is erected surrounding the house, especially surrounding Derek who is catching his breath, leaning on the porch, and is bleeding severely.

Derek's eyes are wide open, as he is gawking to that pillar of blue fire. To others, it may only be a pillar of burning and dancing blue sparkly fire, but Derek sees what it really is. Stiles is inside it. He is the pillar itself. Stiles has rage on his face and there is murder in his eyes when he locks his eyes to the feral Alphas who were trying to hurt and kill Derek.

“Stiles…,” Derek pants. The brunette throws him a glance and looks even more furious when he sees Derek’s blood. Stiles’ hands are glowing bright blue, and magical light blue tattoos are shining their patterns along his arms, up to his neck. Stiles concentrates his power on the tip of his fingers, forms it into some sort of energy ball, and shoots it out without mercy toward the remaining members of Alpha Pack. Two of the werewolves die on the spot, while the other two manage to seize chance to flee. The barrier is still erected for some times, until Stiles is sure that all the enemies had run away from the vicinity and he takes them down.

“Stiles…,” Derek calls him again, forcing himself to get up and approaching the brunette. Wobbly, Derek extends his hand into Stiles’ fire, to caress his cheek. He doesn’t feel burned or hot. Stiles is raising his hand too and ghosting it on the werewolf’s wounds. Derek smiles to calm him. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine…”

Stiles is silent, as he tries to make out Derek’s words. When he finally gets it, he smiles back, before his face is contorting in pain.

“Stiles?”

The brunette is clutching his chest, and he is suddenly dropped to the ground, coughing blood, as Derek’s face is losing its color. The blue fire that's surrounding Stiles flickers for a bit, before they go off and dissolve, altogether with Stiles’ silhouette. Derek could feel how his heart is stopped beating, when something is dawning on him.

Deaton said, Stiles was somehow got hurt ten years ago, just before the Hunter’s Moon, depleted their power to face their enemies and resulted on his mother’s death. They were wondering what caused it, but now Derek knows. It was because of him. It was because of Derek. Stiles got hurt because he was protecting Derek. The Alpha may not be a spark, but he is not stupid. He could appraise how significant the damage he'd caused for Stiles. His mate is crossing the time and dimension, breaking through the magic his mother erected, just to save Derek.

Derek can feel what’s left in his broken heart has now shattering and leaves him with nothing. He feels sick and nauseous, barely conscious when his body finally slams onto the floor and he passes out. Bead of tear is running down on his cheek, as his lips whispering his mate’s name once more, desperately calling him back.   

**

Chapter Text

Derek was hurt. He was bleeding…

Stiles could feel his heart was about to burst. He was overwhelmed with anger, with worry. It was like another day for Stiles when he woke up in the morning and done all of his chores, when suddenly he had flashes. Derek appeared in front of him, bleeding. His chest was spoiled by three deep cuts, and the next thing Stiles knew, all he could see was red. He didn’t know how, but he finally managed to bring himself to go to Derek’s time, and saved him. He was so angry that he barely could remember the details. When he realized what he had done, Derek was standing weakly next to him, assured him that he was fine. And, the second after, waves of pain struck Stiles mercilessly.

Stiles felt his chest was burnt. It was painful and he almost got choked by his own blood. The stinging odour of copper burnt his nose and eyes, but he couldn’t stop coughing blood.

“Stiles!!”

His mother was standing next to him, next to his bed, tried to calm Stiles down, but it was too painful. Stiles was groaning, and curled himself into a ball, was desperately trying to ease his own pain down.

“What happened, Claudia?” Stiles could hear a heavy voice, followed by equally heavy stomps of police boots on the floor. From his peripheral vision, in and out his consciousness, Stiles blurry saw a tall man with brown hair, in sheriff outfit. Initially, Stiles thought he saw his father, before he reminded himself that the oldman had died. The man who was in his room was not his father, but must had been Marshall Parrish, his mother’s friend.

As if Stiles could see clearly, he imagined his mother shook her head when she answered to Parrish. “I-I don’t know Marshall… He was suddenly screaming, and when I found him, he's like this already. Stiles, honey, what happened?”

Stiles desperately tried to open his mouth, to answer his mother, but more blood was gushing out of his throat and spoiling his sheet once more. His mother hastily wiped his blood with towel, while giving Stiles her own power, to help him healed. Stiles’ back felt warm, as Claudia’s power seeped into his vein. However, Stiles suddenly felt his power was hungrily trying to gulp each flow of power that his mother gave him, until her face was frowning, before it was filled by confusion.

“Mom, let go…!!” Stiles hoarsely said and slightly pushed his mother away. “You’ll lose a lot of energy if you keep doing it.”

“I have to heal you!”

Gritting his teeth, Stiles side-eyed Parrish, and nodded his head to ask him for help. Parrish got his signal and tore Claudia away from the boy.

“Marshall!! He needs my help!!” Claudia yelled.

“Chill, Claudia! We didn’t know what happened to him yet, so stop being reckless as to give him your power like that. He is stronger than you. He could take your power this way…”

“I don’t mind!”

“But I do!” Parrish deadpanned. “The last information said that the Aruoyan were coming closer. We’ll need you in prime state, Claudia. Otherwise, we’d stand no chance against them.”

Stiles closed his eyes, focusing himself to seek help from the surrounding elements, for at least he could stop himself from coughing another blood and stop his mother from worrying him. The brunette controlled his breathing, tried to find the pulse of the earth, and synchronized his own heartbeats with it. His mother’s power helped a bit, and Stiles started to feel comfortable. He let his fire to wrap him into a cocoon and helped him heal. Still closing his eyes, Stiles was soon drifted away.

“He’s asleep…,” Marshall flickered his eyes.

“Didn’t mean he’s okay,” Claudia tossed herself on the window cushion, watching Stiles’ sleeping face behind the blue fire curtain. She rubbed her face tad harshly. “He’ll need medicine if he wants to be fully healed. That kind of wound couldn’t be treated only like that, even if he exhausted all of his power.”

“What is actually happened to him?”

Claudia shook her head again. “I told you, I heard him screaming in pain, and when I rushed into his room, I found him already like that. When you came, I was barely helping him to calm down a bit.”

“Derek…”

The two adults stopped their conversation as the young brunette mumbled in his sleep.

“Derek?” Parrish befuddled.

Claudia slumped into her seat. She should’ve guessed. There was no immediate threat around them that potentially could get Stiles hurt that severely. Now it was crystal-clear. The only possibility was, something happened with that mate of Stiles.

“Who is Derek, Claudia?” Parrish asked again.

“He’s Stiles’ mate.”

“Mate?”

Claudia shook her head hard. She had no time for this. The Aruoyan could come anytime, and Stiles needed help. “Yes, Marshall. His mate. Look, I’d love to explain it to you, but I really can’t right now. Marshall, would you kindly help me?”

“What do you need?”

“I need you to go to California and find Celine, a Spark who’s expert in herbs. Stiles needs them for his wound, and I need some too to perform some magic,” Claudia hastily darted to Stiles’ desk and started to toss the inside for some papers and pen. She found a maroon journal, blankly opened it and ripped one of the blank pages from it and grabbed a pen to write down all the herbs she needed, along with the address that Parrish could go to. Once she was done, Claudia shoved the list to the sheriff. However, the man did not move. He, conversely, was staring at Claudia aghast.

