Chapter 20

When Stiles woke up the next morning, he had come to a couple of conclusions. First, his back was killing him. Second, he was extremely hot being sandwiched between two people, werewolves to boot, and third, they would book tickets today to Los Angeles, where they would take a rental to Beacon Hills.

He struggled to get out of the puppy pile that was now on the floor in front of the couch. No wonder his back was killing him.

Stiles threw his hands in the air in victory when he finally extracted himself from the bodies. Tessa and Jackson both grumbled in their sleep, not wanting to wake just yet. They curled around each other, and Stiles couldn't help but coo at them. He quickly took a picture with the mobile Tessa had bought for him.

He installed it as his background before getting some coffee from the kitchen. He was thinking about how he could handle the big reveal with his dad and the rest of the pack.

Would they really have missed him as much as Jackson told him? He really hopes so. He has missed them enough.

Is it possible to be with two Alphas in one town? And how will Derek react to him? First, he thought that the Alpha maybe would be impressed, but would he really? That stoic face would never leave Stiles. Derek probably wouldn't even give a shit if he would come back or if he didn't.

He was still thinking of Derek when he felt arms come around his neck and a kiss placed on his head.

''Hey, are you okay?'' Tessa whispered in his ear.

Stiles smiled. He shouldn't be thinking of Derek, not when he had Tessa and Jackson to worry about. Derek took care of Stiles's dad if he could believe Jackson, and he will always be grateful for that.

But Derek and Stiles? It wouldn't work. He didn't even know if Derek was attracted to guys. No, he had Tessa now. She was already so important to him and his life. Without her, he would have still been stuck in the compound. And she wanted him too, why would he ruin that?

''Yeah, I'm okay. I was just thinking about some things we need to take care of as soon as possible. Could you book us the first available flights to LA?'' He asked her. When he turned to look at her, she was smiling a knowing smile. Like she already was expecting the change in scenery.

''I will take care of it.'' She said before kissing him softly on the lips and turning around to get her laptop.

Stiles made breakfast while Tessa worked on the laptop to get the best tickets, and apparently, she also already rented a car.

Jackson stumbled into the kitchen, and Stiles just wordlessly gave him some coffee. It already felt like family, and they worked perfectly together. Stiles was thinking about Scott now. Would Scott want to be his beta? Could he ask that of him? Could he ask Derek to give him up? Alpha business was serious shit. He knew a little about pack dynamics and stuff, but not everything by a long shot. He was now acting purely on instinct.

''I got the tickets. We are flying tonight,'' Tessa announced, making Stiles spit out his coffee.

''That fast?'' He mumbled while cleaning up the mess.

''Yeah, I thought, why wait? We always can stop on our way to Beacon Hills and stay at a hotel or something if it becomes too much.'' Tessa says softly, smiling at Stiles and hoping to calm him down.

Stiles nods. He can do this. He needs to let his father know he is okay. He had Tessa and Jackson. They will stand by him.

''It's okay, we should start packing then. Do you need anything else before we go? How will it go if you're house is sold?''

''The estate agent will contact me if that happens, and then they still need to set a date for the move. For us, it's flexible. If the new homeowner wants to wait a couple of months, that's fine. Then we have time enough to get the rest of my stuff to move to our new home.''

''We don't have a new home?'' Stiles asks while raising his eyebrow. It would just be like Tessa to already have a couple of options for that.

''Not yet we don't, but we can look for one, or do you plan on living with your dad? Because to be honest, I would like a place to call home together with the two of you. A packhouse they call it, right?'' Tessa rushed out, now blushing.

Stiles beamed at her. He had thought about living with his dad again, but a packhouse would be awesome together with his own pack. It was exactly what he didn't know he wanted until Tessa brought it up. And by the looks of Jackson's face, he liked the idea too.

Stiles pulled her into a hug, and Jackson buried his face in her neck. Through the bond, he could feel the giddy happiness from both his betas. It made him happy that his packmates were so eager to stay together.

''That's an awesome idea, but how do we afford it?'' Stiles then asked because he really didn't have any money. He already felt guilty that Tessa was paying for his clothes and other essentials. He couldn't ask this of her.

''We can use the fundings that come from the sell of the house,'' Tessa answered.

''No, you can't keep paying for everything, Tess,'' Stiles said with a sad tone. He really couldn't accept that.

''Stiles, listen to me, I want to do this. You have given me something I didn't have since I was eleven. This is the least I can do after you gave me a family, a pack. I got some money when I turned eighteen from my mom and dad's death. With that, I bought this house and funded my training as an artist, and you have seen my tattoos and paintings. Do you really think I did that for free? I have enough money to do this, so please, just let me help. I want this.'' Tessa pleaded with big puppy eyes.

Stiles pulled her into a hug again while meeting Jackson's eyes above Tessa's head. Jackson had a soft smile before mouthing, 'I still have a Porsche.' Stiles snorted out a laugh before hitting Jackson on the arm. Asshole.

They soon started packing everything they could take with them on the plane, and before Stiles could let it really sink in, the taxi that would take them to the airport was already there.

They would fly for more than eleven hours. When Stiles entered the cabin of the plane, he scrunched up his nose. It smelled so bad in here! To be in this for eleven hours would be torture, but there was not another option.

Jackson, Tessa, and Stiles took turns sleeping. Their wolves really didn't want to let their guard down, and that's why they took turns to look after each other.

Stiles got more anxious the further they got. He knew his dad would be glad to see him, ecstatic even, but would he believe Stiles with his story? The wolves could listen to his heart and smell him, so he knew that they would believe him eventually.

But his dad? Okay, he now knew of the wonders and terrors of the supernatural world, but still, people don't always come back from the dead. Well, if you rule out Peter at least.