There was no fanfare for your departure the next morning. A simple goodbye from your family as you shoved your things into the back of the inconspicuous Jeep. No one else came to see you off and that was just fine with you. Too many had wanted this assignment and you didn’t want their attitudes to sour this last moment you would have with your family for a while.

You embraced both of your parents briefly, wanting to keep on a stoic face for them. the last thing you needed was for them to worry that you weren’t ready for this. You were more than ready; you were itching to get going. Ally, however, held on to your hug a little longer, sniffing back the tears as you kissed the top of her head. You could be a little more emotional with her and not send off unneeded alarm bells.

“I’ll send word when I’ve reached the apartment,” you told your family as you placed one foot up on the step, ready to hop into the driver’s seat.

“And after that, it’s radio silence,” your father reminded you. In agreement, you gave him a single, hard nod. You knew the rules well enough. If - heaven forbid - anything were to happen to you, the last thing you wanted was to lead the pack back here.

“Tell Innie hi for us!” your mom called out a bit more cheerful after you’d already slammed the door shut.

Shaking your head, you started up the engine and rolled on down the road, away from the place you’d called home for the past five years and towards a quiet, unassuming university town that had no idea the darkness that was lurking amongst its buildings. Of course your mother would still think of that right now.

The drive was long and tiring, nothing but the music from the radio to keep you company. By the time you reached the apartment building, the sun was already on the other side of the sky. Keys in hand, you grabbed all of your bags and made the climb up the stairs and inside the old brick house that the owner had renovated to split it up into four equal sized apartments. At least your neighbors were limited.

Inside, the rooms of the one bedroom apartment were already furnished, everything provided by and set up by some family connections that left no trace of themselves behind. At first glance, it seemed like a normal apartment for the average twenty-something girl. But, if anyone were to look closer, they’d realize that the decor was minimal, just enough to pass as occupied, but not enough to show character or give insight to the resident. It didn’t really matter much, though. You weren’t planning on letting anyone beyond the front door. Except maybe for-

Vrrrmmm. Vrrrrmmm. Vrrrmmm.

You sighed, dropping the heavy bags from your shoulders down to the floor. Only a few minutes in this new place, and your mother was already calling you to check up on you. Sure, the GPS had just been turned off, signalling to them that you made it, but couldn’t she give you a second to actually make the phone call?

But when you pulled your phone out of your pocket, it wasn’t your mother’s caller ID lighting up the screen.

Smiling to yourself, you swiped the little green icon and answered, “Hello?”

“(y/n)!”

You were fully prepared for the shouting, simply laughing at your cousin’s excitement.

When you first learned that your assignment would take place in the same town your cousin lived in, you were both concerned and relieved. Obviously the concern came from the fact that she was in such close proximity to the settled wolf pack, but the relief was a bit of a surprise to you.

Hunters were often depicted as loners, detached and uninterested in the world around them. That’s not how you were, though. You liked being around family and people that you cared about. Loneliness was to be expected in this life, but that didn’t mean you had to like it. Knowing that your cousin was so close and just a phone call away was a surprise comfort to keep your focus and not get overwhelmed with the task assigned to you. The only issue: Innie was from your mother’s side of the family and completely clueless that hunters and werewolves even existed.

And you planned to keep it that way.

“Hey, Innie!” you greeted back with enthusiasm.

“Are you in town yet? Please tell me that you’re in town!”

“Yes, I just made it in.”

“Good! That means you can come out tonight!”

It took a bit of your training to hold back the groan. Of course, Innie would jump straight into “going out” mode. You weren’t opposed to actually leaving the apartment; in fact, it’d be the perfect opportunity to stake out the town’s residents and maybe catch a whiff of the wolf pack since you didn’t really know what any of them looked like. Fighting off your cousin’s attempts to get you to keep drinking was going to the hard part. The last time you saw her face to face was a little after her birthday four years ago and you’d never been more miserable than how you felt the following morning.

From your intel, the pack was roughly the age of the college students that occupied this forest-surrounded town. So maybe going out to a bar would be the best place to start in your search.

