Chapter Text
The summer sun seemed to find a particularly lazy course this evening as it made its way to the horizon. The trees in the Preserve were still lush and green, swaying to a soft wind that blew through.
Derek stood at the edge of a clearing flanked by Jackson and Isaac. Scott had been called into the clinic to deal with an emergency so they were short a wolf today. Not that Derek really minded considering how tame things were currently. Across the way, two omegas wolves waited quietly. The man was tall, well muscled and dark skinned; he had a powerful, but calm aura to him. The blonde next to him was shorter with soulful brown eyes. She felt a bit erratic if not cheerful in her demeanor.
After the Omegas settled, Derek stepped forward. “Welcome to Beacon Hills. We received your notice for an audience. I am Derek Hale, Alpha of the Hale pack. What do you wish to speak of with me?”
The male Omega tilted his head to bear his neck as he spoke. “My name is Vernon Boyd, you can just call me Boyd. This is my mate Erica Reyes. We’ve come seeking sanctuary and permission to settle here in Beacon Hills.”
“Sanctuary? Does a threat follow you?” Jackson eyed them suspiciously.
Erica shook her head. “Nothing that isn’t normally out for blood or anything. We are simply seeking a new home. Our families don’t approve of our relationship and have tried to separate us.” Jackson listened to her heart and then nodded to Derek.
“So at best, I’m going to have the Montagues and Capulets badgering me?” Derek quirked an eyebrow.
Boyd chuckled. “I suppose that’s one way of putting it.”
Erica smiled. “We are really just looking for a place to be free, to be who we are. We’ve heard of Beacon Hills and how safe it is. What better place to try and raise a pup?”
Isaac went wide-eyed and took in a deep breath. “Oh my gosh! Derek you have to let them stay!”
Boyd and Erica looked confused for a moment as Derek rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Was planning on that Isaac. No reason to turn them away.” Boyd and Erica grinned but still looked confused. Derek directed his attention back to the omegas. “Don’t mind Isaac. Did you wish to join my pack as well or try to start your own?”
Boyd looked startled. “You’d let us join your pack?”
Erica had owl eyes blinking. “You’d let us start a pack?”
Derek shrugged. “I wouldn’t be keeping you here as prisoners or anything if you decided to stay. You’d either join my pack or start your own. Granted, I assume you’d eventually move on once your pack is big enough. Beacon Hills is my territory.” The last five words came out as a growl. A very possessive growl.
Jackson punched Derek on the arm. “Stop that, you’re freaking them out.”
Derek flinched. He hadn’t realized that Boyd and Erica both looked like they were about to panic and take off in the next moment. The Alpha sighed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to get all territorial.”
Isaac smirked. “Wedding jitters.”
“Shut up!” Derek whined.
Erica perked up, a lot. “Oh my gosh! You’re getting married?!”
Boyd eyed Erica. Jackson could see the wheels in Boyd’s head turning and thoroughly freaking the fuck out. Jackson smirked. “Yup, to my best friend!”
Erica squealed and almost hopped to her feet before she got control of herself and settled back down on her knees. “Ohhhh! And then you can have some pack pups!”
Isaac smiled gleefully. “Our Alpha is going to be getting three pups in the marriage as is. Pre-made family.”
The blond Omega positively squeaked. Boyd was now slightly sweating. Derek could sympathize. “I officially extend my permission for you two to stay in Beacon Hills. Do you wish to join my pack as well?”
Erica looked up at Boyd hopefully while placing her hands on her stomach. Boyd’s face softened into a small smile before turning to Derek and touched his chin to his chest. “We thank the Alpha for allowing us to stay and would like to join your pack if you will have us.”
Derek nodded as he pulled out his phone and sent off a text. “Come with us. It’s actually pack night and this will be the perfect chance for you to be introduced to everyone. We can also get my mate’s acceptance as well. Next full moon, we can do the official submission rites.”
Erica looked lost for a moment before Jackson spoke up. “The pack already treats the two of them as the Alpha Pair. In a wolf sense, they’re mated and all that good stuff. Legally, the wedding is in a few months.”
“Oh.”
Isaac smiled as he held a hand out to both Erica and Boyd onto their feet. “Don’t worry, everyone is very welcoming. Just don’t piss off the den mom and you’ll be fine. Alpha is still in the dog house from last week’s eggplant incident.” Isaac winked.
Boyd smiled while Erica grinned as Derek stared flatly Isaac before reaching over and smacking him in the back of the head. “Let’s see what Danny says when he finds out what you did to his Armani cologne.”
