Stiles decided that once they found Lydia, he would tell his dad the truth about Beacon Hills. This was partly because he wasn't sure he'd see his dad before they found Lydia, and partly because it gave him time to work on his proof, as he definitely wouldn't be sleeping. In other words, he planned to practice his beta shift, or at least enough of it to convince his dad he wasn't crazy. So far, he'd managed to flash his eyes on command and even bring out the claws, but the full beta shift was eluding him. Unfortunately, the only people he could ask about it were Derek and Scott, and neither of them was really available to help with that kind of thing in the middle of the night, even if they were both talking to him—which Scott definitely wasn't.
At about four in the morning, Stiles heard a call on the police radio (which he definitely didn't have) about a dead body in the back of an ambulance being attacked. He heard his dad respond, then, about twenty minutes later, heard the call for another ambulance to the same place. Lydia had been found, naked and cold but otherwise unhurt. Still unable to bring out the full shift and unwilling to go to sleep, Stiles took a seat at the kitchen table to wait for his dad. It didn't take long for the Sheriff to stumble in. He took one look at Stiles and let out a long-suffering sigh.
"God, kid, what did you do now?" Noah asked, sliding into the chair opposite his son.
"Technically, I did exactly what you told me to the last time you saw me," Stiles said quickly.
"Then why do you look like you're about to tell me you stole a car?" Noah's eyes were sharp.
"Because there's a lot I need to tell you about, and I'm not sure how you're gonna take it. But you need to know, now more than ever. I swear it's nothing you're going to have to arrest anyone for. Well, not really. You may want to, though."
"Stiles."
"Dad, you have to promise me you'll wait until I'm done to say I'm crazy. I promise I can prove almost everything I'm about to tell you, but you have to let me explain it." Stiles wrung his hands together. "Promise."
"I promise, but Stiles, I want the truth this time. The real truth."
"So, you remember when you found the body in the woods a few months ago and I said I was out there alone? Well, I wasn't. Scott was with me and when he was trying to get out of the woods he got attacked and bitten by an Alpha werewolf."
"A werewolf?" Noah went to stand up. "I said the truth, Stiles."
"I'm telling you the truth, Dad."
"It's late. If you're not gonna be serious, I'm going to bed."
"Technically, it's late enough that it's actually early, but that's neither here nor there. What matters is I am being serious. Totally and one hundred percent serious. I told you I can prove it. Just—just watch."
"Stiles," his father warned. Before he could overthink it too much, Stiles tried to shift. Unlike the other hundred times he'd attempted the shift in the past day, it actually happened. It felt both weird and natural at the same time as he transformed. Noah moved so fast, he knocked over his chair, staggering back away from the table.
"What the hell?" Stiles felt himself shift back, but he kept his eyes blue. The Sheriff just stared at him for a long moment. Finally, he sighed.
"Werewolves?"
"Werewolves," Stiles agreed, letting his eyes fade. "Can I tell you about it or do you need time to freak out about it?"
"Tell me about it so I can freak out all at once." Noah righted his chair and took his seat again. "And afterward, I'm eating a bacon cheeseburger and fries for lunch and you don't get to say a word." Stiles opened his mouth to complain. "Not a word. Now tell me about the damn werewolves." So, Stiles did. He explained about the Hale fire and Kate Argent. Then he explained about Peter Hale and all the people he'd killed. He showed his father where Peter had forced the bite on him, even though it had been healed for a while. Then he tried to explain Derek, which was considerably harder than everything else. Especially since he still didn't understand his Alpha all that well. When he finally got everything out, they just sat there for a while.
"On the upside, you don't have to get me any more Adderall," Stiles said, trying to lighten things.
"Only because it won't work. Instead, I get to deal with a hyperactive werewolf," Noah muttered. He ran his hand over his face. "Your mother would have dealt with this so much better, kid." Stiles shrugged, looking away. "I think she knew about this stuff. At least a little bit. When you were really little, she used to tell you stories, and there was one that always got my attention. It was a story of three wolves, the leaders of their pack. One had red eyes and was called the Alpha. The other two were golden-eyed betas. They went into an enchanted forest to learn the right way to lead their pack. The three wolves were separated. The Alpha was greeted by a druid of the forest and told to observe everything about her pack to learn how to lead them forward. She was told that she would ultimately decide the fates of the other wolves. One of the betas met a hunter in the woods. There was a struggle and the hunter tried to kill the beta, but the beta won. Since the hunter had been trying to kill him, his eyes stayed gold. But the other beta heard his brother fighting the hunter and heard the howls of pain during the fight. He saw another human in the woods, with their back to him. He could smell wolfsbane and could see the crossbow in the human's hands. Not willing to risk the safety of his brother or Alpha, the beta killed the unsuspecting hunter. But doing so changed him. His eyes went from gold to blue and all three wolves were guided out of the forest. When the Alpha saw the beta's eyes, she understood what the druid had told her. She made the beta with gold eyes her second, the one who would lead in her stead and protect her pack in the light through battles or negotiations. The one with the blue eyes she dubbed her left hand. He would work in the shadows and do whatever was needed to protect the pack from threats, inside and out. Together the three of them would lead and protect their pack, working in perfect balance." Noah sighed.