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Scott McCall rubbed a hand over his face and then moved it to the back of his neck, kneading at the tension. “Those are the parameters of the mission. Are you in or are you out?”“I’m in,” Derek Hale promptly answered. The other shifter, a born were, lived for these missions. In Scott’s opinion, Derek was one of the best trackers, if not the best, on staff and was critical to the success of this mission.The other occupants of the room remained silent.Huffing out a sigh, Scott prompted, “Peter, in or out?”Peter Hale, Derek’s uncle and another born werewolf shifter, rumbled in the back of his throat until it resembled a growl. It made Scott’s proverbial hackles rise. Was Peter challenging Scott’s authority? Scott wouldn’t put it past the munitions expert; Peter was well versed in all types of battle engagement, apparently including psychological warfare.Derek elbowed his uncle who left off the snarl in mid rumble at the sharp contact before returning Scott’s huff with one of his own. “I suppose I’m in although I’m still not certain why we need to take the human with us. At the best he’ll be a distraction and at the worst he’ll compromise the mission.”Scott clapped the hand that had been kneading his neck over his eyes. He splayed them after a moment to peak at his best friend, and teammate, Stiles Stilinski. The lone human in the room had his arms crossed tightly over his chest but his expression was blank. Scott knew that look. It meant trouble with a capital T.Dropping his hand from his face, Scott stood up straight. “I’m the team leader because I’m both shifter and human and this is a shifter-human team.” Scott pointed at Stiles. “Hence the presence of a human on the team. Now report back here at 0-600 hours for departure. Dismissed!”Scott waited until the Hales had cleared out of the room and the door swung shut, effectively sound-proofing the room. He took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and plunged onward. “Stiles, Peter is a dick. You need to ignore him.”The blank expression in his best friend’s face melted away, and Stiles’s whole demeanor collapsed until a deep frown, slumped posture and acrid scent denoting anxiety flooded the room. “As much as I hate to admit it, Scotty, Creeper Wolf might be on to something.”Scott squelched the urge to smile; Stiles had nicknames for almost everyone he came in contact with and Scott had to admit that Creeper Wolf fit the elder Hale. Instead Scott focused on the issue at hand. “You can’t possible be agreeing with Peter Hale.”“Something is off with this mission. I’ve gone over the data again and again and I can’t put my finger on it but there’s a problem. If only Lydia was available to look at the information I’d feel better,” Stiles explained, shoulders slumping further.Lydia Martin, currently on assignment elsewhere, might technically be a more educated scientist and she was definitely a huge asset to the program but no one excelled at creative problem solving like Stiles. His friend was also a fount of knowledge on all sorts of esoteric subjects that came in handy when facing indigenous species they encountered on their travels.Scott walked up to his friend and laid his hand on Stiles’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Stiles, we’re a team. There’s no one I would rather have at my back than you. Now can we go get something to eat? There’s a lot I need to get done before we leave in the morning.”“Sure, Scotty,” Stiles replied. His friend’s attention drifted back to the tablet in front of him, white teeth gnawing at his lip as if mimicking whatever problem Stiles’s mind was wrestling with.Levering his hand under Stiles’s elbow, he pulled his friend to his feet. Left to his own devices Stiles would forget to eat, or sleep, while his mind chewed on a problem.As team leader, it was Scott’s job to keep everyone in good shape.If it was one thing Scott took seriously, it was his duties as team leader.-0-Derek followed his uncle to the cafeteria. He couldn’t say he was looking forward to eating with Peter, not while his uncle was in this mood, but Derek’s shifter metabolism demanded calories and the cafeteria was serving one of his favorite menu items. There was a lot Derek could tolerate for a cheeseburger.Peter was so wound up over the upcoming mission that he didn’t even comment when Derek ordered four cheeseburgers, with accompanying French fries, and two chocolate shakes. Usually Peter was a food snob who took every opportunity to lecture Derek on his poor food choices. Maybe his uncle’s focus on his anti human crusade would actually work in Derek’s favor for once.“I don’t hate all humans. I mean yes, they are all untrustworthy with their own hidden agendas, but some of them have certain uses. I certainly don’t see the value in bringing along that doe-eyed, fragile scientist,” Peter concluded as they found an empty table. “Just because he’s Scott McCall’s pet doesn’t mean he’ll contribute to the team.”Derek opened his mouth, ready to reel off Stile’s attributes, and then shrugged; Peter knew the human’s Curriculum Vitae as well as Derek did and pointing out Stiles’s contributions on other missions wasn’t going to make a dent in Peter’s opinion. Derek suspected the doe-eyed and fragile comments had more to do with Peter’s personal opinion than Stiles’s abilities. Peter had a sexual predilection for vulnerable humans and Stiles Stilinski most likely fit that criteria. Not that Derek put much thought into his uncle’s sex life…eww.