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Redemption

Chapter 6

Jackson felt the intense heat as soon as he took Cain's hand. He didn't know how, but just that one touch made him feel warm all over…and not in a bad way. He tried to pull away after a few seconds, but Cain kept hold, prolonging the handshake even though there wasn't actually any shaking of the hands.

"You've got quite a firm grip," Jackson laughed nervously, flexing and curling his fingers, when Cain finally released his hand. Cain had a very casual look about him, and if Jackson didn't know any better, he might have thought Cain was some random college frat guy. He certainly looked the part, but there was something about him that Jackson couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Well, you know how it is. It's all about first impressions," Cain said with a smile that wasn't quite a smirk but Jackson couldn't figure out what it was.

One thing was certain though, Cain oozed confidence and it was clear he was absolutely sure of himself. Maybe even more so than Derek.

Derek…just the mere thought of him reminded Jackson of why he was out there to begin with. His thoughts of Derek had to be borderline obsessive now. In fact, he had been so consumed by them that he didn't even notice Cain, until he seemingly materialized in front of him out of thin air and almost plowed him down.

"Hey, sorry again for running into you like that," Jackson apologized with a small smile.

"No worries, man. Like I said, if you just show me back to my hotel, we'll call it even. Totally copacetic," Cain responded.

Figuring that it was the least he could do, Jackson nodded. "Sure, it's this way."

As they fell into pace, Jackson could feel heat radiating from Cain. There it was again, that something about him that seemed really out of place. It was kind of similar to Derek – Seriously, Derek again? Jackson shook his head. Everything these days reminded him of Derek. With the way his mind was going, next thing he knew, he would look at Stiles and see Derek. Jackson shuddered at the thought.

"Is something wrong?" Cain asked, having sensed his emotional upheaval.

"Nothing, I'm fine, just school stuff," Jackson deflected. Then he changed the subject, "Umm…so what are you doing here?"

Cain turned to look at Jackson and gave him a thoughtful look, his blue eyes hiding everything that he was thinking.

Not knowing what the look meant and not wanting to offend this stranger, Jackson added awkwardly, "Not that you don't have a right to be, but this is a small town and people don't generally come here without having to. I wouldn't be here if my parents didn't have a say. You know?"

"I know what you mean," Cain replied smoothly. "I'm here with a few friends to visit someone. We're not planning on staying long, like you said, small town. But now I'm starting to wonder if maybe this town has some hidden gems we didn't know about before." He gave Jackson a calculated look that made heat curl in his stomach.

"Uhh…" Jackson swallowed visibly and for once, other than the times when Derek confronted him, he had no idea of what to say. What was it with this guy that could affect him the way Derek did? Jackson didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. But maybe this was the guy who would get him over the alpha that had been vexing his mind. And the fact that he was very easy on the eyes didn't hurt one bit.

Clearly amused, Cain laughed and said, "Don't think too much about it." Then Cain arched a brow and looked off to the side and without warning, he put his hands on Jackson's shoulders, leaned in close and Jackson felt hot breath tingling on his neck and ear when Cain whispered, "You know what? I think I like you."

Derek drove around aimlessly looking for Jackson. After talking to Scott and Isaac, he had gone to Jackson's house only to find that he wasn't home. And when Derek tried calling, he was made more anxious when he heard Jackson's phone ringing in his empty room. As he drove around, he became almost desperate to find Jackson. What if the alpha pack had already gotten to Jackson? Why else would he not be at home and leave without his phone?

After turning onto one of the streets behind the school Derek saw two figures walking down the street. Jackson! And then his blood ran cold when he realized the person walking with him was none other than Cain. How the hell did that asshole get to Jackson so quickly? He shouldn't even know Jackson existed.

Turning the engine off, Derek shifted his car into neutral and coasted down the street a bit before pulling over and stopping. Derek focused his hearing to try and figure out what Cain was up to. Jackson and Cain were talking and while Jackson's heart rate was slightly elevated, he didn't seem to be in distress. At least he seemed to be ok, for now.

When Cain turned to face Jackson, and inadvertently him, Derek sucked in a breath and hunched down in his seat as far as he could. He heard Cain spout some bullshit about visiting people and then Derek gripped the steering wheel tightly as Cain's eyes suddenly locked onto his. Shit! And then, as if he was watching a horror scene in slow motion, Derek saw Cain set his paws on Jackson, his Jackson, and heard him whisper, "I like you," as he held Derek's gaze the entire time.

That made Derek's blood boil. He was gonna go over there and wipe the smirk off that mother-fu – No, he can't. Derek caught himself just as he opened the door. If he attacked Cain like that, he might as well point a neon sign at Jackson that said, "Super important to Derek Hale!" And that was the last thing that could happen.

