Lacrosse practice was more stressful than usual. Stiles had to prove he was worthy to be on first line while trying to keep his wolf from coming out and murdering everyone on the field. Like last week, he stood in line lacrosse stick in hand and waited for his turn to take a shot. The only difference was now he was on first line and Jackson would be on defense with the long stick.

"Don't get angry Stiles. Don't get angry." He kept chanting in a low voice while waiting his turn. He only hoped it would work.

Hardly anyone made it past Jackson. Scott was taken down pretty badly but what surprised Stiles (and everyone else) was Jackson helping him up. He didn't even help Danny, his best friend! Stiles knew something was up with those two but before he could dwell on the subject further, it was his turn to take a shot.

He took a deep breath and once again reminded himself to stay calm. No matter how much Jackass Jackson's smirk taunted him. And how loud Lydia's voice was as she cheered for her boyfriend.

The assistant coach blew his whistle and Stiles ran towards the goal. He tried to sidestep Jackson but he swung his lacrosse stick and whacked him in the face. His nose was bleeding when he fell on the ground. He could vaguely hear Jackson asking him if he still wanted to be on first line but all he could focus on was the blood dripping down his nose. That and the lingering scent of Lydia's perfume on the smirking blonde.

He was being challenged and his wolf demanded that he fight back. He wanted to beat Jackson into submission. To show him who was the strongest, the best. His eyes shined a brilliant gold and his breathing picked up as he thought of how good Jackson would look drowning in his own blood. He thought of how relieved Lydia would be that she was no longer chained to the good for nothing bastard.

"Stiles calm down." It was Derek.

He tried to listen to him but all Stiles could hear was Jackson telling his friends that he was going to get Spastic Stiles out of first line before the first game of the season and the sound of the audience laughing at him.

"Stiles!" Derek was trying to reach him again but it wasn't working.

He gripped the stick harder, readier than he ever had been to give Jackson the beating he deserved. It wouldn't take long, just two minutes tops and Jackson would be begging for mercy. Mercy that would never come because he didn't deserve it. Then a piercing sound reached his ears and he dropped back to the ground and cradled his head.

"Dog whistle." The shrill noise was replaced by the sound of Derek's voice, "Perfect for knocking some sense into misbehaving dogs."

"Help me." Stiles pleaded having realized that he was about half a second into murdering Jackson on the field.

"Focus on your heart rate. You used to have panic attacks right?" Derek continued, "How do you control that?"

"I control my breathing and think of my dad." He said quietly knowing that Derek could hear him

"Try it now."

As Coach spoke 'motivations' in his ear, Stiles did what Derek said and closed his eyes. He thought of his father. Of those nights they would ride around the cruiser and his dad would teach him what the police codes say. Of those times his father would tell him he had the makings of a good detective. He could feel his heart rate slowing down but it wasn't enough. Then he heard her voice in his head.

"Trust me. Just focus on me. On my voice. Everything will be just fine."

When he opened his eyes, they were back to their normal brown and he smiled.

"I can do it Coach." He said standing up and getting back in line.

He stood in line again and when the assistant coach blew the whistle, he ran straight at Jackson. Jackson charged for him but Stiles turned at the last moment running right past the confused captain and scoring a goal!

He jumped and cheered as he watched the ball go into the net. He made a shot and he managed to pull back his wolf! He looked around again and when he saw a man wearing a leather jacket walking away from the field, said in a quiet voice that only one with super hearing could hear.

"Thank you."

Maybe he could do this after all.

OoOoO

After lacrosse practice Stiles went to meet up with Derek, it was all he could think about so he didn't notice the look he was getting from two people.

One was a look of worry and the other of suspicion.

The two of them watched his reaction when he first fell. He was breathing heavily and looked as if he would pounce at Jackson at any moment. He radiated this sort of dangerous vibe that had Jackson backing away from him though the smirk never left his face. Then in a flash he started breathing normally again as if everything was normal.

OoOoO

"Oof." Stiles groaned picking himself up off the floor for the nth time that evening. It was seven o'clock which meant he's been at Derek's for two hours now.

Two hours of getting beat up and being thankful that he had supernatural healing.

"You're not even trying Stiles." Derek shook his head

"I don't even know why we're doing this. You said you would help me control this, how does beating me up help with that?"

"I'm helping you become stronger. Strong enough that you won't be constantly overpowered by your werewolf side." Derek explained, "You're a werewolf now which means the wolf is a part of you. If you want to truly be able to control it, you have to own it. You can't just push it away and hope it never comes back out because by doing so you're only making yourself weaker."