“I mean if we’re confronted by warriors, what is that boy going to do? Trip and sprawl at their feet, charming them into not harming us?” Peter groused.Swallowing his bite of cheeseburger, Derek suppressed a smirk. Yes, Stiles had actually executed that neat little trick two months ago although no one outside of Scott and Stiles knew if it had been planned or just a lucky turn of events. Derek liked Stiles. He found the lack of brain to mouth filter hilarious, at least as long as Stiles wasn’t turning his sharp sarcasm on Derek. Stiles was quirky, smart and cute although Derek would never make a move on the human; he suspected that deep down Peter wanted to fuck their team mate and Derek refused to engage in meaningless sex with someone his uncle wanted. “You’ve got that look, nephew mine. What are you thinking?” Peter interrupted Derek’s thoughts. Derek scooped up some fries, dipped them in ketchup and inserted them into his mouth. He followed this by a pull of chocolate shake. He could ignore his uncle’s question and go about his business. Or he could plant the seed that might sprout into Peter deciding not all humans were horrible.Or he could try to rattle the older man.“I think you want to fuck Stiles,” Derek said, between slurps of shake. Peter’s mouth dropped open and he stared at Derek. It was pretty damned funny. It wasn’t often his uncle was speechless but Derek seemed to have achieved it in this instance. He gave himself a mental fist pump.Derek shared a pack bond with his uncle but it was by virtue of their shared blood. Sometimes he longed for more pack mates but he contented himself with the knowledge he enjoyed his job.With that he got down to the serious business of consuming his meal. He would fuel up again in the morning but then when the mission commenced it was dicey knowing when, what, or even if, there would be a next meal.-0-Stiles stared at the data on his tablet again. There was a deviation in the numbers having to do with the environment but he’d been unable to pinpoint the source of the discrepancy. Solar flares kept knocking out their ground-to-base communications although the flares had been ruled out as dangerous.“Stiles, come on, it’s time to hit the road,” Scott grabbed the tablet out of Stiles’s hands, making him jump; his best friend usually wasn’t quiet enough to sneak up on him so Stiles knew the data held his complete attention.“Earth to Stiles, Earth to Stiles. Grab your gear. Hey, did you have breakfast?” Scott pulled Stiles to his feet, looking him up and down.Stiles blushed; he could feel the heat climbing over his head, flooding his cheeks, even warming the tips of his ears. “Um?”The eye roll was epic but Scott smiled widely afterward, letting Stiles know he wasn’t really upset with him. His friend did shove a nutrition bar into his hands. “I’ll grab your pack while you eat that. I don’t know how you do it, Stiles. I would pass out if I forgot to eat like you do.”Crinkling his nose, Stiles ripped into the nutrition bar. “Eh, when I eat I make up for the times I forget and I also don’t have a super charged metabolism like you do. It’s just I can’t put my finger on the problem with this planet and it’s driving me crazy.”Scott heaved the stuffed backpack onto his shoulder. He resembled a pack mule with the multiple bags and weapons hanging off of him. “You say the word and we’ll abort the mission. It’s just the scans show the planet is rich in Kyanite.”“I know, we need the Kyanite for production of electronics. I’ve got the equipment to test any bluish purple metamorphic rocks with bladed crystals. It should be easy to identify since it’s much harder to scratch across the hornfels than along its length.” Stiles mentally inventoried his supplies to assure himself he had packed the correct equipment.His friend grinned at him, brown eyes sparkling and dimples twinkling.“What?” Stiles demanded as he swallowed the last bite of the bar.“You’ve got this, Stiles. Quit worrying. Now let’s join the rest of our party.” Scott nudged him along like a Border Collie tending its livestock. The first person Stiles noticed as they approached the departure tube was Peter Hale. The older werewolf made a point to look at his large faced watch. “You’re two minutes late.”Stiles gritted his teeth. It was his fault they were late. Derek Hale looked at his own watch. “Actually, you’re right on time. Do you need me to take some of that equipment?”He threw the younger Hale a smile while Scott handed off some bags to Derek. With nothing to hold on to Stiles fiddled with his baseball cap. Planet AC-O-NIT-351 had similar weather to Terra Firma, which meant Stiles was at risk for sunburn. Someone sidled up to him. Peter. Stiles ignored his presence until his teammate leaned into his space and inhaled. “What are you doing? Keep your nose to yourself.”Peter smiled wolfishly. “Just testing a theory.”