Greykin Mountain

| 34 | Run

          But no one came in.

          "U-uh...come in," he called.

          Still, the door didn't open.

          Jackson huffed away his unsettle and made his way over there. He pulled the door open...but there wasn't anyone there, nor was there a single person in the corridor, either.

          He frowned strangely. That cold shiver gripped him tightly, his heart thumping in his chest. If it weren't for the prior voices outside the walls, he might not be so anxious right now—so anxious that he didn't want to step out of his room.

          Who had knocked? Why wasn't anyone there?

          A peculiar scent then filled his nose. Lavender? And...jasmine, maybe?

          The sound of crackling fire became louder, and an orange glow crept through the gaps in the walls, banishing the evening's murk.

          Jackson's anxious feelings started to make way for his curiosity. The scent grew stronger, the orange glow brightened, and he stepped out of his room to stare through one of the wall's missing bricks.

          From what he could see, the courtyard was lit by a small fire in each corner. Everyone was in their wolf forms, standing in a large circle around the centre of the open area, and in the middle, Damon was waiting beside Bly.

          They were waiting for something...and Jackson was pretty sure it was him.

          Was this it? Was it time for his initiation? Already? He wasn't ready—he hadn't slept, he'd not spent time preparing himself, and he had no idea what to expect. But everyone was waiting. It wasn't like he could walk out there and ask them for another hour.

          Why was everyone out there, though?

          He stood there for a moment, his legs shaking, his hands trembling. It felt like a million tiny butterflies were rioting inside his gut. He was nervous and tired, and with each passing second, the thought that he was going to fail whatever was waiting for him grew stronger.

          But he had to do this. If he wanted to continue gaining Damon's trust—if he wanted to give Damon all the more reason to help him...then he needed to finalize his joining of the pack. Not only that, but he still needed to learn to control his wolf. The full moon was looming, and the last thing he wanted was to lose himself to the beast inside him before he had a chance to find Wilson.

          And that was exactly why he couldn't sneak off, either.

          This was it.

          Jackson took a deep breath, sighing away as much of his angst as he could, and then, he began his walk through the corridor...to the door that led out into the courtyard...and across the snow-covered ground to where Damon waited for him.

          The crowd watched him closely, silently. His heart was racing so fast it felt as though it was trying to break free from his chest. Each step was a struggle; his legs were like jelly, wobbling around like they weren't connected to him properly. But he did his best to remain on his feet as he edged nearer to the Alpha.

          And then, when he reached Damon, he stopped a few feet from the huge white wolf and swallowed the spit which had been pooling in his mouth.

          Damon's honey-brown eyes stared straight into his. There was no expression on his face. Was he waiting for Jackson to say something?

          Jackson's jaw chattered. "I—"