Chapter Text
“What the hell are you doing here?” Stiles asks, setting his bag down inside the pack house and walking straight towards the fridge to grab a bottle of water.
It’s the first day of summer before Stiles’ Senior year, and he’s really hoping to just spend the day on the lake after finishing his exhausting final exam schedule.
“Nice to see you, too, Stilinski,” Jackson replies smarmily from the living room.
“Don’t start,” Lydia admonishes them both, standing up from the couch in the living room to join Stiles in the kitchen.
Ignoring Jackson, Stiles asks Lydia again. “What is he doing here?”
“I invited him,” comes Byron’s voice from the stairs. He is followed by Derek, Tony, and Chris. From the blue chalk stain on Tony’s hand, Stiles guesses they were playing pool.
Lydia smiles knowingly and takes the water bottle out of Stiles’ hand before rejoining Jackson, Cora (who had shown up the week before and told everyone that she was commandeering the guest room until the end of the summer), and Isaac on the couch. Stiles just shakes his head and grabs another one for himself.
Chris takes the armchair, so Stiles and Derek sit down on the fireplace ledge and look up at Byron. Byron and Tony are standing by the window, facing inwards towards the room.
“Are we about to find out why Lydia has spent the last few years acting like she knows some big secret?” Stiles asks, sending Lydia a wink from across the room.
Byron inclines his head in agreement. “Ah, yes. Lydia did, indeed, figure out my intentions, when would you say? Was it our first meeting?” he asks the banshee with a twinkle in his eye.
Lydia nods and sits up proudly from her seat in between Isaac and Jackson.
“Your intentions?” Derek repeats, frowning slightly.
Byron clears his throat and stands up to his full height. “There is a reason I make a point of knowing as much as I can about supernatural packs throughout the country. Derek, do you recall how your mother came to be an Alpha?”
Stiles, beginning to understand what Byron was preparing to announce, locks wide eyes with Lydia as Derek responds.
“Yes,” the beta responds, still confused. “My grandmother passed the power down to her when she had become too weary to wield it any longer.”
Byron nods and takes a small step forward. “It was the same in my family. I passed my power down to my daughter, and she was to pass it down to her child when the time was right. However, as you know, she was killed before she was able to do so, and the power found its way back to me.”
Derek nods, his eyes beginning to glaze over in understanding.
Stiles looks around at the rest of the pack and sees his own happiness and pride reflected in their faces.
“Byron –” Derek begins, only to halt at the sight of Byron holding his hand out to stop him.
“I’m old, Derek. And I’m tired. I was never meant to be an Alpha again after I passed the power to my daughter. So I scoured the earth to find a beta worthy of this power, with every intention of passing it down to them when the time came. I had almost given up hope when your pack found us.”
Derek swallows audibly and grabs blindly for Stiles’ hand. Stiles takes it without breaking his gaze from Byron’s face.
“Derek Hale,” Byron says formally.
Derek stands up, bringing Stiles with him. Byron approaches the two until they are only a few feet apart.
The rest of the pack is silent as Byron continues with his focus solely on Derek.
“For three years, I have watched you lead this pack admirably. I have head stories of your past, and have been lucky enough to have earned a place in your present. If you accept this power from me, I only hope that Tony and I can be a part of your future as well. As official betas of the Hale pack.”
Derek closes his eyes and takes a long breath in. He opens them as he exhales. “I accept your offer, and would be proud to have the two of you officially join my pack as betas.”
Isaac, Cora, and Tony erupt into joyous laughter. Lydia wipes a tear from her eyes and hugs Jackson and Chris in turn. Stiles lets go of Derek’s hand while the man shakes Byron’s.
That night, the pack’s happiness takes on a palpable form in the house. Isaac and Stiles can’t stop smiling, and Tony and Byron both look as though an enormous weight has been lifted from their shoulders.
“I still don’t see why Jackson had to be here, though,” Stiles pouts obstinately.
“He was Derek’s first beta,” Byron interjects before Jackson can respond. “I wanted his whole pack in attendance, in case there were any objections to my offer.”
Stiles grumbles, but his attention is caught instead by the long, lingering looks being exchanged between Jackson and Isaac. Lydia is eying the two speculatively with a smirk on her face that Stiles doesn’t want to even try to translate.
“Damn it,” Stiles whispers under his breath towards the three, already accepting defeat. He shakes his head and busies himself with the dishes.
They perform the ceremony a month later down on the dock. It’s more casual than Stiles is expecting, with all of the attendees wearing swim suits, but it is a beautiful day out and they’re planning to spend it on the lake.
It is clear to everyone when the transition of powers takes hold. Byron’s eyes turn gold in the same moment as Derek’s turn a piercing red. Derek gasps and pitches forward, holding himself up with his hands on his knees.
Stiles runs to his side and places his hand on the wolf’s back to steady him.
Byron smiles brightly and looks around for Tony, embracing the boy when he runs to his grandfather’s side.
“I’m ok,” Derek assures Stiles, standing to his full height and looking up towards the sky. He anchors himself to Stiles’ touch and takes a second to look at each of his packmates in attendance.
John, who had flown up to witness the ceremony, sends Derek a proud nod. He’s been visiting more often after Stiles opened up to him about what had happened with Donovan. Their relationship has never been better.
Isaac and Jackson both look happy, but also look like it is taking all of their impulse control not to jump into the lake.
Derek laughs at the two and nods at them to go ahead. They do, and are soon joined by Lydia, Cora, Tony, and Chris.
John follows them more sedately and perches himself on the dock with his feet in the water. Lo joins him immediately and curls up with her head resting on his thigh.
Byron holds his hand out and shakes Derek’s.
“I don’t know what to say,” admits Derek sheepishly. “Thank you.”
But Byron just smiles at him and nods once in peaceful understanding. He turns around and takes a seat next to John, scratching the ever-growing puppy behind the ears.
Stiles turns his attention back towards Derek. “My, what red eyes you have, Alpha Hale,” he says, batting his eyelashes.
Derek growls at him playfully and picks him up in a single, sweeping motion. Ignoring Stiles’ pleas for leniency, the Alpha walks him over to the edge of the dock and addresses his pack.
“For my first act as Alpha, I will now throw the love of my life into the lake. All those in favor, say ‘aye.’”
“Aye,” comes a chorus of voices in the lake and on the dock.
“Traitors!” Stiles yells as he’s suddenly airborne. He hits the water with a loud splash and surfaces seconds later by Jackson.
For a second, it looks as though the wolf is reaching forward to help Stiles, but at the last second he pulls away. “Not exactly the happily ever after you were hoping for, is it, Stilinski?” Jackson asks snidely to cover up the moment of vulnerability.
Stiles just smiles at him and shakes his head, already swimming back towards the dock to enact his revenge. “On the contrary, Jacks. This is exactly what my happily ever after looks like.”