~Breathing Angel Style~

By: Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Derek stared at Vincent, his eyes flicking to Jackson. The snow wolf looked away from him, burying his face into Vincent's neck. Shame. That's all he could smell on Jackson. He was ashamed of what he had done and he didn't want anyone looking at him. He couldn't stop staring at Jackson, trying to understand what had happened. He figured that Jackson would have complete control over his wolf and his subconscious.

"Going for a shower."

Jackson stood and disappeared into the bathroom. The door closed and locked, leaving Derek to stare it and fight back every urge to break it down and hold Jackson until he felt loved. The last time he smelled that deep-seated hatred and loathing was when Jackson was the kanima. Now he believed he had turned into something similar and Derek couldn't have that.

Derek went to the bathroom door and rested his forehead against it. He could hear the water running and that Jackson was under it, but that was it. He glanced at the handle and the lock clicked. It was faster than going to his room and through his door to the bathroom. He pulled back the curtain on the shower and saw Jackson sitting under it, still clothed and staring at nothing.

The ice cold water wasn't a problem for the snow wolf. He turned his head away from Derek when he sat on lip. They sat there for a while. Derek couldn't take his eyes off of Jackson as he stared at the wall beside him. He seemed to shrink under the gaze and Derek exhaled, turning off the water. Jackson jerked, as though the hand was moving towards him.

"Jackson, you heard what Vincent said. You weren't in control when…it happened," Derek said softly, hoping to sooth the shifter's damaged psyche.

Jackson jumped to his feet and glared down at Derek. The earth wolf blinked and slowly got to his feet. He couldn't remember the last time he saw such hatred and rage in Jackson's eyes. It looked unnatural against the blue and silver. However, Derek was happy that Jackson was looking at him again, even if he was seconds from freezing him.

"That's just fucking perfect!" he shouted as he stormed past Derek and sloshed into his room. "Hey, don't worry about it! You weren't in control. It wasn't your fault. You didn't know what you were doing. It was all Matt's or Gerard's fault! You're too pathetic to think for yourself, anyway!"

Derek stepped back as ice surrounded Jackson on the floor. His eyes returned to Jackson's. They were swirling between the two colors faster than Derek thought was possible. "Jackson, I didn't mean that you couldn't ––"

Jackson yelled, ice shooting from his hands. He took out a window and destroyed a wall. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be someone's fucking puppet? You were used to get to your family. You didn't actually do it yourself!"

Derek shivered as a snow storm gathered in the room. The door to the room started to open, until it was busted off its hinges and whoever was behind it was taken over the banister. There was a groan from downstairs that sounded like Scott. Derek winced as the snow made small slices on his body. He didn't care what Jackson did to him, he wasn't going to leave the boy alone.

"I was the one that took their life!"

"Jackson, stop using your magic. You haven't eaten today," Derek begged, gritting his teeth as an icicle pierced his right shoulder.

"What have I got left to live for? You don't care about me and the pack hates me!"

"They don't hate you and I do care about you!" The snow fell harder and Derek realized he couldn't see Jackson through it. He tried to move through, but the wind was pushing him back. "Jackson!" he called and found that his voice was lost in the hurricane level winds that were happening in the room. "I haven't left you!"

"You will."

Derek's eyes widened. The voice sounded so defeated. Growling, Derek pushed his way through the wind and saw that all nearly all color had left Jackson's skin. He was trembling as he fought to keep up the snow storm without the energy to draw from. He placed a hand on an icy shoulder and fought the urge to recoil from it, especially when ice started to form on his fingers and creep onto his hand. Jackson glared at him with sterling silver eyes.

His spare hand moved to Jackson's neck. "I won't lose you again," he stated and grew his claws, digging them into the scars that were on Jackson's neck.

Jackson screamed and fell to his knees. The storm stopped and Derek retracted his claws, falling down with Jackson and staring at him. The blue slowly started to return to the silver eyes and Derek exhaled, sitting back and closing his eyes. The ice that blocked the door cracked and then shattered. Scott and Isaac ran into the room, gazing at the pair and clearly trying to understand what just happened.

