Let the Healing Light Come In

Thin fingers made quick work of the black uniform shirt, and Reese let a moment of pride wash through her at seeing her name pinned to the starched fabric. The title wouldn’t be officially official until training was over the next week, but she was as good as a member of the Faywood Sheriff’s Department. Now wasn’t the time for pride or private gloating though. With a quick full body shake, Reese slid out of her truck and leaned against the closed door to have a look around.

To a romanticist, the twenty-two year old would’ve made quite the picture. Reese figures she looks like one of those heroines from her mother’s romance novels. The sun is sitting low in the sky, painting the woods all around her in a warm glow. Her tight black pants are tucked into heavy black boots, and her dark green tank top shows off what little cleavage she has and a small strip of tan skin right above her waistline. A Harlequin writer would comment on how the dropping sun brings out the auburn undertones in her artfully tousled hair and how her full pink lips are lilting up into a content smile. In a romance novel, a writer might go on to liken her eyes to finely aged whiskey. The romanticist might even go as far to say that her long legs, lean torso, and toned arms make her look like an Amazon warrior hiding in plain sight. With an internal eye roll, she can even see her name scrawled over the picture she makes: Reese Monarda Trucco.

What the romanticized picture would so carefully leave out was that the boots pinched her toes and made her feet smell like a sewer, the tight pants gave her a constant wedgie, the tank top is a survivor from her middle school years and is only worn when she’s been too lazy to do the laundry, her hair hasn’t actually seen the bristles of a brush in three days, her smile is a natural reaction to being home and surrounded by her family, her eyes are just plain ol’ brown, and being five-ten as a girl really did lead to Amazon and Warrior Princess jokes that got her into a lot of trouble back in high school. As for her name, well, her Ma really does love those romance novels. It could’ve been worse. Ma named her twin Roman Cardamom, and let’s not even start on the other family members.

Two slightly smaller bodies ran past, and Reese pressed herself flat against her truck to avoid being barreled over. Someone larger chased after them, and Reese grinned at the sound of a low growl coming from the chaser. She used her shoulders to push off and started following in their path. Damn, Reese really loves it when the whole family gets together. They’re usually all so busy with separate lives, except for one night a month. And there’s something that a romance novel writer would really get off on. A huge gathering of an entire family of werewolves (well, mostly werewolves). Reese? She just calls it monthly pack night, which happens every full moon. It’s just a night where the whole pack gets together, discusses what’s been going in, and eats. The wolves of the family then spend the rest of the night running through the woods while the humans (and other supes) go to sleep. It’s completely normal, for them anyway.

“Hey, Reese! How’s the training going?!” Popping sounds echoed in Reese’s ear as she looked over, and she waggled her fingers over at her cousin Maze. He had his little boy propped on his hip, and Reese had to actively fight the urge to go cuddle him for a few hours.

“Only one week left now! How’s Kim?!” Maze’s wife was pregnant for the second time, and she’s about ready to pop. Well, another three months or so. She’s going into her last trimester, and it’s going to be a little girl this time.

“Just ready to meet little Hazel!”

“I bet! Hey, Graham!” Reese let a growl build in the base of her throat, and the three year old’s eyes flashed gold before he tucked his face into his father’s neck. Maze placed one large hand on his blonde curls and started walking again. A few more people stopped her to ask how things were going, but it still wasn’t too long before Reese was almost to where she was supposed to be. She was almost to her seat when two large hands settled on her hips and quickly yanked her back. The soft thud of a chin meeting her elbow caught her attention as she flailed, and she quickly twisted around to see who she’d knocked into this time.

“Fucking hell! I’m sorry, Kit! You alright?” One of her three elder brothers stopped rubbing his stubbled chin to smile up at her; it was what he always did to reassure her.

“I’m fine, Reese. No need to worry.” Reese let Kit’s quietly deep voice wash over her, but it didn’t calm her like it usually did. Instead she reached out to run her fingers through his thick hair, to reassure her screaming instincts that her brother really was okay. His hair is almost to his chin now, and the dark wavy strands are just so soft. Guys shouldn’t have hair this pretty; she doesn’t have hair this pretty.

“Yeah, Ree, it’s gonna take more than your bony ass elbow to damage Kit.” Roman’s voice is gruff, like always, and his quiet laugh ruffles the hair at her ear. In reply, she digs her bony elbows into his stomach.

