~Hear Me Cry~
By: Aerys Krystie.
Pride
Jealousy.
The word continued to move through Jackson's mind. How could he feel something he didn't know about? No. I've felt it before, he realized. He hadn't known what it was back then, either. It was the same feeling he got when Stiles fixed his shirt at the hospital. That had come from Derek, though.
Movement got his attention across the street. He saw the beta called Mike standing there, watching the loft. Jackson stared at him, not surprised when Derek was on his left side. In another minute, Peter was standing by his right as the three of them gazed down at the beta. Mike shifted uncomfortably, definitely feeling their eyes and not liking it.
Mike lasted a few minutes, before he walked up the street and Derek sighed. He looked at Jackson, who continued to stare out the window. He was turned and his eyes focused on Derek, who was moving the ruined shirt to the side, looking at the scar on his chest from the table leg. Jackson frowned as he felt Derek's fingers lightly brush over his skin.
His neck tingled and Jackson's frown deepened further when he shuddered at the sensation. He had never felt that before, nor had he reacted that way to the tingle. Derek snatched his hand away and stepped around Jackson, going into the kitchen. He got the coffee going and glanced back.
"Go shower."
"Okay."
Jackson went through to Derek's room, removing his shirt. He could feel Peter's eyes on him, staring at the scars on his back. Once the water started, Peter asked Derek about the scars remaining and Derek stayed silent on the subject. Jackson frowned as he felt a stab of pain in chest, as though he could feel a knife in there.
Washing away the blood, Jackson stood under the spray of the shower. He looked at his hand, the one he used to hurt himself. Derek had flinched when he saw the leg pierce his chest. Pain and fear had washed over him, for only a brief second, before anger took its place. Why?
Derek wasn't the one that was stabbed, but he acted as though he had been. He acted as though that chair leg was going into his chest. Jackson realized, when he thought about every time he proved to Derek that he couldn't feel anything, he always looked as though it was happening to him. He didn't like seeing Jackson make a statement about his lack of emotions and feelings.
A phone rang and Jackson came out of his thoughts, staring at the tiles of the shower. He changed his hands and gazed at the scar on the palm of his left hand. He had told Derek why he kept the scars. It was his reminder that he wasn't pack and a better reminder that he couldn't die.
"I need you to watch the other pack," Derek whispered to Peter and Jackson tilted his head.
"Why don't you? I can look after Jackson."
"Because I know you'll take him somewhere, to prove a point."
There was the anger. Derek was definitely angry with Peter about something. The knives Peter had used on him were thrown out, as Derek didn't want them in the house. The anger felt the same when Derek thought about Jackson leaving the loft, as well. It wasn't anger, it was mistrust.
Jackson turned off the shower and stepped out. He stood, staring at the towel for a long while. Stiles had wanted to perform some tests on him. He wanted to know what made Jackson tick and if there was a limit to his regeneration. Jackson wanted to know the answers to that, as well. Derek might not want to know the answer, but he needed to know it.
Derek entered his room, removing his pajama pants, knowing there would be no prying eyes. Once he was dressed, he turned to the bathroom door and frowned, seeing Jackson in there, still staring at the towel.
"Jackson?" he called and Jackson's head turned to him. "What are you doing?"
"I don't know. There's questions and words in here." Jackson pointed to his head.
"Quit fucking around and get dressed before the others wake up," Derek said, leaving his bedroom.
Jackson went into the bedroom and opened the suitcase, not understanding why it was in there. It had been fine in the living room, but he pulled on jeans and a shirt, standing in front of the window again. He heard Peter eat a bowl of cereal, before he dashed out the door to track down the pack. Minutes after he left, Derek was knocking on doors, waking up his pack.
Scott and Stiles were making their way towards the loft, as well. They paused briefly to ask Peter where he was going. In a matter of minutes, they were coming up in the elevator. Scott helped himself to a bowl of cereal, while Stiles sat down with a piece of toast.
"Can I borrow Jackson during your training?" Stiles asked suddenly and silence fell over the loft. "What?" he asked as the others stared at him.
"Why?" Derek raised an eyebrow.
