"Baby?" Chris calls, drawing my attention away from the glowing moon flower in front of me. His eyes swim with concern as he takes me in, inching closer like I'm some wounded animal ready to flee at any moment.

"I'm okay," I whisper, turning my attention back to the flowers swaying in the moonlight. "It was just a lot... I don't know what's wrong with me." My chest tightens once more as I struggle to keep my walls up.

Chris slips up against me, wrapping his arms around my waist and settling his hand on my ever growing belly. I sigh and melt against him, sheltering in the shield his energy provides. "There's nothing wrong with you baby," he whispers against my ear before placing a tender kiss on my cheek.

I can't hold back the bitter laugh that slips past my lips. "I'm constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown... This isn't normal... I can't get a hold of myself." Once again, my eyes water, feeling my emotions sweep over me like swamping waves, threatening to pull me down. Chris turns me around to face him and pulls me even closer while he swipes errant tears from my cheeks.

"You're right, but we will figure this out baby, I promise you this," he whispers and locks his eyes on mine, ablaze with determination. "One step at a time and I'll be with you every step of the way... you and me."

"And if we can't?" I whisper, looking up through my tear laden lashes. "What if I never get better... What if I just keep getting worse?"

"Then I will build us a cottage in the middle of the woods and we'll raise our family away from everything," Chris answers, not missing a beat. "Jess, I would do anything for you and our family... you are my world."

More tears fall freely, feeling all of his love and knowing how much he's trying to fix this for me.

But he can't and neither can I...

"We will figure this out," he says with conviction. "We have been through so much, beaten the odds and managed through dark times... This will be no different."

"It doesn't feel like it though," I admit, my voice hushed and wavering. "This gift just keeps getting stronger and feels like a curse!"

"There's got to be an answer," he maintains. "We're just not looking in the right place." The last part he says more to himself but he may be right.

"You mean my mom's pack?" I ask, blinking away the last of my tears. "I should have talked to him, but I was having such a hard time."

"This place helps..." Chris says gesturing around the greenhouse. "You come alive in here and it's like there's a weight lifted from you..." He sighs as his frown deepens. "I don't know if it's sympathetic magic or what but I see it clear as day."

"It's like water," I admit, trying to think of how to put my thoughts into words. "They both muffle the noise, making it easier to block it out."

"They're still here," Chris says after a moment of reflection. "What do you say?"

"Will you stay with me?" I whisper, feeling my heart begin to race and spine stiffen.

"Always baby," he answers, lifting my hand to his lips for a kiss. His eyes get the far away look of linking for a moment before he turns his attention back to me. "Ready?"

Am I?

'No time like the present,' Ember pipes up, reassuring me with her confidence so I give Chris a small nod.

A moment later, a large man opens the gilded door and walks in, stopping just inside before gesturing to someone and closing the door. He stands tall and proud, weathered well by the years, his chestnut hair dusted through with grey and crows feet at his keen, deep blue eyes, but his age does nothing to diminish his powerful alpha build. His energy speaks volumes, calm and grounded, much like Jude, but he also radiates pain and guilt.

"Highnesses," he greets, bowing his head.

"There's no need for formality here Hale," Chris says, waving the male over. "Jess, this is Alpha Hale Walker of the Valley Glen Pack."

Hale looks at me, wide eyed like he's seen a ghost, frozen in place. "I'm sorry, Highness... You just look so much like her," he says, his voice choked with emotion.

That one simple phrase breaks something in me... something I thought I had dealt with years ago, but suddenly I feel as raw as I did the day as a little girl being told I had a new family. Questions spring to mind faster than I can voice them and emotions rage within me, fighting to be acknowledged all at once... the hurt, confusion, anger, and loneliness.

"Jess... Just Jess," I breathe out.

"Jess," he replies, almost like he's testing my name out. "I imagine you have questions and I'll do my best to answer them... Goddess above," he curses, never taking his eyes off of me. "I'm so sorry Jess, I had no idea... We would have never left you on your own if we had known."

