Let the Healing Light Come In

“Where are we going?” Jackson asked as he rolled his shoulders. The bones popped, but it felt like the tension had just moved into his neck instead.

“Forrest asked me to take some stuff out to the temple,” Reese shrugged.

“And what, exactly, is the temple?” Now he was popping his knuckles and raising his legs to listen to his knees pop.

“Follow me.” They had just stepped off the front porch and now Reese was running through the woods. Jackson rolled his eyes and quickly took off after her. The trees were a blur as he ran through and he could barely see Reese, but he had a lock on her scent.

It was a Tuesday, but Forrest was taking the day off. Reese was off today too, but Roman and Kit had both gone into work that morning. He had been staying with them a few days shy of a full month, but he still thought it was weird that he knew their schedules so well. He moved in on June ninth, and it was now July third. Tonight was a full moon. It was his first full moon with the Trucco pack, and he could already feel the pull under his skin. It was his fourth full moon as a werewolf, and he wasn’t looking forward to the experience again. Reese had taken off to keep an eye on him today. This was King’s first full moon ever, so Forrest had his hands full with the toddler.

“We’re here!” Reese slid to a stop in the woods, and Jackson slowed so he could look at the building. It looked like a shed or something, nothing special.

“What is here?” Reese waved her hand for him to follow her and then pushed open the heavy wooden door. She slipped off the bag on her shoulder as she walked inside, and Jackson paused in the doorway. Reese flipped on a light, even though they didn’t really need it, and Jackson looked around. There were pictures everywhere, with names and dates written under them.

“This is our temple, where we pay respect to our loved ones. They’re not buried here, of course. They’re all buried in different places, but we wanted a place where we could have them all together. A place where they never have to be alone.” Reese was pulling things out of her bag, but Jackson stayed where he was. The names and dates were carved into wooden boards and after working at the shop for over two weeks, Jackson could pick out Forrest’s handiwork.

“This is for Nate and Mary-Jane Taylor. May their troubles be over.” The framed picture showed a smiling woman, in a short white dress and veil, sitting in a smiling man’s lap. They were clearly in a bar and newly married. If Jackson looked hard enough, he could see King’s brown eyes in the woman’s face and the shape of his nose on his father’s.

“This is for Delilah Taylor, may she be at rest. This is for Declan Taylor, may he rest in peace.” The frame held two school pictures; one of a ten year old girl with smiling dimples and a grinning seven year old missing one of his front teeth. Reese quickly nailed on the wooden plaques, and she bowed her head when she was through.

“Why them?”

“So that when King has adjusted a bit more, he can come here and remember his family.” Reese plopped down on her ass and scooted back, and she patted the floor beside her. Jackson had long ago given up on trying to refuse to sit on the ground and instead walked over without question. When he was sitting, Reese leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Would you like to hear some of our history?”


“Will it put me to sleep?” She really does love Jackson’s snark. It makes her wonder how she’s lived all these years without it.

“Do you see that picture at the top? That’s Rhett Trucco, our grandpa. Pops and Uncle Shane were thirteen when he died, and Aunt Sally was still a couple of months away from being born. The people under him are his and Nan’s brothers and sisters, and their children. Pops’ uncles, aunts, and cousins. They were as big as our family now, but they were all spread out. Nan and Grandpa lived here, of course. Nan had a sister in Oklahoma and a brother down in Florida. Grandpa had a brother in Texas, another one in Illinois, and a sister in New York.”

“Some of those pictures are of children.” Jackson’s voice was tight, and his body was tense where it was pressed against hers. Reese knows it’s the full moon pulling at him, but there’s nothing that she can really do about that. Except maybe try to keep his mind busy.

“It was a network of several hunters that got to them. They were a big family when they were together, which they did every other year or so. The hunters were afraid of them coming together and staying together, so they decided on a preemptive strike. It all happened on the same night, in six different states. Five packs were completely wiped out in one night. Nan and her three children were the only survivors. Since then, we’ve always stayed together. Our belief is that the hunters won’t attack us while we’re together; they only strike when we’re separate and weak.”