"I'unno," Stiles hummed. "He's not gonna be doing anything."
Derek glared at Stiles. "That's because Scott will be going with them for training. I'm staying here with Jackson."
"No!"
Even Jackson turned to frown at Stiles. It left his face as Derek looked at him sharply, clearly expecting some reason from both of them. Stiles wanted to conduct tests, but he was going about it the wrong way. Jackson might not know much about Derek, but he knew enough to know that Derek wasn't about to let a non-existent powerhouse walk out the door without him.
Stiles calmed his heart and sat back in the chair. "Look, let me take him out. The only time he's gotten out in the last few weeks, was when he snuck out to my place."
Derek shrugged. "Then I'll come with you," he said.
"No!" Stiles jumped to his feet and paced around the table, the werewolves staring at him. "Don't you have a second pack to worry about?"
"I've got Peter on that," Derek said, following Stiles with his eyes. "What aren't you telling me, Stilinski?" His eyes snapped to Jackson and jealousy washed over him.
Jackson's eyes widened, giving into the anger. "Fuck you, Derek," he snapped and approached the table, slamming his hands on the wood and leaning in to glare at Derek. "Even if I was sleeping with him, it's none of your business."
Erica's eyes widened. "Wow. Just what I wanted to hear while eating breakfast." She shook her head, moving the chair back, taking her bowl of cereal with her.
Derek copied Jackson's stance, glaring into his eyes. "I have every right to know who my pack sleeps with."
"God, just fuck already," Boyd muttered into his coffee. He raised his eyes when Jackson and Derek glared at him. "I wasn't the only one thinking it," he said defensively.
Derek's eyes flashed red and Boyd lowered his head. "I'll deal with you later," he promised and turned his eyes back to Jackson. "That's why you went to him, when you were—?"
"That's my business," Jackson snarled. "What I do in my time and who I do is my business."
"Guys, y'know, I'm standing right—"
"Shut up, Stilinski," Derek and Jackson growled at him.
Scott frowned and stared at Jackson. "Why are you jealous?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. His eyes widened when Jackson glared at him. "Trust me, that anger is pretty potent, but you're definitely jealous."
"I'm not jealous," Jackson said smugly, turning his eyes to Derek. Before he could say anything, the emotions and feelings left. He straightened and went back to his window, staring out it.
"Take him and get out," Derek muttered to Stiles, going to his bedroom.
Stiles raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and grabbed Jackson's arm, pulling him over to the loft door. Jackson followed behind Stiles as they went downstairs. He climbed into the jeep, watching as the town moved by. They went into the forest and Jackson tilted his head.
After stopping the car, Stiles killed the engine and grinned at Jackson. "You ready for some tests?" he asked, patting his backpack.
"Okay."
Stiles rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's do this." Jackson nodded and slipped out of the vehicle, walking a pace behind the human. "So…if you weren't jealous, does that mean Derek was?"
"Yes."
"Huh."
The rest of the walk was done in silence. By the time they reached some arbitrary spot in the forest, Stiles was panting and wiping sweat off his face with the bottom of his shirt. He dropped the backpack, a series of metallic clinks sounding. With a deep breath, Stiles faced Jackson, showing a nine millimeter pistol, likely swiped from his father's collection.
"Turn around."
Jackson did as he was told. He heard the hammer pull back and the safety turn off. The bang was deafening, birds taking flight. Jackson looked down and saw blood on the front of his shirt. Derek was going to be angry with him for that. He hated the smell of blood.
"Anything?"
"No."
"All right, this one you need to heal fully. There can't be a scar or Derek will tear me apart."
"Okay."
The gun was fired again and Jackson looked down at his chest, expecting to find more blood. He frowned when it dropped off his forehead, touching the area. He felt the scar and it healed over, replacing it with the smooth, fresh skin of his youth.
"Anything?"
"No."
"Well, that's the gun done. Raise your arms."
Jackson did so, hearing Stiles moving around behind him. Suddenly, he was charging at him and screaming wildly. It stopped as suddenly as it happened and he looked over his shoulder, wanting to see if Stiles was all right. He didn't know why the scream was necessary, not thinking that Stiles needed to psych himself up to attack a defenseless person.
