Awakening of the Wolf
                                              Ch. 4
                                         Pack Mentality

Derek stalked along the edge of his territory searching for the scent of the female Alpha. He caught snatches of it, but they escaped just as quickly. The huge black wolf raised his hackles in annoyance. The she-wolf had taken great care to avoid directly trespassing and that made Derek wonder about her reasons for being in Beacon Hills. This alone confirmed that she did not want to arouse suspicion and the lack of information from his pack and Allison only served to frustrate him. Stalking a little farther, he stopped when a soft scent of coconut filled his nose. He howled in triumph and proceeded quickly but cautiously in the aroma's direction. After a moment of running he realized Desiree's scent was leading him to Jackson's house. A quick stab of worry for the teen's safety made him run faster, and Jackson's shout of fear only quickened his stride. Once the fence surrounding Jackson's home came into Derek's view, he gave a warning howl and leapt over it. He landed behind her and snarled, "Get away from him."

A growl sounded from Derek's chest when she stepped protectively in front of Jackson. Desiree bared her fangs and stiffened her legs. Derek barked to the younger teen, "Go back into the house Jackson, now!" Jackson looked from the silver wolf to him and hesitated, "But, Derek, she…"

Derek snapped, "GO!" Jackson reluctantly obeyed but hovered in the den. The male alpha shook his head slowly, sometimes Jackson reminded him of Stiles. One Stiles was all and more than even Derek could handle at times. He focused on the silver wolf before him when she asked warily, "You're Derek Hale?"

"I am." The black wolf replied. Desiree relaxed her stance but pinned her ears back in irritation. Seeing this Derek growled once more. The silver Alpha immediately noticed her mistake and stated, "Do not worry. I'm only upset that I ran into you before I was ready. I should've realized that a new Alpha like you would be adamant about protecting his pack."

Hearing this, Derek relaxed slightly and said cautiously. "Alphas do not intrude on other's territory without prior knowledge. What is so important that you broke that rule?" he queried.

"I came because I believe it's time that I fulfill a promise I made. It makes my life easier that you're here as well." She gave him a fanged grin. "I don't like to repeat myself, and I can answer your questions all at once. Should we go inside or is your home better?"
Derek regarded her for a moment and responded, "My place would be better, lesser chance of someone interrupting us." The last Hale glanced to the teen in the house and added, "And what part of this involves him?" A sad smile split the` silver wolf's muzzle, she replied, "All of it. If you have any other pack members, they should be there as well." At his questioning gaze she added, "It will be easier if they are there, too. I'll explain more when we meet."
Derek nodded and stated, "We'll meet at my house in 3 days. It's the full moon, so my pack will be together. We also won't have to worry about hunters because they'll think I'll take refuge in my home to avoid their conflict with the third Alpha. Do you know him?" Derek asked when Desiree snarled loudly in rage.

"He's one reason why I haven't revealed myself to Jackson yet. That bastard will stop at nothing to achieve revenge, including killing you and me, Derek. He has already done much worse to his pack." She spat. She then stalked over to Derek and added:  "The rogue Alpha's name is Michael Channing and he has two betas. One is his younger brother Jamie Channing, but the other is unknown. I suspect it may be a student at the high school. That's all I can give you for now. Until then monitor Jackson closely; Michael may make a move between now and the full moon. Keep him safe." That said, she readied herself to jump, but Jackson's shout stopped her.
"Wait!" She faced him. "Who are you?" He demanded. Derek gave Jackson a warning glance and the boy backed down, but he looked to the she-wolf imploringly.

Desiree shook her head, "I can't tell you that yet. But my name is Desiree Lowell. Listen to Derek, Jackson. You are part of his pack, he will keep you safe." Not wanting to waste more time talking, the wolf leapt over the fence out of sight. Jackson turned to Derek and asked, "What does she mean 'part of your pack'? I'm not a werewolf."

