Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

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-O_O-

It took Stiles an hour to realize that he was glaring at a blank computer screen. 

To be fair, he had a lot on his mind, what with having had the worst day of his High School life (so far).

He figured he blanked out somewhere between recalling the pain of being bulldozed on the lacrosse field by Jackson Whittemore, and the horror of having bumped his tray of cafeteria food into an alpha and recoiling so hard that he flung the remaining contents onto a table of freshmen girls. 

Adding insult to injury, Lydia Martin had born witness to the cafeteria tray debacle (as Stiles was calling it). The hottest girl in the school, and Stiles had to have a embarrassing episode in front of her….

Yeah, the zoning out was somewhere in between there.

Now he was sore, emotionally and physically, not to mention exhausted.

He was sitting in his cluttered bedroom, at his computer desk, decidedly NOT doing anything. (Except stewing over his miserable life….)

He glanced at the clock on his idle computer screen.

Fabulous. Nearly two a.m. on a school night and he was a bundle of nerves and agitation. It felt like his entire body and brain were doing their best to revolt against him the last several days.

He was clumsy, yeah. And scatterbrained, definitely.

But this?

This was some next level bullshit. 

He was on the cusp of adulthood, for christsake! Isn’t everything supposed to calm down after the first few years of puberty? Kind of settle and be easier?

This was NOT how he wanted to enter into his eighteenth year of life. But with his birthday passing several weeks ago, and everything slowly spinning into a shit spiral, how good could his twenties be…? To say nothing of his thirties-!

A nightmare, he assumed, smearing a fresh sheen of sweat from his brow. 

And that’s another thing—why did the house feel like a freaking sauna!? Talk about insult to injury. His dad must have cranked up the temperature again!

Stiles plucked at his jersey shorts to vent some of the heat pouring off his crotch. Dang!

A shower.

That’s what he needed.

Yesssss. A nice, cold shower to cool himself down and relax his bruised muscles (and ego).

Rising with a wince of pain, he staggered for the bathroom down the dark hall from his room.

As he passed by his father’s room, he strained his ears for the familiar sound of the box fan that indicated his father was sleeping inside. 

Nothing….

Dad must be working another late shift. No big surprise with the latest ‘rogue hunter’ drama going on. But he still felt a pang of annoyance. Can’t the werewolves handle the hunters, instead of making his dad work crazy hours again? Isn’t that one of the big perks of having a famous werewolf family like the Hales living in the county?

The house always felt so lonely without his dad there. It was supposed to be the two of them—always. But since they moved to Beacon Hills in Stiles’ freshmen year, his dad was spending more time bringing the law to the rogue supernatural community and hunters than he was with Stiles!

Mumbling under his breath, Stiles flicked on the light of the bathroom and quickly dropped his sweat-soaked shorts. 

His reflection in the mirror briefly caught his attention. Thin and gangly, with straggly short hair and an ugly red flush breaking out across his skin, mixing with the already colorful bruises from lacrosse practice.

Not so hot… except, HOT was the word.

Geez, he was on fire!

And now, as some sort of added bonus, he apparently had a spontaneous erection to deal with!

Joy.

Heaving a weary sigh, he crouched down on wobbly legs to fumble with the cold and warm water knob, wincing when the flow of water poured out scalding hot. 

Come on… Stiles whined to himself, turning up the cold water to max, and all but shutting off the hot water.

When it was finally blessedly cold, he stepped eagerly under the shower spray, gritting his teeth as his overly hot body adjusted slowly to the frigid water. 

It helped, thank God. Even his mild erection seemed to calm down with the onslaught of cold pouring down on him. 

Yesssssss, he groaned, feeling the fog around his mind lift.

Wow, maybe he was coming down with something. He hadn’t realized how shitty he felt until he got into the shower and washed away all the aches and pains accosting his body. Damn.

Enjoying the relief, Stiles stayed under the water for what felt like a solid thirty minutes, just breathing and focusing on the cold needles of water pounding into him.

Unfortunately, his dad’s voice exclaiming about the water bill took over his thoughts. He could practically hear the lecture already. Blah-Sheriff’s salary-Blah Blah-when you get your own apartment-blah.

With a petulant groan, Stiles reached for the knob and shut the water off, stepping onto the bare floor and immediately making a puddle. 

Shit, he forgot to put a towel down in his hurry to-

OWWW-owww-oowww-! Stiles entire body contracted into a painful cramp as heat exploded across his burning skin. 

Only able to think of the pain, he collapses into the floor in a tight, tense ball of pain and heat. 

“What the fuck-! Whatthefuck-!!” He moaned under his breath, trying to control his breathing as another round of sharp cramps wracked his slim frame. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit!”

His head rolled as vertigo struck, leaving him unsure what direction was up or down. The room was a jiggling mess that triggered a massive headache, so he scrunched his eyes closed, willing his world to calm back down. He felt like he was melting, joining the puddle he made on the floor.

What the hell is happening!? he thought with his last clear brain cell before darkness crept around the edges of mind. 

It promised peace and cool darkness.

Stiles let it wash over him.

-O_O-

“-gonna be okay, son! Just relax and stay with me, okay? Stiles! Breathe for me—just keep breathing—”

There was too much noise and light, and Stiles recoiled from it.

He could hear voices—too many voices, loud and piercing.

His body jolted as he felt himself lifted and jerked. He blinked his bleary eyes, but all he could see was the glare of bright red flashing lights that shot electricity to his foggy brain. Was he on a… stretcher…?

More voices- closer this time. More contained, like they were inside an enclosed space. His dad’s. He was talking too fast, and Stiles could only make out a few words. 

Ambulance! Hospital! Okay! Breath!

They sounded reassuring. He needed help. His dad was there and there was a hospital. Good things. Everything will be a-okay.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, son. Just hang on for me. Just stay with me-!”

-O_O-

Stiles emerged slowly from a world of cottony fuzz, even a bit reluctantly. It was nice there. He was floating, and cool, and nothing was hurting his head. Maybe he’d stay a bit longer….

But his eyes decided to flutter open on their own, and reality followed shortly after.

He was in a dimly lit hospital room—a nice one, too. He was lying in a bed at the center of the room. His dad was holding his hand, snoring softly with his head resting on the side of his hospital bed.

Apparently…

Apparently, Stiles had been… sick.

He vaguely remembered the burning of his skin and the aching pains.

He’d had… an attack of some sort. Some violent flu or stomach bug, or-or something.

(Cafeteria chili fries- have you betrayed me!?)

Well, he was feeling much better now, though tired and a bit fuzzy.

He lay there for several minutes, letting his gaze sweep calmly over the items in the room while his mind caught up with the situation. 

Everything was fine now.

Weird viral attack (or whatever) aside, Stiles was just fine.

Nothing left but to feel the inevitable mortification of knowing his dad had probably found him butt-naked on the bathroom floor.

Awesome. Just awesome… 

His attention was suddenly pulled to the door, which opened quietly as two women stepped lightly inside. One was wearing scrubs, and the other was in very nice plain clothes. The second looked familiar, though Stiles couldn’t place her, his head still clouded as it was.

Not sure what else to do, Stiles gave them a weak wave of his free hand.

“Oh, excellent. You’re awake already,” one of the women, the one wearing scrubs, said entirely too loudly. Stiles’ dad jerked awake, hand clenching Stiles’ tightly. “I’ll grab the doctors real quick and be right back,” she added, turning and hustling back out the door.

“Stiles, how do you feel? Are you in any pain?” His dad seemed to reflectively reach to feel his forehead for a temperature.

It took Stiles two tries to say “fine” through his very dry mouth.

The second woman who had entered the room immediately moved to the water pitcher and poured a cup half full for him. She had an air about her that was… powerful and a little intimidating. Stiles was confused about who she was and why she was allowed in his hospital room.

“Thanks,” Stiles rasped, fumbling weakly to take the offered cup without spilling it. 

As he was taking deep gulps of the water, the nurse re-entered the room, followed closely by not one, but FOUR doctors.

Stiles cringed at the sudden intense attention he was receiving, as all the doctors eyed him carefully. 

Geez.

He felt like a lab rat….

“Mr. Stilinski, how do you feel?” the female doctor who picked up his chart asked in a clinically relaxing voice.

“Fine,” Stiles reiterated for the doctors. The sooner he convinced them that he was feeling better, the sooner he and his dad could bail out of here and get home. Hospitals made them both feel uncomfortable. They’d spent enough time in them when Stiles’ mother had been terminally sick.

“Are you feeling uncomfortably warm at all?” the lead doctor asked as she moved to check his heartbeat with her stethoscope.

“Um, nope. I’m good.”

“Dizzy or lightheaded?”

“A little, but nothing too bad.”

“Any nausea?”

“No.”

Wrapping her stethoscope back around her neck, she nodded and scribbled something down on the chart for a minute. 

The silence as everyone waited for her to finish was oppressive to Stiles.

Hurry up. Hurry Up. Hurryuphurryuphurryup, he muttered in his head. Wrap it up so they could just leave already, geez.

“Alright,” the doctor finally said, looking up from the chart with a smile. “Looks like you’re recovering well under the 1.5 mg dose of suppressants. We’ll keep you on that for now and let your body have a rest.”

There was silence, and Stiles felt obligated to say, “…Okay?”

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, so we’ll go ahead and let Alpha Hale speak with you. Just nothing too taxing or exciting, please,” she said, turning to the woman who had poured him water earlier. “I know it’s a sensitive conversation, but try to avoid alarming him or overloading him for now. He still needs rest.”

The woman, Alpha Hale-

Holy Shit! Stiles’ brain snapped to attention at the name, suddenly recognizing it and the woman. 

This was Talia Hale! The leader of the Hale Pack!

Stiles felt his mouth drop loosely open, star struck. No wonder she was so gorgeous and intimidating-! She was werewolf royalty.

And Stiles was-

Lying almost naked in a hospital bed after passing out on his bathroom floor.

He flushed and tried not to twitch as her gaze swept back over him.

The doctors proceeded to exit the room in a line, with the nurse following behind them with a slightly too loud, “I’ll be right outside. Just let me know if you need me.”

The door shut behind her with a soft click. 

“Are you sure you feel alright now, son?” his dad asked, worried eyes never leaving his face.

Stiles nodded dumbly, but his attention was fixated on Talia Hale. 

Why was TALIA HALE in his hospital room!? He was seriously freaking out right now!

“It’s nice to meet you, Stiles,” she said gently, smiling at him as she took a seat on the opposite side of his bed from his father. “My name is Talia, and I’m the Head Alpha of the Hale pack. Are you familiar with us?” Her voice was deep and resonating, and her eyes held his like he was being hypnotized.

Stiles could only nod, because OBVIOUSLY he knew about the Hale pack. Everyone in California with a pulse knew about them. They were one of the biggest and most famous werewolf packs in the country! A royal family, so much as werewolves had such a thing. They were in the news daily for charity events, entertainment, and politics. They even had a sect of the family that was actively engaged with hunting down the rogue hunters that constantly threatened werewolf kind with violence. They were a BIG DEAL.

