Betrayal & Redemption

Jackson's POV He opened his eyes and saw twinkling lights with one big spotlight far off in the distance. He blinked a few times and realized- they weren't lights, it was the stars and the full moon. As it came more into focus, he found himself staring unblinking at the full moon- it was mesmerizing. He broke eye contact and looked around. Looks like I went for a nice little stroll in the deep dark woods, he thought, unable to remember how he got there. Unable to remember...anything really... He rubbed a hand over his face and a dim flash caught his eye. He looked down at a watch clasped around a thick wrist attached to a muscular, tattooed arm- his arm. He unhooked it and held it in his hand up to his face, wiping the dirt off. It had a deep blue face and a crown where the 12 should be. He turned it over, finding an inscription: "Happy 18th Birthday Jackson -Alpha", and smirked. Some i***t went by the name Alpha and blew money on gifts for dipshit 18 year old kids. Because nobody other than a dipshit would wake up in the middle of the forest with nothing but a name found on a watch, he thought to himself.  He sighed and put the watch back on before getting to his feet. As he brushed off his suit- he was dressed head to toe in a business suit, covered in dirt and blood. He could smell the blood more than he could see it. Suddenly, he heard a deep growl and immediately scanned the area and inhaled, trying to catch a scent. All he could smell was himself and his bloodstained clothes. He waited a moment before he decided on a direction, hopefully as far away from the growling beast as possible. Another growl echoed around him and it took a moment for Jackson to realize- it wasn't coming from the forest, it was coming from within his head. f*****g great. Covered in blood, nothing to me but a watch and a name, and now I'm insane and hearing beasts in my head, he had to laugh out loud, hoping he would wake up from this horrible nightmare soon.  "You're not dreaming, son," the growling voice told him, "Best not keep up with that hope."  Jackson felt around for a weapon under the leaves blanketing the forest floor. A stick, a rock, a tree- he didn't care.  "I don't know who you are, but don't come near me," he warned with a shaky voice. "I won't hesitate to kill you." His words sounded more sure that he felt.  The voice laughed and Jackson began to relax. It really was in his head.  "Whatta ya plannin to do, kid? Beat the s**t out of yourself? You really are insane," the voice chortled.  Jackson dropped the heavier rock he found and shook his head confused, "Are you my conscience?"  "You'd better pray I'm not. Are you gonna let me loose, kid? Or are we going to sit in the fuckin forest shooting the s**t? We are thirsty and I need to run. I smell water a mile east- smells like a lake." the voice answered him.  Jackson swallowed involuntarily, feeling a painful ache in the back of his throat. Then the words of the stranger in his head sunk in. "What do you mean let you loo-" but before he could finish, the growling laugh echoed through his head and Jackson's body bent in half with a loud crack. His expensive suit shredded to pieces as his bones broke and reformed.  "f**k kid, don't fight it. Just let it happen. Take deep breaths, don't focus on the pain," the unhelpful voice came again. Jackson could barely focus on anything as his spine elongated and silver fur sprung out of his tattooed skin, leaving a wake of fire all across his body. He screamed and dropped to the floor, reaching for his head but found pointed ears and a snout instead. All at once the pain died away and a howl broke out of his chest, echoing off the trees. Before Jackson could tell himself how stupid it was to alert attention to himself, he was off and running.  "What are you- I- we?" He asked inside his head. The voice only howled in response. He seemed to know where he was going so Jackson just let it happen. He didn't know how, he just withdrew himself from the control and went along with the ride. And what a ride....he had never been this fast before. As far as he knew. And that only went back about 20 minutes, according to the watch he had.  "WATCH! I was wearing a watch! We have to go back!" Jackson yelled and fought for control, making himself trip over his own feet and go flying.  "No. You don't need it, just let it go. If it's really that important we can find it later. Right now, we are being tracked. We will lose them through the river." Jackson wanted to argue but the voice finally said something reasonable. They picked themselves up and shot off again. Soon they came to a running brook- not quite a river but much safer to walk through and lose whoever was tracking them. They slowed and walked up to the edge, peering over. Jackson gasped at the reflection- he wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't a giant silver wolf with shining dark gray eyes. "Name is Arlo, kid. Not your conscience, but I am your wolf," the voice came again and the reflection in the creek gave a toothy, wolfy attempt at a grin.  They lapped up some water and waded into the middle of the babbling brook. Arlo was so big that the water didn't even come near his belly. Perfect height for walking through without making too much noise.  "Get some rest, kid. I'll get us somewhere safe. If that watch really means that much to you, we can go back and get it tomorrow.." Arlo said in a more comforting voice.  "It's okay. I don't really know what it means to me. I don't remember anyone named Alpha or who I even am," Jackson replied, feeling a pang of longing, though he wasn't sure what he was longing for.  "I know, Jackson. I wish I could help you but it looks like we were both affected by what we went through. Being in wolf form can help you heal, but your wolf is just as lost as you are. We will figure it out in time," Arlo assured him. With that, Jackson drifted off into a dreamless sleep.