“You do know that it’s easier to kill people when they’re all gathered together?” Reese nuzzled a bit against Jackson’s shoulder and shrugged.

“You’re probably right, but we already tried the separate thing. It was obviously before my time, but Nan remembers the loss. So does Pops and Uncle Shane. Besides, at least this way, we’ll all go out together. Now, let’s get back to the house. I’m starving.” Reese popped up to her feet, and Jackson handed over her bag. They were about halfway between the temple and the house when Jackson finally spoke what was on his mind.

“What’s going to happen tonight?”

“You mean, are we going to chain you up?” They were walking this time, so Reese could easily look over at Jackson’s face. His jaw was clenched so tight that she could see the muscle jumping.

“Are you?”

“Well, first, we’re going to go to the monthly pack meeting. You’ll have to sit in the friends of the pack section, but it usually doesn’t last long. After that, we’re going to eat some delicious food with the family. Normally after that, us werewolves go running off while everyone else goes home. Forrest and Mari are taking King to a different part of the woods, because they don’t want him overwhelmed by all the other wolves. Roman and me are going to take you somewhere different too, and we’ll keep you from getting close to anyone else. You can’t learn control if you’re chained up.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”


“Okay, I’m here. What do you want?” Stiles was standing just in the doorway to Scott’s room, and Scott was sitting on the edge of his bed with a really nervous look. That look cannot mean anything good. Scott scooted over a bit, and Stiles leaned to the side to get a look at the giant pile of chains on the bed.

“Kinky. Is this your way of saying that you’re up for trying something new? Because we can start off smaller, if that’s what you want.” Scott rolled his eyes and jumped up to start pacing.

“It’s the full moon, and I just want to make sure I don’t hurt anyone.” He was walking in tight circles now, so Stiles took his spot on the bed and ran his fingers over the links of the chains.

“I thought your control was better now?”

“It is but with everything that’s happened, and Allison actually being out of the country…I just want to be careful. You’ll stay with me, right?” Scott’s big brown eyes were staring right at him, and Stiles never could deny his best friend anything.

“Yeah, buddy. Just try not to kill me this time, okay? Because I have had it with near death experiences. I’m so over bodily harm.” Scott loped over to him and threw his arms around Stiles’s head. Stiles nearly choked on Scott’s tee shirt, but the hold wasn’t loosening. The almost hug turned into a scuffle, and it was just like when they were kids. Everything would be okay.


“Did you find another lead?” Isaac was sitting in the passenger seat of the Camaro and watching as trees blurred by. Derek had walked into the loft an hour ago, told Isaac to get in the car, and then just started driving north.

“No.” Sometimes Isaac really hated one word answers. Derek’s hands were white-knuckled where they were gripping the wheel, and he just kept driving.

“So, where are we going?” Derek glanced over at him before looking back at the road.

“As far as we can get before the sun goes down.” Before the sun…there was a full moon tonight, and Derek wanted them out of town. Well, at this rate, they might get out of the state.

“Are you worried about the alpha pack?” Derek didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. Isaac could read the answer in his tightening grip.


“Hey, Jaylen. Keep an eye on this one for me, yeah?” Saraleigh’s human fiancée nodded her head and smiled over at Jackson. Despite being a relatively new wolf, Jackson is pretty under control right now. Reese left Jackson in Jaylen’s very capable hands and hurried to her seat. She quickly sat down between Kit and Roman, just as Uncle Shane got to his feet.

The pack meeting didn’t last very long at all. Uncle Shane gave a formal welcome to their guests, Jackson and Jules’s child, a blonde vampire named Charles with a shy smile. He welcomed Mari into the pack, and King was announced as being the newest member of the family (even though it’ll be a few months before the adoption goes through). No one had any new announcements, so the meeting quickly broke up. Uncle Trent fired up the grill, and it wasn’t long before the sounds of laughter and eating filled the air. Reese was sitting with Roman, Jackson, and Mari when Forrest found them. King was on his hip, and he was whining quietly into his daddy’s neck.

