The moment he had cleared his idea with his pack, he was dialling the new numbers in his phone and inviting everyone over for a house-warming party. Ennis had been ecstatic at the prospect of using his full culinary degree to cook a full buffet for them. Kali was happy to meet Stiles' old and new friends if only so she could judge them to see if they deserved the title of friend, though Ethan and Aiden had been quick to praise them and how they had helped Stiles escape from McCall. Deucalion was just happy that Stiles was settling back in to Beacon Hills with as little conflict as possible, though he was sure that the conflict would begin this evening when they went to the Hale House for the first meeting, as was tradition.

Stiles was practically bursting with joy and Malia was bounding around the house after him, basking in it. For a moment, he wondered if Malia had known any of his friends when she was human and had asked her as such, though she had rejected that idea.

"So, how do you feel?" asked Kali as she passed another tray to Ennis in the kitchen. "Knowing that everyone is going to be here."

"I feel great!" said Stiles, running a brush through Malia's fur. "I thought they'd all side with Scott but now I know different!"

Stiles' excitement was contagious and soon everyone was just as excited as he was.

Malia was the first to move when she heard the knock on the front door. She was quick to jump off of Stiles' lap and onto the couch just as Aiden opened the door, revealing Lydia, Jackson, Danny, Boyd, Isaac and Erica.

"Hey, welcome to Casa de Blackwood!" cried Stiles, rushing to hug his friends.

"Stiles, calm," ordered Kali as she and Ennis walked into the living-room. "Breath."

Lydia looked Kali up and down for a second before nodding in approval. Kali had hidden her more ... wolf-like traits in hopes of helping Stiles and his friends connect better, it appeared to have worked.

"Right! Sorry mum, sorry guys… I'm working on it I swear," said Stiles bashfully.

Jackson patted Stiles' shoulder gently and nodded. He was surprised at how much Stiles had changed since they were kids but then again, Stiles probably had a lot more positive influences now that he was without Scott.

"It's fine, Blackwood," said Jackson.

"You can just call me Stiles, you know. I don't mind."

"Alright, Stiles."

Erica was quick to pull Stiles into a tight hug, followed by Isaac and Boyd before they pulled away and noticed something else.

"Is that a coyote?" Erica squealed.

Instantly Malia jumped onto Erica's lap, soaking up the attention like a sponge as Erica pet her. The Alphas rolled their eyes at Malia's attention-seeking ways but didn't discourage it since it made Malia happy and showed how accepting Stiles' friends were.

"Her name's Malia," said Kali. "She's a rescue from poachers, and a member of the family."

It was the truth … more or less.

"She's gorgeous," chirped Erica. "Can I steal her?"

"No but you can come over and pet her from time to time," said Stiles.

"Aw Batman, as if I wasn't coming over already," said Erica.

Deucalion watched as Stiles' eyes ignited with joy at Erica's admittance. It solidified the good this 'party' would do for Stiles. The twins were quick to slide near their crushes and both Isaac and Boyd slid onto the couch to join Stiles. Ennis brought out the food and soon everyone was settling down to talk.

"So, how have you been?" asked Stiles. "I heard you got worse."

"Yeah," sighed Erica. "My epilepsy is getting a lot worse … Scott actually filmed me during an attack … it's actually one of the reasons Jackson and I became acquaintances."

Jackson nodded, chuckling slightly at the image on his mind as he explained: "McCall thought it would be funny, thought it would make him popular, and he posted it online. I got a bit physical on Erica's behalf…"

"And I wiped it off the internet," said Danny, an arm around Ethan.

"It was the least we could do since, well since I may have been the one to encourage him to do it in the first place. Not directly but he wanted to get my attention and Lydia's and thought that was the best way."

Stiles nodded in appreciation of Jackson and Danny's commitment.

"You know, I remember you being much more of a Jackass when we were younger," said Stiles.

"You were friends with McCall. The kid whose dad almost destroyed my family, 'cous I was gonna be a Jackass."

"True."

Malia was snuggled up on Jackson and Lydia's laps as the twins and Danny began playing games on the PS4. Meanwhile, Stiles managed to sneak away to talk to his uncle.

"Ummm, I was wondering if I could talk to you," said Stiles quietly.

"Of course," said Deucalion.

The two walked into Deucalion's office and Stiles was quick to settle down in a chair.

"I want to adopt Erica and Isaac and Boyd into the pack. As werewolves. Possibly Jackson and Lydia too but they can come later," blurted Stiles.

Deucalion chuckled, patting Stiles on the head and settling into his chair. It wasn't a surprise, he had seen the look in Stiles' eyes, it was the same one he had had when he found Malia.

"Let me talk to Kali and Ennis and we'll see. Of course, I also have to talk with Talia."

"Thanks Uncle Lion."

~Eris~

Deucalion, Kali and Ennis were on edge as they walked through the preserve towards the Hale house. Ethan, Aiden, Stiles and Malia were surrounded by the adults, with Deucalion heading up the front and Ennis and Kali behind them, though they were less tense and didn't seem to care that they were entering new territory.

"Why so tense?" asked Stiles, stopping so that he was standing in between his parents. "This is supposed to be a friendly meeting, right?"

The hidden concern in Stiles' tone sent the wolves into a protective fit, making their eyes flash red as Kali wrapped an arm around Stiles' shoulder. Malia, as usual, was standing in Stiles' personal bubble, though usually she was beside him, and she, too, perked her head up at the tone.

"You know what they say, hope for the best but prepare for the worst," said Kali, playfully kissing his cheek.

"Right… right…" agreed Stiles.

