Broken Luna

The Tracker

~~Bran POV~~

Honestly, I was ready to dive out of the window of the truck into the middle of morning traffic to escape my brother any second now. While yes, it is understandable that finding your mate is pretty damn huge, but the anxiety and the barked orders, and endless worries he said to fill the air only to cut me off when I tried to answer?

The man was like a damn pup. Here I thought I was supposed to be the directionless little brother? Would our father judge me harshly if I strangled him right now? There are three of us boys. Surely two is enough?

Jem was insufferable. And I made the error of groaning at the overload my poor skull was suffering.

“Are you even listening?!” he snapped at me. Honestly if I hadn’t been driven simply mental by him at this point, it would be funny. Now I just had a growing headache.

“I tried, really - Jem. I tried. You just - rambled like a damn starry eyed pup and repeated, and diverged - and kept cutting me off…” - Jem snarled at my reply.

“Maybe I should just go in and look myself…” he trailed off.

“NO!” - he looked at me oddly, about to demand why, I just f*****g felt a tingling in my balls that was coming next, so f**k him and his personal crisis - it was MY turn to ramble for a f*****g second. “It would be weird for a heavily tatted, bearded giant lumbering around looking for a highschool girl he doesn’t even know the name of. You’ve turned my brain mostly to mush. But not so much I can’t actually manage looking around for the Luna…”

He didn’t look convinced…

I looked to the cracked window… There was still time to dive the f**k out of this hell.

Luckily it would seem the gods favored him in the moment as a resigned sigh left Jem, “fine.” The huff was almost childish. And very much unlike my brother. Despite the irritation it nearly made me laugh. Instead taking to biting my cheeks to avoid the possibility of sending my brother off into another endless monolog. I would literally die.

Honestly it must have been like, 84 years before finally we stopped in front of my school. Thankful for once I did the insufferable track into town to attend a school mostly inhabited by humans. A few wolves. Potentially… other things.

You best believe my beautiful butt was running for the doors hollering my ‘see ya laters’ to Jem before he could attempt to give more orders. Nearly crashing threw the doors into a group at my hasty retreat from my personal hell.

Sighing heavily. “Freeeeeeeeeedomeeeeeeeeee-” I pumped my fist in rapturous victory. Warranting me more than a few rather perplexed looks. Obviously most people did the freedom cheer when school was over - and you know. You left. But clearly they never got stuck in the car for an hour with a werewolf who met his mate and didn’t know where she was now.

Really. School was f*****g heaven…

~~a few hours later~~

School was f*****g hell.

Why did I have to keep learning how to do math in my mind. Math was for calculators for f**k sake. I’d been looking between class and the plan was to do a big looksie about during lunch. While I didn’t have the little wolfs scent so intimately shoved down my snozzle as my brother. I could recall her scent.

Unfortunately so far today I hadn’t found a fresh trail. Most seemed like her comings and goings from the previous day. I should get a damn ribbon for my detective work. It’s not easy tracking in a school reeking of a bazillion teens.

Longing was I, for the days I just blocked off scents. Having to willingly choose to subject myself into a scenting mode among a high school was not fun. It was not pleasant. It was nothing short of… of abuse!

Unable to prevent the desperate linger on the clock that ticked at an offensively slow pace towards the end of class. Regretting not skipping this nightmare that somehow thought numbers should be replaced with letters and that my brain should have it figured out by now.

Honestly - where in the actual f**k would I ever use this s**t? Sure as hell not as a pack warrior. I flung everything hastily into my backpack the moment the bell rang. Dodging past slower moving bodies to weave through the teenage wasteland.

I’d managed to track where she’d been yesterday. But something nagged at me telling me to go back to Mr Larkin’s room. Maybe it was the fact that Jem hadn’t been the only one to notice that she’d been more or less distraught from the last place she’d come from. And her trail said his classroom.

Lucky me that it seemed the man was hunched over his desk with a frown, marking some papers. I rapped on the door as I invited myself into his office. For the assumption of being welcomed in there was a frown given to me. True… I wasn’t in the guys class. I had him once a year back.

“Hey Mr Larkin,” greeting the older man. Who seemed to struggle to recollect my name, “Bran. I was in your class a year ago. But yeah, not hear about me. I’m just looking for a friend of mine. Kinda worried. Haven’t seen her today. She’s in your class, Jude?”

An almost panicked widening of eyes would probably have been missed by once. But that slight bulge wasn’t getting past me. Nor the spike in his heart beat as he seemed to struggle to keep calm and impassive on the outside.

