The day after the Kanima incident at the pool, Derek had called his Pack to train them, so that when the Kanima came back they could defeat it. Derek, despite still being grumpy on the outside, was quite freaked out by what happened. He had never been so close to death before, not personally at least.

He wasn't that freaked out when the hunters had him, back then he was more angry than anything. When Derek had been submerged in the water, he thought that he was going to die. But thankfully, the Stilinski kid had been there to save him. And then, when the kid let go of him to get his phone. For the first time Derek feared for his own life, but Stiles came back for him.

But Derek was angry. Not at the kid, he was grateful that the kid had been there to save him. No. He was angry at Scott, who despite having been called by the kid, didn't come to help them. Instead Scott chose to be with Allison. He was disgusted that the boy would leave his best friend in mortal danger just to hook up with a girl whose family wanted to kill him.

What Scott did was completely the opposite of what Derek looked for in a Beta, and though he found the other gnat annoying, he would rather have him as a beta than Scott. Unlike Scott, the boy was loyal, and even went as far as to risk his own life to save Derek, which was even more impressive considering Derek was sure the boy hated him.

There was also the fact that he was liked by every Beta in his Pack, having helped Isaac with his dad, Boyd with family and being his friend. And then there was Erica. Stiles had gone above and beyond for the girl and helped her every time she had a seizure, one time going as far as to break one of the phones of the guys who were filming her having one. Surprisingly, Derek liked the boy; he was fiercely loyal, if a little annoying.

If he had a choice, he would turn the boy, but only if he consented to it. He wouldn't turn somebody without their permission, never again.

Derek wanted to be a good Alpha, he really did but with everything that had been happening recently he had lost sight of what mattered, he lost sight of his Pack. He wanted to start making up for all of those things. He had gathered teenagers who were in desperate need of love and guidance, and it was his job to provide them with that, no matter what. He would do everything in his power to do so.

Stilinski Home

Stiles sat curled up into a ball on his bed. His feelings were all jumbled up into one big ball of confusion and disappointment. Scott, his best friend in the whole world, his brother, had abandoned him in favor of Allison, leaving him to his potential death, and he would have died if it were not for Derek and his pack. He felt so hurt and betrayed by Scott, but it honestly didn't surprise him how Scott had acted.

Scott was always thinking of himself. If he wanted something, he had to have it. If he thought something was wrong, then it was the most horrible thing you could do, regardless of the reasoning. Scott always dictated everything in their friendship, and Stiles followed along out of fear of losing his best friend, a thought that terrified him.

But then he had realized something. Stiles had nothing to lose, because Scott was already lost. He pulled away from him the minute he got mildly popular, the second Scott became a werewolf. This absolutely destroyed Stiles, and he had sat up all night crying over the loss of his brother. In the morning, he was so devoid of emotion it was eerie. It was like he was dead inside. He didn't feel sad or disappointed anymore, just empty.

And that was when Stiles realized something else, he was powerless. He couldn't do anything to protect their friendship. He couldn't stop Peter. He couldn't save anybody. He was weak.

He didn't want to be powerless anymore. He didn't want to have to be protected. He had to find a way to protect himself. He didn't want to be afraid…

Thus, he made a decision. maybe not the best, but it was the one he wanted. So, he hopped in the Jeep and drove off.

Hale Pack Hideout

Erica and Boyd were sparring while Isaac watched them from his spot on top of a crate. He sighed as Boyd was pushed back again by Erica, as usual. Honestly he hated training but he had to do it, or Derek would rip his throat out, with his teeth.

Which really wasn't as scary of a threat as everybody made it out to be, but then again it probably has something to do with Isaac's dad, after that bastard not much could scare him…

He suddenly froze as he faintly heard the sound of an engine roaring in the distance, heading towards the hideout "Derek, are you expecting guests?" Isaac inquired, looking at his alpha. Derek stared at him with a confused expression before his eyes flashed and he looked at the entrance. By then the car had already parked and the scent of fuel filled the air making Isaac scrunch his face slightly.

