made good time with this one! Not much to say because i'm exhausted and my eyes are basically falling out of my head but i wanted to get this out tonight so here ya go!

heads up that this chapter gets quite spicy in places, dare I say borderline smutty. It's nothing straight up explicit but it's definitely toeing a line. if you think i should put the sexual content tag on the story for that scene lemme know in the comments pleeease

anyway, enjoy!

---

Damien took a small sip from his coffee, relishing its warmth as it travelled down his throat. His sister was sitting across the table, watching him with a worried glint in her eyes.

“Could you please tell me what happened now?” she asked.

He let out a sigh, placing his mug down. He felt bad for making her wait until the next morning, but he’d practically collapsed in Roxy’s arms barely a minute after making it to his mother’s house. There was no way he could’ve explained it last night, even if he’d wanted to, and he did not want to. It was bad enough having the memories of yesterday’s experience in his head, let alone speaking them out loud into the world.

“Could we just… talk about something else for a little bit? I only just woke up.”

It was currently mid-morning, a lot later than he’d usually sleep in, but things were far from usual for him right now. Roxy and her pack were out on the town, doing… something. They’d left before he woke up, so he wasn’t actually sure. His mother was at work with the twins, and his other niece and nephew were watching TV in the back room. They had privacy, it wasn’t an issue of anyone overhearing. He just… didn’t want to talk about it.

Maiah nodded. “Sure, that’s fine. Roxy, uh… Roxy told me that you and Martha split up?”

He grunted. “It was a long time coming. Everything that happened last year really put things into perspective for me. Roxy… wasn’t okay for a long time. She still isn’t, in a lot of ways, but it used to be a lot worse. She would wake up screaming every night, suffering from flashbacks and hallucinations. She’d get so scared that she’d run and hide somewhere, and it would take hours for us to find her. Sometimes, I would hear her talking to someone who wasn’t there. I think it was the man who… who hurt her.” He shook his head. “The point is, Roxy was struggling, and she needed her parents more than ever. But Martha, she only ever treated it as an annoyance. A lot of the time she would make Roxy’s flashbacks worse by complaining about it within earshot of her, intentionally, I presume. Thinking that she was disappointing people was a big trigger for her. Between that and our almost constant arguing, Martha being around was having a very negative effect on Roxy’s mental health.

“And then, at some point, Martha had just had enough. She turned her anger back onto Roxy and they got into a big fight, which ended with Martha slapping her. I kicked her out right then and there. The only reason I didn’t do it sooner is because I thought Roxy needed both of her parents. I was wrong. She was depressed for a few weeks afterwards, but after she got over the initial shock of the divorce, her mental health really started improving in a big way. She’s really… She’s come a long way. I’m proud of her.”

Maiah smiled. “I’m sure. Have you been seeing anyone else? When I asked Roxy she just said it was complicated.”

Damien couldn’t have hidden his flinch if he’d tried. Maiah winced. “Oh no, you didn’t stick your dick in crazy twice in a row, did you?”

“Other way around, actually,” he muttered quietly.

“What was that? I didn’t catch that.”

He shook his head. “Nothing. Just a bad joke.”

She gave him a weird look but otherwise didn’t comment. “So? What happened?”

He sighed. “I was seeing someone for a few months there, but… Well, turns out they had some ulterior motives.” He gestured at his bruised face.

Maiah gasped. “Your girlfriend did that to you?!”

He coughed awkwardly, nerves swimming around in his stomach. “Uh… Boyfriend, actually.”

She blinked at him. “Oh. When did that happen?”

“I realised a little before Christmas. Roxy has a, uh… a friend around my age. Took me a little bit, but I eventually realised what those funny feelings that I was getting every time he was around were. He, uh… wasn’t interested, but he was supportive regardless. Helped me come to terms with it.”

She grinned, leaning over the table to pat him on the shoulder. “Good for you, Damien. Seriously, I’m happy for you.”

He looked away. “Doubling my dating pool doesn’t stop me from bringing in the psychos, clearly.”

She frowned sadly. “What happened, Damien? Please, you can tell me.”

He hesitated for a few moments before looking up at her. “How much do you know about the werewolf hunters? And the werewolf stuff in general, I guess.”

“Roxy told us a bit. I know that the hunters kidnapped her to turn her into a soldier, and that they’re planning on killing all of the werewolves somehow. She didn’t really elaborate on that bit. I do know that a couple of her friends are werewolves, and so are we, apparently, which blew my mind a little bit. Who would’ve guessed?” She smiled at him.

He smiled back. “Yeah. We figured that one out about a week after we got Roxy back. Anyway, it turned out the guy I’d been seeing for the past few months was spying on us for the hunters. They’ve been trying to kidnap Roxy’s girlfriend because she’s ‘magically connected to the rest of their species’ or something. It all went over my head a little bit. The point is, they want her so they can use that connection to basically turn every werewolf across the globe into raging monsters, pretty much just so they can justify wholesale slaughter. Unfortunately, that also includes us.”

“Oh god,” she muttered.

“Yeah. Anyway, when Chris - that’s his name - heard that Roxy and her friends were headed to the airport, he called his men to set up a trap for them. I overheard the conversation, but Chris caught me. It… It was bad, Maiah. He tied me to a chair and beat me senseless. I was so scared I wasn’t going to get away in time to warn Roxy. I only barely managed it in the end, because he unlocked the door to throw Roxy’s cat out. I had to run down the street with my hands tied behind my back.”

As if on cue, Mr. Slinky came over and jumped up onto his lap. Unfortunately, there weren’t any supplies for him here, but Roxy would no doubt pick up some while she was out. He idly scratched him behind an ear, enjoying the little noises he would make.

“Jesus, Damien. I’m so sorry.”