Derek sighed and opened his eyes, just as Jackson passed out. Derek shook his head and picked him, taking him to the bed. He didn't bother to move the snow. The clothing Jackson wore was frozen, but despite being cold blooded, the cold wasn't a real problem for snow wolves. Derek nodded towards the door. Scott and Isaac left after hesitating for a moment. Derek followed them, glancing back at Jackson's pale face. He doubted if any pigmentation would return after using that much energy.

Once in the kitchen, Derek turned on the hot water tap at the sink and waited for it to heat up. He ran his fingers under it, clenching his jaw as it burned. Never once did it occur to him what kind of pain it would cause Jackson to constantly deny him. Jackson never mentioned anything about being his mate and Derek just assumed he was beneath Jackson's ridiculously high standards. He closed his eyes, leaning against the counter. He pulled his fingers back and turned off the tap.

Seeing Scott with Jackson was wrong, in so many ways. He would be damned if he was going to lose the snow wolf to Scott. Still, he knew what Jackson had done while he was away. He knew that he tried to mate someone else, despite fighting instinct to run back to Beacon Hills and return to him. Derek had felt it as strongly as if he was the one doing it. He wanted to hunt down Jackson and claim him, in front of the wolf he wanted to mate.

That didn't matter anymore. Jackson was finally back home, but Derek had the fear that he was going to wake up one morning and discover he was gone. His logic kept telling him to kick Jackson out of his bed when he slipped under the covers. His wolf demanded he claim the boy while he was unconscious, to make sure he never forgot who he belonged to. Derek wanted to get over the pain that Jackson had caused him, but knew that if he took too long, Jackson would leave. He was an impatient werewolf and he was even worse as a wolf-shifter.

Vincent came into the kitchen and stared at him with hard eyes. Derek looked away from him. He could never read the dragon's mind, but he got the feeling that Vincent was going to rip into him for letting Jackson go in the first place. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. Jackson left while his body was undergoing the change. He couldn't stop himself from pissing his pants; let alone running down a wolf-shifter that wanted to get away.

Derek rested against the sink, crossing his legs at the ankles. With a deep breath, he raised his eyes to Vincent. "Do you have something to say?"

"You're a fucking idiot."

Derek blinked when Vincent walked out of the room. He had no idea what the dragon was referring to, so he chased him down and found him on the front porch, lighting a cigarette. He stood upwind from the dragon and stared at him, waiting for an explanation for the insult. He hadn't done anything stupid recently. At least, nothing that he could remember. He was almost certain that he hadn't gotten drunk.

"And why am I an idiot?"

"You're hurt that he found someone he wanted to mate," Vincent answered with a shrug, exhaling smoke through his nose.

Derek frowned. How could he not be hurt about that? He knew that Jackson was his mate and he was Jackson's mate. There was no way around it. They would never find anyone else that could fulfill them in a way that left them stupidly happy. He was more hurt about the fact that he let Jackson get away. Though, to be fair, what they had to deal with didn't really leave much time for the mating process to happen.

For the last three years, he had the entire pack telling him that Jackson would return. For three years, Derek had been stupidly hopeful. He had tried to sate his needs with others, but none of them felt as good as Jackson. He had tested their link and found that it was still there. It was weak, since Jackson wasn't near him, but it was still there.

"He tried to reject me as his mate, despite knowing it wouldn't work. I think I have every right to be hurt about that," Derek snapped and glanced up at the porch ceiling.

"What did you think was going to happen when you kept denying the fact? Just because you weren't ready to have him by your side didn't give you the right to not tell him. If you had explained that to him, he would have stayed and waited for you." Vincent shook his head and crushed out the smoke in an ashtray.

Derek lowered his eyes, thinking about the times that Tsuki told him to be there when Jackson woke or he would lose him. He had lost him. For three years, he lost Jackson. Then he came back and the others tried to accept him back, but Derek could sense how guarded they were around him. They were waiting for him to leave again and so was Derek.

Knowing that he had murdered people in the town again, Jackson would probably run away since Derek didn't allow him to die. He wasn't going to allow that, though. Jackson had submitted to him and it was now Derek's time to show Jackson what happened when he accepted and submitted to him. He would be damned if anything bad was going to happen to his mate again.

