279 Boring Summer [#8]: Apology

[Linguist Feat: You learn three languages of your choice!

You can ably create written ciphers. Others can't decipher a code you create unless you teach them, they succeed if they are smart enough to decipher it or they use magic to decipher it.]

Stiles grin grew from one ear to the other, after giving his gifts to the Alpha Hale (and being ruthlessly teased by his dad) Stiles went to deal with another problem- Nature was calling, and he wanted to answer, mostly because he wanted to get more information on that Darach- Which was what he permanently borrowed from Deaton, not that he knows that it's Permanent but he asked nicely! Well, after his dad promised he would put a bullet through the man's head if he ever concealed vital information that could be used to save his son's life and after Stiles kinda gave him a demonstration of his magic by casting [Air Slash] and cutting the weak druid's cheek and making him bleed from the cut that could have easily been his throat.

Successfully the Stilinski Men had put the fear of God in the heart of the Druid- And now here is Stiles, sitting alone on the Nemeton, holding an empty book while holding a pen and writing his new code language! He quickly selected the languages he wanted to learn as Archaic Latin, Ancient Greek, and a language spoken by the Fey; Sylvian. He picked it for a simple reason!

"So you're telling me that the Hales used to have an agreement with your little kind?" On his shoulder stood a small gremlin-like brown creature that Stiles knew as a Brownie, or a tiny household fairy that is very much the inspiration for House Elves and their slave-like shit that they got a boner over. "Yes, Green Touched, we had! We helped keep the house clean, they gave us cookies and praise!" Smiling at the little thing, Stiles thought about going back home to give the fairy cookies when his hands touched the Nemeton as he casted [Plant Growth] on it- The energy of the spell was instantly absorbed and with a pop like a small rock being thrown into a lake, a small sapling, a seedling popped out from the center of the stump. "Huh." Stiles did not expect that! "Green Touched! Green Tou- No, Guardian! You're a Guardian!" The little brownie cried with enthusiasm, this time his voice was squeaky and loud like a squeaky dog's toy! "A Guardian?" Stiles did not know what a Guardian specifically was, since the books he reads on magic are magic for him and him alone.

"You're the new Guardian of the Beacon! Once they are healed, property and love will reign once more- I shall warn the Courts! This forest is once again blessed by his presence, she will wake up soon, you are the best thing that has happened in the last 10 years!" And with that not ominous at all message and a good compliment, the little brown fairy simply poofed in a small cloud of dirt before vanishing- The dirt simply vanished after about 5 seconds of it being on his shoulder! "Well, that was… interesting." Stiles chuckled as he laid down on the stump, his finger gently touching the little seedling that sprouted thanks to his magic, he felt comfortable, so he slipped into his white fox form, lying down around the seedling and protecting it like the sapling was his young, tail covering the seedling completely.

There was a snap of a twig- Stiles' raised his head and concentrated on both sight, hearing, and scent, he even tapped his tail on the ground as he casted [Tremorsense] stealthy, pretending the tapping of his fox was simply him being nervous. Anyway, he smelled the scent of Derek, his perfume and deodorant must say [Made in Heaven] or something because damn! He wore tight pants that drew eyes like magnets, eyes as beautiful as the forest, leather booted feet and steps as strong and sharp as his chin, wearing a white shirt and his usual leather jacket: "Stiles?" His voice sounded so broken and confused, Stiles just raised his head and turned to look at the Werewolf before speaking in a clear tone: "Alpha Hale." Clearly the wolf did not expect such a thing because he looked beyond shocked- No, he looked amazed, impressed, and proud at the same time. "What do you want from me, Hale?" Derek swallowed before he awkwardly spoke, his eyes and eyebrows exposing how afraid he felt: "I-i'm here to apologize Stiles, I-"

"Apology rejected." Cold? Fuck yeah he's cold! He doesn't have time to listen to Derek whine and say how he didn't know jackshit about what he went through and how he is full of remorse when he could be hunting down a Darach and killing her! "Stiles, please, I'm sorry-" He did not expect, however, the large root spike that almost impaled the werewolf! He did react even though he was taken by surprise, his fox body moved quickly as he twirled around himself and the root spike rotted instantly as a black projectile hit it, he had casted the spell [Death Bolt], a Necromancy Cantrip he learned earlier today! 'I love the fact that I don't have spell limitations!' As long as he truly tries, he can cast any spell and they are not restricted by his class, only by his level. Meaning? He can learn spells normally only wizards, bards, warlocks, clerics, or even artificers would be able to learn!