He grunted. “The worst part is how sudden it all was. We were together for months. Things were… things were good. I was happy. Not even Roxy had any idea, and if anyone’s experienced with the hunters, it’s her. Then all of a sudden, it’s gone. He’s violent, unhinged, quick to anger. He taunted me about Roxy’s torture, said that I would get over her if she died. I just… don't understand how someone could hide that side of themself for so long.”

“Some people are just born evil. It’s a waste of time trying to understand them.”

He sighed. “I guess.”

She opened her arms up wide. “Would you like a hug?”

The thought made him feel warm, and a slight smile quirked the corners of his mouth. “Yes, please.”

—

Roxy stared out the window of the cafe, already sitting at the table with her coffee and waiting for her friends to finish ordering their food. They were here to meet up with Pedro and Clarissa and catch up on what the plan was, now that her dad was joining them. There was just no way he could go back to Dewsbury with Chris around; it was too dangerous. She’d considered leaving him here with her phwa, but ended up deciding that that would just put her in danger as well. The only real option was to take him with them to Australia. At least that way they were all together and could keep an eye on each other should Chris come after them.

“Hey, stranger. Is this seat taken?”

Roxy turned to the familiar voice, surprised. “Stella, hey!” She gestured for her to sit down. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working.”

Stella shrugged. “I was, but it’s a pretty slow morning, and phwa doesn’t wanna pay two workers if she only needs one, so Eddie’s taking care of things while I enjoy my break. This is my usual go-to place when I have some time off. What about you? What are you up to?”

“Just exploring the city. We’re meeting up with some of our other friends to plan what we’re doing next.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what exactly is it that you guys are even doing here? I heard something about a missed flight?”

“It’s, uh, werewolf stuff. I’m not really allowed to talk about it.”

Stella sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Always so mysterious, aren’t you?” She looked back over her shoulder, seemingly at Sam, who was still at the counter struggling to decide on a meal. She turned back around and leaned in close. “By the way, can I ask a… personal question?”

Roxy had a feeling where this was going. “Shoot.”

“Are you and Sam, uh…?” She pressed the tips of her two index fingers together with a meaningful look. “I-it’s just that I noticed you two were… um… sleeping in the same bed. All cuddled up. And stuff. Touchy-feely ‘n shit.”

Roxy snorted at her awkwardness. “Yes, we’re together.”

Stella nodded her head a few too many times. “Cool. That’s, uh… That’s cool. So are you…?”

“Gay? Yep.”

“Huh.” She nodded again. “Neat. There’s always one in the family, isn’t there?”

“One what?”

“A token gay cousin.”

Roxy laughed. “I guess so.”

At that point everyone finally joined them at the table, greeting Stella as they sat down. The girl seemed… weirdly excited about the concept of werewolves, if the way she was looking at Sam and Drew was anything to go by. That, or she just thought Drew was hot, and was still reconciling what she’d just learnt about Sam in her head.

“So, you guys can, like, all turn into wolves ‘n shit?” she asked. So clearly it was mostly the werewolf thing.

“I can’t,” Leif said with a melodramatic sigh. “The lone human in a pack of lumbering beasts. Woe is me.” She pretended to faint, slouching back against her chair.

Stella turned back to Roxy. “I thought you said you couldn’t turn into one?”

“I can’t. The most I can do is form claws. It’s probably for the best, anyway. Fully shifting would most likely break my leg all over again.”

Stella frowned. “Why’s that?”

“She has a metal rod in her femur, from when she got shot last year,” Sam supplied.

“Ooh, right. During the escape.” Despite the realisation, she still didn’t seem quite satisfied. “One sec, I gotta check something.” She pulled out her phone and began to search.

Roxy shrugged and left her to it, turning to the rest of them. “So, when are the old farts showing up?”

Drew pulled out his phone and checked. “Pedro said they were on their way a few minutes ago, so who knows.” He shrugged.

Sam nudged her. “Hey, I ordered you a plate of bacon and eggs. I know you said you weren’t hungry, but… Well, I also know you.”

Roxy laughed. “Thanks. You’re the best.” She leaned up and kissed her on the cheek.

“Aha!” Stella yelled. 

“What is it?” Roxy asked.

“It says here that humans and canines have very similarly structured femurs! So as long as your wolf form doesn’t change your size too much, I think you should be fine! Well, maybe it’ll ache a little, but what can you do?”

Roxy hummed. “Well, that’s good to know. I still can’t actually turn into a wolf, but it’s nice to know that my leg won’t explode if it somehow happens someday.”

“Wait, did you seriously not think to look this up before now?” Leif asked. “It’s been a year!”

Roxy shrugged. “I don’t know, it just never seemed relevant. My shifting plateaued in February, it’s not gonna start up again now.”

The other girl sighed and shook her head. “And after all that freaking out you did when your fangs started coming in.”

“Would you believe that it really never crossed my mind?”

“Being inattentive and forgetful is Sam’s gimmick, get your own.”

Roxy blew a raspberry at her. Stella’s phone chimed and she stood up. “Well, it’s been fun, but I should probably get back to the shop. See you guys later!”

Everyone waved her off as she left, walking out the door right as their food was brought to their table. They all began eating and a few minutes later, Pedro and Clarissa finally arrived, making their way over and sitting down.

“Did you find a place to stay okay?” Roxy asked once they were settled.

“Yeah, we found a cheap motel out on the edge of town. Lotta funky smells, but what can you do?” Pedro replied. “What about you guys? Did you get to your grandma’s place alright?”

“Yeah.”

“What about your dad? Is he okay?”

Roxy hesitated, memories of opening the front door and seeing her dad’s beat-up face flooding through her mind. “He’s… he made it okay, but…” Her mind shifted to Chris, to what he did, and what she wanted to do should she ever get her hands on him. A growl rumbled up from her throat involuntarily.

Sam placed a comforting hand on her back. “Chris beat him. Nothing serious, but he’s still pretty roughed up.”

“He has to come with us,” Roxy said. “He can’t go home and he can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous with Chris after us.”