“If you’re done aggravating our mission scientist, we’re ready for you to lead us to the planet, Peter.” Scott saved Stiles from coming up with witty repartee. Creeper Wolf was still creepy but something weird was going on with him.What was with the sniffing? Stiles knew werewolves had enhanced senses but they were also highly socialized and knew how to blend in with all sorts of species.Apparently Stiles didn’t merit social niceties. Wonderful.Ugh. Between Peter and the discrepancies in the data, Stiles was not looking forward to this mission.-0-Peter performed his duties flawlessly as he always did. He was first through the departure tube and cleared the area to assure everyone’s safety. He might not be able to describe the science behind the wormholes that connected the planets throughout the galaxies but Peter could defend them from anyone waiting to greet them upon arrival with unfriendly intentions.Derek arrived next. He quickly shook off the ill effects caused by the rapid travel associated with the departure tube, nodding a greeting to Peter before he moved off the platform toward the bright green flora.McCall arrived with a whoop. “That never gets old. Status?”“Scanners show no humanoids or dangerous locals in the area. We’re ready for the next phase of the mission.” Peter gave his report, feet spread apart, hands behind his back at parade rest.The team leader clapped Peter on the shoulder. “Excellent. Let me get Stiles situated and we can proceed.”The departure tube delivered a decidedly wobbly human. Before McCall could steady the scientist, Peter’s hand stretched out and prevented Stiles from face planting.Peter imagined little birds tweeting around Stiles’s head like in those old Earther cartoons his nieces had loved; the human was the personification of dizzy as he reeled in place.“Deep breaths, Stiles. You’ve got this.” McCall, ever the eternal cheerleader, coached his friend.With a shaky hand wiped across his pale face, Stiles stabilized. “Thanks,” he murmured to Peter and it was perhaps the most pleasant exchange they’d ever had. McCall handed a bulging backpack to the human. “Ready?”Stiles pulled a flat box out of the pack and fiddled with some dials. “There might be Kyanite over that hill.”Next the human withdrew a container and sipped from it.Once he was done drinking, a small tube was withdrawn from the bag and Stiles smeared its substance across his pouty lips.Peter waited to see what would be pulled out of the pack next. He’d seen a magic show as a child and thought maybe a rabbit or colored silk scarves would be forthcoming.Instead Stiles repacked the items, readjusted his baseball cap and shoved it over his messy, soft looking hair. Finally he hefted the pack on to his surprisingly broad shoulders.“See something you like?” Derek whispered in his ear.Damn it, Peter couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Already Stiles was proving a distraction.Scowling, Peter moved in the direction Stiles had indicated. “If you’re done with your juvenile antics, we have a job to do.”His nephew’s laughter followed behind. Peter kept a gun in his hand, at the ready, while he listened carefully for signs of attack. His nose told him there were rodents about, and the scent of spruce trees was invigorating. The planet was really quite beautiful.“Remember guys, we’re looking for bluish purple metamorphic rocks with bladed crystals. And of course anything else you want to document.” Stiles’s voice was surprisingly low and mellow with a touch of huskiness. The human was usually on the hyper end of the spectrum and a higher and louder voice than average would’ve been more in keeping with that trait but the young man was a bit of a contradiction.Peter refocused at the landscape around them. He couldn’t afford the distraction of the attractive human, at least not now.He wouldn’t admit it to Derek, but he was perhaps correct in his analysis: He wanted to fuck the human.-0-Scott enjoyed exploring new worlds. This mission to Planet AC-O-NIT-351 to replenish their supply of Kyanite was turning into one of his more pleasant experiences planet side.Derek loped off ahead and Scott thought about calling out to him but Stiles was staring at his tablet, making irritated noises. “What’s going on?”“Something is interfering with my data feed.” Stiles’s nose was scrunched up as he frowned, poking with increasing aggression at the screen.“It could be one of those solar flares, right?” Scott knew the basics of everyone’s job—as team leader he had to be up to speed—but the actual science behind what Stiles tracked stymied him. He easily followed along when it came to biologics but anything else was a lost cause.Stiles response was a distracted, “Mmmm.”“I found some blueish purple—what the hell?” Derek’s voice rose into the yelp range.Scott ran toward Derek’s position. The werewolf had darted over the hill where Stiles had indicated they might find the Kyanite but Derek’s exclamation had been distressed. He could hear two sets of footfalls following closely behind him. Stiles was surprisingly agile and quick for a human and Peter had his shifter speed.Cresting the hill, Scott quickly found Derek crouched down amidst a field of beautiful flowers. They were faintly bluish but primarily purple with glossy looking flowers.