Restraint

The following day, Derek and Artemis called a pack meeting before school to discuss the kanima and what they intended to do with Jackson. They all met up at Derek's place.

"Okay, the good news is, the bestiary pages on the kanima are translated," said Artemis. "The bad news is, the information on the kanima's not good and there's nothing here about how to find out the identity of the kanima's master."

"You sure it's not Matt?" asked Isaac. "I'm with Stiles. The guy's evil."

"We're not sure of that yet. All we are sure about is that the kanima's dangerous and powerful and we need to keep an eye on Jackson until we figure out how to stop him," said Artemis.

"Why don't we just let the Argents handle it?" asked Erica. "They're trained to handle this kind of stuff, aren't they?"

"Not like this and we're not letting the Argents handle it because that'll mean Jackson's death," said Artemis, shaking her head. Jackson may have been a creep, but he didn't deserve to die.

"And that's a problem?" muttered Erica. She hated Jackson with a vengeance.

Derek scowled at her. "We're not killing him for three reasons. One, we don't kill unless it's in self-defense or we're protecting the pack. Two, Artemis wouldn't allow it even if we did because she wants to save him. And three, we don't even know how to kill him. Chris Argent let loose a full round on him the other night and he just got up and walked away."

"Holy crap," said Isaac, as his eyes widened. "So, what do we do until we figure out what to do with him?"

"We try and find out who's controlling him, keep an eye on him and if we have to confront him, under no circumstances is anyone to face him alone," said Derek, firmly.

No one argued with him.

"What's all this for?" asked Boyd. He'd been looking through Derek's trunk, and it contained strong and heavy shackles and chains.

"They're a precaution for the full moon," said Derek. "You've all gained quite a bit of control and you're doing well, but your first full moon is going to be rough. We're probably going to need these to keep you under control until morning."

Boyd, Isaac and Erica looked unhappy with this.

"But the full moon's coming and if we're locked up, that means you two will be alone against the Argents and Jackson," said Boyd, worried.

The idea of Derek and Artemis being alone against their enemy worried the young Betas, who had no wish to lose them.

"They haven't found us," reminded Artemis.

"Yet," corrected Isaac. "So, why don't we forget about the kanima?"

Derek's eyes narrowed. "We can't! This thing is a creature of vengeance and it's taking lives. We have to stop it and we're the only ones who can. And there's something else. Gerard Argent's up to something and he knows more than he's letting on."

"How do you know?" asked Erica.

"There was something about the way Gerard looked at it the night in the alley. He wasn't afraid at all. I don't know what he knows or what he's planning, but I'm sure of a few things. We have to find it first. And for all we know, the kanima's master will send it after one of us. I already lost one pack. I'm not losing another," said Derek, firmly. "Understand?"

There were quick murmurs of "yes."

"Good," said Derek. "Now, get to school. While you're out, find out everything you can about Jackson and the murder victims. Find anything that connects them, anything!"

Everyone nodded in agreement and then departed for the day.

XXX

Later that day, Artemis, Stiles and Alison met in the school's library.

Because of the cameras watching them like hawks, they had to speak on opposite sides of a bookshelf so they wouldn't be spotted or look suspicious.

"Arty?" whispered Alison. "Stiles? You there?"

"Yeah," whispered Artemis, as she peaked through an empty space on the shelf. "Did your dad give you the file?" Artemis had managed to contact Chris and had him deliver to Alison a copy of the bestiary's information on the kanima.

Alison nodded. "I got it and I read everything. And I wish I hadn't. It's going to give me nightmares for a month. How'd you finally translate it?"

"Lydia came over last night and helped out. It's a long story," said Artemis, not really wanting to go into it. "Don't ask."

Stiles and Alison looked surprised that Lydia had helped Artemis and she hadn't told them.

"She actually helped you? What'd you tell her it was for?" asked Stiles.

"It told her it was for a research paper on a mythical creature," said Artemis, briskly. "Can we stay on topic, please? Anyway, no luck on finding out the identity of Jackson's master, but my boss was right about the kanima being a creature of vengeance. There's a story in the bestiary about a South African priest who uses the kanima to execute the murderers in his village."

Stiles looked less worried. "Okay. So, maybe it's not so bad if it just go after bad people."