"So I'm like Bruce Banner."

"Who?" Derek asked

"You know, the Incredible Hulk." Stiles waved his arms around to emphasize his point, "I have to control my anger or I go crazy. Stiles Smash!"

"This isn't a joke Stiles!" Derek roared and Stiles fought his urge to back down, "The Alpha will come for you. He won't stop until you're a part of his pack. You have to understand this because you're the only chance I have left of finding him!"

"What Alpha?" Stiles watched Derek tense and he knew the other werewolf never meant to say that word.

"It's no one. Go home Stiles it's late." He started going up the charred staircase but Stiles stopped him.

"No. Okay. Not until you tell me what the hell is going on here!" Stiles was mad. He let Derek throw him around the room like a rag doll for two hours and he'd be damned if after all that Derek would still keep things from him.

He thought back to all the werewolf research that he's done before and after the bite. He thought about all the mentions of an Alpha and what it means if you're a werewolf.

"There's another one isn't there?" He said, "The one that bit me."

Derek was about to yell at him some more. To tell him that the Alpha wasn't his business. But then he saw something in the boy's stance. In the way he tensed his jaw and stared him down despite knowing that he was no match for him.

He saw Laura.

He could still remember when his sister stared him down like Stiles was doing right now. He told her he was going back to Beacon Hills with her but she was firm on the decision that he stayed in New York. Laura's gaze was firm and strong, she wouldn't let Derek go back with her even if it meant chaining him down herself. She didn't even need to use her Alpha voice to get him to agree.

Seeing his sister in Stiles' stance reminded Derek of how alone he truly was. The last family he had left and she was taken away from him as well. He couldn't avenge the death of his family in the fire, but he could avenge Laura's death at the hands of the Alpha. He could do it and this time he didn't have to be alone. So instead of answering, all he did was show the young beta the colour of his eyes.

The cold electric blue shocked Stiles into flashing his own gold ones. It was the only answer he needed. If Derek's wolf eyes were blue, then he wasn't the red eyed beast that bit and turned him in the woods.

OoOoO

After practice at school, Scott still felt too wired to go home and rest. So he got his gear and made his way to the jogging track to work off the excess energy. He did send Stiles a text asking if he wanted to meet at the track but he hasn't replied yet.

Four laps later and a panting Scott moved his training to the adjacent tennis court. He greeted Mike who set up the ball shooter and took out his stick, helmet, and chest protector. He stood about 18 meters from the ball shooter and got ready.

The shooter absolutely trashed Scott but he persevered and managed to block at least some of the shots. He kept playing until the shooter ran out of balls and he took off his helmet as he tried to catch his breath. He was guzzling down some water when he heard someone approach him. Thinking that it was Stiles, Scott didn't bother turning around.

"I thought you weren't gonna make it." He said, "You play attack and I'll stay on defense."

"So this is what you do huh."

It wasn't Stiles but Scott did recognize that voice. Preparing himself for a confrontation, he clutched the stick in his hands and stood up, thankful for the adrenaline still pumping through his body.

"What do you want Jackson?"

Jackson smirked, "Figured out what Stilinski's taking yet?"

Scott glared, "No because he's not taking anything."

"Really? So what's your explanation for his sudden skill at lacrosse? What was that?" He smirked when Scott remained silent. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Because you and I both know his 'skill' is anything but normal."

Scott clenched his jaw and repeated his question. He will not be drawn into a debate over Stiles when he knew perfectly that Stiles was innocent. "What do you want Jackson?"

"How about a deal McCall? You help me figure out what's going on with your little friend and I'll make you a semi-descent goalie. At least enough to keep you on First Line. Because as lovely as your little set-up here is, do you really think it can help?"

"I've been doing well so far haven't I?"

"But for how long? Then think about all that you'll lose if you get benched again."

Scott glared but to his shame, he was thinking about Jackson's offer. Now more than ever, he needed to make sure he got better at lacrosse and his asthma remained under control. He had Allison now, a girl so out of his league he wasn't even sure how he got her to go out with him. If he got benched again, what if Allison dumped him? Was it even a dumping if they've only been on one date?

But teaming up with Jackson to spy on Stiles?

Then again, if Stiles wasn't hiding anything then Scott wouldn't really be betraying him, right? And if he did find something suspicious about Stiles, he just won't tell Jackson about it. He'll do his job as best friend and get Stiles back on the right track without letting Jackson know.

Scottlooked at Jackson, "Do you have your gear with you?"

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AN: I am fan casting Meghan Ory as Laura Hale. She just looks the part of a Hale, doesn't she?