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Blurred white swirled around in every direction.
Jackson flailed his hands around, trying to fight off whatever had pinned him down.
Snarls, growls, and shuffling snow; he was sure it was an animal—a creature...but he couldn't make out what. His head felt like it was spinning, his ears were ringing, and pain throbbed through his body.
He was being dragged away.
But he couldn't stop it. He watched the blue and white above him contort into white and green, which he knew were the tops of trees covered in snow. And when he finally came to a halt, and the creature let go of him, he grunted and struggled to his hands and knees. Then, he attempted to get up, but he stumbled to the side and grabbed the closest tree to keep himself from falling.
His vision was still blurred, but it was clearing up, and as he looked around for what had attacked him, he set his eyes on something standing between a collection of bushes in front of him.
No...it was someone.
They stood there—Jackson could feel their eyes on him, and as he squinted and struggled to work out who it was, dread started to strangle him. Could it be the guy that had followed him around Farrydare?
Jackson tried to back off and run, but as soon as he let go of the tree, he tripped over his feet and fell to his hands and knees. He attempted to get up, but before he could, his attacker grabbed the back of his shirt, pulled him to his feet, turned him around, and pinned him against the tree.
Now that he was this close, Jackson was able to make out the guy's face...and it wasn't of some suit-wearing, black-haired stalker.
It was Damon.
It was Damon?
Jackson frowned in disbelief and rubbed his eyes.
Damon was still standing in front of him, holding him against the tree.
"D...Damon?" he stuttered.
The Alpha's face became clearer as Jackson's vision settled, revealing an aggravated stare. He looked pissed off—of course he did. But why was he here?
Jackson waited for him to say something, but it didn't look like he was going to. "What...what are you doing here?"
Damon's scowl thickened as he tightened his grip on Jackson's shirt. "What am I doing?" he growled—the anger in his voice sent a shiver down Jackson's spine. "What the fuck are you doing?!" he exclaimed.
He stared at the Alpha wide-eyed—what did he mean? "I...I-I don't know," he stuttered. "You...you told me to leave, so I came out h—"
"What?" Damon snapped, a look of confusion on his face.
"What? What do you mean, what?"
"What are you talking about?"
"What? I...what?" he exclaimed calmly. Damon looked just as confounded as he felt. "You kicked me out. You wanted me gone, so I came here."
The Alpha scowled, his look of bewilderment battling his angered one. "What the fuck are you talking about? I didn't kick you out—why the fuck would I want you gone?"
"I-I don't know!" Jackson answered, his perplexity starting to overwhelm him. "You sent Aysel to tell me that you wanted me out—she said I broke the rules," he explained, watching Damon's baffled look worsen. "She said I put the pack at risk and had to leave. She said you sent her to give me that bag of supplies, and that I had two minutes to get lost."
Damon glared into his eyes—it looked like he was pondering...and his anger and confusion slowly withered into a look of disdain.
Jackson wasn't sure what to make of any of this. "What?" he asked, hoping Damon would shed some light.
But the Alpha let go of him and backed off as he dragged his hand over his face. Then, he laughed derisively and shook his head.
"What?" he asked again.
Damon glanced at him. "Do you honestly believe I'd send someone else to tell you that you've been banished from the pack? Aysel, no less."
Was that some sort of trick question? "I...well...I thought you didn't want to see me, so—"
He shook his head again and turned to face him. "After everything I've told you, after what I've done for you, and after what we've done together, do you really think that little of me?"
Jackson understood now. Damon was mad at him, wasn't he? He was upset that he'd think he'd send someone else to say the things Aysel had said. But...he had, hadn't it? Which was why he didn't understand.
He looked down at the snow. "I...I don't know. It was all so sudden and so much was happening, I just...I'm sorry."
Damon sighed heavily.
And then the snow started crunching.
Jackson lifted his head, and when he saw Damon approaching, he backed off, sure that he was going to pin him against the tree again and yell in his face. But instead, the Alpha wrapped his arms around him...and hugged him.
He frowned strangely, but when Damon's captivating scent of impending rainfall and earthy cinnamon enthralled him, he calmed down and moved his arms around him. This was still so confusing, but he wouldn't pass up the chance to be in Damon's embrace.
"I didn't banish you," Damon muttered, his voice muffled against the side of Jackson's head, where the Alpha had chosen to nuzzle. "I didn't send Aysel to you, nor did I not want to see you. When I did come to see you, you were gone."
Jackson shook his head. "Aysel told me—"
Damon squeezed him a little tighter. "Aysel told me some bullshit about seeing you running off into the woods."
"What?"
"She tried to convince me you chose to flee rather than face the consequences of your disobedience."