And Stiles wasn’t. Like, at all. Aside from being the Sheriff’s son, he had no claim to fame at all. 

Maybe that was it-! She had heard that the Sheriff’s son was sick and come to wish him a quick recovery.

Weird, yeah. But, hey. Werewolves were known to have strange customs, and his dad DID work closely with them….

“Do you know why I’m here?” Talia asked, getting to the point quickly, apparently.

“Not really, but, um, thanks. For, like, coming to see me. I-I feel fine, so…”

He let the rest hang in the air. ‘Thanks, but you’re making me super uncomfortable by being present’ seemed like something his father would disapprove of him saying. Especially to the Alpha of the family he had to work with.

She blinked patiently, her brown eyes seeming to read him all too easily. “Do you know what happened to you last night, Stiles?” Her tone was soft, but her eyes were locked onto his intently.

“I, um, passed out in my bathroom…?” He glanced at his dad for help, not sure why this was something he needed to be discussing with the Alpha.

His dad looked weary and a little sad. His attention was focused on the Alpha, so Stiles turned back to her in growing confusion.

“To be more specific,” She said slowly, like he was dense, “you went into heat for the first time.”

Stiles stared.

“Heat, like, werewolf heat?” he asked, not processing,

“Yes, exactly like werewolf heat. Are you familiar with the term ‘Omega’?”

Well, that was out of left field. “Yes…” he answered, trying to grasp where this conversation was going.

“Omegas are humans with very distant alpha werewolf ancestors. The recessive gene for lycanthropy is passed down until it pairs with another distant ancestor’s werewolf genes, and the human presents an Omega werewolf. Usually at puberty. Does that sound right?” She looked at him carefully.

Stiles stared back. “Yes?” 

It was a very summarized version of what they were taught in biology in fifth grade. Honestly, it was a lot simpler to remember with the way she explained it. He’d almost failed the chapter on Omegas that year because there had been all these charts and technical terms about it in the textbook.

Maybe Alpha Hale should be teaching about Omegas, instead of Ms. Ott.

“Well, Stiles, it appears that you have the two recessive genes. You are an Omega.” She smiled.

Stiles frowned and stated flatly, “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, dear. You presented last night,” she countered, continuing to blink patiently.

“I’m sure I’m not,” Stiles argued calmly, because- really- he was NOT anything like an Omega. He’d seen plenty of Omegas in movies and on TV. They were, well, not Stiles. 

Omegas were always… cute. Petite. Soft-spoken. Effeminate.

Stiles was, well, a disaster. Tall and clumsy and loudmouthed and-and- just the textbook OPPOSITE of Omegas.

“Dad,” he turned to his father with a grin, wanting to share in the joke with him. “Obviously, ‘I’ am not an Omega, right?” 

His father’s face was grim. “The doctor’s think your ADHD medication suppressed your Omega genes. That’s why you’re only just now presenting.”

Stiles’ smile faded fast.

“I’m not an Omega, dad,” he insisted, looking his dad in the eye and willing him to see reason. “I’m eighteen, six foot one, and definitely human.” He turned from his father’s weary face, back to Talia Hale’s sharp eyes. “I’m not. Really. There was just some mistake. I ate some bad cafeteria food and got a little sick. That’s all.”

“I’m afraid that’s not the case, Stiles. We’ve tested your DNA and bloodwork. You are now an Omega werewolf. I know that’s a big change for you, but I’m here to help you adjust easier. Feel free to ask me any questions you have.” Then her eyes did this strange thing where they flashed a deep red.

And to Stiles’ horror, his own vision went… weird.

Everything became painfully clear and concise, and sitting before him, where Talia had just been, was the phantom outline of a huge, furry werewolf!

It ended quickly, but Stiles was still stunned for several seconds.

Stiles gaped, turning from her, to his father, and back to her. Finally, he said the only thing he could think to say:

“Are you shitting me?!”

-O_O-

-O_O-

The world is conspiring against him.

That’s what it was.

The entire world- Life itself- was set against him.

.00018% of the world’s population were Omega werewolves, according to Talia Hale.

.00018-!

Stiles couldn’t wrap his head around it. Somehow, alpha werewolves had slipped into both his parent’s family trees however long ago, and now Stiles was an Omega because of it.

In-fucking-credible.

And not just that-

He was possibly the oldest presenting Omega to date. Yeah. Another achievement to add to the list! Instead of presenting and having his first heat at the normal age of 13 or 14 years old, here he was 18 and hitting werewolf-y puberty! 

And there were no cool perks! Talia had calmly explained that Omegas rarely developed werewolf senses and skills. Nope! Stiles was human except for the fact that his genes were coded as a werewolf. 

Which came in handy for procreation purposes. Oh yeah. Omegas were ten times more likely to produce Alpha offspring versus beta or alpha werewolf pairs. 

Whoopty-freakin-doo! 

At least that had one benefit to it, as Talia pointed out. As far as finding a girlfriend, or ‘mate’, went, Stiles would be very popular among the other werewolves. Alpha children were highly sought after, and Omega birthing statistics were well-known. So, yeah, great for normal Omegas who were more… ’Omega-y’. 

But even Talia admitted that Stiles didn’t fit the ‘traditional’ Omega stereotypes. Maybe he could set more embarrassing records. Like tallest Omega. Or clumsiest Omega. Or most obnoxious Omega.

No matter how Stiles looked at it, there just was no upside.

He was a freak human.

Now he’s a freak Omega.

There was no winning.

Talia had answered the few random questions that he had so far, before reassuring him that her family’s Omegas would be happy to give him more info in the coming days and weeks. Stiles had to admit, the idea of talking to another Omega about all this sounded great.

But still….

“This isn’t a bad thing, Stiles.” His father tried for the fifth time to calm him down. They were finally leaving the hospital and walking across the parking lot to the Sheriff’s SUV. “Being in the werewolf community has many benefits. They have great scholarship programs and grants for college. You’re less likely to catch a disease or get cancer. And a family like the Hales may accept you into their pack, which I don’t have to tell you would be a BIG deal. Don’t treat it like something bad that’s happened. Look on the bright side.”

Stiles climbed into the SUV and slammed the door shut. “Everyone at school is going to have a field day!” Stiles moaned, sinking sullenly into the seat. “I was already a joke to everyone. Now what? I have horny episodes once a month? That’s gonna go over great!”

Talia had briefly explained heats for him, and Stiles vaguely remembered some stuff about them from school.

His father’s tone became more serious, “Don’t worry about your heats. The doctor’s say that first one was unusually bad because the meds had suppressed it for so long. Your next one should be much easier.”

“Daddddd-!” Stiles whined, “I don’t even want to have this conversation with you. The point is everyone will KNOW. They’ll know I’m out of school because I’m extra horny and-and-“ …and need to get laid, he didn’t say aloud.

Yes, yet another awesome Omega fact.

Until he is properly mated with another werewolf, Stiles gets to look forward to monthly heats where he’ll be almost too horny to function. 

How is this his life…?

“It’s gonna be fine, Stiles. You’ll see. And Talia already said that the other werewolves will know to look out for you. It’s—what did she call it? Instinct. They all know to watch out for and protect Omegas.”

“Yeah, cute and defenseless Omegas that might choose to mate with them someday!” Stiles snapped back. “News flash! I’m not cute and dainty, dad! No one looks at me and thinks, ‘Hey, Baby, you look like a damsel in distress.”

His dad sighed, shaking his head. “Stiles, you’ve got to go into this with an open mind.”

“Why?” Stiles demanded petulantly.

“Because,” his father sighed again, “you have no choice. It’s who you are now. Sink or float, kid.”

-O_O-

-O_O-

Stiles was sinking. And fast.

Two minutes after arriving at school, and he was already poised to flee.

Everyone is staring at him.

EVERYONE.

And whispering, too.

It was exactly like he expected. 

‘Stiles, the freaky kid’ was now ‘Stiles the freaky Omega kid’.

He was ready to bolt. Go home and start homeschooling for the rest of senior year. Become a hermit who never leaves his house!

His social life was OVER. 

(Well, to be honest, it had never really started….)

Stiles stopped at his locker to trade out the books in his backpack with what he would need for first and second period.

Normalcy.

That was what he needed. Like his dad and Talia had said, just wait it out and everything will die down in a matter of a week. 

Easy.

Stiles turned, slinging his bookbag over his shoulder-

-and was immediately struck in the face by a basketball.

The whoosh of gasps, laughter and snickers filled the air as Stiles grabbed at the side of his burning face with a hiss.

“Oh, my bad Stilinski. Didn’t see you there!” Jackson Whittemore’s voice called with mock sincerity. 

Stiles glared over at him as one of Jackson’s cronies dribbled the ball back to their laughing group. Well. At least some things never changed. He could always count on Jackson’s bullying.

“It’ll heal, right? Now that you’re a wanna-be werewolf?” Jackson snickered at his own joke while the rest of his group rolled with laughter like he had just told the funniest joke they’d ever heard. 

Stiles’ cheek was numb with pain, but he was already about to shout some profanity at the group of jocks when all 110 pounds of Cora Hale suddenly strong-armed her way through the crowd, grabbing Jackson up by his shirt before he could even register the appearance, and slamming him hard against the opposite lockers.

The hall went deadly silent except for the low, reverberating growl that came from Cora’s throat.

“Oh, my God,” Stiles whispered faintly, sure he was about to witness Jackson’s throat be torn out in front of him.

“Are you okay, Stilinski?” 

Stiles turned his horrified gaze to the side, where Isaac Lahey, Vernon Boyd, and three other werewolves Stiles didn’t recognize, were approaching, muscles tense.

“Oh, my God,” Stiles muttered again in answer.

The werewolves were actually protecting him. Like for real. Just like Talia had said they would. 

The world was going INSANE.

“Is your face alright,” Isaac asked slowly, angry eyes taking in the probably huge red mark that was left on Stiles’ face.

“Oh. My. God,” Stiles repeated before suddenly bolting for his homeroom class without another word or glance back at the dramatic scene unfolding behind him.

Normalcy.

Hah.

That concept just got chucked out the window.

-O_O-

-O_O-

“But I don’t want to go!” Stiles insisted, throwing himself sulkily onto the living room sofa.

His dad sighed, rubbing his eyes. “For the last time, you are visiting the Hales to learn to SOCIALIZE with other werewolves. It has nothing to do with finding a mate.”

“But that’s what everyone is going to be thinking while I’m there!” Stiles argued back, “They’re gonna be sizing me up to have my alpha babies!”

“Stiles…” His father sighed wearily.

“Do you know how my school day went, dad?! Let me just summarize for you. You know how the secret service protects the president? Well, I had my own secret service stalking me all day. I had to sit out lacrosse practice on the bench because coach thought there might be a murder if I got hit by someone!”

“You sit on the bench most of the time anyway, son,” his father countered, giving him an unimpressed look.

“Not the point! The POINT is that the other werewolves treat me like I’m some delicate—delicate—”

“You were about to say Omega, weren’t you?”

Stiles spluttered, furious. Because, yes, that had been the phrase that jumped into his mind. Delicate Omega.

“I’m not going.” Stiles crossed his arms.