“Absolutely,” you agreed with a bit of genuine enthusiasm. “What are you thinking?”

“There’s a bar downtown called The Moonlight. Meet there at eight?”

The Moonlight? Seriously? You weren’t a business expert, but could the owner really not come up with a more creative name than that?

Well, at least it was memorable.

“Sounds good,” you told her. “I’ll see you then.”

Innie squealed loudly into the phone, making you laugh. “I’ll you see tonight! I’m so excited!”

Shaking your head, you hung up with your cousin. While you couldn’t pinpoint the origin or reason why, you had a good feeling about this outing and the possibilities it held for your mission.

Moving on to more important things, you dialed the number for your father’s burner phone.

“Yes?” your father’s voice came from the speaker.

“The package arrived,” you said monotonously.

There was no reply. He simply hung up, the message clearly received.

And with that, you tossed your phone down on the small kitchen table, picked up your bags and headed for the bedroom where you would unpack your things until it was time to meet up with Innie.

**

Luhan got back from his run a few hours later to a very put out Junmyeon. The alpha was leaning up against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown creating wrinkles between his eyes.

“I thought I asked everyone to go on runs in pairs?” Junmyeon said crossly.

Luhan sighed, not feeling the least bit sorry. Okay, maybe he felt a little sorry since Junmyeon had a tendency to worry, even about the minute things. “You did. But I needed the air and everyone else was occupied.”

Understanding the implication, Junmyeon’s stern face slipped. “Well, you still could have asked one of us to go with you. I’d rather that than something happening to you.”

“But how long did it take you to realize I was gone?” Luhan asked. His tone wasn’t harsh or venomous, just simply inquiring. At Junmyeon’s inability to answer, Luhan smiled. “Don’t worry about it. It’s alright. But I should probably go take a shower now, I’m sweaty from the run.”

He was gone and down the stairs before Junmyeon could reply. He wasn’t really in the mood to be given pity. While he was still pacifying the little flame of hope inside, he didn’t want anyone else poking at it.

Thankfully, the water was nice and warm when he rotated the metal handle and stepped into the tiny shower in the bathroom he shared with the others who occupied the basement. The walls and door of the cramped space were practically sparkling, meaning that Evie had gone through her normal Saturday cleaning spree. He’d have to make sure he wiped everything down after he finished so didn’t get that look. Until then, he stayed under that spray of water, just letting his mind wander as he washed his hair and scrubbed off the dirt he’d accumulated on the run.

Afterwards, he got dressed and headed back upstairs find something to do until it was time to head into work. He settled in the living room, watching old reruns of a sitcom that had been off of regular air for a good decade or so. Around the time he contemplating getting up to leave, Tao came through the living room, stopping when he noticed Luhan.

“How do I look?” the younger wolf inquired, striking several poses so Luhan could see the outfit from multiple angles.

Luhan wasn’t entirely sure what was so special about this getup. Paired with zipper decorated black skinny jeans was a dark gray hoodie worn under another jacket with a floral pattern that reminded him of an old couch you’d typically find in a grandmother’s house. And yet, the way Tao walked around confidently in the clothes, it somehow all came together.

“Got another date tonight?” Luhan guessed, already knowing the answer.

“Of course,” Tao snorted, that mischievous smirk playing on his lips. “I’d say ‘don’t wait up for me’, but-”

“I won’t even be here,” Luhan interceded. “Just don’t bring her to the bar. I’m hoping for a peaceful night.”

Tao rolled his eyes. “Good luck with that. I think some of the guys plan on starting there tonight.”

“Great,” Luhan groaned. With a sigh, he jumped up from the couch. “At least they’re planning to use it as a starting point and not for the end of their night. I’m not driving any of those drunks home.”

“They’ll probably crash at one of the mates’ place.” There was no missing the sneer behind Tao’s voice.

Luhan kept his thoughts on that particular subject to himself, instead walking quietly beside Tao to the garage before hopping into his own car and heading into town. Tao drove a little faster than Luhan, so the latter was very much alone on that long stretch of road, nothing but the still trees lining both sides to keep him company.

