Stiles stood frozen in his tracks. Staring in unabashed shock and confusion at the man that was slowly going down on one knee infront of him a few feet away.
Was this some kind of prank? Was this some kind of joke? Was this some trick Jackson and his merry band of jackasses pulled together to make him look even more like a loser?
The man was the most handsome man he'd ever seen. Like for real? He had the chiseld jaw and the broad shoulders and strong muscles and oh... oh... red eyes... Oh by the Gods!
This was a wolf... not just a wolf... this was an Alpha wolf. Stiles quickly looks behind the man to see the large 10 point buck that was dead and laying on a cart that the man had piled full of not only the fresh kill, but also baskets full of freshly picked fruits and herbs.
There was even a bearskin which the baskets were laying on top of.
This had to be a joke. Stiles looked around to see if he was standing beside or in front of the intended Claim. But he was on his own.
The little village was in a tense silence all around them. Some of the women clutched their children to their chests in fear.
He remembered to be afraid. Fear tingled up his spine and he looked back to the Alpha who suddenly looked up after a sniff and his bushy brows were pinched together in what looked like anger.
Stiles stepped back on instint from the bright red eyes. But then The wolf looked pained and the red faded quickly into a beautiful multicolored hazel green that reminded Stiles of the forest bathed in the golden light of the dawn.
He stopped moving away. He remembered those eyes. He knew those eyes.
The man that had those eyes couldn't be the boy he remembered. He just couldn't. The boy he remembered was soft and gentle and yet spunky and brazen. He was nothing like the hard quiet brooding dangerous looking man that knelt before him.
"D-Derek?" Stiles soflty whispered knowing that a wolf would be able to hear him clearly from this far away.
Suddenly the anger and pain left those green eyes and relief flooded into them as his face relaxed. He nodded. "Yes Stiles."
"W-what are you doing?" Stiles muttered as he looked at him in confusion.
Derek frowned again. "I bring you offerings to show I can take care of you." Derek motioned to the cart full of food and a bear fur cloak. "I hunted and gathered all for you."
Stiles blinked between the cart and Derek. "But... But why me?" Stiles has a long and well known bad luck streak with any type of courting. He had been rejected by Lydia and had been laughed at by the boy who won her instead. He was then rejected over and over again by the other boys he tried to catch their eyes and tried to court. The females had seemed to all find him more of a nusance rather than courting material. And the young men his age held no interest for him. The only time that a girl had shown interest was a feral woods woman that was apart of a nomadic pack that came sniffing around him only long enough to get his first kiss then to say he tasted wrong.
He was the only virgin boy of his age in all the village and he had stopped trying to court at all in the last two years. Yesterday had been his coming of age day.
His brother Scott was already betrothed and the wedding day was soon coming up. But he himself had already given up finding some type of companion.
This had to be a dream. Was he dreaming?
"Because you are..." Derek jaw clenched and the tips of his fangs peeked through his lips. "You are my missing half."
A claim was a sacred thing to wolves. It was so sacred that to refuse a claim was to doom the wolf to a life incomplete and unfulfilled.
Stiles looked down at Derek in confusion yet again. "But... but..."
"I think it's a spell."
Stiles and Derek looked up to hear a row of hushed whispers begin from the group of young adults that had gathered not far away. Jackson was the forefront of them. He sneered at Stiles.
"The jinx finally got his freaky power to attract a suitor. He bespelled the wolf. Why else would a powerful alpha want a jinx like Stiles?" Jackson sneared.
Laughter answered him.
Stiles felt the color drain from his face as he felt like his non existant pride was being ripped to shreds.
Growling rumbled from beside him low and dangerous and he spun to see Derek standing now and shifting right before his eyes. His body seemed to grow slightly and his ears and fangs elongated. His features turned sharper and more pronounced and his nails grew into long claws that looked more like talons.
Red eyes the color of blood flared and he took a step towards Jackson.
Stiles feared that Derek would be attacked by the villagers if he attacked Jackson. Stiles sprung into action. He threw himself infront of Derek and put his hands against the rock solid chest that was vibrating with a leathal growl and pushed without effect.
"Derek no don't. Please don't do something stupid because of some asshole and because of me." Stiles called to him.
When his fingers brushed over the solid warm skin covered by black hair across his chest he felt something shock him. A spark.
Dereks growl turned to a purr and his eyes looked down at Stiles and there was a soft whimpering noise that only Stiles could hear coming from Derek.
"Do you accept my offering, Claim?" Dereks voice was more growl than voice. His face still half shifted into that of a werewolf. "Do you accept my courting offer stiles?"
Stiles looked up into those red eyes and something in him told him that Derek would never turn those fangs and claws against him. He had missed his friend. He had missed the way they had played in the creek and in the woods and the way they used to lay in the summer sun in the meadow.
He looked at the wolf infront of him now. Dressed in black leathers and furs across his shoulders. He was so ... so handsome and strong. Even in his shifted state.
Stiles wore muddy brown tunics and dirty trousers with no cloak. There was a smear of parchment ink across his cheek and it stained his fingertips from his studies with the local healer Deaton.
He blinked up as he saw those blazing red eyes gazing at him with something he'd never seen directed at him. Hopeful adoration.
"Yes." Stiles breathed the word shakily.
Derek smiled and Stiles couldn't help but see those bunny teeth hed missed for years. Then Suddenly Stiles was wrapped up in strong arms and gathered against a hard warm chest as Derek nuzzled into his neck. "I have waited so long for this day. I feared you would have already been betrothed."
Stiles laughed and felt embarrassed. "Are you kidding? No one wanted me."
A soft growl is the only warning Stiles got before there was a hot wet tongue licking across his neck and a mouth softly kissing across his pulsepoint. "I have wanted you since I was born."
"But... But you left." Stiles shivers and blushes as he feels his body responding to the touches and kisses of Derek.
There was a soft whine and more nuzzling. "I didn't want to. But the hunters came and ran us off. I wanted to stay... Wanted to be with you but... I had to protect my family."
Stiles held onto the alpha's shoulders and then in his moment of lonliness he asked. "Why didn't you come back?"
Derek drew back to look deep into his eyes then. "I wanted to... but if I had... I would have been to young to control my urges around you after coming of age as a wolf. I would have offered you a wolf claim to young. I had to wait till your coming of age day passed."
Stiles felt moisture pool in his eyes. "I... I missed you Sourwolf."
Derek smiled and leaned down brushing his lips to Stiles mouth then. "I missed you so much Stiles."
Suddenly there was the sound of a sword being unsheathed.
"Stiles!? What the hell is going on? You better get your paws off my son!" John Stilinski bellowed as he came through the crowd towards them.
Stiles blushed and Derek started to growl and pull Stiles closer.
"Father no wait. It's Derek! It's Derek Hale." Stiles called out as he tried to stop his father from attacking.
His father stopped in his tracks and Looked at Derek again who was in his human form again and a look of recognition filled the law keepers eyes. "I was wondering how long it would take you."
"What?" Stiles sputtered as his father just sheathed his sword.
"Come on over to the house. You can clean that stag and we can eat well tonight. Tell your mother that Claudia still wants it to be a summer solstice wedding." The lawkeeper smiled good naturedly.
"You knew? You knew all this time?" Stiles was flailing and nearly lost his footing only to be lifted against the alpha's chest and kissed deeply.