“I’ll get the car started, and you better be out there in the next two minutes.”

“Or what?” Stiles risked, bitterness getting the better of him.

His dad just sighed from the door as he put on his jacket, “Or we won’t stop for curly fries.”

The door shut behind him, leaving Stiles standing stupidly with his arms crossed in the empty room.

He knew he wasn’t going to win this—not without getting on his dad’s bad side, which was never fun. He weighed the loss of car privileges, grounding, internet suspension, and all the other various cards his dad had in his hand to play, and…

Stiles stomped all the way to his dad’s cruiser, huffing as he sat in the passenger seat, “I want three large orders of curly fries. And a milkshake.”

“Alright, son.”

-O_O-

-O_O-

The Hale Mansion was four stories tall and had an east and west wing. Stiles sat frozen in the passenger seat of his dad’s cruiser, gaping at the enormous home.

He knew the Hales were rich, but goddamn….

It was a beautiful afternoon, and dozens of children ran merrily around the grounds as several adults relaxed on the large, covered porch.

Stiles shoved the last of his curly fries into his mouth, barely tasting their golden-brown crunchiness.

This was insane. 

Last week he was a normal human, who only ever saw werewolves in passing or on TV. Now he was being invited into their home! Where they lived!

Not for the first time, Stiles felt like he’d stepped into the twilight zone.

“Am I going to have to drag you from the car, son?”

“No, I just… I need a minute, okay?”

Stiles tugged at the tight collar of the dress shirt he was wearing, trying to breathe easier. No big deal. Really. Sure, these were famous and glamourous werewolves, but like, he was a werewolf, too, now. Maybe not famous or glamourous, or even much of a werewolf at all, but, well….

His pep talk to himself faltered, so he did the only thing he could think to do. 

He got the hell out of the car.

On the porch he saw one of the figures stand, and he recognized it as Talia, herself. Again. It was so bizarre that the leader of the entire Hale Pack would personally handle his assimilation as an Omega. Surely she had way more important things to do, like manage rogue hunters and politicking, or ANYTHING else besides dealing with a gangly and awkward teen who just hit werewolf puberty.

Stiles shuffled uncomfortably toward her, feeling the eyes of all the other werewolves on him, sizing him up. 

They could stare at him as much as they wanted, but it wouldn’t suddenly change him into a demur and submissive Omega stereotype.

“Stiles, it’s wonderful to see you again,” Talia said with a gentle smile, gesturing for him to follow her inside the huge wooden double-doors and into the house. “Supper is in an hour, so we have plenty of time to show you around and make introductions.”

“Joy…” Stiles whispered under his breath, before immediately realizing that everyone present (all the werewolves at least) had probably heard him. Which made him realize further that they had probably heard his stalling in his father’s car, too.

Awesome. Great start.

Talia’s eyes twinkled as she grinned, before turning to lead the way inside. Stiles followed, reluctantly.

-O_O-

So, here’s the thing about the Hales: 

They are mostly werewolves, but, like, Stiles hadn’t really thought there’d be any significant difference in how they lived their lives, except for, well, being ridiculously rich. He’d seen several of their pack, and a few members of the smaller local packs at school since he was a kid, and, well… they seemed like athletic (and really hot) humans. Pretty normal, for the most part.

So, imagine his shock when the very first room Talia led him into was full of half-naked people of all ages lounging on top of each other in a massive pile, watching Supernatural on a huge TV screen.

Stiles knew his eyes were bugging out, but he honestly had not expected… that.

As soon as they entered the room three of the people on the floor jumped up quickly, almost standing at attention, they were so stiff and formal.

“Stiles.” Talia turned to him and gestured at everyone still lying in their doggy pile, “It would take too long to introduce everyone, but you’ll get to know them better as we all become more acquainted. I think you already know Boyd and Erica.”

The two high schoolers raised their hands casually in greeting from where they lay on the floor. Stiles gave a short wave back. Blessed allies… he thought to himself, grateful to recognize someone.

“And these three,” Talia gestured at the three people who had stood up when they entered, “are Alphas Peter, Jamie, and Laura.”

To Stiles’ horror, the three alphas BOWED to him. 

“It is customary when an Alpha greets an Omega,” Talia continued, as if she were explaining to a child, “to exchange eye flashes and allow a brief scenting from both parties. Only if you are comfortable with that, of course. I know learning new customs can be a bit nerve-wracking.”

“I—um, no, that’s, uh, fine,” Stiles stuttered, feeling the attention of the entire room on him. On the TV, the werewolf brothers Dean and Sam were taking on a room full of ghosts. Watch THAT instead of ME, Stiles wanted to hiss at everyone.

The first alpha stepped up. He was an older, good-looking man with long brown hair. “I am Alpha Peter Hale,” his eyes flashed, and Stiles felt his own do that eerie feeling where everything glows again, only this time he saw the flash of Peter’s wolf where he stood, hulking and dark. Stiles barely avoided cringing away from the sight, but it was over almost immediately, and his sight returned to normal. 

Then Peter extended his hand. Stiles glanced quickly to Talia who nodded, before reaching out to clasp his own hand around Peter’s. Peter then bowed down and -sniffed- Stiles’ wrist.

There was a brief pause before Talia said, “Now you may smell his wrist in return.”

Stiles almost chickened out because, really?! He wasn’t so sure he wanted to sniff random strangers, tradition or not.

But he felt the many eyes watching him. Oh, geez…

Bending down quickly, Stiles sucked in a breath and—

--and  WHAT. THE. HELL.

Peter’s wrist smelled… It was hard to describe. It was more of a feeling that slapped Stiles across the face, than an actual smell. It felt like… food being sat in front of you when you were very hungry. A relief and anticipation.

It scared him. So much so that he shook off Peter’s hand and stepped back quickly. He was sure everyone—even the humans in the room—could hear his heart going wild.

“Peter is unmated,” Talia spoke up, watching him closely. “So, you will be able to pick up on his pheromones easier than a mated alpha or a beta’s. Likewise, Alphas can pick up on your scent. It makes it easier for Alphas and Omegas to identify their potential mates.”

She said it so calmly that Stiles immediately began to relax a little. So, it was normal, then? All unmated alphas smelled…. incredible? Stiles wanted to ask, but wanted to do so in privacy, in case he embarrassed himself.

The next Alpha stepped up, and they went through the process again, only this time the scent at the woman’s wrist was much more muted. Jamie, a beautiful female Alpha, smiled warmly at him after they sniffed each other, then pointed to a man lying near the TV. “That is my mate, Kevin.” Kevin waved, and Stiles returned it.

Lastly, Alpha Laura stepped up. Stiles recognized her from when he was a freshman and she had been a very popular senior. She had a cheeky grin as her eyes flashed at him. His own flashed back, briefly showing him her wolf form. Then they clasped hands and sniffed each other.

Stiles was expecting it this time, but it still made his breath catch in his throat when he smelled that same amazing scent from her.

It didn’t help that Stiles had a major crush on her from those several years back and had spent more than a few private spank sessions thinking about her. He tried his best not to think about that now. Or to consider the fact that she was probably sizing him up as an eligible mate to have alpha pups with….

Stiles felt his face reddening against his will as he released her hand.

“We have many more people to meet, so we’ll leave the other introductions for another time,” Talia stated, placing a gentle hand on Stiles shoulder to steer him out of the room.

“I think you’ll be happy to meet the next few people. They are very excited to meet you,” Talia said as they crossed a large foyer into another living room. This one was less crowded, with five people in it.

Stiles entered nervously behind Talia.

Three of the five people stood as they approached, and Stiles wasn’t a betting man, but he’d put all his money on the fact that these three women were Omegas.

They were small in stature, with gentle features, and they just seemed to SPARKLE with peaceful energy. Even as they all met in the center of the room, Stiles caught a whiff of something that made his tense shoulders loosen. They seemed to even smell delicate and soft.

“Stiles,” Talia indicated the Omegas, “I’d like you to meet Omegas Judy, Silvia, and Sarah.”

The women were various ages, seeming to range from the youngest, around thirty, to the oldest at close to sixty.

They all beamed happily at Stiles, and one (the youngest, Sarah) even stepped forward to clasp Stiles hands to her breast. She was so short, Stiles almost had to bend.

“It’s so wonderful to meet you, Stiles!” she chirped sincerely.

Stiles flushed, her scent wafting over him and lulling him into a harmonious state. “Um, yeah. It’s great to meet you all, too.” He stated back, genuinely glad to meet more of ‘his kind’.

“We want you know that we’re here to answer any questions you have about being an Omega,” the younger of the women continued. “It’s a big change, but really a wonderful experience. I know once you get adjusted to the idea, you’ll agree.”

Stiles couldn’t help but nod. The woman was so sincere and sweet, he wouldn’t dare argue with her.

Before Talia could usher him away to their next meeting, they had already rung the promise of more chatting out of Stiles.

Stiles had to admit, the stereotype of Omegas had been pretty close. The women were just how they were depicted in the movies and shows. All sweet charm and petite adorableness. Stiles was honestly looking forward to spending more time with the three women.

The rest of the meet-and-greets went about the same, with Stiles meeting a total of eleven unmated Alphas, seven of which were females. Of those, four were relatively close to Stiles’ age, though all were at least a few years older than him.

Stiles was in a daze with all the introductions to ridiculously attractive Alphas, not to mention the constant walking to get around the huge manor. The place felt even bigger on the inside by the time they finished, and Stiles was sure they’d walked at least two miles total, up, around, down, and through. 

It was all making his head spin, so he was grateful when Talia led him into a large kitchen, where several people were busily at work meal prepping.

They walked up to an elderly looking woman, who turned to greet them with a warm smile. Her red eyes flashed, and by now Stiles knew the procedure. His own flashed back, briefly seeing an older but still fierce wolf, before extending his hand out to grasp hers. Her scent was as warm and welcoming as her smile had been.

“Stiles, this is my mother, Nana Hale,” Talia explained.

“So, this handsome young man is our county’s newest Omega?” Nana sang happily, looking him up and down. “My, my, you’ll have no trouble finding a mate, dearie.” 

Stiles flushed at the obvious lie, not sure how to respond. She sounded so sincere that it actually threw him off. He knew damn well he wasn’t built small and delicate like other Omegas. 

“Has he met all the Alphas?” Nana Hale asked Talia.

“Everyone but Lilah and Stephon, and of course Derek.” She said the last name with a sad frown. “They should be back from the Maury County hunt in the next few days. We’ll try to introduce them when they return.”

“Well,” Nana Hale said with a smile, “make sure you do. Don’t want to miss the chance of a true match with one of our own. I’m sure the other packs are already sending envoys of their Alphas to meet young Stiles, here. He’s going to be quite a catch for someone, hmm?”

At this point Stiles couldn’t remain silent any longer. “I, um, I’m actually planning on waiting a while for the whole, uh, mating thing.” It felt absolutely embarrassing to be discussing sex so openly with a little old lady, within earshot of the entire house. But he forged on. “I’m still adjusting to being a werewolf, even just, you know, an Omega. So, like, I feel like maybe a year or so I’ll start thinking about, well, um, that.”