“Shut it, Ro.” It’s a growl, and a warning, that her twin ignores. Of-fucking-course.

“Bite me, Reese Cup!”

“You first, Caesar!”

“Behave, you two.” Reese and Roman turn in tandem to look at Kit, who just smiled fondly at the both of them. The side of his chin is an angry red now, and Reese traced uncommonly gentle fingers over the mark. As a werewolf child, Reese was taught very early to be gentle with the human members of the family. Out of her nine siblings, two of them are human. Twenty-seven year old Kit, five years her senior, is human. He’s a police officer, same department, and it’s easy to see that Reese has always looked up to him (she did follow in his footsteps). Hurting him and knowing that he can’t heal himself like she can guts her inside. She’s watched him take worse hits and laugh it off, but still. Those hits hadn’t come from her. As if sensing her thoughts, strong arms tightened around her waist until she went boneless in her twin’s hold. She fights with Roman constantly, just like she breathes, but she trusts him the most. He’s her twin, her other half. Even now, they still live together. They moved into a shitty apartment after high school graduation, for a taste of freedom, because they couldn’t imagine not being together. Roman is her rock. So what if she wants to hit him in the face with a brick every now and then? (So what if she has?)

“It’s almost time,” Roman huffed. Reese hummed a response and lazily took a look around.

Fuck, seeing the Trucco family in whole is always a bit overwhelming. The pack meetings take place in a clearing in the center of the Trucco woods, where there’s picnic tables spread out all around. Not in any random order, oh no. There’s order and hierarchy to the pack meetings. Four figures sit at one picnic table, facing south. Three separate groupings face north, with another grouping behind them. At the front, facing the whole of the pack, are four main figures. Agatha Trucco, Nan, sits at the head even though she hasn’t been the Alpha in thirty years or so. Reese’s Alpha, her Uncle Shane, sits at Nan’s right. On Nan’s left is Sean Trucco, Reese’s Pops and Uncle Shane’s twin brother. (They’d be identical, if it wasn’t for the eyes. Shane has the blue eyes present in all his offspring, and Sean has the brown eyes that shows up in most of his). Aunt Sally, Shane’s and Sean’s baby sister, is on Sean’s other side. Then there’s the Trucco family lines. At the head of the middle section is Shane’s wife, Leah, and the Alpha’s line consisting of six children, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren (until little Hazel’s appearance in September). The right section is for Sean’s line, which is headed by Rita Trucco. Reese just calls her Ma. Behind Ma is Sean’s line: ten children, one daughter-in-law, one adopted daughter, and one grandchild. The left section is Sally’s line, headed by her husband Trent Trucco-Owens, and looks almost empty compared to the other two. In Sally’s line there are only six kids, and the oldest is only fifteen. Behind the main family, in the last section, are various friends of the pack. Altogether, there’s sixty-seven regular pack members that are generally asked to attend the Trucco pack meetings.

It’s one big meeting of a whole mix of beings. There’s werewolves, obviously, since that’s what the bulk of the Trucco family is. There’s humans, witches, and four very lovely vampires that everyone is especially fond of (and it’s not just because Mrs. Jeanie makes the best apple pie in the state). They all get together and discuss anything big that has come up, but usually not anything too serious. The Trucco pack doesn’t really receive any threats, mostly due to the size of the pack. Despite the size and strength of the pack though, they’re peaceful. They don’t stray from the Code. The Trucco family crest is the symbol for harmony, and it’s taken very seriously.

Shane Trucco slowly got to his feet, and Reese straightened in Roman’s lap to get a better look. A quick flash of bright red eyes washed over the crowd, and everyone instantly quieted. Warm dark blue eyes looked over the crowd next, and Reese felt a rush of pride that this man (this wolf) was her Alpha. It wasn’t like the pride she had for her nametag on a police uniform; that was something private that she held under her sternum. This kind of pride swept up from her toes, made her fingertips tingle, and straightened her spine. Uncle Shane was more than just her uncle; he was the one who brought her family together, unified them, made them strong, and made them a pack.

“To begin, does anyone have anything they would like to address?” There was shuffling from the back, and Reese propped her chin on top of Roman’s head as they both turned to look. “William?”