He glanced at Vincent and nodded. He went back inside and up to Jackson's room, watching as he shivered for a moment. He removed the frozen clothing and stripped out of his shirt. Lying behind Jackson, he pulled the cold body against his and closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh scent that was around Jackson. It was exactly like freshly fallen snow with a hint of rose.

The shivering eventually subsided and Derek kissed a bare shoulder. He held onto Jackson tighter and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered, knowing that Jackson's subconscious would hear him. "I never meant to hurt you like that." A gentle moan left Jackson as he rolled over and pressed against him more. "I promise I can be a better mate if you accept me."

Jackson's eyes fluttered open, gazing at Derek with blank swirling eyes. "Derek," he murmured and pressed into him more. "Go to sleep."

Derek didn't have a chance to say anything as Jackson was asleep instantly. The exhaustion, magic use and lack of food weren't a good combination. Derek knew exactly how it felt to do that. He kissed the top of Jackson's head and closed his eyes, falling into a peaceful slumber. He didn't know until recently how good it felt to have his mate so close.

oOo

When Derek woke, his arms were occupied by a pillow. The snow and ice were gone and Jackson was nowhere to be found. Derek sat up and looked around the room. All the damage had been repaired and the door was closed. He got to his feet and headed downstairs. It was the middle of the night and he could hear Jackson talking softly with Vincent. He stopped just outside the entrance and listened as Jackson apologized to Vincent for his breakdown.

Vincent told Jackson that he should be apologizing to Derek, as he was the one to bear the full brunt of it. Derek entered the kitchen and Jackson stared at him with wide, worried eyes. He was happy to see that they were swirling between blue and silver. Several dirty plates were in front of him. There was a large slice of chocolate cake with whipped cream waiting to be eaten.

Derek stood beside Jackson, stroking his hair gently. Vincent said that he needed to kill a cow and left the kitchen. Derek frowned and watched as he left. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Jackson. The snow wolf ate a mouthful of the cake, keeping his eyes on it as he moved the cream around and tried to find the right words. He turned Jackson's head towards him and gazed at the dark circles under his eyes.

"You shouldn't be awake right now, Jackson," he said softly, noticing the fear in his eyes as his thumb ran along his cheekbone.

"I'm sorry," Jackson whispered and stood, wrapping his arms around Derek's neck. Derek ran his hands down Jackson's back, resting them on his hips. "I'm sorry for leaving. I'm sorry for everything I did to you. I know it hurt."

Derek could hear the tears in Jackson's voice, but knew he wouldn't cry. He was so used to hiding his emotions and putting on an act for what he thought people wanted. Yet Derek couldn't deny that Jackson was entirely sincere at that moment. He closed his eyes and nuzzled the side of Jackson's head. He opened his eyes and pulled back. Jackson lowered his arms and kept his eyes downcast.

Jackson waved his hand over the table and the plates disappeared. He stepped around Derek and left the kitchen. Derek let him go, unsure of what to actually do. His wolf was growling at him to follow, hug and kiss until his mate was happy. Derek gave in and followed Jackson up the stairs and to his bedroom. He watched as the snow wolf rearranged the pillows and removed his hoodie. The wounds on his neck from the claws were healed and had scarred again.

Derek watched as Jackson nestled into the mass of pillows. The glowing eyes of the snow wolf looked at him, practically begging him to get in the bed. Derek forced his body to move slowly, waving a hand over his body and changing his jeans into a pair of boxer briefs. He got under the covers, frowning as the pillows were surprisingly comfortable. He stroked Jackson's hair, gazing into those swirling eyes that were so beautiful when they were soft with sleep and there wasn't a hint of fear in them. He was comfortable and content.

Jackson's eyes dropped to his mouth for a moment, before he raised them and half-smiled almost shyly. He closed his eyes, tilting his head up into the hand that was still stroking him. Derek moved closer, running the hand down Jackson's bare arm, gently moving it to the side. He removed the gauze that covered the bite mark on his ribs. He ran his fingers over the stitches, watching them disappear. He looked at the slumbering face of his mate.