“King’s starting to get restless, so I thought maybe we could leave a little early?” Forrest placed one hand on the back of King’s head, and his wide brown eyes look absolutely panicked. None of them have ever dealt with a bitten child before. All of the little werewolves in the family were born.

“Yeah, of course. See you guys tomorrow,” Mari said as she stood up. She laced her fingers with Forrest’s, and the two of them quickly walked off. It’s only been around two weeks since Mari moved into town, but her and Forrest have been completely inseparable. Two bodies quickly invaded Mari’s empty chair, and two smaller bodies crawled over the table.

“Ree!” Large light green eyes looked up into hers, and Reese leaned down to rub her nose against Sage’s. She knows that Sage loves all of their siblings, but she comes to Reese a lot. She’s pretty sure it’s because she’s the only other female witchy werewolf, even though she’s not so good at the witchy part.

“Jackson! I missed you so much!” Jas was sitting on the table right in front of Jackson, and she had her palms pressed flat against his cheeks.

“You saw me yesterday,” Jackson pointed out.

“That was forever ago! Did you miss me?” Jas poked her little bottom lip out, and Reese tried not to laugh as Jackson rolled his eyes heavenward.

“Yes, I missed you.” Jas cheered and threw herself at him, and Jackson just let it happen.

“She wouldn’t leave us alone until we brought her over,” Malvina stated. She was sitting in Mari’s vacant chair, with Maggie resting on her knees.

“I think it’s adorable. Jackson is her prince,” Maggie sighed. Jackson opened his mouth to reply, but a loud howl cut him off. Reese felt her eyes shift in response, and Sage’s bright golden eyes stared up at her.

“Alright, there’s the alpha’s call. See you when I get in?” Malvina asked.

“Of course. Have fun.” Malvina lightly pecked Maggie’s lips and then slid out from under her.

“Come on, we gotta go find your daddy.” Malvina pulled Jas away from Jackson, plucked Sage out of Reese’s lap, and sauntered off with a twin on each hip.

“Be careful, you three. I’ll see you in the morning.” Maggie gave them a parting smile and then walked off, probably to help with the cleanup.

“Where are we going?” Jackson asked.

“To the house, first. I actually like this shirt.” Jackson rolled his eyes, but he didn’t complain as they took off running. He’s probably glad to run off some of the excess energy. They split up after reaching the house, and Reese went straight to her room. She slipped on a pair of tight black shorts, because they’re easier to run in, and an old black sports bra. She didn’t even bother with shoes. Jackson and Roman were waiting on the porch when she came down, both in basketball shorts.

“North end?” Roman asked. The sky was steadily getting darker, but the moon hadn’t fully risen yet.

“Yeah. The others know to stay away. Come on, Jackson. Try to keep up.” Reese and Roman jumped off the porch and hit the ground running. Reese could hear Jackson right behind them, and it wasn’t long before he was right next to them. She caught the blue flash of his eyes and let her own shift. Here’s to hoping that tonight doesn’t end too bloody.


The Camaro pulled off on a small dirt path, and Derek quickly parked it behind some trees. Isaac scrambled to get out of his seat belt and follow after him, and it wasn’t long before they were both running through the woods. Isaac could feel the moon, like an itch beneath his skin. Shifting helped, but he still wanted…he didn’t know what he wanted. His head snapped back in a howl, and his fangs throbbed. A hand fisted in the back of his hair, and he looked into the red eyes of his alpha.

“Remember your anchor. You can control this.” His anchor…his father. His father with his arm draped across his shoulders, reading him a bedtime story. Him standing in a chair and helping his father wash the dishes. His father smiling at him, telling him how proud of him he was. He remembered his father before his mother’s death, before his older brother’s death.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He might’ve been gasping a bit, but he felt more in control. Derek’s grip loosened and his hand moved to grip the back of his neck instead.

“Come on. We’re far away from any other wolves. We’re safe, for tonight.” Isaac smiled at that, even though he knew it would only last for one night. Derek turned and took off into the woods, with Isaac right behind him.


