Origins

The limousine pulled up in front of the biggest log cabin Lucky had ever seen. To call it a cabin seemed inadequate. Four stories tall, with huge windows overlooking the picturesque landscape that surrounded Flagstaff. This was the Pack House? How many werewolves lived here? The place was impressive, to say the least. It looked like it belonged in a magazine, standing proudly at the edge of a large forest that encircled the area.

Surrounding the main house were smaller log style cabins, as well as a few shops, a diner, a couple of taverns, and a grocery store. The whole place had a cozy, small town feel to it, like she had stepped into a different dimension that existed apart from the rest of the world. The natural beauty of the landscape was breathtaking, with mountains visible in every direction, adding to the feeling of privacy.

None of it looked familiar to her but she felt a connection to this place. "Desert Moon is a bit bigger, but just as secluded," Amelia told her, as some guys approached and took their bags. "Must be the Pack House staff." Lucky, Amelia, and Eli followed them towards the large double doors.

"Are we going to be staying here?" Lucky asked.

"Yes, there are plenty of guest rooms. I stay here once in a while, when Alpha Jacob and I visit. You will like it. The inside is equally impressive." Eli replied.

He was telling the truth! The main floor had tall, wooden beamed ceilings, wood floors decorated with beautifully colored rugs, along with couches and chairs arranged in groups with side tables. Everything looked well made and expensive! There was a dining table that had to seat at least 40 along the front wall with the windows and several more smaller tables surrounding it. Lucky had never seen anything like this. The three wood burning fireplaces were all lit, warming the space. The staircase that curved and led to the next floor showed amazing craftsmanship, intricately hand carved by a true master. Despite its size and the finely crafted furniture, the place had a homey, comfortable feel and smelled like someone was cooking prime rib.

"Wow." That was all she could say. Then she saw him. The man that approached them, a smile on his face quickly turning to a look of astonishment.

He stopped in front of them and stared at Lucky, who stared right back. His dark hair and bright green eyes, the shape of his face, even his smile looked eerily familiar. She saw Amelia and Eli watching her closely out of the corner of her eye.

The man came out of his momentary stupor and extended his hand to Lucky, who shook it firmly as he said, "I am Liam Wolf, Alpha of Midnight Moon."

Letting go of his hand, she introduced herself, "Lucky Lancaster, the infamous Las Vegas Wolf. Pleased to meet you, Alpha Liam." This made all of them laugh, and melted away the strange tension that had tried to settle over the group.

"Lucky. What an interesting name," Alpha Liam said, still staring at her as though he was trying to remember where he had seen her before. How was it possible for her to look so much like him? His mind raced with so many questions as it struggled to piece together what had happened.

"Well, when they found me I was just a little baby, and the officer who arrived in the scene first was going to adopt me, he and his wife. The Lancasters. That didn't work out, he was killed by a crazy woman during a traffic stop before anything could be finalized. He gave me the name." This part of her life story was so sad. Again she found herself wondering what Mrs. Lancaster was like. She had never tried to find her, fearing she would cause the poor woman to relive her grief. She had no resentment over winding up at the orphanage. Had it been her, in the same situation, she would have done the same thing. The poor woman must have been heartbroken.

"You were found? Where? What happened to your parents?" Alpha Liam asked, and then seemed embarrassed. "How rude of me, I should let you get settled before I pepper you with questions. Should we meet in my office in an hour? Eli knows where it is, and my Beta, Stephen, will be here in a moment to take you to your rooms." With that he turned around and headed for the staircase, heading for his office.

Lucky watched him walk away, her head a jumble of thoughts and emotions she had no idea what to do with. There was absolutely no denying the resemblance. This man was her relative, of that she was certain.

A woman stood at the tops of the stairs as the Alpha passed. She glared at Lucky for a split second before smiling and waving at them. "That's his chosen, Luna Gina." Amelia whispered in her ear.

"That's his mate?" Lucky asked.

"She is his chosen mate. If you don't meet your mate you can choose one, but the only ones who do this are usually pressured by someone or something. He's an Alpha. Our Alpha used to get a lot of pressure to choose a mate, as your mate is a way of keeping you balanced, which is an important part of being a leader. This can happen with a chosen mate but from what I have heard it is not the same as being with your true mate." Amelia explained.

They got to their rooms, she would have her own room across the hall from Eli and Amelia. Lucky thought of Traven, missing him. She hadn't known him long but she felt that somehow, she did know him. Their souls seemed to recognize each other, and she found herself longing for his comforting presence.

