Prologue:
Jackson Whittmore stood in the middle of the woods. The moonlight illuminated his silhouette. In all of his life, he had never seen a full moon shine so brightly. The lack of pollution in the air made everything at night seem at peace.
His inner wolf let out a loud howl. His heart was racing as adrenaline took over. He had control, he was better than this. He couldn't let himself allow his urges to take over.
As much control as Jackson had, he was no match for the wolf inside. A loud howl escaped from him and into the night. His body relaxed a bit. Then everything became tense again. A response came from several miles away. This left him with a chilling fact, he wasn't alone.
He started to run as fast as his legs could carry him. His heart was pounding in his chest. Jackson knew that he couldn't let himself be caught. Here he was a pack-less wolf, an easy target. No Alpha to protect him here.
Footsteps became louder. More howls echoed into the night. The thought occurred to him as they drew near, Jackson was going to die. He shook that thought out of his head. There were plenty of other times that he could have died- in the car crash, by Derek, by hunters- yet he had somehow managed to survive.
The loudest of the howls surrounded him. He looked up to see a girl standing in front of him. Her loose braid flowed over her shoulder. She wore a thin pale blue dress, inappropriate attire for this chilly night. Her skin was as pale as the moon above them. Scars were scattered across one side of her face, damaging what might have been a flawless skin. The scars weren't her most startling feature, no, her most startling feature was the red eyes that glowed in the night.
Glancing around, Jackson could see three others blocking the other exits. A mixture of blue and yellow eyes glared at him. Each wolf set off a warning growl. He turned back to face the girl.
She took a few steps forward before letting out a growl that shook the ground beneath them. Jackson felt the change take over. He watched as his claws shrank back into fingernails. He could feel his teeth become smaller. Now he was left defenseless.
"Who are you?" she asked, her English accent apparent with each word.
"My name is Jackson Whittemore. I moved here about two weeks ago," he explained.
The girl crossed her arms. "American...What pack sent you?"
"No pack. My parents thought that Beacon Hills was too dangerous. They moved me here, hoping for a fresh start."
"What was so dangerous about this Beacon Hills?"
"It had a bit of a werewolf problem. Not that they knew that. With everything that had happened, they just wanted me somewhere safe."
She raised her hand to show the extended claws. "And what makes you so sure that you're safe here? In a territory that does not belong to you?"
His heart was pounding in his chest. Those surrounding him could hear it. Jackson Whittemore was scared, there was no denying it. Sure there was a time where he wanted to die, but now, now he just wanted to get on with his life. "Your mercy?"
The girl laughed, a sharp sound that pierced the night. "Mercy? I don't know what sort of nice Alphas you had in America but coming onto someone else's territory is a crime punishable by death."
"Surely you wouldn't kill an innocent-"
She cut him off. "The blue of your eyes refutes that statement. You haven't been innocent for a long time, now have you Jackson?"
He froze. "How do you know my name?"
"I know a lot of things," she said. "That pretty face has gotten you through difficult situations most of your life. You have issues with your parents because they aren't really your parents. Derek Hale bit you to make you one of his. Because of your issues you turned into a Kanima instead. You've taken innocent life because of your lack of heart. So, Jackson, I must ask you, give me a reason that I shouldn't kill you?"
Jackson closed his eyes. Why shouldn't she kill him? There were more reasons to than not to. "I don't know."
She raised her clawed hand. "That's not good enough."
He looked at her, studying her. A glint of silver was caught in the moonlight. He looked at the necklace that hung around her neck. On the pendant there was a name. "Channing?"
The girl froze, her claws retreating. "What?"
"Is that your name?" Jackson asks her.
Her hand quickly goes up to the necklace, clutching it. "No, my name is Tasha. I will spare you this time. Cross my path again and I won't hesitate to kill you."
The girl turned, running away from Jackson. Two of the other wolves followed her. The other stayed behind with Jackson.
"Don't say that name to her again," the male wolf growled at Jackson.
"Why? Is it her boyfriend's name?"
"It was her brother's name. Her twin brother." With that said he took off after the rest of the pack, leaving Jackson alone with his thoughts.