"What do you mean, he has Jackson?" Jace asked, as they had gathered with the wolves.
"He means, the Alpha somehow knew Jackson was important to us—well to someone, because it's clearly not me—and he used him as bait," Stiles explained, cutting Scott short.
"So he knows we're all looking for him," Alec pointed out. "How?"
"I don't know. You're maybe a spy for him, you tell us."
"We're supposed to kill him and protect the mundanes, not get friendly."
Stiles was looking for a quick answer but Scott spoke, "Stop it. You're being useless, and you make us lose precious time. So we know he's got Jackson. That was the vision I had half an hour ago, at least. And I'm pretty sure the Alpha sent it to me through our bond."
"Okay, so what do you say we do?" Stiles replied enthusiastically.
"You? Nothing, sweetie," Isabelle stated in a smile. "You'd only get hurt. You stay in your Jeep and we call you if we have any problem." Stiles opened and closed his mouth successively, but he was more focused on staring at the girl's smile and eyes than on giving an answer. "Good boy," she added.
Derek finally said something, after minutes of being silent, "The Alpha only wants you, Scott. That's why he sent the vision to you. He thinks Jackson's your friend—I don't know how, though, and I don't know why it's not Allison or even Stiles. I say you go alone, we cover your back, and attack all together when he's not paying attention. You give us the signal." Scott nodded quietly. "You okay with that, hunters?"
"As long as we get to share the killing," Isabelle said in a wink to the bearded man.
*********
Alec and his siblings had entered the woods at the same time Scott had. He'd said the Alpha was hiding in a clearing, surrounded by big rocks. The Lightwoods—marked with the invisible and odorless runes—were standing hidden in the near-by trees, keeping a constant eye on the Beta. Derek had said we wouldn't be too far, because he couldn't hide his smell.
Scott moved step by step in the dry grass, and stopped momentarily.
"Jackson?" he whispered. "Are you okay?" Quietly, he headed to a still body on the ground, and looked for his pulse.
"So you came," a masculine voice said. "That's good, McCall."
"Where are you? What did you do to Jackson?"
"I gave him what he wanted."
Scott seemed confused, and so were the Shadowhunters above him, and he looked back at Jackson, lifting the boy's shirt up.
"You gave him the bite?" Scott howled. "How could you? He's done nothing to deserve this!"
The Alpha revealed himself. He was no one Alec had ever seen in his life. Scott didn't seem to know him either. But he got a grip on himself and looked right through Jace's eyes—though he had no true clue where the boy really was. The signal.
"Derek, let's go," Alec whispered softly.
Everything then went quickly; the Alpha heard the leader of the hunters and frowned at Scott—he thought the teenager would never endanger his friends by letting them come. The Shadowhunters had the benefit of being invisible—for at least a few more minutes. Derek arrived a few instants after that, and the battle began, Jackson still lying on the grass.
The Alpha was powerful, more powerful than any werewolf the three siblings had ever dealt with. They started when he shivered slightly and growled, falling to four legs, covering himself in fur. Derek and Scott followed and attacked at the same time. In the meantime, Alec had thrown a few arrows, and Isabelle had tried to immobilize the Alpha by strangling his throat with her whip. Jace had aimed at his heart with his seraph blade, and they became visible again to everyone when the two Betas bounced on their enemy to claw his face and body.
Fortunately, everything was rather organised and no one got hurt, except for the Alpha, who had no idea the two wolves would side with hunters—invisible ones, moreover—and he fell down, human again.
When he saw his face for the first time, Derek made a step back. "How could you do this to your own uncle, Derek?" the dying man asked weakly.
"You—You were dead."
"I escaped..." He smiled viciously just afterwards. "Then I killed your sister and became the Alpha."
Derek howled in rage and sliced his throat, killing him instantly. Scott frowned.
"You knew him?"
"Yeah, his name was Peter. I thought he was dead. But he only wanted to be the most powerful by creating a new pack."
"You mean me? And Jackson?"
"I'm not sure he's gonna make it," Derek whispered, looking down. "I'm sorry for your friend."
Alec felt his heart collapse. "He can't be dead," he cut, then ran to him. He sat by the body, that no longer seemed to breathe, and felt his eyes water against his will. "It can't be!"
"Alec? Are you okay?" Isabelle asked, already by his side, a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, I—It's nothing. It's just—We have to call an ambulance."
"It's too dangerous to bring him back," Derek pointed out. "People'll think we've killed him. We can't draw attention on us."
"I'm not leaving him here!" Alec yelled. "Can't you understand? He was innocent!" 'And Danny's best friend,' he added mentally.
Jace glanced at Scott and said, "Let him take care of the body. Just say you found him, alright, Alec?"
"Yes. Just go back to the car with the others. I'll stay with Jackson."
Everyone left the clearing to make it back to Stiles, taking Peter with them. Alec stayed for a long moment with the dead body that wouldn't receive the bite, and tried to stop his cries.
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He didn't care about Jackson. But he was Danny's friend. And he was going to hate him. But he had to bring him the body.