The tall blonde vampire, who had been murmuring reassuringly to his wife, lifted his head to look at the Alpha. One hand curled around Jules’s shoulder, and the other vampire reached up to hold onto his wrist. William and Jules have been a part of the pack for nearly thirty years now, and the two vampires even run in the woods with them sometimes. And yes, vampires can obviously do sunlight, and without sparkling too. They just have to wear sunglasses during the day, because their eyes are so sensitive to the light.

“My wife’s child would like to come stay with us. We can both vouch for him. He has not harmed any humans nor will he.” Reese bit the inside of her cheek as she thought it over. Jules’s child has to be a vampire she made before settling in with them. Then again, Jules is a little over two hundred years old now. It’s hard to imagine her biting anyone, especially since she looks like a soccer mom.

“Bring him around for a visit when he gets here, but I don’t think there will be any problems. Any objections?” No one spoke up, because the entire pack trusts William and Jules, and the tall vampire gracefully returned to his seat with a relieved smile. Reese twisted around just in time to see her uncle with an answering smile before asking, “Any other business?”

“I have business!” Roman’s arms tightened and flexed around Reese’s waist as he laughed, and a heavy boot thunked against his shin. Saraleigh, Shane’s oldest daughter but third child, was the very definition of joyous. Reese couldn’t seem to think of a time when she hadn’t seen her cousin without a smile, even during one very memorable lecture about staying out of personal areas after accidentally walking in on something she never wanted to see again. Saraleigh is only two years older than her, but they’ve never been close. No, Saraleigh is much closer to her sister Mya, which makes sense since they’re the same age.

“Of course, Saraleigh. Go ahead.” Her blonde hair bounced as she skipped to the back section, and a pale woman with red hair rose to meet her. Jaylen Summer is Saraleigh’s longtime girlfriend (and Reese knows that she has a tiny diamond shaped freckle on her right ass cheek). Jaylen is the calm to Saraleigh’s constantly moving storm, but she always has a permanent smile. Just like Saraleigh.

“Well, after a lot of talking and planning, Jaylen and I have decided…We’re getting married!” The sound that followed the statement was deafening, especially to supernaturally enhanced ears. Still, Reese clapped and howled along with everyone else. The Trucco family was always happy to add a new member. There’s also the fact that Saraleigh and Jaylen are perfect for one another. Thankfully, Oregon allows same sex marriages. Not that something as little as a state law would stop Saraleigh from getting what she wants.

“When’s the big day?” Nan asked.

“December twenty-eighth. Jeremiah will be home by then to perform the ceremony,” Saraleigh announced with a blinding smile. Jaylen’s older brother, Jeremiah, is a missionary and is currently making his way across Europe. He doesn’t really go around preaching, per se. He just goes around doing good deeds.

“I’m sure you’ll keep us up to date with all the planning,” Uncle Shane said with a fond smile. Like Saraleigh hasn’t been planning her wedding since she was five. Saraleigh placed a quick kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek and then skipped back to her seat. “Anything else?”

“Can we eat yet?!” Reese sighed at one of her little cousin’s question as the rest of the gathered crowd laughed. Men and eating…no, werewolf men and eating. There was no end to it. Shane shook his head, and Reese felt her spine tingle at her uncle’s serious look.

“I’m sure we’ve all heard of the Hale pack?” Reese looked down at where Roman’s fingers were laced against her stomach and traced the prominent veins on the backs of his hands. At one time, the Hale pack was like hers. They were big (though not nearly as big as the Trucco pack), family oriented, well respected, and peaceful. Then, roughly six years ago, nearly the entire pack was killed in a house fire. Since humans and small children were killed in the fire too, it was originally assumed that it was a horrible accident. (A damned tragedy, Uncle Shane had said.) Recent discoveries, however, showed that wasn’t the case. A crazed hunter was the one that actually set the fire, but she’s dead now as well. There were only three survivors. The Alpha’s brother, who was badly burned and left comatose, and two of her children. Laura Hale had been barely eighteen, and Derek Hale had only been sixteen. The same age Reese was at the time. She’d never admit to it, but she cried after hearing the story. She didn’t let the tears fall until she was in the woods away from prying eyes and ears, but cry she did. The whole damn thing was just so fucked up and…sickening. And hunters liked to call them the monsters?