“Derek, what’s wrong?” Scott headed straight for his teammate.Derek lifted his head and Scott noticed red eyes and tear tracks against the unnatural pallor of the tracker’s skin. He was gasping, trying to catch his breath.“Scott, wait—” Stiles’s sentence cut off and he heard a scuffle but before Scott could turn around and find out what was going on, a fine mist coated his face.It stole his breath.His eyes leaked from whatever irritated his respiratory system and his legs grew weak. He found himself crouched down, trying to draw breath.“Peter, please, I don’t need three patients. Just stay here. I’ll bring them out.” Stiles sounded put upon. Then he sounded up close and personal. “Hang in there, Scotty. I’m going to get Derek out of this aconite patch and then I’ll be back for you.”Scott couldn’t do anything but crouch, eyes continually tearing up, as he hacked and coughed.“Okay, here we go.” A strong arm wrapped around his waist and then Scott was dragged, and sometimes carried, out of the area.As soon as they left the flowery hillside behind them, Scott’s breathing improved. “Thanks, buddy.” Scott patted Stiles’s chest lightly, frowning at the hoarse croak emerging from his own lips.“Sit down here. I’m going to give you a quick treatment and then I think you’ll be okay.” Scott’s vision had been affected by the irritant—aconite? —so he let himself be guided to the spongy dirt packed land.“Hey, Derek, I’m going to hold this to your mouth and on the count of three I want you to take a deep breath. One, two, three.” Stiles was given Derek a treatment of what sounded like an inhaler. Come to think of it, when Scott had been struggling to draw breath it felt very similar to his asthma attacks prior to being turned into a were shifter.Peter was talking to Derek and by the tracker’s exclamation, he would guess the munitions expert was dousing him with sterile water.“Okay, Scotty, you know the drill. On the count of three. One, two, three.” The breath saving medication hit his lungs and Scott’s shoulders lost the tension they’d been holding.“I’m going to clean your face off now,” Stiles warned him before something damp brushed over his face. He remembered his mom cleaning his face off with a wet washcloth when they’d go on road trips and he made a mess of himself while eating in the car. From cars to space travel via wormholes…Scott had lived an interesting life.A finger beneath his chin tilted his face upward. “A quick spritz to clear the gunk off of your eyelids and I think you’ll be good to go.”Something cool hit his eyes but it was soothing and he’d been warned so his eyes were firmly closed. “All done.”Scott blinked his eyes open and smiled at his friend. “You’re pretty good at that. Thank you.”Stiles laughed. “Well maybe next time before you guys go jetting into foreign territory you’ll let the equipment scan for problems.”His friend’s eyes crinkled up in amusement but Scott acknowledged the truth of his words. He knew better than to rush into an unknown situation without assessing the danger first.“It’s good thing you weren’t affected by that stuff.”Scott had never doubted the wisdom of bringing Stiles along but he’d definitely proven his worth to the mission by wading in and bringing him and Derek out.It was time to check on his teammate. “Hey, Derek, status report.”-0-Scott’s inquiry interrupted Derek’s glaring contest with his uncle; it wasn’t Peter’s fault Derek had blundered into aconite but he was disgruntled.“I’m fine. That medicine took care of the breathing issue. Peter soaked me with something and that fixed my eye problem. How about you?” Derek felt guilty that Scott had come to his aid only to be affected by the flowers.“Definitely better. Let’s get away from this stuff.” Scott’s voice was hoarse but he had recovered his good humor.“Here, let’s get you to your feet.” Peter extended his hand and Derek took it, allowing his uncle to pull him smoothly to his feet.Derek was dizzy and weak. “Whoa, no sleeping on the job!” Stiles exclaimed and Derek figured Scott was feeling equally crappy.“I know you guys aren’t going to like this but I think you ought to take the departure tube back, get checked out by a real doctor.” Stiles’s tone was matter of fact. Derek appreciated that about the human; he wasn’t fawning or insisting, he just put his opinion out there.“I don’t really want to abort the mission,” Scott sighed.Derek knew just how he felt. He didn’t want to abort the mission either, although if they did it was on him.Peter cleared his throat. “How about if we take you back by the departure tube so you can port home or call for help if you need. Stiles and I can do a little more reconnaissance.”If Derek’s eyes weren’t still sore from the poison or whatever that was, they might’ve bugged out of his head. “Willingly?”His uncle scowled back at him. “Stiles kept me from joining you in the aconite. I trust his instincts.”Derek’s eyebrows rose high on his forehead. That was rare praise from Peter, especially toward a human. “I don’t like it but I don’t see another choice. If we go slowly, I think I can walk.” Scott flashed Derek a smile. “How about you? Feel up to it?”