“So…feeling murderous yet? Any urges to rip out my entrails? Bash my head into hard surfaces?” Scott looked away from the movie they were watching and smiled. He could feel the moon, it was hard not to, but he could control his urges. For the first time, he felt a sense of peace during the full moon. He wasn’t worried about killing people, or worried about other people killing people. He was in his room, surrounded by familiar scents, with his best friend. They were watching a movie, just like any other night.

“Nope. I feel…tranquil.” Stiles smiled and lightly knocked their shoulders together.

“Yeah, well, the night’s still young.”


“Hey, what are you doing up here?” Allison twisted around to watch Sam as he eased himself down next to her. The door to the Batcave was in the side of a hill (Sam called it a hobbit hole sometimes), and she had come outside to sit on top of the hill. It was comforting to know that her cousins’ home was under her.

“It’s the full moon.” She tipped her head back and looked up at the moon. Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she let him pull her against his side. She didn’t talk about her friends in Beacon Hills or what had happened, but she knew her father had filled them in on the basics.

Was Scott okay? She knew that she had been his anchor before, so she worried about him now. Was he chained up somewhere alone? No, Stiles would be with him. He wouldn’t leave Scott alone. How was Jackson adjusting? Her father told her that Jackson’s family had moved to London, and she wondered how he was adjusting to a new country. Then there was Derek, who had killed her mother. Was he running through Beacon Hills now? Was Isaac with him or running on his own? Were Boyd and Erica still missing? (Sometimes she remembered their beta forms and how they’d looked the night she shot them…over and over and over and over.)

“It’s kinda beautiful, isn’t it? Even though we know how many things can happen on a full moon. All that ugliness doesn’t wipe out the beauty.” Allison smiled at that and kept her eyes on the object of beauty.


His blood was on fire, and the twins were staring at him. They were waiting for him to fuck up, he could feel it. He was just so angry. Roman clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder, and he reacted on pure instinct. His claws ripped through Roman’s bare stomach, and his brown eyes flashed blue as Jackson tossed him to the ground. He moved to jump on him, but Reese barreled into his side. He twisted to grab her, and he kept his hands locked on her ribcage as he ran straight ahead. She might have been an inch taller than him, but he easily kept her feet off the ground as he ran. A low sitting branch penetrated her back and came out through her stomach. The howl that was ripped from her was full of pain, and her hands let go of his throat to grab the wood impaling her. Roman knocked into him then, and he snarled as he slid across the ground. He was up and running within seconds, and he could hear the two wolves behind him.

“Get him, Ro! I’ll be fine!” Heavy footsteps sounded after him, and he pushed himself farther. He’d only been running a few minutes when Roman finally caught up to him, and strong arms wrapped around his waist as he was tackled to the ground. Roman flipped him onto his back and a forearm across his throat kept him from leaning up and tearing the older wolf’s face off. Roman’s other hand gripped both of his wrists, and his hands were forced against the ground above his head.

“Jackson! Get it together!” Roman growled in his face.

“Fuck you!” Jackson bucked and kicked, but Roman’s long legs easily pinned his own down. He tried to twist and claw his way from Roman’s hold and when that failed, he did his best to sink his fangs into the forearm against his throat.

“You have to control it!” His back wasn’t even touching the ground as he bowed up and tried to get free. The only thing he could think about was ripping into Roman until there was nothing left. Nothing but blood and bones.

“Just kill me!” As the kanima, his bloodlust was controlled and precise. As a werewolf, his drive to kill was chaotic. At least as the kanima, he couldn’t remember anything. Until it was over. Roman’s growl worked through both of them, and Jackson yelped at the sudden headbutt. The hit made his head pound and his vision fuzzed out.

