Greykin Mountain

| 57 | Rejected

⥐ ⋞ ☽ ⋟ ⥐

Jackson's anxiety grew with each step he took. He followed Damon through the woods, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. Usually, his biggest worry would be the fact that there could be a cadejo stalking them right this moment, but that wasn't the case; no, his biggest concern right now was what might happen when they got back to the pack.

          What was everyone going to think, say, or do? Was Aysel going to attack him? Would Elias attack him? Was Elias going to think that enough was enough and decide it was time to challenge Damon?

          He stared at the white wolf ahead of him; Damon wasn't limping, but he did look a little sluggish. The Alpha evidently hadn't entirely healed from his bullet wound, and Jackson was sure he couldn't handle a fight for at least another day or two.

          When he heard a twig snap, he looked over his shoulder and watched a small white fox scurry from one bush to another in pursuit of a rabbit.

          That made Jackson think about food.

          He was hungry.

          But that was the last thing he should be thinking about right now.

          "How far out are we?" he asked, catching up with Damon so that he could walk at his side.

          "Fifteen minutes or so," he answered, glancing over at him. "Do you need a break?"

          "N-no, I'm fine. I'm just...worried about what's gonna happen when we get back there. I can't imagine anyone is going to be happy to see me."

          "Just leave the talking to me," he said with an assuring tone.

         "What if Elias decides to challenge you as soon as we get back?"

         "If he does, then he does. I'll deal with him," he said firmly. "Ultimately, it's my choice whether or not you're welcome. The pack will fall in line, and if Aysel wants to make a huge deal about it, I'll deal with her, too."

          Jackson nodded, but his nerves didn't settle much.

          Damon stopped walking and turned to face him. "Jackson," he said, and as he stared at the Alpha, he continued, "it will be okay. My pack respect me, and they will respect you, too. Not just because we're mated, but because you truly are an asset to us. And once we explain to them why you were really outside the walls, they will understand."

          "But...I don't know why I was out there. I just was. And then the cadejo chased me."

           A hesitant frown appeared on Damon's face—it was like he was just remembering that they hadn't figured out how Jackson had ended up out there.

          Of course, Jackson did know how he'd ended up out in the woods. He hadn't forgotten that he'd lost control of his wolf and allowed it to hunt down and kill a rogue. But he was certain that if he told Damon the truth, he'd hate him...and he couldn't live knowing Damon hated him. However, it was starting to feel just as hard living with the fact he'd killed two wolf walkers and had to keep it a secret.

          He cleared his throat and followed Damon, who continued leading the way. "What, uh...what about the demon stuff? How are they going to take the fact I'm this demon-wolf walker hybrid—illegal hybrid? And then when you tell them that the cadejo virus was made using demon blood, I'm pretty sure they're all going to jump back to accusing me of being a cadejo or turning into one," he exclaimed.