Pedro nodded. “That’s fine. I’ve been trying to get into contact with the Council to see about sourcing us a replacement flight, hopefully one that’s a little more secure than a public airport this time. We can still use one in a pinch if we’re more careful about who we tell the plan to, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the hunters are surveilling every major airport in the state at this point.”

“So what can we do?” Leif asked. “Just pick an airport and hope for the best? Or drive somewhere out of state for it?”

“They’ll probably be monitoring for ticket purchases under our names, even outside of Washington, so it would still be risky,” Clarissa responded. “I have an old friend who’s a pilot. We’re seeing if we can’t set something up with him, but it might take a few days. A trans-pacific flight isn’t something we can just pull out of nowhere.”

“We have to go across the whole world though,” Drew said. “Can we really make that trip with seven people in a dinky biplane?” 

Pedro raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about a dinky biplane? The Council has a lot of resources, and they’re adamant about getting you guys to Australia. They’ll spare no expense.”

“We still don’t even know why they want us there,” Sam pointed out.

“Here’s hoping they have some sort of grand idea that’ll stop the hunter’s plan for good. I’m tired of worrying about this,” Roxy said, folding her arms.

Leif patted her on the arm. “Hey, look on the bright side! At least we still get to go on vacation! Plus, we’re the legal drinking age in Australia, so it’s not like we won’t be able to cut loose and have a little fun, too.” She shot Roxy a wink.

Roxy laughed and shook her head. “Of course that’s what you’re thinking about.”

“Oh, I’ve been there before! I can show you all the good bars and clubs!” Clarissa eagerly exclaimed.

Pedro sighed. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

—

Roxy leaned against the counter, trying to keep herself awake and aware. She might have overdone it with the THC gummies earlier, but in all fairness, she had been really anxious. She hadn’t worked any job for over a year, but her phwa asked her to help out at the minimart and she’d been dragged over to the shop before she could figure out whether she actually wanted to or not. On the bright side, it would mean a little more spending money once they finally set off to Australia, but retail wasn’t fun at the best of times, and she was still a long way from being as stable and personable as she used to be. Most of the shop’s customers were regulars who knew her phwa and cousins, and she was getting a little tired of sayings things like ‘I’m one of Myitzu’s other granddaughters from out of town,’ and ‘I’m here for a few days, so I’m helping out,’ and ‘don’t ask about the scars, please,’ to over-inquisitive old women. It wasn’t all bad with Eddie hanging around to keep her entertained, but she’d much rather be at home curled up in Sam’s arms or listening to Leif trying to explain the plot of her current fixation.

A hand suddenly waved in front of her face and she startled, letting out a yell and falling onto her ass, which was quite painful considering the cane that was hanging from her hip in case she needed it. It was Eddie, staring down at her with an unimpressed look on his face.

“Jesus, don’t scare me like that!”

“I called out to you like three times, dude.” He frowned, studying her face a little closer. “Wait, are you… high? Your eyes are red.”

“No!” she squawked. Eddie raised an eyebrow. “…Okay, maybe a little, but it’s prescription!”

“It’s cool, I don’t care. Just giving you a hard time.” He held out a hand and she took it, pulling herself to her feet. “Honestly, if phwa knew the amount of times I’ve come to work high, she would kick my ass to the curb.”

“I just use it to help with my anxiety most of the time, unless it’s a social situation where getting baked is the goal. I just overdid it a little this time, I think.”

He nodded understandingly. “Been there. Here, I’ll take over the register for a bit, so you don’t end up staring through a customer. Would you mind stocking up the snack food shelf? It’s just basic pattern recognition, not hard, even with your head in the clouds.”

Roxy nodded and headed into the back room, grabbing a crate of various pre-packaged snack foods and walking it back out into the shop, headed for the snack aisle. Most of the packets had pretty distinctive designs and colours on them, so it was pretty easy to match each item with its correct place on the shelf, despite the fact that most of the labels weren’t even written with the latin alphabet, let alone in English. She could vaguely recognise the interlocked circles and loops of the Burmese script on some of them, but many of the others were written with scripts and alphabets she didn’t know. No doubt they were all some kind of South-East Asian, but that was about as far as her knowledge stretched on the matter. 

The minimart had started out only selling imported Burmese goods, back when her grandparents had first immigrated to America, but it quickly expanded to the whole of South-East Asia when just selling goods from one country wasn’t bringing enough money in. Now, it’s a one-stop shop for imports from Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, and half a dozen other countries in and around South-East Asia. Roxy had always been partial to the Filipino snacks whenever she came here, in part because most of the packaging was usually in English, but mostly because they had some really great spicy snack options.

She was just about considering secretly pocketing a packet of hot and spicy cracker nuts when the chiming of the door bell brought her back to her senses. She couldn’t see the entrance from where she was, but the sound of multiple pairs of boots marching heavily across the linoleum floor made her pause, along with a strangely familiar scent that she couldn’t quite place yet. Cautiously, she stole a glance around the shelf once the mysterious group had reached the counter, and what she saw almost made her gasp.

She could only see the back of his head from her angle, but she’d recognise Chris’s reddish blond hair anywhere. Her fingers closed around the GPS tracker ball thingy in her pocket and she was about to switch it on when she hesitated. Chris hadn’t noticed her yet. He didn’t seem to have any interest in searching the store, either. If she turned on the tracker, the entire pack would come running and that would give away that they were still in Seattle, if Chris wasn’t already aware. That wasn’t even mentioning the fight that would break out. It would put Sam in danger, and Roxy wasn’t about to do that. Instead, she pulled out her phone and quickly typed a text to the travel group chat.

Pack + Clarissa

Roxy: Chris at minimart. Hasn’t seen me. Don’t come yet, but be ready. Will update or use GPS if trouble. (1:24pm)

With that, she turned notifications off and shoved her phone back into her pocket, focusing on what was going on at the register.

