EAD ~ Arranged Marriage AU

Title: Arranged Marriage AU
Author: Saydria Wolfe
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Genre: AU
Relationship(s): Stiles Stilinski/Allison Argent/Peter Hale
Content Rating: PG-13
Warnings: No Beta, Dark Themes
Word Count: 4,297
Summary: What it says on the tin.

 

 

“I’m serious, Stiles.” His dad frowns.

Stiles frowns right back. Throws in a little bit of flail. Half a body has been found on the Preserve. Half! And his dad wants him to pick up his grandma? “But dad!”

“No, Stiles, I mean it. Get the sedan out of the garage, get it washed, and pick up your grandmother. Her flight should land at 6:30 tonight. Leave the body in the woods to the professionals.” His dad gives him a calculating look and Stiles sighs knowing by now that that means his dad is about to play the winning card. “You know your Uncle Elliot says Babushka Lis is the scariest person he’s ever met. Maybe you can figure out why.”

Stikes goggles because really? His dad’s little brother Elliot is a badass and a former Marine and a werewolf. An alpha werewolf according to their last call, and he’s afraid of Stiles’ grandma? Yeah, okay, this requires investigation.

“County airstrip?” he asks.

His father smirks and nods, knowing he’s won, but at least he doesn’t rub it in.

~*~

“Dad, no!” She cries as she throws herself up off the couch and starts to pace. “I don’t want to move again. That’s the third time this year!”

“Allison, I promise, this will be the last move until you graduate high school.”

“What?” She whirls and squints at her father suspiciously. After all she’s learned recently, “What happened to ‘I can’t make promises, Allison’, or ‘we go where we’re needed, Allison’?”

Her father sighs and walks over to his second favorite crystal decanter. It’s apparently just become a brandy night. “We’ve told you about what our family does and about the Witches Council.”

She nods because yeah, her family hunting werewolves -and werewolves even being a thing- is not something she’s likely to forget.

“Well, there’s been an unofficial war going on between the Argent Hunter Family and the Hale Werewolf Clan. To the point where the Witches Council declared an armistice that would be sealed with magic and a marriage.” Allison sits down abruptly, already sure where this is going. “It was supposed to be a three way marriage bond between me, the Hale Alpha, and the Head of the Council’s daughter, Claudia.”

“But you married mom.”

“Right, after Claudia ran off and married another man. It was her choice and I respect that but Allison, there are consequences. She had one son. That’s all the magic of the contract allowed her – from what I understand it was only so that he could take her place in the contract – and she died when he was 8. It was… Bad. Her death was slow and painful. It mimicked a disease that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

“And we’re going to Beacon Hills so I can fulfill this contract? So you can give me away? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“We didn’t know the contract was still active until we got a letter from the Council last week,” Her mom puts in as she comes in and sits on the couch. She pats the sear beside her and Allison reluctantly takes it. “Around 7 years ago there was a fire at the Hale Clan Home. It was ruled an accident-” He mom frowns in a way that means she doesn’t believe it really was an accident. “-and most of the Hales died. We thought all of them were dead until we got that letter.”

“That’s why you guys started telling me about all this.” Allison says accusingly.

“That’s right,” her mom nods. “You need to understand that it’s not about us not trusting you or that we think you’re weak. It’s that we didn’t want this to touch you. We didn’t want you forced into this life like we were. We face a lot of ugliness everyday, Ally, and if I had my way you would have never known any of this.”

Allison frowns and thinks about it.

She doesn’t want to die but she doesn’t want an arranged marriage, either. Not to not just one but two people she’s never met. Her parents marriage was arranged, they never kept that from her so she’s grown up with the idea but parents met as kids. They were best friends. They didn’t know their future together but they knew each other. She doesn’t even get that much. Hell, she doesn’t even know ages or genders or anything.

“The witch’s son is my age?”

“Yes,” her father confirms.

“And the wolf?”

This time he hesitates, “We don’t know who survived.” He eventually admits. “Talia, the alpha, died in the fire. She’s the one I was betrothed to. She had a daughter that was five years older than you and was her official heir, a son that was two years older, and a daughter your age. Her youngest brother was just seven years older than you but she had several other siblings that were still single. Aunts. Uncles. There’s no way for us to know who the Alpha is now.”

“But I’m definitely marrying an alpha?”

“If you choose to, Allison,” Her mom interjects. “Only if you choose to.”