“As some of you may have heard, Laura Hale was recently killed. Somehow, Peter Hale has recovered from his injuries. Derek Hale, the youngest, is their Alpha. They’ve faced a lot of difficulties lately, and we would like to help them.”

“Help them how?” Chance, Uncle Shane’s oldest son, asked. It’s a good question. How can they possibly help?

“Derek Hale has contacted me and asked us to take in one of his betas. He’s had a very difficult few months, and Derek believes that he will better adjust somewhere else.”

“So we’ll just take him in as our own?” Trent asked. Reese understood what her uncle was asking. Were they going to accept him fully into the pack and make him one of theirs, or was he just passing through?

“I was thinking more of a temporary situation. We take him in, we train him, we teach him, and we support him in every way. At the end of the summer, we wish him the best and let him go. Any disagreements?” No one said anything, so the Alpha carried on. “While he is here, I would like it if he could stay with a main part of the family but not a main family.”

Shane was definitely giving out a pointed look, and Reese scrambled to think of what he was asking for. A main part of the family but not a main family. That ruled out the friends of the family and the families with kids. So not Reese’s own Ma and Pops, Uncle Shane and Aunt Leah, or Aunt Sally and Uncle Trent. That leaves the kids that don’t live in the main houses. Aunt Sally’s kids are out, because they’re all under sixteen and still live at home. What about Uncle Shane’s kids? His oldest son Chance and his wife Kacie are out, because they have two kids. His second son Maze is out because of Graham, and Kim is pregnant again. Next would be Saraleigh, who lives with Jaylen and will be busy planning for the upcoming wedding. Twenty-one year old Star lives in the sorority house while taking summer classes, and nineteen year old Missy still lives at home. Uncle Shane’s youngest, Liam, is only fourteen and doesn’t count.

That only leaves Reese’s own branch of the family. The beta can’t stay in the main house, because there’s still plenty of kids running around. Maggie and Malvina are seventeen, Luna’s thirteen, and the little twins are only four. Kieran, Reese’s oldest brother, lives with his human wife Eliza. Their son Jaise is only two, also human, so they’re out. Reese’s next two brothers, Forrest and Kit, are both single. After them is Mya, who is newly married and even more recently pregnant. After Mya are Reese and Roman, both also single. In the time it took Reese to figure all of that out, Forrest was getting to his feet.

“Kit, Roman, Reese, and I just recently finished fixing up the old family house. It can easily house a few more people, and we’d be happy to shelter anyone from the Hale pack.” It’s the house that Nan raised her kids in, but they all branched out and built their own houses once they were ready to start families of their own. (Only the main families still live in the Trucco woods; the married kids have moved into town.) Nan lives in town in the apartment above her bookstore, so the old house started falling apart. Until Forrest, carpenter extraordinaire, got the four of them fixing it up. It’s taken nearly a year, but it’s finally ready to move into.

“Thank you, Forrest.” Reese watched as her brother bowed his head in acknowledgement before sitting back down.

“He would volunteer us,” Roman huffed against the back of her neck.

“Hush, you.”

“Any other business?” The question was met with silence and Shane smiled as he called out, “Time to eat!”


“You’ve explained everything to your parents?” Blue eyes narrowed in a barely contained rage, and Jackson gave a sharp nod of his head. He was looking out of his living room window, into the backyard. The room was completely empty, everything already moved out, and Jackson couldn’t stand looking at it anymore.

“They can’t wait to get rid of me. They’re moving to London.” Freaked was nowhere near close enough to his adoptive parent’s reaction to the reality that he was a werewolf. Sometimes he wondered, how would they react if they knew he’d been a lizard for the past couple of months and was the cause of all the deaths around town?

“Shane Trucco is a good alpha. He knows about your situation, and the Trucco pack can help you.” Derek’s tone was gruff, and Jackson just shrugged in response. School was officially out for the summer, and he knew he couldn’t stay in Beacon Hills. The past two and a half months since becoming a werewolf have been hard enough. The memories have been slowly seeping out, and he can’t stand staying in the same town where he killed so many people. Oregon wasn’t far enough away for him, but it would do for now.

“They can help me, huh? They can make everything right? Make me better?” Jackson bit out without turning to look his own alpha in the eye. Derek’s sigh filled the space between them, and Jackson squared his shoulders.