“I’m game.” Derek leaned against his uncle for support, but made eye contact with his three teammates. “I want to apologize for jeopardizing our mission by running into the flowers. I thought they were Kyanite.”Stiles smiled and shrugged. “They’re the right color, that’s for sure. I took a sample of something and should get a read out soon. I’m just glad you guys are okay. I was worried there for a moment that the damage would be irreversible.”His uncle, never one for great shows of emotion, gave Derek a slight smile. “Let’s get you to the departure tube. I’ll feel better if we can get you to medical help if needed.”Scott slugged him on the shoulder and Derek stumbled, nearly ending up on the ground. “Oops! Didn’t mean to hit you that hard. And no hard feelings. I guarantee we both won’t make that mistake again.”Derek still felt culpable for the interruption in their mission but no one else on the team seemed to be holding it against him. Instead of dwelling, it was time to move on. His teammates were all being much kinder about the incident than he’d expected. Very supportive. It was odd and although he didn’t feel strong physically, he thought maybe he was in a better place mentally.Stiles waved at him and Peter. “After you. I plan on taking my time in getting back. This ground is a bit uneven and I don’t want to break an ankle.”Derek’s lips twisted upward into a small grin. “At least we know aconite doesn’t affect you.”“If we were earth side it would affect me eventually. This stuff doesn’t impact humans according to the diagnostics I ran.” Derek usually had a specialized task on missions and this was one of the first opportunities he’d had to talk with Stiles. He liked the human’s laid back approach. He preferred it to Lydia Martin’s; that human had a way of making him feel like he was gum she wanted to scrape off of her heel. Peter adjusted his grip around Derek’s waist and they started up toward the crest of the hill. He stumbled a few times, and he still felt incredibly weak, but his breathing had definitely eased. Something beeped from behind him. Stiles piped up. “Hey Derek, you were right, there was Kyanite beneath the flowers.” Derek was gratified that he’d done something right on this mission.His uncle halted their forward progress and asked, “Do we need to go back and harvest it?” Scott, slightly out of breath, answered. “No need. Stiles set a marker and we’ll send a crew back to collect it.”“You mean an all human crew?” Derek elbowed his uncle lightly in the side and lowered his voice. “I guess sometimes you have to rely on the humans.”Peter rolled his eyes but resumed their journey. “I never said they didn’t have their uses.”Scott snorted and choked off a laugh. Stiles commented on werewolves and their super senses keeping secrets from him but he didn’t sound miffed.Derek hoped the rest of the mission was less eventful.-0-Stiles poked at his tablet, refreshing the data. Something was changing in the environment, he could feel it, but the data didn’t reflect it.“What is it?” Peter Hale had deep, smooth voice and Stiles wouldn’t admit it to anyone else but he thought he could listen to him speak for hours on end. It was pleasant and soothing and made his spine tingle.Of course it helped that Peter wasn’t being a Creeper Wolf at the moment.“Something isn’t showing up in the readings but I can’t figure it out. It’s making me a bit anxious.” Stiles bit his lip; he hadn’t meant to share that much with the other man. They might be getting along at the moment but that could change on a dime.“Anxious because you can’t figure it out or because you’re worried we’re in danger?” Peter easily cut to the heart of the matter.“Both? We’re almost to the halfway point. Once we reach it and are heading back, maybe I’ll settle down.” Stiles tucked his tablet into his pocket. Staring at the data wasn’t helping so he might as well pay attention to the environment with his own senses. He had a mild headache but it could be residual from the departure tube. Or maybe his mild exposure to the aconite had caused a slight reaction. An animal resembling a rabbit but larger than any Stiles had ever seen, darted past them, almost bumping into his leg. “Hey, watch where you’re going! That’s weird. Usually the fauna steer clear of us.”“Yes, that is weird. Especially since they should read me as a predator.” Peter’s silky voice set another shiver down Stiles’s spine. “Are you cold?”Stiles opened his mouth to deny it but realized the temperature had dropped. “That was an abrupt shift in temperature.”His ears suddenly popped loudly. “Ouch.”Peter covered his ears with his hands. “Yes, that was quite painful. What’s going on?”If Stiles had to guess, he’d say a weather system was fast approaching. He was tipping his head skyward when five of the rodent-like animals sprinted by followed by three hoofed animals resembling deer. At first Stiles thought the deer creatures were chasing the rabbits but then the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.Reaching forward, he grabbed Peter’s arm. “Follow the animals. Run!”Activating the comm unit, Stiles sprinted after the animals as he huffed out a warning. “Extreme weather moving in. Get off the planet! Peter and I are taking cover.”