Instead, Derek forced himself to calm down as he slowly got out of the car. When Jackson heard the car door slam shut he whirled around, eyes widening in surprise and Derek heard him inhale sharply and his heart rate pick up even more. Damnit, the next to last thing he wanted was to scare Jackson again. Wait, when the hell did that happen? Not want to scare Jackson? Derek loved scaring Jackson…at least he did… 'I am so screwed,' Derek thought to himself. He decided to just ignore Jackson and focus all his attention on Cain.

"Cain. What are you doing without your dogs?" Derek asked derisively.

"Just out for a late night stroll, meeting the town folk and making friends," Cain said nonchalantly.

"Wait, do you two know each other?" Jackson asked with a confused look. "What do you mean by dogs? ... Wait, do you mean...wolves?" He finished in a whisper. Then realization dawned and he turned to Cain, "Oh my God. Are you an alpha too? I knew I sensed something weird about you."

"There's nothing weird about it Jackson," Cain smiled at him. "My being an alpha is very natural, you being an omega...not so much."

Jackson inhaled sharply again at the revelation that Cain knew what he was. "How – how did you know?"

"I'm an alpha, of course I could tell." Cain let out a short laugh as if he knew a secret no one else knew. "Now the question is, how do you two know each other?"

"No, I have no idea who he is," Derek said before Jackson even finished digesting the question. He looked at Jackson and hoped he wouldn't refute what Derek said. Jackson stayed silent, but Derek could see the hurt in his eyes. He looked at Jackson and tried to will him to understand.

"Hmmm..." Cain tapped his chin with a finger, pretending to be deep in thought. "That's funny how you say that, considering you're the one who turned him." Cain flashed a predatory smile as he put an arm around Jackson's shoulder.

It took every ounce of self control for Derek not to rip Cain's arm off. He settled for shooting daggers at him with his eyes...for now. "You actually think I would waste my bite on that?" He jerked his head in Jackson's direction.

"I don't think it, I know it," Cain asserted. "When I first caught onto his scent I thought it was kind of familiar. And I realized it was you. You're a part of him now. So don't even try to deny it. I don't blame you. I mean, if I saw him first I probably would have done the same. Just look at him...beautiful." Cain ran his fingers idly thru Jackson's hair. "What I don't get though is why he isn't a beta and in your pack. Did you guys break up? Aww..." He gave Jackson a pitiful look and moved to hug him in mock concern.

"It – it wasn't like that," Jackson stammered, face flushed, and backed away just in time or Derek really would have tackled Cain.

"Oh, it wasn't?" Cain gave Derek a fake confused look. "If you didn't turn him to keep him connected to you, then why do it? And why let him become an omega? Seems like a waste of effort."

"I did it because I couldn't stand that jackass," Derek said coldly. "He was obsessed with getting the bite, thinking it would turn him into some great being – heh, it didn't. But who was I to deny what he wanted. So I bit him, but I did so in the hopes that the bite would take him the other way..."

"Wait, do you mean...?" Cain trailed off.

"Yeah, I bit him because I wanted him dead and I hoped the venom would finish him off," Derek finished without emotion. Then he looked Jackson straight in the eyes and added, "You know, stupid kid out alone in the woods gets attacked by an animal. The bite gets infected and the idiot dies. Too bad it didn't work out the way I hoped. But it wasn't like I wanted to be stuck with him so...he's an omega."

Derek watched as Jackson flinched, shock passing over face as he revealed the "truth" of the bite and then saw the hurt look and finally the anger settle on his face. He had really hoped that Jackson would get that Derek was saying this for his own good. If Cain thought Jackson meant nothing to Derek, then he would have no reason to hurt him. And it would just be Derek hurting him. Fuck Cain! Damn him and his pack!

"Ouch," Cain looked over at Jackson with what actually seemed like genuine pity. "Well then...so you wouldn't care if Jackson and I got to know each other a little bit better."

"Be my guest. He's no concern of mine," Derek said ambivalently. But unable to leave Jackson with no warning, he said to him, "But for some reason Scott cares about you and just for that alone, I'm gonna warn you. Stay away from Cain and his pack. They're bad news. They – "

Jackson interrupted him before he could reveal that Cain allowed his pack members to kill Erica. "I don't need your warnings," he spat angrily. "Like you said, I'm no concern of yours, so you can just take whatever the hell you were gonna say and shove it."

"Bravo!" Cain clapped. "Nice, Jackson. So, if you're done here, you wanna show me the way back to my hotel?"

"Yeah, let's go," Jackson shot Derek one last dark, anger and hurt filled look before turning and walking away with Cain.

Cain turned after a few steps and called back, "Don't forget to consider my offer. It really would be in your best interest." He smirked before continuing to saunter off with Jackson in tow.

Eyes glued to Jackson's shrinking figure, Derek watched as they disappeared, fists clenched so tightly he broke skin and felt a few drops of blood slip out. He stayed rooted to the spot until he could no longer hear their footsteps or Jackson's rapidly beating heart.