“There’s nothing to fix, Jackson. We’re just going to guide you.” The new voice startled Jackson, not that it showed. He wasn’t ready to turn around though.

“Derek explained my situation, didn’t he? About all the people I killed?”

“Kanimas have masters and act on their desires, not their own.”

“It was my hands that did it.” The tone was biting and cold, and Jackson missed the look that the two alphas behind him exchanged.

“Do you feel regret for what you did? Do you feel guilt over the lives you took?” Jackson finally turned to face the new man in the room and, with a solid determination, met the man’s blue eyes with his own.

“Yes.” The answer was a growl, but it was still the truth.

“Then you’re already on the way to making things right. When you’re ready to go, my car is right outside.” The man turned around and walked straight out of the house, and Derek lingered for just a moment longer. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he walked outside without a word. Jackson looked around, picked up his bags, and went outside.


“Dad, are you sure about this?” Allison looked up from her packed bag to where her dad was standing in the doorway.

“I’m sure, as long as you are.”

“I am.” She smiled, mostly for his benefit, and he tiredly smiled back.

“They’ll be here soon, so finish up.” Allison watched him walk away and then ran her hands over her blanket. They were selling the house and both leaving for the summer. Her dad was going to Paris, to spend some time with some old friends of his. After a lot of asking and pushing, Allison was going to spend the summer with her cousins. Cousins who have always been a bit distant, because they’re hunters too. Her dad promised that these two actually followed the Code, and Allison wanted to learn. After everything that’s happened though, her dad can’t be the one to do it. He just can’t.

“Alli!” Her eyes snapped up, and bright green eyes met her own. Her mother used to say that her oldest cousin had a smile that could drive people to kill, and Allison has to almost agree. He really is too pretty to be real.

“Dean!” She laughed as he swung her up into his arms, but she barely even had a grip on him before another pair of arms were pulling her back and swinging her around. She wound up being held bridal style, and she reached up to run her fingers through her other cousin’s shaggy hair.

“Sam!” Dean stepped up beside them, and Allison smiled up at him. Dean really was too pretty to be real, from a distance. Up close, she could see the little things that made him human. The smattering of freckles across his nose, the hard look in his eyes, and the tight clench of his jaw.

“You ready to go, kiddo?”

“Yeah, I just need to grab my bags.”

“We’ll help you.” Sam’s dimpled smile reminded Allison of a floppy puppy, and she flashed her own dimples at him as he set her back on her feet.

“Come on, time’s a-wasting!” Dean called as they lugged her bags down the stairs. Her dad was waiting for her at the front door, and he shared a curt nod with her cousins. He didn’t particularly like her mother’s nephews, but he trusted them.

“Call me if you need anything, and don’t do anything you don’t want to,” her dad said quietly.

“We’ll take care of her, Chris.” Sam spoke over her head, and Allison lightly leaned back against him.

“She’ll be safe with us,” Dean added.

“She better be, or I’ll hunt you both down.”

“Dad!”

“If anything happens to her, you won’t have to hunt us down.” Her dad nodded at Dean’s words and pressed his lips against her forehead. She held onto his shirt for just a moment and breathed him in.

“I’ll see you in a few months, sweetheart.”

“Call me when you get to Paris.”


“Don’t worry, Derek. We’ll keep him safe for you,” Shane said with a comforting smile. Jackson rolled his eyes at the comment but didn’t say anything. He let Shane take his bags and slid into the passenger seat of the soccer mom looking van. He met Derek’s green eyes as they pulled out of the driveway and somehow managed to keep eye contact through the side mirror until they were too far away for him to even see his house anymore.

“My daughter Saraleigh was excited about someone new visiting the pack, so she made a dossier for everyone in the family. It’s to help you until you learn everyone’s names. The names with the stars are the ones you’ll be living with.” Shane held up a good-sized book, and Jackson carefully plucked it from his fingers. He placed the book on his lap and ran a hand over the front cover, which was embossed with a single word: Trucco. The first page showed a massive family photo, and Jackson let his fingers skim over all the different faces. He could vaguely make out Shane in the middle of the group, surrounded by blonde children.

“Is this the whole family?” Jackson has never really seen such a large family photo. What, did they bring in all the removed cousins from three generations ago?