“I can’t leave you two here alone!” He refused. “That coven could come anytime soon…”

“But we don’t know that for sure,” Claudia shot her own pointed glare to Parrish. “They could come tomorrow, but maybe they would arrive next week. Who knows? Meanwhile, my son is dying here. Please, Marshall… You can go now and return early in the morning tomorrow. Please…”

“I…”

“Please…,” Claudia had a swollen tear at the corner of her eye now. “I’ve lost John. I can’t lose Stiles too. Not like this…”

Marshall was still stubbornly refused for another minutes, before he finally sighed and withdrew, when Claudia started to sob. “Fine. It’s still early, anyway. It’s better if I get going right now. I may be able to come back just before the sun rise. I’ll let Jordan to come and stay at midnight, okay? Just in case…”

“Thank you…,” Claudia whispered. Parrish gave her his last nod and hastily stormed out the room, leaving Claudia and Stiles alone.

Stiles was still letting his fire wrapping him in cocoon, still unconscious, as he was trying his best to heal himself. Claudia exhaled hard, and that was when her eyes swept back onto the maroon journal which she was using for paper. She reached for the book and started to flip it. When she realized it was in fact Stiles’ diary, she was about to return it back, but her eyes caught on the last entries. There were two kinds of ink there, black and blue, and two kinds of penmanship.

Befuddled, Claudia continued reading, and shortly she had fully grasped the whole situation. She closed the journal and shifted her attention back to her son. She paced closer to Stiles’ bed, eyes never left Stiles. Her son had grown up. Not only that his power had reached its most powerful state, but his mind and body were matured too. He found his mate, and the other party loved his son so deeply too, regardless their condition. The two of them never truly met with each other, yet they were developing such strong bond and…love. That other man, Derek, was crossing time to convey his feelings to Stiles, and her son was breaking through the boundary of time and dimension to help that man.

Had anything like this happened before? Claudia tried to recall. Nothing crossed her mind, so she went to the study and started her research. She was on her second pile of books when it was almost midnight and she suddenly felt it. The brunette swiftly stood up and marched to the window. She could feel how her heart was clenched tightly. At far distant, quite clearly visible, were walking closer around a dozen of people. Their black leather coats were decorated with white magical patterns and mandala, basking under the moonlight. Even from such distant, Claudia could feel how her goose bumps stood up, agitated my mischievous aura that those people emitted.

Claudia cursed under her breath. Why couldn’t they come a bit earlier when Parrish was still around, or shortly later after he returned? They always had the perfect timing, Claudia cursed once more, while she was running all around the house to put moon stones on each corner to enhance her magic. She knelt down to channel her power and called the surrounding power of natural elements to help her erected a barrier. The trees heard her summon, and swiftly prolonged their branches to fortify the house. Claudia still added another layer of her magical barrier, before she returned back to Stiles’ room.

Stiles was still unconscious inside his fiery cocoon when Claudia entered. She sighed and reached for Stiles’ journal. During her research just then, Claudia found a way to at least ensure her son’s safety. She knew how powerful Stiles was, and if the Aruoyan could lay their hand on him, they’d certainly make him as their instrument to fulfill their evil ambition. The coven was infamous for their maleficent, and they would spare nothing to make themselves as the strongest coven ever existed. Claudia would rather die than to let her son unwillingly made to take part into such evil coven, to use his power for destruction. No. Stiles would never be able to forgive himself if he was ever made to do that.

“Find him, Derek…,” Claudia held the maroon journal in her chest, before put it at the back of Stiles’ drawer. In case she lost this battle and the coven stormed into the house, she had to make sure they won’t apprehend any information about Derek.

After safe-kept Stiles’ diary, Claudia took another piece of paper and wrote a legal letter for Deaton. She sealed it and put it on the coffee table in the living room. Afterward, Claudia returned to Stiles’ side and put another moon stones on each corner of his room. She then positioned herself at the end of the bed, near Stiles’ feet. She closed her eyes, let her breath in unison with the rippling of the air, the wind, and felt her heartbeats were in harmony with the pulse of the earth, despite all the ruckuses the Aruoyans started to make in the attempt to breach her ward.

Claudia pulled herself to concentrate. She only had one chance to do this, and she’d make sure her success. She spread her arms on each side of her body, started to read the chants. She prayed to her ancestors, calling out the memory of her ancestors which left inside the house; called out the remnants of their spirit and power which once colored the atmosphere of the house. Claudia was asking them to hide her son, to safe-keep his power far from the enemy’s hand. Lastly, she was asking them to preserve Stiles’ memory, until the day his mate was coming for him.

The air around them was moving, and Claudia could hear Stiles' fire flickered for a while, before they went off and left Stiles’ body unwrapped. The walls around them were shining light blue, before returning to their initial creamy colour, signalling Claudia that she had succeeded casting her magic. Stumbled, feeling extreme exhaustion after her magic drained most of her energy, Claudia reached for Stiles. Her son was breathing calmly, but she knew his body was only an empty shell now. She had taken his consciousness and power with her magic, and confined them inside the walls of their house. With tears flowing and wet her cheeks, Claudia kissed Stiles’ forehead.

“Fear not, my child. I might be gone when you woke up, but your mate will be there for you. Sleep for a while, Son, until your Derek wakes you up. I love you…,” she whispered her last chant, just before their door was wrenched open, and Aruoyan sorcerers torn her apart from her son. Forever.

**

Chapter Text

When Derek finally wakes up, his wounds have healed, but not so much with his heart. He wakes up in his room, facing Stiles’ portrait, staring at that radiating smile, and immediately reminded what had happened just before he dropped out cold. Derek jumps off his bed and hastily reaches for Stiles’ diary, to open their last entry. Nothing. There’s nothing. Stiles didn’t write him anything… Derek takes a heavy intake of breath and tries to calm himself down. With a slightly shaking hand, he takes his pen and writes. He asks for Stiles’ condition, to ask if he’s alright, and to tell him that he is okay already, thanks to the werewolf rapid healing.

Afterward, he waits. He waits for Stiles’ answer, but they do not come. His waiting is interrupted by his mother’s coming. Talia enters the room and showers her son fond gazes.

“You’ve awake…”

Derek nods, eyes still sweeping the blank page beneath his writings.

“What are you doing?” Talia draws closer. She sits next to Derek on the bed, and her eyes are looking at the page too. “This…,” she traces the still blank page.

“It was Stiles’,” Derek replies, eyes never leaving the diary. He starts nibbling on his fingernails, getting more and more anxious for no coming reply. “I’m checking his condition, but he hasn’t reply yet.”

“You can communicate with him through this?”

Derek nods again. “I can contact him from ten years ago.”

“He’s strong, Derek,” Talia says heartedly. Derek smiles to the appreciation and mumbles an ‘I know’. “Will you send him my thank you too? You know, for saving you?”

Derek glances over his mother for a second, before he nods again and quickly writing it down. He’s waiting again, accompanied by Talia. After minutes passed without any reply, Talia rubs her son’s back. “He might be still resting, Derek. He is human, after all. They need more time to heal. Come on, let’s go outside first and check on your Betas condition. Scott was hurt quite bad too, you know. Oh, and Deaton is still here. He and Parrish are checking the house for any trace on Stiles.”

The information makes Derek springs up from his bed and dashes out. He makes his first stop at Isaac’s room, since the door is opened, and there are a lot of people there. When he enters, he sees the still pale Scott, although all of his wounds have healed, is laying on Isaac’s bed, resting his head on the beta’s chest, as their fingers are lacing together. Isaac still wears his worry face and kisses the top of Scott’s head every ten seconds, as if he wants to assure Scott and himself that he is there for Scott, that they are safe and sound. Scott’s betas, Liam, is sitting at the end of the bed, staring at his alpha and Isaac, but says nothing. A blonde girl is sitting on the chair next to the bed, reading a magazine. Derek smells that she is human, and he saw her before this. She is the last beta that Scott has, the girl named Heather.

“Hey…,” Derek greets them.

Scott tilts his eyes and flashes his smile to Derek. “I’m healing,” he answers. “Thank you for saving me and Liam, Alpha.”

