Chapter 39

''No! No! No! Tessa, stay with me!'' He could feel blood trickle through his fingers where he pushed on the wound—sucking as much pain out of it as possible.

''You can't die, you said one time that nobody would miss you. You're wrong, we would, God Tessa, Lydia would, Jackson would, I would. I'm your Alpha, remember. You can't die on me.'' Stiles was rambling, he knew it, but he couldn't find it in him to care.

Lydia was kneeling next to them while Stiles cradled Tessa in his arms. Derek and Jackson had killed the other hunters that weren't already dead yet. When that was finished, they joined Stiles, Tessa, and Lydia on the floor.

Lydia was sobbing, and Tessa was holding Lydia's hand. Derek sniffed the air and turned his gaze on the door. Peter and his dad came crashing through.

Taking in the scene and knowing that something was very wrong. Stiles kept mumbling in Tessa's ear, not ready to lose her, not wanting to lose Tessa, his first beta. One of his closest friends, even if he just had known her for three months.

''Why aren't you burning wolfsbane?'' His dad asked, and Stiles could've laughed, but he only wanted to cry.

''Because it's mistletoe, it doesn't work like that with mistletoe poisoning,'' Peter explained.

Stiles's head shot up, looking at Peter.

''Derek saved Cora's life from mistletoe poisoning by draining it out of her.'' He stated, still looking at Peter. Peter looked uncomfortable before nodding.

''He did, and he almost didn't get his Alpha spark back. It was because Scott wasn't ready to be Alpha that his spark returned.''

Stiles was already nodding before grasping Tessa's arm and hand tightly in his. He was determined to let her live.

''Just keep pulling until everything is healed, right?'' Stiles said, still only looking at Peter. Peter nodded but looked grim.

''Stiles-'' Jackson started. Stiles glanced at his other beta.

''I know, Jacks, but I can't let her die,'' Stiles mumbled.

Jackson nodded with tears in his eyes, knowing that he couldn't change Stiles's mind. Not that he wanted to, because Tessa already felt like a sister to him. Something he never had before. Stiles started to pull the pain away from Tessa, who's eyes were glazed over. She wasn't seeing them at all.

Her face had turned an ashen color, and Stiles was afraid he was already too late. Then Derek was next to him, grabbing his hands in his. Stiles wanted to snap and tell him to fuck off. Until he saw Derek's face.

''I can't lose her, Der,'' Stiles mumbled while tears were streaming down his face.

''You aren't going to. I will do it. I know how, and I will happily have you as my Alpha.''

Stiles reeled back. What the actual fuck. Was Derek serious?

''I - I can't ask that of you!'' Stiles said, aghast.

''You're not asking, I'm offering. Stiles, you're a natural Alpha. When you finally got back to us, and I found out you were an Alpha, my first thought was that all my betas would want you as their Alpha and that if I weren't already Alpha, I would have submitted to you right then and there. Let me do this.''

''But Derek-'' Stiles couldn't finish his sentence. Seeing the determined look he got from Derek, he knew he couldn't change the man's mind. Stiles felt numb for a moment from the information before he nodded, then he surged forward to capture Derek's lips in a passionate kiss.

When he pulled away, Derek started to drain the pain from Tessa's form. Stiles heard Derek beginning to pant from the strain he felt, from the pain Tessa was having.

Stiles's eyes started to water again, not wanting to see his mate in any pain. Then Derek threw his head back and roared, his eyes shifting from Alpha red to beta blue.

Tessa got some color back in her face before gasping and sitting up, the wound in her stomach gone. She looked around her, clearly not having heard what happened in the past minutes.

''Stiles?'' She croaked out before throwing her arms around her Alpha, who embraced her just as fiercely.

When she pulled back, she turned to smile at Lydia, but Lydia was glaring at Tessa, and she shrunk a little in herself.

''Lydia?'' Tessa asked carefully before holding out her hand to the banshee, trying to gauge her reaction.

Lydia then surprised everyone by punching into Tessa's arms before kissing Tessa so hard that she fell back against the floor with Lydia on top of her.

Stiles smiled and looked at Derek, who looked tired but content. Stiles grabbed the back of Derek's head and brought their foreheads together.

''Are you okay?'' Stiles whispered.

''Yes, I only miss a pack bond with my Alpha. Could you fix that?'' Derek said with a soft smile.

''No,'' Stiles said while smirking at Derek, who looked like he wanted to argue.

''I don't want a regular pack bond with you. I want a mate bond with you.'' Stiles then said, shutting Derek up in the middle of a word.

''I-I would like that too.'' Derek croaked out, making Stiles beam at him before kissing him.

They pulled apart when they heard someone scrape their throat a little obnoxious. Stiles looked at his father, who was clearly trying to look elsewhere than Derek and Stiles.

''Son, I'm really happy for you and really glad that you're safe again, but could you maybe put on some clothes if you start kissing your boyfriend?''

Stiles blushed from the tip of his toes to his head. At least, that was how hot he felt at that moment from embarrassment.

He let out a choking noise, and Jackson, Tessa, and Lydia started to laugh. At least Derek seemed to be in a similar way as Stiles. Only with clothes instead of being naked.

Stiles turned back into his wolf because it would be easier at the moment. Then they made their way back to the bigger room. Peter was pouting while his dad clapped him on the shoulder, laughing.

''What is wrong?'' Derek asked, confused why his uncle was pouting right now.

''He had bet money on Stiles, but in the chaos, he didn't get paid.''