“Copy that.” Scott didn’t sound happy about it but he didn’t argue.The ground rumbled and Stiles almost lost his footing. Peter linked his hand with Stiles’s and kept him upright. “Where are we going?”“I’m hoping the animals are going somewhere safe. I don’t even know what we’re running from but I can tell this is a seriously low pressure system. Severe thunderstorm with wind and hail?” Stiles was out of breath but it wasn’t just from the exercise—the data had been staring him in the face but he’d missed the importance.The solar flares might’ve affected communications but they also triggered weather events.The wind picked up without warning and if Peter hadn’t gripped his hand so tightly, Stiles thought a few of the gusts might’ve swept him off of his feet.Stiles kept his ears peeled for a loud whooshing or train-like noise that might indicate tornadic activity. The wind whistled in his ears but he didn’t hear the crashing of trees or anything else that might indicate wind damage.Then the sharp projectiles pelted down.It was difficult to run over the accumulating pellets of hard packed hail but Stiles sprinted onward. The fleeing fauna were lengthening the distance between them but Stiles could still see them sprinting ahead. Peter with his enhanced senses would be able to track them even better.Up ahead the long grassed prairie environment gave way to something resembling Earther fir trees. “There! We can hide beneath the branches.”Stiles thought they were going to make it, he turned and threw Peter a quick smile.-0-Peter didn’t mind stretching his legs but he didn’t like being chased by something he couldn’t fight. Stiles had quickly realized they were about to weather some sort of storm and Peter trusted the human when he said to follow the natives to safety.The human easily kept pace with Peter, those long athletic legs churning up the yardage even as hail pelted them. Yes, Stiles was a revelation.The animals darted beneath the branches of a stand of fir trees and Peter’s stress level decreased.Even Stiles hazarded a smile his way. The largest piece of hail Peter had ever imagined struck the human on his head and between one step and the next he crashed into the ground.Peter had to backtrack but he quickly levered Stiles into his arms and continued toward the trees. Icy pellets struck him but he kept his head tucked over the unconscious human, both to shelter Stiles and lend some protection to his most vulnerable body parts.If Peter was knocked unconscious he couldn’t get them to shelter.The wind strengthened and Peter felt like he was stuck in a blender with ice cubes, getting smacked and bludgeoned until he didn’t know which way was up.Peter lost his footing but he tucked and rolled, keeping Stiles clutched tightly in his arms. They ended up beneath the closest tree.It took a while to control his ragged breathing and when he did, he took stock of their situation. He was bruised and sore and his ears still rang, either from the drop in atmospheric pressure or from the loud wind and hail. He wasn’t the praying sort but he wished he were, as he lay defenseless against the elements as they battered the tree under which he sought sanctuary.He was lucky to be alive. He was lucky he’d been with Stiles who recognized what was happening.Stiles was draped over him, chest-to-chest, unmoving except for light respirations. At least the human was breathing. Peter’s hands checked Stiles, probing for fractures or other wounds. The most concerning was the head wound. He knew those tended to bleed copiously even when there wasn’t grave damage but Stiles had taken quite the wallop from the projectile.The body enfolded in his arms shivered.Peter gathered Stiles closer, listening for the weather to abate.He’d been attracted to the human. He’d admired his cleverness. And his bravery; Stiles had put himself in Peter’s path, preventing him from wading into the flowers to get to his nephew. If that didn’t take courage, Peter didn’t know what did.Now he found he wanted to take care of Stiles. He wanted to keep him warm. See to his wounds. Watch over him, protect him.Stiles mumbled and fidgeted in his arms but he eventually settled down when Peter whispered soothing noises in his ear. It was too dark to make out any but the most rudimentary basics of Stiles’s head wound but Peter thought the bleeding had turned sluggish. He took it as a positive signThis mission was not shaping up the way Peter had imagined but as long as Stiles wasn’t badly injured, he could live with the outcome.-0-Scott paced back and forth. He’d heeded Stiles’s advice and he and Derek had taken the departure tube back to headquarters.That had been two hours ago and there was still no word from either Stiles or Peter.The communications were on the fritz but Scott didn’t blame it on solar flares this time; although that might be one factor he knew Stiles had said they were experiencing extreme weather.He should’ve listened when Stiles had said there was a problem with Planet AC-O-NIT-351.Derek put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed tightly. Almost to the point of pain. “They’re going to be okay.”