Derek could feel a heavy pressure returns to his chest. It wasn’t him. So, he shakes his head. “It wasn’t me. It was Stiles…,” Derek frowns on how bitter it is to pronounce the name, for he is tormented by worry, yet he has zero clue on how that boy is doing at the moment. The agitation is coming back, storming down his heart, and it nearly chokes him.

“Stiles?” Scott frowns.

A weak smile cracks on Derek’s face. “You knew him, right? You often came here to play with him? He taught you about plants, herbs, and the wilds. You looked up to him like a big brother…”

Scott’s opal orbs get widen. He slightly pulls himself away from Isaac’s arm. “H-how do you know about that?”

“You knew Stiles too?” The girl, Heather, is standing up right now. Her magazine is discarded aside. She's also wearing the same bemused expression as Scott does.

“I saw you and him in the dream,” Derek says to Scott, before he shifts his gaze to Heather. “But I don’t know that you knew him too.”

“We both knew him,” Scott explains. “Heather is my childhood friend and Stiles often babysat us. It hurt us when he was gone, and we keep looking for him,” the young Alpha pauses and carries on after letting out a heavy sigh, “When…when I got bitten that night…that was also because we went to the wood to find Stiles. We heard a rumour said that someone looked like Stiles was seen in the wood.”

Derek shakes his head. “He’s here…,” he exhales, “He's never left…”

“What?!”

“What do you mean he’s here?”

“I…”

“Yes, you’re right, Derek,” Deaton suddenly shows up behind Derek and Talia. Parrish, Lydia, Boyd and Erica are hot on his trail. Upon seeing Derek is up and awake, Boyd and Erica hastily hug their Alpha and scent marking him. Derek reciprocates the gesture, scent marking his betas. After doing that, he turns his attention back to Deaton.

“He’s here, right? Is…is he alright?”

Deaton stares him with concerned eyes, bursting all of Derek’s bubbles of hope. The older man hastily interposes. “He is here, we confirmed it. When we were taking you to your room, we felt him, but he didn’t show himself to us. And…, I’m afraid we still couldn’t pull him out from this house.”

“Why? You said you might be able to save him with my help…”

“We didn’t found his body, Alpha,” the ginger, Lydia, chimes in.

Derek could feel as if he is struck by lightning. He shudders. “His body?”

“Yeah, we turned this house upside down, but we didn’t find him anywhere,” Parrish glowers.

“I was asking for Lydia's help. She is a banshee. With her power, it will be easier for us to extract Stiles’ spirit and consciousness from this house’s walls. She could call Stiles’ spirit out of the confine of this house, with your presence to be his anchor. But Lydia said she needs to find Stiles’ body first,” Deaton explains.

“Without his body to return to, although I could call him out with my Banshee power and with your help, I have nothing to guide him back to. He’ll be as good as dead without any vessel to enter to,” Lydia carries on.

“Derek…,” Talia whispers when she sees how dark Derek face is. He had hope before, but now they are gone just like that. “It’s not that he is dead, Derek, honey. We just need to find his body.”

“Where…?” Derek tries his best to pull out any coherent words. “Where do you think his body is?”

Deaton sighs. “My best guess? The Aruoyan took him. They only had one chance in ten years to get their hands on Stiles, when the Hunter’s Moon’s power is on its peak. They failed twice. When we were back to the house ten years ago, we only found Claudia’s body, but there was no sign of Stiles. I did suspect either Stiles was kidnapped or he went into hiding. However, if he was kidnapped, the Aruoyan would have been the leading coven in supernatural world by now. The fact that they haven’t indicates that they are not in possession of Stiles’ power. Then you came along saying that Stiles is here, in your house. We confirmed that, but the lack of his body means they took it. They might realized Claudia had cast her last magic and hid Stiles’ power, so they get a hold of the second best thing they could think of…”

“Stiles’ body,” Derek rubs his face. “Deaton…,” he tilts his head and stares at the older man sternly, “Do you have any way to pass the news to them?”

“What news?”

“Derek…,” Talia warns him. She roughly has already guessed what Derek is thinking.

“Mom, you can call your pack to come shortly, right?”

Talia lets out a long sigh. “Fine. I’ve called them, actually, but only our family. I’ll let Peter to gather the rest.”

“Derek, what’s in your mind?” Deaton asks as his eyes are locked to Derek’s.

“Contact the Aruoyan. Tell them to come at the coming Hunter’s Moon, because I, Stiles’ mate, have what they want. Tell them to bring Stiles' body with them,” Derek says pointedly.

“Der…, are you serious?” Boyd shudders when he realized what’s in his Alpha’s mind.

“Yes, Boyd. I’m serious. We are having this war,” he grits his teeth. Fate has been ridiculously cruel to him. Yes, he was hoping, but he never asks to find his mate at this new place, yet fate leads him to find Stiles. He is falling head over heels for a boy he has not yet met in flesh. When he was desperately give up on any attempt to ever truly finding his mate, fate let him to have access on Stiles’ journal, to be able to actually communicating with him, to get to know him even better. Along with that, he is led to fall for Stiles even deeper. Moreover, on the brink of his desperation to find Stiles, fate let him to meet Deaton again and offered him hope that he would actually found his mate. However now, he is being told that he may have to wait for the next miracle to happened, to be eventually able to save Stiles. Fate could shove him its crudest joke, but Derek won’t stand still and to be fucked thoroughly. One thing he learned as a born werewolf is to fight. He’ll fight his way and screws fate back.

“Let me help you!” Scott chimes in. Determination is on his face. “I can’t do anything for Stiles ten years ago. I want to help him now!”

Derek nods understandingly, before he returns his sight on Deaton. He sees the older man sighs and shakes his head, before he finally says, “I get it. I’ll spread the word. I’ll contact my acquaintances from other covens.”

“I’ll make preparation, then,” Parrish nods too. “Alpha Hale, when will your pack come to join us?”

“They could come in the next two or three days.”

Derek frowns a bit. He feels like he is about to jump out of his skin with impatient. If it is possible, he prefers to do this war tonight. Two or three days of wait seems like forever for him. His frown does not escape Talia’s eyes and Derek immediately receives a pointed look from his mother. “Patient is virtue, Derek,” she scolds, knowing very well what’s in her son’s mind. Derek nods, slightly blushing. He is worried for Stiles and extremely desperate to be able to see him again. But he also knows that this time, he needs to wait.

The two packs then start the preparation they could think of. Heather is doing her research, helped by Liam. Meanwhile, Parrish, Lydia, Boyd and Erica are heading back to the town to plant some moon stones to make protective ward for it, so it won’t be devastated or damaged by their coming battle. The moon stones are well-known to be a good media to channel or to strengthen magical power. Derek, Scott, Isaac, and Talia are planting the stones around the house and the woods too, as far as they could, while Deaton is gathering his contact to spread the word.

On night, Derek slips out and goes to the woods for a run to clear his head and calm his anxiety down. The moon is hanging bright and full on top of his head, radiating its soft light. The Hunter’s Moon is slowly up to its peak, and he could feel how its power engulfing him. His wolf raises its head and calling after it. Altogether, he is also calling after its mate, sending out his love for him far, far away.

**

Chapter Text

Derek stirs awake from the crackle voice of a snapped branch, not far from where he is lying in the forest. He has turned back to his human form and is about to shift back again, when one silhouette approaches him. With the bright light of the moon, complemented with his werewolf sight, Derek makes out the appearance of that silhouette effortless. Derek can feel how his eyes are wide open, as his heart is drumming madly inside his chest.

Standing not far from him, facing Derek, is a man of the same age with him. That man wears black coat with twirling white thread patterns on it, giving sharp contrast from his pale white skin. With skin tone that fair, he is glimmering under the moonlight. The man’s brunette hairs are falling unkempt above his forehead, just above a pair of whiskey-coloured eyes, which now locking onto Derek’s own jade orbs.