“Can I help you?” Eddie asked, with no small hint of suspicion in his voice. Clearly, the seven men dressed in all black marching straight to the counter rang a few warning bells in his head as well.

Chris pulled something from his pocket and dropped it on the counter, turning his head slightly as he did so. He’d shaven his originally quite unkempt facial hair into an ugly goatee, and there was a large bandage on his cheek. She wondered if that was something that her dad had done. He gestured at whatever it was he’d placed down.

“Do you recognise any of the people in the photographs? They’re dangerous fugitives on the run from the law. Any information that leads to their arrest will be rewarded.”

Roxy could hedge a guess as to who the people in the photos were. Eddie glanced down at them for barely a second before looking back up at Chris, unphased. “Haven’t seen ‘em. Who are you meant to be, exactly?”

Chris pulled out a police badge and flashed it to Eddie. “Detective Jacob Anderson with the Seattle Police Department. These men are my subordinates.” He indicated to the MIBs behind him.

Eddie looked between Chris and the badge a few times before a smile cracked across his face. “Look, man, I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with the law before, so I know what a police badge is meant to look like. Heads up, but the one you’ve got there has got to be at least thirty years out of date. So how about you get out of here before I call the actual police to bust your asses for impersonating a police officer?”

The shop was dead silent. Roxy stared on in amazement at the exchange. That was probably one of the coolest things she’d ever seen. Awesome as it was, however, Chris didn’t seem to be impressed. He stared Eddie down with a threatening glare that sent shivers down Roxy’s spine, a terrifying imitation of the looks she’d constantly get from Emmerich and Harrison at the outpost. Her hand closed around the hilt of her cane sword, preparing for a fight. Eddie, to his credit, just stared back at the older man, pulling out his phone and tilting his head. “Well?”

Chris scoffed, turned on his heel, and walked out the door, his men following along behind him. Roxy let out a sigh of relief, her whole body deflating as her muscles untensed. Holy shit, that was close. She went over to the counter and surprised Eddie by wrapping him in a hug.

“Thank you so much, Eddie. You might have just saved our lives.”

He returned the embrace after a short period of surprise. “Hey, don’t mention it. That dude was a hunter, right?”

Roxy pulled back. “Yeah. The same one that beat up my dad. I knew he knew that we were in Seattle, but clearly he’s closing in on us. How’d you know that was a fake badge, anyway?”

Eddie smirked. “My teenage years have been… eventful, to put it one way. Fell into some bad crowds and did some stupid shit that got me into trouble when I was younger. Did two months in juvie for some petty thievery and vandalism when I was 15, which was not fun, and then I was still grounded for like a year when I got out. Definitely learned my lesson. Still, I know what police badges are meant to look like, so I knew that guy’s was fake. I’ll admit though, I just made up the bit about it being thirty years out of date to sound cool.”

Roxy laughed. “Well, it worked! You’re just lucky he didn’t call your bluff.”

“Yeah, well… Hopefully, that’s the last we’ll see of him.”

“If only we could be so lucky for once. If he knew enough to ask here, it’s probably only a matter of time before he closes in.”

“He can try,” Eddie replied. “As long as you guys are in Seattle, we’ll have your backs.”

Roxy gave him a weak smile. “I appreciate the sentiment, but don’t put yourself in danger for our sakes. We all know how to fight, so god forbid, if anything does happen, let us handle it, okay? Besides, with any luck, we’ll be out of the city long before he finds where we’re staying. It should only be a few more days before we’re ready to leave, hopefully. We just need to keep our heads down until then.”

“Man, your life sounds so exciting. I’m jealous.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Jealous of what? I have PTSD and an anxiety disorder, and there’s a global organisation of people who are actively trying to kill me and my friends. I’d do anything to be able to just settle down and live normally like you guys.”

He shrugged. “People want what they don’t have, I guess.”

She sighed. “I guess so.”

—

After the scare yesterday at the minimart, everyone was on edge. The pressure was on, and they all knew it wouldn’t be long until Chris tracked down where they were staying. Thankfully, Clarissa had finally managed to source a flight for them, at a small airfield somewhere in California. They were leaving tonight, so while everyone else was packing their things and getting ready to go, Roxy and Sam were enjoying some quiet time in their room together, knowing this might be the last time they get any privacy for a long while.

Roxy laid in Sam’s lap while she read a book, with Sam reading along over her shoulder, her arms wrapped around Roxy’s middle. She wasn’t really making much progress, though. She’d read the same paragraph at least three times over at this point and still hadn’t absorbed any of it. Her mind was too preoccupied on everything going on to be bothered with her favourite book.

“You gonna turn the page?” Sam quietly asked, her breath tickling Roxy’s ear and making her shiver.

She sighed, closing the book and putting it down. “I can’t focus on it. I just… can’t stop worrying about Chris finding us.”

Sam gently squeezed her. “Hey, we’ll be gone by tonight, and by the time he realises we’ve left, we’ll already be half way across the world. It’ll be okay.”

“I know. I just don’t want phwa or any of my cousins to get hurt.”

“Well, If you want a distraction…” Her hand slowly slid down to the hem of Roxy’s leggings. “I can think of a few things that might help?”

A little spark went off in Roxy’s belly, but she hesitated. She wanted to be ready in case something happened. That being said, there was really nothing she could do to speed things up on their end or slow them down on Chris’s. All she could do right now was wait until they were ready to go and hope for the best. Besides, there were two direwolves in the house, and two other werewolves on call should anything happen, so really, how ready did she need to be? Did she really want to spend her last bit of privacy with Sam being constantly stressed out? Sam gently kissed her neck and what remained of her resolve shattered like glass.