The smell of the person that stepped out of the car was undoubtedly Stiles, making them relax and let their guard down. The smell of vanilla and strawberries filled the air, with the slightest hint of Adderall that contradicted his natural smell.

Stiles walked in to find them all staring at him intently, making his heart jump and beat twice as fast as he grew nervous "Um…. I come in peace?" He said, making Erica snort slightly.

"What d'ya want Batman?" She said, looking at him with a predatory smirk.

Stiles took a deep breath before looking at Derek and gulping audibly, so much so that even a human would have heard it. He looked at Derek in the eyes and said "I want the bite."

Derek looked at him intently, he wasn't lying, he didn't even hesitate, he really did want the bite, but Derek wasn't sure. "You know what could happen if the bite doesn't take correct?" He asked making Stiles sigh and nod. "Why do you want it?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"I just don't want to feel powerless anymore, I can't stand another person I care for getting hurt and me not being able to do anything about it, I don't want that to happen again… ever. I saved you yesterday, that much may be true, but what if next time I'm not able too? What if next time your Pack doesn't arrive on time…. I don't want to be the reason somebody dies…" Stiles said in a meek and quiet voice, looking sadly at Derek.

Derek sighed and walked forward a bit. "You do realize what the bite means don't you? Nothing will ever be the same for you, you will be hunted just for existing." Stiles stared at him and nodded resolutely "If I save somebody, just one person then I don't care what happens to me, I don't mind dying…" He said making Derek and the others frown. This would definitely be a discussion.

"And you do understand that if I give you the bite, your natural instinct would be to obey me, to be a part of our pack." Stiles looked surprised, "You… you really want me in your pack?" He asked in a small voice, and the wolves could tell just how surprised he was that somebody wanted him. The Betas frowned and shared a look in-between themselves.

"Yes Stiles, I do, but only If you agree. You are everything a Beta should be and more, you are loyal, fierce and determined, which are all qualities I look for when picking my Betas. I genuinely believe you would make our pack stronger. So, would you like that?" Derek asked him, and while on the outside he looked calm on the inside he was begging and praying Stiles would say yes.

Stiles looked as if he was about to cry, and the smell of sadness was thick in the air. "Of course. I'd love to be a part of your pack… if you'll have me. I…. I want somewhere where I can belong, I want a family, so yes, I will be a part of your pack." He said, hoping Derek didn't suddenly change his mind.

Derek smiled for the first time in a while and walked towards Stiles, his eyes flashing red and he bit into Stiles' shoulder. Stiles thought the bite would hurt but it didn't, it just filled him with warmth as his heart fluttered, making him gasp out. When Derek detached his teeth Stiles fell forwards a bit, his limbs feeling like jelly. Derek caught him and cradled him a bit.

Stiles felt darkness taking over him, but he embraced it, falling asleep for the first time in days.

Erica beamed at Derek, and the others just smiled, ensuring Derek that they wanted him in the Pack as well. They could already feel a small tether to Stiles, the pack bond that brought them together was forming and tethering them to Stiles too. Isaac and Derek suddenly gasped out and fell backwards, the smell of Stiles as a wolf being too much.

"W-what is that Derek!?" Isaac asked, sufficiently freaked out by the turn of events. Derek just stood there wide-eyed as he looked at Stiles and swallowed thickly. "He…. He's our mate…" He said making the betas splutter and gasp in shock.

"Mates are a thing?" Erica asked incredulously making Derek stare at her "Yes…. I thought you knew? I mean you and Boyd are mates so I thought you figured it out…" Erica and Boyd gasped as they looked at each other, everything suddenly making sense. They both burst into smiles and wrapped their arms around each other, making Isaac and Derek smile too.

"Guys, I want to apologize for not having been the best Alpha… I promise from now on we are going to be a real pack, a family." He said making them all beam and lunge towards him, tackling him to the ground and rubbing themselves on him, scenting him. They all froze when Stiles groaned and started to wake up, which should not have happened for at least one more hour.