"Anything?"
Jackson frowned and looked at his front. He saw a baseball bat, the end filled with nails, stuck to his ribs. "No."
"There has to be a weakness somewhere," Stiles muttered, opening his backpack. There was a strange zapping sound. "Anything?"
"No."
"Anything?" Stiles asked, firing an arrow into Jackson's lower back.
"No."
"Anything?" he asked, an ax buried in Jackson's shoulder.
"No."
Stiles huffed and Jackson heard a liquid in a metal can sloshing around. There was a strike of a match and he saw the flames. "Anything?" Stiles demanded.
"No."
Shaking his head, Stiles used the small extinguisher from his backpack on the fire. Jackson's clothing was completely ruined, but he knew that would happen. "Be sure to heal the burns completely. If Derek knew I set fire to you…he'd probably do the same to me." He shuddered.
The burns healed over, leaving behind flawless skin. "Is there anything else?"
"Not that I can think of. I thought for certain the fire would work." Stiles dropped to the ground.
Jackson removed the burnt baseball bat from his side. He snapped off the barb of the arrow and pulled it out of his body. He stared ahead, ignoring the way Stiles muttered to himself, something about trying acid. Jackson's eyes dropped to his burned clothing that was barely staying on him.
"I think Derek will notice something is wrong if I return like this," Jackson said.
"No kidding," Stiles mumbled. "The river is just behind me. Wash off in there."
Jackson removed the tattered rags and walked to the river. He washed himself as well as he could with silt, hoping it would cover the smell of his blood. However, he saw that his blood was still dripping into the water and he was certain he had removed everything Stiles gave him.
"I'm still bleeding," Jackson said and heard Stiles standing, rushing to him. His excitement was palpable, thinking something had worked.
Stiles stared at Jackson, wanting to know what would cause continuous bleeding. He sighed when his eyes landed on Jackson's shoulder. "You still have the ax in your shoulder."
"Okay."
Jackson reached over and ripped the ax from his shoulder, tossing it at Stiles' feet. After that, the blood stopped flowing. He laid down in the river, staring up at the bright sky, wriggling around to remove the scent of blood as much as possible. Once he was certain he didn't reek of blood, he rinsed the silt off and stepped out of the river.
"What about the other scars?" Stiles asked, staring at the scar on Jackson's abdomen from the arrow.
"Derek doesn't see me naked."
Stiles nodded, his eyes raising to the jagged scar on the chest. "Ouch. How'd you get that one?"
"I stabbed myself with a broken table leg," Jackson answered and Stiles' eyes widened.
"Why?"
"To prove a point."
Stiles raised an eyebrow, but shook his head. "Okay. I could ask, but I get the feeling I wouldn't understand it. You're way more messed up than before. Come on. I brought some clothes for you to wear."
Jackson followed Stiles back to the backpack. A pair of basketball shorts and jersey was thrown at him. Catching them, Jackson pulled them on and followed Stiles again. He frowned as Stiles wasn't going back to the car. He wondered, for a moment, if Stiles had another test to conduct.
As they walked, Jackson realized that Stiles was lost. Tilting his head, he tapped the human on the shoulder and took him back to the car. In the far distance, he could hear the pack with Scott. It sounded like Erica was beating the ever loving crap out of Isaac, who was groaning with pain.
"She's done the same move, eight times, Lahey," Derek snapped and Jackson tilted his head.
"What is it?" Stiles asked, following Jackson's eyes.
"Derek decided to take over the training," Jackson said and went to the passenger side.
Stiles unlocked the car. "Do you miss training with them?"
Jackson sat in the seat, staring out the windshield. He had never asked that question. He wasn't sure if anyone asked him that before now. For some reason, part of him felt like saying, 'yes. I miss it,' but another part was saying, 'I don't know.' Jackson didn't know how to answer it. Did he miss it? There was only one answer that would satisfy everyone.
"No."
Stiles stared at Jackson with hard eyes. "Right," he drawled and started the engine. "Where are they?"