“Yeah, okay,” she whispered. Sam grinned and slipped her hand under the hem of Roxy’s pants, sliding it down between her legs. Roxy let out a sigh, deflating against her mate as she got to work, gently unravelling her with practised efficiency. She turned her head and Sam captured her mouth in a soft kiss, swallowing the quiet noises that were escaping from her throat against her will. Sam’s other hand travelled under her shirt, lovingly caressing her bare skin. It was all Roxy could ask for and more, completely surrounded by a haze of pleasure. It wasn’t possible for her to completely turn her mind off and stop worrying, but when she was with Sam like this, it was easier to put those things in the background, and just focus on the sensation of Sam making her feel good. And Sam was making her feel very good right now.

Sam shifted and gently laid her down, sadly removing her hand from Roxy’s pants but, on the bright side, taking off both of their shirts and bras in the process. She showered Roxy’s neck and chest with kisses and love-bites, slowly travelling down her body, guided by the twitching hand in her hair as Roxy led her to where she needed her the most. Sam licked a strip up her abs and laughed at the way Roxy’s breath hitched.

“Feel good?” she asked with a cheeky smirk, crawling back up and kissing her girlfriend.

Roxy kissed back forcefully before pulling away. “Would’ve felt a lot better if it was between my legs.”

Sam hummed, lying down on top of her. “Always so impatient.”

Roxy grinned, scratching Sam behind an ear and watching with satisfaction as she leaned into it. “I just like it when my good girl does what she’s told.”

Sam flushed red at the pet name, but remained steadfast in her teasing. “You never told me to do anything.”

Roxy leaned up and bit her neck hard enough to earn a hiss. “Keep being a smartass and see what happens.” She licked the wound in a gentle apology.

Sam let out a quiet laugh. “Don’t tempt me with a good time.”

Roxy placed a hand on her waist and was about to flip her over and give her what she wanted when both of their phones loudly chimed twice from the bedside table, freezing them in place. That chime only meant one thing. 

Two GPS signals were just activated. 

They both shared a worried look before quickly untangling themselves from each other, scrambling for their phones. Roxy grabbed hers and turned it on, greeted by two notifications she hoped never to see. Leif and Drew had both turned on their GPS trackers. She frowned. They hadn’t said anything about going out, so where were they? She tapped on the notification and it opened a map, showing that both signals were coming from inside the house.

She became aware of the sound of pounding footsteps heading towards their room and only just managed to cover up her bare chest in time for Leif to slam the door open.

“Guys! It’s- woah, sorry!” She hastily covered her eyes. “Get dressed, quickly! Chris is here!”

—

“I don’t care who you say you are! This is private property! Leave before I call the police!” Maiah yelled. This stupid redhead with his ugly villain goatee just wasn’t getting the memo.

He stared back at her unnervingly, without a hint of emotion on his face. “Like I explained before, ma’am, I am the police. We have reason to believe there are wanted fugitives hiding at this property. Now, please step aside.”

“‘We’ who? You’re completely alone. Besides, don’t you need a warrant for that?”

His eyebrow twitched, ever-so-slightly, and all of a sudden Maiah felt a burst of adrenaline flood her body, preparing for danger. “Step aside, or I’ll have you arrested for aiding and abetting.”

“Mom!” Eddie ran to her side. “This guy isn’t a real cop! He’s the one that showed up to the minimart yesterday!”

Maiah looked from her son to the man at the door, remembering what Roxy had said when they came home yesterday. The man who came to the store was a hunter, the same one that hurt her little brother. The man in front of her hurt her little brother. He tied him to a chair, beat him senseless, mocked him about his daughter’s torture, and broke his heart. Her fight or flight instincts settled on an option, and she wasn’t about to run, that was for sure.

She surged out and punched the man - Chris, if she remembered right - square across the jaw. It was by no means a good punch. She had no experience, and from the pain that shot up her arm when she made contact, she definitely did something wrong, but it was sudden enough to send Chris reeling backwards.

He grunted, turning back to her with a terrible fire in his green eyes. “Yep, you’re Damien’s sister, alright.” He reached into his coat and Maiah had all of half a second to fear for her life before an auburn wolf suddenly came out of nowhere and pounced on him, bringing him to the ground with an arm stuck firmly between its powerful, thrashing jaws. An unfamiliar man with tan skin and dark, curly hair came running up after the beast with a gun in hand, yelling to her. 

“Run! Get your family out of here, we’ll handle this!”

She was too shocked to even process his words, let alone do what he said, just standing there helplessly as the fight progressed in front of her. Chris managed to kick the wolf off and pulled a gun out of his coat, firing at it wildly as he climbed back to his feet. It managed to get away, running around the side of the house, so Chris turned his attention to the unfamiliar man. He dove to the ground to avoid the incoming fire, but the gun clicked empty. Chris threw it away, charging at the man while he was down and trying to wrench the other weapon out of his grip.

A hand closed around her wrist and she snapped out of her trance, turning to see Roxy, holding a sword. She could hear glass breaking elsewhere in the house. “We need to go! Come on!”

—

Roxy sped through the house, dragging her aunt along by the wrist as all hell broke loose around her. Windows were being smashed in left and right, hunters pouring through them in waves. She passed Sam who was fighting off three at once, slashed the leg of one who was about to take a swing at Leif, giving her an opening for the kill, and watched as Drew kicked one out the back door and sent him flying, clearing a path for her relatives to escape. Thankfully, phwa and Stella were at the store today, so that was two less people to worry about. Her dad was already in the back room, standing in front of his younger niece and nephew protectively, and Eddie was following along at her side.

She shoved Maiah towards her kids, pointing out the back door. “Take them and go! We’ll call you when it’s safe!”

“But what about you?!”

“We’ll be fine, we’re trained for this!”

They shared a long look and Maiah nodded, grabbing her kids and running out the back. A series of gunshots cracked off from somewhere behind her, but Roxy did her best to ignore it, praying it wasn’t aimed at anyone she cared about. She turned to her dad, who was still just standing there. “What are you doing? Go!”

He shook his head. “I’m not leaving you, Roxy! From now on, we stay toge- Watch out!”