"I understand." My voice is hollow, reflecting how I feel, yet my words are a lie.

I don't understand... at all.

"What can you tell us about her, Jess' mother," Chris cuts in, clearly sensing my turmoil. He tightens his arm around my waist, applying reassuring pressure.

"Anything you want to know... But maybe we should start at the beginning," Hale offers, shifting his expression to a guarded one. "I have a question first though... It may sound odd, but it may mean something or nothing at all."

"Go ahead," Chris grumbles, shifting uneasily at the alpha's cryptic phrasing.

Hale takes a measured breath, locking his gaze on mine. "How do I feel?"

My heart drops and my knees buckle as my restraint crumbles. Chris is the only thing holding me up and he gently sinks to the ground holding me closely as sobs wrack my body.

He knows...

It's her...

There's no other way he could know.

Hale crouches by me, reaching out before stopping, as if he knows touching me will only make things worse right now. His own longing and guilt war against my grief and anger make breathing hard.

"Stay with me baby," Chris pleads, lifting my face to look at him. He takes a deep breath in, holds it and slowly lets it out, his eyes on mine and urging me to follow. Sobs wreck my first two attempts, but before long my breathing is back under control and the tears subside, leaving me feeling spent and raw on the floor in Chris' arms.

"Sorry," I choke out, feeling my cheeks heat. "I'm afraid you picked a bad time to meet me... I'm nowhere near my best."

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about Jess," Hale says once again reaching to comfort me before pulling back. "I can come back another day? I can't imagine how overwhelming this must be for you."

"No! Please don't..." I ask. "I've waited all these years for answers I never thought would come. I can't..." My voice breaks as I struggle to find the right words for this crushing feeling.

"Whatever you want," he whispers, flashing me a small smile as his blue eyes shine with unshed tears.

"Come, let's sit," Chris murmurs, lifting me back up to my feet and guiding us over to the seating area by the stream. Hale keeps his gaze on me like he's afraid I'll disappear if he blinks.

"I'm sorry... You just look so much like her," he says, pulling something from coat pocket and passing it to me.

My fingers tremble as I bring the photograph closer and study the couple in it. The male is grinning with a classic warrior's build, towering over and wrapped around a short, curvaceous woman with long, flowing auburn hair, sunkissed skin the same shade as mine with deep green eyes. The colour may be different, but there is no mistaking the similarities between us... She looks to be about the same age as I currently am in the picture.

"It's like seeing a ghost," he admits. "She was special, like I think you are."

I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, clearing my vision while I take in every little detail. Hale coughs, clearing the tightening in his throat and takes a deep breath as he gathers his thoughts.

"She was kind and compassionate... She loved deeply and was beloved by her pack dearly. Her loss hit us all hard," He pauses, his grief hitting me in waves as if proving his point. "If we'd have known about you, nothing could have kept us from you."

"What happened?" Chris asks, voicing the question that has plagued me my entire life. "She was your responsibility... You knew she passed but not that she had a child?" The disbelief in Chris' voice borders on accusation.

I can't imagine Chris ever losing track of a pack member like that, his diligence in connecting and caring for each and every one of them is inspiring. He knows everyone by name, even the omegas.

"It's not that simple," Hale responds, his voice laced with pain. "Lyana had rough patches... times when she was overwhelmed and it pained her to be around us."

I let out a shuddering breath, feeling my chest tighten once more. The thought that Hale was laying out my future terrifies me, that this curse will get worse to the point where I won't even be able to be around my family.

"It wasn't all bad," Hale assures me, shifting to the edge of his seat. "She was home more often than not, and when things would get to be too much she'd spend time away."

"W-was it always like that?" I stammer.

"No," he sighs. "She lived many happy years with her mate, she was a gifted gardener, growing many of the herbs we still use and are famous for."

"But," I prompt.