"That's not true. I was—"
"I know," he said, pulling out of their embrace so they could see each other's faces. "I knew you wouldn't run—at least...I convinced myself you wouldn't...."
"I wouldn't," he said sternly. "I'm not that crazy. Not with all the cadejo and hunters and whatever else out there."
Damon nodded and dragged his hand over his face again.
"So...Aysel tried to manipulate us? What...what does this mean?"
"It means she and Elias are finally making their moves."
"Their moves?"
"I've suspected for a while that Elias has had his eyes on my position in the pack, and considering what's going on with him and Aysel, well...it only strengthens my suspicion."
Jackson frowned. "So...Elias wants to try and become Alpha?"
He nodded. "Getting rid of you was probably some attempt to emotionally compromise me. The weaker I am, the easier it will be for him to defeat me when he finally grows the balls to challenge me."
"Isn't he like...your best friend or something?"
"Once upon a time. Then he got close to Aysel, and now, it's more like he's biding his time with me."
Jackson was suspicious of Elias, too—especially after what he'd said on the way back from Farrydare the other day. "So...what are you gonna do? Call him out? Put him in his place?"
As he leaned back against a tree, Damon shook his head. "Not yet. The pack can't know what's going on with us and them. I don't want to risk the damage it could do. I have to wait until Elias steps up, or one of them slips up."
"Slips up?"
"Gets caught. All their sneaking around will catch someone's attention sooner or later."
"But...they're conspiring, Damon. They tried to split us up to hurt you!" he exclaimed.
"I know," he uttered.
"Can't you just...tell the pack the truth? Tell them that Aysel started sneaking around and how it made you feel, so you did the same—"
"No," he refused, glancing over at him. "How do you think they're all going to feel if they find out both their leaders—the wolves they trust their lives with—are sneaking around and lying to their faces? I can't risk it."
"But—"
"Just let me handle it," he snapped.
Jackson immediately felt a rush of meekness spiral through him. He backed down and nodded. "Yeah, sorry."
Damon then sighed hesitantly and edged closer. He moved his hand over Jackson's shoulder, and as Jackson lifted his head to stare at him, the Alpha gazed into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone. I knew she was waiting for a chance to get rid of you. But...and be honest."
He nodded.
"What were you doing outside the walls?"
Jackson exhaled quietly. He had but moments to decide whether or not to tell Damon the truth. Could he do it? Was it better to tell him right now rather than continue lying about it?
Or...could he tell a half-truth? It was true that he needed Damon's help still, and if he wasn't completely honest, then maybe he wouldn't get all the assistance he needed—maybe he wouldn't get all the answers he needed. And Damon would listen, right? He obviously cared—why else would he be out here if he didn't?
He took a deep breath. "I...really don't know—honestly," he insisted calmly. "I don't remember leaving or getting out there, I was just...there. I thought it was the initiation stuff wearing off, but...you said it wasn't, so I don't know."
Damon sighed as he dragged his hand through his black hair.
"That's...not it, though," Jackson mumbled.
The Alpha waited.
"Something...something else happened."
"What happened?"
"I...." But he couldn't say it. What if Damon heard it...and just like everyone else, started to suspect he was turning into a cadejo? The pain of being told Damon didn't want him around was enough, but if he had to stand there and watch Damon decide he was too dangerous, he was certain his heart would literally break in two. "There were cadejo out there," he said—that wasn't a lie. "I don't know where they went, but they chased me—I lost them, though."
"And you're okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah, just...I was freaked out. I thought that I-I'd never see you again. A-and the full moon is coming, and I was thinking about turning and never being able to turn back. It's all just...it's been pretty scary."
"I'm sorry," he said again, pulling Jackson closer. "Don't worry. I'll still help you before the full moon."
That was a huge relief to hear. He exhaled deeply, leaned forward, and rested his head on Damon's shoulder.
"Are you safe here?" the Alpha asked him.
"What?"
"In the town. Are you safe?"
He looked at Damon's face. "I mean...yeah, I guess."
"I think you should stay here for a while."
Jackson frowned strangely. "What?"
"It's going to take me some time to get the pack to calm down. Half of them are convinced you're turning into a cadejo, and the other half believe Elias' crock of shit about you having a group of rogues out there."
He scoffed irritably. "They actually believe that?"
"They're scared. There's a lot going on right now. But give me some time and I'll get them to understand—"
"What are you gonna tell them? You can't tell them about Elias and Aysel, right? So how do you convince them that I'm not a traitor or turning in a dead thing?" he asked, but as Damon frowned, he realized he was being a little audacious. "Sorry," he said, calming down. "I've just dealt with this sort of thing more than I'd like to admit. I didn't do anything wrong, and if I knew how or why I ended up out there, then I'd tell you—you...do believe that, right?"