Derek stills on his place, not believing his own sight. His eyes are boldly tracing the cute up-turned nose the man before him has, his thin upper lips, and the constellation of moles on his cheeks. The raven haired feels his breath hitches and his blood frozen. He shakes his head, tries to differ whether this is a dream or reality. The man remains standing there, also stills on his place. His attention is pouring onto Derek, not leaving him even for one second, as if he too, being mesmerized by the Alpha.

“S-Stiles?” Derek could hardly believe his own voice. Is it really Stiles who is standing in front of him? How is he here? Half-stumbling, Derek stands up and rushes forward to get a hold of the silhouette. If it is really Stiles, he would never want to waste this chance. He definitely would seize this chance with his life. When his fingers touch Stiles’ coat textures, that is all affirmation that Derek ever need. He is real! Stiles is really standing in front of him! Derek hastily pulls the leaner man to his embrace.

Stiles is blushing, and he lets out a surprised squeak, but does not deny Derek. He lets out another whimper before he murmurs something.

“Pardon?” Derek lets go his hug, but his hands are still on Stiles’ shoulders. He sees Stiles’ cheeks are rosy red.

“Y-you’re… naked…,” Stiles finally says, while blushing heavily.

Derek pulls away and flusters too when he realizes that he is, in fact, so naked. He curses his luck for meeting Stiles in flesh for the first time only in his birth day suit. What a ‘perfect’ timing! If it is according Derek’s normal dating manuals, he definitely won’t be showing this kind of appearance on their first meeting, and would reserve it for at least their third date.

“Sorry,” Derek whispers back, while futilely attempts to withdraw himself away from Stiles’ sight. The only thing that could save Derek’s dignity is the trees surrounding them. However, that will be even more awkward for them to speak from behind the tree. Moreover, the urge to greedily savour Stiles’ presence has somewhat overridden Derek’s sense of shame.

Stiles smiles shyly and takes off his coat. He offers it to Derek. “I don’t really mind, actually. But you may catch cold like that?”

The raven haired hesitates a bit, before he finally takes Stiles’ coat and wears it. It is tad loose when Stiles wears it on his lean body, but is slightly too tight on Derek’s more muscular body. Derek won’t be complaining much, though, especially when he sees that Stiles is wearing a fit black tee beneath his coat, which showcasing his toned body. He has grown up perfectly in ten years, Derek thinks. The sixteen years old Stiles is rather skinny, but Stiles in front of him has toned body. He is still lean, but he grows some muscles already.

“Derek,” Stiles reaches for Derek’s forearm, while casting him his captivating gaze. Derek’s heartbeat is running crazily once more. “I want to go home. Please…”

Derek absentmindedly nods. When Stiles shoots him his beaming and radiant smile, Derek is a goner. He takes Stiles’ hand and guides him to the house direction. They are walking in silent, and Derek is savouring that easy silent. Stiles is back! His mind keeps floating the words, let them dancing graciously in his head. He is smart, so he must be somehow heard about Derek and managed to slip out from Aruoyan Coven’s grip, and found his way back to Beacon Hills. Yes, that must be it. This is the magic of the Hunter’s Moon, Derek vaguely nods to himself.

The house is seen. There’s glimmering silvery green ward erected surrounding it, courtesy of Deaton. They are preparing for the battle, and would only need to wait for the rest of the Hale pack to come. Laura, Peter and Derek’s father had come this morning, but the rest of the pack members are behind them by one day. Deaton, however, decided to erect the ward each night, since they decided to wage the war, just in case. Derek’s house now is also packed with Scott’s pack, his own family, along with Deaton and Parrish. Deaton gave all of the residents, permanent and temporarily, a charm for them to access the ward and to enter the house unharmed. Beside them, without the charm, no one could penetrate the ward easily.

With Stiles’ hand in his palm, Derek turns his head to take a glance on him before he takes him to enter the ward. Stiles’ face wears anticipation and fills with thrill. Derek could hear his heartbeats are getting faster, but not erratic. Derek smiles to the sight. It must be ecstatic for Stiles to return home after these years. It must be hard for him to live as prisoner to that malice coven.

“This is it Stiles,” Derek lets go his grip on Stiles’ hand and runs it to his cheek. “It’s our home…”

Stiles says nothing, just flashes his blinding smile. Derek finally finds himself unable to resist anymore. He bends his waist and plants his lips on Stiles’. He has lost count on how many nights he was dreaming to be able to do this with Stiles. He imagines how sweet and soft those pink lips of Stiles would taste against Derek’s own. They really are. Especially, when they are opening slightly to welcome Derek’s lips and tongue, to return the raven hair’s kiss with equal passion. Derek smiles in-between kisses when he feels Stiles’ hand is clutching his coat, and when he lets his body leans deeper into Derek’s embrace. Derek has never been happier than this moment. He feels like he is about to get drunk on Stiles’ soothing scent.

Except, there is no such scent.

Derek pulls away upon the realization, hardly notices the same befuddled expression Stiles is wearing. Derek frowns, flares his nostrils to test the air again. He could smell arousal from Stiles, indeed, but nothing else. Before this, he could smell Stiles’ scent despite they were separated by ten years of time, but now he smells nothing. The Stiles who’s standing in front of him doesn’t even have any distinctive unique scent. Derek feels a huge lump in his throat.

“Derek?” That ‘Stiles’ paces forward when Derek is withdrawing. Derek takes another step back, shaking his head in disbelief.

“W-who are you?” Derek could hear how coarse his voice is. He takes another step backward. “You are not Stiles…”

‘Stiles’ tugs his lips, and his expression changes. Nothing left from Stiles’ usual soft and calming expressions. That boyish face looks menacing now, and his smile is mischievous. He suddenly bolts forward and pins Derek on the porch wall. His lean arms are on Derek’s throat, confine him on his place.

“The rumour said you have what I want, Stilinski’s mate! Now, give it to me!” He hisses.

Derek growls and tries to break away. Strangely, he finds himself unable to make any shift, and as if he lost all of his power. Stiles, on the other hand, flashes his another mischievous smile, with his arms and body still pinning Derek.

“Can’t shift, can you, Wolfie?” He sneers. “I knew you’ll drop down your vigilance if I to come greeting you with his body. I was right… Stop resisting, you airhead. You’re wearing my coat voluntarily. That coat has my magical mandala which will stop you from shifting.”

He smirks again. “Now, will you tell me where Claudia hid this boy’s power and consciousness?” Derek growls as a reply. ‘Stiles’ cocks his head, thinking, before he opens his mouth again. “Could it be she hid it inside you?”

‘Stiles’ does not wait for Derek’s response and rests his palm on the raven hair’s face, before lets it glowing. Derek feels his face is burning hot and the next thing he hears is his own voice, screaming the pain out of his lungs.

“It’s not inside you?” ‘Stiles’ frowns with upset face. He is still wearing that expression until a blue fire burning out from the wall where Derek is being confined to. The fire is blazing out and forces ‘Stiles’ to scramble backward and to let go his grip on Derek, in order not to get burned.

Derek breathes the night air greedily to feed his abused lungs, and lets all of his consciousness back to his head. After he realizes what had happened, he holds his palms on the wall and whispers. “No, don’t. Don’t come out for me… I’m fine…”

The ‘Stiles’ in front of Derek is still bemused, and needs more time to process everything, before he flashes his wicked smile.

