Teen Sorcerer

Chapter 23

Jackson dives over another damn root, causing the blonde in his arms to bite back an exclamation of pain as they finally manage to cross the tree line and get some cover as he moves them to join Isaac where the beta has dragged Lydia and Deaton. "Here!" Isaac calls out and he jumps up helping Erica over to sit with her back to a tree where the she-wolf is able to lean up against it with a slight whimper.

"Go! I will be fine, it will heal in a bit" she orders and Jackson looks torn staring at Lydia and can't control the whine that escapes his lips at the sight of the unconscious redhead. "I will watch her Jackson, I swear" she says, her voice sincere and her heartbeat strong and steady despite the wound. Jackson looks at her but then nods and turns to leave. "Go with him Isaac, I will watch them" she urges the other teen and he hesitates for only a second before running after Jackson as they return to the fight.

Jackson spots Kali swiping her claws at Scott, tearing across his chest, but luckily Derek's warning shout had given the beta just enough time that he was able to pull back and turn what would have been a killing blow into just a serious scratch. The Alpha landed after flipping around but Scott had somehow still managed his own flip and his foot caught her on the chin, catching her by surprise, and spinning her around where she almost got nailed by a root. Scott took the moment of freedom to back away from her as he tried to staunch the blood flowing from the wounds on his chest.

Kali however recovered faster and started for him again just as Jackson and Isaac roared and crashed into the Alpha, their own claws out and tearing into her flesh. Jackson remembers how angry he had been when Scott had suddenly gotten skilled at Lacrosse out of nowhere and how when he figured out that it was being a werewolf that had given him that strength and power, it had consumed him with a jealous rage. It wasn't fair and Jackson was blinded by the urgent need to have it for himself. He had been terrified of Peter when the man was the Alpha, and Derek honestly wasn't much better during those days, but he still managed to demand the bite and he thought he had forced Derek to give it to him. Looking back he seriously wondered why the Alpha had agreed to do it, he could have stopped him from talking any number of ways. Instead Jackson had been forced to experience being twisted into the Kanima and used by Matt and Gerard to kill people. He had wanted the strength and freedom that came with being a werewolf so that he could finally prove himself and instead he became a mindless slave and it seriously messed with his head. Even once he was free and actually was a werewolf like he wanted, stronger and faster than he had ever been before, it hadn't erased his fear of not being good enough.

Fighting this Alpha was a cruel reminder that no matter how strong he got, there was always going to be someone stronger and right now, she was much stronger than he was. It didn't take more than a few seconds of fighting to realize this, the crazy woman was fighting three werewolves and she was pretty much kicking their asses. Not to mention that they all still had to duck and dodge the 'murder garden' but Jackson Wittemore was done with this and he was ready for it to be over. He couldn't beat her by himself? Fine. But the pack, his pack could. He ducked a swipe of the woman's feet just as Isaac landed a blow that spun the Alpha around when Jackson felt a surge of strength he hadn't felt before. It was like drinking a double espresso or an energy drink, he somehow felt more complete.

"Jackson!" Scott yells as he jumps back from a root that exploded in front of him and Scott saw a flash of red and Kali was diving for his throat, claws out. He wasn't sure how, but Jackson somehow managed to leap into the air and kick out, his feet connecting with Kali's face and sending her careening off to the side as he fell, rolled and sprung up beside a gaping McCall.