Chosen Family

After we'd been hugging for a while, Derek stepped away. "You should head in before someone thinks you have been kidnapped."
"I guess." I cocked my head slightly. "You coming?"
"I'll be in a a few."
I frowned, but instead of questioning him I gave him a face. "You've been here just as long as I have."
"Not my party." He smirked.
I sighed, "Alright, fine you win. See you when you decide to be social again." I turned and left to him laughing deeply. "Stupid werewolves." I muttered only to receive a 'you're one too' from him. I quietly slipped into the house unnoticed.
Well I thought unnoticed until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Mrs. McCall. "Back?" She smiled.
I rubbed my neck, "Yeah, just needed a breather."
She nodded knowingly. "Don't worry, no one made a fuss. Your dad almost worried but everyone reassured him you were safe."
I chuckled, "How'd they convince him after everything that's happened?"
"Boyd saw Derek go after you."
"Ah yes, the big ad Alpha wouldn't let anything happen to his betas." I grinned.
"Definitely not."
"Doesn't want to lose anymore family." I thought aloud without thinking.
"Mhm."
I frowned and looked at Mrs. McCall, "What?"
She merely smiled and replied, "Nothing, thank you for inviting me but I'm going to head home. Good night Zak, and congratulations." She patted my shoulder and left my company. I shook my head and went to mingle with my friends some more. As the night wore on it came down to only my pack and dad, but even he decided to go to bed.
"Alright, I'm going to bed. Don't do anything inappropriate." He looked at us and we all yelled our denial of the sorts. "Good. Goodnight everyone and don't be too loud." He waved and trudged up the stairs.
I was walking over to hand Scott and Allison their drinks and was two steps away when someone pounced on me and I pitched forwards. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZAK!!!" Stiles yelled as we crashed into our two friends. We didn't stay up long as everyone piled on me to wish me a happy birthday. I was somehow crushed against Derek and Scott with Stiles on top of me. I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous my friends and family were. However, I was being crushed to death by said friends and family and tried to claw my way out.
"Where are you going?" Stiles pouted.
"Need air and to make sure my skirt doesn't ride up." I replied tried to figure out how to get out.
Stiles shifted slightly, gaining a groan from a few people under him, and replied, "Nope you're good, skirt is still down."
I rolled my eyes, "Thank God. Now to solve the problem of being asphyxiated to death." The problem was, I was pinned down and wouldn't be able to get up until the upper layer moved. "Yo, up please before some of us die!" I called. Slowly everyone got up, and I was finally able to remove myself from the entanglement of others. "Finally." I sighed and stretched.
"I call for presents!" Stiles flailed excitedly.
"You can set that up, I'm going to change." I turned on my heels and headed for the stairs.
"That's sad, you are gorgeous right now." Lydia said.
I smirked, "That's, I try sometimes."
"I can tell." She muttered and I stuck out my tongue. I quickly jogged up to my room and changed into some pajamas. When I returned downstairs, everyone was basically seated so I took a seat on the floor in between Derek and Scott's legs.
"Alright, you'll get my present later when we have our family dinner so... Lydia, you're first." Stiles smiled and sat down next to me.
With a bright smile, Lydia handed me an envelope, "Here you go."
I smiled and carefully opened it. "Spa?" I raised a brow.
"You are going to be a college student. We have to make sure you look hott for the first day." She winked. "We are having a girls day."
"Hey what about us?" Isaac asked with a pout.
She raised a brow, "Last I knew, you are a male." Isaac scowled as she smiled and returned to sit on Jackson's lap.
"This is actually the main present, Lydia just likes being an over achiever." Erica smirked. Lydia gave her a face as Erica continued, "This is from all of us." She handed me a heavy wrapped package and I started tearing it carefully a part. I laughed as I saw a black and white checkered photo album. "I thought it appropriate."
"Stealing my idea I see." I grinned.
"Oh you know." She smirked back before returning to sit next to Boyd.
"Thanks guys, should I be worried about what's inside? Any burred pictures that might send my love of photos side cringing?"
They all groaned and Scott nudged me, "Come on just open it."
"Okay, okay." I opened the first page and read all the little notes that everyone wrote. "You guys are so weird." I mumbled and laughed. I could hear the low rumbled of them getting annoyed at how slow I was being. I rolled my eyes, "Alright." I flipped to the next page and smiled as the album started off with all of us in a group picture. I continued to slowly flip through the pages and found random picture I had no clue were taken of me. I was usually either laughing or giving a playful scowl at someone and there was no real order to them. Some of the pictures were from the first year together where we weren't exactly a full functioning pack while others were from this year; you could see the difference in relationships. I cringed when I saw that someone had taken a picture at me at my first training session where Derek had slammed me to the ground. However, I couldn't help but laugh a second later when I saw one from the same night and I was flying through the air after being tossed aside.
My laughter and happiness faltered when my eyes landed on a particular photo. It was taken earlier in he year at one of the lacrosse games we had won. My mother had thrown her arms around me and gave me a congratulatory side hug. In the picture, her mouth was opened wide in laughter and her brown eyes sparkled with happiness and pride. It was the only photo that I know of where I wasn't cringing at her touch. I held onto one of her forearms and smiled brightly as I laughter in happiness. We were on okay terms then and it was one of the few times I didn't mind her touching me. It was a beautiful picture that I had treasured until she left and I thought I had packed it away with all of the things that reminded me of her.
"You can't forget about her Zak. She is your mother and she does love you." Stiles whispered as he touched my shoulder. That touch was the thing that snapped me out of my trance. I closed the album, held it to my chest, and curled into myself as tears poured down my face; I wasn't okay. Derek dropped next to me and kinda hugged me, as Stiles wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him. Within seconds I was surrounded and being touched by everyone in my pack. As we silently huddled together I felt it, the unbreakable bond of the pack; we were family and always would be.

~~
"Family is not about Blood,
It's about Who is willing to Hold your hand,
When you need it Most"