“I see…,” he snickers. “Claudia hid him in the walls…!! No wonder we can’t find him anywhere, ten years ago. It was a smart move…, as expected from a strong spark indeed!” He moves so fast and before Derek could dodge, ‘Stiles’ already has his hand back on Derek’s throat once more. “He’ll come out for you, won’t he? That’s what Deucalion told me when a pillar of blue fire massacred two of his Alpha members. It was him, wasn’t it? He came out when you were in danger…,” he hisses with glint of satisfaction on the amber eyes and adds power to his grip. “Come out now boy, or I’ll break your mate’s neck!!”

“Derek!!”

Derek is in the brink of loosing his consciousness. He feels no pain, only grave worry is swarming in his heart. He tells Stiles not to come out repeatedly in his head, with his palms still lying flat on the walls. His head is spinning and he drops to the floor when two black wolves are drawing closer in lightning speed and mounting ‘Stiles’, separating him from Derek. He hears ‘Stiles’ is grunting, before flashes of lights are shooting out from his hands. The wolves dodge agilely and one of them is launching another attack, this time manages to plant its claw on Stiles’ arm, drawing a scream of pain from the man.

“Don’t hurt him…,” Derek pleas.

“You are putting Mom in hard spot, Der-bear,” Laura, who has shifted back to her beta-form scolds him. She retreats from the battle to check on her brother, and has Derek in her embrace, half-helping Derek to take off the sorcerer’s coat. “It’ll be hard for Mom to defeat him without hurting him.”

“Let me!!” Derek hears another voice, accompanied by two silhouettes bolting closer to their direction. They are Deaton and Lydia. The spark immediately helps Talia with his power, retaliating Stiles’ magic, to open path for Talia to make him succumb. Lydia is standing antsy not far from them, waiting for the right moment to make her move.

“What happened?” Derek asks weakly. “Where were you?”

“They ambushed our pack on their way up here. Luckily, Patrick managed to call me, so we hastily went for their rescue, while I sent Erica to call and warn you. She was late apparently, that sorcerer had tracked his way to you and tricked you to infiltrate the ward and get closer to the house.”

Derek shivers to that sheer possibility that he was almost invite doom for Stiles and his family with his own hands. “He is wearing Stiles’ body,” Derek murmurs, almost gets choked with his own tears. “That fucking sorcerer!!”

Derek growls and suddenly bolts toward ‘Stiles’ in his wolf form. ‘Stiles’ tries to ward him back with his magic, but Derek is relentless. He dodges the attack and pounds toward the sorcerer. He uses his paws and his own weight to confine the said sorcerer on the ground, completely ignoring the prickling flashes of energy that man manages to let out in his effort to break free.

Lydia sees an opening and kneels down next to Derek. She holds Stiles’ face with her hands, and hastily screaming out her banshee power. The piercing and loud shrieking scream is soon followed by the sorcerer’s own painful scream. They are extremely loud and shaking Derek’s eardrums, but he maintains his stance. From his peripheral vision, he sees Laura is clamping her ears and gritting her teeth upon hearing the torturing voice. On her side, Talia is frowning, while Deaton is sparkling green with his power.

Finally, after several minutes of tormenting screaming competition, Derek feels Stiles becomes limbless beneath him, as his eyes are now shut. Derek shifts back to his beta form, still alerts. Lydia is breathing heavily next to him, with beads of sweat dampen her forehead.

“He’s clean now…,” she says, half-panting. “Empty… I’ve dismissed that sorcerer’s influence from Stiles’ body, sent it back to its master.”

Upon hearing the information, Derek drops all of his awareness and shifted back completely to his human form. He takes the unconscious Stiles to his arms, caresses his cheek, before he flashes his grateful smile to the ginger. “Thank you…,” he whispers.

“Better to take Stiles’ body in, Derek,” Deaton commands him. He doesn’t look at Derek, but setting his eyes to the dark road in front of the house. “They managed to push closer to the house.”

“We’ll stall them,” Laura shifts back to her beta-form, before fully shifting and running close to her mother’s tail.

“Come on,” Deaton herds them to the house. Inside the house, Derek puts Stiles on his bed, and he hastily wears his sweatpants to cover himself from Lydia. The ginger and Deaton are busy litting up some candles and put moonstones on the four corners of Derek’s room.

“Hold him in your arms, Derek,” Lydia commands him, which Derek happily abides to. He gets on the bed and gingerly holding Stiles in his arms. “Let your presence guides him to his own body.”

Derek nods understandingly. He kisses Stiles’ forehead gently and whispers, “I’m here, Stiles. I love you…”

After sending her signal to Deaton, Lydia starts to scream, as Deaton reads the chants out loud. Once more, the piercing screaming voice is in race with Deaton’s low chanting voice. Derek could feel how the house is shaking hard, as if there's an earthquake, before the air surrounding them grows heavily. Some sort of lucid waves are rippling mid-air, bouncing from wall to wall, before all four walls are shining bright blue.

Derek tightens his embrace when Stiles's body starts to be covered with light blue fire, wrapping him like a cocoon. Like that day when Stiles showed himself in pillar of fire, this fire is not hot or burning either. Before Derek is really comprehend what is happening, the bright blue lights from each wall are suddenly drawn out, merging into one mid-air, and it strikes into Stiles’ body. Stiles’ fire flickers erratically for a while, before it finally dies down. Follows suit, Stiles is slowly opening his eyes, as his comforting and familiar scent is wrapping Derek.

Derek could feel his cheeks are wet, but he gives no effort to wipe his tears away. He doesn’t want to tear his eyes from Stiles’ mesmerizing orbs, which now have locked sight with his own jade. And when Derek feels the warmth of Stiles’ palm on his wet cheek, he breaks into more tears and can’t help to nuzzle into Stiles’ neck, hugs him tight to greedily savouring the soothing scent.

Stiles gives no reaction for a second, but the next second, Derek could feel his shoulder is wet with Stiles’ tears. “It’s you…,” he hears Stiles is whispering, half-muffled by Derek’s flesh. The brunette stirs for a bit and keeps Derek’s face half an arm away, watching Derek with teary eyes, as his fingers gingerly tracing Derek’s cheeks and lips. “It’s really you, Derek…”

The raven hair nods his head hard, still smiling sheepishly. “Yeah…, it’s me, Stiles,” he reaches for Stiles’ hand and squeezes it gently, to reassure Stiles. “It’s me…,” Derek whispers, before kissing the warm palm of Stiles. How he missed him! How he was longing to touch him like this!

Their moment is broken by Deaton’s cough. The older man has teary eyes too, but he is trying his best not to lost in emotion.

“Sorry to break your moment, but we still have our family and friends fighting claws and fangs out there,” he points toward the door. “Shall we help them?”

Derek swipes his glance to Stiles again. “I’ll go for a bit, Okay? Just wait here with Lydia. She’s Scotty’s pack. You remember Scott, right?”

Stiles breaks free from Derek’s arms, but not losing his hold on his mate’s elbow. The brunette is stubbornly shaking his head. “I’m coming with you. I don’t want to be left here alone again…”

“But…”

“Stiles!” Deaton cuts off the couple’s banter. “Are you fit for a war?”

“Deaton!” Derek lets out a low growl as warning, but Deaton challenges him with his own pointed look.

“They killed my mother, didn’t they?” Stiles taps Derek’s shoulder to ease the man down, although his own face has grown darker and Stiles’ arms have start shining blue. “They tried to kill my mate and they also still owe me my dad’s life. I’ve slept for ten fucking years…, so yeah, I’m so damn ready.”

Deaton cracks a tight smile. “Stay close to Derek.”

“I don’t think he’ll let me go too far, won’t you, Hon?” Stiles winks to his mate, successfully growing rosy cheeks on Derek. The raven haired swiftly nods.

