The lobby was exactly what you'd expect to find in a wooded lodge. Exposed log beams overhead, comfy leather couches and chairs, hardwood floors that shone with cleanliness and handmade wood furniture all over. Like any true resort, there were signs for the rooms, a spa downstairs, an indoor swimming pool, and several restaurants and lounges. It was truly gorgeous and it was hard not to be impressed. Once they took everything in, it really started to feel like a vacation instead of some sort of meeting.

"Damn, I'm already in love!" Hazel gushed as she spun around in a circle to take everything in.

"Yeah, this does look pretty awesome," Eliza agreed while sniffing about. "But no mate smells yet. I really don't know what I'm trying to smell for though."

"Each mate will smell different. Trust me, Cobium will let you know," Karano assured their daughter.

"I will indeed tell you when I sense our mate," Cobium told her. "I'm as eager to find them as you are."

"Excuse me ladies, are you checking in?" A tall man with greying hair and a kind smile approached them from the check in desk. "My name is Nicholas, and I'm at your service."

"Oh, sorry! We're just admiring the space," Hazel said quickly. "But yes, we're the South Glades pack, checking in."

Nicholas' eyes widened and his smile grew wider. "Excellent! It's always nice to get new packs here. I can't remember the last time we had a new one, mostly packs have been combining as our territories shrink."

Hazel had said something similar earlier, though it was still hard to hear. Anyone who was a part of the supernatural world had to take care not to be discovered. No matter how much more powerful they were than humans, they were vastly outnumbered, and nobody wanted to be hunted to extinction, locked away in a prison, or used as a lab experiment. All supernaturals knew that humans would do exactly that.

"Well, we may be small, but we're doing well," Karano replied. "And we're very glad to be here."

"Excellent! Well, let's get you checked in. I'm sure you had a long day of travel, but you're one of the first packs here, so I'll make sure you're rewarded with a good room." Nicholas winked and then led them over to the desk where he started typing away on his computer, humming softly. "Ahh, here we are." He programmed three keys and passed them over along with a little pamphlet. He pointed off to the right with a smile. "You're in a suite all the way at the end. You should have a nice view of both the mountains and the fall colors. Do you need someone to help you with your luggage?"

Karano looked at the other two who just shrugged back at her. "No, I think we're all set. Thank you, Nicholas.

"It's my pleasure. Welcome to the Farwell Resort. Oh! The first night won't have much beyond a dinner for the early arrivals. Most things won't get started until tomorrow morning, but the itinerary is in the pamphlet. If you need directions, there is a map in the room, or you can ring me here at the front desk, or just stop by and ask for whatever you need."

"Thank you, Nicholas, I'm sure we'll see you soon." Hazel flashed the man a quick smile, and the three of them headed down the passageway to the right, as he'd directed.

It was a long walk to the end of the wing, but it was enjoyable as they got to take in all of the decorations along the way. There were a variety of paintings, photographs, and small sculptures that were done by a variety of supernatural artists, and all of them were beautiful. It was plain to see that the designers of the resort wanted every race to be represented, as each piece of art had a label of who thew artist was, and what they were, so that everyone could feel like they had a voice.

When they got to their room, they were totally blown away, as they had been since they arrived. Much like the lobby, everything had the feel of an old vacation lodge, with more wooden beams, wood floors, and throw rugs in front of a fireplace. Pieces of leather furniture were there for lounging, and the individual bedrooms were more of the same.

All of the beds were tall, and the wooden headboards taller. Thick handmade blankets lay on them, no doubt keeping anyone cuddling underneath them toasty warm, and more of the artwork was there to keep everything on theme. It was everything anyone would want when coming out to the woods.

"I love the beaches and the warmth, but I could get used to this," Karano admitted.

Eliza snorted. "Yeah, it's a lot nicer than my old pack house, but the winters are still gonna suck. It might be nice in here, but stepping outside will still freeze our asses off."

The moms had taken the larger of the three rooms, since there were two of them, and Eliza quickly took the one furthest from them just in case the noise cancelling didn't work. She never begrudged her new moms their love, but it did make her want her own, and until she found her mate she didn't need to hear them enjoying their evenings!

