Imprinted [Sterek]

Chapter 30

A knock rang through Derek's bedroom hours later startling the pair. "Derek?" Cora's voice echoed into the room from the hall, waiting for her older brother to answer.

"You can come in, Cora," Derek answered, turning so he was laying on his back, Stiles still glued to his side, half asleep.

"Mom wanted me to let you know that dinner was ready. She said that the two of you could eat up here, she wasn't sure if Stiles would be up to eating with the whole pack." Cora said, standing halfway through the door. She smiled, seeing the pair cuddled up together. When she was little, Cora always pictures Stiles and Derek together; her mother said it was a werewolf thing. Cora knows what she means by that now, but she thinks it something else even, more than just a werewolf thing.

"I'll be fine. Let me wake up a little bit." Stiles said, lifting his head from Derek's chest. "Save me a seat; I'll be fine if I'm sitting next to the two of you." Cora smiled at her old friend giving him a nod before exiting the room.

"Are you sure you're ready to meet the whole pack? They're a handful, and I'm not used to most of the newest members myself." Derek had a concerned look on his face watching Stiles slowly stand from the bed. Stiles stretched with his arms over his head, lifting his shirt to expose his lower back.

"As long as I'm sitting next to you I'll be perfectly fine." Stiles turned smiling at the male still laying half naked on the bed. "You should put some clothes on." He snorted, looking Derek up and down.

"Maybe I want to stay like this? I don't see the problem, do you have a problem with it, Stiles?" Derek smirked, watching the younger male's face twist into an unamused look.

"Maybe I do, what's it to you?"

"Just trying to figure out why you might have a problem with me walking around my home, half naked." Derek chuckled standing from the bed. His gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips, he was lucky they were hanging on at this point they were so close to falling around his ankles.

"That right there is my problem," Stiles growled looking Derek over. He bit his lip staring at Derek's back muscles as they moved when Derek stretched, Stiles' eyes traced the triskele on Derek's back, it lay in the same place at Stiles paw print. Stiles almost had a heart attack when Derek turned to look at him; the back half was terrific, the front half would possibly be the death of Stiles.

"Yeah, that's a huge problem." Stiles gulped turning away from Derek so he couldn't see the blush growing on his cheeks.

"I'll put on a shirt Stiles, don't worry." Derek chuckled, walking up behind him. "This is for your eyes only. Trust me." Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist, resting his chin in the crook of Stiles' neck.

"I think I'm going to have to change how Tyler looks in my book," Stiles said once Derek pulled away from him to find a clean shirt.

Derek looked over his shoulder at Stiles with a raised brow. "Dylan's best friend? Why would you need to change how he looks? I thought you based him off of Scott." Derek pulled a green shirt over his head, turning to Stiles.

"Oh no, not that Tyler. I added a new character based on you. Sort of." Stiles scratched at the back of his neck now feeling nerves.

"You based a character on me? Why?" Derek wasn't sure why, but hearing Stiles say that he based a character on him, made him happy.

"I mean, Dylan needs a love interest right? And I was maybe hoping that a few dreams that I had this past couple of weeks were real." Stiles weakly smiled, avoiding eye contact.

"Stiles, whatever you want, I'll do it. I'll do anything for you. You might not know-"

"That I'm your mate? That we're meant to be together forever? Your mom didn't have to tell me which one of you it was; I knew it was you. I just needed some confirmation that mates were a real thing." Stiles chuckled cutting Derek off who looked bewildered.

"I don't know what to say. You just guessed?" Derek asked, smiling from confusion. It's hard to guess that kind of thing.

"No, I hoped. I hoped that there was always someone out there meant for me. I gave up on that for a long time because of what people said about me. Then a black wolf came into my life and stared back at me like a person was waiting to show themselves at the right time. I found that hope again." Stiles looked up at Derek with hope in his eyes, a smile cautiously sitting on his lips, a want in his heart.

"Stiles," Derek smiled, leaning their foreheads together, "I'll never be able to hide anything from you, will I?" He chuckled.

"Probably not," Stiles giggled.

"I feel the same; it's not just the whole werewolf part, I've always felt that there was someone out there made just for me. I would never have thought that person would be an aspiring writer looking for inspiration out in the middle of the woods, who's porch swing I was hiding under because some stupid kids were out in the middle of the night with a gun, shot me." Derek loved hearing Stiles laugh; it was like floating on a cloud.

"Derek?" Stiles asked inching closer to the wolf.

"Stiles?" Derek returned, snaking his arms around Stiles' waist.

"I- Nevermind." Stiles shook his head, looking to the floor. He wanted it; Stiles wanted to feel those sparks that happen whenever he and Derek touch, but in a different way. Stiles wanted it, but he wasn't ready. They needed each other, but Stiles was still getting used to all of it, werewolves and other supernatural creatures were a lot to take in.

Stiles was going to lean on Derek a lot through this, but no matter how much he wanted something, he still wasn't ready.

"We should get to dinner before your mom sends Laura after us. She won't be as nice as Cora was." Stiles took a step away from Derek, keeping his eyes to the floor.

"They can wait. Scott is standing outside the door, along with my annoying little sister Cora. They can wait." Derek said, looking to the door. There was shuffling outside of the door and two sets of feet running down the stairs. "What's wrong?" Derek grabbed for Stiles' hand hesitantly. Stiles didn't move his hand from Derek's, it was warm, and the feeling of dynamite going off was something that Stiles was never going to get over.

"It's nothing," Stiles whispered, playing with Derek's fingers.

"If it were nothing, you wouldn't be acting like this." Derek sighed, rubbing his thumb over the back of Stiles' hand.

Stiles looked up at Derek with a smile. "I'm just over thinking, don't worry." Derek could see right through Stiles forced a smile. Derek wanted to believe Stiles, but he knew better than too. Though pushing Stiles to talk about whatever was wrong wasn't the best option at the time.

"Okay, let's head downstairs." Derek copied Stiles forced a smile, pulling his mate to the door. "You're sure that you're ready to meet the pack?" Derek asked once more before opening the door.

"I'll be fine Der. As long as you promise not to leave my side." Stiles said, placing his hand on the doorknob.

"I promise not to leave your side. I wouldn't dream of it." Derek chuckled as Stiles opened the door. They found Laura on the other side.

"About time. Everyone has been waiting for fifteen minutes." Laura growled while rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, Laura, it's my fault." Stiles weakly smiled.

"Oh no Stiles, it's not. You're too new for it to be your fault. We'll blame it on Derek for now." Laura gave a twisted grin to her brother, who rolled his eyes. Stiles laughed at the siblings following Laura down the stairs with Derek in tow.

"Don't let go of my hand," Derek whispered to Stiles at the bottom of the stairs. Stiles nodded, looking around the room full of people. There were many more than he expected.