Wild Heart – Chapter 5

Stiles was still feeling dizzy, but after eating the Pop Tarts and drinking some water he was feeling better.

He was not in pain, somehow he was not in pain. He realized - Stiles was not stupid - that his pain had gone when that guy, Derek, had touched him. Stiles had no idea how he did it, he just knew it was weird. But then, what wasn't weird in this story?

To begin with, last night he had been chased down the forest by the Big Bad Wolf, and when he woke up this morning he was lying on a pile of clothes in the living room - mind you - of the scariest house of the city. As if all this were not enough, there was this totally creepy guy, although beautiful, who he cuddled with last night.

Not that he was complaining about the cuddle itself, after all, Stiles was a teenager seeking for human contact. The problem here was that Stiles had a sneaking suspicion that Derek was not exactly human.

Why?

Well, let's start talking about Derek's eyes. Both his and that wolf's eyes were the same. Also, the speed which Derek crossed the room to keep him from getting up. And there was that growl. People don't growl, no matter how pissed they are. Stiles did not want to start making assumptions, but the holes in the shoulder of his hoodie were not there before Derek have grabbed his shoulder hard enough to make him sit.

And his hallucination, which proved to be not a hallucination after all. Derek had been in the woods with him, and Stiles did not recall having seen he coming, but then he was too worried about not being eaten by that wolf. Once again his thoughts led to that wolf and his disturbing resemblance to Derek. God, they even snarled the same. Wait ... what if...

No. No, that was crazy, there is no such thing like... No. He must have hit his head too hard, that's right, he had a concussion. His brain could only be swollen for him to even consider the idea that Derek were a kind of...

No. It was definitely a concussion.

After accepting his presumable brain injury, he had to face another little problem now. He had to get out of that place. Like, right now. As gorgeous as Derek could be he was far too creepy. One does not catch unconscious teens in the forest and brings home to look after like a stray puppy. No way. He was grateful for the help and everything, but he had to return to his home, his father should be worried.

Derek was in the burnt kitchen - at least in what was left of the kitchen. He had his arms folded, hip leaning against the sink. Derek could still see the look on Stiles' face when he had held his shoulder. Derek heard when he heartbeat quickened and his face was a mixture of feelings: awe, surprise and a hint of fear. That made him feel a knot in the pit of the stomach, because, even though if this fear has been there just for a second, it had been there. And it had been Derek who caused it. It went against all his new instincts in protect Stiles. That's why he stormed out of the living room like that, leaving the boy alone. Derek needed to distance himself from the boy for a second, he needed to think, and he could not do it close to him.

Oh God, he was already starting on the wrong foot.

But he could smell Stiles who was still in the living room and for the first time in a long time Derek felt good, light, calm, like his mother told him he would feel when he'd finally found his mate. All he wanted to do in that moment was to return to the living room and bury his nose in the boy's neck and sniff, he wanted to dive and drown in that scent and mark him with his own. His wolf whimpered wanting to do just that, but Derek did not want to get Stiles even more scared than he already was.

On the other hand, it was a weird feeling to notice other smell in the house that wasn't burnt wood, and it was inevitable to remember the time when the house was filled with smells, colors and life, before it became this gray cold mausoleum. Derek closed his eyes and listened. From where he was in the kitchen he could hear Stiles' heartbeat, loud and strong. He could even hear his breathing. There was life in that house again, right there, just a room away.

Derek could not deny that he was now a little lost. Last night had been filled with fear and apprehension, Derek prayed to any supernatural entity that could listen. His mate - his incredibly young, beautiful and oblivious mate - he prayed for he to opened his eyes again, but now that he was awake Derek was in a dilemma.

How should he break the news to his absurdly human mate?

'Hey, Stiles, I don't want to alarm you, but there is a big black furry Wolf in these woods, and it may or may not be developing a sudden obsession towards you. No, no, it doesn't wants to kill you, basically what it wants is... kind of... have you, and rip the throat of any living thing who dares to approach you because you smell really great. And this wolf may or may not be me. Why? You see, I have this little problem called lycanthropy... Yes, I'm a werewolf and you're my mate, kind of, for life. What do you think about that? Oh god, please stop screaming!'

Nope. Bad idea, Derek.

It was then that Derek heard a crash of something falling on the floor and Stiles heart beating just quickened. Derek sniffed the air and noticed stress in his mate's scent. Stiles was in pain.

In a blink, Derek was walking into the living room and when he got there, he saw Stiles fallen in the middle of the living room, halfway to the door, holding his ankle like a soccer player who had been injured.

Derek frowned and growled. He approached the boy who tried to crawl away from the approaching werewolf, but Derek knelt near him, grabbed Stiles by his knee, mindful not to hurt him, and pulled him close.

"What happened?" Derek asked alarmed.

"I tried to walk to the door and i fell." Stiles replied hissing.

"I told you to rest!" Derek said sharply. He was pretty rude when he was nervous and seeing his mate in pain was making him very, very nervous.

"And I told you I can not stay!" Stiles countered, however his voice was cracked by the pain he felt in his ankle. "Look man, I appreciate your help, really. God knows what could have happened if you had not brought me here, but I have to go." Derek shuddered when he pictured this image in his head, what could have happened if his mate had remained in the middle of the woods, wounded and vulnerable. "My father must be mobilizing a search party right now and my friends, if my father hadn't killed them yet, must be worried sick."

Derek frowned deeply, if that was possible.

"You're in no condition to walk, if you didn't realize it yet." He said

"I'm sorry, it wasn't in my plans to get myself hurt."

