Chapter 22

Jackson

H is mate's raspberry and vanilla scent filled his nostrils as Jackson ran back to the top of the hill to find where Dylan had gone. His thoughts immediately went to Hunter since he stayed in the shadows of the trees during the run. He had to be behind why his mate was suddenly missing from the group. Jackson knew better than to allow Dylan to straggle behind because she would somehow end up in some kind of mess. Since she had come to the school, something has been wrapped around her. Yes, Dylan did not cause the drama, but it seemed to find her. Jackson wished they could just return to her hometown and begin their lives together, but she needed to complete the classes her dickhead mate had said were his issue with her before she could return.

At least this asshole is not in her pack. Then we won't have to bump into him again when this is all over.

When he reached the top and sorted out the scents, Jackson followed Dylan's, and then a rush of citrus and berries were mixed in. He knew that scent all too well. Camilla had done something with Dylan. He followed the scents, and sure enough, Dylan stopped at the top of the cliff, but Camilla remained. Jackson snarled at the idea of Camilla doing something to his mate yet again. If she was behind this, then it would have turned ugly.

Following Camilla's scent had become a little confusing. During the run, she was with the pack, stopped by some bushes, back up to where Dylan's ended, and then back down the hill. With everyone else's scents so fresh and mixed in, it took too long for Jackson to sort it all out and find the right track where Camilla ran to a small open clearing in the valley. He had smelled Dylan's scent again; Hunter's was mixed in and made his wolf want to stop to find which way Hunter's went so he could kill the man who decided to be alone with his mate. But Camilla's and Dylan's were mixed together, and he could tell from the overwhelming scents of fear and rage that they had engaged in a battle. A trail of blood had been leading back on another path to the school. The blood had been Camilla's, which made Jackson sigh in relief.

Dylan won, but it seems she had to kill Camilla. There was too much blood for it to be a simple fight.

At least we don't have that female to worry about anymore.

Yes, but Dylan wouldn't have wanted to kill her. She can put on a tough front, but she would not want to kill someone for the sake of killing them. Even this is going to haunt her for a while.

Hunter's scent was mixed in with Camilla's blood, so he could deduce the wolf had dragged Camilla's body back to the school.

But where is Dylan?

It took a little bit to sort through all the scents in that area, much of it being Dylan and Camilla's. Jackson was able to find a new trail that Dylan had made and followed it. Shortly, he stumbled onto another small clearing. Dylan was sitting with five other students, and they were talking around a campfire. It was relieving to see Dylan completely unharmed, but a pang of annoyance and hurt ran through him. Why hadn't she opened the bond to tell him where she was? Even better, why hadn't she told him she needed help getting Camilla's body back to the school? What had happened to his mate that she had forgotten that she had someone she could lean on during this awful hour?

The only way to find out.

Jackson pulled out the magic to allow him to shift back into a man. He saw a pair of clothes by the log his mate had been sitting on. When he walked over, she turned quickly, and he felt her power roll off her. It was almost as if she had expected another fight instead of him. Seriously, what the fuck happened to my mate while I was gone?

Dylan looked relieved at the sight of him, which made him sigh with his own relief. She jumped to her feet as he was pulling the pair of pants on and nearly knocked him over when she jumped into his arms. She buried her face in his neck, and he could feel the tears rolling down her face. He didn't have a shirt on yet, but he didn't care. He wrapped his mate in him and held her tight against him. The bond had opened up between them, and everything she felt poured into it. The combination of emotions she was feeling hit him like a brick, and he had to suck in air to keep himself steady. It was bordering too much at once, but he reminded himself that she had been blocking the bond during the whole situation. It settled down once she was comfortable in his arms, but every emotion was still there. This was what mates were made for. This was finally a moment to show Dylan that he was there with her through thick and thin. This was the moment she saw that she had made the right choice by accepting the bond instead of running away from it.

"What happened?"

I had to kill Camilla. She attacked me with the other two in her posse. I had no way out. I'm pretty sure her wolf had taken over, too.

Then, it sounds like to me that it was justified.

He felt the turmoil that was rolling through Dylan's mind. She knew it wasn't her fault that she had to take Camilla's life, but there was still some guilt there that she had to. It was never easy having to kill someone, but it was also part of living their lives as werewolves. Even if they did not want to kill someone during battle, it was a must because the opposing pack would never choose not to kill them. It was a dangerous game to play when it came to territory lines and even generational hate for a rival pack. It also didn't mean that some people liked the idea of having to take someone's life. Dylan was one of them.

Pride was the first thing he felt, knowing Dylan wasn't reveling in the fact she had killed Camilla to keep him as a mate. It made Dylan a much better person in his eyes because there were ruthless females out there. Most Lunas he had met were quite dangerous because they were surrounded by Alpha males and as their mates. It was more of a male thing to be bloodthirsty, but that didn't mean the females weren't.

I know, but I can't even begin to accept that I had to do that. No one deserves not to be loved, but she also wasn't meant for you. I don't know. This is so hard.