Lydia snorts a laugh upon their interaction, and with that, they go out. Outside, a fierce battle is commencing. There are a dozen of sorcerers facing around twelve wolves, led by a hellhound. Next to them are three Alphas on their wolf form, facing Derek’s family. It is a tight battle and the sorcerers are holding the upper hands against the wolves, thanks to their magic. However, the wolves are not that easily surrender. Tag teaming and counting on their agility, they too, manage to plant deadly attacks on the sorcerers. The Alphas, on the other hand, is led by one greyish giant wolf, which is fighting neck to neck with Talia and Derek’s father, while the rest of Derek’s family, Peter and Laura, along with Erica and Boyd are facing the other two Alphas.

A sharp wailing heard from one of the wolves which battling the sorcerers, before it transforms back to its human form. Derek could feel his rage is boiling when he takes a good look and sees it is Isaac who is lying covered in blood on the gravel. Scott is shifting back to his beta forms too and taking hits to protect Isaac from further assault from the sorcerers.

Derek roars and shifts to maul the sorcerer who is trying to kill his youngest beta. He swings his claws and plants his teeth to the sorcerer, before she is able to shoot his magic and sending Derek backwards. That is the last straw for Stiles. He is now covered with his blue fire, as his eyes are radiating another blue sparkle. The magical tattoos appear on his arms, and when he lifts them, the earth is shaking. Follows suit, the trees are stretching their branches and mercilessly impaling the sorcerers, before they even have time to acknowledge the situation. Some of them manage to dodge the branches attack, but Stiles and Deaton have already prepared them their shots of magic and sending them to the after world.

On the Alpha side, watching their allies are brutally slaughtered by Stiles and Deaton, they are attempting to retreat, but Talia and her pack make sure they are receiving their ends accordingly. The Hale pack chase them down to the last member and finish them off.

Once all the enemies are taken care of, Stiles withdraws his power and goes to Derek, where he is checking Isaac’s condition. He looks relieved when he sees Isaac is breathing while Scott’s veins turning black, the sign that he is taking Isaac’s pain to let him recover better. After a few lingering observations, Stiles finally acknowledges the curly raven hairs and squeezes his shoulder gently. When Scott tilts his head to face him, Stiles smiles.

“He’ll be fine, Scotty…,” Stiles comforts him, while Scott’s eyes are bugging.

“Stiles…,” he whispers, hastily springs up and hugs tight the brunette. Scott is crying loudly, and Derek could only smile seeing his reaction. Derek scoops the still unconscious Isaac and taking him home to let him rest, while Stiles is patting the younger Alpha.

“Alright, alright… I’m back, Scotty. Come on, let’s go to my house. Derek is taking your friend back,” Stiles says again.

Scott is finally letting go his hug and wipes his tears. Half-sobbing he replies, “Isaac is not my friend… He’s my mate…”

Stiles’ eyebrows shoot up. “Is that so?” He ruffles Scott’s hair fondly. “You’ve grown up, Scotty boy… Tell me more about the two of you, Okay?”

Scott nods shyly and letting Stiles leads their way. Stiles stops for a while when he is about to pass Deaton, and he gives the older spark a hug.

“Welcome back, Stiles…,” the older man whispers, again with teary eyes.

“I’m home…,” replies Stiles. Still hugging Deaton, he watches Derek’s silhouette as the man is walking back to the house with his beta. The silhouette is so familiar and it is always give him warm feeling inside his heart, be it ten years ago or at this very moment. It is the silhouette of his mate, of Derek. Stiles smiles again. He’s home…

**

Chapter Text

“You didn’t make any change,” Stiles spins his head to see around the room before he’s hissing from the sharp pain of the disinfectant Derek uses on his wound.

“I’m sorry…,” the raven haired blows Stiles’ wound, as his vein turns black to leech out Stiles’ pain.

“Whoa!” The brunette bugs his eyes. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking out your pain,” Derek explains, as his hands deftly start to wrap bandages around Stiles’ arm and dressing his wound. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, right? My mom made sure it’s only skin deep, and not poisonous. She was holding herself when she saw it was you.”

Stiles moving his wounded arms up and down, before he grins. “Yep, it doesn’t hurt anymore. Say thanks to your Mom for me?”

“Tell that to her yourself,” Derek ruffles the brunette hair. “And yes, I didn’t make any significant change when I renovated this house, just painted new colours to some of the walls. I like it the way it was. It’s a beautiful house.”

Stiles’ eyes are slightly dampened and he hastily wipes the tears away. He cracks a sincere smile to Derek. “Thank you…,” he whispers. “It means a lot to me. I mean, this house is…”

Derek knows what Stiles is trying to say. The house fills with memory of Stiles and his mother. It will be harder for him if he woke up to an entirely different house than he used to remember. “I’m really glad I didn’t make any change, Stiles,” Derek reaches for his mate’s hands and squeezes them gently. “This will always be your house, and it’s still the same house that you used to know. From now on, we will build our life and paint our new memory on its walls. What do you say, mate?”

The steady heartbeat of Stiles is escalating its tempo in Derek’s ear, as the owner is blushing. Stiles fails to meet Derek’s fond gaze and nibbling his bottom lips. However, he is nodding his head. The next second, they fall into silent and merely staring at each other with fond gaze. Derek runs his hand down and caressing Stiles’ cheek, feeling the soft skin he had been dreaming for so much. Derek can’t hold himself anymore and lean in to kiss Stiles.

Stiles is frozen for a beat, but he caves in just like that. He closes his eyes and opens his mouth to feel more of Derek. After moments of hesitation, Stiles finally reciprocating Derek’s touch on his neck and back with his own. His long fingers are cupping Derek’s face, before they are running on Derek’s hair and shoulders. The kiss is getting deeper, as if the two men are compensating for the ten years of lost and longing. The feelings are so overwhelming and Stiles can’t hold back a small moan in-between kisses, of which he abruptly breaks off after he realizes what he has done. The brunette hastily clamps his lips and flusters beneath Derek who’s pinning him on his bed.

Derek chuckles and tries to pull Stiles hand away from his lips, but Stiles shakes his head and is about to melt with blushing face. Seeing him like that, Derek is having a hard time to push his wolf back from its instinct to ravish Stiles here and now. Instead, Derek plants a kiss on the brunette’s forehead and cards his fingers on the unkempt hair.

“It’s okay, Stiles,” he comforts him.

“It’s embarrassing…,” Stiles is blushing harder. “I-I’m embarrassing… I-I've never done it with anyone else… And it’s so good… And I-I…”

“Stiles…,” Derek holds the leaner guy by the chin and makes him looking him in the eye. “It’s okay… We are mate.”

“I know…, it’s just… It’s so overwhelming…”

“Are you scared?”

Stiles hastily shakes his head. “I told you it was so good that I barely could resist myself, didn’t I?”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Stiles is blushing hard again. “I don’t want to lead you on… I…”

“Why would it be so wrong to lead me on?”

“I…, I don’t know!” Stiles finally snaps out and he pushes himself to sit again. He rubs his face hard and hides it from Derek. Derek is silent and watching him attentively, before he gently pulls Stiles into his arms.

“Listen, Stiles…,” he says almost like a whisper. “We’ve been missing out each other for ten years. I might not been waiting as long as you were, but I, too, had been looking for my mate all these years. I think I’ve fallen for you since I first laid my eyes on you, and I love you even deeper when I get to know you. I knew you’re my mate, and I got all the confirmation when you opened your eyes tonight. I’ve been looking for you, and yes, I want to build a family with you, to be with you for the rest of my life. But, I won’t push you into it if you’re not ready yet. I’ll wait… I’m sorry if I scared you off…”

Stiles clutches the hem of Derek’s shirt hard. He bits his lips. “I’ve been waiting for you for ten years, Derek…,” he admits. “Mom told me that you are my mate, but I don’t really understand what does it mean. For all I know, you are the one who can help me taming my power. But…, when…when you kissed me… I…,” Stiles ducks his head as his rosy cheeks are blooming again. Derek wants to open his mouth to comfort the leaner man, but Stiles carries on. “I… realized I want more too…,” he finally says.