She had never experienced anything like the bond they shared. She could feel it pulling at her, almost like Nyah was trying to run back to Miles. She wished he could be here, and hoped she would learn something useful towards that purpose during her stay. She set her bag next to the large bed with the amazingly soft mattress and pale green comforter.

The room was done in pastel shades of green and soft pink. The rug was a beautiful, unique pattern of the two shades. The room felt soft and feminine.

She found the bathroom, and was shocked to find it was almost as big as the bedroom, with a built in closet, neatly stacked towels, huge mirrors. Truly, it felt like a luxury hotel. She wanted to hurry and talk to the Alpha and find out if he knew anything about her family.

He was her family, the resemblance was striking. She didn't know if her mother had brothers or sisters. Could he be an uncle? A cousin?

She wondered if the woman at the top of the stairs, the Luna, would be in the office. Something about her gave Lucky the creeps, she had felt it right away when their eyes met briefly. That had her on edge, as she was feeling very in tune with her emotions and intuition. She hoped she was not projecting her nervousness. She concentrated on remaining as calm as possible.

Taking a deep breath, she started imagining a nice hot bath in the giant jacuzzi tub later on. That would relax her nerves. It was a reassuring thought, allowing her to head to the Alpha's office where she was sure some revelations would be made.

She arrived at the office with Eli and Amelia. Before Eli could knock, the door was opened with enough force to knock them all over. Lucky felt a a wave of anger rush through her but it quickly passed. Then she saw Luna Gina, who stood with a surprised look on her face. "Oh, my, I'm so sorry," she exclaimed. "I had no idea you were there."

Standing up, Lucky decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, despite Nyah's insistence that the woman was no good. "It's not that I don't believe you, Nyah. I just want to be fair. It could have been an accident." Nyah came back with "wolf senses."

Lucky realized her wolf was right. With heightened hearing, sense of smell, and the heightened awareness of her surroundings that came with being a wolf, the Luna would have known if someone was outside any room she was in. They hadn't been quiet or stealthy in their approach. The heightened senses were powerful, and Lucky found herself tuning them out at times to cope with the sensory overload.

"Come in," Alpha Liam was seated at a couch, which sat across from another couch, both brown soft leather. A fire crackled in the fireplace. This place was so luxurious. She enjoyed it.

Other than the Luna, her impressions of this place were good. Her knowledge of what had happened to Traven here soured her excitement, of course. She remained wary of everyone, but she was trying to give it a fair shake.

"This place is beautiful," she said, as she watched Luna Gina sit down next to her husband. She smiled at Lucky when she said this, and Lucky wondered if she was being paranoid.

"Thank you, dear." She looked pleased. "We take a lot of pride in maintaining the Pack House."

"That we do," Alpha Liam agreed. "We live here, and it represents our pack to visitors and even members. Everyone can come eat here for breakfast, lunch, or dinner." He looked nervously at his wife, then at Lucky. He had an almost pained look on his face.

She knew why a moment later when he said, "I'm just going to address the elephant in the room. Clearly there is a strong resemblance between you and I, Lucky." He took a deep breath before dropping a bomb she had suspected was coming. She hadn't anticipated the bomb being so powerful, effectively

blowing her entire world to smithereens. "Lucky, your mother was my true mate."

"What do you mean? How do you know?" Lucky exclaimed. The implications clawed at the edges of her mind, seeking entry.

"My mate, Lola, disappeared about 20 years ago, without a trace. We have no idea what happened to her. She just vanished. Lucky, Alpha Jacob told me that you looked like me, but I didn't believe it until I saw you." He glanced at Luna Gina, whose face was unreadable.

"Your mother and I felt the mate bond when she returned from college. She was always a part of Midnight Moon but I couldn't tell she was my mate because she hadn't shifted until she was away. Gina and I were already together, but the mate pull is strong. I couldn't reject her, and Gina agreed that I should get to know her and then make a decision. She lost her true mate during a rogue attack, so she understands the bond." Lucky felt the wheels in her head come to a screeching halt as the pieces all clicked into place.

"So you are my father?" She asked, thinking of Traven and his adorable dog to keep herself from losing her mind completely. Her father. She had found her father.

"Yes, Lucky. Your mother was pregnant when she left the pack. I didn't know she was pregnant when she left, I didn't find that out until many years later." He sighed deeply. "She left here of her own free will, and then vanished without a trace. The only one who knew she was pregnant was my

then six year old daughter, Neveah, who kept it a secret until shortly before she passed away."

Her father was alive, right here in front of her. He was the Alpha that had sentenced her mate to death for a crime he didn't commit. Her father. Lucky felt the world tilt and everything went black.