Jackson pointed north-east and Stiles nodded. He pulled out and entered through another entrance, constantly asking where the others were. Jackson kept pointing, not liking the way Stiles spoke, as though he didn't believe him. He had been honest…hadn't he?
Soon enough, they found the pack and Stiles turned off the engine, jumping out. "Hello, party wolves!"
Derek looked over his shoulder, having pinned Boyd to the ground, knee between his shoulder and twisting the young wolf's arm up. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, his eyes flicking to Jackson.
"We weren't that far from you," Stiles said easily, raising his hands. "Jackson heard the training and I thought I'd drop by, see if he wanted to join in."
"Are you insane, man?" Boyd panted from beneath Derek. "We can't train with him."
Derek growled and twisted the arm more. "Get out of the car, Jackson," he ordered.
Jackson slipped out, closing the door. He stood beside Stiles and Derek released Boyd's arm, circling Jackson. He felt Stiles grow still and heard his heart thumping wildly in his chest. Stiles was the only way Derek could get any answers.
"Take off your shirt, Jackson," Derek said as he stood in front of him. Erica laughed and Isaac let out a wolf whistle. They stopped the moment Derek glared at them.
Jackson glanced at Stiles, practically feeling his fear. "No."
"Take it off or I'll rip it off."
Jackson felt the suppressed anger slip through the link and narrowed his eyes. "Try it," he challenged.
The pack and Scott shifted nervously. Stiles stared at Jackson. "You don't have to get your ass kicked to protect me, man. What's the worst he could do? Yell some more?"
"Stand back, Stiles," Jackson said, not taking his eyes off Derek. "This is a matter of principle."
"Ten bucks on Jackson," Erica whispered to Boyd and Isaac.
"I'll take that," Boyd said, a grin in his voice. "You know Jackson would never hurt Derek."
"You don't want to do this, pup," Derek said as he backed into the center of the wolves, Jackson walking with him.
Jackson gave Derek a smile, extremely similar to the one Derek gave him the night of the bite. "Try me."
"Can I change my bet?" Boyd asked and Erica scoffed.
Silence fell around them. Seven stood, waiting, six hearts beating. The moment the seventh heart started beating, alpha and beta charged at the other. Their connection let off a shockwave, both trying to move an immovable force. Eyes normal, for the moment as they stared at the other, trying to understand how they were struggling.
The more they tried to force the other to move, the harder it became. For some time, they stood, hands on the other's shoulders, trying to get some leverage. Claws were grown as surprise turned to frustration and eventually anger. Derek winced as Jackson's claws dug into the flesh of his shoulders.
Both wolves were fighting to get out. The alpha to dominate and show its pup who it belonged to. The beta to protect a friend. If the alpha was angry, it should be with him. Jackson was the one that had agreed to the tests. He was the one that wanted answers, just as badly as Stiles did.
Derek twisted his arms, applying pressure to Jackson's elbows. When he heard the crunch of them dislocating, he pushed them out of the way. Jackson might not feel pain, but his grip loosened without joints holding everything together. His knee met Jackson's abdomen and there wasn't a gasp or groan.
Gripping the jersey, Derek growled as his elbow was dislocated. Jackson tilted his head, his fist splitting Derek's lip for a moment. It healed over, but that didn't matter. The beta had spilled the first blood, the blood of the alpha. Boyd cursed and paid Erica the money, still watching as Derek and Jackson circled each other, claws out, but eyes still human.
Derek went to slice the jersey from Jackson, but he caught the wrist. As he went for the punch, Derek caught his wrist and they stared. Jackson knew he shouldn't be any kind of match to Derek. The alpha should have wiped the floor with him instantly. If he could still feel pain, Jackson had no doubt that would've been the case.
They tried to move closer, the other stopping them. Derek glared and Jackson felt his eyes change. Using Derek's arms to steady him, Jackson climbed up and wrapped a leg around Derek's neck, bringing him down to the ground. They landed with a thud.
Just when Jackson thought he could force Derek into submission, his legs were parted and Derek stood up, glaring down at him. The alpha had frightened the wolf back into submission and Jackson gritted his teeth, feeling something else spark up inside of him.