“It’s get married or die, mom.”

“It’s still a choice.”

“I can’t chose death mom, I just can’t.”

Her mom looks, almost, disappointed? But she nods accepting and turns back to her her husband.

Allison focuses on her dad. He gives her a little smile. “You have two and a half days left in this semester. We’ll drive up when you get out of school Wednesday, get everything settled on the contract front and, if everything still goes through, start moving Monday.”

Two days. She has two days, maybe three, until she meets her, well. Her match.

Great.

~*~

The sun is setting as his grandma’s private plane taxis across the runway in his general direction.

The county air strip is small enough that people can just park on the edge of the tarmac for pick ups and Stiles isn’t the only one waiting.

There’s also a pair of big black SUV’s that make Stikes feel like he somehow wandered onto the set of a mobster movie.

The plane stops with its door facing them. The moment a set of stairs are wheeled into position his grandma is the first one out the door. Her hair is solid cotton white with big playful curls. She’s wearing a really nice white wrap dress, pearls, and rings fit for a Hollywood red carpet but she does it with the air of someone that dresses this way all the time.

The only splash of color in her whole get up is the little tan chihuahua under her arm wearing both a hot pink sweater and wrapped in a neon spotted blanket against the late December cold.

His grandmother seems oblivious to the incongruency of the image. Or maybe she’s just used to it.

Either way, it’s utterly hilarious.

This is the woman that scares his alpha werewolf uncle?

“Mietek!” She greets him with a breezy smile.

“Babushka,” He returns the gesture as she busses a kiss onto each of his cheeks.

“Let me look at you, let me look at you. Oh, Mietek! You’re a man! Just yesterday you were missing a tooth and trying to jump over the house from your swing set. I swear it.” It was how he first broke his arm, he blushes furiously.

“We have so much catching up to,” She bubbles at him. “Is this your car?”

“Uh, dad’s. I drive mom’s Jeep.” She gives him a semi-exasperated smile. “We didn’t think you’d appreciate the ride in the Jeep.”

“You would be correct.” She looks sharply at one of the big men in a gray pinstriped suit that followed her off the plane.

That look is almost scary, even if she is half the dude’s size.

Still, he hops into motion like she shouted orders and carries two suitcases and a small duffle over to them.

Stiles hits the button to pop the trunk. The man just nods to him silently and loads the bags.

“Uh, we don’t have room for this many people,” Stiles says, belatedly realizing this is just his grandmother’s entourage.

“Oh no, Mietek, I would not bring strangers to stay in my daughter’s house. They may visit as I need them but the next few days are just you and me.”

“And dad.”

His grandmother silently inclines her head.

Not sure what else to do, Stiles opens the passenger door for her. She smiles and pats his cheek before settling in.

Time for some covert observation.

About halfway home she asks, “Is something wrong, Mietek?”

“No!” He squeaks and clears his throat. So much for being covert, better play it off. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”

“You keep looking at me. Rather than the road.”

“I, well, is that weird? I haven’t seen you since the funeral.”

“That is not why you’re staring.” She says almost flatly and he sighs.

“Dad said Uncle Eliot thinks you’re the most dangerous person he knows. I was just trying to figure out why.” Stiles braces himself and glances at his grandmother, prepared for her disapproval.

But, of course. This is his grandmother and when he looks over she’s smiling beatifically.

“Did he really?” She says. She sounds utterly pleased because, again, his grandma.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe I will support his little band to the Council after all.” She abruptly sobers are turns to face him. “When I say ‘magic’ what is the first thing that pops into your mind?”

“What, you mean like runes?”

“Brilliant. I could use a Rune Master.” She’s smiling softly now. “I do Bindings.” She tells him. “For example my little dog here. He was an alpha werewolf. Unfortunately he had the habit of doing unspeakable things to his betas, breaking Council Law left, right, and center. It was decided death was too good for him. He needed to learn not to abuse those that depend on him, so I took his alpha spark and bound it to his second. Then I took his mind and bound it to Buster’s body and Buster’s mind to his.”

She says it like it’s a simple thing. Like its nothing, like sticking a man’s mind in a dog’s body is a thing that happens everyday. “And that’s why Uncle Eliot is scared of you.” He mutters to himself, and then louder. “You can really do that? Aren’t there like, costs the that much magic?”