If he tries and puts effort into learning it.

"Darach." Stiles straightened his back, the hole on Derek's chest was quickly closing, but not quick enough for his taste- He has 20 SP, meaning he can cast at least 20 level 1 [Cure Wounds] if necessary, but no. "Druid-" He did not let the blond woman finish her sentence, his hand moved in a blur as he casted in quick succession [Fire Bolt], [Eldritch Blast], and [Air Slash]! The three projectiles were small and quick, the impact they had was stopped by a wall of vines that was cut by the wind blade of the [Air Slash] cut a bit of the wall just as the [Fire Bolt] hit it, the impact of the [Eldritch Blast] was enough to destroy a piece of the wall, enough to show the ugly expression the woman had: "Abomination, leave this town." Warning her once was what he chose, he ignored as Derek slowly got back on his feet as Stiles stood tall and proud- As tall as a white fox can be, that is. "You've taken my chance at revenge- I won't leave until I kill you!" Obviously enraged, the abomination to Nature slashed her hand forward and a force unseen threw large boulders towards Stiles, who gracefully dodged them by jumping 20 feet high in the air thanks to [Salmon Leap], another cantrip that he learned.

His fox body dived towards the bitch from the air, she moved her hands right as the earth around her rose to her hands, she had sacrificed people, which means she had enough power to fight him- How many people did she sacrifice? His paws touched the ground as a wave of air stopped his fall thanks to [Air Cushion], Stiles quickly decided to deal with her by overwhelming her! His tail slapped towards her as a long vine shot out of it as he used [Thorn Whip] to try and pull her closer, when she tried to back away from him (She was way faster than he thought she'd be), he pulled her back with [Gravity Force] just enough for the vine to attach itself to her wrist. What did he do? He channeled electricity through the vine with thorns with the [Conduct] cantrip, enough to make her body tense up. Soon after, Stiles touched her with his hands as he shifted back into his human form, both hands holding her face while he grinned: "Well, I did give you a chance."

And with that, he casted a 3rd Level Spell:

[Drill Beam: 3rd Level, Evocation.

A beam of pure energy forming a line that is 60 feet long and 5 feet wide blasts out from you in a direction you choose.]

The long beam of magic energy looked a lot like a certain Hawaiian king's name¹ that made Stiles feel excited- Mostly because the beam completely tore through the woman's face! Her head exploded as the beam of energy extended 60 feet deeper into the Preserve, tearing down the trees and destroying everything in its way- Stiles chuckled as he let the woman's corpse fall, her disgusting form shifted back to show how her body defied nature and he knew- He knew she was gone. "Well, just to be sure." He raised his hand before his finger touched the corpse and it visibly started to age faster and faster as he channeled necrotic energy through several [Death Bolt] spells that he used in another way- Channeling energy from a spell through touch was something Stiles easily learned, some spells play on that, while other can be used like that even if they are not really made for that, while others simply cannot and will hurt him if he tries.

At least this one isn't that bad.

[Quest Updated!]

[Rescue/Revenge + Mistery: Rescue/Revenge: Save or avenge the cubs of the mountain lion while stopping illegal hunting! - Rewards: 1 Dilver Coin, 1 Minor Magic Item [Completed!]

Bonus Objective: You've found it! Someone is ritually sacrificing animals for something, discover what is and stop it! - Rewards: 1 Platinum Coin, 1 Powerful Magic Item [Completed]

Bonus Objective: You've found out the work of a mysterious organization of people who capture wild animals and supernatural beings, for what purpose? You don't know. Find out! - Rewards: 5 Gold Coins, 1 Feat Point, 1 Very Rare Magic Ring [Completed]

[Protection.]