Stiles groaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes in the most adorable way possible and yawned, looking like a puppy. The pack cooed at him, making him jump up slightly, startled. "W-where am I?" He said, slightly confused before remembering what had happened prior to him passing out. "So…. I'm a werewolf now huh?" He said making them all grin and tackle him in a hug.

"Well, what are you waiting for Batman? Shift. We a want to see how you look as a Beta. Don't worry, if you lose control we'll help you!" Erica said excitedly making him smile. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the new part of his brain, he suddenly hears gasps from the pack and opened his eyes, seeing them looking down at him.

"Uhm Derek…. Why is Stiles an actual wolf?" Isaac asked, voicing their concern and making Stiles yelp and panic, looking for the nearest reflective surface. He saw a piece of broken glass pressed up against one of the subway cars. He trotted up to it, stumbling a lot as he tried to get used to walking on all fours. He peered In the mirror and there he was, in all his wolfy glory. His fur was pure white, untarnished while his eyes were the most crystal blue he had ever seen, also holding a lupine appearance at the same time.

He was quite large, larger than a regular wolf, coming about up to Boyd's waist, which was no small feat, considering Boyd was the largest of all of them. He tried to snarl a bit, to see how his fangs looked, and he wasn't disappointed by the pure white razor sharp fangs he saw.

He suddenly felt the extreme urge to nuzzle Derek and Isaac for some reason, it was like he was drawn to them like a magnet. He trotted up to Derek, who was looking at him with interest and nuzzled his hand, whining slightly making Derek chuckle and pet him. He turned his head to Isaac and growled at him, making Isaac tilt his head in confusion.

"I think he wants you to pet him as well," Erica said amusedly. Isaac looked at Stiles and bent down, running his hands through Stiles' soft fur making him purr in contentment, or whatever version of purring wolves did. Stiles closed his eyes and focused back on the human part of himself, letting it wash over him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw everybody staring at him and looked down at himself, screeching slightly as he was now naked in front of them. He covered himself up quickly, trying to disappear as much as he could. "W-why did I turn into a wolf. I'm pretty sure that isn't normal. Is it normal? What counts as normal?" Stiles went off, trying as hard as he could to divert the attention away from himself.

Derek sighed and took off his coat, draping it over Stiles and covering the smaller boy up completely. Stiles blushed and looked down to hide the smile playing on his lips.

Stiles didn't know why but he felt really happy because Derek and Isaac were near, even more so when they would touch him. It would have been less weird if the same counted for Boyd and Erica, and it does, to a certain extent, though not as intense as with Derek and Isaac. It couldn't have been a pack thing, otherwise he would feel the same about all of them, why did he feel this way?

More so than that he could now smell and hear things from so far away, and he could now see everything in a more vibrant way, like the colors exploded. He sniffed and tried to memorize all the scents, especially Derek's woodsy earth smell and Isaac's citrusy smell.

The weirdest scent was Boyd's. He smelled like… the cold? How would that even be possible. Maybe the other teen was half-snowman? Were those a thing? Maybe he was a Yeti, those had to be a thing…Right?

It was startling how little he knew about the supernatural community, especially since his best friend… well, ex-best friend, is a werewolf. "Stiles?" He heard Isaac mumble softly. "What happened? You suddenly got really sad." Isaac asked as he bent down, looking at Stiles with concern.

The others were also looking at him in a concerned manner. Stiles blushed at their concern. "It wasn't anything important… really!" He mumbled out, trying to look convincing but failing miserably.

"To hell with that. Something obviously upset you, what was it? You don't have to be scared Stiles. Let us help you." Derek said strongly. Stiles saw so much conviction in Derek's eyes he just couldn't help but start blurting things out.

"I was just thinking about how little I know about supernatural creatures and how weird that was because Scott is a werewolf and he was" He got a little choked up at that point, "my best friend."

Many of them growled at the mention of Scott's name. "Hey it's alright. I know how important he was to you but we can help you. We can be your family from now on." Isaac said, comforting him. Stiles nodded shyly and flashed Isaac a small smile but he was still upset about Scott.

