Chapter Text
Peter sighs when he sees the letter, it’s that time of the year again… He looks at his sister who’s looking back at him with contemplative eyes, as she stays silent. She still hopes that her little brother will find happiness again, and the hope she has in her eyes is shattering Peter’s will to complain or find a way to not go to this masquerade. He looks at his two nieces, his nephew, and his daughter and sighs. They all received the same letter. It will be the first time for Cora and Malia since they just turned 18 in human years. They seem to be more excited than the rest of them, which is understandable since it’s new to them.
The pods, that’s what they were invited to. The concept is simple: all single adults have to participate. For two whole weeks, sometimes more depending on the number of invitations, people are locked inside a room and have to meet other participants: speed dating like. But no participants can see who they're meeting. They need to talk to someone they may or may have not met, without knowing who is on the other side of the wall or what they look like. When the participants arrive at the center, their memories are tampered with. You remember everything about yourself and everyone you know, but you never remember the name of those that you have heard rumors of from someone else. In other words, once Peter or his nephew and nieces enter the pods; he won’t remember the name of Derek and Laura’s new betas that he hasn’t met yet, or Cora’s and Malia’s friends that he hears about every day constantly. He will remember they exist, but he won’t be able to recall their name or description, etc. And it will be the same for everyone else that will participate.
Beacon Hills is a small town and rumors are a big part of everyday life. Once in the pods, you cannot judge on rumors heard, or try to aim for someone because you heard they were wealthy or something of the sort. It’s to make everyone fair in meeting someone. All adults will meet other participants based on their adaptable gender. If someone can only give life: Type A, also called givers of life, will meet someone that can preferably bring life into this world: Type B also called bringers of life. Type D also called Delta: or the adaptable life bringer can do both bring and give life depending on the other gender of their partner.
Consequently, Type A will meet Type B and D obligatorily, Type B will meet Type A and D obligatorily and of course, Deltas will meet A, B, and D. But being a giver or bringer doesn’t mean that you can’t meet someone from the same type as you. You can select your preferences in an entry questionnaire. The only thing is that you’re not allowed to disclose your adaptable gender in the pods. Even though you know which type you have to meet, there is no way for you to know who you’re meeting so as to not have any bias when you meet someone.
Malia and Cora are givers. Laura and Derek are bringers. And of course, Peter is a delta... As if it wasn’t annoying enough to go there, he will have to meet all types of adaptable gender, just because he was born with a greater chance than others to have children. Thankfully, he’s a werewolf, and he can ask to meet people who only know about the supernatural, which reduces considerably the number of strangers he’ll have to meet.
The reason for this weeks-long dating madness? The decline of marriage, and the superficiality of it. In the pods, you can’t base your affinity on appearance, main gender, external influences, racism of any kind, age difference, or anything that could stop you from dating someone because of prejudice. The concept is good, but the fact that it is mandatory is a pain in the ass for someone like Peter. Nowadays, everyone finds their spouse less and less in the real world. There is still ten percent of the population that finds their partner that way, but it’s becoming less and less common.
The marriage between two individuals with the same alternative gender is completely accepted, and you can ask to meet people with the same alternative gender, but if you have a preference for the same biological gender only, let's say male, you will still have to meet female participants, as the pods are meant to erase all possible blocks in the dating pool. Therefore, the pods became an experience not only reserved for dating, but also for forming friendships that would have never been possible outside. Nowadays, no one asks to reduce their meeting to their mandatory alternative gender anymore, since the experience in itself, has become too important for a lot of people.
The only exception is for the supernaturals. They can ask to meet participants that know about their world for security reasons. No one outside the supernatural world knows that the spells used inside the pods are magic, everyone else thinks it’s advanced sciences that made everything they experience in the pods possible. Since natural evolution and science are supposedly the cause of the alternative gender for the rest of the world.
Of course, it isn’t true, magic was the reason. It is said to have been witches in the old world who were sick of being undermined because they could bear children. Males in history were under the assumption that females were lesser because they bore life or some nonsense of the time. The witches, being sick of this stupidity, decided to change the ‘natural, boring’ way of conceiving children. And a thousand years later the spell was never undone, as the supernatural world witnessed how everyone grew better because of it. To this day, no one wants to undo the spell and every mention of it has been completely destroyed to make sure that no egoist douchebag could change the new order.
Peter sighs once more when he opens the letter: “You have been cordially invited to our blah blah blah blah”. Talia taps on his shoulder and smiles at him. “Maybe you will finally find a beta?” She doesn’t say a significant other, and he’s grateful for it.
“Mom is right. You had your Alpha spark for six years now, it’s time you find a beta.” Derek says while Laura nods multiple times.