To his surprise, Nana Hale let out a deep, merry laugh. “Oh, what a cutie you are! You’re going to break many hearts, talking like that.”

Stiles blushed and shuffled his feet awkwardly in answer. 

Talia was beaming at him as well, when she said, “It’s almost time to eat. Come, Stiles. I’ll show you to the dining room. Angel, please ring the dinner bell.” 

She said the last to a woman tossing a huge bowl of salad. The woman nodded, with a ‘Yes, Alpha’ and moved over to a long cord hanging from the high ceiling. She tugged on it several times and a loud bell echoed throughout the house for several seconds.

The sound of feet moving across the house filled the air as everyone made their way to dining hall.

Talia led Stiles into the huge, long room where several enormous tables were standing.

“As the guest for this evening, you’ll join me at the head table with my husband, Rick.” Talia motioned him to the front of the room and sat him next to the head of the table.

The next hour or so was a buzz of food being brought out and dozens of conversations going on top of each other. Stiles looked around at all the faces, recognizing almost all of them from his tour earlier. Nearby, Peter was in a loud debate with several older men about the latest politics in the Middle East. Children were running between tables with half-eaten food in their hands. There were laughter and arguments, and overall, it felt…

…nice, Stiles realized.

Now that all the attention and pressure was off him, he could sit back and just watch the large family interacting with each other, and it felt like a real, normal family. Something Stiles and his dad hadn’t been a part of since his mother’s early death almost ten years earlier. 

It all made something warm bloom in his chest. He’d always wanted to be a part of a big family, and now he felt like he was part of something even more powerful. 

A Pack.

And if everything turned out as everyone seemed to think it would, then Stiles would likely be mated to one of the beautiful, unmated women he met today. Or maybe someone from another large pack. 

And for the first time, the idea didn’t fill him with dread.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all, being an Omega….

-O_O-

-O_O-

Stiles took it back.

Being an Omega SUCKED.

The doorbell rang again. Stiles flipped backwards in exhaustion onto the living room couch of his house, willing the latest Alphas to fuck off.

Seriously, was every female Alpha in the state coming to his house today?! What a waste of a Saturday!

His dad answered the door for him (again, since Stiles had flatly refused for the last eight visitors). 

“Good afternoon! I’m Alpha Cynthia Matthews of the Matthews Pack in Salistrade County. I’m here to meet Omega Stiles Stilisnski. Is he available?”

Stiles almost shouted ‘NO!’ from where he was sprawled wearily on the couch. But he reminded himself there was one upside to the multitude of guests bombarding his home.

Presents!

The thought of it had him rising to a mostly decent sitting position, as his father led the newest visitors inside.

Like the many visitors before her, Alpha Blah-Blah came escorted by several Betas whose apparent role was simply to show that the Pack had enough free bodies laying around to spare them for an entourage.

Stiles took in the new Alpha with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. She was probably doing the same….

She, like her predecessors was stunningly beautiful and fit. Blonde hair cascaded down her slim shoulders in perfect beach waves. Stiles vaguely recognized her as a hopeful contestant from the latest season of The Alpha Bachelor.

My, how the mighty have fallen if she was knocking on Stiles’ door, hoping for a match.

Stiles rose, and flashed his eyes, observing her lithe wolf briefly, before proffering his hand. They sniffed each other courteously. She smelled fantastic, but then, they ALL had smelled the same.

“I’ve brought you a gift, Omega Stilinski.” She indicated one of her Betas, who was adding her large and impeccably wrapped gift to the towering pile on the kitchen table.

Stiles nodded politely, “Thank you very much, Alpha Matthews. I hope the journey here was smooth for you.” (But please go away, he just managed to not say.)

“Yes, it was a very nice drive, thank you. I’m sure you have already received plenty of invitations for the next few weeks.” (Oh, thank God, she wasn’t wasting time on small talk.) “But I plan to stay in town, and I would love to see you again. Would you please consider me if you have any free time?” She handed him her scented card, with her cell number and a brief bio on it. 

Stiles nodded, taking the card and giving it a courtesy sniff, before placing it neatly next to all the others on the side table. “Thank you very much, Alpha Matthews. I will certainly consider giving you a call if an opportunity comes up. Until then, I look forward to seeing you around town, and thank you for the generous gift.” The words rolled easily off his tongue, well-rehearsed as they were.

The Alpha nodded with a lovely smile showing sparkling teeth, before bowing and making her exit. Stiles’ father shut the door behind her and her Betas.

“Dad. Zoolander.” Stiles used the code word they had established earlier in the week to mean that he was physically/emotionally exhausted.

His dad nodded, adding, “I’ll tell any more callers that you are done seeing visitors for the day.”

“Thank you.” Stiles blew out a breath, before making his way into the kitchen.

He never thought he would hate the idea of opening expensive gifts in his life, but the colossal pile filled him with a sense of dread. Yeah, it sounded ungrateful, but come on! They could’ve saved him time by not wrapping the things!

Stiles suddenly felt the weight of his dad’s hand rest upon his shoulder. “You know you’re writing a Thank You card for every one of these, right?”

Stiles whimpered dramatically. 

It was already a long day, but the night just got even longer.

“Righttttt,” he sighed.

-O_O-

Stiles’ feet broke into a sprint the second he made it to the tree line of the forest bordering his backyard. 

As the trees and foliage blurred by him, he relished the sense of freedom that came with it. He expertly navigated the dips and hills, rocks and stumps, loving the familiar sight of the ever-shifting sunlight peaking down through the canopy of tree limbs overhead.

God, he needed this!

The past few weeks had been a shock that he still hadn’t fully recovered from.

All the lessons from Talia and the Hale Omegas had been blur of information and customs and traditions—enough to give him a nearly permanent headache.

Added to that, every Alpha in the damn country (and six from foreign countries) seemed to have invaded Beacon Hills, just for the scant chance that he’ll take an interest in them. 

Honestly, Stiles was surprised that they hadn’t taken one look at him—the opposite of an average Omega—and run back to whatever den they came from.

Not for the first time, Stiles really had to wonder… Was being able to produce Alpha babies really SUCH a big deal-?!

It certainly seemed so, based off the desperation that all the visiting Alphas seemed to be displaying. As Stiles rounded a sharp cliff of large rocks, he considered all the women he had met so far.

They were all gorgeous in their own ways. And, honestly, looks-wise, they were at least comparable to Lydia Martin. And based on their bios, many of them were even a match for her mentally. They all seemed to have bachelors and masters and even doctorates to spare.

But, as far as picking any of them to spend his heat with?

Mortifying.

Stiles sped up, pushing himself harder as the lake came into view through the fields.

It HAD to have occurred to all his suitors that he was a virgin, right? Like, he was ONLY eighteen, and pretty awkward. 

They had to KNOW, right? 

So, it wouldn’t come as a shock to any one he picked to spend his heat with if he was… less than spectacular in bed. 

His face flushed, and it had nothing to do with the exertions of sprinting through the woods.

Damn it! If he could’ve just gotten laid even ONE time before now, he’d be so much less worried about it!

But no. Despite his best efforts, his only experience had been his hand. 

But that had to count for something, didn’t it? Like, he wasn’t some scared virgin stereotype. He had watched A LOT of porn in the last four years since hitting puberty. And some of it had even been Alpha/Omega porn (though, obviously with Beta actors and actresses playing the Omegas). 

So, he had a damn good knowledge base! Just—

No practical experience.

And isn’t that what Alphas kind of wanted in an Omega? A chaste bedmate? That was how the pornos portrayed it, at least. A domineering Alpha getting to take charge of a simpering and submissive Omega in the bedroom…?

Stiles made it to the bank of the lake, and started to circle around the shoreline, keeping up his grueling pace, breath huffing out of him in hot wheezes. 

Yeah, he figured, the alphas were probably counting on him being bad in bed. So really, there was no reason to shy out of spending his next heat with one of them. Of course, he’d be clear that contraceptives must be used. They can want an Alpha baby as much as they want, but Stiles was nowhere NEAR ready for parenthood.

But still….

Something inside him recoiled at the idea of having sex with any of the Alphas he had met so far. Maybe it was the fact that they were only interested in his sperm, or maybe it was because they only saw him as a trophy Omega that they could get bragging rights for sleeping with.

But something… something just resisted the idea of picking any of them for his next heat.

Stiles took wide steps as he began to climb up large standing rocks near his favorite secluded waterfall. The sounds of pouring, rushing water grew louder the closer he got to the edge.

Finally, he made it to the small stream at the top, overlooking the twenty foot falls below. Moving to a shaded spot on a rock, he collapsed, catching his breath.

Ahhh, sweet privacy….

Stiles felt like he hadn’t had time to breathe for himself since all this mess started. Now, surrounded by nature, he really let himself consider everything from start to finish, beginning with the night he presented (disaster that it was), and ending with his most recent meeting in his living room with the Hale Omegas. Today’s discussion had been about mating bites, and Stiles was sure his ears were still red from THAT little talk.

It just seemed like everything was happening too fast! His next heat was going to be here within the week, and even though the doctors had reassured him that it would be significantly milder than his first, he couldn’t help but dread it.

He already knew what it felt like to be horny for twenty-four plus hours straight- he was a teenage boy! The idea that it would be bad enough for him to miss school and hole up in his room for privacy just made it seem that much worse. 

But getting a hotel with one of the Alphas…?

Somehow even more hard to imagine.

No, he finally decided with certainty. He was going to spend this heat alone. Hell, as long as it wasn’t too bad, he was probably going to spend the next several alone. He wasn’t going to force himself to believe that he was comfortable with sex with a stranger. Sure, the idea had seemed like a great one when he was crashing parties and trying to get laid the last few years. But he was an Omega now. He didn’t have to rush to have sex. It was pretty much inevitable, so he could take it as slow as he wanted.

Yes.

Stiles stretched his arms up over his head and kicked his long legs out. 

It felt like a huge relief to have made the decision to wait.

Smiling to himself, he let the cold breeze brush over him and took in the greens of the trees and fields, and the splashes of colors from the wildflowers, and the half-naked man running through the trees—

Stiles did a double-take, not sure he was seeing correctly.

From his view on top of the waterfall, he had a great vantage point across the lake where—yes—a man was running shirtless, barefoot, and in a pair of blue jean pants alone the edge of the lake nearby.

Stiles watched, impressed with the man’s speed and form. He wasn’t so much jogging as charging along the bank. It looked like he was ready to tackle someone at any moment. 

Stiles actually looked along the path ahead of the man to see if maybe he was chasing someone or something.

But no. It appeared that the man was just running at full speed because he wanted to.

Stiles nodded his head in solidarity with a fellow woods-runner. More power to you, dude. Get it.

The air was growing colder as the sun sank lower in sky, and Stiles decided to go ahead and head back to the house and back to all the responsibilities of being a newly-presented Omega. 

He carefully slid down the steep rocks to the ground below the waterfall and broke into an easy run back in the direction of his house. 

It was about a twenty minute run to get home, and Stiles listened to the sounds of the forest as he made his way. 

The gentle rustle of the tree branches bending in the breeze.