With a heavy sigh, she unpacked her clothing. She'd packed lightly, mostly jeans and tee shirts with hoodies to go over them, so it was easy to just toss everything in drawers, and then put her toiletries in the bathroom for later. She crawled up onto the bed, just to get a feel for it, and then huffed a little as she lay her head on the pillows. Okay, it was comfy.

It was odd to her being back up near the mountains, since she'd left so long ago. As much as she was looking forward to the prospect of finding her mate, she was also leery about being only a state away from her old pack in Wyoming, and the pain that they'd caused her and her family. Only the knowledge that she'd killed the wolf responsible for killing her parents, and that her new moms had killed the Alpha that had implemented the policies that had allowed their deaths, made her feel better.

The weather here reminded her of the old pack and her old home. The chill made her nervous instead of nostalgic, and other than a few old friends that she missed but wasn't sure she'd ever see again, there was nothing for her to remember about that time in her life. If it were up to her, she'd have never come here to the conclave, but the search for her mate had made it logical for her to go on this trip with Hazel and Karano.

But if her mate wasn't here, or if she found her quickly, she'd love to leave right away. The last thing she needed was drama in her life. Luckily, this was supposed to be a neutral site, and there wouldn't be any fights, even between packs that were at war.

With a smile, she took her phone out and took a few pictures of the room. She felt bad that she'd forgotten to do that before, but she also took some of the views out the window and sent them all to Jack so he could see where they were staying. Unlike her, he only had vague memories of their old home, for which she was jealous. As much as the everglades weren't exactly luxurious, she would take the safely and happiness in the pack there any day, and she knew Jack felt the same.

"Are you all unpacked?" Karano called her from the other room.

"My bags are unpacked, I sent Jack pictures, and the bed passed the comfy test. I am ready for anything," Eliza replied with a grin as she joined her moms in the common area. "But maybe food first."

"Good thing we have food options then. They have a buffet with pretty much everything, and then a more family friendly place if we were here with younger kids, a high end place that would be good for a date, and a pair of lounges that are more for drinking." Hazel had pointed out the options on the map for them to check out.

"If you two want a date night, I can do the buffet. I'm not too picky, so I'm sure I can find something there." Eliza had noticed the elbow that Hazel had given Karano when that option was mentioned, and didn't mind just grabbing something on her own. She wasn't so selfish to think that her moms needed to stay with her all the time. They ran a pack every day, and almost never got true alone time or date nights, so it made sense for them to take advantage of the situation here. Eliza didn't need much supervision, so they could have a night or two off.

"Are you sure? We can always do the fancier place tomorrow." Hazel didn't want Eliza to think she was being ditched, especially on the first night, but it would be nice to have a romantic dinner with her wife. "The next few days are filled with symposiums like money management and counteracting the decline in supernatural species, so those will put you right to sleep."

"Nah, go ahead. That Nicholas guy made it sound like most people wouldn't be here till tomorrow, so it might be less crowded in both places tonight. I'm pretty sure you'll get more from the symposiums than I will, too."

Karano took that as her cue to just accept it and steered them all out of the suite. "Fine. You go eat, don't get in trouble, and we'll meet you back in the room after dinner."

Eliza just snickered at the pair. She had little doubt that they'd be going at it tonight, and she couldn't blame them. Her moms were hot, and why wouldn't they go at it? Yeah, she didn't like hearing it, but she understood the motivation. Goddess forbid that she ever see it though!

There was a little more noise when they got back to the lobby, as evidently more of the packs had started checking in. There were about a dozen people milling around and waiting in line to get their room keys, and Eliza was starting to feel really hungry now that they were close to eating again. Hey, she had a high metabolism, it was allowed!

"I'm so hungry! I can already smell the peach cobbler!"

Hazel and Karano snickered before Karano straightened up in confusion. "I don't smell peach cobbler. Are you sure? What does Cobium think about it?"

Eliza concentrated for a moment. "Cobium, what do you smell?"

"Our mate!"