"You don't have to be a werewolf to be part of a pack, Jackson. A pack is a family, not necessarily blood-related. We all look-out for and provide for each other, the alpha more so. You are a part of my pack just as much as Scott or Stiles. Besides, you were the first I made as part of MY pack. Those scars on the back of your neck mark you as mine to protect." Derek paused a moment to let Jackson process this information. The younger boy was clearly struggling with the concept. Derek next statement made the boy look him up to him: "Trust yourself, Jackson. Let others in."

"How?" The plea surprised Derek; the boy almost never let anyone see his emotions. But Derek could not help him. Only he could discover that. Others could only support him. "You have to find that out yourself, but talk to someone, Jackson. Alpha werewolves are only as strong as their pack; without them it's powerless. The difference between a human and a monster is greed and power. That's what destroyed my uncle, Jackson. Don't be like him, selfish to the point that you are willing to sacrifice your family." Derek only stayed for a moment to watch the teen struggle with this advice before departing back to his home as well.

Jackson's POV

Jackson watched as Derek Hale leapt the fence. His head was still spinning from the information the wolf had just told him. The fact that Derek cared enough to include him as part of his pack blew his mind, yet Jackson was grateful for it. He turned to go back into his home, hope filling him at the thought of belonging somewhere. 'What?!' He froze at the thought and immediately shook his head. No, he had people who cared for him already! His parents and Danny were there for him before werewolves entered his life. They had always been there, but he-. He had been the one to push them away in his quest for belonging. He suddenly felt sick and ashamed. The monster that Derek had warned him about was in him all along. Sure Peter Hale was a literal monster, but so was Jackson. The elder Hale only had the form to show it; Jackson on the other hand, displayed the beast in his actions. His mistreatment of others was the physical manifestation of it. Now that he thought about it; it was a wonder that Danny remained his best friend over the years. Jackson shuddered as he imagined the thoughts that his best friend must have had over the course of the past year. Making up his mind at that moment, he ran upstairs and immediately called Danny.

"Hello?"

"Danny! Hey, it's me Jacks!"

"Oh." Danny deadpanned.

Jackson flinched at the cold tone he was receiving but pressed on regardless: "Look, Dan, I'm sorry for the past couple of weeks. I…"

"Look, Jackson, I'm in the middle of studying for a test, so if you could hurry this up…" Danny interrupted.

"Alright! Just hear me out!" Jackson pleaded.

"I'm listening."

"Meet me on the lacrosse field in 15 minutes, and I'll tell you everything you want to know about the past few months. Deal?"

"Jackson, if you didn't hear me before I have to stu…"

"15 minutes, Danny." Jackson hung up his cell. He basically jumped down the stairs to get to his car. 'Please come, Danny. Please.' He needed to see his best friend and rebuild their friendship and tell him how much he needs him.

Unbeknownst to Jackson, a pair of yellow eyes followed him as he drove toward the school to meet with Danny. The figure then pulled out a phone and sent a text message. "He's going to the lacrosse field to meet with a friend."
A reply was immediately received. "Follow him."

Stiles' POV

Stiles let out a frustrated sigh as he and Scott continued to track Jamie's scent around town. The trail led them from the school to Main Street to the Mall and finally a small neighborhood. From the erratic directions and round-about routes where the scent led them Stiles inferred that Jamie was trying to throw them off his trail, which meant that he knew he was being followed. The brunette werewolf growled lowly as he lost the scent briefly again. Scott was not being much help since he kept complaining about Derek not trying to find the rogue Alpha werewolf himself. "Look, Scott, the quicker we find where Jamie lives the faster you can get back to Allison. So stop complaining and help me!"

Scott mumbled under his breath, but Stiles heard the comment without difficulty. The short-haired beta snarled and turned to Scott, "Repeat that again." The words dripped with feral venom. Scott did not even have the decency to look apologetic as he complied with Stiles request. "I said lapdog. You're all too happy to follow Derek's orders, Stiles! And for what? Allison said that there was only one other Alpha in the area. For all we know, Jamie could be a lone beta! You ever think of that!"

