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PRESENT TIME

Luna couldn't sleep. The anxiety of what awaited her was all she could think about. And the nightmares, the god-awful nightmares that plagued her. Some were memories of that day and others were more lucid. The wolf who had marked her with his claws would visit her, every night. Sometimes in the dreams, he would appear human, in the body of an unremarkable boy, other times he was in his natural form.

At first, he would threaten to consume her heart. Claim he was watching her every move, that the moment she did magic she was his. But he soon realized she had no idea about this side of the world, she did not know magic or his kind before that horrible night.

Then, it became more about a bond. He was lonely. He was angry. His host was killed along with the hosts of some of the wolves. He raged in the dream world as he was locked away, punished for his actions. He claimed it was because they deemed him reckless.

Which she had pointed out he was, he had left her alive after all. The wolf had just snarled at her before leaving her dream. Leaving her in peace, unfortunately, it didn't last long.

Not to mention, she had just recently learned his name.

Midnight.

She desperately wanted to break the connection between them. The torture of having to see the wolf that murdered her brother in her head was bad enough but adding in the feeling of him near her in her sleep just caused her to grow depressed.

Jack had his trauma not long after hers, mourning his mother he had latched onto her for stability. Was it unhealthy? Probably. But they didn't care. She made that her stone to brace against the dark thoughts that ate away at her. Together, and with some therapy, the two managed to find a healthy way to cope with the trauma. Or as healthy as they could be due to their situations.

Jack tried his hardest to pass high school with perfect grades to get into Belgrave to find his father. Luna let her research on the wolves consume her, she nearly gave up once the news of some students being killed at Belgrave had crossed over into her search. Cassie, the girl from that night, along with a few others. All dead.

But not Hamish. Not the one who bailed on the pack that night.

She sighed down at her notebook as she scribbled the smallest details down, Midnight despite what he'd done, had been some help. She knew the names of the wolves. All of them. It had been him, Timber, and Greybeard who attacked her family that night. Tundra and Silverback had been absent.

She tried to hold back the guilt of being grateful for his help, but she rationalized it as getting justice for her brother quickly.

Hamish and Tundra. The last pairing of the original pack. The others outside of Midnight and Silverback have been seemingly claimed again.

Luna groaned and buried her face in her hands, this was both confusing and hopeless. She couldn't take down werewolves. Not without proper knowledge or weapons. And she refused to drag Jack down with her. Her best bet was to find Hamish or release Midnight and just hope and pray he kept his word of helping her.

At the feeling of an arm wrapping around her waist, she relaxed, the stress of the entire situation left her momentarily as Jack pulled her into his chest. Her friend propped his chin on her shoulder sleepily as he looked down at the chaotic mess that was her notes.

"Find anything?" He mumbled as he buried his face into her throat, she placed her hand on his arm before smiling.

"A little. The wolf that talked to me helped, he said those that had killed my family are, well, dead. But," She turned around to face Jack, the boy pulled her legs into his lap and dragged her closer. The affection was something that had become normal for them, it was a small comfort in a world full of pain. She tapped the printed picture of an older guy, Jack looked at him in confusion. "Hamish Duke, he was a part of the pack then and he still is. I think he's the leader now. Midnight said this guy would help me come to terms with everything." Jack hummed in acknowledgment, she watched as he absorbed the information while caressing her thigh.

"So, what exactly? You go up to him and confront him? Luna, he might kill you. If what you're saying is true and werewolves do exist, this guy won't just let you continue in life. You would be a threat to their existence." She frowned and hated that Jack was right. But she had to try.

"I just want this to end, Jack. I just want Midnight to leave me alone. I need to know why they killed then." Jack reached out and pulled her into him as he guided them back into the bed, she rested on his chest as he held her close.

"I know how it feels. Knowing your family's killer is still out there, seemingly untouchable. But we have to do this the smart way, okay? I can't lose you too." Luna didn't answer but rather snuggled up closer to him and allowed herself to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

Jack seemed to be the one thing that kept Midnight away most nights. She would never be able to express how much she loved Jack and how thankful she was for him. But she knew, in the deepest parts of her soul, he knew too.

Luna watched from her spot on their bed as Jack finished packing, her bags sat by the entrance as she had finished up already, Jack glanced at her with a nervous smile. She pulled the bag away from his hands and pulled him into a hug, he held her so tight she feared they would become one.

"Breathe, Jack. Just breathe."

"Jack! Luna! Wakey, wakey! Hands off snakey!" She laughed at Pete and pulled away just as the door opened.

"Holy shit! Look, Luna, it's alive!" Pete joked seeing Jack up earlier than usual. She sent the older man a weak smile knowing the reasoning behind it, both dreaded going to Belgrave University.

"Good morning, Pete." She said quietly and Jack replied a second after.

"Good morning, Pops."

"How long have you both been up?" Pete questioned with concern. Having two traumatized young adults in his home wasn't always the easiest to navigate.

"Not long." Jack answered as he reached down to pick up Luna's bags.

"You know, you both don't have to move to campus. It's an easy commute from here." Pete tried again, it was clear he would miss them and Luna felt a little guilty for it.

"Well, residency is part of the deal. Besides, I figured you could use our room as your office." She always felt a warmth in her heart every time Jack referred to the room as theirs, she knew it wasn't true but he refused to allow her to think otherwise. It was the same back when she lived with them after the murder, Chloe Morton always made sure to express how Luna was family.

"Uh, huh. What the hell do I need an office for?" Pete asked with a raised brow.

"Office stuff?" She added with a smile making Pete shake his head in amusement.

"I don't know, like Luna said, office stuff? The garage gets cold in the winter." Jack replied as he watched his grandpa.

"The cold keeps me focused," Pete looked at the two before speaking again. "Hey, you got everything?"

"Do you, Pete?" Luna asked with a grin.

"Have you got everything?" Jack backed up as Peter searched his pockets.

"Yeah, no. Keys."

"Keys." Luna and Jack spoke in unison, knowing by now how the man worked. The two young adults smiled at each other before following Pete into the garage.

"I know they're around here somewhere," He searched. "Oh god, where did I leave them? This is really weird." She nudged Jack and nodded to the table where they sat, both knowing Pete was trying to prolong the inevitable.

"Hey, pops."

"Yeah?" Pete answered before turning around and seeing Jack holding up the keys. "Ah! Thank you. Told you they were here and as for Belgrave's favorite son..." He trailed off as she looked at the suspect board filled full of pictures of Edward. Luna placed a hand on Pete's shoulder in silent comfort and felt the older man squeeze it in thanks.

Pete flips off the pictures.

"Fuck you, Edward. My daughter is dead because of you." Jack soon follows by double-flipping the picture off.

"Fuck you, dad. We're coming for you," Jack reached out to hold Luna's hand. "Both of us." She nodded in agreement before pulling away to help Pete load up their luggage.

She would make Edward pay for what he did to Jack. Even if that meant getting help from a monster.