I don't own Teen Wolf or any of the characters in the series, I'm just borrowing them from their respective owners to play with a little and I promise to give them back when I'm done. No copyright infringement is intended and I don't make any money from writing fanfiction.

Omega

His fur is a dark brown colour that matches his hair and very sleek and shiny, no doubt carefully groomed for the evening's festivities. Derek itches to reach out and touch it, run his fingers through it and see if it's as soft as it looks but the omega is terrified and he doesn't want to scare him even more. Instead Derek alternates between looking at his tail and his ears and trying to keep up with the people trying to talk to him as well. He doesn't think that he's doing a very good job of it but at least tonight he's excused for his poor conversation skills as it's perfectly acceptable for an alpha to be distracted at the night of his mating ceremony.

And he is very distracted, just not for the reason that everyone thinks. As an alpha Derek grew out of his feline traits when he was only a couple of years old, contrary to the omega who will keep them all his life, and he can't help being fascinated by the way they twitch and move as the omega reacts to his surroundings. The smallest noise make his ears flick, his tail wraps itself tightly around his waist when someone gets uncomfortably close. No one dares to go as far as to challenge Derek for the omega but they still sidle up close to offer their congratulations, completely disregarding the fact that it makes the young omega hunch over and make himself as small as possible. There is no doubt in Derek's mind that he'd rather be anywhere but here, but there's also no doubt in Derek's mind that Peter's made it absolutely clear to the young omega what would happen if he was to make a scene. It wouldn't be pretty that's for sure.

These days they're not very alike, his uncle and himself. He used to look up to Peter when he was younger but after the attack something changed. Peter's always been protective of their family but now he's nothing short of ruthless and he'd rather have his pack fearing him than respecting him. He works so hard on keeping his public persona as the fierce Hale Alpha that he never really loses it in private either and Derek is saddened when he realizes that he can't stand to be around the last remaining member of his own family because of this. Their opinions clash often, especially since Kate and her betrayal that led to the death of his family. Especially on the subject of omegas.

He's never felt the urge to claim and dominate, to act the way Peter describes it. To pin down, conquer and take what he wants, regardless of the omega's feelings. He remembers his parents' relationship, how it was built on mutual respect and love, and how they never considered one dynamic better than the other, just different. How they worked together as a team. But they're gone now, dead because of Kate and the other hunters, and Peter's arranged this marriage for him to strengthen their pack. He can't do anything about that but what he can do is to get the omega away from the crowd, take him back someplace quiet and try to calm him down before he works himself into a frenzy thinking he'll soon be mated to the nephew of the savage Hale Alpha. Derek can hear his rapid heartbeat, the shallow breathing and he recognizes the signs from when he was younger and still had those moments of overwhelming panic when he thought about the attack and how he was guilty of being fooled into helping Kate executing her plan.

He needs to act fast and luckily he's stayed at the feast long enough that it won't be frowned upon if he excuses the pair of them. If anything, at this stage it'll be encouraged that they move on to the main event of the evening, the one that takes place in Derek's suite with just the two of them.

"I think we'll move this party to a more private location" Derek announces to the people closest to him and tries to avoid wincing as the omega's heartrate suddenly skyrockets. He keeps his arm tightly wrapped around the omega's waist, trying to make it look possessive but also because he's not entirely sure that he'll be able to walk properly on his own because he's pale as a sheet and shaking. Followed by cheers and leers and drunkenly shouted encouragement the pair exits the reception room and they only stop briefly for Derek to request that food is sent to their room. It's customary that the newly mated pair spend several days, sometimes even a week, secluded together and Derek knows that all their meals will be delivered for as long as they stay in their mating suite but he wants to make sure that they get something tonight. He doesn't think that the omega had even one bite of dinner and he must be starving, or at least he will be when Derek gets a chance to calm him down and tell him that he isn't going to maul him and claim him.

The door clicks shut behind him, loud as a gunshot in the tense silence of the room and Derek feels very awkward. He doesn't know how to convey what he feels to the omega and he doesn't know how to make him feel better. He wishes for the millionth time that his parents were still with him.

"Um… I" he starts awkwardly and saved by a sharp knock. Relieved he opens the door to accept the food but when it closes again and he's put the tray down on the table he doesn't know how to proceed.