“Focus! Find something and focus on it!” Everything hurt and was pulling at him, demanding that he just do something. He sucked in a breath and that’s when he heard it.

lub dub......lub dub......lub dub

“Jackson?”

lub dub......lub dub......lub dub

His back touched the ground again, and his legs fell open as they stopped struggling to kick out. His arms went slack in Roman’s grip, and he closed his mouth once his fangs had disappeared. His eyes still had the cold feel to them and his claws made the tips of his fingers tingle, but he felt more in control. He wasn’t sure how long it was going to last, but he took a moment to just breathe in through his nose. Roman’s eyes shifted back to their usual angry brown, and he just stared down at him.

“Did you find an anchor?”

lub dub......lub dub......lub dub

“Your heart; why does it always beat so slow?” Roman’s eyes narrowed, and he finally let go of Jackson’s wrists. He sat up on his knees, but he didn’t move to get out of Jackson’s lap. Jackson slowly sat up and leaned back so that his palms took most of his weight.

“My heartbeat is your anchor?”

“You told me to focus, and I did.”

“Well, I see you two got this under control.” Jackson turned his head to the side, where Reese was leaning against a tree with a smile on her face. Her stomach was whole, and Jackson felt a brief pang of guilt for impaling her on a tree branch.

“Okay?” Roman asked. He still hadn’t moved. Why wasn’t Jackson making him move?

“Yeah, all healed up. Look, if you can handle him, I’m going to go check on King. Unless you want me to stick around?” His eyes met Roman’s, and they both turned to look at Reese.

“We’re good.” Reese nodded at her twin’s assurance and disappeared back into the woods. Jackson looked back at Roman and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

“What now?” Roman’s eyes flashed blue, and he was suddenly standing next to Jackson instead of sitting on him.

“Now, we run.”


He was laying on the ground, with his head pillowed on his alpha’s thigh and his legs completely stretched out. Derek had one hand in his hair, and the other was curled under his head as a pillow. In Isaac’s opinion, this was the best full moon ever. It had been just him and his alpha, running through the woods and playing a werewolf version of tag. He wasn’t locked up, he didn’t have the urge to kill anyone, and there wasn’t anyone trying to kill him. Even now, everything had a sense of peace to it. Derek was absently running his fingers through his hair, and the woods were nearly silent around them.

“I wish we could stay here forever.” Isaac’s words stirred the air around them, but he wasn’t going to take them back. It was true, even it if could never happen. Derek’s petting, Isaac wasn’t going to deny what it was, didn’t falter.

“Me too.”


“Hey, little King. How’s it going?” Reese asked as she knelt down. King exploded from the bush he was hiding in, and she managed to catch him before he could latch onto her face. His little growls were playful, and she tossed him up into the air as she stood up. She caught him by the ankle on the return trip and tried not to laugh at the sound of Forrest’s worried fretting.

“He’s fine, Forrest. See? He loves being with his Auntie Ree.” Reese grinned over at Mari, who smiled back with her shifted green eyes glowing. There wasn’t much difference between their shifts. Mari’s ears were more rounded and furry, her nose a little more pointed, her canines a little thicker but shorter, and there was a bit of fur on the back of her hands and the top of her feet.

“Yeah, he’s really taken to the bite,” Reese said as she tossed the squealing toddler back into the air.

“It’s probably because of how young he is,” Mari said as she sat down beside Forrest, whose eyes kept tracking King’s every movement.

“That’s what worries me. He’s still so young.” Damn, Forrest has really taken to fatherhood. And Mari gets this dopey smile on her face every time Forrest uses his concerned daddy voice. It’d be disgusting if it wasn’t so damned sweet.

“He’ll be fine. We don’t have to worry about this little guy, do we, King?” Reese was holding onto the back of King’s pants now, and the toddler bared his little fangs at her.

“Keen go up! Up, Ree!” She raised him up to eye level, nipped at his cute little nose, and sent him sailing through the air again. Tonight wasn’t nearly as bloody as she thought it would be.


He did it! He went through an entire full moon without shifting or wanting to kill something. Him and Stiles had watched movies, ate way too much junk food, and were just normal teenagers for once. Stiles had passed out a couple of hours ago, but Scott didn’t want to sleep until the sun rose. He looked away from the shining light outside of his window and shut his curtains. Stiles was drooling on his pillow, and Scott felt a little more at ease knowing that Stiles had felt safe enough to sleep around him during the full moon. Not for the first time, he wondered how Allison was doing.