"No such luck, Stiles," said Alison, shaking her head. "I read it too. The bond between the kanima and the master grew strong enough that it killed whoever it wanted to."

Stiles' face fell. "All bad. All very, very bad."

"And here's another kick in the pants," said Artemis. "The kanima's supposed to be a werewolf but it can't be until it 'resolves its past which manifested it.' Whatever that means." Although, it would explain why Jackson's body rejected the werewolf venom.

Stiles frowned. "It probably means Jackson needs a few thousand hours of therapy. But I've known that for years and could've told you myself."

Alison's brow wrinkled. "What if it has something to do with his parents, his real parents?" It was no secret that Jackson had been adopted, but no one knew what had happened to his birth parents. Because he'd been adopted, Jackson had been trying to be an overachiever, like he'd had something to prove to someone.

"Does anyone know what happened to them?" asked Artemis.

"Lydia might," said Stiles. "I could talk to her."

"And if she doesn't?"

"I'll ask him," said Alison. "He likes me and maybe he'd be willing to talk, if I told him it might help us help him."

Artemis paled. Though Jackson had been fine all morning, hadn't told anyone where he'd really been the other day and there'd been no trouble from the kanima yet, she couldn't help but worry about Alison. Alison knew how to protect herself and was a skilled huntress, but she didn't have Artemis's ability to heal rapidly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I can't go with you. I have to be in class soon and the rest of the pack's in class too," said Artemis.

Alison nodded. "I can protect myself."

Artemis sighed. "Okay, fine. But if you need help, use this. She reached into her pocket and handed Alison a small stopwatch. "It's rigged to let out a noise only a werewolf can hear. Press it if you're in danger. Me and the others will hear it and we'll be there as soon as possible."

"Okay," said Alison. She took the stop watch and pocketed it just as the bell rang and everyone had to leave the library.

XXX

It took a while, but Alison managed to find Jackson.

He disappeared out of her sights and just as she was turning down a corner, she ran into Matt Daehler, the guy Jackson had borrowed the camera from and said had taken numerous photos of her and Artemis. Alison accidentally knocked him down when she ran into him.

"Oh, jeez. Sorry, I didn't see you," said Alison, as she helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great," said Matt, grinning. "I was just about to come find you, actually. It's Alison Argent, right? I'm Matt. Matt Daehler."

"Nice to meet you," said Alison, as they shook hands. "So, what'd you want me for?"

Matt looked excited. "Did you hear about the underground show this Friday? Apparently, they've got some big name spinning."

"Oh, you mean a rave?" said Alison.

Matt shrugged. "I just call it a party. But I've got a friend who can hook us up with tickets if you're interested. Would you like to come with me, maybe be my date?"

Alison didn't, but nodded anyway. "Yeah, sure. That'd be great." Normally, Alison wouldn't have even considered going to a rave, especially with a guy like Matt, but if he was somehow involved with the kanima, she needed to get close to him and find out what he knew.

Matt looked pleased. "Great. So, I'll call you when I've got the tickets and pick you up on Friday at seven. Sound good?"

"Yeah. That sounds awesome," lied Alison. "Uh, not to be rude or anything, but do you know where Jackson is? We were studying a few days ago and I need to get my notes back."

"You're not being rude. It's fine. I need to get going anyway. He just went into the locker room," said Matt. "It's down that way and on your right. Hey, can I ask you a question real quick?"

"Sure," said Alison. "Shoot."

"The other day Jackson said your friend Artemis Moon, is secretly dating Derek Hale. Do you know if that's true or not?" asked Matt. "Because I was thinking the three of us could go to the rave together."

Crap. Derek's not going to like this. Matt clearly didn't care that Derek would do something drastic to him. "I don't know anything about Artemis's love life. You'll have to ask her. She and I aren't friends anymore anyway," she lied. She didn't know what else to say. With war declared between hunters and werewolves, Artemis and Derek's relationship couldn't be made public. What was she to say?

"Oh." Matt looked disappointed. "Well, even if she says no, you and I will still have a blast."

"Yeah," said Alison. "I can't wait."

"Well, see you around," said Matt.

And with that, Matt left and Alison went into the school's locker room. "Jackson? Jackson, are you here?"

"Yeah." Jackson then emerged from the showers, fully clothed but still wet. But that wasn't what bothered Alison. What unsettled her was the look on Jackson's face. She'd never seen it before. It was so cold and unfeeling and not like him at all. "Did you want to talk about something?"