Peter rolls his eyes. “It’s not because you’ve been biting left and right that I will.” His nephew received an Alpha spark last year. He has already bitten 5 teens, two that became Peter’s betas after meeting the whole pack, one that stayed Derek’s beta, and two others that he hasn’t met yet. In the Hale pack, they have several Alphas. Once a beta has been bitten or has joined the pack as a human, they will meet the entire pack after a period of two months. If they feel an affinity with another Alpha after meeting all of them, they can shift their Alpha without any jealousy or other nonsense. The Hales pack is the only one with that system. Other Alphas would never allow their beta to shift their loyalty, but in the Hale pack, you can even have two alphas if you so wish.
That’s how Erica and Boyd became his betas for some reason, they still respect Derek as their original Alpha, so it’s more of a co-Alpha situation, but he still doesn’t understand why they chose him as an Alpha as well. Previous to those two troublemakers, his only other betas were his niece: Cora, and his daughter Malia. But they both have Talia as the main Alpha. Thing is, Peter never bit anyone, nor did he pick anyone to be in his pack. If someone picks him, he accepts if they don’t annoy him, but that’s about it. Erica and Boyd are good betas, they are even better than he expected. He doesn’t show it, but he appreciates them. And they probably know it, because they are a little too brazen with him.
Erica cackles. “I can’t wait to see and pick who you will meet, Peter.” Peter looks at the blond devil and sighs.
In the pods, your pack can select participants for you to meet, they can choose the order or the time you will spend talking to someone if they so wish. And the worst in all of this? They can see everything that is happening since the whole damn thing is filmed in real-time. The people in the pods can put a veto on someone, but that’s about it. The Pack holds a little power here and Peter is already tired. Why? Because most packs don’t do anything, but he’s certain that with Erica it will be a different story. If she doesn’t watch the entire damn thing with popcorn while cackling about the awkwardness of it all, it wouldn’t be Erica.
“You better monitor my damn nephew and his sister instead, Erica.” Erica smiles with all teeth. “Don’t worry I will too, it will be so much fun!!”
Peter snorts, Erica and Boyd have been together for a year now, they are one of the rare people who found love outside the pods since they’ve been together since they were both minors. They haven’t broken up yet, so they will not participate in the whole thing. Teenagers usually break up before the invitation to the pods arrives because they want to give a chance to the system, but Erica and Boyd chose otherwise. Boyd is the first to say that he has already found the one for him and that it will be useless to search for someone he has already found. Which is absolutely adorable in a way.
“Also, make sure that Malia doesn’t meet a jerk.” Peter looks at Talia for that one, but it’s Erica who says vehemently. “Of course!!! You can count on me, only the best for the coyote.” Peter looks at Erica with affection before he ruffles her hair. “Don’t play too many pranks, or I’ll get back at you in training.”
He smiles sweetly, but Erica shudders before swallowing in nervousness. Boyd puts a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. “I’ll watch her.” Peter snorts before patting both of his betas' shoulders and going back to sit on the outdoor couch outside the house.
Talia is the one to follow him, she sits next to him, and they stay silently, looking and listening to the movements created by the wind on the trees. “Maybe I can find someone to fake-marry me to stop me from being a candidate.”
Talia hums before looking at him. “Or maybe you can find a friend.” Peter snorts. “I want to see you laugh again, Peter.” Peter turns to watch his sister’s eyes. “I need to hear it once more. You already rarely laughed as it was, but it’s worse with each passing year.” Peter frowns. “Malia thinks the same, you know what she told me?”
Peter shakes his head. “She said she wished you had someone to talk to, anyone at all will be fine. You know how she never had any friends outside the pack before she entered Beacon Hills High, right?” Peter knows all too well, Malia always took after him after all, since her mother was a complete sociopathic bitch, it was a relief really. “She asked me why you don’t have any friends. The only ones you talk to are the pack or the people you verbally assassinate at your job, and that’s about it. I never noticed before, but she’s right. Everyone in the pack has friends outside the pack, but you.”
Peter snorts. “How do you expect me to be friends with people dumber than rocks?” Talia rolls her eyes. “Talia, you know me, outside of the pack, everyone is pebbles or useless. I care for the pack more than I’m capable of for someone that isn’t me, which is a feat in itself. But you want me to care for someone else that isn’t even in our pack?”
Talia rolls her eyes again before saying. “Then make someone else one of your Pack then.” She nods. “Go to the pods and find someone that you think will fit in.”
Peter raises one of his eyebrows. “You’re sending me on a recruiting mission right now?” Talia nods before standing up and leaving him alone after saying. “That’s what I said, go there and find pack members.” The Alpha is gawking at his sister's back. He knows that she said that to make him speak with anyone. Peter had already gone there for some years now, and he stopped speaking to anyone altogether. Every year he went, he took his books and spent the whole experience reading while ignoring everyone that tried to make conversation. It was paradise really, one month alone without anyone to annoy him, since Talia gave up after one week of making him meet others, she concentrated on Derek and Laura, which unfortunately for both of them, led nowhere serious, but it’s thanks to that, that Derek found Boyd and Erica.
