Jackson's Vengeance

Chapter 9

Jackson’s POV

If I have ever felt like an asshole, it would be this moment. There is no way that she could be lying. If Minnie was there then she witnessed the whole ordeal. Minnie would have spoken up if she were lying.

I tell Bruce to let her know that we will fight alongside them as one. I can’t even look at her. I feel guilt build up inside me. What have I done? I have added to her pain but marking her and she doesn’t even know what it means. I can see how the other wolves are looking at her and I feel terrible.

“You are an i***t!” I tell my wolf mentally.

I walk out of the hall as fast as my human legs can carry me. I just need to be alone, away from all the expectations, away from all the disappointments, and away from all the pity that is directed at my sad life.

My father was right when he said I would differ from any other Alpha ever known. I am indeed different. I am the only Alpha that never found his mate before taking his ranking. I am the only Alpha that left his pack. I am the only Alpha that marked a hybrid, a vampire who is more wolf than vampire. I am also the only Alpha who probably has pack members who disobey and disregard the command of the Alpha.

“I wonder what you would say now, father,” I say to myself.

I spend the rest of the day in my room, somehow, I fall asleep and when I do I see painful things that I never thought could happen. When I wake up, I feel exhausted and drained from my dreams. It feels like my mind is playing games with. Maybe hearing her story made me see those images in my dreams but if my dreams were so horrific, I can only imagine what she might have been going through.

I emerge soon after sunset, I grab some food and find a quiet place to sit. I don’t want to think about anything but my mind drifts to her and I everything feels different now. How can she be so calm? How can she smile through all that she endured?

As if she senses me thinking about her, she emerges and walks towards me. She sits next to me and says,

“I am sorry I lied to you.”

“I guess I can understand why,” I reply

“I am also sorry for fighting with Iva, that was uncalled for.”

“She started it,” I reply.

I can feel our thighs touching, and my body starts to warm up, when I look at her face, my heart sinks. She looks grim like something is wrong.

“Are you ok?” I ask.

“I will be fine, I guess talking about everything is messing with my mind. I took a nap and had the worst possible dream.”

I stare at her in shock

“Anyway, I have to go help Hilda with the injured.”

She walks away and I watch her go, how is it possible that we both had bad dreams? A few minutes later Bruce rocks up, he has a smirk on his face,

“What!” I say.

“Good to see the two of you talking.”

“Wipe that smirk off your face,” I say annoyed with him.

“Ok, ok, don’t bite my head off!” Bruce replies. We laugh and I am glad to have him as my Beta. I know when it counts, he will always have my back. We spend a few more minutes talking and then I ask,

“Have you and Hilda ever shared the same dream or similar?”

“Not that I know off,” Bruce says.

We discuss the planning and training of everyone and then Bruce heads off to finalize training space and equipment, I go to the hall to go through the maps and mark locations that we should check. In the hall, I bump into Cayley.

“Jackson, I’m sorry.” She says.

“It’s fine,” I reply.

“I have been meaning to talk to you about yesterday.” She says.

“There is nothing to talk about,” I reply and turn to walk away.

“So that is it, you marked her and now we need to accept her?” Cayley looks visibly upset.

“It was a mistake, I had no control of what was happening and right now that is not our problem, we need to focus on the war ahead of us.” I just walk away because there is nothing left to say.

The next morning Cayley seems in a better mood, she even makes me a special breakfast. We all talk about random stuff and then things get weird the moment she arrives.

As she walks through the door and enters the hall Lin moves closer to me and drapes her arm around mine, while Cayley practically sits on my lap. At first, I think they both just messing around, then I notice her walk in and come to the table we at.

“Your Beta, Bruce said you wanted to see me.” She says.

“Yeah, we need to go through the plans and discuss a few things,” I say trying to push Cayley and Lin off.

“You seem occupied, find me when you are done… with whatever this is!” She says pointing to the two of them.

She walks out faster than I have the chance to tell her to come back. I look at the two and say,

“What is the matter with both of you?”

“Lin get out of here?” Cayley says.

“You get out of here!” Lin says back and pushes Cayley.

Cayley shoves her back and I stand between them, I look each of them in the eye and shake my head.

“Both of you need to stop this now, I am not going to do anything with either of you,” I say.

“Why? Is it because you have a mate now?” Lin says.

I slam my fist into the table and both steps back, I try to control my anger, but it comes out in words I never thought I would say,

“Even if that is the case, it is none of your damn business!”

I leave the hall and call all the first command wolves with a howl. Bruce, Minnie, Caleb, Iva, Mike, Fin, and her …Tori all emerge at the same time.

The look in her eyes when she approaches doesn’t seem like her, normally she is smiling and smirking at me, now she wears an angry expression and I brush it aside as I address the group.

“Tomorrow, we start training. 3 weeks from now we make our move on the first coven marked by the vam…. I mean marked by Tori. The humans will remain here and safeguard the place, they will take care of the safehouse, injured, any children and stay out of harm's way. Vampires and Werewolves will fight together.

Minnie, Bruce, and I will lead the training, Hilda and Tori will teach you everything you need to know of how to heal yourself should you be caught off guard. Mike, Caleb, and Fin will be scouting and bringing back any information we need. Caleb has already been out there today, Frans is at this first site.

Ready yourself, physically and mentally. This fight is for us, our families and our city as Tori said.”

As everyone disperses, I say,

“Tori!”

“Yes, Alpha!” She says arrogantly.

“I am sorry about earlier,” I say.

“Why, it has nothing to do with me. What you have draped around you is none of my concern!” She sounds pissed so I say,

“I know but as your Alpha, I mean as the packs Alpha I need to maintain a certain ………….”

She cuts me off before I can continue.

“I don’t belong to any pack, once this is over, I am out of here. You don’t need to maintain any image around here. No one cares about stuff like that, especially after what we have been through.”

She doesn’t wait for my reply, she just walks away, I am puzzled at her reaction to me suddenly and I wonder what is wrong with her. I turn around to see Minnie watching the whole exchange.

“The mark is taking effect, she doesn’t understand it yet, but she feels jealous seeing those she-wolves all around you.”

“It was a mistake, Minnie,” I say.

“Mistake or not, you cannot take it back, besides the wolf chooses the mate, not the man!”

“Why would my wolf choose a vampire hybrid for me?” I ask confused about this situation.

“When your wolf sensed her, she was a wolf, that part of her doesn’t exist in her wolf form and you need to understand that,” Minnie says.

“I can’t accept that, because while I know what you say may be true and I respect your guidance. I can’t look past the fact that she is a vampire first. As an Alpha, my pack comes first, and they would never accept her.”

“Honey, they will learn to love her and as for you. You and I both know that without accepting her now that you have marked her, you can’t take your true form, and if you don’t take your true form, you can’t come out of this fight alive.”

Minnie walks away and I sit there thinking, Bruce, told me to accept her too and for the same reason, to claim my final Alpha form. The question is, am I willing to use her to gain that final form. What kind of person would that make me, knowing that I can’t look past her vampire side, yet I accept her as my mate?

“This is so messed up!” I say out loud.