"You cheating bastard," he snapped, jumping to his feet and shoving Derek back. "The only way you can win is by scaring my wolf? Take some pride in yourself!"
"Like you are?" Derek asked. "Pride is accepting defeat, after all options have been exhausted. My last option was to remind your wolf who you belonged to."
"I'm not your pup," Jackson spat, feeling the need to curl up somewhere and lick his non-existent wounds.
"Well," Erica said with a smile. "Look who learned ego. He almost sounds like himself."
Derek raised an eyebrow, gazing at Erica. "He did, didn't he?" He looked at Jackson with a smirk, the glare deepening. "You lost. Take off the jersey."
Jackson growled, but did as he was told, throwing it at Derek. "What, you haven't seen me naked enough?"
Erica snickered, which was cut short when she saw the scars on Jackson's torso. "Oh…Jackson."
Derek's eyes glowed red and snapped to Stiles. Jackson's hand shot out and grabbed Derek's throat, bringing the alpha closer to his face. "Me," he snarled. "I wanted this."
"Jesus, Stiles. What did you do?" Scott looked at the scars on Jackson's back. "Is that…" He narrowed his eyes. "Is that a bullet scar?" He spun around, staring at Stiles, shock rolling off him. "You literally shot him?"
Derek's growl vibrated down Jackson's arm. Jackson's eyes widened and he pushed away from Derek, standing in front of Stiles. "If anyone," he started, his eyes boring into Derek's, "wants a piece of him, they have to go through me."
"Why?" Isaac asked, staring at the ragged scar on Jackson's chest.
"Because I can't die!" Jackson shouted, feeling tears prick his eyes. "And I want to know why!"
Erica bit her lip and glanced at Derek. "We're trying to find out why, Jackson," she said quietly, watching his trembling form.
"I told Stiles to kill me," Jackson said, fighting to keep the tears where they were. He wasn't going to cry in front of the entire pack. He wasn't going to cry in front of the alpha. "I begged him. I needed to know if I could feel anything. So if you want to rip anyone apart, it should be me. I won't feel it, anyway."
Derek straightened. "Scott, take the pack home," he said without taking his eyes from Jackson. "Stilinski, stay where you are. We need to talk. Jackson, you go home, too."
"No."
Isaac stopped, holding his hand out to Jackson. "Let's go home."
Jackson glanced at Isaac's hand for a moment, but his eyes returned to Derek. "No. The human must be protected at all costs."
Isaac frowned, staring at Jackson. "Is that…loyalty?" he asked, eyes flicking to Derek.
Jackson didn't know to how describe it, but he knew that Stiles was in trouble. It wasn't his fault that he was curious. Jackson did want answers and Stiles was the only one willing to help him get them. He didn't know that he wouldn't heal until after the weapon was out of his body. He didn't know that blood loss was another method of death they could scratch off the list. All Jackson knew and felt was that he couldn't leave Stiles alone. He couldn't let him face Derek's anger alone.
In the blink of an eye, Derek was in front of him and Jackson tensed. He forgot how fast Derek was. He had forgotten how powerful Derek was. He had forgotten how dangerous Derek was. Most of all, he had forgotten that Derek was the alpha.
Jackson's shoulders jerked as Derek's hand rested on his neck. The heat pooled there and spread through him. Eyes widening, Jackson stared at Derek. He could feel that. He could feel the rough skin on him, could feel the way it made him want to shiver and step closer.
"He felt that," Stiles whispered, eyes as wide as Jackson's. "He feels you."
"Then feel that I won't hurt him," Derek stated, using his leverage on Jackson's neck to push him at Isaac. "Get him home."
Jackson allowed himself to be pulled away by Isaac. He looked back at Derek, wanting to feel that warmth again. He couldn't feel Isaac's hands on his arm, dragging him through the forest. He knew Isaac couldn't budge him, should he decide to stay where he was or should he want to do what he really wanted – run back to Derek.
Once Isaac and Jackson were out of hearing, Derek turned his eyes to Stiles. His jaw clenched, the anger rushing back to him. Seeing part of a new scar on Jackson's shoulder shouldn't have enraged him as much as it did, but he would be damned if that pup would be marred again.