She turned just in time to glimpse the hunter swinging at her. Her instincts kicked in and she ducked under his blade, spinning around and bringing her sword up to slice straight through his side. It wasn’t deep enough to kill him outright, but he would be done for without medical attention, and he certainly wasn’t going to be fighting anymore. He crumpled to the ground with a cry and Roxy took his sword, handing it to her dad. “Take this and find somewhere to hide. Stay safe.”

“You too, Roxy. I love you.”

With one last meaningful look, she turned away from him and leapt into the fray, assessing the situation. Sam seemed to be holding her own pretty well, but that was to be expected. The hunters weren’t being quite as aggressive with her as they were with the rest of them, no doubt because they needed her alive. Leif was doing okay as well, Clarissa lithely pouncing back and forth and supporting her. Drew was in the back room with her, or at least he had been a second ago, having just launched himself across half of the house to take down someone who just aimed a gun in Leif’s direction. Thankfully, aside from the handful of shots she’d heard earlier, they seemed to be mainly using swords, no doubt at least partially due to the close-quarters environment they were fighting in.

She jumped in to give Sam a hand, driving her sword through the back of a hunter that was trying to get the drop on her from behind with a syringe in his hand. There were two other hunters in front of her, keeping her at bay with their swords. Every swipe of her claws was met with a parry that came dangerously close to taking fingers off. Roxy circled around Sam’s massive form, ducking in for a low strike aiming to take out one of the hunter’s legs. She didn’t want to kill them if she didn’t have to, but they’d left her crippled after her last run in with them, and she had no problem with returning the favour.

He noticed at the last second and brought his sword down to block her swing. They clashed with a clang of metal and the hunter turned his attention onto her, swiping upwards. She stepped back out of the arc and he stepped forward, continuing the assault with a jab. She side-stepped the blade and moved in to counter-attack with a horizontal slice aimed at his midsection. He threw himself backwards to dodge it, unwittingly slamming into his friend and giving Sam an opening to take them both out with a single powerful punch. There was no time to rest, however, as more hunters were still pouring in through the windows near them. A massive guy came through, tackling Sam to the ground, followed by two more hunters who closed in on Roxy.

She summoned her claws as she frantically backed up, batting away sword strikes left and right. Her back hit a table and she flipped up onto it without missing a beat, mounting a counterattack from the high ground. One of the hunters swept at her ankles and she punished his over-reach by stomping on his wrist, breaking it with a satisfying snap. Keeping up her momentum, she drove that foot into the other hunter's face with a kick that almost sent his nose through the other end of his skull. She was about to finish them off when a third hunter flew into them from behind like a cannonball, slamming them into the table with enough force to snap its legs. She lost her balance as the floor tilted out from underneath her, sending her careening back to the ground in a painful heap.

“Sorry!” Drew called from across the room. Roxy picked herself up and noticed that his plan of attack seemed to be ‘throw the hunters around like ragdolls,’ concluding that he’d probably been the source of the projectile asshole that broke her phwa’s table. To be fair, it seemed to be working quite well. The hunters were giving him a wide berth, afraid that any failed attack would result in them being flung into a wall at deadly speeds. Confident that he didn’t need any help, Roxy turned back around, searching for where she was needed most.

Sam was still rolling around on the floor with that huge guy, digging furrows into his skin with her claws as he tried and failed to get her into a headlock. Leif and Clarissa were still tearing shit up together, covering each other’s backs with well-practised teamwork. This past year of training had clearly paid off. She looked around some more, but was confused when she couldn’t find Pedro anywhere. Surely he wasn’t still fighting Chris outside, right? If it was taking that long, something was wrong.

Her decision made, she sped towards the front door, cutting down any hunter that dared get in her way with sword and claws. She had just about made it into the entrance hall when someone came out of nowhere and sunk a fist right into her solar plexus. The wind rushed out of her and she stumbled backwards, searching for her attacker as she struggled to suck in a breath. Something hit her from behind, right in the kidney, and she spun around, forcing herself not to double over in pain. She caught a flash of reddish-blond hair right before her sword disappeared out of her hand and something cracked her in the nose. She didn’t even have time to react to the pain as the world suddenly flipped around her and she found herself lying on her back, staring up at Chris’s snarling face. His bloody hands tightened around her neck, and she didn’t need a heightened sense of smell to know that the blood was Pedro’s.

“Wh-what did you do to Pedro, you son of a bitch?” She wheezed out of her rapidly closing windpipe, uselessly trying to pry his fingers away.

He grinned, wide and terrible. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about him. He had a stomach ache, so he’s taking a time out. I would worry more about yourself, mangy half-breed.”

She tried to reach up to his face, but it was futile. He simply kept his full weight leaning on her throat with one hand while slapping her hands away with the other. She tried digging her claws into his arm, but he was wearing some kind of padding underneath his coat that made it useless. When she tried the same thing on his hands, he pulled a gun out of his coat and pressed the barrel right to her forehead, shutting that idea down irrefutably. Darkness began pooling at the edges of her vision as her meagre air supplies ran low, and her heart started pounding as it desperately tried to keep her brain oxygenated.

She heard Sam call her name, but from the sound of struggling, it didn’t seem likely that she would be able to come to the rescue this time. She wondered briefly why Chris didn’t just shoot her, but the pure seething hatred in his eyes answered that question well enough. He wanted her to suffer. For what reason, she didn’t know, but she would gladly return the favour if given the chance, so she supposed it was fair. Either way, he was certainly getting his money’s worth. Her lungs were burning like they were about to explode. Was this where she was going to die?

“Chris! Let her go or I’ll shoot!”

She didn’t know whether to be happy or terrified that her dad called out to him. On one hand, Chris looked away from her and lifted his weight enough for her to suck in a lungful of beautiful, beautiful air, warding off the encroaching darkness that threatened to swallow her whole. On the other, her dad just called attention to himself in a room full of hunters. …Or, actually, maybe not? It had gotten awfully quiet all of a sudden.