"Perhaps you wouldn't had been hurt if you had been more careful where you walk." Derek hissed and Stiles was silent. "And what the hell were you doing alone here in the Preserve?" Derek snapped.

"It was a challenge. Spending the night in the forest. I didn't want to come, but they kind of have left no room for discussion." Stiles said and lowered his head. The reason was stupid and he knew it, he could have died because of this stupid prank.

Derek then noticed how young and naive this kid was.

"You have to be more careful." Derek said less harshly, almost pleading. "There are dangerous things in these woods." He said not looking at Stiles.

A heavy uncomfortable silence filled the place. Derek did not really know how to act in a situation like this, then he did what was less complicated.

"Are you in pain?" He asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Stiles just nodded. Carefully, Derek lifted Stiles off the floor as the boy weighed nothing and gently placed him sitting on the pile of clothes again. Soon his hands were in Stiles' ankle, and just as he had done before, he touched the skin lightly and drained his pain. When Derek looked again at the boy's face, the boy was shocked, actually, impressed would be a more accurate word.

"Thank you." Stiles said with a wide smile "That was pretty cool. Are you a X-men or something?"

Derek snorted but his lips curved in something that looked like a smile, a little bit weird for lack of use, but it was there. Stiles was the first person in years to make Derek Hale smile.

"What are you, then?" Stiles said suddenly and the small smile that had appeared on Derek's face was gone, but Stiles kept going. "You're not like me, are you? I mean, you're not ..." Stiles did not know how to put it into words.

"Human?" Derek said for him and Stiles could see his jaw clenching. What could Derek say? How could he deny it whether he had made a show of his superhuman abilities? Derek didn't want to lie. Lies put him where he was now, the lies that were told to him with a sweet voice. So ... "No. I'm not."

Derek braced himself for the look of panic, for the racing heart, for the yelling and for the eventual smell of fear that would come from the boy in front of him, but nothing happened. Stiles had an apprehensive look, but it didn't look like he would have a panic attack right now, and if he knew Stiles, he would know that it meant something.

"So ..." Stiles said forcing a smile. "How does this work?"

"It's complicated." Derek answered truthfully, because there was nothing more complicated than his current situation.

Stiles bit his lower lip and seemed to think. Derek could not take his eyes of the boy's lips and could not help a low growl to scape his throat.

"You're that wolf, aren't you?" Stiles asked knowing the answer. "You're a Werewolf."

Derek just nodded.

"Are you going to hurt me?" Stiles said with only a hint of concern in his voice.

Derek almost whimpered. How could he hurt Stiles? Stiles, his mate. Derek wanted to tell him that it was an absurd. Derek wanted to tell Stiles that he had been waiting for him his whole life without knowing it. He wanted to tell him he was the person with whom he had dreamed through the night without remember it in the morning. He wanted to say that was Stiles, and Stiles alone, who had the power to break him or save him.

"Never." He said instead.

Stiles was silent and looked at Derek with a raised eyebrow.

"Why?" Stiles asked confused. "Not that I'm complaining of your hospitality, but I don't understand. You seem to be big and scary ... but you doesn't seem... bad. Sorry, I haven't met many werewolves to compare, but shouldn't you be chewing my bones by now?"

"Chewing your bones?" Derek asked with a raised eyebrow, obviously surprised by Stiles' disappointment.

"Yeah, like, come on." He pointed to his red hoodie.

"Seriously? Did you just compare me to a character in a fairy tale?"

"I'm serious." Stiles looked offended. "Why are you taking care of me?"

Derek took a deep breath.

"I. .." Derek tried to say, but he just could not find the words. "It's complicated."

"You already said that." Stiles pointed.

"Because it is, believe me."

"Try me." Stiles insisted.

Derek growled in frustration. He could not just say to the boy that the two were mates, true mates. They did not even know each other, They had met last night, and not in the best of circumstances. But then, he did not seem disturbed by the fact that Derek was a werewolf. Maybe the kid was also feeling that there was something between them. Any sane person would have had a nervous breakdown at this point. Perhaps, as Derek felt calm near Stiles, the boy also felt calm and safe in his presence.

"That's a werewolf thing. I feel the need to protect." He said.

"Any human?"

"No. Only you."

"For no reason?" Stiles asked suspiciously.

"Oh, there's a reason." Derek said with heavy tone and Stiles gave him a curious look. "You are my mate." Derek said again and braced himself for Stiles's reaction.

This time, Stiles gasped and seemed genuinely surprised by the words of Derek.

"What did you mean by 'mate'?" Stiles stammered. Derek growled, stood up and walked away from the boy. "You mean 'mates' like on Discovery Channel, like those birds who have just one partner for life? You are not suggesting that we..." Stiles lokked at him with wide eyes. "Oh my God, did you..."

"Of course not!" Derek said offended. "I would never do anything without you consent, what do you think I am?" he snarled "You're a pup, i mean, you're a child!" He ran his hand through his hair. "Usually this happens between us werewolves, but you are human and I don't know what to do. I didn't plan anything."

"Why me?" Stiles suddenly asked in a low voice. "I mean, you could have chosen anyone ..."

"No! My Wolf had chose you."

"Your Wolf?"

"Yes, my ... nevermind. The problem is that all my instincts are telling me that you are the most important thing in this world and I have to be near you, whether you like it or not."

Stiles seemed to think about it for a moment.

"So that means we're boyfriends?"

Derek looked into the boy's eyes and couldn't help but notice how they shone with hope.