Isaac looked so betrayed. Jackson, Boyd, and Erica burst out laughing. Erica wiped her eyes of tears. “Already feels like home.”
The run through the preserve was quaint. Derek, Jackson and Isaac set a seemingly punishing pace before they realized that Boyd and Erica were not keeping up. After bring their pace down, Boyd came alongside Jackson and wheezed. “You-set-a-hard-pace.”
Jackson grunted as he lept over a fallen tree with seemingless effort. “We’re pretty awesome. I mean, yeah the Alpha Pair train me and the other Betas but some of us are just naturally talented. Training sessions are a cake walk really.” Jackson grinned. Boyd was starting to feel a bit outclassed and depressed. Why would this pack want weak Omegas like him and Erica.
Derek huffed, but looked back at Jackson as he jumped over a small ravine. “I’m telling on you as soon as we get back that you think the training sessions are easy now.”
Isaac actually tripped causing all the wolves to stop and check on him. When Derek was within range, he frantically grabbed onto the Alpha’s arm. “DON’T SAY THAT! PLEASE! YOU CAN HAVE MY MOON COOKIES NEXT MONTH JUST DON’T SAY TRAINING IS EASY!!!!”
Erica and Boyd blinked furiously, utter confusion set on their faces as Jackson was suddenly on his knees as well pawing at Derek’s cargo shorts. “I SWEAR I WILL NEVER SAY A COCKY THING AGAIN! JUST DON’T SAY ANYTHING!!!”
Derek smirked. “Gonna have to do better than that Jackson.”
The wolf keened for a moment. “Fine, take my moon cookies then too next month, JUST DON’T SAY IT!”
Derek threw his head back in a laugh. “Deal!”
The Omegas could hear the furious tempo of the Betas’ heartbeats slowly settling down. Derek smiled at the two. “You’ll understand in due course, especially the wonder that are moon cookies. They are worth hoarding.”
Jackson grumbled as he got up and huffed quietly. “Like freaking Smaug, I swear.”
“What was that Jackson?”
“Nothing!”
Erica and Boyd grinned at the banter.
Thirty minutes later had the five wolves facing what had been dubbed as the Hale House. At the prospect of a family being a permanent fixture in his life, the loft apartment wasn’t going to be enough especially with three growing pups. After scouring through countless real estate listing, Derek found one for a debilitated, run down house within the confines of the Preserve. Local legend had claimed it to be cursed with bad luck. Accidents had plagued the previous owners, one resulting in the house being flooded and on fire at the same time. How that happened is still a mystery, but when Derek and the pack came to investigate the lands, they found that there was actually a bad infestation of goblins around the house that had been the source of all the trouble. After a quick goblin extermination (Scott was never allowed near the steel wool and nail polish after that), Derek bought the house and land. It was ideal for the pack. It would be simple to train and not have to traipse back to town to rest and recover. Renovation and construction had Derek’s black Centurion card smoking, but it was worth it.
Boyd whistled appreciatively. “This is some house.”
Erica double blinked. “I’m expecting a butler at the door. There’s no butler, right?”
“No,” Derek shook his head. “A butler only appears if my grandfather and grandmother come around with theirs in tow. I don’t keep one here.”
Boyd and Erica both turned their heads to him at the same time. “You’re kidding, right?” Erica whispered.
Jackson sighed. “No, most annoying two weeks of my life. Too many damn rules.”
Isaac stepped in. “Anyways! It’s just the pack here. No surprises really.”
The five wolves walked up the stairs to the wide-open porch. Erica’s grin stretched to a smile when she spied the well-worn bench swing at the far end facing west. She felt Boyd tugging her along as Isaac held open the front door. The hallway was a cool navy blue with white trimming. All along the walls hung framed pictures of various people in different backgrounds. Isaac smiled and gestured with his hand. “All pack, different trips. We like doing things together, vacations being right at the top.”
The five walked to what looked like the living room. In an arm chair tapping away at a laptop sat a very handsome man with a tan complexion and a tropical feel to him. Isaac immediately moved over to him and bent down for a kiss, which was returned enthusiastically, if not sweetly. Isaac pulled away and then sat down in the man’s lap, forcing him to move his laptop out of the way. “This is Danny, my mate.”
Boyd nodded but Erica turned to Derek. “Is he the one that you were talking about the Armani-”
“NO!” Isaac howled in horror.
Danny chuckled. “Isaac, I already know. Don’t worry, I just went out and got new one.”
Isaac squinted at Derek. “You knew I didn’t know he knew, didn’t you.”
Boyd tried to process what the hell Isaac had just said. Derek crossed his arms and smirked avoiding the question. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen.”