Derek often forgot how young Jackson was or the fact that he would never age past seventeen, unless he used his magic to make himself look older. Jackson was beautiful when he was awake, but when his face was soft with sleep, he was breathtaking. His lips were parted slightly and there was a vague smile on them whenever Derek touched him. He ran the back of his fingers down Jackson's cheek and his eyes opened.

"If you're going to worship me, could you do it while I'm awake?"

Derek gently rolled Jackson onto his back. He moved on top and looked at the throat that was still bruised from days ago. God damn did it look beautiful on his pale skin. He lowered his eyes to the boy's chest and decided he could gain a little more weight. He ran his fingers down the center of his torso slowly, watching the way Jackson arched his body to the touch, exposing more of his throat without realizing it.

"Derek," he whispered and Derek inhaled, catching the pheromone.

Ignoring the intoxicating scent that surrounded the snow wolf, Derek pulled back and sighed. He couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to trust Jackson. Not right now. He rolled to the side and stared at the ceiling. He would stay with Jackson, just to make sure he didn't run off and murder someone else that night.

Jackson turned onto his side, his back facing Derek. It wasn't anything less than he was expecting. Derek glanced at him. "Jackson," he called softly. Jackson looked over his shoulder. "I can't reject you, but I don't want you submitting yourself to Scott. You are mine. Even if I can't trust you."

A flinch was his answer. Jackson settled down and pulled the covers up, blocking off Derek entirely. Derek sighed and felt the tug of slumber. Before he was even aware of it, he was out to the world and he didn't notice Jackson sitting up, slipping out of the bed and then out the window. He didn't notice when Jackson returned three hours later, showered and crawled back into bed.

oOo

Jackson woke slowly and opened his eyes. He could feel Derek's stubble against his ear and cheek and realized he was sleeping on top of the earth wolf. Derek's left hand was on his lower back, while the other held his hand tightly. Jackson raised his head and tilted it, gazing at Derek's sleeping face. He ran his fingertips from the temple down to his jaw. He frowned when there wasn't a flicker across Derek's face at being touched.

"Derek?" He gently shook the other's shoulders. "Derek." The shaking became more violent. "Derek!" He slapped the earth wolf and Derek's eyes flew open. Jackson found himself pinned on his back, angry swirling blue-green eyes glaring at him.

Derek blinked and went to pull back. He thought better of it and sniffed along Jackson's clavicle. He seemed happy that there wasn't the scent of blood and pulled away. He got out of the bed, stretching his back and wandering into the bathroom. Jackson watched him go with an arched brow. Derek was more wolfish when he woke up than any other time.

Jackson headed out of the bedroom, scratching his lower back. He didn't care that he wasn't dressed. He never got dressed until after he had a shower, which would be after he got back from his morning run. He found Scott in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand and the newspaper in front of him. Jackson glanced at the front page, seeing that there was another murder. He felt better about this one. Derek had been with him the entire night. He would've noticed if Jackson left the bed.

Scott glanced up with a smile, which slowly turned into a smirk as he looked Jackson over. "Good morning, Jackson," he said quietly.

Jackson looked over at him and winked, making a cup of peppermint tea. He waved his hand over the table and a tray of bagels appeared. He sat opposite Scott, grabbing a poppy seed bagel and cutting it in half, smearing cream cheese on it. A gust of wind rattled the panes of glass and Vincent entered from the backdoor a few moments later.

"Good morning," Vincent greeted as he sat beside Jackson and took the newspaper from Scott. The alpha growled and Vincent glanced at him. Scott pursed his lips and lowered his eyes to the coffee in front of him. "That's a good boy. Derek learned not to fuck with me the easy way. I suggest you realize now that I'm more powerful and I don't care about you."

"Well, it's nice to know that your manners haven't gotten any better since we last saw you."

"I own the house. Don't forget that. I can and will have Sheriff Stilinski evict you without a moment's hesitation." Vincent didn't look up this time. He read the front page news about the murder and then glanced at Jackson quickly.