“How can you be so sure?” Scott usually had unending optimism but that had gone the way of the dodo bird after the first hour without word from their teammates. “Peter is too stubborn to die and Stiles is too resourceful. They probably are waiting out whatever weather situation they’re in but they can’t contact us for the same reason we can’t contact them.” Derek’s voice was patient, his tone earnest.His hazel eyes flashed bright blue. Scott’s own eyes pulsed back, alpha red. Scott didn’t think he was ready to head up a pack but Derek seemed to assign that designation to him. If Peter was agreeable then the three of them might become a permanent team.Something in the region of his heart twinged. Was he already forming a pack bond?The departure tube signaled incoming personnel.Stiles! Some how Scott knew Stiles was coming.Could a pack bond be formed with a human? He didn’t know enough about it but he bet Derek and Peter did. He’d ask them later.After he assured himself Stiles, and Peter, were okay.One body stepped out of the tube. Peter.Oh, Peter was carrying Stiles.Scott and Derek both swarmed the platform before the medical staff could make the same approach.“What happened?” Derek growled.“Are you both okay?” Scott asked, his own voice rumbling near a growl.He was encouraged his shifter strength and abilities were returning but he only had eyes for the bedraggled pair in front of him.Even during missions Scott had never seen Peter look anything except immaculately turned out. His uniform remained disgustingly clean regardless of the situations they ran into and his hair was always perfectly coiffed.Peter was bruised, his uniform was torn and smudged with mud and his hair was disheveled.“It was a hail storm the likes of which I’ve never witnessed. If Stiles hadn’t quickly identified what was going on, and decided to follow the local wildlife to safety, we wouldn’t be alive.” Peter cradled the unconscious man tightly to his chest.“Is he…?” Derek’s question trailed off.“A large piece of hail hit his head just as we were reaching shelter. I think the bleeding finally stopped but he hasn’t woken up yet.” Peter’s focus strayed to the limp body in his arms.Scott didn’t know the pragmatic Peter Hale was capable of such tenderness.Before Scott could alleviate Peter of his burden, they were swarmed with personnel. Stiles was strapped to a gurney and wheeled away, Peter trailing after him closely with a concerned Derek at his side.Two months ago Stiles had channeled his ditzy, klutzy alter ego and charmed some locals into allowing them to stay on their planet for research instead of declaring war or out right killing them.This, taming Peter, might be an even greater achievement. -0-Derek stayed close to his uncle. The scent the older man was giving off was…disquieting. He couldn’t even describe it except to say maybe it was anxiety, grief and anticipation rolled into one aching aroma permeating the air until Derek felt like he might choke on it.“Uncle Peter, why don’t you get cleaned up then we’ll get a bite to eat? We can come back to the medical floor after that to see how Stiles is doing.” Derek made the suggestion, knowing in the past his uncle would’ve been agreeable to it.Peter’s eyes flashed bright blue, he curled his lip and he growled. “I’m not leaving until I know he’s okay.”In some ways the attitude was unexpected but then again since Peter had headed off to explore the planet with Stiles, he’d been different. Somehow less hard although Derek wouldn’t go as far as to say he was soft. Hell no, he didn’t want to get his head bitten off.Scott joined them in the waiting room. “Any news?”Peter stared stonily toward the doorway, brooding.Derek answered since his uncle seemed disinclined. “They’re running tests. He’s still unconscious. The longer he’s out, the more they fear traumatic brain injury but Peter kept his core body temperature up so hypothermia isn’t a concern.”“Okay. Stiles might not look like it but he’s tough. He’ll pull through.” Peter gazed balefully at Scott as though wanting to believe their team leader but then he went back to staring morosely at the doorway.Scott raised his eyebrows at Derek in question but he could only shrug in response. The alpha walked over to Peter and squeezed his shoulder. “I know it’s been a rough day. Why don’t you and Derek get something to eat and when you return, I’ll do the same?”Peter frowned but he didn’t argue with Scott’s proposal. “I’ll go get cleaned up and then come back for you, Derek. I shouldn’t be more than ten minutes but please comm me if there’s a change.”“Of course. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Derek stared thoughtfully at Peter as he left the waiting room. Both he and Scott maintained silence until the lift swished closed, whisking Peter to a different floor. “Is your uncle bonded to Stiles?” Scott sounded bewildered at the thought he’d voiced but Derek almost fell off of his chair; that’s exactly how Peter was acting—like someone with an ill pack mate.