Chapter One

Trista stood awkwardly near the baggage claim, watching the carousel carry various pieces of luggage around. She tapped her foot anxiously as she waited for her own bags to appear. When they finally came into sight - a pair of navy blue rolling suitcases with bright curly ribbon attached to handles - she let out a sigh of relief, having almost given up on ever seeing her bags. She stepped forward to nab the pair before they could disappear around the corner, staggering slightly at the weight. She had forgotten just how much she had packed.

Well, I am going away to college, she rationalized. Who knows what I'll need. Besides, isn't Washington supposed to be cold? I'm sure I'll be glad I packed all these extra clothes soon enough.

Panting slightly she stepped away from the conveyor belt, gratefully setting the heavy bags on the ground. Yanking the handles to her bags upright she pulled the pair slowly around, looking around the area carefully. Tri-Cities Airport was small as far as Trista was concerned. She was used to the bustling mass of people that was the Kansas City International Airport. Being in an airport that didn't feel like it was packed beyond capacity with people was a bit unnerving to the girl. She glanced around anxiously, taking in the half dozen or so people also collecting their luggage. Yep, definitely weird, she thought.

Bags safely collected she turned around, eyes searching for any sign of her ride. She had no idea what she was looking for, but knew she would recognize the pair she was looking for when she saw them. Cautiously she sniffed the air, searching for any scent of another werewolf. When none became immediately apparent she sighed and started forward, eyes open and nose busy as she went.

She had not gone far when it hit her. She glanced about, sniffing frantically as she tried to pinpoint the source of the scent. After a brief moment's search – in which she nearly panicked, thinking she was imagining things – she located the werewolf she had scented mere moments before. Sighing in relief she headed toward the scent, toward a man and his daughter. At least, she hoped it was his daughter, because if she wasn't then she obviously had the wrong pair. She adjusted her path to head toward the pair and stopped just a short distance in front of them.

"Trista Rolffe?" the man asked when she paused. She nodded, slightly taken aback at having her name so readily known. Suspicion immediately took hold until the man introduced himself and the girl next to him, saying, "I'm Adam Hauptman. This is my daughter, Jesse. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet both of you," Trista replied, a shy smile crossing her face. She sighed softly, relieved to have found her ride – and her hosts, at least for a short time.

"Can we go now?" the girl – Jesse, Trista's mind supplied – asked, bouncing from foot to foot. Her shoulder-length hair – a pretty, average brown interspersed with hot pink highlights – bounced along with her. She cast Trista a wide grin, a genuine smile that reached her eyes. "I wanna show Trista her room. And get to know her. And besides, I'm sure she's tired after such a long trip."

"Sounds good to me," Adam said, chuckling at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Can I help you with your bags?" he offered, reaching out a hand to take one of the suitcases from Trista's grasp. She considered for a moment before nodding, pulling the smaller of the two bags around and offering the handle to the man.

"Thank you," she murmured. Adam simply nodded, turning and leading the way from the baggage claim. Trista followed behind, Jesse at her side chattering away a mile minute. Most of what she said went unnoticed by Trista, who was wondering at what she had gotten herself into.

Never had she imaged, when she decided to attend the University of Washington, that her father would insist on putting her in touch with the local alpha. True, she hadn't been a werewolf at the time, but still the arrangements had been made. Then, to her surprise, came the invitation to stay with said alpha and his daughter, who just so happened to be about the same age as Trista.

The whole set-up seemed just a little too convenient to Trista, and she couldn't help but wonder just how much of the invitation was her father's wheedling and begging. She had a hunch a certain amount of forethought had gone into the man's call to the local alpha, that his speech had been plotted out just-so, so as to garner an invitation for Trista, his youngest. The arrangement had only become more beneficial in the intervening time,during which Trista herself had become a werewolf.

As if I didn't have enough to worry about, what with going away to college and all, she groused mentally. Now I have to learn to play by a whole new set of rules, learn another set of new skills, and keep from losing it and killing anyone. Oh, and not to mention the whole studying thing. She sighed at the negative turn her thoughts had taken. It had been some time since she had felt as depressed about her new role in life as she felt right now and she couldn't help but wonder why.

"Trista?" a voice to her right asked. She turned toward the sound, blushing slightly when she found Jesse staring quizzically at her. "Are you alright? You seem really quiet?" The pink-haired girl looked at her with worry, happy smile gone from her face. Trista considered for a moment before nodding.

"I'm fine," she replied, offering a small, hesitant smile. "Just... a little overwhelmed, I guess. I've never been so far from home."

"I know what you mean," Jesse said. "It's always a bit of a culture shock when I come back here after being at Mom's. There's just something... different about it. Peaceful, I think. You'll get used to it soon enough." She gave the other girl a bright smile, concern gone from her face now that she had assigned a reason to Trista's quiet demeanor.

Trista simply nodded at the girl's explanation. That must be it, she thought. Culture shock, or whatever you wanted to call it. She would get over it and be back to her old self before long.

"So," Jesse started as they climbed into car, Trista's bags stashed safely in the trunk. There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she continued, "You got a boyfriend back home?"

Trista choked at the question, completely unprepared for such a query. Flushing a bright red she managed to stammer out a quick "no" before turning her attention out the window. She watched the scenery go by with interest, mentally noting the differences and similarities between her new home and her home back in Joplin.

It was not long before they were pulling in at their destination. Trista peered cautiously out her window at the large house before her, remaining seated even when the vehicle's other two occupants had exited. Only after a thorough study of the house did she climb slowly from the car, eyes never leaving the house before her.

It was huge, far larger than her family's house back home. She couldn't help but wonder what the pair behind her did with all the space – after all, it was just the two of them. Then it dawned on her that it was the house of an alpha, and was likely to house more than said alpha's family at any given time. That thought still running through her mind she went around the back of the car to help collect her things.

"Lemme show you to your room!" Jesse exclaimed as soon as Trista had pulled the unclaimed bag from the trunk. She grabbed Trista's arm and verily dragged her up the front steps and into the house. Trista barely caught a low chuckle from the man behind her, following at a more leisurely pace. Apparently he was well-accustomed to his daughter's bursts of energy and enthusiasm.

Trista followed the bouncing brunette into the house and up the stairs. Once there, she was shown to the second door on the right. Peering cautiously around the door, Trista took in the room. It was an average sized room and well-furnished. A full-sized bed took up the center of the room, and the walls were lined with a bookshelf, dresser and desk. Trista nodded in approval, stepping around Jesse and into the room. She cast a smile over her shoulder, showing her approval and thanks in the expression.

"Thank you," she said. "It's perfect." She pulled her bag in behind her, moving to set it against a portion of unoccupied wall. Adam arrived moments later with her other bag and set it down next to the first.

"Ready for bed?" he asked after a quick glance at his watch. Trista looked down at her own, surprised to see it was already nearly midnight.

"I think so," she said, headed toward her bags to find things to get ready for bed. "Thank you for coming to pick me up. And the room. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem," he replied. "John is an old friend, the least I can do is look after his daughter for a bit." That said he left the two girls to their own devices.

It didn't take long for Trista to locate her toiletries bag and a pair of pajamas. After Jesse showed her where the bathroom was, she quickly got ready and climbed into bed. The sheets were soft and atop the bed was the perfect weight for the late summer weather. Trista snuggled down comfortably under the weight of the covers and sighed happily.

She fell asleep surprisingly quickly that night.

Well, what's the verdict? This is my first ever attempt at a fanfic in this series, and my first true attempt at fanfiction period. Feedback would be much appreciated!

Thanks for reading!