"Near the end, these spells came more frequently. When she didn't come home like normal her mate went after her... really this is his part of the story to tell but it was the last time he saw her."

I sniffle feeling such compassion for her situation, but the thought of leaving Chris is like a knife to my heart.

"You are not her," Chris cuts in, as if reading my thoughts.

"You don't know that," I say, barely above a whisper. "You've only known me for less than a year and so much is changing so fast... I'm not strong enough."

"There is no one stronger!" Chris growls. "God, I wish you could see what I see." He rests his forehead against mine, accepting my silence as I try to gather myself once more.

"Why didn't you go after her?" Chris asks, anger lacing his words. "I would never abandon Jess like that!"

"We did! Everyone searched high and low for her, but Lyana could be a ghost if she wanted to be. I'd always hoped that she found the peace she was looking for, but then one day we knew... We knew she was lost for good."

Hale runs his fingers through his hands before slumping over, elbows resting on his knees. The pain radiating from him tells me how raw the wound still is for him, like my mother's death happened yesterday not nearly two decades ago.

I reach out, laying a reassuring hand on his, drawing his attention back to us.

"You have to know we looked everywhere, had agreements with all the surrounding packs and everything, even after he felt the mate bond break, we still tried to bring her home..." Hale trails off, dropping his forehead to his hand as the tears finally fall.

"I believe you," I whisper.

"Do you know what happened to her?" He asks, eyes shining with hope but my voice is lost.

"Car accident I'm afraid," Chris answers, sparing me. "Jess' adoptive family tried to dig into her past but hit a dead end. Drunk driver. Her mother died on impact but Jess was unharmed, but neither had ID, all they had to go off of was a five year old telling them her name."

"Goddess above," he breathes out, bringing his hand to his mouth.

"She was adopted though, by a nice human family, raised her like their own," Chris adds, giving my thigh a squeeze.

"I was loved and cared for... I wanted for nothing," I admit.

"But?" Hale presses on.

"But there always felt like there was something missing."

I know now that the missing piece was belonging to a pack. Being with Still Waters has felt natural straight from the get go and when I had my Luna ceremony, knowing where my true home was like an epiphany, everything became clearer.

"Pack draw is a powerful thing, how did your wolf handle it? How did you even survive?" Hale asks, furrowing his brows.

"Her bond with Ember was damaged, we're not quite sure how but when I marked her it reset," Chris explains as a frown takes over his face.

"That's my fault too, you should have been raised by your pack, not left to fend on your own, unable to shift," he growls.

"Don't worry about that," I laugh, no doubt looking like a crazy person as I cry at the same time. "I did that the hard way... but the end result is I can shift just fine. Ember is a beautiful red."

"Like your mother," he remarks as a smile takes hold. "Your father will be so proud."

"Will be?" I question, picking up on his tense.

"He's alive and well... He can't wait to meet you but understands if you're not up for it." Hale says, leaving the ball in my court.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about my mother over the years, but not so much time on my father. I just assumed I was the result of a one night stand or something, that if my father had wanted me he'd have claimed me.

But he didn't even know I existed.

"I am... I mean I am up to it, I'd like to meet him too," I say, impressed at how even my voice sounds despite my racing heart.

"Maybe tomorrow?" Chris suggests, running his thumb across my cheek. "You don't have to force-"

"I'm not," I promise, cutting him off. "I'm going to be an emotional mess no matter what, I have to be running out of tears soon." Chris chuckles at my attempt at a joke before sighing and withdrawing his protest.

My heart hammers in my chest as the creaky door pushes open and a man walks through, pushing it shut behind him. Instantly, I recognize him as the man from the photo but his chestnut locks are more grey than brown now and his honey brown eyes make my heart stop.

The same eyes that have stared back from my reflection over the years are now staring back at me. Slowly he approaches, his gaze never leaving me with parted lips that move without sound.

"Jess, may I have the pleasure to introduce you to my head warrior Benjamin. Ben, this is Lyana's daughter... YOUR daughter."