“You’re both idiots. You know that, right?” Allison blinked sleepily in the dawning light and suddenly realized that her pillow was moving. Her pillow was Sam’s chest, and Dean was standing over the both of them with a defeated smile.

“You’re just jealous we didn’t invite you to our outdoor party,” Sam mumbled somewhere above her.

“Yeah, because I really wanna trade my awesome mattress for the hard ground. Come on inside. I made omelets and pancakes.” Dean walked away, and Allison and Sam used each other to get to their feet. Sam stiffly made his way down the hill, and Allison paused to look up at the rising sun. For just a moment, she let herself think about Scott and said a silent wish that he was doing okay.


The sun was sitting in the sky when Roman led the way to the front porch steps, and Jackson could hear the flurry of movement coming from inside the house. Roman paused on the bottom step, and Jackson stopped to look over at him. They were both covered in dirt and a little dried blood, but all of the scratches and bruises from the night before were gone now. After controlling himself, they spent the rest of the night just running around. Sometimes they raced or wrestled, but they mostly just ran. Roman lightly gripped the back of his neck, just for a second, and then continued on into the house. Jackson knew that Roman was a guy of few words, and he was still learning how to read the guy’s body language. He was learning though that most of the casual touches were just assurances. He followed Roman up the stairs and ducked into his room. After a shower hot enough to peel paint from the walls, he thought about just collapsing into bed and sleeping for the rest of the day. Which was tempting, but not nearly as tempting as the smell coming from downstairs.

“Yo, Jackson! That must be one hell of a beauty regime! Thought you were never coming down.” Malvina was sitting on the kitchen counter and not-so-sneakily sneaking pieces of bacon from the plate next to the stove.

“Just steeling myself to look at your ugly face. And don’t look me in the eye. I don’t want to lose my appetite.” Malvina threw her head back in a loud laugh, and Maggie leaned over from where she was scrambling up some eggs to press a kiss against her evil girlfriend’s lips.

“Bubba! Bubba!” King was squirming in Mari’s hold, and the bear easily lifted the little kid over her head as Jackson got closer. He grabbed the kid under his arms and plopped him into his lap after taking his seat between the twins.

“Last night go okay, Jackson?” Forrest asked from the other side of the table. Mari was leaning her head on his shoulder, and Jackson tried not to choke on the sweetness in the air.

“Yeah, it was fine.” King was playing with the collar of his shirt, and Jackson reached down to keep him from tearing the fabric.

“I told you Jackson was a natural,” Reese said. He could feel her ankle pushing flush against his, and Roman’s knee was pressed against his own.

“Breakfast time!” Malvina called as she walked to the table. She set down a giant plate of food and then pulled out a chair for Maggie. Maggie sat her own plate down, and Kit was the last one to the table. He was carrying two plates, and he stared down at the impressive spread with a proud smile.

“Jesus, Kit, you are going to be someone’s perfect housewife,” Malvina moaned around a mouthful of bacon biscuit.

“Thanks, I think.” Kit was blushing a bit under his stubble, and Maggie cooed down the table at him.

“Take the compliment. You’ve earned it,” Mari said with a brief squeeze to Kit’s forearm. Jackson had to agree. Somehow, Kit’s cooking always managed to surprise him. Seriously, normal every day food should not taste this good.

“Hey, Jackson, any plans for today?” Reese asked from beside him. He looked across the table at Forrest, who shook his head.

“No. What do you want?” King happily munched on some of Jackson’s eggs, but Jackson couldn’t even get mad at the kid. He looked just as awed by Kit’s cooking as Jackson felt.

“I have some errands to run in town. Wanna come with me?”

“Sure.” Reese beamed at him and then attacked her bacon like it was going to run away. Jackson was still convinced that all of them were certifiably insane, but he could handle them.