Stiles put his face dangerously close to Scott's and growled, "Did it ever occur to you Scott that Allison was wrong and that another Alpha may have slipped in under the radar?! She's not a werewolf, Scott! Her family hates our kind! It wouldn't surprise me if her parents hid information from her. Besides Derek scented the other on our territory! And to call me a lapdog! You do everything for Allison, Scott! Damn it, you're like a lovesick puppy desperate for attention!" Stiles turned and stomped away from Scott before growling, "Sometimes, I wonder why Peter bit you. You only whine and complain, like you're doing now. At times I believe, with what Peter Hale said, I would've been a better choice." Leaving Scott to complain about that, he continued to follow the trail. Hearing Scott behind him, he smiled inwardly in triumphant. No matter the amount of complaining that he did, Scott could not turn his back on the pack.

Suddenly a new scent that was mixed with Jamie's struck both of the young betas' noses. Stiles took a deeper sniff and furrowed his brows in confusion. The scent was familiar yet he could not place it. Scott, however, came to his side and stated, "That smells like…Caleb. Doesn't it?"

Now that Scott mentioned the new bully. Stiles could place his smell. 'What's he doing with Jamie? Unless…' A scream interrupted his thoughts and he immediately recognized it as belonging to Jackson. The two wolves raced back to the school while shifting completely into their Beta form. Stiles told Scott to search the inside of the school, and he would take the lacrosse field. The silver-eyed wolf had a sinking feeling that this encounter would be similar to the one where Lydia was attacked during the Formal. He was not mistaken. He saw Jackson lying over a prone figure trying to protect him from a snarling Beta. Stiles howled and charged the other wolf. He forced him back by raking his claws across his opponent's torso.

After the wolf backed away from him, he was not surprised to discover that it was Caleb. The bully-turned-werewolf let loose a furious snarl and his amber eyes darkened with mal intent. Scott growled warningly as he joined Stiles in front of Jackson. The other beta merely smirked at their combined aggression and howled. Not a moment later, a large brown beast leapt from the shadows of the forest and landed a few feet behind Caleb. Stiles dared not to move as the bully retreated to stand next to his alpha. As the rogue advanced, Stiles turned to discover Jackson lying over Danny. The Puerto Rican teen had a bleeding bite on his shoulder, and his blond friend was trying to slow the flow by using his jacket to apply pressure to it. Seeing his pack member saving his friend strengthened Stiles' resolve to defend his pack. Scott snarled and stood slightly in front of his friend to show his rank to the rogue. He growled loudly and lowered himself ready to pounce on the intruder.

Jackson's POV

The blond reached the field and sat in the middle of it hoping that his best friend would show. After a few minutes, Jackson grew bored and began to pick at the grass. He breathed a deep sigh as more time passed. The only sounds around him were the various birds and insects chirping in the forest. He glanced up to the sky when a crow cawed harshly. He spotted his friend walking toward him when he moved his gaze down. Danny stopped feet from the co-captain and merely studied him. "You can sit you know. I meant what I said over the phone, Danny. I want to come clean with you." Jackson said earnestly.

"Alright then start talking." Danny demanded as he sat Indian style.

Jackson looked his friend in the eye: "Where do you want me to start?"

Danny held his gaze: "From the beginning." Jackson nodded.

"Alright, but first, do you believe in werewolves?"

"What"

"Do you believe in werewolves?" Jackson stared hard at Danny to communicate that he was deadly serious. Danny was skeptical, but answered his question with a confident, "Sure." Knowing that there was no sugar coating it, Jackson took a deep breath and recounted all that happened over the past year, not excluding any details. By the end of his explanation, Danny's eyes were wide in disbelief. "My God, Jacks, what have you gotten yourself into?"

Jackson shrugged, "Truthfully, I don't really know. I only know that it woke me up. I've been horrible to you, Danny. I hope that you can forgive me, I couldn't live with myself knowing that I hurt you and did nothing to correct it."