The Hale Territory is under attack by unknown forces. As a member of the Hale Pack resident of Beacon Hills aware of the supernatural, if you wish to live, protect your land. [Completed!]

Rewards: 1 Platinum Coin, 1 Magical Item, 2 Druid Levels.]

'Oh, right. Forgot about this-' He has yet to get those rewards because he didn't claim them! He also won't do so in front of Derek Hale- Especially as he looks at him like he just hung up the moon in the sky for him. "Well, what were you saying?" He honestly isn't ready to forgive Derek completely- why? Because he saw fit to ignore the scent of blood and pain on his body when he crashed through that wall with his jeep, he chose to ignore it and he chose to not hear him or his heartbeat, he chose to kick him out of the pack out of his own insecurities and fears. He isn't a good Alpha- He can become one, but he isn't one yet, and Stiles learned the hard way not to completely and blindly trust anyone anymore.

He decided to keep himself and his pack protected with his own two hands!

"I-'' Derek looked at the aftermath of the spell Stiles used to kill the powerful woman who almost killed him instantly, he felt fear deep down within his heart but he also felt a weird thrill in the bones of his body, a thrill to make him submit, knowing his power only made it more dangerous and way more fun- That is kinky as shit, and he should be focusing on something else right now. "I'm sorry." That's a good start, right? "I don't know what I'm doing 90% of the time and 10% of the times i know what I'm doing, I'm doing it wrong- There hasn't been a day ever since i kicked you out that i haven't regretted it, there hasn't been a day since i kicked you out that i haven't felt like kicking myself in the head because i was too stupid to push my Mate away, i was supposed to protect you and yet- I only fail Stiles, failure is all i know." Fuck- Stiles knew Derek could hear the way his heartbeat grew erratic at the emotional confession Derek did, even more so when the word "Mate" echoed inside his mind, making Stiles feel betrayed, angry, and isolated.

"Would you have told me? That we're Mates?"

"I-" Derek paused for a moment, and that was enough of an answer to Derek because Stiles was ready to leave! "You deserve better than me Stiles, someone who isn't broken, someone who can keep up with you, someone who is better than me-" Stiles stopped, he knew he had his own issues as did Derek, but to think he was going to not tell Stiles that their souls were literally intertwined because of said issues? Stiles raised his hand as a small vine started to grow around Derek's neck before it sealed his lips, that was Stiles' use of [Druidcraft] to stop Derek from talking: "If you ever want a chance with me, Derek, you better start working on it- See a therapist, ask help to be a better Alpha, work on yourself. Then we can talk more, until then, don't worry about me, but work on yourself." With that, Stiles' body turned inside out as he became a large white owl, flying away silently.

Derek could only watch.

—-

[Pack Growth: Starting at 6th level, members of your pack have their abilities and strengths determined in part by your level. They learn faster, become sturdier, and are overall more magical in nature!]

[You've got access to level 4 Spells!]

Stiles grinned widely as he looked over at four magical items- A ring, a staff, a cloack, and a pair of gloves! He held tightly the ring in his hand as he muttered an incantation under his breath, casting the spell he just learned: [Identify], a screen soon appeared on his face and he gasped when he saw the ring- "What the fuck, this thing can be so fucking useful!" I mean, he needs to take training with different weapons before he can get ready to use them, but the ring can still be useful!

[Ring of Arsenals

Ring, very rare (requires attunement)

A ring that holds an armory inside it, allowing the wielder to be prepared for any situation.

This magic ring has 10 charges with which to activate its ability. While attuned to this magic item, as a bonus on your turn, you may transform this item into a weapon with a +3 bonus to its attack and damage rolls. You may turn the ring into a simple melee weapon (1 charge), a simple ranged weapon with 20 pieces of appropriate ammunition in an appropriate case if applicable (2 charges), a martial melee weapon (3 charges), or a martial ranged weapon with 20 pieces of appropriate ammunition in an appropriate case if applicable (4 charges). As a bonus action while you're holding this magic item as a weapon, you can transform it back into a ring at no cost. This ring regains expended charges daily at dawn.]