It just gave me a worse feeling, one that left my gut unsettled. Mouth dry, and my wolf stirred, a low angry growl in my mind. Usually I don’t seem to jump to conclusions. But Titan was convinced in his own gut that this was not a good man. And that he was the reason his future luna and sister in law was distressed yesterday. Since the furry asshole is one with me. Seems like my own gut was in agreement.

Took a lot to hold back my wolf. We were alpha blood. It was harder than most to hold back that kind of wolf. While not the alpha of our pack. I was of the Fenris line. Brother to the Alpha.

“Sorry. I haven’t seen her since she left class yesterday,” the answer was clipped, “sorry I can’t help. I’ve a lot of work to do.”

The man shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of my eyes. It would be hard to miss the narrowing of them, “she was rather… upset after she left your class. I do remember that.” There was a hardness of accusation mixed into what had been an attempt at nonchalance.

Mr Larkins nostrils flared slightly as he nearly threw his pen down, “Mrs Valencia was upset that I didn’t give her an extension on some overdue work. Unfortunate. But also regrettably I had already been to lenient on the assignment and her upset was her own doing.”

Fucking horseshit, Bran. I can taste his lies… I bet he did something bad to upset her. Let me drag it from his flesh… Titan seemed to want a pound of literal flesh. Unfortunately. Not a good choice considering the location. And all the normies in the school.

Calm down Titan. We can’t expose the werewolf race on a hunch… As much as I would enjoy the recreation. I don’t like him either - my wolf huffed. Bristled and resented being denied. He settled for pushing out his aura of authority over the man.

“Hmm. Nope. Don’t think that was it,” maybe I felt the need to push. Maaaaybe I wasn’t exactly reigning in Titan as much as I should. I could feel rage simmering up closer to the surface. There was no hidden accusation now.

The man didn’t mistake it, he saw it for what was implied. “Whatever that lying w***e said I did is just that! A lie! She’s a prostitute for gods sake! She came onto me to try getting a better grade and I threatened to report her. That is it. If anything the b***h should thank me for protecting her! I could have her out of this school!”

Really there was only a blink between the mans words and my fist around his throat. Hauling him over the table and slamming him to the floor. Clearly stunning and disorienting him. It was Titan speaking through me, “Listen scum. You’ll never speak an ill word of her again. Or touch her. Is that understood!”

The man wet himself. The pathetic, spineless scum had actually pissed himself. Lucky for him I managed to reason TItan down from ripping his throat out. That would be a hard one to cover up, “I… I wont! But it’s - she is she works downtown! At the Hillcrest-” my hand tightened around his throat. The man sputtered clawing at my hand. I hoped the fucker was seeing black dots, “H-hill-” coughing - “crest f..for the Severus…”

“You’re lying!” I roar at this f*****g asshole.

“Please.. I-it’s true…” I stopped. Feeling my blood run cold at that. The Severus was a group. With an unknown leader. And if she was working at the infamous Hillcrest - she’d be under the mad dog - well maybe that was an insult to dogs - the mad warlock - Matthias. If there was truth to this mans words… Much as I wished he was just trying to spin some twisted lie - that part seemed to sound of truth. Humans that looked for the wares of people like Matthias knew about the bare bones of the business. Just.. not the supernatural side.

Jem was going to lose his f*****g mind. Wraith would… And so would his brothers second wolf Colossus. No one liked when Colossus got mad.

Still I was unable to help myself from punching the man out cold and kicking him while he was down. Scum. He deserved worse. He wouldn’t dare say a word if he knew what was good for him. My blood boiled. Titan howled in outrage and mourning over what this information really meant.

It was known around the ‘hidden world’ of supernaturals what went on in The Severus establishments. Everyone knew what was offered at Hillcrest Apartments. That Matthias delt in drugs - and s*x. More than a few people wanted to take the fucker down. But trying to do so without creating a hard to hide supernatural war had proved to be a pain in the mother f*****g ass.

Only one thing did I do before I left school… Without informing Jem what I was doing naturally - was to look through a yearbook. “Judas Valencia…” so that was her name.

If I called Jem now, reported everything I’d found out. I was sure my big brother would do something very, very rash. Rash enough to garner the attention of the attention of the Grand Council. Not that Jem was the rash sort most the time. But this girl was his twin flame. The missing half of his soul. The one person that could complete his heart.

A mate - a soulmate - the intensity of the bond was nothing to joke about. He’d start a war. Honestly Jem might strangle me for what I’m about to do. Leaving school I head for the Hillcrest Apartments. Knowing I was going to have to take a hit to my ego…

Also my bank account.