Damon nodded as he guided his hand down Jackson's arm and took hold of his hand. "I do. But like I said, it's going to take some time for me to convince everyone. There's no doubt Aysel and Elias will try to fight me on it, but I will clear your name, and then you can come back. For now, though, stay here."
"W-what...what about you, though? How are you going to teach me—and I wanna see you," he mumbled sullenly.
The Alpha looked around for a moment. "There's no one up here—"
"Well, there's a Teshika lady back where you knocked me on the ground...and gave me a concussion...."
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"It's fine."
"We can meet up here—maybe a little further into the forest. I'll teach you to control your wolf, and...we can spend some time together, too."
"What about the pack? Aysel? Elias? Won't they suspect something's going on?"
"Fuck Aysel and Elias," he growled. "As for the pack, I'll just make sure I take back something every time—some hares or squirrels. They all know I like the occasional solo hunt. That's what I was doing when I picked up your scent the very first time, after all."
Jackson smiled and scratched the back of his head, checking for a wound his fall might have caused, but there was nothing. "Yeah. The first time you saved my ass."
The Alpha smirked. But then he sighed and looked over his shoulder. "Every afternoon—say...around this time?"
He wasn't even sure what time it was. "Uh...." He reached into his pocket and took out his phone. Two o'clock. "Yeah, okay."
"Where did you get that?"
"Huh?"
Damon pointed to the phone.
"Oh. Uh." A cold sweat trickled down his back. He felt guilty lying about the fact he'd gotten so much more money for those items than he'd let on, but that was something he didn't feel hesitant revealing the truth about. "There was some change from the money I got for the stuff I traded here to get those supplies. I kept it for my next supply run, but...since I thought I was kicked out, I used it to get myself a place to stay. And this."
The Alpha glanced at the phone again as Jackson waved it around. "Do you have enough money to stay here for a while, or should I bring you more items to sell?"
"Uh...yeah, I think I have enough. But I guess it depends on how long you think I'll have to stay."
"More than a week, I'm sure. Maybe two."
Two weeks? That made his heart ache, but at least he'd still get to see Damon, right? He shrugged, trying to hide his sullen expression. "Y-yeah. It isn't a fancy place or anything. But I might need a little more, just to be on the safe side."
"All right. I'll bring a few things to you tomorrow."
"Can't you stay for a little right now?" he asked quietly.
A look of regret stole Damon's face as he moved his hand up to Jackson's head. He fiddled with his curly hair and huffed quietly. "No, not right now."
Jackson pouted sadly and looked down at the snow.
But then Damon kissed his forehead. "Tomorrow, okay? The pack think I'm checking the perimeter right now. If I'm gone much longer, they might think something happened."
As much as he wanted to ask him to stay or come back later, Jackson was sure there was a good reason why that wouldn't be a good idea. And he still had to go and see Sheriff Pete, anyway. He couldn't let this turn of events hinder his investigation. He'd get to see Damon again tomorrow, and that along with knowing the Alpha was going to work on clearing his name was enough to banish the depression he'd been sinking into.
"Okay," he said, dragging his hand down Damon's chest. "So...up here, tomorrow, this time?"
Damon nodded. "I can stay for a few hours."
He liked the sound of that. "Okay," he said with a smile.
"And...I'm sorry again," the Alpha said. "I'll make this right."
"It's okay. It wasn't your fault."
"It was. I knew they were up to something. I should have known they'd do something like this."
Jackson shook his head. "Not even I saw this coming. But they failed, right? I'm here, you're here, and we know that they made this stuff up to try and hurt you. But...you're okay, right?"
"Mm-hmm," he mumbled, caressing Jackson's cheek. "As long as you're okay, I'm fine."
With another smile making its way onto his face, Jackson looked down at the snow and moved his hand over Damon's. Then, as he lifted his head to look at him, the Alpha leaned closer and kissed his lips.
"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Damon mumbled.
"Yeah. And...thank you...for coming out here. I really thought...for a second there, you hated me."
He frowned sadly and shook his head. "No. I know that we barely know each other, but what I feel is real, and...I don't think I could ever hate you."
Was that true? Could Damon never hate him? Even if he told him what he'd done to Elsu? Even if he revealed he'd killed two wolf walkers now? He wasn't so sure. But he didn't want to think about that. He wouldn't sink back into sadness. Damon was here...they both knew what had really happened, Jackson was going to get to see him again, and he would also learn to control his wolf before the full moon came.
"I could never hate you, either."
Damon kissed him again and then stepped back. "Be careful, okay? I'll see you here tomorrow."
"I will—a-and you, too."
The Alpha nodded, and then, as he turned around, he shifted into his white wolf form, and then raced off into the woods, disappearing in a matter of moments.
Everything was going to be okay, wasn't it?
Wasn't it?
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