Next was the staff beautiful grey staff, it was cold to the touch and wooden too!

[Dreamwood Staff

Staff, very rare (Requires attunement by a spellcaster)

While you hold this grey wooden staff, your spells of the school of Enchantment are extra powerful! In addition, the staff has 9 charges. You can expend any number of charges to cast Sleep at a level equal to that number, or you can expend four charges to cast Dream.]

Stiles hummed as he moved onto the pale and very uninteresting cloack, casting the spell again- this time, however, as soon as he read what the cloack did he immediately wore it and changed its color and texture to a crimson color and a smooth texture. It was a

[Cloack of Many Fashions

Wondrous Item, common, minor magical item

At your simple thought, this cloack can change its texture, size, and color! It cannot, however, become anything other than a cloack.]

A simple and fun magical item to play with, he started changing the color of the cloack every second as he held the staff in his hand and had the ring on his finger, the last item was a pair of gloves!

[Gloves of Protection

Rare, Armor, Magical Item

While wearing these gloves, you are magically protected from incoming attacks and spells, however a strong enough spell or attack might break the magical shield these gloves creates. The shield uses 1 Charge to materialize, the item itself has 5 charges.

The shield lasts for 1 minute upon activation and each charge recharges every midnigh.]

"Wow, I can give these to dad." Indeed he could, since Magical items don't need magic to be used- They themselves are magic, and he can even make them himself if he wants to! With so much money on his system, he can buy books on how to make magical items and train himself on making them later, but right now? After that fight with the Darach and after that encounter with Derek? He has other things to do to distract himself-

Like making Nalunod a pond! He has shit to do.

—--

Derek broke the moment Erica and Boyd woke up- The very first thing they asked him was where was Stiles, where was him? Is he okay? What happened to him? Did he heal? "What, what are you two talking about?" He held Erica's shoulders as she broke down, her tears wetting his shoulder as she pressed herself on him, Boyd breaking down harder by holding Derek and crying tok- What happened to Stiles? "He saved us." Boyd sobbed: "He saved us from Gerard- He, he was tortured for us Derek, he got us out of there Derek, he managed to free us even if it hurt him Der-" Derek wanted to just run after Stiles after hearing this, why the fuck didn't he tell him!? "I should've noticed-" He couldn't stop the sob from leaving his lips, how had he been so stupid!? He accused Stiles of betraying him, he kicked him out of his pack because he thought he betrayed him but he had been tortured to save his pack! "-I fucking hurt him, i hurt him so bad-" His heart was breaking further and further as his traitorous mind whispered how Stiles would never forgive him and how he fucked it up badly.

His sister held him as he broke down in front of his pack- He was supposed to be the Alpha, he was supposed to be the one comforting them, he was supposed to be the strong one and yet here he is, pathetically breaking down before his pack and showing how weak he truly is.

He is honestly pathetic.

"Der-" His clawed hands tightly held his sister's shoulder, sinking in her flesh and his eyes bled red, his wolf felt like it was bleeding and hurting from the failures he had: "-Der, it's gonna be okay- It's gonna be okay." He shaked his head, fuck, fuck how could he? He hurt his own Mate, so bad. "Derek Alexander Hale, snap the fuck out of this pity party and listen to me-" Peter's hands pulled him by his shoulder until he was face to face with the man who held his head with both hands: "-You'll first know the full story of what happened to your Betas and your Mate, then you're going to make sure your Betas are alright, and then you'll go look for your Mate and beg him for his forgiveness if necessary. Okay?" Derek nodded, his panic suppressed slightly by a plan of what to do already, or as far as a plan he could get! "Okay, okay… I can do this, I can do this." Whispering to himself, Derek got up and held himself high before he started to take care of his Betas.

No one spoke of what just happened, they all decided to keep their questions to themselves for the moment.

