Imprint From Out Of Town {Staul-StilesxPaul}

Chapter 38: An engagement

"Yes," Jake finally shouted, so loud I'm sure all the people of forks could hear it.

"Woohoo!" Stiles shouted, throwing a fist up in celebration when I relayed the information. The room around us exploded with similar outbursts, mates reaching for each other in joy to celebrate their family and happiness.

"Yes!" Jake laughed with joy.

And then I was sure they were kissing and did my best to tune that out, because no thanks. It took them more than a few moments to untangle themselves and sort themselves out, but then they were coming up the stairs hand in hand and everyone in the room was bubbling with excitement. Stiles had somehow wriggled his way away from me and gotten to them first, pulling them each into a fleeting hug before handing them off to their parents.

It was easy to relax into the celebratory, joyous air filling the Cullen home at that moment.

Stiles came back to me and I hugged him tightly to my side. There were no threats left- with both the redheaded leech and the newborn army taken care of. Jake was fully healed and back to himself. What more could we ask for?

Jake's smiling face was suddenly within my view, and I took my opportunity to slap him on the back.

"About time he asked you, Black," I joked, and Jake went in for a quick hug. "You two will be insufferable now." I fake gagged and Jake laughed.

"As if we're any better," Stiles smirked as he pulled me in.

It was Jake's turn to gag now, but I barely heard him as Stiles leaned in for a kiss with his long lashes fluttering shut. I could never, would never, deny him.

"You're trouble," I reminded him between presses of his lips.

"You love me," he reminded right back with a smirk, and I couldn't deny that.

"I do," I agreed, and Stiles' smirk widened.

"God, get a room," Isaac groaned beside us, coaxing a laugh from Scott.

"Don't tempt us," Stiles grinned wickedly. Scott coughed out a laugh at the look on Isaac's face.

Stiles looked back up at me, wiggling farther into my embrace. His wide, doe eyes were gazing at me as if I was the only person in the whole world, and it was both intoxicating and utterly terrifying. Scott was smiling at his best friend, but that smile began to fade as his eyebrows drew down into a frown. I vaguely registered it, but was almost completely enraptured by my beautiful imprint and the raw emotion in his eyes. I was ready for this, so completely ready to spend every possible moment of the rest of forever with him.

🐾 🌲 🐾 🌲 🐾

It was later in the day, and both the Quileutes and the Cullen's had somehow disappeared, except for myself and Emmett, and I knew Edward must have mentioned the need for privacy before the Hale-McCall pack went home. Emmett was eyeing us curiously, so I knew Edward hadn't betrayed the information. I smirked and wiggled my eyebrows at the curious vampire across the room, and his eyes narrowed at me suspiciously.

Stiles cleared his throat, and then the room was utterly quiet. I was again reminded of the similarities between our packs. When an alpha speaks, he has the attention of every member of the pack, unquestionably.

"There's, there's something I need to tell you all..." Stiles trailed off, running his hand through his hair nervously. "Before you go home."

"Before we go home," Isaac corrected him with a quirked brow.

Stiles swallowed thickly, glancing up at me through his lashes. I gave him a small smile of encouragement, squeezing his hip. I glanced out at his pack at the same time he did, trying to read the room.

Derek already knew, and he looked very carefully blank. Scott, he looked like a kicked puppy already, so he must suspect. Lydia had a knowing look in her eyes as she regarded Stiles, and I knew that she'd already figured it out. She was too smart not to have. But Malia, Kira, Isaac and Liam all just looked up at their third alpha curiously.

And Jackson... he looked dangerously suspicious.

"That's... actually... what I need to talk to you about," Stiles bit his lip.

Every werewolf in the room tensed, clearly catching a scent that alarmed them. I had no doubt it was Stiles' sadness. Liam stood up instantly, his gaze piercing.

"Stiles, Stiles what is it?" Liam demanded.

"Before I tell you, I want you all to know that this decision... it's the hardest I've ever made," Stiles warned, he bit his lip again and it looked as if he might be biting hard enough to break skin. I slipped my hand beneath the fabric of his shirt, rubbing my thumb soothingly across his bare skin. He relaxed slightly, releasing his lip from his teeth.

"I've decided that... that I'm going to move here," he said it in a rush. "To Forks," and then he looked up at me. "With Paul."

Liam and Isaac whimpered, and Jackson looked utterly shell shocked. It took everyone a moment to recover, and Stiles gave them the time, meeting each of their eyes in turn. But then there were several groans of annoyance, which I didn't quite understand.

"You guys are my family, my pack," Stiles assured them fiercely. "But Paul..." he looked at me again, and my heart stuttered in my chest. That raw look was back in his eyes. "He's my everything."

Someone made a gagging sound, and then there was laughter. Stiles' pack was smiling now, and more than a few had a knowing look in their eyes.

"Well we all knew this was going to happen eventually," Lydia observed, a subtle smile on her face for Stiles.

"We're so happy for you Stiles," Scott was on his feet in a heartbeat, pulling Stiles from me and into his arms.

The two of them hugged fiercely, and Scott looked at me over Stiles' shoulder. There was both an acceptance and a warning in his eyes, and I nodded my understanding at him. No one would hurt Stiles as long as I lived. He would be as protected with my pack as he was with his own. Scott must have seen what he needed in my eyes, because he released my imprint and stepped back with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Also," he spun around with a smug look, "pay up!"

There was a unanimous groan, and I chuckled as I realized what was going on, meeting Emmett's eyes. The pack had bet how long it would take for Stiles to make the decision, and it was absolutely something Emmett and I approved of. These people would become family for more reasons than one.

"You didn't!" Stiles accused, but a grin was growing on his face and some of the sadness was leaving his eyes.

"They did," Derek said in a bored tone, but there was humour in his gaze as he took in every pack member that begrudgingly handed their money over to Scott.

Jackson looked particularly annoyed about it, and I would be lying if I didn't enjoy it just a little bit.

"That's my boy," Stiles crowed with a slap to Scott's back. "But Derek knew first." Stiles wiggled his eyebrows and Scott's mouth hung open.

"What?!" He demanded, swinging around to look at Derek in disbelief, who shrugged his shoulders casually. "How?!"

"Fight fight fight fight!" Isaac chanted sarcastically, and Stiles cackled at the wounded look on Scott's face.

"Oh come on Scotty boy," Stiles slung an arm around his shoulders. "You know you're my one and only."

"Yeah yeah," Scott huffed, but the grin was slowly reappearing.

The pack laughed, and the spark was back in Stiles eyes. That had gone much better than expected.