THE HYBRID'S MATE, sterek [book 01] ✔

xxvi. blood of truth

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐘𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃'𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘴𝘪𝘹: 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩

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     THE DOOR OPENS NOT long after Peter hangs up. Valerie walks in and shuts the door behind her, her worry clear as daylight on her face. She hurries over to Peter and pulls him into a hug, wrapping her frail arms around him and holding him tightly. Peter responds by holding her gently and closing his eyes, seeming to relax as her scent encompasses him.

     "Val," I say, pulling her from her moment.

     Valerie looks at me with a weak smile. "Stiles."

     "Whose is it?"

     "I don't know. I talked to Deaton and he said we won't be able to tell until I'm further along. Supernatural babies surprisingly develop slower than Human babies, but they still seem to grow at the same rate. They do most of their developing in the final trimester."

     I tangle my fingers in my hair and pull on it, emotions flying through me. The all too familiar sensation of a panic attack washes over me and I look up to see Peter's brilliant blue eyes staring at me with worry. The next second my knees give out and Peter quickly grabs my arm, holding me up.

     "Stiles?" Derek's worried voice fills my ears, but it's all distorted. "What's happening?"

     Peter's voice sounds right next to my ear. "He's having a panic attack. Derek, stay down here with Valerie. I'll deal with this."

     My vision swims as Peter all but drags me to the bathroom. I almost trip several times, but Peter's firm grip won't let me fall. As soon as the carpeted floor is replaced with tile, I am sitting on the cold ground and Peter is kneeling in front of me, his eyes glowing their cold, steel blue. His mouth is moving, and I can barely make out the words.

     "Stiles!" His voice becomes startlingly clear as he digs something sharp into my arm. "Stiles, look at me!"

     I look up at him, my whole body shaking and my breathing and heart going a million miles an hour. "P-Peter..."

     "Hey, it's alright. I promise."

     "W-What..."

     "It's alright. You just need to breathe."

     "B-Baby..."

     "Val's having a baby. Yes. What's wrong with that?"

     "P-Peter...the baby..." Dark spots appear in my vision and my grip on Peter's shirt loosens drastically.

     Peter's expression turns to horror. "Stiles, stay with me!"

     My vision turns completely black and I hear a loud growl of annoyance. Pain flares up my arms and my eyes fly open, burning purple as I let out a loud gasp. My breathing starts to regulate as the sharp pain washes over me and brings me back to the present. My head drops forward and I look at my arms to see Peter's claws buried in my arms, blood trickling down my pale skin. A startling contrast.

     "Stiles?" Peter asks, his voice soft and full of worry. "Stiles, are you alright?"

     I nod shakily. "I-I'm good."

     "Okay. Want to tell me what that was all about?"

     "Val's baby. It could be either of ours."

     Peter face goes devoid of all emotion.

     I meet his stone eyes and shrink back, wincing slightly as his claws dig further into my arms. "Peter."

     He continues to stare at me.

     My eyes burn purple and I growl. "Peter, let go of me."

     Peter blinks rapidly and retracts his claws, but leaves his hands resting on my arms as they heal. He gets into a more comfortable position and stares at the blood covered ground. I stay still and mirror his action of staring at the floor. The way the blood has landed, it looks to be a pattern of sorts.

     My eyes widen. "Peter... My blood..."

     His eyes go wide as he sees it too. "It's... It's a person."

     "It's not just anyone. It's you. Why are you in my blood?"

     "Stiles, the baby. The baby isn't yours!"

     "My blood can tell the truth... Let's add that to the list."

• • •

     Everyone is staring at me with disbelief. I don't blame them. I could hardly believe it myself, and neither could Peter. Valerie and Derek didn't believe me until Peter and myself dragged them to the bathroom and showed them the image my blood had created right before my eyes. There's no doubt in my mind that it is Peter's now.

     Scott is the first one to speak. "Valerie's pregnant, and your blood told you that it is Peter's and not yours?"

     I nod. "That's basically it. It's not a surprise. Really. I mean, look at what I can do already."

     "Controlling Betas and Alphas," Liam says, holding up two fingers. "Rendering Mountain Ash useless, reading our minds, and forcing us to tell the truth. Am I missing anything?"

     "Hiding my scent, and moving objects with my mind."

     "Right," Derek says sarcastically. "How could we forget that you almost broke my goddamn door when you got pissed at me?"

     I glare at my Mate playfully. "If I remember correctly, you pissed me off. You didn't believe me when I straight out told you that I had been Turned."

     "In my defence, you still stunk like a Human."

     "Of course. I couldn't control my abilities back then, sourwolf. It was not long after that that I got a hang of them. Now, I have perfect control over all but one."

     "The blood truth thing?"

     "Yes, Der. The 'blood truth thing'."