The birds singing and answering each other.

It was all peaceful and calm. Stiles soaked it in, knowing that when he made it back home, he’d be back to the craziness that was his life, now.

The sound of something moving through the trees nearby caught Stiles’ attention, and without breaking his pace, he glanced in that direction.

A blur of tan skin and blue pants was charging through the trees on his far left, and Stiles immediately recognized the man who had been running along the lakeshore.

Damn, he was really moving fast, Stiles realized, mentally mapping out how the man had made it all the way to his side of the lake in less than ten minutes. Impressive. Especially if the dude was human.

Stiles returned his focus to the faint path ahead of him, picking up speed. There would be a field with high grass up ahead, and the man was heading that same direction. Feeling motivated by his new peace of mind at having decided to spend his heat alone (and also a little curious at whether he was faster than the man) Stiles widened his stride and kicked up to full speed as he made it to the edge of the large field. 

Just as he expected, the man burst from the tree line about twenty yards to Stiles’ left, still going at the same breakneck pace. 

Stiles glanced over, smiled, and lifted a hand to wave at his fellow runner.

Closer now, Stiles could make out the man’s features easier, and—

HOT. DIGGITY. DAMN.

Stiles almost choked on his own spit. 

The guy was hotter than an underwear model, all heavy brows, high cheekbones, scruffy beard, and toned muscles. Stiles felt like he was punched by the man’s good looks- Right! Left! Gut!

His eyes felt like they were magnets being pulled to the man’s face—he didn’t want to look away. He was actually TOO good looking.

Stiles would have stared indefinitely, but the man abruptly turned Stiles direction and—

Suddenly, the man’s eyes flashed red.

And Stiles, now apparently trained to return the flash, felt his own eyes flash gold in return. Stiles barely had a moment to take in the sight of the man’s phantom wolf running at a majestic pace, before he suddenly saw the man stumble and skid to a hard stop in the waist high grass. 

Stiles kept running, but he craned his neck to stare openly at the man’s surprised face. Correction, the ALPHA’S surprised and extremely hot face.

They held each other’s eyes for several fleeting moments, the man standing stock still, muscular arms hanging loosely at his sides, and Stiles still galloping across the field growing farther away from the stranger.

All of a sudden, the man’s eyes flashed red again as he kept his gaze on Stiles.

Not sure what to do as he approached the opposite tree line, Stiles slowed his pace.

What was the customary reaction to an Omega meeting an Alpha informally in the woods? With no mated Alpha or dad as a chaperone…? And if said Alpha was ridiculously good looking?!

Damnit-! Why had the Hale Omegas not covered THIS situation instead of the mortifying discussion about mating bites this afternoon!?

Feeling pressed to react somehow with the man’s red eyes still locked onto him, Stiles took the coward’s way out.

Picking back up his pace, he turned briefly back to the man and—

--waved.

It was a friendly wave, at least.

One that Stiles hoped conveyed the right level of courtesy, but modest distance of an unmated Omega with no chaperone nearby.

The man did not wave back, and Stiles was forced to return his attention to the uneven path ahead of him to prevent himself from faceplanting in sight of the guy.

A few short minutes later, Stiles arrived in his backyard, and headed straight inside and up the stairs, calling a quick ‘I’m back!’ to his dad in the living room.

He didn’t slow down until he made it to his room, breath heaving and sweat cooling. 

Walking up to the mirror, Stiles took in his sweaty image and his oversized, worn out running clothes. Then he met his own wide eyes and stared at them, nodding his head repeatedly. 

Finally, he said to himself, voice incredulous even to his own ears, “So, we’re a little gay, huh, buddy…?”

His image just nodded back.

-O_O-

Stiles’ revelation that he may have a thing for other men ended up just being another of many realizations he’d had since becoming an Omega. 

So, he was technically bisexual now? Great, add it to the list!

As far as he was concerned, mystery Alpha in the woods was the first and only guy that had made his heart flip on sight, and, really, that didn’t mean much. 

Stiles consulted the image of the man now burned into his mind and decided, actually, the man was just unusually attractive. ANYONE would question their sexuality at the sight of him. 

It was a fluke. Just a one-time thing, one situation where a very attractive-looking man happened to hit all of Stiles’ buttons. 

No biggie.

Except…

Stiles couldn’t get the image of the Alpha out of his head. 

It was like his mind picked every available opportunity to pull the man back up and try to study just what about him was so breathtaking! 

And Stiles just couldn’t figure it out.

No matter how much he considered the man, he couldn’t place any one thing about him that was exceptionally good-looking. The whole package just WAS. 

So, yes, Stiles decided.

He had a secret man-crush on ‘Mystery Forest Alpha’.

It didn’t mean anything. And he probably would never see the dude again. 

Soooo….

If Stiles maybe had a few… spank sessions… where the guy featured heavily over the next few days, that didn’t have to mean anything!

Stiles rejected labeling it. Gay. Bisexual, Whatever. Just throw it in there with all the other new labels and let him move on with his life.

And that’s exactly what Stiles did. He put the Alpha into a box, pulled it out occasionally when he needed the extra motivation, and didn’t think any more about him otherwise.

Until…

-O_O-

-O_O-

Okay.

Heats sucked.

Stiles was so sick of cold showers! And he’d already had five today! FIVE!

His damn erection would wilt for thirty minutes MAX, then spring back up ready and rearing to go again. 

He was sick of jerking off, too. Like he ever thought THAT would happen. But, sure enough, he had a limit, and that limit was at eight times. 

He was exhausted! And sweaty! And his muscles ached! And he swore his dick was starting to chafe!

Thank God his dad had decided to spend the day at the Sheriff Station. Stiles was sure he’d never be able to face him again if he saw him like this…

And he had to deal with this EVERY MONTH?!

Fuck being an Omega!

Stiles’ head was so cloudy by three P.M. that he woke to find himself humping—HUMPING!—the living room sofa! Buck naked, no less! When did he even leave his room-!?

This was insanity!

He pulled himself off the furniture (barely) and stumbled his way into the kitchen, desperate for water—cold, sweet, blessed water!

He chugged at least a liter of water, dribbling it down his bare chest and relishing the cold trail if made down to his overheated crotch.

A shower—that’s what he needed. Yes—another cold shower!

Stiles was about to turn when something out the kitchen window caught his wavering attention….

Was that—?

‘Mystery Forest Alpha’ from the woods?! In his backyard?!

Looking every bit like a piece of sweet candy to Stiles’ starving mind?!

Oh, hell—!

Stiles gripped his dick as it swelled and bobbed back to wretched life.

Oh, but sweet god, the man was handsome….

Had he followed Stiles home those several days before—?

Stiles watched through his mental haze as the man glared directly at Stiles, like he knew where Stiles was standing and what Stiles was DOING…

Then, to Stiles’ horror (or delight), the man slowly reached down to his pants to grab at his own crotch, jerking it several times, while keeping his laser attention on Stiles, where he stood in front of the window.

Oh, my god! Is this really happening?! Or is this a figment of my desperately horny imagination—?! Stiles wondered, pumping his own cock faster at the sight of the man touching himself.

Jesus, he—he wanted to be SEEN—!

Stiles darted left, to the glass double-doors leading out to the patio, wincing in the short time the man was out of his sight. It was only a few moments, but the stranger was still there, by the tree line when Stiles crowded the front of the doors.

There he stood in all his glory, fully naked, stroking himself off for the stranger to see, and Stiles felt—

Powerful.

He watched closely as the man’s lips pulled back, as if he were growling. Then, the man unbuttoned his pants, and unzipped them, letting his dick loose as he gripped onto it.

Stiles’ brain was short-circuiting, heat washing over him with so much intensity he was rocking from it!

Yes-yes-yes!! Touch yourself! Touch ME! Yes-Yes-YES!

Stiles was so close to cumming, he could feel the tautness of his leg muscles burning as he rolled his hips into each of his thrusts.

OH, God Yes! Stiles whined, body collapsing against the cold window of the doors. His hot breath fogged the glass as he gasped and moaned against it.

Outside, the man had hitched forward, really getting into his thrusts, red eyes never leaving Stiles’.

“Oh, Fuck-!” Stiles hitched, cumming hard, his ejaculation stringing its way onto the glass of the door.

Collapsing to the floor, Stiles moaned helplessly in a puddle on the hardwood.

The haze over his mind was a thick blanket of ecstasy and vertigo.

Stiles had never cum so hard before in his young life. He felt like there wasn’t a bone left in his body.

It took several long minutes of him humming contentedly to himself before his brain began to turn itself slowly back on.

It happened in phases.

First, he realized he was starting to cramp up where he lay on the floor.

Next, he was blinking the haze away, taking in the sight of the low sun dipping in the sky and hurting his sensitive eyes.

Then, he managed to sit up, head spinning dangerously as he took in the mess he had made of the glass. He’d need to clean that off before his father got home, he vaguely thought.

Then, finally, it occurred to him to look for the strange Alpha.

Who was gone.

Stiles searched the tree line for the bare-chested man or the glimmer of red eyes, but—no.

The Alpha was gone.

Stiles had just enough brain cells left to feel hurt.

-O_O-

The next day was blessedly better, and Stiles slept through most of it. 

In the brief times that he was awake, he bounced between mortification of having jacked off wantonly in front of a stranger, and seriously reconsidering his decision to spend the next few heats alone. 

It had felt like he was going to simultaneously climb the walls and hump them.

And then the whole episode with the stranger—

Christ! What if the man had a camera!? Or was some freak that targeted horny Omegas!?

Stiles wanted to be furious with himself for ‘the episode’ as he was calling it.

But…

He just couldn’t build up much energy to condemn himself for his behavior.

It had been… mind blowing. Hands-down the best masturbation session he had EVER had!

But naughty! He corrected himself weakly. If the man told anyone about how desperately Stiles had acted—!

Geez, Stiles had to be the horniest Omega in history! Surely, they didn’t all act like this during their heats. Humping inanimate objects and jacking off with mysterious Alphas watching-!

No!

This was just because he didn’t have a heat partner. That’s all he needed!

It was time to start seriously considering getting an Alpha heat partner.

And he would think very hard about it… just as soon as… he woke up next….

-O_O-

It was the Friday night following his second, and most recent heat, and Stiles was back at the Hale Mansion for another supper with the large pack. This was the second time Stiles would be dining at the pack’s home, but this time, Stiles had a mission.

It had been a tough decision, but Stiles was pretty sure that he had narrowed down the list of Alphas he would consider as a heat mate to Laura Hale, Cynthia Matthews, or a gorgeous Alpha named Jezylyn Cantrell. 

He’d decided on Laura as his first pick because he’d already had a thing for her since freshmen year, and she seemed like the kind of cool, laid-back person who he could maybe pop the question to without dying of embarrassment.

But making that decision, as hard as it had been, was NOTHING compared to the mortification of actually asking one of them to have sex with him.

Like, yeah, that was the whole point of the Alphas meeting him and spending time together but -damn- there had to be a way to phrase it that didn’t sound embarrassing!

The best Stiles could come up with was ‘I’d really like to have you as my heat partner’. But even just saying that in his head made him flush embarrassing shades of red.

