My answers - they were all in that wooden box.

Just as Rina had stated, everything she had brought up, was laid before me in a cluster of photos, letters, notes and knickknacks. I had found two photos, one I recognized from a collage of childhood photos my mom had an album of, and another I didn't recognize but gained a searing headache from after staring at it for so long. The one I didn't recognized looked like me so much, simply because, it was me. The girl in the other photo I had once seen, was not, in fact, me. I grew up believing I'd changed so much as a child but alas, that wasn't true.

I suppose I should start at the beginning.

I came to find out that my Mom, or should I say Carolyn, had a daughter by the name of Lucia. Lucia was, in fact, my age. Just like in the photos, she had strawberry blonde hair with a personality to match her mothers, or so Carolyn wrote in her letters. She was a free and giggly spirit. When she was very young, she caught a virus which manifested in her body, broke her down and eventually she developed a disease. It was slow in killing her. It got to the point where she couldn't leave her room for years, the only people to see her were Carolyn and Emmanuel.

Then, after fighting for over a year and a half, Lucia died. My mom, Carolyn, wrote about how devastating that blow was to her. She broke down, almost as bad as I saw her in the past, but worse. After all, no parent can ever even fathom burying their child. So she didn't, well at least not publicly. She told no one of her daughter's death and made Emmanuel keep it a secret. Sometimes he would come home to her talking to photos of her. My mom wrote about how crazy she must have seemed, but how real it felt for her to be talking to her deceased daughter.

A month later, the Igor pack invaded the Hellion pack for the first time, where Emmanuel found me. Mom didn't know the details, but I sure as hell did. That dream I'd always had, about a wolf finding me cowering underneath a bed, that was Emmanuel finding me. He dragged my from the safety of my home, unbeknownst to his pack, and delivered me straight to Carolyn, but not before he made a quick stop.

Mom wrote about my memories being completely washed the night I was delivered to her. Emmanuel had dragged me to the dungeon, found Rina wandering, and forced her to brainwash my memories-all of them. Rina did as she was told.

My mom hadn't know at the time that everything was wiped from me, Emmanuel told her he had found me on the streets, and I needed a home. Since no one knew of Lucia's death, and I clearly was confused about who I even was, it wasn't difficult for my Mom to slowly start bringing me out of our room, slowly introducing me to everyone as Lucia. Although people were confused at first at the drastic change in hair color. You see, the only real difference between the two of us was in fact the hair color. Our facial features were actually quite similar. My Mom simply brushed off those comments regarding that difference. She said that it was the disease that ended up darkening my hair. Having not seen the girl in over a year and a half, the pack simply agreed to it.

It wasn't until years later, when I started having dreams and nightmares of my past life that my Mom realized what had actually happened. I wasn't an orphan on the streets, oh no. I was someone else's child. At that point though, she loved me as I loved her. She couldn't give me up to the family I had waiting for me back in the Hellion pack.

But here I am, back at the Hellion pack. My original home... which means that Faith potentially could not be crazy. She could actually be my real mother...

"Do you hate me?" Rina asks from across the room as she realizes I'm no longer examining the contents of the box.

"I don't hate you." I tell her. "How could I? Really this is all Emmanuel's fault. If anything I should be apologizing to you for his behavior and involving you in this."

"You shouldn't apologize for what that man did." She tells me as she rises from her chair across the room. She strides over to the bed and sits down on it, getting closer to me. She rests her head on my shoulder. "This is a lot for you to take in, and I'm so so so very sorry about it all."

"My whole life..." I tell her honestly, "was a lie."

"That's not true!" She defends. "Your Mom loved you so much Lucia. She would have sacrificed anything for you. The squad? A piece of them will always be family. And not to mention our friendship. That's as real as can be. Yeah we quarrel, but I know you will always be there when I need you most and the same goes for me to you."

"But my Mom..."

"Didn't know about it until it was practically too late. Your memories were gone."

"But if I got returned earlier... I would've found Greyson earlier and there's so much that would be... different."

Rina nods her head against my shoulder. "That's all very true. I'm so sorry Lucia."

"Do you think..." I whisper... "do you think Faith is my biological mother?"

There is a long pause. Rina thinks it over carefully before proceeding with a response. "I think it is entirely possible... You and Leo have this way about you, a connection almost, that feels like a family tie... At least Leo always said he felt comfortable around you, thought of you like a sister almost."

I smile gently, remembering the first time I met that buffoon. He even jumped on the bed like a crazy person when I delivered him to his new room. I had felt that draw to him too, especially when we got captured by those werewolf hunters. I wanted to protect him like I wanted to protect family, and I barely knew him at the time.

"Yes," I finally respond. "I've felt that too."