Later, Derek made sure his Betas were healed and fine, he welcomed his sister on his pack and they spoke- His uncle and sister, his family, alive! After two hours, he left the loft and went after Stiles, he checked the boy's house but did not find anyone there, but he did find Stiles' scent and started to follow it through the Preserve until he found him, a small white fox that was sleeping on top of the stump that is the Nemeton.

And then he killed a Darach! And he told him to go to therapy, which, fair.

Now as he lies down upon his bed, reminiscing about the past and maybe future, he remembered how his uncle reacted when he said: "I… I need help." For the first time in forever! He never asked his uncle's help before, willingly at least, and the way the man looked beyond shocked when he asked him if there were any therapists aware of the supernatural was amazing- And it his face grew even funnier when he asked if there was any way he could learn how to be a good Alpha from someone. Satomi maybe? Peter agreed to contact a few people who he thought could help him from afar, like online therapy and online lessons on Alphahood? That's surprisingly a thing! "Fuck…" Just remembering how powerful his Mate is turns him on- He had to deal with a boner just thinking about it sometimes.

Okay, most of the time- A lot of times.

Like, a lot recently! Even more so after he watched him absolutely obliterate that witch- Darach, whatever- and after he gave him three Alphas wrapped in wolfsbane like a beautiful gift. It made Derek's wolf feel like his Mate had just gifted him the fatest rabbit or the biggest elk, and the need to give him- provide for him- back was enormous! He went through a list of gifts to give his Mate that he might like, like food? But what food? He knows that Stiles likes curly fries, he doesn't stop talking about it sometimes, but what else can he give? Burgers? Pizza? What type? What kind!?

So he decided to make the right decision and sat down before his pack, saying: "I am seeing a therapist, and I think we all should too." And indeed, his whole pack needed to go through therapy! He managed to make it obligatory and had everyone going through it, which was good for now seeing as everyone here had their own issues and as a good Alpha he had to make sure they are fine physically and mentally, emotionally? That normally is the Alpha Mate's responsibility, they take care of the pack on a mental and emotional scale, making sure they are taken care of, which earns them the title of Pack Mom most of the time. "You should go see him." His pack told him, Peter told him, Chris told him, even John told him! And he went to see Stiles- By now it had been two weeks and a half after the day they had spoken on the tree stump that was the Nemeton, Derek would visit it sometimes and he'd see the new growing sapling there.

It was beautiful.

Knocking on the front door for the first time, Derek waited patiently. He knew Stiles's father wasn't home and he hadn't had dinner yet, so he came here with enough food for five! He knows about the kids, and the fact that Stiles has kids just makes him hotter in his mind. Like, he is nurturing, powerful, kind, and so fucking hot that it burns! The moment Stiles opened the door Derek bathed in his sight; Disheveled hair, short shorts that went up to his thigh showing his strong legs, his crop top that exposed his stomach, and the beautiful scents that exploded out of the house the moment he opened the door; Spices, the forest, strawberry, pineapple, and this sweet scent of cub that had his wolf preening in anticipation. Why? A Mate with cubs means a Mate who is fertile and can have more cubs, and that fucks up with his instincts.

"Can i come in? I brought dinner." He raised the bags under his arms and smiled, he saw how Stiles' scent took a turn for the crispy side of the scent spectrum before he nodded and opened his door with a sarcastic remark: "I think this is the first you've ever used my front door." And indeed it was, Derek reminisced about the times he went up the boy's window and entered his room that smelled of his Mate and cum and horny and he almost fucking lost it in there. "Well, there's a first time for everything." Stiles chuckled out an 'Indeed' as he went further into the house, took a turn left for the kitchen and said: "Come, let me get that set up, you can help by setting up the table." Closing the door behind him, Derek took in the scent of young doe, wolf, coyote, horse but wet, and birds- There was also the scent of another Alpha in here, but an Alpha he couldn't recognize. "So, have you been doing anything good recently? Because I certainly have!" He clearly saw the olive branch Stiles was putting up for him, how he was willing to try and make conversation with him.