So, this evening, Stiles was going to do his best to get Laura alone, and -god willing- proposition her for some sweaty heat sex.

Stiles was doomed.

For starters, it was nearly impossible to catch Laura alone!

Stiles had spent a frustrating two hours slowly stalking her for a private moment, but no matter where she went, a rotating group of Hales followed. It was maddening.

By the time dinner was served, Stiles had made up his mind to give up on Laura and move on to his next pick. He had Cynthia’s cell number, and he could just call her to meet him somewhere quiet and private. He’d been stupid to think of asking Laura in a house full of werewolves anyway. 

Supper ended, and it was announced that dessert would be smores, served outside around the fire pits on the back lawn. Stiles shuffled outside, following Boyd and Cora as they chatted with him about the latest History paper assignment. 

The sun was just setting, and the sky was painted shades of red, purple, and pink. It was an incredible sight.

Add to that the fact that the Hale pack was buzzing and chatting merrily amongst each other, while children sprinted around, and it all had a very ‘familial’ feeling to it. 

Stiles picked a spot around one of the fires, near Alpha Peter and Nana Hale, and proceeded to feast on delicious marshmallow-y goodness. Now that the pressure was off him to talk to Laura, he felt like he could relax.

.

..

...

It was about an hour later, when the first howl ripped through the cold night air. 

Stiles hadn’t even thought about it, until everyone else was suddenly reacting.

The adults were quick to gather up the children, ushering them back inside the house as more adults began running toward the tree line in the direction the first howl had come from. By now dozens of howls filled the dark woods, with members from the house adding their own calls. 

Stiles sat frozen, just watching the panic, when suddenly Peter and several other Alphas were surrounding him.

“You need to get inside the house, Stiles,” Peter said hurriedly, taking his elbow to help him stand. 

“What’s going on!?” Stiles asked.

The air was now filled with the howls of dozens of werewolves. It was sending shudders through Stiles’ thin frame.

Peter spoke as they rushed across the dark lawn towards the house, the other Alphas close by. 

“Rogue Hunters,” was Peter’s only answer.

As if on cue, the faint sounds of gunfire could be heard in the far distance, echoing in the night.

Stiles made it onto the expansive back porch and in through the kitchen doors. Peter stayed by his side guiding him quickly down one hall and around a corner. He heard someone ahead calling through the house “Where is Stiles?!” to which Peter barked, “Here! We’re coming!”

They made it to the doors that led down into the basement movie room. Several adults were methodically helping the children, Omegas, and some of the humans down the stairs. Stiles followed them, leaving Peter behind at the top of the stairs.

In the large movie theatre room, children were already crying, while the few adults hushed them and tried to provide reassurances. 

Stiles, not sure what else to do, took a seat in one of the fold-out chairs with the other Omegas and waited.

-O_O-

It was nearly four hours later when the all-clear was given.

Shortly after that, someone was calling for the Omegas to come upstairs—fast!

Stiles and the other three Omegas didn’t waste time hurrying up the stairs and into the main house. They were led quickly through the halls by several worn-out-looking pack members, until they entered onto the front porch.

Stiles froze immediately taking in the sight before him.

The front lawn was lit by the porch lights and dozens of moving flashlights. People were laid out everywhere, in various stages of injury. More pack members were darting around them, taking care of everyone they could. Stiles was relieved to see faces he recognized mostly alright and sitting up on their own. 

He didn’t have much time to stare, before the Omegas were being urged toward a group of people being rapidly attended to by Doctor Deaton and his team from the werewolf clinic. The other three Omegas rushed forward and sat quickly down next to the injured, proffering their wrists for the injured to smell.

Stiles recognized immediately that these were Alphas that were injured, and the Omegas were using their scents to help calm and relax them. Stiles stood frozen, not sure where to even begin. All the shadowed faces looked the same and he couldn’t tell who needed him most.

“Stiles!”

Stiles jolted at the sound of his name, looking over to see Talia’s husband and Second, Rick, waving him over. Stiles hurried to him, and immediately gasped.

Talia was sitting upright on the ground, breathing deeply as Dr. Deaton did something to her collarbone. It took Stiles several long seconds to realize the doctor was pulling a bullet out of her. Stiles felt faint at the sight of the dark black liquid that he knew was blood covering the woman.

“Could you let her smell you Stiles? To help keep her calm,” Rick added, eyes wide but determined in the faint light from up on the porch.

Stiles nodded, then said ‘yes’, moving closer to edge his way around Deaton and offer his hand to Talia. But the Alpha was already shaking her head ‘no’.

“Derek,” she said, voice more of a growl than her usual gentle tone. “Go to Derek, Stiles.”

Stiles nodded again, backing up and trying to figure out who Derek was, and where to go. Rick took Stiles’ hand then, pulling him quickly over to a figure that was growling and hunched over. Two of Dr. Deaton’s assistants were trying to grab hold of the form, but it kept jerking away, snapping teeth each time they got close.

Stiles realized with horror that the man was still partially wolfed out, red eyes glowing bright in the darkness. 

Stiles cringed back, but Rick was behind him urging him forward encouragingly. “Just let him get your scent for a minute. That’s good….” He walked Stiles closer, speaking to the growling man. “Derek, this is Stiles. He’s an Omega. Can you calm down so he can get closer? That’s good, son. Just breathe in his scent. That’s it….”

Stiles was now within arm’s length of the werewolf, heart beating wildly in his chest as he saw the gleam of sharp teeth and contorted facial features. 

The man, Derek, growled lowly, but it sounded more like he was in pain than angry. Swallowing thickly, Stiles reached a hand forward, sure it was going to be torn off by the werewolf.

But, to his surprise, Derek shuffled the distance between them, red eyes locked onto Stiles, and took several deep and staggered breaths at his wrist. The two medics wasted no time, moving in and locating his injuries while Stiles stayed still as a statue, allowing the man to keep breathing in his scent.

It took several long minutes and maneuvering by the medics, but they finally managed to pull four bullets out of the man. When the last one was removed, the man’s body sagged and his hand reached out, grabbing hold of Stiles’ hand and yanking him down with him so that it stayed near his nose.

Stiles was pulled to his knees by the movement, but didn’t resist. It took a few moments of stillness before it occurred to Stiles that the werewolf had passed out. Stiles looked around, unsure if he should stay with the man, or move to offer his scent to another Alpha. But as he scanned the lawn, he realized everyone seemed to be recovering quickly. Even Talia was standing on shaky feet, leaning against her husband and a blood-soaked Peter. 

So, Stiles stayed where he was, feeling the steady rush of breath from the unconscious man holding his hand. 

Dr. Deaton left Talia’s side a few minutes later and began checking Derek’s vitals where he lay. With a satisfied nod, he turned to Stiles and said, “Well done, Mr. Stilinski. You may go now. He’s resting.”

Stiles nodded back and tried to tug his hand from the Derek’s grip. It took several tries—even unconscious, the man kept a tight hold on Stiles. 

When he was finally free, Stiles stepped away, wandering aimlessly around the healing werewolves scattered across the grounds. 

It was Cora who found him several minutes later and took him inside to one of the empty living rooms, telling him his father was handling the arrests of the surviving hunters and would be coming by to pick him up as soon as he could.

Stiles was relieved to hear that his father was alright, and that he’d be going home soon. Tonight had been like a nightmare. He was sure he would be having bad dreams about black blood and burning red eyes for the next month.

Finding a spot on the corner of one of the sectional sofas, Stiles curled up and fell almost instantly to sleep.

-O_O-

Stiles awoke the next morning to Talia Hale gently shaking him.

“Stiles, dear, your father is here to pick you up.”

Stiles groggily rose from the comfort of the couch where someone had put a blanket on him. As they made their way to the front door, Talia said, “Before you go, there is someone who would like to thank you for helping him.”

Stiles nodded, still tired from the excitement of the past evening.

They stepped out onto the front porch, into the faint pink light of the dawning sun clearing away the dark and leaving dew and mist in its wake.

In the distance, Stiles’ dad stood by his cruiser.

But just off the porch, standing quietly by himself, was-

-Stiles’ man-crush, ‘Mystery Forest Alpha’.

Stiles jolted at the sight of him, snapping fully awake, as all the times he’d jacked off to the man’s perfect face and impressive muscles chose that moment to flood his memory.

He flushed, and KNEW he was flushing, which made him flush harder.

Oh, Christ! The voyeur Alpha was a HALE!

And standing right in front of him-!

‘Stiles,” Talia interrupted his thoughts, “This is my oldest son, Alpha Derek. You helped him last night when he was struggling with his injuries.”

Stiles flashed back to the partially wolfed-out man that had taken his hand so possessively. It was yet another shock that the two were the same person. He looked even more handsome now, wearing a clean, black Henley and dark jeans, bare feet collecting moisture in the short grass of the lawn.

The man stepped forward, eyes flashing red, and Stiles nervously took his own steps towards the man.

‘Derek,’ he said the name in his mind, as he allowed his own eyes to flash and take in the sight of his wolf. Gorgeous!

Derek gestured, hand out, to take Stiles’ own, and Stiles’ pulse rushed as they made contact.

Derek bowed to sniff Stiles’ wrist, and Stiles could feel the heat of his breath grazing over his cool skin. As soon as he lifted, Stiles repeated the movement, bending slightly to smell the man’s wrist.

Stiles was immediately struck by the familiar scent of an unmated Alpha, with the added spice of man and woods. It was an intoxicating combination, and Stiles barely resisted getting an extra few sniffs in.

Drawing back, his eyes instantly met Derek’s knowing ones, an amazing shade of blue and green up close.

This Alpha had seen Stiles at his most vulnerable—trapped in the throes of Heat.

And they both knew it.

‘Danger,’ Stiles thought to himself.

He was definitely in danger from this man.

-O_<-

They’d been driving for nearly ten minutes before Stiles’ dad spoke.

“You alright after everything last night, kid?”

“Yeah,” Stiles answered, mind swimming in a lake of blues and greens. Not a fluke after all, he was quickly coming to accept. Derek Hale was the singular most attractive man Stiles had ever seen.

And Stiles was definitely not straight anymore.

“Good, good,” his father replied, seeming to be lost in his own thoughts. It was another several minutes before he asked, “That was Derek Hale that you were introduced to by the porch, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Stiles replied again before adding, “He got hurt pretty bad last night. I… I helped him with the pain. Using my scent.”

“Well, that was awfully kind of you, son.” His dad paused before adding, “Derek’s a good guy. We work with him a lot at the station. Poor guy is always the first to go running into danger. Not surprised he took the brunt of it last night.”

Realizing that he was sitting on a wealth of information, Stiles quickly said, as casually as he could manage, “Yeah, it’s weird that I haven’t met him in the past month. I thought I would have been introduced to him before now, like with the other Hale Alphas.”

“Well, Derek’s not… very social, son. Spends most of his time patrolling the preserve and borders of the Hale territory. He’s got a bit of a reputation.”

“What kind of reputation?” Stiles asked, curiouser by the second.