Derek met Boyd’s grandma in the pods, they got to talking about her grandson that needed a family. She applied to the pods after her husband died, with the hope to find her grandson a family that will take care of him after she died; since the boy had no one else than her, and she was worried about him. She knew about pack dynamics since she was friends with a banshee when she was younger, and she decided that it was the best option for her grandson.
Boyd, on the other hand, didn’t know about the supernatural world before his grandma brought Derek home after the pods. It is always hilarious when Boyd tells his side of the story. Because one day his grandma said that she was going to find a new husband thanks to the pods, and the next she came back home with a young man in tow. It always makes Peter gleeful to see the embarrassment on Derek’s face every time Boyd tells it. Talia is always holding back a smile while Laura, Cora, and Malia laugh without a care in the world for Derek’s embarrassment, which is the funniest thing Peter has seen to date.
Derek even made Boyd watch all of his grandma and Derek’s interactions in the pods to stop the young man from suspecting anything between the old lady and him. And one month after said meeting with Boyd, the young man accepted to join the pack with the condition to accept his sick girlfriend too. Derek accepted after meeting Erica, she smelt too much like sickness for him to bear letting her live like that if he could help. Two months later Peter met the two betas that would become his too.
Peter knows that Talia worries about him, she was worried about him since he was born because he was never like everyone else. He cares little for other people, he often asked himself if he could love as others did, but he realized quickly that loving isn’t the same for everyone. He cares for a few and even though it would appear to others that his affection is superficial, he knows deep down that he would burn the whole world for those he holds dear. Even though he treats everyone coldly, his pack still knows that they are special to him and that’s all that matters really.
Malia sits abruptly next to him before putting her head on Peter’s shoulder. “Dad?” He hums. “I’ll try to make more friends and maybe meet someone.” He nods his head. “I told the mini pack that I will find someone.” The mini pack is the name she gave her friends at school. “I’ll try not to scare anyone too much.” He smiles at his daughter, she really takes after him, there is no doubt about it. But she’s still different, she still has faith in others. Peter lost that faith when he was a child, or maybe he was never born with it in the first place? “Won’t you be alone if I’m not here as much?”
Peter caresses his daughter's hair. “Not everyone is scared of being alone, nor does everyone need someone in their life.” Malia frowns, and the alpha snorts. “And I will always have you, Malia, so I’ll never be alone. I have you and the pack, that’s enough for me.” He looks far away before saying. “If you weren’t all there, it would be different. But luckily, I’ll never have to imagine a reality where I’ll be completely alone.”
Malia thinks before saying. “You still don’t have friends at your age, dad.”
Peter frowns. “You’re saying that, like I’m a grandpa or something. I’m still young.” She rolls her eyes. “Plus, a lot of adults don’t have friends, most of them lose them when they go to college and after when they start a job and again when they start a family. In the end, you might keep one or two if you’re lucky… Pack is better than friends.”
She frowns. “But you never had any friends, that's what Mom said.” Malia calls Talia: mom, since she was a small child, Peter never corrected her since her biological mom is garbage anyway.
“My dear sister is my only friend.” He hears a shout: “I’m your sister, not your friend, Peter.” Peter rolls his eyes. “Then your husband is my friend.” He hears another yell. “Hell no, I’m not.” Well, he knows someone that will have a hard training session tonight… Peter is in charge of all the self-defense classes in the pack, he likes to take revenge and harden one training just for the hell of it. Malia looks at him with pity in her eyes, which makes him frown. “Why do you worry about me? I have lived well until now without anyone else, I’ll be fine.”
Malia shakes her head. “You’re not fine since she’s gone.” Peter frowns at his daughter's words before opening his mouth, his daughter cuts him off. “I’m not saying that you need to find a romantic relationship. I will never ask that of you if you’re not ready, but maybe you can find someone to talk to.”
Peter sighs. “I’ll get a therapist if it gets the lot of you off my back.”
She shakes her head. “That’s a terrible idea, you’ll probably traumatize them like the last one.” Peter grins at the memory, he did have fun making Dr. Deaton lose his shit completely thanks to him. The bastard pissed him off once, he never did it again. “Plus, paying for a friend is not how you get one. Mom told me that’s not how it works.” The older man has nothing to answer to that. “Let’s go together tomorrow and promise me, to at least, talk to someone in there.”
Peter sighs. “Okay, I’ll say one sentence to someone. Happy now?” Malia beams at him making him sigh with affection at how pretty his daughter is when she’s happy. Maybe talking to strangers is the least he can do in order to keep this smile on his daughter’s face.