Danny did nothing but stare at him, and the blond fidgeted under his scrutiny. "You've changed."
"What? I'm still me, Danny."
Danny shook his head, "No, you don't get it. The Jackson I know would never have apologized, he would only keep going and hope things would smooth themselves out. He also would have never shown emotion. I've seen more of your emotions in the past few minutes than the last year altogether, Jacks."
"So, do you forgive me?" Jackson asked hopefully. He could understand if Danny did not right then, but still he hoped.
"Not quite. Tell me what made you want me to come here. You're part of a pack now. What do you need me for?"

Jackson was shocked at the statement. 'Had he really been that horrible?' "I…Danny" the co-captain took a moment to collect his thoughts. He locked his gaze with Danny and poured all the sincerity he could into it: "Danny, I may be part of their pack, but you're my brother. You've been there before any of this started, with me through every good and bad choice I made. When we were little you defended me from the kids that held my adoption over my head. You were there when through everything; I couldn't stand it if I lost you over something like this. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't fix this. Dan, you're still my brother even through this."

Jackson saw tears shine in his best friends eyes and felt tears flow down his cheeks. He stood and engulfed Danny in a hug. "Do you forgive me yet?" Jackson asked.

"If you have to ask me that, then you don't know me as well as I thought. Of course I forgive you, Jacks. You're my brother; I couldn't stay mad at you even if I tried." Danny replied simply and evenly.

Jackson was about to reply, but a deep growl cut him off. He turned and screamed as a wolf slightly smaller than Derek emerged from the woods. The beast's fiery orange eyes bored into the blond teen, and he stood in front of Danny protectively. Unfortunately it mattered little because he tackled from the side. He looked at the beast above him and gasped as he recognized the beta holding him down was Caleb. That left Danny perfect prey for the Alpha, and the beast took the opportunity. He pounced on the tan teen and bit into his shoulder; Danny's scream made Jackson fight harder and yell Danny's name. He caught Caleb off guard by punching him in the face and scrambled over to Danny. Before he got to them the rogue pricked his ears and galloped into the forest. Jackson lay over his friend and glared at the beta defiantly. A figure he recognized as Stiles stood in front of him and attacked Caleb. Jackson concentrated on stopping Danny's blood flow.

NO POV

The beast stalked closer to them, and Stiles admitted to himself that he was scared for his pack and his life. However, all that fear disappeared when the rogue was tackled by the one and only Derek Hale. The larger black Alpha growled threateningly and snapped at his opponent's face. "Get away from my pups!" he snarled. The other wolf only smirked and ran into the trees with Caleb following closely behind. "What a coward!" Stiles stated while everyone but Derek shifted to normal. The Alpha merely nodded in agreement and strolled over to Jackson and Danny.
"Derek you have to help him! The other Alpha bit him!" Jackson told Derek frantically. The Alpha lowered his head and sniffed the shoulder, his lips parting in a snarl. "Can you do anything?"

"It's not up to me, Jackson, if he lives or not. But I can bite him again, so if he does live I'll be his Alpha. He won't be controlled by that monster." Derek stated solemnly.
Jackson looked to his friend and said, "I'm sorry I got you into this, Dan." He then looked up to his Alpha and said, "Do it." Derek nodded and put his teeth over the bite perfectly. He bit down, held it, and released. "That should do it."

"What do we do now?" Jackson asked hesitantly.

"Bring him to my home. We can only hope that he will accept the bite and heal. Besides that it's up to him." Derek replied. Stiles and Scott gathered Danny and headed to Jackson's car. Jackson followed them and Derek stayed behind them to guard in case the rogue came back.
Jamie watched from the safety of tree the events that had transpired. Rage coursed through his veins at his Michael's attack. The humans were defenseless. It made no sense to attack them. They could not arouse any more suspicion because the hunters were already alerted to their presence. It was uncharacteristic for his brother to be so vicious yet that seemed to be the trend lately. He has been conspiring more with Caleb and Danielle lately. Michael was avoiding Jamie altogether. It was like Caleb and Danielle was the new pack and he was the odd omega out. The beta looked to the pack before him, and it brought unwanted memories to the surface. Tomorrow he was going to talk to Michael. He was tired of the lies, it was time for answers.