"Uh…forget it. It can wait until later," said Alison. Her training was kicking in. What was it her parents had taught her? Whenever a situation doesn't feel right, get out. She tried to leave, but Jackson blocked her exit.

"No, let's talk now," growled Jackson.

"I…I can't. I have to get to class," said Alison.

Jackson shook his head. "No, you don't. You get perfect grades. You can afford to skip one class or two, to talk to me." Jackson then looked almost concerned. "Are you okay? Your heart's beating like crazy."

Because I'm regretting coming here to talk to you and you're scaring me, Jackson! Alison wanted to scream, but she didn't. "Please, I need to go." She tried to slip away, but he cornered her.

"Must you? I thought you want to talk," said Jackson. His tone was almost condescending.

"I changed my mind," said Alison. She was getting really freaked out and just wanted to get the heck out of there.

"You sure? You look a little stressed," said Jackson. "Is it Artemis? Is your pathetic little fake ended friendship bothering you?"

Alison didn't reply.

"You know, it's really pathetic how you think no one knows or how you believe Artemis is going to continue sneaking around just to be friends with you. It makes you look beyond stupid. But I guess Artemis is the bigger fool, considering she thinks her little Romeo and Juliet thing with that loser, Derek Hale, is going to last," said Jackson, angrily. "Give her a message from me. He's not good enough for her and if she were smart, she'd dump him like a hot potato."

"Stop it!" cried Alison. "Just stop!"

"Why? What're you going to do if I don't?" sneered Jackson. "You're a helpless little weakling with no one to protect you."

Alison's eyes darkened with anger. "That's a lie." She then reached into her pocket and quickly pressed the stopwatch button, making Jackson cringe and clutch his ears in discomfort.

Within moments, the locker room door swung open, revealing Artemis and Boyd, who looked angry with Jackson. Jackson was looking and acting like he'd just woken up from a dream.

"I think you'd better get away from Alison, Jackson. Now," said Artemis. As if to emphasize her point, Artemis extended her claws, which made Jackson look terrified as he backed away. "Boyd, get Alison out of here."

Boyd did. He went over to Alison's side, wrapped a protective arm around her and got her out of the locker room. As soon as Alison was gone, both teenage werewolves rounded on Jackson.

"Now you're going after Alison? What the heck did she do to you, Jackson?" snarled Boyd.

Jackson backed into the wall, looking scared. "Nothing. I don't remember anything! I came in here to shower and then everything's a blank until two minutes ago."

Artemis and Boyd stared at him in disbelief, as they retracted their claws.
"You seriously don't remember anything up until when Boyd and I came in?" asked Artemis.

Jackson shook his head.

Artemis and Boyd exchanged terrified looks.

"Wait, so if Jackson doesn't remember what just happened…" Boyd's voice trailed off.

"Then the situation's worse than we thought," finished Artemis. This wasn't good. This meant that Jackson's master was controlling him even during the daylight hours and could quite possibly see into Jackson's mind and be watching or listening in right then and there.

"Would one of you please explain to me what's going on?" yelled Jackson.

Boyd sighed. "We can't say much, Jackson. I know this sounds insane, but someone might be listening. The situation's worse than we thought. When you first became the kanima, you sought a master."

Jackson frowned in confusion. "A…a master?"

"Yes," said Artemis. "Someone's controlling you. That's why you've killing and attacking people and why you can't remember anything."

Jackson looked like he was going to be sick. "So, it's not my fault this is happening?"

"Not entirely. The only idiotic thing you did was use that werewolf venom. And until you resolve something in your past, you can't become a werewolf," said Artemis. "We don't know who your master is or the motive, but we're going to figure this out. I promise. But you've got to keep this quiet and say nothing to anyone, got it?"

Jackson nodded and then Boyd and Artemis left the locker room. They had to find the others and fast. They needed to know what had just happened.

XXX

Meanwhile, Stiles was having no luck with Lydia.

He'd asked her if she knew about Jackson's birth parents, but she'd gotten her confidence back and refused to say anything, saying that regardless of whether or not she was broken up with Jackson, his secrets weren't hers to tell.

"Stiles."

Startled, Siles let out a tiny girly squeal before he saw that it was just Erica. "Jeez! Did you have to scare me like that or is it just a werewolf thing?"

