A Place to Call Home

Curled up in the passenger seat of Stile’s jeep, Dakota rested her head on his leg and relaxed as he carded his fingers through her fur. It had been almost two weeks since he’d found her and despite the care he’d given, her wounds still hadn’t healed.

“Deaton is a know-it-all when it comes to the supernatural, so he should be able to help,” Stiles told her as he pulled into a small parking lot.

Uncertain about the situation that she was walking into, Dakota hesitated momentarily as Stiles climbed out and reluctantly followed his lead. She sniffed the air as they entered the veterinary clinic, taking in the onslaught of unfamiliar scents and sticking close.

“Ah, Stiles, what can I do for you?” a man asked as he emerged, freezing in his tracks when he spotted Dakota and eyeing her warily.

“I was hoping that you could help,” Stiles replied, placing his hand on Dakota’s back to show that she was safe and continuing, “I fixed her up as best I could, but the wounds aren’t healing and a couple of them look infected.”

“Bring her through,” the man instructed, leading them through to what Dakota assumed was an examination room and crouching down to look her over, “These wounds are going to need cleaning properly and you’re right... there are a couple that are infected.”

It felt like hours before the man announced that he was done and despite the pain, Dakota could already feel herself healing better. With a quick thank you to the man, Stiles gently scooped her into his arms and headed back out to his jeep. The drive over to Stiles’ house was short and he carried her inside, placing her at the bottom of his bed. With a whine, she nuzzled his hand affectionately and got comfortable.

She was awoken the following morning by Stiles’ phone ringing incessantly and she nudged him, earning a groan in response. Not wanting to eavesdrop on his conversation, she jumped off the bed and stretched out her sore limbs.

“You look better,” Stiles commented once he’d hung up.

‘What’s wrong?’ Dakota added, noticing the nervous look in his eyes and the way he shifted.

“Deaton told Scott about our visit and Scott told Derek, who wants us to go see him.”

‘We knew this day would come.’

The drive to the meeting spot was quiet, but Stiles soon parked at the side of the road and led her through the woods to a burned-out house. Two males, both wolves, were already waiting when they arrived, tensing slightly as their gazes fell upon her and shifting their attention to Stiles.

“Hey guys,” Stiles greeted with a small wave.

“Stiles, what the hell is going on?” the younger of the two asked after a short silence.

“That is a long story, Scotty, but the short version is that I found Dakota while out on a run in the woods and took her home,” Stiles explained with a shrug, ignoring the look of disbelief on his best friend’s face and continuing, “She was hurt and wasn’t healing properly, so I took her to Deaton... you know the rest.”

“It’s a wolf, Stiles, not a puppy,” Scott argued, “Why would you take it home?”

“She needed help and I wasn’t going to just walk away.”

“Can she shift back?” the alpha, Derek, inquired, shifting his gaze from Dakota and watching Stiles for an answer.

I’ve never been in my human form

“What never?” Stiles added as he looked back at her, causing Dakota to shake her head in response, “She’s never been in her human form.”

“Wait,” Derek stated with a frown, “You can communicate with her in her wolf form?”

“Yeah, I can hear her voice in my head... it’s how I found her,” Stiles admitted.