The bar was already busy by the time he arrived, people taking advantage of the decent food before going on with their crazy nights. Luhan greeted his coworkers, including Erin, who gave him a shy smile and a quiet hello while pushing her hair behind her ear. The sound of her racing heartbeat reached his ears and he sighed internally. He knew about her little crush and it made him sad.

She didn’t know that her chances with him were zero. Less than, even. If Luhan wasn’t a wolf, if he didn’t have a mate out there waiting for him, he’d gladly take her out on a date. She was cute, small, and gave off that aura that immediately made you want to protect her. But Luhan couldn’t push off his fate and forget about it like Tao could, so he kept her at arm’s distance. Still friendly, but avoided doing anything that could be interpreted in the wrong way.

A little before eight, a familiar face sat down at the counter in front of Luhan.

“Hey!” Hae In greeted with a large smile.

“Hey,” Luhan greeted back as he filled a glass with ice. His eyes searched instinctively for Baekhyun who he knew wouldn’t be too far behind.

“He’s not here yet,” Hae In told him. “He’s coming later.”

“Wonderful,” Luhan grumbled teasingly.

Hae In rolled her eyes before checking her watch. “I’m going to run to the restroom real quick. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” he nodded.

Barely a minute after Hae In disappeared towards the restrooms, another girl sat down on the same bench. And Luhan’s heart stopped.

Did you really just sit down in front of him? Was his mind playing tricks on him?

No. The others had described the feeling too many times for this ache in his heart to be anything else. But while Luhan was staring at you with awe, you weren’t looking in his direction at all, scanning the crowd with your eyes.

Please, don’t be looking for a boyfriend. He didn’t really want to deal with the same situation that Kris and Minseok went through.

To his relief, it wasn’t a boyfriend that came bounding up to you. It was Hae In.

“(y/n)!”

And now he had a name as well.

Hae In practically threw herself on you, but you stayed steady on the stool, smiling as you returned the hug.

“I’m so glad you made it!” Hae In squealed.

“Did you think I’d skip out on seeing you again after all this time?” you scolded.

“Of course not. I am your favorite, after all.” Hae In pulled back, a bright smile on her face. Turning to Luhan, she introduced the two of you. “Oh, good you’re still here. (y/n), this is my friend, Luhan. Luhan, this is my cousin, (y/n).”

Her cousin? Oh this day was just getting better.

“It’s nice to meet you,” you nodded. But while Luhan was grinning from ear to ear, your own smile was more strained, a curious and confused look in your eyes. Perhaps, even… worry?

“And you.” Luhan couldn’t believe it. For so long, he’d waited for you and now, of all the bars in this town, you walked into his to meet your cousin, who also already happened to be a mate of his brother. That connection was going to make it easier to meet you, to grow closer to you. But for now, he had to stay in the role of friendly bartender. “What can I get you?”

“Why not two of your famous specials?” Hae In asked with a wink.

“You got it.”

Luhan tried not to listen too hard to the conversation that was taking place in front of him, but he couldn’t help it, only his hands were occupied and he didn’t have to think about the ingredients as he mixed them together. It sounded like you had relocated here to get a little independence from your family. You worked from home as a freelance designer and were looking for new scenery. Hm, maybe you and Dana would get along in that aspect.

“Here you go,” Luhan interrupted, sliding over two glasses of the Luhan Twist. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks,” you mumbled, reaching for the drink with your left hand. And then, for the second time in just five minutes, Luhan’s heart stopped. But this time, it wasn’t out of joyful surprise.

Right there, tattooed on your left wrist was a triquetra, revealed for a second by your long sleeve not stretching with the motion. While he’d seen that type of art inked into people before, it was the placement and the fact that the three points transitioned into arrowheads that flipped everything on its head. It was the mark of one of the hunter families that had been torturing his kind for centuries.

You didn’t notice his change in demeanor as you sipped on the drink, keeping your attention on Hae In.

As quietly as he could, Luhan stepped away. He needed space to think, to try and figure out what the hell he was going to do. Because the one he was fated to love was raised to kill him. And he had a feeling that if he wasn’t careful with how he handled this, you could really be the death of him.