"Lucia, I want you to be comfortable. I just wanted you to know the truth. I haven't mentioned anything to Leo, and although it will be the hardest thing to keep it from him, I won't say a word if that's what you want."

I ponder the idea for a moment. Having all this information changes so much, yet also changes so little if it doesn't get revealed. Is that what I want? To keep this from my fam- no... my blood relatives? I always thought it was just me and my Mom who were my family. I mean, this doesn't change that. Although I was, in a sense, abducted, I still think of my Mom as just that. She raised me as her own and I don't think I could ever consider another woman to be my Mom.

I place my hand on my belly. I rub it a bit, to comfort myself but to also remind myself that these decisions that I'm going to make will not only affect me, but these two little nuggets as well. After my mom passed, I feared my kids might not have any grandparents, especially because I thought Greyson was a rogue. Now? Now they could not only have one set of grandparents, but two. Not only that, but to have both grandparents be the Alphas and Betas of the pack? They're practically set for life.

"I think," I say slowly, "that I will confront Faith, Beta Wells, Leo, and Emily." I turn to Rina with my hand firmly plastered to my slightly bulging belly. "For the sake of my baby..." I catch myself from saying 'babies' since I want Greyson to be the first to know.

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

I nod my head in approval. "Absolutely, but please refrain from telling Leo until I'm able to talk to them... All of them."

"Gotcha, I can definitely do that. After all, I was willing to never tell him... Thank you for not making me keep a secret like that."

I laugh, I could tell how difficult that would've been for her. She loves Leo, they tell each other everything. I couldn't imagine not telling Greyson something so important... speaking of the devil.

"I need to go," I inform Rina.

"To where? I can take you."

I give her a gracious smile. "That's nice of you and all, but I only need to find Greyson. I'm sure he couldn't have gone far..."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took me a lot longer than I anticipated to find my mate. After traveling the extents of the inner house, I scavenged the outdoors. I eventually found him in the backyard, fooling around with some of the children in the pack. They were laughing and chasing him, acting as if he was a lion in the colosseum, and they were the warriors. I leaned on the frame of the backdoor, watching as they played, wrestled, giggled, and just enjoyed themselves. After a while, when the kids grew tired of the game and moved on, Greyson noticed me watching. It didn't take him long to join me at my side, pull me into his arms and kiss me as a greeting.

We couldn't get too heated because the kiss was very soon followed by the sound of kids' squealing and screeching things like, 'ew' 'gross' and 'ahhh!' I couldn't help but smile into Greyson's lips. We shared a laugh before Greyson shooed the kids away. They giggled and ran away, dispersing in different directions. When Greyson's eyes returned to my own, he noticed something was wrong.

He questioned me for a moment but I simply asked him if he would like to join me on a walk. When he agreed, with a worried look, I simply reassured him by lacing my fingers through his and pulled him along, toward the woods. We walked for a while before I felt like we were fully alone. I sat him on a fallen tree, and proceeded to tell him about everything I learned today. He listened so carefully, never interrupting me. I started off with telling him about my feeling on Faith, and how she may not be as crazy as we all thought. I shared with him the story of the wooden chest with the notes and pictures from my Mom. He learned about everything, including my abduction.

He may have been shocked, but he didn't show it on his face. He stayed strong for me and periodically squeezed my hand in reassurance. When I was done he asked me my opinion on the matter, and if I was going to share the truth. I let him know exactly what was on my mind, which led me to this moment,

"So in conclusion," I let him know. "I want to tell them, for the sake of our babies." I use my free hand to lay it on my stomach gently.

He gives me a small-devilish smile, "babies huh? I like the sound of that. Should we get working on more once the first is delivered?"

"Although I like the sound of that, we won't be needing to work to get your wish."

His eyes widen, "wait... do you mean...?"

I glance my eyes up to meet his, "twins." I tell him. "I wanted to tell you after my doctor's appointment this morning but was intercepted by Emily."

He's frozen for a moment. I feel my heart stop nervously. He looks down and my stomach and places a hand over mine, resting it securely on my stomach. Then, he smiles. It's so bright I feel relief wash over me immediately.

"Two? Huh?" He laughs, reaches both hands up to my face and pulls me close to his. "It's a miracle" He kisses me slowly and sensually.

I giggle under his grasp. "So you're happy," I manage to squeak out between our kisses.

"Happy?" He breaks the kiss for a moment, in order to look deep into my soul, "I couldn't be more elated Lucia. Our little family just keeps growing. I honestly couldn't have asked for more. You were a miracle enough for me but I'm blessed that I can have you and two children."

I can't stop the smile from spreading across my cheeks. "You're my miracle too, Greyson."

We kiss and proceed to make love on the forest floor. Just enjoying the bliss of the moment and the idea of starting our little family together. I can't imagine anything that could go wrong.