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Derek leaves Danny’s bar later than he intended. He likes spending time at the bar whenever Stiles is out of town. Since the overseas auction, Stiles’ shop has been inundated with requests. Their latest job is a simple one and Stiles is on a road trip with Isaac to pick up scavenged ’67 Chevy Impala. The customer wants it restored to match a similar vehicle on a TV show that escapes Derek’s memory. It's a short trip and he expects them back tomorrow. Killing time at Danny’s makes the separation easier to bear – but he wanted to be home before dark. Since he’s gone off his suppressants to ready himself for a pup, his scent is more enticing than ever to alphas. He has an open invitation to stay with Liam and Jackson but Derek wants to be able to stay on his own for the shorter separations.
Derek reaches his Camaro and unlocks the door. He hears footsteps behind him but before he can turn, a burning sensation flares on his neck just above the leather collar he wears with so much pride. Derek drops to his knees on the rough asphalt. He groans in pain as the shock leaves his muscles trembling. He sags against the car door.
“That’s better,” a man says behind him.
Derek’s nostrils flare and a scent that haunts his nightmares fills his nose. He growls but his body just gets another jolt from the stunner and his limbs refuse to obey him. The alpha talks while he manhandles Derek into the small backseat. Derek is easily folded with his ass in the air and his face pressed into the leather seat. Derek growls again, trying to shake off the stunner’s effects. He feels fear dig icy claws into his brain when the alpha climbs on top of him and the door slams. The man grips the back of Derek’s neck and he lets out a desperate sound of protest as his body instinctually goes boneless. The moan that escapes him when his collar comes off is filled with despair. His brain is screaming that this is wrong wrong wrong.
“Oh don’t you still smell sweet, handsome … you know who I am? Good,” the man murmurs. “Imagine my surprise to see you and that skinny little excuse for an alpha in the paper … did you tell him about me? Did you tell him he was just getting my sloppy seconds? I was your first, Derek … don’t think I’ve forgotten.”
Gerard Argent. Derek fights the painful paralysis in his body even as his blood runs cold. Forget? He will never forget the voice or the sour scent of the guard that allowed four alphas in to rape him during his first Heat. He will never forgive the man that took his 15-year old body when Derek could neither consent nor resist because he was too overwhelmed by the biological drive to mate.
Derek feels Gerard's hand reaching around him to unbuckle his belt and pop the top button on his jeans. He whines helplessly. The pressure point on his neck will keep him unable to fight back unless he can somehow override his own nervous system and buck Gerard off. Derek feels like his heart is going to punch out of his chest. He fights to keep focus instead of sinking into his panic. He's so intent on this he barely registers the Camaro door opening and the weight on his neck disappearing. Feeling surges into his muscles and he looks around to see the last person he expected – Stiles.
His alpha drags Gerard out of the car and tosses him half-way across the lot like he weighs nothing. Derek knows Stiles’ body as well as his own by now but he’s never seen one of Stiles’ alpha rages. It’s like the slender body has somehow become larger but Derek knows it’s just the sudden aggression that’s surging through Stiles. All the alpha instincts that Stiles keeps under careful control are free and in control – Derek can scent his Mate from where he stands and it screams possession and fury. The growl that reverberates through the night air makes every nerve-ending in Derek’s body light up and he has to hold onto the door frame to keep from going to his knees. Stiles has one booted foot on Gerard’s neck now, his fingers curled like claws. The older man struggles to breathe, slapping helplessly at Stiles' calf.
“One step, old man,” Stiles rumbles, his voice deadly. “One step is all it takes to crush the miserable fucking life out of you.”
Derek looks up at voices and sees a crowd of bar patrons forming. Danny stands at the door on the phone. Kira pushes her way to the front with her shock rod crackling. The crowd gives her a wide berth. Derek realizes things could go very bad very quickly, so he moves into Stiles’ line of sight.
“Alpha?” Derek asks softly, pitching his voice low into the omega register. “Stiles, I’m fine.”
“He laid hands on you, cub,” Stiles snarls, not looking up. “This miserable sack of shit had the balls to touch what is mine – “
Another growl escapes Stiles and Derek knows his Mate is in serious danger of losing everything to the red that has to be clouding his vision by now. He's never seen his alpha so angry. Derek softly purrs and steps closer to Stiles.
“Don’t, cub …” Stiles begins.
Derek stops coming closer but he keeps purring. If things weren’t so tense right now, he wouldn’t dream of making this sound in public. He knows, however, that it’s probably the one thing that will reach Stiles in whatever rage-induced trance he’s slipping into.