"What the fuck—?"
"You weren't doing anything about it," Stiles muttered and held his hands up when Derek growled. "He has a right to know if he can die."
"By killing him?" Derek demanded as he paced in front of Stiles, trying to calm his nerves. That bullet scar hadn't been the problem. The scar on the shoulder was wide. Then the scars on his ribs, which looked like a dozen nails had embedded in the flesh worried Derek more. "And what did you learn?"
"He can't die. I did several experiments on him and he healed absolutely everything. Even a bullet through the brain." Stiles was now pacing with Derek, ignoring the glare sent at him. "I don't understand it. He feels nothing, except what comes from you."
Derek curled his lip. "I'm his alpha," he stated.
Stiles stopped his pacing and stared at Derek. "No, you're not." He jumped back when Derek growled in warning.
Derek would be damned if he was going to listen to Stiles denounce his alpha status over Jackson. He had bitten that frightened boy. He had dumped, what he thought at the time, was his dead body into the river. Jackson would carry the scent of Derek fucking Hale on him, when he became hum–werewolf again. No one would deny his alpha status over Jackson ever again.
"I didn't mean it like that," Stiles rushed on. "To Jackson, you're not his alpha. You're simply the alpha. Deaton said he's searching for his place in the world."
Derek had stopped listening to Stiles. There was movement in the forest, there was a feeling pressing down on his shoulders. Someone was hunting. His heart thudded against his ribs when he realized that Isaac and Jackson were still in the forest. They had almost reached the edge, but they were still far enough inside to be murdered without anyone seeing.
Throwing Stiles at his jeep, Derek ran off. "Get back to the loft," he shouted over his shoulder.
Fear and anger thrilled through Derek, thinking on Isaac and Jackson. He couldn't lose two betas in one go. He had barely learned how to handle non-existent Jackson. He was getting closer to them; they had stopped walking. They would have sensed the hunt, as well.
The stench of blood hit him and Derek pushed his legs to move faster. Some of the blood was definitely Jackson's, but that wasn't surprising. Not feeling pain was probably a good thing for Jackson, giving him the chance to focus on one thing at a time.
He found them. Jackson was kneeling over Isaac and two bodies of betas were between Derek and his boys. Looking at them, Derek frowned. Both had their throats open and their hearts had been ripped out, placed in their mouths. It almost seemed like a message and Derek refused to believe Isaac could do something like that. He might have been the best when it came to control, but being cruel was where Jackson truly shone.
Isaac gasped and sat up. "What happened?" he demanded, jumping to his feet. Derek saw a bite mark on Jackson's arm heal. "Where are they?"
Derek strode up to Isaac and grabbed his face, looking him over. He saw a rip on his shirt and figured one of the betas got lucky, but that didn't explain why Jackson would need to bleed on him. Jackson stood and started walking off. Derek grabbed his shoulder and stared at the four scars along Jackson's back.
"What happened?" Derek asked.
"I eliminated part of the threat."
Derek frowned and looked around. His eyes widened when he saw a headless body in a tree, hanging from a branch shoved through the chest. Isaac also noticed and he glanced at Jackson, then he noticed the two dead betas behind Derek.
Isaac frowned. "Why save me?"
"You're a beta and must be protected."
"What happened to you?" Derek asked, moving the shirt aside and looking at the smooth skin.
"One of the alphas poisoned me," Isaac said and glanced at Jackson.
"Did you kill an alpha?" Derek asked, turning Jackson around.
Stiles pulled up behind them and got out. He winced at the two bodies he saw. "What happened?"
"Did you kill an alpha, Jackson?" Derek demanded.
"Yes."
Derek stared at Jackson and stepped back from him. Isaac and Stiles were a complete mass of confusion, their scents almost overpowering the blood in the area. No one knew what that meant and Derek honestly never thought that Jackson was strong enough to take out an alpha.
"I didn't become one, if that's what you're worried about," Jackson said.
Stiles was the first to ask the obvious. "How?! You killed one!"
"I didn't want it and I don't need it," Jackson said with a shrug and a smirk. "Besides," he added with a glare at the body in the tree. Stiles followed his gaze and squeaked. "He started it."
