Through the years

61.

Waking up that evening, Stiles knew immediately that something was different. He couldn't remember what at first. He was still hazy, his mind very much clouded with sleep as he blinked his eyes opened and stretched his limbs as he looked around himself. He noticed that it wasn't morning as he had expected to wake up to. It was dark outside and it looked to be around dinner time. 

Stiles was confused, wondering why he had slept till the evening until he recalled having slept with Derek for hours. With a lazy grin, the brunette turned his head to the side and looked at the sleeping figure laying by his side. Derek Samuel Hale. What a beauty he was. Stiles turned on his side and sighed in contentment as he stared at his mate for a few minutes. Soon enough, it was Derek's turn to wake up from his deep slumber and he looked back at his mate as soon as he opened his eyes. But as they finally made eye contact, Stiles was hit with reality. 

He felt it instantly. 

The gentle and strong thread wrapped around their hearts and which connected them to each other. 

It was stronger than the first one they had shared in the past. 

They could both feel it. 

And it wasn't Stiles only who felt it immediately. Derek did too and he felt how the thread thrummed in happiness at being acknowledged again. Now Derek understood why they had been all over each other like that earlier in the day. They were forming their second thread. The first one had been developed during their first kiss and while a first kiss holds a lot of power for a thread, the kind of intimate act they performed a few hours ago was much more effective. 

Because at that moment, they had been happy and they had felt so much love for each other. It had been a great day no matter the incident with Derek's old friends, they had still been happier than they had been in a very long time. Perhaps the moon goddess had felt it and graced them the honour of sharing a second thread. 

A much stronger and powerful thread.

And unknowingly, in that very moment, the two alphas made the same promise. 

To never do anything that would result in losing this thread every again. 

They vowed to always protect it and care for it for the rest of their lives. 

Stiles was hit with a flash of memory as he kept staring at his world. He remembered one specific night, the two of them had been laying just like this in Derek's bed back at the Hale house. It had been a year since Stiles had travelled and it was expected of him to travel back to his own timeline. Derek was terrified of being left alone and Stiles hadn't felt much better. And they talked that night, trying to stay awake as much as possible. Stiles could remember Derek telling him about the mate bond, he remembered the wolf telling him that Stiles was making everything clearer by his mere presence. That he was making Derek's life colourful and that losing him would leave his life a dull grey.

Stiles had felt so sad that night. Both because he didn't want to leave his mate behind and because of Derek's words to him. Derek was making him feel extremely guilty and he remembered feeling helpless. He had felt like a bastard for leaving even though he didn't have any other choice in the matter. Thankfully, they were given more time together, they were allowed an entire year to spend together. Stiles was glad he had been granted so much time with the Hales. Because no matter how sad he still was and how guilty he still felt, he was still going to remember those two years for the rest of his life. 

He was granted the honour of being able to tell people that he knew the Hale pack. He knew them and he was part of their pack, of their family. 

He was Talia Hale's beta.