“He’s nothing, Stiles. He’s not even worth your anger. Let the police deal with him,” Derek counsels gently.
“Stiles? Buddy, can you hear me?”
Derek looks over to see Jackson and Ethan approaching carefully. Jackson motions for the omega keep talking while he walks closer to his friend.
“Get the fuck away from me, Jax … he had Derek in the car … he was going to … this fucker was going to rape my omega!” Stiles says, his voice so far gone into the alpha ranges it makes Derek’s head spin.
Stiles boot presses down on Gerard’s throat ever so slightly and the man begins to struggle in earnest to breathe. He claws ineffectually at Stiles’ leg. Jackson moves closer, praying he isn’t going to have to arrest his best friend and brother for murder tonight.
“Stiles … listen to Derek. He’s not worth it. He’s not worth killing,” Jackson says softly.
“I'm ok, alpha ... he didn't do anything to me ... you promised you'd keep me safe and you did ... you kept your promise,” Derek says. “I love you, Stiles ... I don't say it enough but I do … don’t let him take you away from me. Please, Stiles … stay with me.”
Stiles looks up then, meeting Derek’s eyes. The green-eyed omega looks at him pleadingly. He cocks his head and the rage seems to melt off his frame.
“Cub?”
The word comes out in Stiles’ normal voice. He steps away from Gerard as if nothing untoward has occurred. He doesn’t even look back as he walks to Derek. Stiles pulls the omega against him and Derek lets himself fold into Stiles without resistance. His entire body trembles as the emotion of the moment catches up to him. Derek never wanted to be claimed by an alpha but he never understood it would be like this – he never understood it would be so wonderful to belong so completely to someone who would do anything to keep him safe.
Derek inhales deeply, taking his alpha’s scent into him and clearing away the smell of Gerard. He gratefully stands still as Stiles’ hands quickly feel over him to make sure he’s whole and unhurt. Stiles releases a vicious snarl when his hands lightly dance over Derek’s bare neck. Derek purrs, knowing his alpha is angry not only at the bruises and burns but at the absence of his collar. Derek gently nuzzles against Stiles’ temple.
“I’ll be fine … we’ll go to the ER after this,” Derek promises.
Stiles looks toward Gerard and sees that Ethan has him in cuffs and Jackson is reciting his rights as he’s led toward the squad car. Gerard protests loudly albeit hoarsely.
“He attacked me! This is a frame-up! I’m the one who’s been wronged! You’ll hear --!”
Gerard’s voice vanishes in a short yelp and a long groan as he crumples to the ground. Ethan, who had hold of the cuff chain, curses and shakes his hand, glaring at Kira while Jackson drags the limp alpha upright and bundles him into the backseat of his cruiser. He turns with a long-suffering sigh and a hand held out.
Kira shrugs. “Oops?”
“Right,” Jackson says, rolling his eyes. “Hand it over.”
Kira rolls her own eyes and hands Jackson the shock rod. He secures it in his vehicle and looks at the surrounding crowd.
“Alright, break it up,” the alpha orders. When no one moves, he reaches for his door. “I can always give it back to her, you know.”
The crowd disperses back into the bar, Ethan working at herding any stragglers. Jackson knows he’ll probably steal a minute or two with Danny before they head out again. Kira follows with a smug grin on her face and Jackson chuckles. She has another prod in the office inside the bar but he has to appear like he isn’t showing favoritism. Jackson looks over and sees Derek still in Stiles’ arms, the alpha murmuring softly to his Mate.
“You ok, Derek?” Jackson asks, walking up slowly so he doesn't alarm Stiles again. He knows too well how tense the alpha will be for a while.
Derek nods and gives a fond look at his alpha when Stiles gives a disbelieving snarl. “I’ll be fine … just need to go to the ER for the burns.”
“Are you going to --?” Stiles growls at Jackson. He jerks his chin toward Gerard.
Jackson looks over his shoulder at the squad car. “Assault, easy … I'll need your statements later. Oh, have them run a rape kit, too, Derek.”
Stiles bristles at this. He looks accusingly at Derek. “You said he didn’t –“
“He didn’t,” Derek promises gently. “He didn’t get that far, but it’ll put the bruises and burns on record as part of the assault charge along with any other evidence they collect from the car. Otherwise his lawyer can just claim you did this to me.”
Jackson blinks. “Do I want to know why you are so well-versed in this?”