Jackson shrugged and mentally told Vincent that Derek was with him all night. Derek had taken in his scent five minutes ago and didn't seem to think he had murdered anyone. Jackson didn't feel like such a puppet anymore. He finished his bagel and changed his clothes to his running gear. He headed out, stretched and went on his usual course. There was mist in the woods, which made Jackson grin and roll his shoulders. It was mysterious.

He was half-way through his run when he heard a wolf howl. He froze and turned a slow circle, trying to pinpoint the location. It sounded again and echoed around him. He knew that howl and he knew it was impossible. He waited for it happen again, but when silence greeted him for the next five minutes, Jackson shrugged and carried on with his run.

In the clearing, he came to a sudden stop and fell backwards. His eyes were wide as he stared at the animal carcasses that were clearly on display. They had been shredded and nothing was missing from them. They were slaughtered for sport and it looked like someone had taken the time to play with the guts. He got to his feet and backed away from the ghastly sight, feeling sick.

"Hey," Isaac said as Jackson backed into him. "Oh god." He took a step towards the bodies and pulled a face of sheer disgust. He went back to Jackson and took his hand, tugging him towards the house. "Come on. We should get out of here."

Jackson felt numb. He had seen a doe and her faun in the mix. He didn't even remember running back to the house, until he was caught around the waist by Scott. The alpha was demanding to know what happened and Jackson sank to his knees, allowing Scott to hold him and pet his hair. Isaac explained what they found in the clearing and Jackson winced.

Derek took Jackson from Scott, leading the stumbling snow wolf into the house and to the kitchen. He placed a glass in front of Jackson and told him to down all of it. With a deep breath, Jackson down the shot of whiskey and wrinkled his nose. Derek couldn't have conjured something better than that? He placed the glass on the table and ran his hands through his hair.

"You didn't do that, Jackson."

"It doesn't matter," Jackson said. He closed his eyes and felt a tear escape each eye. He opened them and wiped the tears away. "I'm sorry. It's gotten worse since I became a shifter."

"That's because as a shifter, you're more connected to nature," Stiles said as he entered the kitchen. "I thought you would've known that." He placed on Jackson's shoulder and squeezed. "You okay, man?"

No. "Yeah, I'm fine. You worry too much, Stilinski." Jackson smirked at him. He could feel Derek's eyes boring into him and refused to look at the other shifter. He also noticed that Stiles didn't look that convinced, either. "I'm fine," he said with a little more conviction.

Stiles smiled and released his shoulder. Jackson stood and went upstairs, answering his phone when it rang. Mark told him that the cuffs he wanted were in and Jackson heaved a sigh. He thanked the alpha and hung up, showering quickly. He wasn't sure if Derek would stay with him every night until they figured out what was happening to him. He jogged downstairs and grabbed a glass of orange juice.

Malia was teasing Stiles about something, while Liam laughed. Derek was reading the paper. He looked up when Jackson entered. He could see the distrust in Derek's eyes as he finished reading the murder story. Jackson frowned and lowered his eyes, drinking his juice in silence. He waited until Stiles had finished his breakfast and asked for a lift into town.

Before Stiles could answer, Derek said he needed to visit Mark's shop and grab some things. Jackson nodded stiffly and followed the earth wolf as he grabbed his leather jacket and headed out. Malia called out for them to enjoy their date and Jackson shook his head as he went down the steps, following Derek to his car, surprised he still had the Camaro. He slipped into the passenger seat, buckling his seatbelt.

He stared out the window as Derek tore out of the woods and wondered how in the hell Derek got his license. When Derek hit civilization, he slowed to the speed limit and Jackson asked where the body was found. Derek told it was found on the lacrosse field at the school and Jackson ran his tongue over his teeth, eyebrows drawing together in thought.

The first body was the owner of Jackson's old house. The second body was found just past the clearing in the woods. The third body was found on the lacrosse field at school. At least two of those places had sentimental value to him. Why was the second body dumped in the woods, though? He thought about the location of the second body and realized it was where he first met Mark, when he discovered he had telepathy.

"You are aware that you don't have to keep everything you think to yourself, right?" Derek asked as he stopped at a red light.

"I don't share my thoughts with those that don't trust me."

