The real monster

Lexi

Gayle helped me slip past Dean’s hunters without being noticed. I took her car and followed Dean and Jax from a distance, careful not to get too close. They eventually stopped at a remote part of the pack, far from any main paths or homes.

The place felt wrong immediately.

Both of them were on edge. Dean kept turning his head, scanning the trees and the empty buildings around us. Jax stood slightly behind him, his posture rigid, his eyes sharp, like he was listening for something I couldn’t hear.

They were expecting trouble.

Watching them wasn’t enough. I needed to hear what they were saying. Luckily, my hearing was sharp. I didn’t need to be right next to them - just a little closer.

I waited for the right moment, then quietly slipped out of the car and moved toward an old, abandoned building nearby. The walls were cracked and worn down, but it gave me enough cover. I pressed myself against it, holding my breath.

“Are they trying to play a smart one on us?” Dean said, his voice tight with impatience. “They said they’d be here. Now we’re waiting around like fools. Are we even at the right place?”

“No,” Jax replied calmly. “This is the location they gave us. They should be here soon. Unless… someone scared them off.”

“They’re here,” Dean said suddenly.

An older man stepped out from a narrow path between the trees, his son walking just behind him. They both looked nervous, shoulders hunched, eyes darting around.

“Alpha Dean,” the older man began.

Dean didn’t let him finish.

He crossed the distance in seconds and grabbed the man by the collar, yanking him forward. “What is the meaning of this stunt?” he barked.

The man froze in fear. His son stiffened beside him.

“I don’t understand,” the man stammered. “I came as soon as I could.”

“You made us wait nearly half an hour,” Dean snapped. “Are you trying to get us caught?”

“No, Alpha, not at all…we -”

The boy didn’t get to finish. Dean struck him across the face.

The sound echoed, sharp and sickening. I clamped my hand over my mouth, my heart racing.

“Enough,” Dean said coldly. “You’ve already wasted my time. You said you saw the one who set me up. Tell me who it was.”

He turned fully toward the boy.

I felt sick watching this. I had always thought Jax would be the violent one, the one Dean had to restrain. But Jax didn’t move. He just stood there, watching, his face unreadable.

“I saw a woman,” the boy said shakily. “She was dressed in black. Her face was covered. She waved her hand and then… you were gone.”

Dean laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Do you think this is funny? I’m giving you one chance to tell me what you really saw.”

“That is the truth, Alpha,” the boy insisted. “That’s what we saw.”

Dean let out a slow breath. “I tried to show you grace. You’ve chosen to waste it.”

“Alpha, I can’t lie to you,” the boy said desperately. “I know what I saw. The car that slammed into you was the woman's doing,”

“Kill them,” Dean said calmly.

My blood ran cold.

“But they’re telling the truth,” Jax said quickly. “I can sense it. Maybe we should.”

“Do not challenge me, Jax,” Dean snapped. “I said kill them.”

“Alpha… let’s not do this,” Jax said. His face remained blank, but his voice betrayed him. “Raven can wipe their memories if they really saw who I think they saw. They don’t have to die.”

Dean turned slowly to face him. “Don’t make me force you into kill mode.”

Jax froze.

I saw it then, the shock in his eyes, the way his body went stiff, like he’d been struck without being touched.

“So,” Jax said quietly, disbelief bleeding into his voice, “like your father… you would force me into kill mode. You told me you’d never do that to me.”

“Well,” Dean replied coldly, “times have changed. Kill them. Or I will make you.”

I knew about kill mode. I had always believed it was something Jax chose, something he controlled. I was wrong.

“Go ahead,” Jax said suddenly.

Dean’s lips curved slightly. “You never defied my father when he forced you.”

“Your father was a monster,” Jax shot back. “He made me fear him. He could force me. You are not him. You shouldn’t do this.”

“Then I’ll prove something to you,” Dean said softly. “Blood is thicker than water.”

Dean's eyes turned black as he said, “Kill them.”