"Sorry," said Erica, holding up her hands. "I overheard you talking to Lydia, and you know if you really want to know about Jackson's birth parents, you could've asked me. I know all about it."

"You do? How?" asked Stiles, surprised.

"My dad was the investigating insurance agent at the time," said Erica. "He told me all about it. Jackson thinks he was given up, but that couldn't be further from the truth. His parents didn't give him up. They're dead."

Stiles' eyes widened. "Do you know how they died or if Jackson knows?"

"I don't know if Jackson knows. And I don't remember the details off the top of my head. I'd have to reexamine the files, but I can get that done easily. Call Artemis, and ask her to have a pack meeting in the library during break," said Erica. "See you in an hour."

An hour or so later, Stiles, Artemis and the other Betas met up in the library. They all sat around one of the tables and whispered amongst themselves. Needless to say, Erica and Isaac weren't thrilled when they were informed of what had happened to Alison and it took both Artemis and Boyd's efforts to keep them from going after Jackson.

"We're not killing him and that's final!" said Artemis, sternly. Thankfully, they listened to her and sat down. "Erica, what do you know about Jackson's parents?"

Erica showed them the information on her computer. "It's all here. In June of 1995, Jackson's parents were in a car crash. His dad was killed instantly, and his mom lived just long enough for Jackson to be born."

"That's horrible," said Artemis, trying and failing not to picture such a tragedy in her mind. "And Jackson's never known this?"

"Nope. Either he never bothered to look for the information or he just didn't care," said Erica.

Artemis was inclined to think the former as Jackson had always acted like he had something to prove, as though he was making himself better for someone. "Well, this explains a few things. So, until Jackson resolves this somehow, he's stuck as the kanima."

"Which we're going to help him do, how?" asked Stiles.

"I have no idea," she admitted. Jackson was probably every shrink's worse nightmare. "So, was the car accident an actually accident or was it deliberate?"

Erica shrugged. "It's inconclusive."

"But if it was murder, then it falls in line with the kanima myth," said Isaac. "He's born of a murder, so he punishes murderers. Maybe it's poetic justice or something."

"That makes sense. But is the justice for Jackson or for his master?" asked Boyd.

No one knew the answer to that.

"And speaking of which, do we know for sure if Matt's the kanima's master?" asked Isaac.

"No. We haven't even found a connection between the victims or any kind of real motive to kill them," said Stiles. "But I definitely think Matt's the kanima's master. I mean, look at me. He's evil. You can tell just by looking at him."

Everyone agreed with him and they decided to try and get proof.

"Artemis Moon, please report to the principal's office," said a voice on the loudspeaker.

Oh, great. "I'll be right back." Artemis sighed as she grabbed her bag and trudged down to the principal's office. What the heck does Gerard want with me now?

She walked in with a fake smile on her face and spoke to Alison's mother.

"Hi. I was told the principal wanted to see me," said Artemis.

"The principal didn't want to see you, Miss Moon. I did," said Victoria. She looked even colder and angrier than usual.

Oh, crud. This couldn't be good. "Oh. Okay," she said, finally. "What did you want to see me about, Mrs. Argent?"

"I just wanted to talk. I'm a little concerned about you and my daughter, Miss Moon," said Victoria, as she sharpened numerous pencils. "I've noticed she's been in frequent contact with your little sidekick, Stilinski."

Stiles isn't my sidekick. He's my best friend. Instead of saying this, Artemis said, "Is she? I didn't know anything about that. Stiles never said anything to me and I haven't had any contact with Alison since you told us not to." It was a lie and a half, but she couldn't tell Victoria the truth. Not if she valued her life.

"Then perhaps you'd care to explain this to me," demanded Victoria. She showed Artemis a note that Artemis had written to Alison some weeks ago. "If you're not still friends with my daughter, then where did this come from?"

Inwardly, Artemis groaned. Alison, why the heck did you keep that note? "That note isn't recent, I swear to you," lied Artemis.

Victoria's eyes narrowed. "When did you give it to her?"

"I gave that note to Alison weeks before she found out about my being…abnormal. I didn't know she'd kept it." Please believe me. Please.