Jackson felt Derek got still beside him, but he refused to look at the other. Derek had verbally claimed him and now Jackson got to wait until Derek was ready to trust him again. Meanwhile, he could be with an alpha that did trust him. Since Derek had stated it out loud, his scent had strengthened to the point that even Jackson could smell it on himself. He couldn't be with another sexually even if he wanted to.

"Maybe if you spoke about what was bothering you, instead of trying to take on the damn world by yourself, I might not have trust issues with you," Derek stated as he sped through the intersection when the light turned green. "I'm not the only one here with trust issues."

"I asked Mark to get in a pair of silver handcuffs with Corinthian spell work to keep me locked to my bed. I think – I think I was the one that murdered those animals and the person on the lacrosse field." Jackson lowered his eyes to his hands in his lap.

Derek parked behind the shop and turned off the car. He turned to Jackson. "If there's one thing I do know about you, it's that you wouldn't kill for the fun of it. I don't know who would do this to you, but you didn't kill those people or those animals."

Jackson raised his head, gazing out the windshield. "Guns don't kill people, bullets do. I'm the bullet, Derek and I don't know if I can handle that."

"You won't have to handle it alone, mikros." Derek ruffled Jackson's hair, smirking at the glare, both from the nickname and from messing up his perfect hair.

"I never said anything about being alone, vrómiko géros," Jackson said with a cocky grin.

"That one was below the belt." Derek took hold of Jackson's jaw and stared into his eyes. "I will find whoever is doing this to you and I will kill them, sýntrofos."

Jackson's lips parted slightly when Derek's thumb ran along his lower lip. He pulled back and nodded, not wanting to have his hopes destroyed again. He knew Derek would make a move when he was ready, but it was pure torture waiting until then. He undid the seatbelt and got out of the car. He joined Derek, tensing slightly when the earth world placed an arm around his shoulders.

They entered the shop and Mark came out from the back, cocking an eyebrow at them. "Well, it's about bloody time!" He pulled party popper from his pocket and pulled the string. "You two are finally mated! I honestly thought I'd never see the day. Liam's brother, I owe ya two hundred quid!"

Jackson rolled his eyes. He found it strange that an alpha that he barely knew was keeping track of how long it took. Mark was going to be sorely disappointed when he realized that it was only a verbal claim he could smell. It seemed to sink in with the alpha as he shook his head and scooped the streamers off the counter. He placed an oak box on it and opened it.

The handcuffs were standard, but the scrolling Corinthian spell work was beautiful. Jackson picked them up, grinning when he felt the magic soar through his body. They were perfect and he really wanted to pay a decent commission to the witch that did the spell. He placed them in the box and paid for them. He glanced at Derek, asking him what he needed to get and Derek said he lied. He wanted to be the one with Jackson on a trip to Mark's herb shop.

"I hear there's a wolf that's been murdering people in the town. An abnormally large white wolf."

Jackson lowered his eyes, but Derek growled at the werewolf. Mark held his hands up, saying he was only relaying information he had heard from the police scanner and what his customers have gossiped about. Jackson frowned and looked up. Why would his customers be talking about that?

"How many customers have mentioned the wolf?" he asked and Derek's head snapped to him. "What? I am intelligent, remember?"

"Two – man and a woman. They came in at different times and the woman was definitely a shifter. I think she was a wolf, but she never told me. She would only speak to me via her telepathy. When I asked her about it, she said she didn't want anyone to overhear out conversation." Mark shrugged. "The bloke was a regular human. No idea how he knew about it."

"When did they come by?" Jackson inquired as Derek's hand moved from his shoulder to his neck. The fingers caressed the scars.

"The woman came by yesterday and the man was in the day before. The woman bought African dream root." Mark narrowed his eyes when he saw the question form in Jackson's mind. "I don't ask my customers why they buy what they do. That would be bad for business and it could end with me dying suddenly."

"What did they man buy, then?"

"No idea. I didn't take any notice of him. He was very plain looking, even for a human. I noticed the woman because of her eyes. They were a really pretty shade of purple. I almost thought they were contact lenses, until I caught her scent and realized she was a shifter."

Jackson lowered his eyes for a moment. He didn't want to ask the next question, but he had to know if it was the same shifter he was thinking of. "Was her hair black with a purple tint?"