Derek stared at Jackson, Isaac and Stiles on his side, also staring after him. That wasn't right. Jackson denied more power? He killed an alpha and didn't take the power that came from it? Was that even possible? Was it possible to kill an alpha and not take their power? How would Jackson find a loophole like that?
"…Why do we want the old Jackson back?" Stiles asked. "Could you imagine old Jackson with new Jackson's powers? Shit, he'd rip you apart."
"No, he wouldn't," Isaac said with a forlorn smile.
Derek nodded in agreement. The old Jackson with that kind of power would be at the beck and call of Derek, simply because he wanted to fit in. He wanted to be accepted by the alpha and that would mean doing everything to make Derek happy.
"Jackson always wants more power," Stile stated with a shrug.
"Old Jackson knew I was his alpha."
"And he was in love with you," Isaac added, shrugging when Derek glared at him.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," Stiles said with a laugh. "Man, he really loved power."
Derek shook his head. "This isn't a laughing matter, Stilinski," he said, feeling his heart sink. "We've got a huge problem, now."
"Aww, don't tell me you love Jackson now?" Stiles groaned and threw his hands up. "You two have got to get on the same wavelength."
"That's not it," Derek snapped with a glare. "Jackson just killed one of the alphas in the new pack. They'll be hunting him, if he left any witnesses."
"There was one other beta, who ran away. I think Jackson was going to chase after her, but stopped to help me." Isaac lowered his eyes, shame washing over him.
"Training is different from a fight," Derek said, placing a hand on his beta's shoulder. "Unless Jackson killed all three of them." Isaac's head dropped. "Don't worry about it. But someone had better get me some fucking answers about what Jackson is."
Back at the loft, Derek found Jackson standing in front of the window. He was still shirtless and still had the blood of the betas and alpha on him. Boyd and Erica, apparently, hadn't returned to the loft. As long as they were together, they were safe. The new pack wasn't after them.
Peter was in the shower, though. With that time alone, Derek stood beside Jackson. Glancing at the beta, he could see the scars on Jackson's throat from his claws. "Show me your eyes."
Jackson frowned and looked at Derek, his eyes sparkling blue for a moment. "I don't want it or need it for myself, Derek."
"You can just murder an alpha and ignore that power?" Derek asked, still trying to understand.
"I'm not the alpha," Jackson said and a smirk spread over his face. "That's your job, isn't it?"
Derek gave a halfhearted glare. He sniffed and froze, turning Jackson to face him. He buried his face into Jackson's throat, inhaling deeply. He could smell wolf, his own scent in there and that delicious scent that was Jackson. He pulled back and stared at the beta. He wondered if Jackson always had that scent whenever he felt something.
Jackson swallowed thickly and stepped back. "Why do I feel you? I could even feel your inability to shave on my throat."
"You might not believe it, but I am your alpha. Every beta feels their alpha," Derek said and looked out the window. Boyd and Erica were returning. "Shower before Boyd and Erica get back."
"Why? You don't want them to see that I upstaged you?"
Derek glared at Jackson and that damn smirk. Erica was right. Jackson definitely discovered his ego. The glare disappeared and he gazed at Jackson. "Do you like it when I touch you?"
"Does that mean do I want more of it?" Derek raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Then yes, I like it."
"Then shower or I won't touch you ever again," Derek said and Jackson rolled his eyes, but went into the bedroom, removing the basketball shorts. "Jackson."
Jackson stopped and turned to him, head tilted. Derek walked into the bedroom and turned Jackson around, staring at the scars on the back of his left thigh. He turned him around again, seeing smaller scars, like from the tips of claws on the front of his thighs. He pulled back and frowned at him.
There wasn't anything he could say, except, "From now, I'm going to inspect your body. If I find any new scars, no touching for a week."
Jackson sneered in such a familiar way that Derek felt warmth curl in his chest. "Think you could last that long?" he asked, that smirk falling back into place.
Jackson had definitely discovered his ego and his pride.
End Chapter.
Thanks for reading. How y'all enjoyed it!
Until the next one.
Peace.
Auska.