Sterek Library (a03 Edition)

Beginning

By Sareru on a03

When Lydia left the formal to search for Jackson, Stiles knew.

He knew that she still loved him, that she would probably never stop loving him and that he had no chance to ever be with her.

The following days, when he was staying in the hospital to watch over her, he didn't stay because he loved her. Well, maybe he did still love her, but is was more guilt than love that made him stay.

He had let her go, outside, alone. Even though he knew it was dangerous, that there was an alpha walking the streets and that he wanted to kill. And still, out of reasons he didn't know, he had let her walk out there, straight into misery.

And that was something that would probably haunt him forever. And it was easier telling everyone he was watching over her because she was still his crush than admitting that he had been that stupid when he was actually supposed to be so smart.

-

Derek knew something was different whenever he saw Stiles and Lydia together. He'd grown fond of that little, annoying brat who would never keep his mouth shut and always wanted to save the world with the little human power he had.

The smell of fear was all over Stiles whenever he was with his friends. His heartbeat was different. It was a steady, fast rhythm of blood being pumped through his veins whenever they were outside, opposed to that uneven thumping and pumping and pausing that had been going on before the girl was bitten by Peter.

And Derek knew why, he knew the reason perfectly well.

He knew the feeling of losing those that are closest to you. He knew the feeling of letting them run into their own doom when you should have known better. He knew what it was like to be afraid.

Derek understood.

And even though Stiles hadn't gotten the bite, even though he was not a werewolf, he still belonged to the pack. He cared for them even though he was so supposedly normal. And Derek was glad that he was normal. He hadn't had "normal" in his life for a really long time now.

But now there was Stiles.

As part of the pack. Part of his new, little, slowly forming family.

A part of him.