And depending how things went - possibly my poor face.

rries he said to fill the air only to cut me off when I tried to answer?

 The man was like a damn pup. Here I thought I was supposed to be the directionless little brother? Would our father judge me harshly if I strangled him right now? There are three of us boys. Surely two is enough? 

Jem was insufferable. And I made the error of groaning at the overload my poor skull was suffering.

 “Are you even listening?!” he snapped at me. Honestly if I hadn’t been driven simply mental by him at this point, it would be funny. Now I just had a growing headache. 

 “I tried, really - Jem. I tried. You just - rambled like a damn starry eyed pup and repeated, and diverged - and kept cutting me off…” - Jem snarled at my reply.

“Maybe I should just go in and look myself…” he trailed off.

“NO!” - he looked at me oddly, about to demand why, I just f*****g felt a tingling in my balls that was coming next, so f**k him and his personal crisis - it was MY turn to ramble for a f*****g second. “It would be weird for a heavily tatted, bearded giant lumbering around looking for a highschool girl he doesn’t even know the name of. You’ve turned my brain mostly to mush. But not so much I can’t actually manage looking around for the Luna…”

 He didn’t look convinced…

 I looked to the cracked window… There was still time to dive the f**k out of this hell.

 Luckily it would seem the gods favored him in the moment as a resigned sigh left Jem, “fine.” The huff was almost childish. And very much unlike my brother. Despite the irritation it nearly made me laugh. Instead taking to biting my cheeks to avoid the possibility of sending my brother off into another endless monolog. I would literally die.

 Honestly it must have been like, 84 years before finally we stopped in front of my school. Thankful for once I did the insufferable track into town to attend a school mostly inhabited by humans. A few wolves. Potentially… other things. 

 You best believe my beautiful butt was running for the doors hollering my ‘see ya laters’ to Jem before he could attempt to give more orders. Nearly crashing threw the doors into a group at my hasty retreat from my personal hell. 

 Sighing heavily. “Freeeeeeeeeedomeeeeeeeeee-” I pumped my fist in rapturous victory. Warranting me more than a few rather perplexed looks. Obviously most people did the freedom cheer when school was over - and you know. You left. But clearly they never got stuck in the car for an hour with a werewolf who met his mate and didn’t know where she was now.

 Really. School was f*****g heaven…

~~a few hours later~~

 School was f*****g hell. 

 Why did I have to keep learning how to do math in my mind. Math was for calculators for f**k sake. I’d been looking between class and the plan was to do a big looksie about during lunch. While I didn’t have the little wolfs scent so intimately shoved down my snozzle as my brother. I could recall her scent. 

 Unfortunately so far today I hadn’t found a fresh trail. Most seemed like her comings and goings from the previous day. I should get a damn ribbon for my detective work. It’s not easy tracking in a school reeking of a bazillion teens. 

 Longing was I, for the days I just blocked off scents. Having to willingly choose to subject myself into a scenting mode among a high school was not fun. It was not pleasant. It was nothing short of… of abuse!

 Unable to prevent the desperate linger on the clock that ticked at an offensively slow pace towards the end of class. Regretting not skipping this nightmare that somehow thought numbers should be replaced with letters and that my brain should have it figured out by now.

 Honestly - where in the actual f**k would I ever use this s**t? Sure as hell not as a pack warrior. I flung everything hastily into my backpack the moment the bell rang. Dodging past slower moving bodies to weave through the teenage wasteland. 

 I’d managed to track where she’d been yesterday. But something nagged at me telling me to go back to Mr Larkin’s room. Maybe it was the fact that Jem hadn’t been the only one to notice that she’d been more or less distraught from the last place she’d come from. And her trail said his classroom. 

 Lucky me that it seemed the man was hunched over his desk with a frown, marking some papers. I rapped on the door as I invited myself into his office. For the assumption of being welcomed in there was a frown given to me. True… I wasn’t in the guys class. I had him once a year back. 

 “Hey Mr Larkin,” greeting the older man. Who seemed to struggle to recollect my name, “Bran. I was in your class a year ago. But yeah, not hear about me. I’m just looking for a friend of mine. Kinda worried. Haven’t seen her today. She’s in your class, Jude?”

 An almost panicked widening of eyes would probably have been missed by once. But that slight bulge wasn’t getting past me. Nor the spike in his heart beat as he seemed to struggle to keep calm and impassive on the outside. 