“Probably not,” Derek replies with an unreadable expression on his face.
Jackson doesn’t press. He knows Derek’s history is a checkered one and uninvited questions about what alphas have done to him over the years are probably not welcome.
“Come on, then,” Stiles says, leading Derek to his Jeep. “Let’s get this over with.”
Three hours later, Derek’s neck is bandaged and Stiles has been given prescriptions to fill for pain meds. Gerard is safely behind bars and Stiles has his Mate home again. He hasn’t said much all night because he’s feeling everything too strongly. He’s afraid of how Derek sees the night’s events and he doesn’t know how to ask the question. Mostly, despite what Derek said in the parking lot ... Stiles is scared blind that his omega is going to run again.
Derek knows Stiles is uncertain about things so the minute the door is safely bolted and locked, he takes Stiles’ hand and leads him to the bedroom. The alpha follows willingly, but he balks when they reach the room. Derek toes off his boots and steps back, arms spread wide.
“Go ahead,” Derek says.
Stiles blinks. “What are you –“
“Undress me, wash me, mark me … do whatever you have to do so I don’t smell like him,” Derek explains.
Stiles stands, gaping stupidly for a minute before he’s in motion. Derek lets Stiles manipulate him however he likes as his alpha removes every layer of clothing. Stiles takes off his own clothes and guides Derek to the bathtub where he runs water. Derek doesn’t speak and neither does Stiles – the omega knows his Mate is too far into his alpha headspace. He wants to do this – he wants to give Stiles the freedom to reclaim him. And with every stroke of the washcloth, Derek feels the tension of the night slough away.
Stiles tenderly washes his omega being very careful not to wet the bandages on his neck. He takes away every trace of Gerard’s scent and growls in a self-satisfied way when Derek is dry and only smells of his own warm, clean skin. The omega tentatively kisses Stiles and groans happily when the alpha deepens it. Derek lets himself be led to the bedroom again and easily goes down on the mattress under Stiles.
“I love you, cub … God I love you so much,” Stiles murmurs against the heated skin. “Please don't ... I know it's a lot but I just can’t … he touched you …”
Derek gently takes Stiles’ face in his hands and brings the amber eyes up. “I'm not going anywhere, Stiles. Touch me ... do whatever you need but I want to feel you … just you. I need to know I'm yours."
Stiles smiles then but it’s predatory and Derek can't look away from the sparking amber gaze. Derek stops breathing when his alpha lunges forward and bites the crook of his neck. He arches upward with a low moan, wet and ready for his Mate in an instant. His cock is hard and the air is suddenly full of Derek’s arousal. Stiles chuckles darkly, knowing exactly what he’s done. Derek thrills to the sound … to every sound Stiles is making. He feels like he did their first night together – only this time, Derek realizes how deeply in love he is with Stiles and how completely he trusts the alpha. It frees him to the point that he slides into his compliant omega headspace without a fight. His eyes dilate and suddenly Derek couldn’t imagine that he has any other purpose than this one – to please his Mate and receive pleasure in return.
Stiles sees and feels the moment Derek relinquishes control. The omega’s body relaxes beneath him and a sweet edge blooms on Derek’s scent. His Mate tilts his head back, exposing the sublime curve of his throat. Stiles’ fingertips dance over the mating scar and he feels a stone growing in his throat. Derek isn’t in Heat … which means this absolute submission is voluntary. Derek chose this and he trusts that Stiles won’t hurt him. The alpha blinks back tears and kisses his Mate.
“So beautiful,” Stiles murmurs, nipping at Derek’s lips. “Always so beautiful … my sweet cub … mine …”
Derek writhes under the tender words, his body thrumming with need. He spreads his legs for Stiles and keens when the alpha slides home. His body rocks in tandem with Stiles’, soft gasps and moans escaping as Derek wraps his legs around his Mate’s waist to hold him close.
Stiles watches Derek come apart beneath him. He growls happily when Derek’s eyes find him and he wordlessly asks permission to come. At his slight nod, Derek tightens around him and bows off the mattress with whispered words of love and pleas. Stiles follows him down the rabbit hole a moment later. Derek gets little sleep.
The next day, a pleasantly relaxed Derek and Stiles pick up Derek’s car and drop it off to be shampooed and cleaned of any trace of Gerard. Stiles returns Derek's collar to his neck. His Mate's extreme relief and gratitude prompts a frantic coupling in the Jeep. A few days later a small plus sign appears on Derek's weekly pregnancy test.