"Well, I certainly have." Derek started setting up the table with a small grin after Stiles took the bags from him: "Been starting the papers for the Hale house's reconstruction." There was a pause on Stiles' moving the things in the kitchen as Derek kept on setting up the table, it took about 5 seconds before Stiles spoke up: "That's awesome Derek! Wait here- Eli, Ammy? Come here babies, it's time to meet the Hale Alpha." Derek heard footsteps coming downstairs, the moment that they appeared into the dining room Derek had to stop himself from smiling like a fool! Why? Because two adorable kids walked into the room, a little girl with short brown hair and brown eyes, and behind her stood a small, shy boy with darker brown hair and bright green eyes that was hiding behind his sister. "Derek, meet Ammy and Eli Stilinski, my kids." Eli ran up to Stiles as he exited the kitchen only to stop at his feet and look up at him with his big baby doe eyes, Derek was glad that Stiles couldn't smell the scent of affection that rolled off of his wolfy body in waves. "Oh, hi baby." Stiles picked up the boy gently before smiling at the kid in his arms and- Shit, fuck, shit! He looked so fucking attractive right now.

This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!

Stiles Stilinski is holding a baby in his arms- And that, fuck, makes his instincts go buck wild and do a 360° spin awoooga and shit. Like, how the fuck's that supposed to make him feel other than horny as shit!? "They're adorable." Derek said politely while fighting his inner urges to go to Stiles and offer to make more of them, at that moment running into the kitchen came in two wolves that Derek could recognize easily: Skoll and Hati, the other kids that Stiles claimed to be his, and they smelled like him, like honeysuckle that reminded his wolf of cubs even though they had the size of teenage wolves. "Skoll, Hati, behave." Stiles warned them before they could growl at him for invading their territory, but their Alpha and mother (Derek liked the thought that Stiles was the mother) told them to behave, so they didn't growl at the intruder, they did, however, huff annoyed. "No Skoll, this isn't for you, and Hati, If you and your brother aren't going to behave then you'll have to go hunting with Malia."

Derek watched amazed as the two wolves sat down like they were dejected, grumpy wolves- Sourwolves. "Huh." Derek turned to look at Stiles again as he set Eli down into the chair and began serving him food, Derek didn't think much before he started serving Ammy some food too! Burgers, fries, pizza, and spaghetti! Hey, don't judge him, he asked John what his son's favorite foods were and John said that he liked this. "Thanks Der." It felt so domestic, this whole situation, their scent even started to blend in together, making them smell like pack, like family. "Now, why don't we start talking?" Derek nodded before taking a deep breath and exhaling: "You're my Mate Stiles Stilinski, and i would love to court you- I know i am not healthy yet, i don't know if I'll ever be, but i want you by my side for the rest of my life." Fuck, he said it! He practiced this for hours on end in front of the mirror, ignoring Erica's comments on how Stiles would fall for him the moment he opens his mouth and Lydia's comments about how he should just push Stiles down and fuck him- Tempting, but he has to do this right.

"Well-" Just as he was about to complete his sentence, there was a knock at the door. "Huh, I'll check it out, don't leave- We'll talk about this." Derek simply nodded before focusing on his hearing just as Stiles opened the door and- "Stiles, we need your help!" He quickly went to the hallway and looked, and there he saw: Several men, covered in blood, some bleeding, some with clear marks of fighting, and some hurt. "Derek." Stiles turned to look back at him: "Go to my room, get me my green bag, don't touch anything else- It is on top of my bed, quick!" Derek did not hesitate, did not ask who they were or what these people were doing here, he just went and got the green bag- Inside Stiles' room it smelled like Stiles, Eli, Ammy, herbs, candles, strange liquids in bottles and ash. There was a dream catcher made out of bones and muscle ligaments in the wall, which was not only creepy but gave Derek weird vibes, but all he got was Stiles' green bag before leaving the room.

Once downstairs, he saw Stiles and the men and women in the living room, Stiles was doing something that was helping the men heal as fast as a werewolf- Magic sure is amazing.