Derek blinks rapidly and is trying to process everything the brunette said as quickly as possible. After he did, he is blushing too. Derek hides his blushing face and buries it on Stiles’ neck as he pulls the leaner man closer. The raven haired can’t help himself from grinning ear to ear.

“It’s just normal for people who are in love to expect doing those things with their partner, Stiles,” Derek clears his throat. “You don’t have to be embarrassed of yourself from wanting that. However…,” Derek pulls away but still resting his hands on Stiles shoulders, “Let’s not rush it, Okay? I think it’s better to wait until you are fully ready. You’ve been sleeping for ten years, and there are a lot to take in. We’ll figure those out together, and let our bond nurtured stronger. And, once you’re ready, let’s become real mates in and out, not just because of spur of moment.”

There are still reds left on Stiles’ cheeks, but he is beaming now. He stares fondly to Derek and reaches forward to plant chaste kiss on Derek’s lips. He smiles. “I’d like that, hot ghost…”

Derek barks a laugh and pulls Stiles back to his arms.

**

“You look sated,” Laura nudges Derek by his elbow. They are lounging in the living room at the moment, with Derek being crowded by his sister and mother. Derek rolls his eyes from Laura’s teasing and returns his sight to Stiles, who is sitting across the room, catching up with Scott, Isaac and Heather. He is throwing glances over to Derek while listening to Scott’s story too. “And he keeps checking you up,” Laura giggles.

“Shut up,” Derek snorts.

Scott and Isaac’s ears are perking up when they catch Derek and Laura’s conversation. They throw some glances and grins toward the Alphas as well, and receives a low warning growl from Derek as retribution. Isaac has recovered, and he has returned to be glued on the hips with Scott. They are becoming even more inseparable after went through two near death experiences. Now the two are trying their best to hide their smile upon receiving Derek’s fair warning.

Talia is suddenly tapping Derek’s hand and making gesture for him to follow. Derek complies and follows his mother to the front porch, after giving signal to Stiles, alerting him for his leaving. Stiles vaguely nods and resumes his conversation with Scott and the others.

“How’s he holding up?” Talia asks with low voice, preventing any beta from eavesdropping their conversation.

“He doesn’t seem like it, but he is strong,” Derek replies. “He’s doing fine I guess. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Be sensible with him, Derek. He may force himself up for not making you worry about him.”

Derek nods. “I know, Mom.”

“And don’t rush your mating bond with him.”

Now Derek is blushing. He should have know that his conversation with Stiles just then will not escape the reach of his family’s ears. He sighs. That is the hardest part of living in a house fills with werewolves and their super hearing. No secrecy what-so-ever. Derek makes mental notice to persuade Stiles to install sound proof equipment in their bedroom, just in case.

“I won’t. I told him I’ll wait until he is really ready. I know he’s just waking up after ten years, and he needs time to
adjust.”

“Not only that, Der-bear,” Talia smiles softly.

Derek frowns, hardly understands what does his mother implying.

Talia sighs. “I knew you’ll overlook this. He maybe grown up into a healthy 26 year old, Derek. But isn’t his consciousness remains sixteen, as the age he was trapped in the house?” Derek snaps his head and looking to his mother in striking realization. Talia smiles again and resumes. “That’s why I said, be sensible with him. You are dealing with a sixteen years old mate instead of twenty-six. He might look mature and act like one, but in the core, he is still a young boy. Be patient with him and tread this matter carefully.”

“I…,” Derek is lost on his words, and eventually could only nods. “I will.”

Talia says no more and merely pats her son on the arm. Derek remains standing on his place, eyes are looking at Stiles through the windows. He is smiling so brightly and his eyes lit up. He is outstandingly beautiful and Derek swears to protect that smile no matter what. Now that they have met in flesh, Derek will dedicate the rest of his life to protect Stiles and his happiness.

**

After having late dinner and catching up with one another, the occupants of the house finally retreat to their respective rooms one by one. Derek and Stiles are entering their room too, but once they are inside, Derek is heading to the dresser and pulls out another set of bedding. Deftly, he spreads the sheet and cover on the space next to the bed. Stiles is looking at him with bemused face.

“What are you doing?”

Derek returns him equally befuddled expression, as if Stiles needed to ask the obvious. “Making my bed.”

“On the floor?”

Derek’s face can’t be more awkward as he nods.

“Why don’t you sleep with me on the bed?”

The raven haired blinks rapidly and passing glances between the bed and Stiles. “Are… are you sure?”

Stiles throws him a ‘duh’ expression and rolls his eyes. He pulls off his T-shirt unabashedly, completely disregarding the effect it would make for Derek. The raven haired does making a big gulp and tries his best not to look too much. Stiles walks to the bathroom to wash his face and brushes his teeth. After he finished, he walks back to the room only in his boxer. Derek lets out a low groan.

“Do you have any PJs I can wear?” He asks innocently to Derek.

Derek hesitantly forces himself to reach for the dresser and flips it around to see whether he could give Stiles something to wear, although he votes for none. Stiles is absently follows him and peeks from behind Derek’s shoulders, makes the werewolf shivers from how close the brunette's lean (and naked) body is from himself. Derek hastily pulls out one set of pajama and rushes to the bathroom to calm himself. He knows Stiles may not realized what he is currently doing, displaying himself like that to Derek, but his act is showcasing how much trust he has on the raven hair. Hence, Derek needs to be the good adult and controls himself, as he promised his mother. Derek washes his face and cools himself. After some times, he finally is able to pull himself together. Once he returns, Stiles had got rid all the unused bedding Derek previously sprawled on the floor, and he is waiting calmly on the bed. Their bed.

The raven haired clears his throat and gestures to the light. Stiles nods and starts to positioned himself behind the cover on his side, waiting for Derek to lie down. Derek mirrors his mate’s and gingerly rolls on his side, sleeping face to face with Stiles. Even with the light off, Stiles is still basking from the soft light of the moon. The sight is reminding Derek when he first saw him sitting on the window cushion.

“I can’t believe I can sleep with you like this,” Stiles humming out Derek’s exact mental voices. Derek smiles and unable to refrain himself from not touching Stiles’ cheek.

“Me too,” Derek purrs back. “It reminds me of our first meeting. Do you remember? But, you are sleeping next to me instead of sitting on that cushion.”

Stiles chuckles. “I remember. That night I almost lost myself to my power, but then you showed up in the nick of time, calmed it down.”

“Really?” Derek asks, as Stiles nods.

“What did your mom tell you just then? She was talking about me, right?”

Derek pauses for a bit and hesitates. His mate is very perceptive. Finally, he decides to tell the truth. “She asked me to be sensible with you, to tread our mating bond carefully.”

Stiles’ face is stiffened for a second, and he seems hard to pull out his next words. “She…, she doesn’t mind with me?”

The question catches Derek unaware, and it breaks his heart a bit to hear how insecure his mate is. He swiftly rounds his arms on Stiles, as the brunette leans himself into Derek’s chest.

“She likes you since the first time she saw your portrait, Silly,” Derek kisses the brunette’s forehead. “She knew you are special for me and she accepts you just like that.”

Derek could feel Stiles is flashing his smile inside his embrace. “My mom liked you too…”

“For real?”

“Yeah...,” Stiles takes a heavy intake of breath. “Because she knew I love you…”

Derek could feel he is having a hard time to tame his heart securely inside his chest. He's never been happier than he is at the moment. He could feel his tears are swollen at the corner of his eyes.

“I love you too, Stiles… I do…,” he whispers, as he closes their gap to kiss Stiles, his one and only mate. “Welcome home…,” he whispers again.