“We take a new family photo every Christmas, so that’s the most recent one of the whole family.”

Jackson flipped to the next page, which showed a very large family tree. Complete with branches. On the next page, an older woman was staring into the camera with a small pleased smile. After that Shane’s smiling face was looking up at him. The next page showed a smiling woman, with curly blonde hair and big green eyes. Leah Trucco, Shane’s wife, and a human. Under her name were other little facts, and Jackson quickly thumbed through to see if it was the same for all the entries. Whoever this Saraleigh person was, she had a lot of time on her hands. There was no way he was going to be able to remember all these people. There’s just way too many. Finally, after reaching Shane’s brother’s family, he found the first name with a star beside it. The face looking up at him was ordinary and open. Brown hair that stuck up a little, light brown eyes, and some facial hair. Not a whole beard, but just enough to make him look more his age. He didn’t look very old.



The next page had a star next to it as well, and Jackson took a minute to study the picture. He looked like the same age as Forrest (and he would remember these names since he was going to be living with them for a little while). His hair was wavy, to his chin, and a darker brown than his brother’s. The light brown eyes were the same though, something that they both got from their father. The brown hair came from their mother, since both Shane and Sean were blondes.



A good cook, huh? And a human. When he heard that he was going to stay with a werewolf family, he thought that they would all be werewolves. The guy was a cop too, which was just great. Like he needed to be around a cop after killing nearly an entire station. The next name didn’t have a star next to it. Mya Trucco-Masters and Ben Masters were married with a baby on the way, so they had their own house. The next name had a star, and Jackson took a moment to just look at the picture. It was another normal looking guy, with short brown hair and an almost-smile on his face. He had the same light brown eyes as the others in the family, whereas Shane’s family all had the same blue eyes as him. He looked around the same age as the other two guys he’d be staying with.



At least this guy was closer to what he was used to. Growling and glaring he could work with. It was kinda hard to picture the guy as a nurse though, or playing with kids. With an eye roll, Jackson flipped to the next page. The name had a star next to it, so he was looking down at another housemate. A female housemate. Her brown hair was a bit shaggy and stopped at her neck, and her eyes were that same light brown.



She looked a bit tired and small, but looks could be deceiving. And there was that witchy werewolf thing again. What, exactly, did that mean? Jackson read that their mother, Rita, was a witch. So, if the mother was a witch and the father was a werewolf, did that mean it was possible to be both? A werewolf with witch powers? So many questions…that might actually get answered. The next page had half a star next to the name, which was new. Like the girl before, this girl had brown shoulder length hair but with more waves. Her eyes were a light green, like Rita instead of Sean, and she was doing a little half-smile.



She certainly looked like a happy person, one of those annoying optimistic types. Jackson flipped to the next page, where there was another half of a star. This girl looked to be the same age, but she didn’t look anything like the others. She had thick black hair that was pulled up into a loose ball on top of her head. Her brown eyes were darker than anyone else’s, and there was a look in them that set his teeth on edge. Her full lips were smiling, like she knew something she wasn’t supposed to.



They found a thirteen year old girl wandering around in the woods alone? So, she was the only one left alive. What happened to her pack? Was it hunters? Or other werewolves? Jackson flipped through the rest of the pages, but there weren’t any more stars. Or half stars. There was still no way he was going to remember all these people, but it helped to know what he was going to be dealing with. The family was just so big, and there were so many kids. Were all werewolf families like this? Had Derek’s family been like this? Big and happy? Before Allison’s crazy aunt burned them all alive?

At the very end, Saraleigh had left him a little note. It took up the middle of the page, and Jackson just stared down at the written words for a moment. Just trying to understand them.



After a while, Jackson quit flipping through the book and laid it next to him. He’d keep it, just in case he needed to refer back to it. With that over and done with, he slumped in his seat and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long ride, and he wasn’t up for conversation.


“Why are we stopping?” Allison looked out of the window to see a bunch of abandoned looking buildings.

“Your dad hunts werewolves exclusively, the Argents always have, but we’re Winchesters.” Allison twisted around to look at Dean, who was the only one looking at her.

“And what do the Winchesters hunt?” Dean’s smile really was killer, and Allison could just make out the tense line of Sam’s shoulders.

“Everything.”