 It just gave me a worse feeling, one that left my gut unsettled. Mouth dry, and my wolf stirred, a low angry growl in my mind. Usually I don’t seem to jump to conclusions. But Titan was convinced in his own gut that this was not a good man. And that he was the reason his future luna and sister in law was distressed yesterday. Since the furry asshole is one with me. Seems like my own gut was in agreeance. 

 Took a lot to hold back my wolf. We were alpha blood. It was harder than most to hold back that kind of wolf. While not the alpha of our pack. I was of the Fenris line. Brother to the Alpha. 

 “Sorry. I haven’t seen her since she left class yesterday,” the answer was clipped, “sorry I can’t help. I’ve a lot of work to do.”

 The man shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of my eyes. It would be hard to miss the narrowing of them, “she was rather… upset after she left your class. I do remember that.” There was a hardness of accusation mixed into what had been an attempt at nonchalance. 

 Mr Larkins nostrils flared slightly as he nearly threw his pen down, “Mrs Valencia was upset that I didn’t give her an extension on some overdue work. Unfortunate. But also regrettably I had already been to lenient on the assignment and her upset was her own doing.”

Fucking horseshit, Bran. I can taste his lies… I bet he did something bad to upset her. Let me drag it from his flesh… Titan seemed to want a pound of literal flesh. Unfortunately. Not a good choice considering the location. And all the normies in the school. 

 Calm down Titan. We can’t expose the werewolf race on a hunch… As much as I would enjoy the recreation. I don’t like him either - my wolf huffed. Bristled and resented being denied. He settled for pushing out his aura of authority over the man.

  “Hmm. Nope. Don’t think that was it,” maybe I felt the need to push. Maaaaybe I wasn’t exactly reigning in Titan as much as I should. I could feel rage simmering up closer to the surface. There was no hidden accusation now. 

 The man didn’t mistake it, he saw it for what was implied. “Whatever that lying w***e said I did is just that! A lie! She’s a prostitute for gods sake! She came onto me to try getting a better grade and I threatened to report her. That is it. If anything the b***h should thank me for protecting her! I could have her out of this school!” 

 Really there was only a blink between the mans words and my fist around his throat. Hauling him over the table and slamming him to the floor. Clearly stunning and disorienting him. It was Titan speaking through me, “Listen scum. You’ll never speak an ill word of her again. Or touch her. Is that understood!” 

 The man wet himself. The pathetic, spineless scum had actually pissed himself. Lucky for him I managed to reason TItan down from ripping his throat out. That would be a hard one to cover up, “I… I wont! But it’s - she is she works downtown! At the Hillcrest-” my hand tightened around his throat. The man sputtered clawing at my hand. I hoped the fucker was seeing black dots, “H-hill-” coughing - “crest f..for the Severus…” 

 “You’re lying!” I roar at this f*****g asshole.

 “Please.. I-it’s true…”  I stopped. Feeling my blood run cold at that. The Severus was a group. With an unknown leader. And if she was working at the infamous Hillcrest - she’d be under the mad dog - well maybe that was an insult to dogs - the mad warlock - Matthias. If there was truth to this mans words… Much as I wished he was just trying to spin some twisted lie - that part seemed to sound of truth. Humans that looked for the wares of people like Matthias knew about the bare bones of the business. Just.. not the supernatural side.

 Jem was going to lose his f*****g mind. Wraith would… And so would his brothers second wolf Colossus. No one liked when Colossus got mad.

 Still I was unable to help myself from punching the man out cold and kicking him while he was down. Scum. He deserved worse. He wouldn’t dare say a word if he knew what was good for him. My blood boiled. Titan howled in outrage and mourning over what this information really meant. 

 It was known around the ‘hidden world’ of supernaturals what went on in The Severus establishments. Everyone knew what was offered at Hillcrest Apartments. That Matthias delt in drugs - and s*x. More than a few people wanted to take the fucker down. But trying to do so without creating a hard to hide supernatural war had proved to be a pain in the mother f*****g ass.

 Only one thing did I do before I left school… Without informing Jem what I was doing naturally - was to look through a yearbook. “Judas Valencia…” so that was her name. 

 If I called Jem now, reported everything I’d found out. I was sure my big brother would do something very, very rash. Rash enough to garner the attention of the attention of the Grand Council. Not that Jem was the rash sort most the time. But this girl was his twin flame. The missing half of his soul. The one person that could complete his heart.

 A mate - a soulmate - the intensity of the bond was nothing to joke about. He’d start a war. Honestly Jem might strangle me for what I’m about to do. Leaving school I head for the Hillcrest Apartments. Knowing I was going to have to take a hit to my ego…

 Also my bank account.

 And depending how things went - possibly my poor face.