“Of course, but the costs of magic can be mitigated in many ways. One of the ways I mitigate the costs of Bindings is by adding conditions. In the example of James here, the binding will end when he learns his lesson. When he understands how to be strong without being abusive, when he knows that. When he knows what he did was wrong and regrets it, then he will be returned to his own body. Until then he pays the price for the binding, because it’s existence is dependant entirely on him.”

“And how does he pay that as a dog?”

“Well, he doesn’t have his werewolf strength, or his senses, or his healing. Which is rather fortunate, can you imagine a chihuahua with werewolf strength?”

Stiles unfortunately can. “Tiny little murder dog.

“What if he dies?”

“Then he dies. His original body will die with him, which I imagine Buster is quite ready for. -Eighteen years is a long life span for a dog.- Until then both are my responsibility and I see that their needs are met.”

“So,” Stiles turns what she’s not exactly saying over in his head a few times. “I’ve heard of the Witches Council. – I wasn’t supposed to because Dad but I did. – I’m assuming you are on the Witches Council?”

“Darling Mietek, I am the Head of the Council.”

Okay, yeah, not a surprise. “So we’re witches?”

“You, me, and your mother.” She agrees. “There is a family of techno wizards in town. This is technically their town with the werewolves Missing In Action. I believe you go to school with the son, Daniel?”

“Daniel? Danny Mahealani?”

“The very one.”

“Cool,” That explains so much. Like. Seriously. “So, are you just visiting for the holiday?”

“No,” She admits. “It’s time to start your training. The first several weeks of training are a very vulnerable time for a witch. I’m here to see you safely through it.”

That’s cool. His grandma is taking him to Hogwarts!

“There is another matter, though.”

“Okay?” He squints at her, suspicious.

“The Argent Hunter family has been waging a subtle war on the Hale Werewolf Clan for generations. It’s possible the Hales started it but that makes absolutely no sense when you consider what werewolves and their hunters are but there’s no one alive that can remember it clearly any more.”

Stiles grimaces. “I don’t know if the Argents won that war but the Hales definitely lost it. Almost all of them died in a fire like six years ago.”

“I am aware.” She agrees grimly. “It was officially ruled an accident but trapping that many werewolves in a fire on accident? Impossible.”

“Do you have files on the fire?” He asks eagerly. “Dad sometimes gives me cold cases to play with, I can see if anything sticks out?”

“That would be wonderful.” She smiles for him again.

“Okay, so, holidays, Hogwarts, and Hales? That’s what you’re here for?”

“More or less. Hale blood has gone active in these lands over the last few weeks and it shows there is an alpha active in the line. That means there is a Binding here for me to complete.”

That is so cool. “What kind of Binding?”

“A treaty between the Hales and the Argents. Sealed with the contract marriage of a Hale Alpha, a highly ranked Argent, and a young magical of my line.”

That… is not so cool. “I’m the only young magical of your line, though.”

“I am aware.”

Fuuuuck. “Who am I supposed to marry?”

“As far as the Argents are concerned, the daughter of the man your mother was supposed to marry. Her name is Allison, she’s in line to be the next Matriarch of the entire Argent Family.”

“And the Hales?”

“I honestly don’t know. As far as I knew the only survivor was a man in a coma. I have to assume others were hiding at least a thousand miles from Hale Territory otherwise our spells would have found them before this. I don’t know why they have returned but the moment the Hale Alpha came back to their territory a number of interesting spells started activating. Now we have to seal the Binding before another Fire happens.”

Stiles remains silent as he parks in their driveway and turns to look at his grandma. “If I say no?”

She watches him for a few moments before focusing on the house in front of them. “Your mother said no.”

“The Binding is what killed her?”

“The consequences of not meeting the Binding killed her.”

“I,” Stiles frowns when his voice cracks and stops to clear his throat. “I need to think about this.”

“Fair enough. You’re my grandson so I know you’ll need all the information you can get and something to distract you when it all becomes too much. I have the contract itself and several books for you to read. I’ll also get you the Witches Council files on the Fire, if that counts as a distraction?”

“Yeah, that’d be good.” He agrees and climbs out of the car and heads around to get her door.

~*~

On Wednesday, when he should be in school because BHHS isn’t quite out for Christmas yet but he isn’t going because grandma, there’s a knock at his front door.

