Stiles and his father have been the only two werewolves in Beacon Hills since they moved there seven years ago. In fact, Stiles had never even met another wolf that wasn't related to him. Which would be fine except that he was a Delta - a Third, a Breeder, whose only purpose in life was to find a nice big, strong Alpha or Beta to breed them like the bitch he apparently was. But, again, given the lack of werewolves, Stiles pretty much thought he'd never have to deal with any of that.
Then one night his father gets called out to a murder scene in the Preserve and Stiles can't help but go check it out.
When Derek and Cora leave town, Stiles figures out pretty quickly that there’s a stupid Derek-shaped hole inside his chest, right next to that damn darkness around his heart that Deaton had warned them about. Then, Derek invites him to the Atlantic Ocean, where a certain couple of werewolves have made their new home, and Stiles slowly comes to the realization that his definitely-more-than-just-a-crush might not be completely unrequited, after all.
It’s always been on the cards for Stiles to one day visit his last remaining relatives, and since there’s no one on his father’s side, he feels even more compelled to get his finger out his ass and actually do it instead of stalling. Especially now that college is done, nothing should be holding him back. But that’s just the thing. Something is holding him back and has been since graduation. There's one thing Stiles noticed as soon as he made the Skype call to his babcia to celebrate the end of his studies.
That one simple thing—or several, but they’re all under the same heading—is a variation of the same inane question he’s been bombarded with by each and every family member since that one fateful phone call...
Stiles is saving Derek’s life. Again. He thinks there should be some kind of reward system for them. When he suggests it, Derek reveals it’s his birthday. Stiles feels a little guilty that all he can give Derek for it is his life-saving abilities, so he decides to make it up to him on the next gift-giving holiday.