Derek lead Jackson, Erica and Boyd, as Danny consoled his curly blond mate, to the kitchen where they found Lydia and Allison sitting at the table with a massive amount of paper work spread all over. Both women looked up. Lydia had an eyebrow raised. “I take it we have new packmates?”
Boyd and Erica shuffled slightly, but Allison smiled and they relaxed. “Don’t worry about Lydia, she’s always a little frosty at first.”
“Stop spreading lies, Allison.” Lydia snapped. Derek took note of the empty kitchen and just hiked his thumb to the vacant space while raising an eyebrow. Lydia just rolled her eyes. “On the way home from the store. Needed more stuff for tonight after your text came in.”
“Gotcha.”
Jackson tilted his head to the side for a moment. “Actually, I think I hear the Jeep pulling up. We should go help bring in the groceries.”
Derek nodded. Boyd appreciated the fact that there wasn’t a lot of posturing or growling from this Alpha. The silent body language he could deal with. The four wolves were outside just as a blue, banged-up jeep came to a stop. Erica smiled as she watched three pups pop out of the sides of the open topped Jeep. A set of twins that looked to be fourteen or so and the littlest one looking to be about eleven stopped dead in their tracks when they noticed they had company. All three eyed them warily, took a sniff and froze mid whiff. One of the twins looked over his shoulder and said “Dad, you need to see who’s here with Papa.”
The driver side door opened and out stepped a lean, muscular man with a mess of brown hair, warm bourbon eyes and a mischievous smile wearing a blue unzipped hoodie and a Walk The Moon t-shirt underneath. Derek felt affection and love bloom in his chest. “Hey babe, I brought the guests for tonight. They’re looking to start a family here in Beacon Hills and join the pack.” Derek gestured to the Omegas, who he now noticed were both wide eyed and jaws dropped.
Stiles followed Derek’s arm and looked equally as shocked. “Erica?! Boyd?!”
Erica recovered before Boyd. “Stiles?!” Then making the connection, she whipped back to the pups. “Ethan?! Aiden?! LIAM?!?!!?”
Stiles was still reeling. “What are you two doing here??!! How did you escape the Shades??”
Derek waved his arms and raised his voiced. “Woah, WOAH! Hold up! You guys know each other?! How!”
Stiles and the pups stood next to the Jeep still looking for the most part just stunned while Erica and Boyd were flabbergasted. Jackson and Isaac shared a flat stare between the two Betas with the same thought between them: only Beacon Hills.
After Jackson snapped everyone out of their state of shock, Isaac ushered everyone inside. The roar of a motorcycle rolling up the road preceded the arrival of Scott from the clinic. Jackson turned to the newly arrived Beta. “Awesome timing, helping me bring in the groceries.”
Scott pulled of his helmet as he propped his bike up. “Where’s everyone else and do I smell new wolves?”
Jackson sighed. “I’ll fill you in. Just help me with this, you’re never going to believe the crap that just walked in to our lives.”
Scott stared at Jackson for a minute before he sighed. “Our lives dude.”
<~~~~~>
Ethan were busy dicing up lettuce and tomatoes as Aiden crushed numerous limes barehanded into a pitcher while Liam was scooping out avocados into a bowl and mashing them to paste. Stiles had three different pans and pots going at the stove with a very impressive array of spices, seasonings and sauces at his disposal on the counter. Stiles’ sons (“Dad, we are not pups anymore, except Li-Li.” “Hey!”) had long become accustomed to being his little sous chefs after the ravioli debacle from three years ago that had essentially exiled the older Betas from stepping anywhere near the stove again. Stiles was sautéing ground pork in one pot, searing flank steak strips in another pan, and while braising grilled chicken in a green sauce. Mexican night at the Hale House was not taken lightly. Actually, no meal Stiles cooked was taken lightly, but Mexican night was a pack favorite.
The sizzle of meat almost covered up the whisper as Aiden asked, “Dad, do you really think it’s them?”
Stiles stopped his ministrations for a moment before turning to his teenaged son. “What do your noses say?”
Ethan looked up from the cutting board. “It smells like them.”
Liam wiped his forearm across his forehead. “At least how they smelled from years ago.”
Stiles turned back to the stove, but his sons could see how his shoulders were tense. “I think it’s them. I can’t ever forget. I still have nightmares about them.”
His sons could hear the rise in Stiles’ heartbeat. “What are we going to do? Derek’s invited them to stay. He can’t really just turn them away now.”
Stiles turned and sighed, bracing himself against the counter. “We’ll serve them dinner and hope they decide I’m not worth killing.”