He answers expecting Babushka’s Guardian Wolf Walter. Instead he’s treated to the sight of a grumpy looking man with a very health goatee that’s not so much salt and pepper in color as it is cinnamon and salt. Ice blue eyes and those forearms, unf. Total DILF.

Behind him is a Disney Princess. Pale, doe eyes, long curling black hair, and dimples.

“We’re looking for Babushka Lis,” Grumpy DILF announces.

“Dad!” Disney Princess exclaims exasperatedly.

Stiles almost steps back and invites them in but. Magic lessons. He knows now the power of invitations given to or from people of power. He turns and looks toward the sitting room instead.

“Gram?”

She steps around the entryway, where she was no doubt hovering like the control freak she not so secretly is. “Something that matter, Mietek?” She glances at the door and with an almost perfect look of innocence she smile. “Christopher! And this must be Allison? Come in. Both of you, come in.”

“Would you like anything to drink?” Stiles asks because his grandmother might be the Boss of Everyone but this is his house and that makes him the host.

“Soda?” Allison asks tentatively as Christopher shakes his head no.

“Dr. Pepper?” he asks because some crazy people don’t adore it like he does.

She seems relatively sand as she nods, “That works.”

“Tea please, Mietek.” His gram requests.

It doesn’t take him long. He’s gotten to the point over the last few days where he keeps hot water and a full infuser waiting to go so he just has to drop the infuser in a cup and pour. Because he’s a little shit he picks the dinosaur infuser he bought just for his grandmother and drops it in the cup with its little T-Rex hands clutching the rim.

His grandmother, proving that she’s a little shit too, takes the cup – dinosaur and all – with the serenity of a painted saint and patently ignores the way Christopher chokes and Allison giggles.

“You are aware of the contract then, my dear?” Babushka is asking Allison.

“I am. Your grandson and I are two of the three, correct?” Allison asks and his grandmother nods. “Do you know who our third is?”

“I’m afraid not. I’ve had my people laying the groundwork for a… Summoning, I suppose you would call it. Tomorrow we’ll go have dinner at Mabel’s and all Hales within a day’s drive will show up.”

“And my father and I?”

“Are welcome to come, of course, but no others. If you are planning to move here you should know Mabel’s regardless.”

“Best curly fries and milkshakes in town,” Stiles agrees.

“Mietek,” His gram says almost chidingly. She’s smiling though so it doesn’t count. “I was talking about Mabel’s Dinner being the Council’s official Stronghold and Sanctuary in Beacon Hills. Anyone dealing with, well, our world can go there for safety, food, shelter, and healing. It’s the most neutral meeting place we have in the county.”

“What time do we need to be there?” Christopher the Grump asks.

Babushka flicks her eyes up at Stiles.

He takes the hint and turns to Allison. “Uh, can we talk for a few minutes?” He asks as he gestures awkwardly toward the stairs.

Allison glances at her father and is out of her chair before he can definitively nod or shake his head.

“I’m Stiles Stilinski, by the way.”

“Allison Argent.” She dimples at him as they cross the landing bisecting the staircase. She leans in a bit and whispers. “Do you get the feeling your grandmother hates my dad?”

“Uh, no? I think it’s more that she wants to question him without an audience kinda thing? There’s been some shady, uh, stuff going on and hunters are supposed to report shady stuff to the Council but nothing’s really gone up the chain.”

“Like the Hale House Fire?”

He pauses in the doorway of his room and flails a bit. “You’ve heard something about it?”

“No one’s said anything directly to me but I know my mom doesn’t think it was, you know, what they say it is.”

“Well, yeah. Seven werewolves trapped in a burning building isn’t something that happens on accident. I’ve been looking into it for my dad and grandma and, yeah. Totally not an accident. One hundred percent murder. Mass murder? A massacre? I’m not really sure the correct term, per se but-”

“Okay, but onto more important things.” Allison interrupts and points to the console on the floor in his room. “You play video games?”

Stiles allows the change of subject with a small smile. “Uh, kinda? That’s more Scott – my best friend – ‘s thing. I’m more a World of Warcraft kinda guy.”

“What?!? Me too! Horde or Alliance?”

“Both, actually. Alliance on Khaz Modan, Horde on Blackhand. You?

“Alliance.” She sighs. “I have Draenei everything.”

“Let me guess, your main is a hunter?”

“Hah! No.” She rolls her eyes. “Paladin, thank you very much. I tank like a boss!”