They continued in silence until they arrived at the outskirts of the Hale Lot. Peter Hale was waiting for them, wearing a suit – like the extra king he is – and looking like he had eaten a wasp. It was then that Stiles' heart began to speed up, though that was instantly stopped when Ethan and Aiden placed their hands on his shoulders and Malia nipped his exposed ankle lightly.

"Good Hunting, Alpha Blackwood, I – Peter Hale, left hand of Alpha Talia Hale – wish to invite you into our home and territory for the Eclipse Hunt."

"Good Hunting, Beta Left Hand Hale. I – Deucalion Blackwood, Alpha of the Blackwood Pack – accept your invitation for the Eclipse Hunt."

With the formal greetings out of the way, and the invite accepted, Peter relaxed and motioned for them to enter the house. There was one other pack within the house's parlour, which was Satomi's.

"Where is our illustrious host?" asked Satomi, her son on her lap.

"Talia is currently at the Sheriffs office in a meeting. She'll arrive within the next two hours for the customary dinner."

Eventually the conversation all dulled the Alphas began to relax. The twins were talking to Laura Hale and a few people from Satomi's pack in the corner while Malia was curled up by the fire with the younger wolves petting her. Satomi had raised an eyebrow at the Coyote but Kalia had instantly shot down any questions with her signature 'mum glare' as Stiles had dubbed it.

Meanwhile Stiles was standing somewhat off to the side, his hands in his pockets and his eyes looking everywhere but at the oldest Hale in the room, who was standing across from him. Stiles was fully aware that his pack were looking at him from the corner of their eyes, or in Malia's case just looking directly at him while being brushed by some five-year-olds, so he knew he was safe. That knowledge was probably the only thing that stopped him having a heart attack when Peter decided to walk over and speak to him.

"Can I help you?" Stiles was incredibly proud of the lack of shaking in his voice as he looked Peter in the eyes.

"Yes, actually. I wish to apologise for my part in stopping your adoption when you were younger," said Peter, his tone was the same as it had been before, though his eyes held guilt and sorrow. "I was doing as my Alpha ordered though that doesn't excuse my savageness with your case … I don't like to lose, you see, and while I knew that I was fighting a losing battle, I didn't want to seem like anything other than the best lawyer in my firm."

Stiles released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and relaxed. A dopey grin appeared on his face as he patted Peter's arm.

"Don't worry about it. Everything worked out in the end, anyway. You were just doing what the wolf within demanded, it's cool."

Peter relaxed at Stiles' words and offered him a drink. It was then that two other Hales decided to join them in the parlour.

"Stiles Blackwood, meet my niece and Nephew, Cora and Derek Hale."

When Stiles saw Derek his whole world stopped. It was like the planets had aligned. To Stiles, Derek was the reincarnation of Adonis himself and Stiles had to stop his heart fluttering at the slight. Luckily he had already hidden his scent.

"Hi," said Cora, Stiles noticed she had a math book in hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Hello," said Derek shortly before rushing off to join Laura.

"What did I do?" asked Stiles jokingly, though inside he was worried.

"Oh Derek's just like that," said Cora while Peter went to check on the dinner. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be good at Math, would you? I mean, mom said we had to bond with other packs and all."

Stiles grinned at her and the two quickly found an empty table. Cora was incredibly thankful that Stiles had been willing to help her and immediately decided that he was her favourite of the Blackwood pack.

Derek eventually came over to them, thanking Stiles for helping Cora, and settled into the third chair at the table.

"Scott McCall will be at the next meeting," said Derek after a moment. "He wasn't told about this one. Uncle Peter thought it would be his way of apologising."

"Thanks for the heads up," said Stiles, once again trying to control his heart rate.

"Oi! Is this how you do it?"

"Yes Cora."

~Eris~

The day after the meeting, there was a knock on the front door. Ennis was the first one at the door and he almost slammed it closed again after seeing who was on his doorstep.

Christopher Argent.

Ennis' eyes glowed red and he growled. Chris straightened up and reached for a gun that wasn't in his holster. Lucky for Chris, Deucalion was quick to come to the door and remove Ennis from the situation, quickly reminding the mountain wolf that the children were still in the house.

"What do you want Argent?" there was steel in Deucalion's tone but it was polite enough that Chris felt he could speak.

"I wanted to come over and inform you that I am no longer a hunter," said Chris. "Victoria and I are no longer together and I am trying to make amends for the deeds done by my family."

There wasn't a single lie in his words and Deucalion nodded, inviting him in and settling on the couch. Ennis and Kali, having heard everything, were sitting in the connected kitchen, still tense.

"I am glad to hear that, Mr Argent," said Deucalion, handing the other man a drink. "Though I fail to see what this has to do with us."

"Gerard has a grudge against you and a boy named Stiles that's in your care. He has since the day he failed to blind you and murdered the sheriff. He's become obsessed with killing the pair of you. It's gotten so bad that he's allowed Kate to go to prison for the crimes she's committed, he doesn't even care that she'll get the chair. Not that she doesn't deserve it after what she almost did to the Hales."

Deucalion nodded, storing that information away for later.

"In truth, I'm trying to protect my daughter, Allison. She has no idea about the Supernatural, and she won't until she's eighteen and can make her own informed choices on if she wants to be a hunter or not. I fear that Gerard will try and use her to hurt you and the Hales, especially considering her boyfriend – Scott McCall – is a member of their pack."

"Don't worry Christopher, we'll keep our heads down and, should it come to it, we'll make sure no harm comes to your daughter."

"Thank you, just don't extend the same mercy to Gerard. He may be my father but the basterd deserves to die."

"On that, we can all agree," said Kali with a predatory smirk.