“I don’t know how that’s possible but I think you may be right. How did you know?” Derek stared at Scott. The other man’s complexion was pale and his dimples were hiding.Scott cleared his throat uneasily. “I, uh, thought I sensed Stiles’s return. Before they arrived. Or maybe it was both Stiles and Peter. I don’t understand how bonds work but I feel them. Here.” The team leader rubbed his chest with his fist, right over his heart.Derek concentrated and he noticed more bonds than he had before their departure when it was just he and Peter. Bonded through bloodline.Now he could feel two other bonds—one fairly strong, most likely the alpha in front of him—and a softer, frailer bond that was more like an echo. “I feel them, too. It’s possible to form pack bonds outside of family but I think it’s pretty rare.”For the first time in a long time, Derek felt a sense of community. Of belonging.The doors to the lift swished open and Derek rose to his feet. “We’ll be back after we’ve had a bite to eat.”“I’ll keep an eye, or ear, on Stiles and let you both know if there’s a change.”-0-Stiles blinked his eyes open and stared at the ceiling. He remembered the low-pressure system sweeping over them.He remembered the wind and hail.He had impressions of warmth and safety but no clear memories.“How’s your head?” Stiles jolted at the voice but it was low and mellow. Soothing.Peter Hale.“It doesn’t hurt too bad. Should it?” Stiles raised his hand to touch the area that throbbed on top of his head but Peter intercepted his hand.In fact Peter held his hand between his own and lightly chafed it. It had a tranquilizing effect on Stiles and he thought he should be alarmed but instead it made him feel content.The other man perched on the side of his bed. “You gave us quite a scare. A large hunk of hail knocked you unconscious but your scans came back clear. We’ve just been waiting for you to wake up.”Stiles glanced around the room. There was no one else. Before this mission he never could’ve imagined Peter Hale spending time with him of his own volition. His brain parsed through the information available. If he’d been knocked out, how had they made it back to base? And what had happened to Scott and Derek?“Easy. Relax. I don’t want the nurses to kick me out of here for upsetting you.” Peter continued to hold his hand, rubbing it carefully, staring into Stiles’s eyes.“Are Scott and Derek okay?” That was his biggest worry.Peter smiled. It was a sweet smile that lit up his beautiful blue eyes. The man was gorgeous—Stiles had always admitted that—but his personality had been a bit lacking. Before.“They have made a complete recovery. They went to get something to eat and will be back shortly.” Peter’s voice was like the melody of a favorite song; it gave Stiles shivers. “Are you cold?”Whoops. Stiles’s skin super heated in his face.Peter touched his forehead, testing for a fever. Stiles’s scent must’ve hit the werewolf because his concerned look fled to be replaced with that same smile. “I see.”A yawn took Stiles by surprise. He didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to talk to this fascinating man.“Stiles, it’s safe to rest. I’m standing guard and I won’t let any harm come to you.” Stiles’s heart melted at Peter’s words; that was just about the sweetest thing a shifter could say.Stiles’s eyelids fluttered down. “Thank you, Peter. I trust you.”The werewolf rumbled and Stiles hoped it was a happy one. He figured it a shifter wanted to protect you that giving them your trust was the appropriate response.Sweet dreams claimed him with that thought.-0-Peter smiled fondly at the human. For once when he thought of a human, he had positive thoughts.He knew his about face amused Derek but his nephew was busy dealing with the pack bond he’d formed with Scott McCall and didn’t have time to tease Peter.It seemed this mission had forged a pack bond between the three werewolves and the human.Peter couldn’t say he was thrilled about having a young upstart like Scott McCall as his alpha but at the same time that meant Peter was in the same pack as Stiles.He hadn’t quite qualified his relationship with his teammate but he could quantify it—his feelings were so great it was hard to contain them.Peter wanted whatever Stiles would give him and he was so flummoxed by the turn of events that he didn’t even care that everyone thought he’d lost his mind.He knew he had a reputation for being cold and exacting. That was just the exterior. “How’s he doing?” Scott entered the room quietly.Derek followed him into the room.“He woke up. He was worried about you two. I think he’s okay. The poor thing is just exhausted.” Peter checked Stiles’s condition again; deep, steady respirations. No change in the panel announcing his medical status.Derek flashed an amused smile but kept quiet.Scott just smiled.“Stiles is my best friend. He’s a good guy. I know you’ll take good care of him. He’ll take good care of you, too.” Was his new alpha giving him his blessing?Scott pulsed his alpha eyes and Peter’s own flashed back.Already Peter felt more stable.He had a pack.He had Stiles.And to think Peter had a field of aconite and a hailstorm to thank for these changes in his life.Who knew what future missions would bring? He didn’t but Peter certainly looked forward to finding out. Finis