Chris grinned that awful grin of his. “You’re not gonna shoot me, darling. You like me too much!”

“It’s over! All of your men are either dead or incapacitated! Let her go or join them, shitbag!” This time it was Drew. There was the sound of movement and Chris pressed the gun tighter against her head.

“Ah-ah! Anyone takes another step, and her brains paint the floor. You don’t want your little pet to die, do you, direwolf?”

“Whatever you do to her, I’ll do to you tenfold, you fucking coward!” Sam yelled.

“Last warning, Chris. Please don’t make me do this.”

“Do you really think you can shoot me? Do you really think you have it in you? Because I don’t. I know you, Damien. You’re weak. You’re scared. You’re a pathetic little man with a small dick who doesn’t have the gut-”

A shot rang out and Chris screamed, recoiling back and dropping his gun to clutch his shoulder. Roxy made her move, swiping at his face with her claws. They sliced straight through his skin like razors, sinking into his left eye socket and turning the fragile eye within into little more than a puddle of jelly as they passed through, leaving four perfect little lines permanently carved across his face. 

The pitch of his screams reached new heights as he practically threw himself off of her, turning to run. She wasn’t about to let him get away though, grabbing his discarded gun and surging to her feet, taking aim before pulling the trigger.

It clicked empty. The whole time, it was empty.

In a fit of rage, Roxy screamed and hurled the gun at him with all her might. It cracked him right on the head as he fled, but did little to impede his progress as he sped away and darted out of sight. She dropped to her knees and punched the ground. “Fuck! Come back here you fucking coward!”

She felt herself be wrapped in a hug as her emotions took over and tears started to fall, recognising Sam and her father’s scents. A soft hand cupped her face and she found herself staring into Sam’s concerned eyes. “Are you alright? Your neck’s already bruising.”

Roxy ignored her. They couldn’t stop yet. Pedro might still be alive. They might be able to help him. “W-we need… to help Pedro…”

“Don’t worry, chica. I’m okay.”

She looked up and there he was, standing in the doorway, clutching his bloody side in a worryingly familiar position. She shot to her feet and sped over. “Pedro! You’re bleeding!”

He waved her off, limping over to a chair and collapsing onto it. “Ah, don’t worry about me. He got me good, but thanks to the ritual, silver doesn’t work like it used to. It was nothing I couldn’t heal up.”

Clarissa trotted over to him, her snout absolutely caked in blood. He laughed at the sight of her. “Wow, haven’t you been busy?”

She growled happily and headbutted his hand, earning a scratch.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Leif said as she walked up. “I was starting to get worried when you didn’t come inside.”

“As if that asshole could kill me. You all seemed to do well for yourselves too, by the looks of things in here.”

“Oh my god.”

They all turned to the doorway to find Stella and her phwa, staring at the state of the house in shock.

“Uh, we can explain?” Roxy tried. Her hands and face were still covered in blood.

Phwa took one look at her and fainted.

—

Pedro laid in the bed of his motel room, flipping through TV channels mindlessly. He was far too tired and sore to actually tune into anything. Between trying to patch up things back at the house and trying to find a place to stay for the night, he was completely spent. The police had arrived not long after Roxy’s grandma and cousin, followed closely by a group of feds calling themselves the ‘Washington Werewolf Affairs Unit,’ or the WaWAU for short. Apparently, they’d existed since before the secret got out, but were only really used to cover up werewolf-related crimes that the police had stumbled upon. Now that everyone knew, they’d repurposed to protect werewolves from police prosecution in the event of hunter attacks, apparently part of the werewolf protection initiative by the Washington government. Pedro wasn’t complaining. He’d come this close to ending up in handcuffs after the boys in blue saw the bloodbath that was the house, but once the WaWAU agents stepped in, they were pretty much kicked from the scene.

The few surviving hunters were arrested and a cleanup crew was called in to dispose of the bodies. The whole process was a lot smoother than he’d been expecting and by the time they’d all been interviewed and everything was finished, the sun had barely even set yet. The cleanup team was still hard at work scrubbing blood from the floor and walls, but that was about it. Once everyone was packed up and ready to go, Pedro made sure to talk with Roxy’s grandma, Myitzu. He apologised profusely for all the trouble their pack put her and her family through, and put her in contact with a member of the Council who would cover the costs of any and all repairs, as well as give her an extra bonus to make up for the emotional damages. Surprisingly, though, she wasn’t all that upset. She still took the money, of course, but she was just happy that Roxy and her friends were okay. She knew the hunters were dangerous, and didn’t blame any of them for inadvertently bringing them there.

Once everything had been sorted out, they finally piled back in the van and set off for California. They wanted to get to Portland before calling it a night, but everyone was so exhausted that they ended up just pulling into a roadside motel after about an hour of driving, which is how they found themselves where they were now. Pedro and Damien were sharing a room while Clarissa got one to herself, and the kids had two between them. Roxy’s cat was tagging along for the ride as well, currently hiding somewhere beneath Damien’s bed.

“What’s the matter? Can’t pick a channel?” Damien asked.

Pedro sighed. “Nah.” He chucked the remote over onto Damien’s bed. “You can have it. I’m too exhausted to pay attention to anything.”

He raised the book he was reading slightly, presenting it. “I’m good, I’ve got this.”

Pedro hummed, laying back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. After a while, he spoke up. “Are you okay, Damien? Today was… Today was pretty heavy, especially for a first-timer.”