"So, um. You should probably eat something" he says and the omega, obviously interpreting this as an order, shuffles cautiously closer to the table and takes the smallest piece of fruit that he can find, visibly struggling to eat it. "You, you don't have to. I mean, I just thought you might… You didn't eat much dinner and…" Derek rubs a hand over his face when he realizes that he's not making much sense at all. "Please sit down" he asks and sinks heavily down into the opposite chair, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible by keeping the table in between them. It doesn't seem to work very well as the omega sits stiffly at the edge of the chair, looking firmly at the table.

"What's your name?"

"You can call me whatever you like, sir" the omega answers, eyes still downcast. His whole demeanour is the ultimate picture of omega subservience but it makes Derek crazy to see how much he's forcing himself to play the role when he'd obviously much rather be anywhere else but with Derek. He sighs and tries again.

"Would you give me your name please, the name that your family calls you?" The omega flinches but ultimately responds.

"Stiles."

"Good, Stiles, now I need to know what kind of leverage he has. Who did he threaten?"

"Who, sir?"

"My uncle" Derek clarifies. "It's obvious that you're terrified of me and the rest of the pack and that you don't want to be here, yet you obey every order given without questions. And my uncle wouldn't throw me the most public mating ceremony ever without making sure that there would be no scandals. So what leverage does he have on you, who did he threaten?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, sir" Stiles answers, obviously considering it to be a trick question, and Derek suppresses a growl of annoyance and instead decides to throw caution to the wind. Speaking freely is likely the only way that he'll get Stiles to trust him and the suite is thoroughly soundproofed anyway as the hotel has a large werewolf clientele.

"I know that my uncle isn't a very nice man. He wasn't always like that…" Derek realizes that it's going to be harder than he thought when he feels a pang f longing for his family, for his pack, for how it was before their lives were torn apart. "I miss my family, I miss the old him. I don't feel at home with the Hale pack now, I don't share his views or have much in common with the other pack members. They're mostly betas and follow his commands without questioning. He's still my uncle, my family. I won't challenge him for the leadership of the pack. But if I can help you, I will. And nothing that you tell me leaves this room, nothing will be passed on to Peter. I know that you don't know me but please believe me on that." Hesitant amber-coloured eyes meets his for what seems like eternity until Stiles nods and Derek exhales in relief.

"Thank you. So what leverage does he have?"

"My dad. He's…" Stiles' lip wobbles and Derek decides not to push the issue.

"Will your dad be safe as long as Peter thinks that everything proceeds according to his plan and we're mated?"

"Yes."

"Then that's what we'll make him believe." Stiles looks like a deer in headlights again and Derek repeats the crucial part. "Then that's what we'll make him believe."

Instead of spending time together like his leering pack imagines they read together, they talk, they play chess and card games and they get to know each other properly. Day by day Stiles' true personality emerges and Derek's happy to see that he drops the overly demure behaviour that he'd adopted to please Peter and keep his dad safe when the two of them are together. The combination of fierce loyalty, a good amount of courage and a sharp mind proves to be irresistible to Derek and Stiles is so spunky and spastic and just so very much Stiles that he soon wonders how he ever spent his days before the omega entered his life. It all seems terribly boring in comparison and when they leave the suite Derek is already smitten.

They return to Derek's apartment and slowly but surely, and completely inevitably, he falls in love. They sleep together in the same bed and they keep swapping so that they wear each other's clothes for scentmarking purposes but Derek's touches never go beyond what's strictly necessary to keep up appearances and Peter doesn't visit terribly often anyway. Derek's fascination with Stiles' feline ears and tail never really get better with time. He doesn't want to be demeaning but they're just so goddamn cute. He loves the way Stiles' ears perks up when he talks to his father on the phone or when his favourite show comes on TV, how his tail bounces on the couch when something exciting happens. Stiles huffs and calls him ridiculous but he allows him to pet his ears as they spend quiet evenings curled up together on the couch. More often than not his tail is wrapped around Derek's forearm by the end of the evening and he lightly strokes it before lifting it off, pretending not to notice the way Stiles shudders at the touch.

It's well over two months before Stiles purrs for him the first time but when he does Derek laughs in surprise and happily presses a kiss to his cheek. Then he stiffens immediately, cursing inwardly, and backs off because they haven't discussed this and he doesn't want to be that kind of alpha that takes and takes, he wants to be someone that Stiles feels safe with. He holds his breath and prays that he hasn't ruined everything and when Stiles smiles tentatively and leans forward, pressing a short, chaste kiss to his lips that's all the confirmation that he needs to know that his mate finally trusts him.