To say Derek was tense was an understatement. Biting Stiles wasn't an easy decision, he knew how much the boy wanted to be human and taking the decision out of his hands was a trigger from the Nogitsune's time that Derek never expected to trigger.
But the fight was difficult, cruel and when broken bones became the least of the problems in Stiles' medical condition, time began to run against the pack.
So Derek did it. He saved the boy he had tried to keep away for years, with lies and growls. With a bad mood and "disinterest". He could not lose his anchor, his Mate.
The problem was that since Stiles woke up and realized what he was now he barely reacted. He avoided looking everyone in the eye, answered concisely and just followed Derek to the loft after being released from the hospital.
Derek's wolf was restless, uncomfortable watching his beta and Mate walk through the loft to the large windows with a smell of sadness and conformity emanating from him. He silently approached the boy, even though he could now hear his movements with his enhanced senses.
"Has it always been this beautiful?" Stiles caught Derek by surprise with that question.
"The world..." Then a wide smile appeared as Derek watched Stiles accept his wolf. The fangs came down first and then the golden eyes glowed, looking at the whole new world through the windows. And at that moment, Derek smiled too. Feeling a happy warmth in the pack bond between him and Stiles, and in years, the born werewolf allowed himself to hope.
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AO3 fic soon. I'll put the link here.