Mark frowned. "Yeah, it was. It was down to her arse, as well." He raised an eyebrow. "How did you know that?"

"Because I know her," Jackson answered and grabbed the box. "Thanks for the cuffs. Make sure the witch that did the spell gets a decent commission."

He left the store, heading for the car. He didn't hear anything that Derek said, until his name was said in his mind. Jackson blinked and looked across the top of the car at Derek. The earth wolf had an eyebrow raised in question. Jackson glanced around to make sure they were alone, even though he could hear they were. He went around to Derek and rested against the car.

"She was part of the pack I was with. She was the alpha's mate's niece and she was a sweet wolf." Jackson grinned. "She was the only one that didn't really shun me when I first joined them. We became friends fast."

"Is there a reason she would be targeting you?" Derek asked as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket and gazed at the cloudless blue sky. "I mean, you didn't do anything too bad to her, did you? You didn't lead her on and then break her heart? I know what female werewolves can be like."

"No, nothing like that. She was the only other survivor from the attack on the pack, when it happened. I was carrying her back to Beacon Hills when she snapped and bit me. That's how I got infected with the poison." Jackson swallowed thickly and inched away from Derek. "I ended up taking out her throat after she begged me to make it stop."

Jackson pursed his lips as he heard her cries in his head again. He didn't think he was strong enough to end her suffering. He never thought that he would be that pathetic that he wouldn't know how to kill someone. He couldn't even kill her correctly. Yet he was able to take out humans and animals without a problem? That didn't make sense in his mind.

"And you think she survived that? There wasn't another with her coloring?"

"Yeah, a lot of them favored the purple eyes and black hair. I think I was the only one that stuck with my human coloring. But if she was speaking with her telepathy, it was because she couldn't use her voice." Jackson glanced at Derek. He was still staring at the sky. "I can't be entirely sure until I see her, but I think it is her."

"Does she have a name or should we settle with 'she-wolf'?"

Jackson stared at the converse shoes covering his feet. He wasn't sure how much Derek knew about the wolf he was going to take as his mate, but he was almost certain he didn't want to reveal her name. If he didn't speak it, then it wasn't real. What was real, though, was him murdering people because of something she was doing. Sierra was always good at covering her tracks, which was why the human went in first to talk about the white wolf that was murdering people.

However, if it was her, he had no idea why she hadn't shown herself to him. She would have caught his scent in the shop and known he was there. She could have sought him out from there, which she probably had. It didn't make any sense as to why she was hiding from him. Surely, she would have known that Mark would tell him about another shifter being in town. There weren't that many shifters that stayed in Beacon Hills.

"Sierra," he answered when Derek lightly touched his shoulder. "Her name is Sierra."

Derek leaned down and nuzzled behind Jackson's ear. "Do you have any idea why she would be targeting you and making you kill people in areas that are significant to you?"

"She's probably upset that I didn't actually kill her or that I returned to you." Jackson closed his eyes, leaning in to Derek's touch.

"She was more than just a pack member, wasn't she?"

Jackson's back went rigid. He was really hoping that he wouldn't have to reveal this part of his past. However, if he wanted to gain Derek's trust, he couldn't lie about anything. Unfortunately, the truth was a horrible thing to reveal. He wished he could say that she was only a pack member, but that would probably anger her more if she overheard it or if she slipped into their minds.

He pulled away from Derek and stared at the asphalt under his feet, running the toe of his shoe over it. With a deep breath, Jackson decided to bite the bullet. Derek was going to find out sooner or later. If he found out from Jackson, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as if Sierra decided to rub it in his face. She had always made it clear that she didn't like Derek for not claiming him, but placing his scent on him.

"She was…" Jackson frowned and stepped away from Derek. He slowly raised his head and gazed at the inquisitive swirling eyes of the earth wolf. As he gazed at Derek's handsome face, Jackson decided he was a complete idiot for not waiting for him. "She was the wolf I wanted to mate with."

End Chapter IV.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter should be up soon, which will contain a lot of drama at the beginning. Oh my god! So much drama!

R/A/F if you please.

Until the next one!

Peace.

Auska.