**

Chapter Text

Scott stirs and he is immediately awarded with Isaac’s soft growl as he tightened his arms around him. The raven haired chuckles and tries to nudge his mate a bit.

“Isaac, I need to take a leak,” he whispers, in effort to wiggle free from Isaac’s strong arms. The younger werewolf finally shifts a bit and is lying on his back now, letting Scott go.

“Come back soon,” he murmurs. Scott shakes his head and chuckles. Isaac is being possessive even in his sleep, and even after they have been together for two years.

Fighting his drowsiness, Scott casts his gaze to find his boxer and tee. After some seconds, he finally finds his at the far end of the room. Scratching his not-too-itchy head, he is wondering how the material could possibly stray that far. He is sure they were giving their best attitude tonight, since they are at Derek’s house, and not at Scott’s dorm. Well, he should have known better by now, anyway, that it is nearly impossible not to get lost in the heat of moment with Isaac being one passionate lover.

Scott cuts off his train of thought and slips into his boxer and T-shirt. Tip-toeing, he walks to the bathroom at the end of hallway, just the opposite of Derek’s bedroom. One thing he doesn’t quite like from having a sleep-over and having his intimate moments with Isaac at Derek’s is this trip he needs to take to go to the bathroom. Isaac doesn’t have his en-suite bathroom, and it’s troublesome if they need to clean up after…you know, or like now, when one of them needs to take a leak at ass hour. However, this house is their Alpha’s house, so he needs to be here as often as possible.

Yep, after weeks of sending out his plea, under Stiles’ and Deaton’s constant persuasion, two years ago, Derek was finally accepting Scott and his pack into his own pack. They were adding their numbers with Stiles, Deaton and Parrish too, and made known of themselves to the neighbouring packs. Strangely, even after submitting himself under Derek, Scott didn’t lose his red eyes, the sign of an Alpha’s authority. Hence, their pack is well-known as one unique pack, since it has two Alphas and two emissaries (read: two strong sparks), a banshee, a human, and a hellhound. With that also, their pack is somewhat fearsome for other packs. They are gaining their fame that way, providing peace for Beacon Hills.

Moreover, ever since the battle with The Aruoyan, after they defeated the coven and the Alpha Pack, their pack gained a lot of acknowledgement and recognition. No one is taking them lightly now, especially with Hale Pack standing behind them as their number one ally, and also with Stiles as one remarkable emissary.

Speaking of Stiles, Scott stops his pace when he is passing by Derek and Stiles’ room, he catches a low moan from behind the door. He is so familiar with the voice, and he is certain it was Stiles’. Follows suit, Scott hears his Alpha’s possessive growl, with a gush of thick scent of sex infiltrating his nostrils. Heat is growing on his face. He fastens his pace and quietly opens and closes the bathroom door. He is hoping Derek is too lost in the moment to notice his movement. It’s so embarrassing to listen to them like that. It’s like having to hear your own parents making love, Scott shivers. He makes mental notice for not drinking too much water before he goes to bed, so he doesn’t have to encounter such experience ever again.

It’s still two in the morning, yet his Alpha and his pack’s dad have been so vigorous. However, cocking his head, to think about it, Scott and Isaac never heard (or smell) the two mates make love at regular hours before. He wonders could it be that they are purposely doing it after they made sure the whole pack had been asleep? Scott sighs. It is hard to be parents.

Scott’s hand is just an inch from the flush button when he is dead on track. Shit, he curses. Derek would definitely hear him if he flushes. But, there’s no way he doesn’t flush. What should he do now? Scott perks up his ear, tries to have a rough guess for the situation in the opposite room, before he realizes that it’s basically eavesdropping. Blushing, he shakes his head and curses his luck.

“Just flush the damn toilet, Scotty.” Scott jolts on his spot when he hears Derek’s voice. It was a whisper, but Derek knows Scott could hear him just fine. Nodding to no one, Scott makes his flush, washes his hands, and trots back to Isaac’s room.

“Sorry,” he murmurs when he slides passing Derek’s door. Once he reaches back Isaac’s bed, Scott wraps his body with the cover and buries his flustered face on the pillow. It’s so embarrassing, he screams to himself. He stays like that, even after Isaac drapes his arms back to hug him.

**

“Good morning, Scotty,” Stiles greets him with his radiating smile, as usual. Immediately, Scott’s mind flown to last night, and he is flustered.

“M-morning,” he nods to Stiles and takes the plate of breakfast he is offering with murmurs of thank you. Still smiling, Stiles deftly puts down the rest of the plates for Erika, Boyd, and Isaac. Afterward, Stiles returns to Derek, as the Alpha is making their coffee. From the corner of his eye, Scott notices Derek’s lips are ghosting his mate’s earlobe, drawing a soft giggle from the brunette, while his hand is staying possessively on Stiles’ lean waist.

“Urgh, get a room…,” Erika rolls her eyes, “Your PDA is getting worse day by day, you guys are even worse than us nowadays,” she complains, while the rest of the pack members stifle their laugh. Derek is instantly shooting murder to her face, while Stiles ducks his head with rosy cheeks.

“Shut up!” Derek growls, while Erika merely sticks her tongue out. She was right, tho, Scott thinks. After Stiles woke up, he and Derek were showing signs as mate, but they were limiting their affection by then. It took them another half a year before Stiles finally started to smell like Derek, and another month before the Alpha eventually marked his mate. The mark of the mating bite is poking out from Stiles’ T-shirt collar, on his left neck, just near his shoulder.

Scott is subtly watching Stiles. He is still like what he remembered from his childhood memory: lean, beautiful, gentle and kind, just like an angel. However, ever since he and Derek consummating their mating bond, whenever Stiles takes his role as their pack’s emissary, Scott is witnessing another side of his nice ‘big brother’. Stiles is fierce whenever it came to fight for his pack’s or Beacon Hill’s interest. Whenever they went to a meeting, Stiles would proudly wear his mating bite and assume his place as Derek’s other half. He would not hesitate to use his spark magic to serve as insurance for any agreement they made with other packs. In matter of a short one and a half year, Stiles Stilinski-Hale name is widely known in supernatural community. No one is ever stupid enough to even bad-mouthing his name, or their pack’s name.

“What are you thinking?” Isaac pulls Scott out of reverie. They are on the way to the uni by now, with Isaac is driving Scott’s car. “You are spacing out a lot this morning. Is something wrong?”

Scott flashes his smile and leans in to kiss Isaac’s cheek. “Nope. I’m good. I’m just thinking about these two years. You know, about our pack. About Stiles and Derek…”

“What about it?”

Scott shrugs, “I think they are the best two years in my life…”

“Yeah, it is,” Isaac nods his head. “Things have been great between Derek and Stiles too. They deserve it.”

“I agree. Say, do you think the Aruoyan coven was really destroyed?”

“Well, we have been investigating them these couple of years, don’t we? So far there’s no sign about them. Their castle had been abandoned too, and the remaining members had joined other covens, which had acknowledged us. They also showed their good intention of not trying to do anything to provoke us. I think it’s safe to assume that Beacon Hills is in peace and no immediate threat for us. No one is stupid enough to provoke two strongest sparks, a pack with two Alphas and numerous supernatural creatures, of which has the mighty Hale Pack on their back, anyway,” Isaac chuckles, but he stops when he realizes that Scott is only blinking his eyes in awe next to him. “What?”

“I think this is the first time I ever see you talk that long in one breath. I realized once more how much I love your voice…,” Scott says with a contended sigh.

“Shut up…,” Isaac blushes, as he nudges his boyfriend gently.

Scott lets out a rumbling laugh. After a while, he returns his tender gaze to Isaac and says, “I love you, Isaac Lahey. Mate…,” he smiles.

**