Let's get back home. You can talk to me all about it, and maybe we can find a way to put this behind us.

"Okay," she said to him before she turned to the other students. I'll think about it. If I show up at the library, you know my decision."

"I hope you do, Dylan. It was nice meeting you. And it's always a pleasure to see you, Jackson."

Jackson gave him a nod. "Thank you for keeping my mate safe, Cole. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Dylan looked at him, and he shook his head. Later, I met almost everyone in the school, at least in our sector. I've been here a while.

Of course, you do.

When they had walked far enough away, Dylan looked at him. There was so much going through her mind. He tried not to invade her mind now that the bond was open because she had kept it closed for so long, but he knew if he didn't give her space, that wall would be right back up.

"I guess you figured out what happened when trying to find me?"

He knew some, but not everything. The bad part of the bond is being shut down.

Dylan sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. Once Camilla hit me and I went over that cliff, I knew you'd be frantic and called Lupe to handle it. I needed to do it all myself. I know I shouldn't feel that way because that is what mates are for, but this shit with Camilla needed to end. I thought it would be another fight, you know. And once I had the upper hand, I could assert my power and reign her ass in. But she was lost to the wolf, Jackson. There was no saving her."

Jackson stopped walking and pulled her back into her chest. He put his chin at the top of her head as he held her tightly, then moved enough to kiss her on her forehead.

"Don't apologize to me. I should have known it was because you thought it would worsen things. It sounds as though you did everything you could. From what I saw in your memories, I'm sorry it was easy to slip in and see when you were thinking so loud, but I needed to see what you went through."

"I'm glad the bond allows for that because I'm not sure if I can really say everything that happened without breaking. There's something else that happened, Jackson."

It was her voice that gave it away. This was something she wasn't sure how to talk to him about. It couldn't be her second guessing the bond. She had just said she was happy the bond could show him things she couldn't talk about. Jackson looked at his mate and he could see the trouble she was having in her face.

"Do you want me to go through the bond to see what you are having trouble saying?"

She shook her head. "No. I need to tell you this. Please, Jackson. Don't freak out."

He felt his wolf become angry at the notion that she thought they could become angry with her. The fear she had that he felt through the bond was more of him being mad with her than at the situation. Her thoughts were riddled with him being mad at her for something that happened to her that she didn't ask for. Why would she believe such things? Jackson loved Dylan and wouldn't throw away anything between them because of something so ridiculous as her having to defend herself.

What if it is not that? It was more about something I have been fearing myself. I can feel that through her concern.

"I'm not going to get mad at you about something that is out of your control." He said it out loud more for himself than for her. He needed to remind himself that she was having difficulties talking to him about this because it would make him mad. Jackson had a feeling he knew what it was but was hoping it wasn't true.

Dylan was wringing her hands together and taking deep breaths. It killed him to see her not sure of herself. This whole ordeal with Camilla had shaken her when it shouldn't have. That was completely on Camilla for not accepting the mate bond that was between him and Dylan. The Great Moon determined who was mates, and no matter how much Camilla wanted it to happen, it wasn't meant to be. Then Dylan took a bigger breath and let it out fast. He could feel she was ready to say it.

"Hunter is another fated mate of mine."

There it was. What he feared. There was something about Hunter that made his wolf crazy, but that was something he would need to get over. If the Great Moon thought Dylan was what Hunter needed, then he had no choice but to accept it. That didn't mean he had to accept Hunter completely right away. If Dylan and he spent time together and didn't like something about him, she could reject him. They would still be in the same vicinity, but it wasn't as if he'd be moving into their suite right away. They would need to go through the bonding first.

He is dangerous. He has dead eyes. He could be a threat to our mate.

The Great Moon has decided that Hunter is not a threat to our mate. If she knows he is hers, that means he now cannot harm her.

"There's more. I'm not even sure I can talk about it, but I refuse to keep anything from you. Hunter is an Enforcer sent to kill me."

Jackson growled, and Dylan wrapped her arms tighter around him. Her skin against his was keeping him calmer than he felt.

"He was sent here to kill you?" Jackson snarled. "How is that possible? WHY?"

Dylan pressed her face against his chest and kissed the middle of it, sending a shiver down his spine. He loved it when she did that, and she knew it. It was a tactic to keep him calm. At that moment, he wasn't sure if he wanted her to do anything to keep him calm. This was not a good situation.

"I know it's not a good situation, but we seem to have the advantage. Hunter cannot hurt me now that the bond is open. I can feel it inside of him right now. There is still good inside of him, but he has spent a century being an Enforcer. Since he met me, he knew he couldn't deal with it. Maybe the Great Moon decided Hunter could not do this for a reason. Enforcers can't even have mates! Apparently, there is a ritual that severs the chance of one being formed. It still formed, Jackson. The only one with that kind of power is the Great Moon. She wants me to be alive, and I guess Hunter, too."

Jackson had occasionally heard of the Great Moon interfering when she thought things were not going in the direction she planned.

