In hindsight, he probably should have paid a little more attention when Derek told them to focus on school and not play detective. Stiles knew that. He knew it wasn't a good idea, but damn it, he wanted to help! He was good at figuring things out.

Well, no, he thought glumly. He'd totally not anticipated getting stuck in the woods, being chased down by some, some, well, thing... He was so dead. He threw himself behind a tree, pressing his back against it, and breathing hard, closing his eyes in fear. He'd fallen twice and was pretty sure he was going to bruise, and he swore he was bleeding, but the adrenaline was masking it for now.

He'd texted Scott forever ago but nobody had showed up and he was pretty sure he was going to die here, hunted. "Aw man," he groaned under his breath, pressing further into the tree trunk he was hiding behind as he heard rustling across the trees.

Suddenly, a blur tore through the woods; a dark wolf attacked the wolf hunting Stiles, its long claws slashing out a throat before Derek's human features formed again and, dripping in blood, he rounded on Stiles. "You hurt?" Derek growled.

Stiles looked between them with wide eyes, taking a step back and shaking his head. "Uh, nope. I'm okay… Wow, that was insane! Where's Scott? I texted him, but he never showed. Probably kissing Allison. Again. Gross…" he shuddered and rolled his eyes.

Derek grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the forest towards his car not caring where Stiles' Jeep was.

Stiles stumbled and tripped as he tried to keep up, grimacing as his put pressure on his injured leg. He pulled at Derek's hold in protest. "Hey! Oww! Come on man, we don't all have wolf speed…"

"That didn't seem to bother you when you dragged your human ass out here alone." Derek growled.

"I wouldn't say I dragged it. I drove it here. And yeah, by the way, my Jeep is that way," Stiles retorted, pointing in the other direction. He could feel his leg starting to bruise worse and weight bearing was becoming a little sore as he was being dragged like a rag doll by the angry Alpha.

"Yes and my car is this way." Derek continued to drag him in the direction he'd indicated until they reached his car.

"But I don't need a lift… I got my car with me! I can't just leave my baby out here, Derek. You'd never leave yours alone in the woods!" Stiles protested hotly, eyes flashing in frustration. Everyone knew how much he loved his Jeep.

Derek propelled Stiles towards his car with a hefty swat to his backside.

Stiles yelped and jumped into the air away from the older man, turning betrayed eyes on him. "Oww! Dude! That is so not cool!"

"In the car! Now!" Derek ordered.

Stiles huffed and opened the door, throwing himself and slamming it shut with as much force as he could muster. "Stupid, overbearing mutt…" he grumbled under his breath.

"Stiles. watch it. You're in enough trouble already." Derek growled.

"What?" Stiles protested. "Why? I was helping solve your stupid puzzle because Scott was too busy sticking his tongue down Allison's throat!" It wasn't that Stiles was jealous exactly, although he was, but he hated that his best friend was always ditching him now. They'd always spent their free time together and Scott was too busy now that he had supernatural abilities.

"I told you to keep out of this Stiles, you disobeyed me."

"Not exactly… I was just out for an evening stroll and happened to be near the place you were worrying about," Stiles protested, looking out the window.

"Just happened to be?" Derek swatted his left thigh sharply. "Stiles? Not another word till we get back to my place."

Stiles blew out a breath and rolled his eyes but lapsed into a tense silence. For once in his life he managed to keep his jumble of thoughts to himself although he did shift around restlessly. At times like this, being ADHD was not helpful.

Derek pulled out and drove off towards his place.

The drive to Derek's home was long and tense with Stiles getting increasingly wound up the further they traveled.

Derek parked in front of his place and dragged Stiles out of the car and up to his loft.

"Would you cut that out? I'm not one of your wolves to be dragged about like some puppy!" Stiles snapped indignantly, somehow managing to twist out of Derek's grasp. He winced as the move put pressure on his injury, hissing out a curse under his breath.

Derek growled at him and his eyes flashed red. "You've been a very naughty puppy, in fact." He grabbed him again and yanked him to the couch.

Stiles' jaw dropped as he recognised Derek's alpha glare and desperately tried to squirm away. "Hey, what are you doing? Derek! Let go of me!"

"I don't think so." Derek upended him over his lap and quickly dispatched his pants and boxers before laying a hard swat on his round cheeks.

Stiles let out a strangled yelp and renewed his efforts to get away. His face turned bright red at the swat. He hadn't been spanked in forever. "Hey, this is assault!"

Derek ignored Stiles' usual babble and continued to spank him soundly.

Stiles' squirming and kicking increased in an effort to get away. This was so not okay. He was never helping these stupid wolves again.

Derek held him tight as he brought his hand down. "When I tell you something, kid, I expect to be obeyed for your safety."

Stiles made a strangled sound and shook his head desperately. "You're not my dad!" He protested. "Who, by the way, is gonna kick your ass for hitting me…"

"I suspect he will thank me when he hears what you've been up to." Derek smacked the underside of his cheeks.

Stiles' eyes went wide. "Ahhhh! Dude! Wait, no, you can't tell him! That's an asshole move!"

"You are the one that brought up telling him, little man." Derek smacked hard again.

"But… that's… ugh!" Stiles huffed, letting out a yell as another hard swat landed. "Never mind my dad, Scott's gonna kill you…."

"Scott can be the next one over my knee," Derek told him with a shrug as he swatted the undercurve again and again.

"Owww! Not there! Jesus, that's hurts!" Stiles gasped out. "And you can't seriously spank your pack! That's... ahhh… insane!"

"If you are going to be naughty I sure as hell can," Derek told him, smacking at his thighs.