Fortunately, Victoria seemed to believe Artemis. But she still looked cold and angry. "I'm glad to hear it. However, should I ever find out otherwise, you won't like the consequences. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," said Artemis. "Can I go now, Mrs. Argent?"

Victoria nodded and Artemis wasted no time in getting away and returning to the library where her friends were waiting.

When Artemis arrived in the library, trouble followed.

The librarian on duty was out cold, and Jackson had climbed up onto the walls and disabled the cameras. He then destroyed most of the lights on the ceiling as he leapt across the tops of the bookshelves. Immediately, Artemis wolfed out and so did the rest of the pack as more destruction followed. Books fell off the shelves and the bookshelves tumbled down like dominoes, the paneling on the ceiling disappeared and the furniture in the library was torn to pieces.

It took all Artemis had not to scream when she saw Jackson behind her, half transformed, glaring and hissing at her. Artemis roared back, but Jackson just shoved her so hard she knocked down an entire cartful of books. The rest of the pack came to her defense, but instead of fighting them, Jackson just took a piece of chalk and wrote on the following on the chalkboard.

Stay out of my way. Back off. Or you're all next.

Jackson then took off through the window and everyone ran from the library before they could be found and accused of the library's destruction. No one said a word and everyone's hearts were pounding with fear.

If Matt truly was the kanima's master, then he wasn't to be underestimated or taken lightly. Everything had just gotten worse.

XXX

Meanwhile, Lydia was on her way to a date with a rather handsome young teenage boy she'd been seeing around the school. They'd met in the waiting room outside of the guidance counselor's office, and they'd met again a few times afterward. The other night he'd returned Prada, her perky little dog to her when he'd run off, and given her a flower and then he'd asked her out that morning and she hadn't been able to refuse.

After making sure she looked nice, Lydia went down to the boy's house. She didn't actually know his name, but she didn't care. She was out to have fun.

Lydia found the door to his beautiful house wide open, and so she went inside. Much to her surprise, she found it empty, save for a wardrobe with a large mirror in its door. "Hello?" she called. "Anyone home?"

"Right here," he said. He appeared from behind her. "Like it?"

"It's lovely. Is this your house?" asked Lydia.

He nodded as he approached her. "It was. I'll tell you all about it. But first, did you bring the flower I gave you like I asked?"

Lydia shook her head. "I couldn't find it." She'd lost the small blue flower he'd given her the previous night.

"That's okay. Maybe you could just kiss me instead."

Normally, Lydia would've refused, but she found herself drawn to the boy and unable to deny him his request. She rested her forehead against his as she kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her as she wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss intensified. It was almost romantic and like a dream, but then it quickly turned into a nightmare.

When Lydia pulled away for air, she saw the boy's reflection in the mirror and was horrified. His reflection was that of the lunatic who'd attacked her, but he was burnt and injured. Suddenly, the beautiful house vanished and was replaced by the old burnt down Hale house.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. He either didn't notice her distress or he didn't care.

Lydia just backed away, horrified and scared. It can't be him. It can't be him. Artemis said he was dead. He's dead. She then screamed before collapsing and crying into her knees.

He took a seat beside her. "I'm sorry, Lydia. All of this must be terribly confusing. And I've never even mentioned my name to you. It's Peter. Peter Hale."

Peter Hale? Why did that name ring a bell? Then Lydia remembered. Peter was Derek's uncle who'd been in a comatose with half his face burned for six years and who'd disappeared some weeks ago. But none of that made any sense. How did a burnt comatose victim have enormous fangs and attack both her and Artemis?

"But at least you know you're not actually crazy. Well…not completely. There's bound to be some residual effects, but you're a strong girl. Personally, I think you're going to pull through with minimal post-traumatic stress and maybe a year or two of nightmares," said Peter. He sighed. "I had a plan, you know. A really brilliant plan. But if there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's to always have a backup. That would be you."

Lydia hugged her knees to her chest and didn't reply. She was his backup plan? What the heck was he talking about? Was he insane?

"Your immunity makes you the perfect Plan B. You wouldn't turn from the bite and you wouldn't die. But you would be able to do one very important thing for me," said Peter. "That boy you think you've been seeing via these hallucinations? That's me at a younger age, Lydia. Sorry for the deception, but it was necessary in order for you to do your job properly."

Lydia couldn't help but look up and ask. "What job?"

Peter just grinned. "You're going to bring me back."