Stiles suddenly remembered that he had brought his research with him and crawled over to where his torn clothes were, taking the flash-drive out of the pocket. "Here! It's all the research I've done on different creatures. There isn't much but it should be a start. Maybe we can make our own bestiary." Stiles suggested and reached out with the flash-drive, suddenly very self-conscious about how Derek would react to his idea.

"That's a good idea. It's always smart to know as much as we can about different creatures so we know how to protect our territory." Derek said, flashing Stiles a proud grin which made Stiles feel all warm and happy.

"Then I better get to it…" He said. Frankly he was planning on getting his hands on the Argent's Bestiary, as it would really help fill in the gaps and it probably had a lot of information that would otherwise be unavailable.

"Oh! We have to get him the leather!" Erica exclaimed suddenly making Boyd chuckle. Stiles tilted his head in confusion, making the girl coo at him before shaking it off. "After all, we have to match if we're gonna be a pack!" She said making Stiles gasp. "I knew you guys did that on purpose!" He exclaimed making them all laugh.

"Initially it started off as a way to annoy Derek but we all like it, plus we look cool." Isaac said with a shrug, winking at Derek when the man gave him a playful glare.

"Wait, we still don't know why Stiles is a wolf and not like the rest of us." Boyd stated, making them all turn serious and look towards Derek, who sighed.

"After a wolf meets their mate or mates they can fully shift into a wolf. My mother could also do that, and so could my dad." Derek said with a shrug. Erika and Boyd frowned at that.

"But we're each other's mates, so why can't we do it?" she asked.

"Well, the only explanation would be that you have another mate out there, somewhere. Don't worry though, you always end up meeting your mate at some point, you're almost drawn to each other. Though I suppose they would come to you, since you guys are both together, making the pull stronger." Derek explained, making both of them nod. They couldn't wait to meet the person who would complete their trio.

Suddenly they all sensed the shock in the room and turned to Stiles. "M-m-mates?!" He asked, rather loudly, staring at the all in a mixture of fear, excitement and confusion. "B-but w-who?" He couldn't complete his question out of shock.

"Yes. We're your mates Stiles." Isaac said, taking Derek's hand and smiling at the other teen.

"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to go through that…" Stiles said, looking down and clutching the coat closer to himself as his eyes watered.

"What do you mean?" Derek said, frowning. Didn't the boy know how adorable and funny he was? Sure he was annoying sometimes but that was only because Derek had a short temper.

"I-I'm so useless… Y-y-you sh-shouldn't h-have to deal w-with s-somebody as weak as m-m-me." Stiles stuttered out, shoulders shaking slightly as he struggled not to cry. Why did he have to be so pathetic? He didn't deserve them. He didn't deserve anybody. He deserved to be alone.

Isaac and Derek bent down and hugged Stiles tightly. "Don't say that. You are perfect." Isaac whispered to him, but all it did is make him cry harder and shake his head. "T-that's not true! You're just saying that because I'm your mate so you feel obligated to!"

"No, he isn't and I'm not either. It's true the mate-bond ties you to your mates but it certainly doesn't take your choice away from you. We could choose not to be with you, but we want to, because you are a good person Stiles. You are kind, generous, loyal, protective, sweet and funny. You'd lay down your life to save somebody who you don't even know because that's just the kind of person you are. It's us that are lucky to have you, not the other way around." Derek said and Isaac nodded in agreement.

Stiles just clutched onto them and cried. He had never felt needed, useful. Not to Scott, not to his father, certainly not to his mother. He had always been helpless little Stiles in need of protection. It was no wonder he thought he was worthless but maybe… maybe Derek was right.

He couldn't be sure, but he felt like Derek would never lie to him. He wanted to believe him but there was too many years of hating himself for that to suddenly change at the drop of a hat. But maybe… just maybe he could think so. Not now, but eventually. He was already a little better, a little less broken, a little less shattered.

He felt like a piece of him that had disappeared a long time ago was finally back and he was a little more whole. He slowly stopped crying and looked around the Pack, his Pack and smiled softly. Yeah, he could do this.