There was blood splattered everywhere on the forest floor, the sky was gloomy and the only sound that echoed in the trees was Jackson's howls of sorrow and desperation. Despite their slight falling-out, it hurt the pack to hear the pain in his voice, the weeping cries of a werewolf for their fallen mate.

Sometime between Scott's pack and the Alpha pack fighting, Jackson had managed to drag himself to Stiles's side, wailing in pain at the sight of his mate motionless on the hard forest floor. The wolf circled Stiles's pale vulnerable form, choking out whines, begging Stiles to respond, and curling his body around the human in defeat when the teen remained limp.

It was disheartening for the pack to see the werewolf who had been so ready to fight both Scott's pack and the Alpha's tooth and nail only to have collapsed the moment Stiles had been attacked.

They were lucky in a sense though, besides Stiles, no one else had suffered any major injuries, most of them were spurred on adrenaline and jumped into the fight after Deucalion had attacked Stiles. But the Alpha pack had slipped away during the standstill, following Deucalion who had dashed mid-fight, right after sinking his fangs into Stiles.

"Come on guys, let's get him to Deaton's," as tired as Scott was, it was the least he could do for his former best friend and pack mate.

.

"Will he be okay, Deaton?" Issac bit his lip in worry, watching Jackson strategically jump up onto the bed to settle by Stiles's side without stepping on him. Jackson's calm demeanor was very contrasting from when they tried to touch his mate earlier. The blond wolf had nearly ripped their hands off when Scott went to lift up Stiles in his arms so he could get him to Deaton's faster. Only giving way when Scott practically growled a threat at Jackson about his mate. It was wrong, but Issac could see why Scott had done so, Stiles's heart rate had spiked earlier and had steadily begun to slow on their way to the clinic.

"You already know the chances of a werewolf bite taking, all that's left is for us to wait." The tension was heavy in the room, all the occupants watching the pair lying on the makeshift bed.

"But he's Jackson's true mate, shouldn't that mean the bite should take?" taking place in an empty corner, Derek asked the veterinarian remembering Peter saying something along those lines when he last met with his uncle.

"While that is true, the only time the bite will one hundred percent take is if the werewolf bites their true mate, but since Deucalion was the one who bit Stiles, the odds are the same as any bite between a wolf and human," the silence was deafening, tension filling the room when everyone realized the only option left was to wait.

"Should we call his dad?"

Without a pause, Scott responded, "No, we can't have him finding out about the supernatural," somehow the mood of the room got even more somber at Scott's admission.

"What the hell Scott?! This isn't about us anymore, Stiles got hurt because of us! Can't you see that! He doesn't trust us anymore, all he has is his dad. If this were you with your mom I bet you'd want us to tell her. So, why are you keeping Stiles and the sheriff apart?" It was becoming clear to Issac that maybe Scott has been in the wrong the whole time. That maybe… maybe the whole incident between Scott and Stiles was meant to happen. How could Scott just dismiss Stiles's only family over the safety of their pack, especially when Stiles used to be pack.

Lydia who had been quiet this whole time finally spoke up after hearing them argue, "Scott, I think we might have to. I hate to say it, but it doesn't look like Stiles is going to survive," the room collectively all looked at Lydia after hearing her words and the tremor of fear in her voice. "Look at him, I might not know everything, but Stiles definitely is looking a lot worse for wear than he was when we brought him in."

Everybody could see it, despite Jackson's warm body curled around Stiles, they could see how Stiles was sweating profusely and shaking as if he was also cold at the same time. It didn't take a genius to see that Stiles was suffering.

"I'm gonna call him, I don't care if you disagree, Scott. This isn't something we're going to argue about," the rest of the pack watched as Lydia stepped out of the room with her phone grasped in her shaky hands as she dialed the Sheriff's number.

.

"Hey, buddy, you really got yourself into a big mess, hmm?" Jackson whined at the Sheriff's words, though aimed at Stiles, Jackson could tell they were for him too. He headbutted the Sheriff's outstretched hand when Noah stopped petting Jackson's head, whining unhappily at the loss of comfort. "Well, I guess that should have been a given since you are Stiles."

He chuckled into the empty room, but he and Jackson both knew there was no humor behind his words, "Guess I should say that I'm glad you told me about everything before this happened huh? No one was telling me what was going on, Lydia just told me to come.

Son, how the hell do you keep getting yourself into these messes? You told me you were done with the supernatural and I knew you were keeping your word and staying out of trouble, but I guess the universe didn't seem to agree, huh?

I don't say it enough, but I love you so so much, kid. The first time I ever saw you was one of the best days of my life, cradling you in my arms as you cried for the very first time in your life. You were so troublesome as a kid growing up, but I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. And then… then Claudia died. Life was tough, but it was probably harder for you wasn't it? You lost your mom and then I made it worse by pulling away. I was still hurting so much though, you looked so much like her that every time I looked into your eyes, all I could see was her face, and I pushed you away because I couldn't bear to see you knowing that she was no longer alive."

Jackson whimpered when the Sheriff began to choke on his words, eyes wet with tears, but his other hand that wasn't holding Stiles's still continued to rub between Jackson's ears, "You deserved better, and I'm sorry it took me a while, but I'm glad I came back to you and you let me back in with open arms. You are the most precious thing to me and I wish you knew how much you truly mean to me. I wish I could have given you the world."

His voice cracked, the words struggling to break free from his throat from the way his throat tightened in pain for his son, for his suffering, "I know that you've been struggling with a lot these past months, I know that life hasn't been the best for you, but I always hoped that you'd get through it and keep fighting like you did after your mother died. But I know now, and as hard as it is to say, if you need to leave, then Stiles, I want you to know it's okay. I don't blame you, I only wished I could have done more for you."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through so much all alone, afraid that I was going to leave you again like I did with your mom. And I'm sorry that I could never assure you otherwise. You have been and always will come first. You're all I have left, but I don't want you to keep hurting. It hurts me to see you suffer. I always want the best for you, and if this is the best, then all I can do is support you and love you as I always should have done. I love you, Stiles."

Jackson rested between the two Stilinkis's in quiet after the sheriff's last words, the clock kept ticking by, cutting through the silence. They both knew that there was no longer anything they could do, the only option left was to wait.

It hurt him to hear the Sheriff say those words, but Jackson knew Stiles needed to know, needed to hear the words. His mate had been suffering for so long and Jackson hadn't been able to soothe his struggles no matter how happy Stiles looked on some days. If it was for the best then Jackson would accept it and accept that he hadn't been able to save his mate. Lying curled between the Sheriff and his mate, Jackson began to quietly cry, he didn't want to lose Stiles, but Jackson owed it to Stiles to find his peace.

And he hoped Stiles would finally be happy again with his mother.

Review! Till Next Time! :)

Word Count: 1535

Uploaded: 06.25.20 || 12.28.20

Edited: 06.21.20 || 12.28.20