"Damnit! Fuck! Arrrghhh!" Derek punched the brick wall next to him over and over until a fist sized crater had formed. Looking at his fist he saw the torn skin and bleeding knuckles, though he hadn't felt the pain while he was punching the wall. He gritted his teeth and looked until he saw skin heal until the only evidence that remained of his violence was a fine sheen of dust from the bricks.

Derek was going to end Cain if it was the last thing he did. At least Jackson was physically safe from Cain for the moment. Derek could see that Cain was genuinely amused and interested in him despite his cavalier attitude. He just hoped he remained interested until Derek could figure out a way to destroy Cain and drive his pack out of town or somehow kill them all.

As he walked back to his car, Derek decided that he should probably go tell Scott about this latest unfortunate development. What with Scott's penchant for worrying for others, especially Jackson these days, he was certain to jump on board with both feet. And as annoying as Scott can be, Derek wasn't going to pass up any help from anyone, not this time, not with so much on the line.

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the inn where Cain was staying. Jackson stewed quietly as Derek's sharp words ripped through his mind over and over. The animosity coming from Derek was so thick, it was practically impenetrable. Why was he even surprised? It's not like Derek ever said or did anything that should make him think otherwise. But over and over again, Jackson felt hurt when Derek would tell him the truth. He sighed. When was he finally going to learn? And what exactly was going on with Cain and Derek? What offer?

Amused over this latest finding, Cain decided that this could definitely work out to his advantage, in more ways than one. He dropped an arm around Jackson's shoulder and held on firmly when Jackson jerked in reaction and sighed dramatically, "Man…that Derek Hale is some piece of work, huh? That was really cold of him. If I were you –"

Surprised by Cain's touch, it took Jackson a few seconds to react. He shoved Cain's arm off him, turned and said angrily, "Well you're not me. And what the hell is your deal anyway?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Cain said with smile.

"You knew what I was before I even saw you. You let me run into you on purpose," Jackson accused. "And I want to know why."

"Truth? Yeah, I knew what you were. I caught your scent from several blocks away. And you could say I was…intrigued," Cain answered. "There was something familiar about you, which turns out is because Derek turned you. But mostly, it was because you smelled really, really good." Cain winked at him and grinned rakishly as he watched several emotions flashed over Jackson's face.

Feeling his face burn, Jackson opened his mouth and closed it, again at a loss for words. "I don't know what to say," he admitted lamely.

"I tend to make people speechless," Cain said, eyes smoldering as he held Jackson's gaze. They had arrived at his door. "Did you want to come in? Get something to drink, hash out your feelings over what Derek said. It really was very bad of him to try to kill you. And a real shame too. What do you say? I'm really good at listening." Really good at other things too, he said with his eyes.

Slightly weak in the knees, Jackson said, "Umm, I'm good. It's late and I've got homework and stuff… Maybe some other time…"

"Yeah, for sure. I'll be sticking around for awhile. We should definitely hang out sometime." Cain turned around and unlocked the door. "Last chance. You sure you don't wanna come in?"

'He is totally flirting with me!' Jackson thought to himself. And the realization made him happier than he'd been in a long time. "Naw…but umm…maybe tomorrow or something? Will I find you here?"

"I'll find you," Cain promised and gave Jackson a look that sent heat flooding to his core.

With a nervous laugh, Jackson nodded, "Uh, ok. See you then." He had to get out of there right away, before his jeans got even more uncomfortable. Jackson turned around and tried to walk away as casually as possible. He could feel Cain's eyes on him the entire time until he turned around a corner.

Sagging against the wall Jackson turned in the direction where Cain was. Even though he couldn't see the alpha anymore, he still felt his presence so very clearly. And Cain wanted him, could see it in his eyes. 'I like you,' Jackson remembered his words and he smiled as he felt his face flush again. Cain wanted him, unlike Derek. Jackson's smile fell at the thought of the other alpha that had plagued his mind for weeks. Months, if he counted the time from when they first met. Fuck Derek. He didn't need him, Jackson assured himself. Not when he could have Cain.

Confidence boosted, Jackson started heading for the road and walked with a swagger that was reminiscent of old Jackson. Before he got there, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Instinctively he focused his hearing towards something heading his way. He heard loud music and a lot of laughter. He ducked into the shadow of the building and crouched behind some hedges just in time to see an SUV barrel into the parking lot, tires squealing as it turned the corner towards Cain's room.

His curiosity piqued, Jackson crept around the side and saw as five people got out. He realized that they were also werewolves. Cain's pack! He watched as Cain came out of his room and said something to them. Concentration lost, he didn't hear when he said. But there was something about these werewolves. They all had this intensity. Not like Scott or Isaac, but like Derek and Cain…like alphas.

Eyes widening, Jackson realized they were all alphas. A pack…full of alphas? Is that even possible? Then he remembered the look in Derek's eyes from earlier that night. He realized that Derek was worried and even a little scared. He'd never seen Derek scared before. Maybe he should have listened to Derek after all…

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