His father sighed, seeming to think hard before he said, “He’s known to be a bit… feral. Spends a little too much time in wolf form, you know? The Hales worry about him, but…. Like I said, he’s not a bad guy. Not really. Probably someone you should stay away from, though. Just for your safety.”

Stiles frowned, mulling over his father’s words carefully.

Stiles did like a challenge….

And staying clear of Derek really didn’t appeal to him….

-O_<-

It was a slightly overcast day the following Tuesday, and Stiles was pissed.

Jogging to try and burn off some of his anger, he flew through the woods on agile feet. Everything had been fine until lacrosse practice. Damn stupid Jackson, again! He had to KNOW that tackling Stiles would cause the werewolves in the stands to flip out!

And there had been a LOT of werewolves watching their practice. Apparently, the visiting Alphas had caught on that they could possibly spend more time around Stiles by attending the afternoon sessions, so they were showing up en masse.

Not to mention this was the first practice in which Coach Finstock had let him do more than run laps!

And now, probably the last…

Jackson hadn’t been seriously hurt, though. Just scared a bit…

Okay—scared a lot! But it could only improve his shitty attitude to be put in his place! And none of it was STILES’ fault!

But Stiles was the one the Coach suspended from the team. As a ‘safety precaution’ for the rest of the players.

What a load of-

There was a sudden thumping of fast galloping footsteps getting closer just within earshot.

Something was following him, Stiles suddenly realized.

And getting closer, fast!

There were the loud sounds of foot treads and movement coming up on his right at a dangerous speed, and Stiles whipped his head around to see-

The blur of a wolf charging after him at full speed-!

Stiles gave a frightened shout, before boosting his own speed to max.

Oh geez-! Oh fuck! What the hell was happening-!?

Stiles’ foot slid a little on some loose dirt, and he barely recovered fast enough not to break his stride.

Why the HELL was a frickin’ wolf charging at him?!

Something in Stiles was on high alert- urging him to go even faster. DON’T GET CAUGHT! Probably his terrified human side reacting to the primal fear of something with sharp teeth hunting him for dinner!

Stiles heeded the inner voice, legs and lungs burning as he made it to the lake shore and bolted along the rocky banks.

Up!

Over!

Forward!

RUN!

Stiles saw the familiar large rocks that led to his waterfall approaching fast and knew he had one shot to jump up quickly before the wolf at his heels lunged-!

He made the leap, surprising himself at how high up on the rock edge he made it.

Talk about motivation-!

Flinging out his hands, Stiles deftly climbed higher, eager to get out of range.

It wasn’t until he was high atop the waterfall that he dared peer over the edge.

Below, the wolf was huffing and scrabbling with huge paws on the rocks.

“Hah!” Stiles shouted down victoriously, gasping deep breaths himself.

Below, the wolf paused, flashing red eyes up at him.

…An Alpha…?

Well, Stiles wasn’t going to let this stand. No way was some Alpha going to chase him through the woods like a scared bunny rabbit!

Stiles flashed his own eyes, taking in the phantom-like form of-

A very naked Derek Hale.

-O_O-

Stiles’ breath squeezed out of him and his already red face heated up like it was on fire.

“WhaT tHe HeLL dUde!!” he shouted down at the wolf, who was now pacing back and forth threateningly below.

The wolf didn’t respond. Instead, it made another go of trying to climb the wall of rocks with soulful whines.

Stiles dared to flash his eyes again, taking in the ghostly form of human Derek, fully naked and GLORIOUS stomping back and forth on the ground below.

Yep. Definitely Derek Hale. All of him….

And hot-damn, was there a LOT of him.

Stiles decided to try again, this time more calmly. “I know that’s you Derek!” No response again. “What the hell are you trying to do?! Give me a heart attack!?”

Nothing from the wolf.

Perfect.

Stiles hadn’t had much experience at dealing with werewolves in their wolfy forms, but he knew they could still understand English.

Apparently, Derek was just determined to ignore his potential dinner’s pleas for mercy.

Great.

Well, Stiles had the high ground here – both physically and morally – and he wasn’t going to come down until a calm human Derek made a SHITLOAD of apologies for his behavior.

Or…

Until said Alpha gave a few furious huffs and stomped back off into the forest, which is exactly what Wolf-Derek ended up doing nearly ten minutes later.

Stiles watched him go into the woods for as far as he could see the dark brown fur of the wolf, before it disappeared from sight.

Stiles gave it another ten minutes before he dared climb down.

And, deciding to conserve his remaining energy in case he needed it, Stiles opted to walk the path back home.

It was blessedly uneventful.

But during his walk, while straining his ears for the sound of the wolf returning, his dad’s words suddenly came back to him. Specifically, the word ‘feral’ that he had used to describe Derek Hale.

And yeah, Stiles acknowledged as he trudged, sweating, back home, that was a pretty good way of putting it.

-O_O-

“So, um, what does it mean if a someone in werewolf form, uh, chases an Omega…?”

Stiles was sitting on the back porch of the Hale house, sipping cherry limeaids with the Omega, Sarah. It was a nice day, and the two had been chatting like old friends for the past hour, with Stiles asking a variety of slightly embarrassing questions.

But he had been waiting to slip this particular question in as subtly as possible.

“Do you mean socially chases? Or, like, physically?” Sarah asked.

“Like physically, um, through the woods maybe…?”

Sarah’s cheerful grin became worried, “Why do you ask…?”

Stiles played for casual, already having a plan in case this came up. “I’ve seen it in a few movies.” He shrugged.

“Well,” Sarah seemed to relax a bit, “It’s another one of those instinctual things that carried over from the primal days of werewolves. Back before there were established modern social customs for how Alphas behaved around Omegas. There used to be Hunts, back when there were way more Omegas around. Every full moon, eligible Omegas would run through the woods to get to an established ‘safe spot’ while eligible Alphas chased them. If one of the Alphas caught the Omega, then they would be the top contender for the spot of heat mate during the Omega’s next heat. Of course, the Omega still had a choice, but back in that time, the fastest Alpha was usually the best hunter and provider, so most Omegas considered it an honor to spend their heats with the winner. Does that make sense?”

Stiles considered it closely, trying to make the pieces of his experience fit into Sarah’s narrative. “So, if, just for the sake of it, we say an Alpha were to chase me through the woods now, in modern day, would that be the same thing…?”

“Oh, they wouldn’t dare,” Sarah stated easily. “It’s considered very feral to do so. Any Alpha that even tries would face serious punishment from their packs’ lead Alpha. Talk about a breach of social rules! Whew!” Sarah exclaimed, laughing.

“But…” and here she became quieter and more secretive, “If a mated pair were to, you know, recreate a hunt, then that would be between two consenting werewolves…. so, if you’re curious about that…?”

Stiles blushed hotly. “No! No, I just-I mean, I wondered-“ He faltered, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck in embarrassment. His eyes darted around wondering if anyone could hear their embarrassing talk about werewolf kinks. “Anyway, I was just wondering. No biggie.”

“Mmm-Hmm…” Sarah hummed with a knowing grin.

“Really!” Stiles whined.

-O_O-

Later that evening, Stiles lay in bed, considering everything that Sarah had told him.

So… Derek could get in a lot of trouble for that little jog they had together…? Interesting. But why would he risk it? Or was he just so feral that he couldn’t control it…?

And, if he had caught Stiles…

Stiles felt his face heat up at the possibility.

And that was in addition to having spied on Stiles during his last heat….

What a shame he was such a fast runner, Stiles told himself as he reached to down to handle his waking erection.

Yeah…

Damn shame, really…

-O_O-

It was inevitable, what with his next heat coming up, that he would end up having to accept one of the many date invitations that he had received.

And since Laura was constantly surrounded by people, Stiles regretfully decided to move on to the next potential heat mate on his list, Cynthia Matthews. She seemed pretty chill, plus her gift had been a Playstation 5, so….

Stiles sat in his jeep for several minutes after he arrived at the coffee shop, mentally trying to psyche himself up.

No big deal, really.

He was just going to invite a really attractive woman to be his heat mate. And, yeah, everyone KNEW that’s why he had accepted her date. And ALSO yeah, they all knew that he was planning on getting laid by the smoking hot Alpha.

But, yeah, no big deal at all.

Stiles slammed his head against the steering wheel.

Word had traveled fast. Too fast.

Stiles had called her at around nine o’clock that morning, and his dad had called him by twelve to ask if he was sure about it. And if the Sheriff knew about it, then the Hales would have gotten word. And if the Hales had heard of it, then the chances were that the other Alpha visitors would be in the know, now, too.

So basically, EVERYONE in Beacon County had to be aware that Stiles was about to put his sweaty moves on a woman WAY out of his league.

No. Biggie.

Unable to put it off any longer, at risk of being late, Stiles dumped himself ungracefully out of his Jeep and pushed his way through the doors of the coffee shop.

It was busy, but not too bad, what with it already being afternoon.

He saw a figure stand when he entered, and immediately recognized it as Cynthia. She was just as stunning as Stiles remembered, all tall grace and long blonde hair. She smiled winningly at him as he approached with a wave.

‘Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out!’ he tried to tell himself as he moved to the seat across from her. “Hello, Cynthia. Thank you for meeting me.”

“My pleasure, Stiles. I hope you don’t mind, but I asked the barista what you usually get, and went ahead and ordered that for you.”

“Oh, no that’s-that’s actually fine. Smart, even. Thank you.” He took the drink she indicated on the table in front of him. He took a sip, and she beamed.

“So, how has everything been going since we last met?” she asked casually.

Stiles almost sighed with relief. Just as he had expected from her, she took easy charge of the conversation. Keeping everything light and friendly. “Oh, you know. Crazy. It’s definitely been a learning curve”, he answered honestly.

“Oh, I bet,” she acknowledged with a grin. “Tell me, what’s been the weirdest thing you’ve learned?”

They chatted like that for several minutes before she began to touch on the sensitive subject he had been dreading.

Oh, well. Had to happen eventually. And now Stiles was as emotionally prepared for it as he’ll ever be.

She said, “I really was happy to hear from you. I understand you spent your last heat alone. That must’ve been rough.”

“Uh, yeah. Definitely not a fun experience,” Stiles admitted shyly.

“Poor thing,” She nodded. “Well, I have had some experience helping Omegas through their heat, so I would be happy-“ She cut herself off with a suddenly tight frown, snapping her head around to stare at-

Stiles turned quickly to look-

Derek Hale.

Derek freaking Hale had just walked into the coffee shop, in all his handsome glory.

Stiles’ heart skipped for a beat, and he felt a flush begin to creep over him.

Cynthia, on the other hand, looked halfway to wolfing out.

Stiles knew from his lessons with the Hale Omegas that Alphas took territory more seriously when an unmated Omega was present. Surely Derek would see them together and automatically know to leave…?

Preferably before Cynthia ruined the table, Stiles thought, watching as her claws subtly extended where her hands lay on the table edge.

But Derek didn’t seem to register at all that they were even there. Not so much as a look in their direction, which Stiles found suspicious. Like, surely he could smell them. The coffee shop wasn’t at all big or crowded.

