The ride back to Sebastian’s house was quiet but not in the tense way that their ride to the circle had been. Sebastian had taken a closer look at the papers Quiver had given him, which were difficult to understand at first, but he was able to get the point of them. Not only did the folder contain papers that gave Seb guardianship over Luke, but there was also a map that showed the span of their new territory.

Luke had helped him with the map, explaining how the different coloured lines told them where the borders for their personal territory were as well as areas which were considered neutral. Thankfully, their borders included Persephone’s Emporium, the café where Edmund worked and both of their houses. The school was on neutral ground, so they’d still be able to attend there too.

“How do these borders work exactly?” Edmund inquired.

“Well, they act like a light sort of barrier. Any rouges or wolves from different packs will feel resistance when trying to cross into your territory. You will also be altered once they do cross, something like a sixth sense warning you there’s outsiders in your space,” Luke explained.

“This is dryad’s circle, right? What does the border surrounding that mean?” Seb asked.

“That colour means holy land; in a sense. Dryads can create contracts involving supernatural beings, that paired with their usual neutral attitudes, make them perfect judges for fights or contests. Wherever their tree is located is the only area they can move within and marked as land that simply can’t be touched unless you wish to face heaven’s wrath.”

“Okay, so that’s Quiver’s territory, basically?”

Luke shrugged. “Basically.”

“Alright. Now onto the tougher questions. How the hell am I your guardian? I’m human.”

Luke frowned. “I- I'm not sure. The only person who could give you a full answer is Quiver, but if the documents are all in order, then you are a part of the pack. I’m not sure how it works for bitten-Alphas, but some born alphas will have a best friend who is automatically bonded to them as a beta, gamma, or sometimes even a delta.”

Seb looked even more confused. “Alpha, beta, gamma- what's the Greek alphabet have to do with this?”

“Those are the names of pack ranks. Alpha – the leader and protector, Beta – the alpha’s second in command, Gamma – the combat training head, Delta – members of the pack without specific roles, and Omega – the pack’s caretaker and peacekeeper. There’s also the Luna, usually the Alpha’s partner, who also works as a caretaker in the pack, but in more of a pack mother sense.”

“Okay, so, how do we tell what I am?”

“Um, only Edmund can really tell us. As the alpha, he would be the one to understand what roles are assigned to who.”

“But I don’t know how to do that,” Ed said with a frown. “Could I learn?”

Luke shrugged and began fiddling with his shirt again. From there, the group just sat in silence till they arrived at Sebastian’s house. He had never been happier to see the pale-yellow walls and picket fence. Once the three of them got to the front door, he could hear Bruce inside trying to get to them. He smiled as he put the key into the door but then paused and looked at Luke.

“Uh, I don’t know how Bruce will act around you. He was a bit standoffish with Edmund after he turned.”

Luke nodded understandingly and Ed, after a look from Seb, moved slightly in front of the boy to protect him, just in case. Once Sebastian opened the door though, Bruce greeted him in his usual cheerful manner, and seemed more curious about the newcomer than anything else. He also seemed decently scared of Edmund and avoided stepping anywhere near the teen’s personal space. Honestly, it was a bit of an improvement from how he’d cowered from Ed since that night in the yard.

After passing Bruce, the trio went into the living room and collapsed onto one of the couches. With the danger over and their moment of victory past, the group felt absolutely exhausted. Sebastian sat in the middle of the couch, Edmund unceremoniously laid his head in Seb’s lap, allowing his own legs to dangle over the arm of the couch, while Luke sat curled into Sebastian’s other side. Bruce had gone back to his bed in the kitchen once he realised the group was too tired to give him pets.

“Are you guys... okay?” Sebastian asked softly, almost scared to break the delicate silence.

Edmund closed his eyes. “I’m not sure.”

Luke nodded. “I... I think I’m better. At least I know I’m safe with you guys.”

Edmund opened his eyes again and looked at Luke. “Does your- Does Lance often do that thing where he just kills his pack members?”

“He... It’s- he’s always been... strict with his punishments.”

“Punishments?” Sebastian echoed.

“He doesn’t like weakness,” Luke almost whispered. “He refuses to allow any in his pack. That’s why we’re all trained in combat and loyalty. And killed if we deviate from our training.”

Sebastian could practically feel the anger radiating from Edmund. He felt angry too for everything Lance had done, to his pack, his wife, his own fucking son. But above all, he felt heartbroken because now it made sense why Luke would never speak against his bullies, why he was so quiet with others and avoided speaking about home. He’d been living in a constant state of fear, likely even before his mother had died.

“You’re safe now,” Sebastian promised, and Edmund nodded in agreement. “We’ll never let him near you again.”

Luke started crying again, but this time in relief. Seb held him the whole time and Ed brought them all hot cocoa once the tears had subsided. They fell asleep on the couch. Edmund had his upper body on the couch, head supported by a throw pillow, feet propped up on the coffee table. Sebastian was laid across the couch with his head on Edmund’s chest, and Luke was in his arms a little bit squished between him and the back of the couch.

In the morning, Sebastian was roused by an incessant knocking at the front door. He was still exhausted and a bit stiff from how they’d all slept, but it seemed that the knocker wasn’t going away so he had to extract himself from Luke and Ed, who somehow were still out cold.

As he made his way to the door, he muttered to himself about mornings being shit, and just barely registered that Bruce was at the front door in a defensive stance. He wasn’t growling, but his behaviour was enough to help Sebastian sober up. He checked through the peephole who the hell was beating down on the door and nearly did a double take when he saw a frazzled Lydia, Persephone and Hayden outside.

“What the hell-” he asked as he opened the door, cutting himself off when he saw the box in Lydia’s hands.

The box that contained the artefact. The artefact that was glowing with a soft blue light.

“We need to talk.”