"Let's hope that is the case. I've seen the look in his eyes. He is a dangerous man, Dylan."

She nodded. "I know. I got a peek into him, and I couldn't believe what I'd seen. He has been through a lot in his long life, Jackson. I'm going to need his help anyway. He witnessed Camilla attacking me and even how they decided to do a three-on-one. Without his testimony, it'll look like I just killed Camilla. You know how Pack Law works. It should just be my word against hers since I am more dominant and have proof that she wasn't accepting our bond. Unfortunately, sometimes, the elders don't want to hear those who are more dominant because they are dominant. They want to care for those less powerful than them."

"And Camilla is less powerful than us. I know." Jackson growled. "This whole thing is stupid. None of this had to happen."

"Pretty much what I've been telling myself since our mate bond decided to show itself."

Jackson hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead again. "We'll get through this. It's going to take some work since Camilla has her own following. People are going to want you questioned and everything." Dylan groaned. "Hey. You have the following, too. There are students here who are watching you closely because you are a leader. Even though we aren't an official pack, it doesn't turn off our need for hierarchy and structure. That's what is happening right now. There was a power struggle between possible Lunas. They want to believe in someone who will lead them through these classes. After combat class, I noticed the shift to you."

"People are watching me? That's creepy."

Jackson laughed and threaded his fingers in hers to lead her back to their suite. Dylan needed a long bath and food. He was going to be sure she had both of those things before they went to bed to put this behind them until the morning.

"You are the daughter of an Alpha. I'm sure you have watched others in the pack watch your father to see how they are supposed to react to things."

"Yeah, but I'm not the Luna of the R.I.S.E pack."

"I know. It just doesn't stop us wolves from trying to find a leader to follow."

"It should. They have no idea what kind of leader I'd be."

Jackson chuckled, let go of her hand, and put his arm around her shoulders. "It's not too hard to see that you will be an excellent leader someday, Luna. You are intelligent, kind, and fair. Even in combat class, you showed off your fighting skills. Which only showed everyone that you can even protect them like Luna."

He heard the eyeroll in her voice. "Yeah, some Luna. I can't even shift into my astral form and keep it. That is not a good person to follow."

"Hey, you are going to get past that. Don't you dare think that your fate will always be that you can't hold your astral form."

She went silent for a moment. Jackson thought about slipping into her mind through the bond but thought better of it. She had to be thinking of something for her to be this silent right now. He meant what he said, though. This was just a speed bump on her path. Jackson fully believed that Dylan should do whatever needed to be done to regain control over her astral form. That is why Lupe took her as a mentee in the first place, from what it seemed. Lupe was a mentor to most of the students in their division, but it was not for combat. It was more like a therapy session that humans would do more than it was something like a combat class. If Lupe wanted to teach Dylan anything, it was most likely how to control her Shadowborn abilities.

"Those students back there said they can help, too."

Jackson looked down at his mate. "Oh yeah? How would they know how to help you with your abilities? Lupe is a strong werewolf and apparently an even stronger Shadowborn. Looks like she is the best person to teach you anything about being a Shadowborn."

"Those kids were weird. They all talked at the same time and seemed to have the same mannerisms. It was odd being around them. But they were asking all sorts of questions about me being a Shadowborn. They said to meet them in the library next Saturday."

"And?" He asked her.

"I'm thinking about going."

"Why?" He questioned.

Dylan didn't need a group of students to teach her anything. What could those students do that Lupe couldn't? If anyone could help Dylan through this, it would be Lupe—not the students Jackson had seen being creepy throughout his time here.

Cole especially. His eyes were always calculated while he scanned the room. Often, Jackson found Cole talking to some students, and they would brush them off. But every time, he asked them to meet him and his friends in the library.

"Listen, I want to go home. For me to do that, I need to ace all of my courses, right? I know Lupe is probably the better choice to learn from when it comes to my Shadowborn abilities, but I don't see how it could hurt to have someone else teaching me, too. It's like doubling my chances at learning why I can't keep my astral form and get over it faster."

Jackson understood that reasoning, but he still didn't like it. Cole always came off as someone who couldn't take no for an answer. He would be angry often when other students told him no and to fuck off. There were always professors around, so Cole never had the chance to act on his thoughts if they were unsavory.

"I just want you to know that Cole and his friends are people I don't trust. I can't put my finger on it, but there is something off with them."

"I noticed when I was with them that they are odd, but I can't help but feel like if I give myself multiple options to get over whatever is stopping me from succeeding, I'll have a breakthrough."

"If you feel that way, then I want to come with you."

She looked up at him. "Don't trust that I got this handled?"

"No. I don't trust them. If I am there, then they may not try anything dangerous."

"They aren't dangerous, Jackson. They are just students who are looked at as outcasts. I know how that feels, so I don't want to treat them differently."

"Dylan-"

"No. I don't want to treat them as if they are dangerous just because they act a little differently. I am going next Saturday. You aren't stopping me, and you are not coming."

I can always sit outside of the library.