Damien was silent for a moment before responding. “It was… shocking, to say the least, seeing those kids fight like that. Seeing them… kill. I… I knew the three girls had all done it before for one reason or another, but… it’s another thing entirely actually seeing it happen. Seeing my Roxy take someone’s life. I know it’s self-defence, but it’s still hard to wrap my head around, y’know? When I think about what she was like when she was younger, it’s hard to imagine the person she’s grown into today. But, at the same time, I’m proud of her. She’s become so strong. Even after everything she’s been through, she never stopped fighting for what she wanted. As much as I hate to admit it, she gets that from her mother, not me.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, hermano. You’re a lot stronger than you think. The way you stood up to Chris today? That took guts. Yeah, Roxy’s mom might have been headstrong, and she definitely got that from her, but that’s not the same as having what it takes in the face of danger. You, Damien? You have what it takes.”

Damien smiled. It was a small thing, but it was there. “Thanks. You didn’t see the way I was shaking, though. It’s a miracle I actually managed to hit him with how much my hands were quivering. I… I wasn’t even going to come out, at first. But when I saw Roxy on the floor, something just… changed in me. Like a switch had been flipped. It was the same when Chris had me tied up. Roxy was in danger and I wasn’t going to stop until she was safe again.”

Pedro grinned. “Maybe it’s the werewolf spirit,” he joked.

Damien chuckled. “Maybe.”

Pedro’s stomach rumbled. He grunted and painstakingly lifted himself from the bed. “I’m gonna check on the kids and get something from the vending machine. Do you want anything?”

“I’m okay. Thank you, though. For, um… for the conversation, as well.”

Pedro waved him off. “Don’t mention it. I’m here anytime you need to talk. You’re family.”

Damien smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

Pedro stepped out into the hallway, stretching and cracking his back. The skin on his stomach felt tight around the freshly healing scar from Chris’s knife. Just another one for the collection, he supposed. He made his way up to the door of Leif and Drew’s room, but found that it was completely silent inside. Slightly worried, he crept up to the next door, but was quickly filled with relief at the sound of laughter.

He rapped his knuckles on the door and cracked it open, peeking inside. 

“-ah! Drew! Get your prickly-ass face off of me!” Sam said with a laugh.

“It’s just a hug, Sam! Don’t you loooove me?”

“There are limits to the extent of my love and your stupid scratchy face is one of them!” She attempted to push him off, but her efforts were futile.

Pedro cleared his throat, getting their attention. They were all curled up on the bed in a big cuddle pile, limbs tangled together to the point where it was hard to see where one person ended and the next began. It was nice seeing them all together like that, actually embracing their bond with each other, Sam and Drew squabbling like siblings while Leif and Roxy watched on in amusement. It reminded him of Debbie, Mark, and Carol. It was how a pack should be.

Roxy yawned, sprawled half on top Sam and half underneath Leif. “Hey, Pedro. What’s up?”

He smiled, leaning against the doorframe. “Nothing. What are you guys up to?”

“We were just watching a movie, but then Drew decided he wanted to sand my face off with his cheek,” Sam whined. “Leif! Get your boyfriend under control!”

“Believe me, I’ve tried,” Leif replied. “I’ve found workarounds, but I’m not sure they’d work for you. He’s, uh… A bit of a brat, if you catch my drift.”

Roxy burst out laughing and Drew turned bright red, finally leaving Sam alone. “Hey! Don’t tell them that!”

“Must be a werewolf thing, cuz Sam’s the same,” Roxy muttered with a grin. Now it was Sam’s turn to catch alight.

“Roxyyyy!” She covered her face with her hands.

Pedro, on the other hand, did not catch Leif’s drift, and had no idea what the big deal was. He cleared his throat again. “Uh, anyway… I was headed to the vending machine, do you guys want anything?”

“Nah, we’re good,” Roxy said.

He shrugged and nodded. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it.”

He shut the door and immediately heard some sort of shriek behind it as the antics started up again. With a slight chuckle, he walked off, headed for the lobby vending machine. He was glad that they were still able to laugh and have fun after such a hard day. More than that, he was glad that no one had gotten seriously hurt, aside from himself. The hunters were nothing to scoff at, especially at the scale of today’s ambush. The fact that they came away relatively unscathed was nothing short of a miracle. It filled him with pride, both at how far his students had come, and at how well he and Clarissa had done training them.

When he finally returned to his bed and was lulled to sleep, it was to the sounds of his pack’s muffled laughter, filtering through the thin walls of the motel and filling his mind with thoughts of family.

At least until someone screamed for them to shut up. But it was nice while it lasted.

—

Chris stared at his mangled face in the dingy gas station bathroom mirror before wrapping a fresh bandage around his head, gritting his teeth against the pain. His left arm was useless, the bullet that Damien shot him with still lodged in his shoulder. He would need surgery to get it out. Surgery wasn’t going to help his eye, though. That little bitch’s claws had ruined it beyond repair. He would forever be marked for his failure today, reminded every single time he looked in the mirror.

He wouldn’t let her get away with it. Her or her mutt father. He couldn’t believe that Damien was telling the truth, that they actually had werewolf blood. He’d screwed a fucking werewolf. Just the mere thought made him want to castrate himself in shame, so that he’d never make such a mistake again. It would be stupid to injure himself more, though. He comforted himself with thoughts of beating that little girl within an inch of her life and making her father watch. No amount of suffering would be enough to make up for what they’d done to him, but it would make him feel better, at the very least.

His bandages replaced, he fished his phone out of his pocket and called the leader of his backup group. The man answered in less than two rings.

“Yes, sir?”

“The hunt failed. Group A was entirely wiped out, and the wolves got away. I managed to get the plates of the vehicle they were travelling in, though. I’ll send them through. Track them down, and find out where they’re going. Do not fail me like Group A did.”

“Yes, sir. Laudate lucem solis.”

“Laudate lucem solis.”

Chris hung up the phone and put it away, satisfied that he’d get his revenge soon enough.

---

Chris is fun to write lol

anyway, yeah, lemme know if that 'stress relief' scene was too much and i'll slap a content warning on the story

leave a comment if you enjoyed and i'll see y'all next time for chapter 34: most likely titled 'Road Trip'

buh-bye!