“I bet. Orc Shaman and Gnome Mage are my mains. What do you think about the new race? Worgens?”

“They’re so ugly!” She groans. “I get it. It’s the whole point, giving the Alliance a ‘monster’ option but, just, no! I can’t.”

Stiles leans in with a grin. “But you have tried them?”

“Of course!”

~*~

Allison smiles as she listens to Stiles babbling about the upcoming release of True Grit and, “Should they really be remaking John Wayne?” He asks, adorably flustered. “I mean, he’s John Wayne.”

Allison chuckles and Stiles looks her way warily.

“My dad will be glad to hear about your love of all things John Wayne once he gets over the,” She gestures vaguely between them.

“Might be an inherited love of all things John Wayne, really. But I come by it honestly.” He tips his head to one side and spins around once on his computer chair. “Your dad has a problem with the whole arranged marriage thing? If any of the parents were okay with it, I’d figure it would be him. I mean, he was set to marry my mom all those years ago, right?”

“Right, but that doesn’t mean he likes his daughter’s choices taken from her.”

Stiles nods, “I can see it.”

“I have a more important question for you, though.”

“Okay, hit me.”

“What is this wall? What are these strings? And why is there a picture of my Aunt up there?”

“My crime wall? That’s the Hale Fire.” Stiles flails. “Your Aunt? Which one’s your Aunt?”

“The one in the middle with all the strings connected to her. You have her up there as Caitlyn Silva. It’s one of her favorite aliases. As soon as she knew I knew about hunting she showed up with a fake ID with me as Alice Silva. So we could still keep our nicknames and relationship even as fictional people.”

“Silva though?”

“Silva means forest, where do you hunt wolves?”

“In the forest. Oh my, god. Argent means silver-” He looks at her horrified.

Allison rolls her eyes. “If you say ‘silver’ with an accent-”

“Sil-vah,” He says nasally. Stiles throws his hands up and collapses back into his chair. “I don’t know if that’s brilliant or terrible.”

“Let’s go with ‘brilliantly terrible’. Now explain this to me.”

“My grandmother has me looking at the Hale Fire. I traced everything – people bought off or manipulated, chemicals purchased, everything – back to this woman,” He points at Kate. “Who was a last minute substitute for an English teacher at BHHS who suddenly won a vacation that she never came back from. The English teacher it just so happens, taught Derek Hale. Who randomly and out of nowhere started failing and acting out in her class and only her class.”

“Lots of detentions?” She guesses then make a face, “Or where they ‘detentions’?”

“If ‘detentions’ has a sexual connotation, go with that.” He reaches up and pulls a sheaf of papers from the wall by the push pin keeping it there. “A hacker I know got me copies of the Hales’ phone records. You might not want read it, it gets pretty explicit. She used a disposable phone so it’s not a concrete link but he calls her by name at the beginning and she doesn’t refute him.”

“Was anyone else in my family involved?” She asks, her gut churning.

“I don’t know? I didn’t get the connection to your family until just now?”

“Then I think we should get your hacker friend back over here, don’t you think?”

“Okay, yeah. I mean, if you’re sure?”

She nods once, feeling resolute down to her bones. “I need to know.”

“Okay. Sure. I’ll just-” Stiles pops up and pounds down the stairs with Allison all super ninja quiet – or maybe just hunter quiet – behind him.

“Babushka!” He cries as he hits the ground floor. “We got a lead. I need D-” He freezes. Something is wrong. Babushka, her Guardian Wolf, and her assistant -Julia? Jennifer?- whatever, her assistant is there but-

“Where’s dad?” Allison asks from her spot at his shoulder.

His grandmother raises both eyebrows at them. “Your Aunt Katherine has come to town, Allison. This is a treaty violation. Your father has left to send her away before I see her and have to deal with it myself.

Allison swallows hard and nods.

“What’s this about a lead?” His grandmother asks.

Stiles shares a look with Allison before he says, “Uh, we have one. We need Danny to hunt it down. Also is it okay for Allison to read the contract? I was going to offer it to her but I wasn’t sure…” He trails off.

“Of course it’s okay. The contract affects her as much as it does you. Would you like me to have Julia contact Daniel?”

“Please. I think he’ll get over here faster if, well, you know.”

“I do. Come sit with us, I doubt he will be long. Tell me how the two of you are getting on?”

 

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