POV Jackson
[In the present]
---
Silence settled in.
Heavy.
Persistent.
But in my mind—
everything was still moving.
Avery.
Her broken breath.
Her hands gripping him.
And that thing…
That pressure.
Invisible.
But real.
I couldn't pull myself away from it.
---
— Jackson.
My uncle's voice snapped me sharply back to reality.
— I'm listening.
I slowly raised my eyes to him.
But instead of answering—
another question forced its way forward.
Older.
More unsettling.
— Why don't you like her?
A silence fell.
— Who?
he asked, slightly irritated.
I held his gaze.
— Avery… Why have you never liked her? (I continued)
He sighed slowly, as if this conversation had always been inevitable.
— Here we are again…
He passed a hand over his face.
Tired.
— Jackson…
— No.
I took a step toward him.
— Not this time.
My voice cracked.
Barely.
But enough.
— Because I can see it.
A silence passed between us.
— And what happened today…
I clenched my jaw.
— wasn't normal.
His expression shifted subtly — almost imperceptibly, but not to me.
— Nothing surrounding that girl is.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Making me shiver.
— What do you know?
— Enough to tell you to stay away from her.
His voice hardened.
Bluntly.
— And yet you don't listen to me.
I gritted my teeth.
— Because you've never explained why.
---
A pause.
Slow.
Weighted.
---
Then he moved closer.
— There are things…
His voice dropped lower.
— that you don't let into your life, Jackson.
His gaze anchoring in mine.
— And that girl is one of them.
---
Silence.
---
— And you would do well to listen to me this time.
His jaw tensed slightly.
— I don't care what you saw.
Driving his gaze into mine.
— Stay away from her — because it isn't she who is in danger, Jackson, but everything that comes near her.
His voice fell.
Colder.
— And if you don't want to be pulled into things beyond you…
He paused.
— and drag us into them with you, you'd better listen to me this time.
---
My gaze didn't move.
But inside—
something gave way.
He wasn't lying. At least not entirely.
Slowly, I slid my hand into my pocket.
— Then explain this.
I took out the object.
And held it out to him.
His expression darkened immediately.
No more control.
No more mask.
Just—
a reaction.
Raw.
He stepped sharply toward me.
— Where did you get that?
I pulled my hand back before he could grab it.
— At the Greenes'.
I thought I heard his pulse quicken, but I didn't dwell on it and continued.
— And I think you know exactly who it belongs to.
The silence dropped all at once, so heavy and pressing that you could hear the sound of insects and rustling outside despite the thickness of the windows.
His eyes stayed fixed on me without blinking, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
— He's the one who gave it to you? he finally said.
— Yes.
I tilted my head slightly.
— And guess who he was with.
His pulse quickened further and I was certain of it this time — he knew something.
And I saw it.
His complexion paled.
Barely.
But enough to confirm it.
I moved closer.
Slowly.
— Are you going to explain yourself now, Uncle Harry? I said with resolve.
He swallowed.
And for the first time—
my uncle hesitated.
— We need to… warn the others.
— The council, I deduced.
He paid no attention and gestured to one of the staff members standing nearby.
— No, I said, low.
My voice was firmer.
Colder.
— Not before I know what's going on.
I said, stepping closer.
— As you've said yourself…
I held his gaze.
— I'm going to be the future alpha.
---
Silence.
---
— And I have the right to be kept in the loop as well.
— Jackson…
I sat down.
Slowly.
Without taking my eyes off him.
Seeing my resolve, he knew I wasn't going to let this go. He composed himself, letting a faint smirk cross his lips before resuming his serious tone. He asked the staff member to leave them, then sat down across from me.
— So then…
Settling in comfortably and folding his hands in front of him.
— What do you want to know?
he finally asked.
I didn't answer right away.
Because the truth—
was that I had been waiting for this…
but was I ready to hear it.
Then—
I raised my eyes to him.
— Everything… I want to know everything.
---
The silence fell again.
But this time—
it was different.
More dangerous.
Because now—
there was no going back.
---
The silence pressed for one more second.
Then—
my uncle exhaled slowly.
As if he had just made a decision.
— Very well, then first tell me one thing.
His gaze locked into mine.
— What you saw… in that house.
He paused.
— Describe it exactly.
I frowned slightly, then told him everything I had seen, everything I had felt, and that feeling that it was the same thing that had killed Kevin.
His expression didn't move a muscle.
But I could see that he knew.
— And the air?
he asked.
— What about it?
— Did you feel it?
I thought about it.
Then—
— Yes.
A shiver ran through me.
— Like… a pressure.
His eyes closed briefly.
Like a confirmation.
— Then it really is…
he murmured.
I straightened slightly.
— What "is"?
A silence.
Then—
— What you saw…
His voice seemed faintly disturbed.
— wasn't a simple attack.
My heart skipped a beat.
— Then what was it?
— A message…
---