The Druid

Chapter 4

The rest of the drive was nice and quiet which resulted in Stiles briefly passing out in the backseat to catch up on some much-needed rest. He woke up just as Derek rolled the car to a slow stop in front of the house and turned it off. All three exited the Camaro and Stiles stretched, groaning in satisfaction as some bones clicked. He looked at the other cars lined up and saw Scott's bike. However, he frowned when he saw a new car near the end.

"Who does that silver car on the end belong to?" He turned to Derek.

Derek smirked, which set Stiles' heart aflame, disconcerting him a little. Why were Derek's little actions suddenly seeming so big to him lately? Ah, it was something to worry about later. "You'll have to wait and see." Derek chuckled when Stiles' expression turned to one of shock and headed up the steps on the verandah and walked to the front door. He unlocked it and headed inside. Stiles watched him, blinking in shock and shook his head, quickly following Derek and Lydia in. He wasn't aware of Lydia observing him with a knowing smirk and headed in after the boys.

"There he is!" Malia grinned as she walked down the hallway to meet the other three. "We were wondering when you were going to get here." She hugged Stiles. "What's going on with you and Scott?" She whispered in his ear.

Stiles shrugged as he hugged her back. "I don't know." He whispered back. "But don't mention anything to him, he'll just get very pissed off." They two pulled away and Malia observed him, trying to judge how Stiles was feeling. Stiles shook his head, a soft smile gracing his lips and headed further down the hallway. Malia watched him a little longer before following him.

Scott walked into the hallway and paused when he saw Stiles, giving him the filthiest look Stiles had ever seen before walking into the living room. Stiles was incredibly shocked and very insulted to put it lightly.

"What's gotten up his ass?" A very familiar voice sounded just behind Stiles. He turned and grinned when he saw Isaac, scarf and all.

"So you must be the one who owns the silver car, then." Stiles chuckled. Isaac grinned back and shrugged before hugging Stiles tightly.

"Yeah, you got me." Isaac chuckled back. "But back to my earlier question?" He asked as he pulled back, his playful and amused expression turning into one of concern.

"I have no idea." Stiles' voice was dejected and he sounded exhausted. "He's been acting like that for the past couple of weeks but he's slowly getting worse."

"Yeah, I heard." Isaac sighed. Either Derek or Cora must have filled him in. "He also showed no interest or care about having you here when we asked where you were. It was weird. It wasn't like Scott." He turned quiet, thoughts swinging through his mind. "The ghost riders aren't back, are they?"

Stiles smiled, touched that Isaac showed so much worry about him. "I haven't heard any sounds of horses neighing or chains rattling. And no one has shown up to take me away again so I think I'm fine."

That had been a rough time for Stiles. He still remembered the cold metal of the chains burning into his skin as they wrapped around him before he was dragged away. He still remembered the feeling of dread filling him as he was dragged to the phantom train station. Thinking of those memories made him unknowingly shiver. They had caused multiple nightmares for Stiles which quite often resulted in many sleepless nights. Stiles was thankful he had the pack to help him through it, even if Scott was now acting like a dick. It didn't help that he was still having nightmares and how they sometimes involved the Nogitsune.

Derek cleared his throat, making both younger boys look at him. "Meeting's starting." He said. The boys followed him into the living room and took seats, Stiles staying well away from Scott. Everyone else was waiting for them.