But the other Alpha simply walked straight up to the counter (handsomely) to place his order (handsomely) and move to the side to wait for it (you guessed it--handsomely).

“Like I was saying.” Stiles’ attention was pulled back to Cynthia, who was clenching her jaw so tightly she could barely say the words, “I would. Be happy. To help you. Through your next. Heat.”

Stiles began to break out into a nervous sweat. He hoped his reaction to Derek being in the room wasn’t so noticeable that she was picking up on it. Sure, his heart was beating faster, but that could easily be nerves. And if he could just stop openly staring over at the man….

“Oh, yes. That’s very, um, kind of you. To, uh, offer yourself. Like that.” Stiles could see Derek get his order out of the corner of his eye.

Great--now leave!

But, instead of walking out the door, Derek turned and walked-

-DIRECTLY TO THEIR SMALL TABLE.

1. OH.

Cynthia seemed frozen in rage, eyes now glowing fully red as she glared at Derek while he approached.

Derek sat a plate with a croissant, butter, and jam on the table in front of Stiles.

Stiles had the distinct impression that SLAPPING Cynthia would have been less dramatic.

There was silence as no one seemed to breath at the table.

Derek had just gifted Stiles, an unmated Omega, with food.

Right in front of another Alpha.

Who he was on a date with.

To discuss being heat partners.

The social implications of it had Stiles reeling, sure that he was about to watch a bloody fight unfold in the little coffee shop. Over HIM!

But no one was moving, yet. Everything was perfectly still.

Derek stood beside Stiles, apparently waiting. His crotch was head height on Stiles, and Stiles REALLY tried not to think about that.

Cynthia seemed to be waiting herself, though with significantly less decorum.

And Stiles knew--just KNEW--they were waiting to see his reaction before they reacted.

Stiles dared a glance up at Derek, their eyes meeting.

He really had INCREDIBLE eyes. Made all the prettier by the hard, determined look he had in them as he stared at Stiles, willing him to react.

Well, Stiles had learned enough about Alpha customs to know what it meant to accept the food gift from Derek.

Especially right in front of his potential heat partner….

But…

Stiles happened to really like croissants.

Especially when delivered to him by this specific glaring Alpha….

Stiles shifted his numb hands from where they had been clasped nervously around each other, to pick up the croissant. He lifted it to his mouth and took a courtesy bite, before chewing and swallowing delicately.

“Thank you, Derek,” he said with an easiness that he definitely did not feel.

Derek’s tense face relaxed.

And Cynthia pounced.

-O_O-

“I’m sure he knows what it means,” his dad said into the cell phone. “NO, I am sure he—j-just--hang on!”

His dad turned to Stiles, face weary and cell phone pressed against his chest. “Talia wants to make sure you understand the implications of eating the croissant?”

Stiles nodded and said cheerfully, “I fully understand the implications.”

His dad gave him a tight warning look, before lifting the phone back to his ear. “Yes. He definitely understands. No. No, I’m SURE he wasn’t intentionally trying to start any pack wars, he just--listen, listen, he’s always liked croissants. Maybe--I don’t know--maybe he skipped lunch-!”

Stiles decided to tune back out the panicked conversation taking place over the phone.

They were sitting in the Sheriff’s station, in his dad’s personal office, and both Derek Hale and Cynthia Matthews were currently locked up in separate holding cells in the back of the building.

It was all a huge mess, but…

Stiles really had to stop grinning.

There was no reason to be happy of the brawl that had just left the coffee shop all but decimated.

Except that….

Well…

There’s just been a brawl.

Over HIM.

One that involved Derek Hale.

Fighting over STILES.

Stiles was experiencing a high he never could’ve imagined feeling just months before.

Even if Lydia Martin had thrown sanity to the wind and asked him out in front of the entire school, Stiles couldn’t have felt more powerful.

And all because Derek Hale had bought him a fucking croissant.

His father turned with an unimpressed look and mouthed the words, ‘Stop. Smiling.’

Stiles tried again to wipe the stupid grin from his face.

“Listen, Stiles is eighteen and a smart kid. I don’t care how upset the Matthews pack is, they are going to have to accept that he ate the damn croissant-!” There was a pause, before his dad turned to him and asked, “She wants to know if you are serious about Derek.”

Stiles just nodded, his grin returning despite his best efforts.

His dad rubbed his face, then said into the phone, “Yes. It seems so.”

Stiles wasn’t sure what Talia said after that, but the phone call ended shortly after. His dad sat down the cell phone, then leaned over his desk to look disapprovingly at Stiles.

“Son…” he started, then abruptly decided to sit down. “You already know how I feel about Derek Hale.”

“You said he’s a good guy,” Stiles quickly pointed out.

His dad just raised his hand for silence. “I said a lot of things, but now I’m worried I gave you the wrong impression. Derek Hale is… well, he’s just not someone I like to think of you having as a heat partner, son.”

There were a few moments of silence before Stiles asked, “Because he’s a guy?”

His dad winced and quickly shook his head. “You know that’s got nothing to do with it—"

“But that’s what the others are thinking, isn’t it?” Stiles argued, growing angry. “They think I should pick a female, so there’s a chance we’ll become mates and make Alpha puppies!”

His dad raised his hand for silence again, eyebrows rising. “Easy now, son. Calm down,” he said. “I honestly think everyone is just a little shocked that you would choose Derek. He’s, well, he’s not anyone’s idea of an ideal candidate.”

“Why? Because he’s a little socially awkward? Well, so am I, Dad!”

“No--not because he’s a ‘little’ socially awkward, son. It’s just… he’s a lot more… experienced… than you. You should be looking for someone who is more—more—"

His dad faltered for the words, but Stiles knew what he was trying to avoid saying. “You think he’ll sexually corrupt me because I’m a poor little virgin!”

His dad looked every bit like he didn’t want to be having this conversation. Thank GOD that office, like many in the station, was soundproof. Even Stiles’ own ears were burning red from saying it out loud.

There was a long silence that followed before the Sheriff finally said, “I can’t make the decision for you. I just want to know you won’t get hurt. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I get it,” Stiles replied quietly.

“Good,” his dad said. “Good,” he repeated.

-O_O-

The conversation with Talia went a lot smoother, in a way.

It was still uncomfortable as hell, but possible pack war aside, she seemed to think Derek was less dangerous to Stiles’ ‘moral chastity’ than his father.

“Are the Matthews really that angry?” Stiles asked her, as they sat on the Hale’s front porch swing, gently rocking.

“Angry, yes. Likely to start a war over it? No.” Talia spoke softly, putting his mind at ease. “Omegas can get away with a lot more than Alphas and Betas. It would be a bad reflection on their pack if they caused any more uproar about your decision.”

“That’s good,” Stiles sighed, before asking, “And you? Do you think I’m making a mistake?”

“Derek is a good boy, with a big heart. He’s just had to see a lot more violence than I would’ve wished on him. He had a bad experience with an ex-girlfriend- a rogue hunter we later found out- name Kate. But, I’m sure that if he has finally taken to you, then he’s got a very good reason….”

-O_O-

Stiles kept his attention on the trees around him as he ran, looking for any sign that he was being stalked.

A certain blue/green-eyed Alpha had been keeping a low profile lately, ever since the Coffee Shop incident, and Stiles’ heat would be here in a few days.

It was time to try and flush him out.

And Stiles new just how to do so.

He kept his pace light, ears straining for the sound of footsteps, but he was beginning to grow restless.

Where the hell was Derek?!

They had to have at least one normal conversation before Stiles would agree to sleep with him! And they were running out of time!

Stiles made it to the lake’s shore and began edging his way along.

Really, this guy was a pain in the ass! All he’d done was chase Stiles around the forest and offer him a piece of bread. If he thought that was all it took to get into Stiles’ pants, he had another thing coming! Where was the romance? Where was the deep, emotional connection? Where was the damn box of chocolates--something! Anything!

Stiles made it to the rocks leading up to the waterfall, disappointed. Muttering under his breath about emotionally constipated werewolves, he climbed the ledges up to the top. He had just made it up an over the top-most edge when he was suddenly grabbed and pulled the rest of the way up.

Someone wrapped themselves around him tightly and dragged them both down onto the flat rock at their feet.

Stiles’ heart skipped two beats and he flushed darkly.

“Hey, Derek,” he said with more calm than he felt.

“Hello, Stiles,” Derek replied, right into his ear, before turning Stiles’ face around to kiss him.

Well, so much for conversation….

Stiles eagerly twisted in the man’s arms, returning the kiss with vigor.

Hell. Yes.

Finally, some action!

Derek’s hands roved under Stiles’ shirt, grazing over his nipples and going even lower to his abs. Stiles bucked up against the touch, his cock bobbing against Derek’s forearm through his shorts.

Derek moaned, reaching a hand into Stiles’ waistband and gently tightening around him.

It was Stiles’ turn to moan now, as he bucked his hips up into the man’s hand.

“Jesus Christ!” he rasped, breaking his kiss with Derek to suck in breath at the incredible sensation. It really was some next-level-shit having someone else besides your own hand doing the pumping-! Stiles rolled his entire body up into the movements, while his own hands clenched on Derek’s shoulder and in his short hair.

Geez, he wasn’t going to last another minute! Stiles tried to slow his pace, but his body had a mind of its own, now. All he could do was gasp Derek’s name as his hips rocked up and down in the heat of the Alpha’s hand.

This was ecstasy!

Derek moved his mouth from Stiles’ down to his neck where his short beard scratched hotly against the sensitive skin. Stiles was a mess by now, feeling his balls start to tighten as he edged closer with every pump of Derek’s hand.

Stiles suddenly came with bone-racking shudders, Derek’s muscled body and the sky floating above him. He moaned his way loudly though his orgasm, ending with a trilling sigh as Derek loosened and finally released his cock.

Stiles breathed deeply, desperate for air as the cool breeze blew against the heat of his body and the wetness spread across his stomach.

It took Stiles a while to find his voice (and his brain), but after a few minutes he finally said, as casually as he could, “You owe me another croissant, Hale.”

Derek suddenly broke into laughter, the warm sound of it sending shivers through Stiles.

“I’ll buy you a dozen,” his deep voice purred as he nuzzled the undoubtedly red rash on Stiles neck.

“Mmm…” Stiles hummed, enjoying the sensation.

“So,” Stiles said after a few more moments, “I think you’re supposed to formally ask to be my heat partner…”

“Oh?” Derek answered, coyly.

“Yes,” Stiles insisted firmly. “And keep in mind,” he continued, “that I have some serious dirt on you, Hale. That little game of tag through the woods, for instance. Bet you wouldn’t want that getting out to all your wolfy family and friends.”

“Oh, nooo-“ Derek mock-moaned, laughing into Stiles shoulder. “I guess you have me right where you want me.”

“Yep,” Stiles chirped happily.

“Well, then. Stiles,” Derek lifted himself up, forearm resting on the hard rock beneath them as he met Stiles eyes,” Will you allow me to be your heat partner…?”

“Hmmm, well, since you ask SO nicely…” Derek ended his sentence by planting another hard kiss on Stiles’ mouth.

And, so, just like that, it was decided.

...

..

.