Jax’s eyes darkened instantly, and in seconds, they were dead.

I barely even heard their screams. I don’t even know how he did it. One moment they were standing there, begging. The next, there was blood everywhere, staining the ground, soaking into the dirt.

Dean stared for a second, then broke into a wide grin, almost surprised. He stepped forward and clapped Jax on the shoulder.

“Good work, Jax,” he said lightly. “You killed them all by yourself. Clean this up. I should go home to my mate.”

He laughed as he walked away.

I stayed hidden, trembling, as Jax stared down at what he had done. His hands shook. His breathing was uneven.

All this time, I thought Jax was the monster.

He wasn’t.

He was the victim.

Every gruesome kill, every act of violence - none of it had truly been his choice. Derrick had forced him into kill mode over and over again. And now Dean had broken his promise and done the same.

Jax wasn’t a beta. He was a weapon.

****

I stayed hidden behind the building, not daring to move a single muscle, until Jax finally disappeared from sight.

Only then did I breathe.

Going back now wasn’t an option. Not after what I’d seen. If this was who Dean had become, then he wasn’t the man I’d fallen in love with. He had lied to me again and again. Worse, he had made me hate someone who never truly had a choice.

There was only one person who could help me now.

Raven.

I rushed through the pack, keeping my head down, my heart pounding with every step. I’d heard she’d returned late last night after the news of Dean’s attack, but for some reason, she hadn’t been seen since. The thought made me uneasy, but I pushed forward.

When I reached her quarters, something felt wrong immediately.

Her door was open.

Slowly, I stepped inside, expecting to see Raven just arriving or preparing to leave. Instead, my stomach dropped.

Dean was sitting in her chair. He looked too calm. Too still.

“Dean,” I said carefully, my voice barely steady, “what are you doing here?”

He studied me, his gaze cold and empty, nothing like the warmth he used to look at me with. “I was trying to confirm whether you were the one spying on me.”

My chest tightened.

“I hoped you wouldn’t do this,” he continued calmly. “But forget it. Your secretiveness sickens me.”

I stared at him, disbelief turning into anger. “You can’t be serious. You murdered innocent people like they meant nothing, and you’re calling me secretive? I did nothing wrong. You’re the murderer.”

“Technically,” he said lazily, “Jax did the killing. But that’s beside the point.”

He stood up slowly, a small smile playing on his lips. “I can see there’s no use for you anymore. So Jax will… take care of you too.”

Something was wrong. Deeply wrong. This wasn’t the man I knew. Or maybe this was the man I’d refused to see.

“You would tell Jax to kill me?” I whispered. “Just like that? Do you even hear how insane that sounds? Even as a joke?”

Dean’s eyes darkened. “Who said I was joking?”

My heart dropped.

“Jax is going to kill you,” he said calmly.

The shadows behind him shifted, and Jax stepped forward.

His eyes were empty now. There was no hesitation, no recognition. Kill mode had taken him completely.

I backed away until my spine hit the wall, my breath coming out in short, broken gasps.

“Dean,” I said, my voice shaking. “Stop this.” I whispered it, refusing to beg the way I had four years ago.

“Sorry, Lexi,” he replied coldly. “Even I can’t stop Jax once he’s in kill mode.”

Jax lifted his hand.

I shut my eyes, bracing for the pain.

Nothing happened.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Jax’s hand hovered in the air, shaking violently. His claws twitched, refusing to move forward. His eyes were no longer black. They flickered back to blue as realization slammed into him.

He was fighting it.

He didn’t want to kill me.

His face flushed red as he struggled against whatever was controlling him, his teeth clenched so hard I thought they might crack. Dean rose to his feet, shock flashing across his face for the first time.

Jax let out a raw, broken groan. Then his claws shot out.

In one violent motion, he turned and slashed Dean across the face.

Dean staggered back with a shout.

Jax turned to me, his chest heaving, his eyes burning with urgency.

“Run!” he barked.