Mage, Alpha, Mermaid

Chapter 24

Stiles woke up gasping. He knew that this was coming. Shakingly he tried to get out of bed before being grabbed from behind and pulled to a hard toned chest.

''Shh, shh, Stiles, breath in and out, come on, breath with me,'' Derek whispered in his ear, but Stiles didn't respond.

His chest was constricting. He was heaving with wide open-mouthed gasps. Trying to get air inside, but it was like his lungs were strangled by a boa constrictor wrapped around him, crushing him. Stiles started to claw at Derek's arms, trying to get away, trying to get air. His mind muddled with panic, not registering that Derek was trying to help him.

Nic's face was now in front of him, her eyes wide with fright, she was speaking to him, he saw her lips moving, but his ears didn't register any words. He could only hear the rush from his blood in his ears.

Stiles still tried to wriggle out of Derek's grasp. He could feel Derek's hand caressing his head, his fingers weaving through his hair, but Stiles didn't calm down. His heart felt like it was trying to beat out of his chest.

He could feel his fingers getting numb, and he knew that he needed air fast because his brain was without it for too long.

''iles, Stiles, match you breathing with mine, come on, baby, come one. Breath!'' Derek said in his ear. He sounded afraid.

Stiles's sight was getting fuzzy. He was going to pass out, fast if nothing happened.

He let out a surprised gasp when he felt lips on his. Nic pulled back, and Stiles was gasping for air. Finally, his lungs were cooperating, and sweet air was filling his lungs. He was couching and spluttering for a couple of minutes until his breathing was regularly returning. He fell down on the bed again, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

He felt weak, useless. Today was the day he would confront Jennifer Blake, but starting the day with a panic attack was not boding well.

''Fuck!'' He let out, frustrated with himself. He put his fist against his eyes. Not wanting to look at Nic or Derek. Not wanting their pity.

''Gen, you aren't weak,'' Nic said softly.

Stiles pulled his fist off his eyes to look at her incredulous.

''How do you call it then? I'm going to see her later today, confront her, and here am I having a fucking panic attack in my own bed, one of the safest places in whole Beacon Hills in between my Alpha boyfriend and Mermaid girlfriend. How would you describe it? I'm pathetic.'' Stiles said with venom in his voice, feeling disgusted with himself.

He was hit on the head by two sets of hands.

''Owhh! What the fuck?'' He asked them.

''Stop calling yourself weak or pathetic. You are the opposite of those things. You are the most powerful mage that walked the earth in the last 100 years, and you know it. Yeah, you just got a panic attack, so what? Derek is an Alpha wolf who froze the second he saw fire. I whimpered like a bitch when someone ripped off my scales. Are we weak in your eyes?'' Nic said with a heated glare.

''No, of course not!'' Stiles said vehemently.

''Then why beat yourself up about a fucking panic attack, huh? Why?'' Nic pushed.

''Because I always have been weak! I get hurt, I fail with simple tasks, I - I-''

''You are human. We are, too, at least partly. We know that you aren't perfect, but we also know that you will do everything to protect the ones you love, and you love us. We aren't asking you to confront Blake, but you will do that, and you will blast her in the next century. Just because you can and because she hurt Derek. And you are going in with back-up. This panic attack is nothing in comparison to what you can do. Don't let it pull you down. We are here for you every step of the way.'' Nic says, now a lot softer than before.