Stiles let out a surprising growl of his own in response. "I'm never helping you again!"

"If that keeps you safe." Derek smacked almost his entire slim backside with each single spank.

"Owwwwww!" Stiles complained, blinking away tears. Damn, his dad hadn't spanked him this hard, in well, ever… Sure he spanked him and it hurt but he wasn't as strong as Derek. The teenager felt miserable as the powerful wolf wailed on him.

Derek targeted the sit spot again turning it burning red.

After another few minutes, the first few tears escaped and Stiles hid his face in one of the couch cushions with his arms folded around the material, utterly humiliated. He wondered where the rest of the pack was with dread. If they witnessed this he was going to die from embarrassment, he was sure of it. They already thought he was weak.

Derek danced his palm around the reddening bottom squirming over his knee. "I'm very disappointed in you."

That made the teenager's heart drop into his stomach and he sniffled, squirming miserably away from the sharp spanks. "I was trying to h-help…" he mumbled into his folded arms.

"Did I not tell you it was too dangerous?" Derek asked as he spanked.

"Well, y-yeah but…" Stiles stammered, trailing off to suck in a shaky breath. "You've gotten me to help with more dangerous situations…"

"Not all alone little boy!" Derek swatted harder.

Stiles whimpered and threw a hand back. "I'm sorry… I just thought I could help f-figure it out since I'm pretty much useless to you guys otherwise…" he added the latter part so softly it was barely even a whisper and would have been difficult for Derek to discern even with his enhanced hearing.

Derek sighed. "So dramatic. Move your hand pup." He ordered firmly.

Stiles shook his head with another whimper, his free hand trying to brush away his tears.

"Right now." Derek smacked a thigh.

Stiles whined and pulled his hand away miserably. He gave in to heartfelt tears, mind dwelling on the reality that his only skill amongst the werewolves was his problem solving skills.

Derek went back to spanking his cheeks.

Stiles' legs kicked instinctively and he couldn't help but squirm, but he no longer actively fought to get away.

Derek turned the sit spot just a little more red before stopping the spanking.

Stiles hardly noticed it had stopped, lost in his thoughts.

Derek rubbed his back soothingly. "Alright, Alright, pup, all finished."

Stiles whimpered into his arms but didn't move to get up. He felt suitably cowed. He often felt like Derek disliked him and only tolerated him because of Scott and now all he could think about was his long walk home when Derek let him up. Maybe he could convince his dad to let him stay home from school on Monday in case Scott figured out what had happened to him otherwise.

Derek righted him in his lap and leaned him against his chest.

Stiles sniffed and let himself be moved. It wasn't like he could just get up and walk away anyway. Besides, he needed a few minutes to get himself together. He rubbed his face against Derek's chest before going uncharacteristically still and quiet.

Derek stroked the back of Stiles' dark head gently.

"That s-sucked…" the teen mumbled eventually.

Derek chuckled fondly. "I bet it did."

"You really m-mad?" He asked next.

"Not anymore pup." Derek assured.

Stiles gave a little nod, sighing softly.

"It's Saturday, why don't you call your dad and tell him you're staying at mine?" Derek suggested.

Stiles tensed a little and bit his lip.

Derek ran fingers through Stiles' hair.

"Should probably go before the pack gets back…" he murmured, moving as though to get up.

"Just me tonight, kid."

Stiles looked surprised at that. "Oh… why?"

"Everyone's doing something. Look I can take you back to your car if you'd rather." Derek offered.

"They'll make fun…"

"None of them would dare."

Stiles shrugged. "I already don't belong, not really. The only reason they include me is cuz I figure stuff out for you in the background."

"Hey that's not true." Derek swatted a thigh.

Fresh tears spilled over. "Oww!" Stiles wiped at his eyes in horror.

"Cut that out." Derek admonished.

Stiles whimpered and hid his face again, obviously feeling overwhelmed by the events of the night. "It's really just you?" He asked hopefully once he'd calmed down a little.

"Yes, really just me." Derek assured.

Stiles sighed, relaxing a little. "You promise they won't make fun of me?"

"Not if they know what's good for their own tails." Derek smiled at him.

Stiles looked up at him with wide eyes. "Wait a minute… you don't… I-I just mean… you… them?" The teen sputtered in shock.

Derek nodded and ran fingers through the boy's hair again.

"But… they're werewolves! How does that even work?" Stiles pressed in disbelief.

"I'm an Alpha." Derek said simply.

"But…" Stiles brows drew together in confusion. "But they heal fast."

"Not as fast when it's an Alpha's palm to their backside."

Stiles pulled a face. "Still not as slow as I will…" the teen complained before breaking into a grin. "But that means I'm part of the pack… I'm part of the pack Derek!"

"I never said you weren't, pup." Derek shook his head at the boy.

"But I'm not a wolf…" Stiles pointed out.

"You are just as important in a different way."

"Oh…" Stiles looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You are still one of my pups," Derek told him in a rare bout of gentleness pulling him in close.

"Oh…" Stiles broke into a little grin, settling against him. "Is that how you knew I was in trouble and came to find me?"

Derek laughed. "Wouldn't do to tell you all my secrets. You're a smart little shit, you'd find a way around them."

Stiles grinned wider at the compliment. "I am the brains of this pack. And you owe me pizza. That hurt..."

Derek laughed and cuddled Stiles to his chest. "We can arrange that."

"Awesome! I'll tell my dad…" Stiles announced excitedly without moving.

Derek laughed harder, a deep sound that rumbled in his chest, and he rubbed the back of Stiles' neck.

Stiles sighed in contentment and let himself relax at the temporary comfort. Maybe he did belong with this pack after all.