Chapter One

A/N: All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest come solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned. Now, without further ado, on with the story!

For the first thirteen years of her life she was just a normal girl. She went to school, she hung out with friends, and she put up with teasing from her step-sister, Mandy, who was five years older than her. It was good-natured teasing because they adored each other. Mandy was planning a week long camping trip with some friends and asked Luna if she wanted to go. Luna loved camping, it was the start of summer, and she didn't get to hang out with her sister as much as she would have liked, so she immediately said yes. She was looking forward to it too. It was supposed to be a week of fun; Mandy's farewell to childhood, as she put it, because she was heading off to college in the fall.

The week started out that way but it ended very differently. They spent the week at the campground hiking, swimming in the creek, and 'communing with nature'. Really the older kids just did a lot of things they probably shouldn't have with Luna there. She was an impressionable teenager after all.

Saturday morning, their last full day there, started out like every day before it had. They got up, cooked breakfast over the campfire, and discussed what to do that day. "We could go swimming," one suggested but the others dismissed it. They'd had their fill of swimming. "How about one last hike?" Mandy suggested. 'There's that trail that takes you to the lookout point we wanted to try the other day, before it rained." The others quickly agreed. They all put on the boots they'd brought, grabbed their packs with water and supplies, just in case, and headed out.

There was a lot of banter between Mandy and her friends. They were all talking about what they planned to do once summer was over and they had to 'grow up'. Luna hung back, not wanting to interrupt them, and got distracted by the trail they were on. Flowers bloomed in patches along the trail and she thought they were pretty. She wasn't watching her step though and tripped over a root, twisting her ankle in the process. "Luna, are you okay?" There was concern in her sister's voice. "Yeah, I'm good. I just hurt my ankle. You guys go on ahead, I'm gonna go back to camp to rest it. I'll be fine, I can find my way back. Its not like we're that far from camp," she replied. She could tell her sister was hesitant to leave her but after a few more assurances from Luna she went on ahead with her friends.

Luna was almost back to camp when she thought she heard something moving in the underbrush near the trail. She stopped and listened but all she heard was the breeze rustling the leaves overhead. Shrugging it off as her imagination she began limping towards camp again. A menacing growl came from the brush on her right side and Luna froze. Before she knew what was happening, the animal was on her. It looked like a wolf, sort of, but it seemed a lot bigger than any wolf she'd ever seen on National Geographic. Searing pain tore through her as she felt teeth and claws ripp her flesh and her screams echoed through the woods.

The others heard the screams and ran back the way they'd come, not knowing what they were going to find. The animal was already gone and Luna lay on the ground, wounds covering most of her and bleeding out on the ground. Mandy screamed her sister's name and collapsed at her side. There was so much blood, and they all worked frantically to staunch the bleeding as best they could. T-shirts were removed and cut into strips to act as bandages and then, with sketchy cellphone signals, they lifted her up, carried her back to one of the cars, and rushed her to the nearest hospital. Mandy sat in the backseat, cradling her sister's tattered body, tears dripping from her face down onto her. "You can't die, oh god please don't die Luna," she whispered. Her eyes opened, briefly, to gaze up at her sister's tear-stained face and she tried to speak. Pain enveloped her vision in a red haze and then darkness sucked her under...

Luna gasped and sat up with a groan. Her body shook from the aftermath of the dream that was not a dream. It was the memory of the day she almost died, and even after a decade had passed, it still rattled her. She should have died that day, and maybe a part of her had. The doctor's were shocked by how quickly she'd healed, or most of them were. There was one though, who wasn't, although he didn't let it show. He quietly left the hospital and went to talk with his alpha. The wolves were not out to the public, that wouldn't come for several years. She never knew what the alpha said or did to make her parents believe him when he told them that the animal that had attacked her was a rogue werewolf, and that she was no longer human. She'd asked her father, once, but he just shook his head. She was taken in by the local pack and taught how to control her wolf. Her parents loved her, but they struggled with the knowledge that she was no longer human, and the strain of keeping that secret from others caused a rift between them.

The problem was, she was young, female, and submissive and many of the wolves from her pack came from a time when it was normal and acceptable to take a 'wife' at a young age. The alpha was among those who thought that way. By the time she was fifteen she'd been pressured into sex by one of the more dominant unmated wolves. He was only the first to use his dominance over her to get her to do what he wanted. She lived like that for three years before she finally got up the courage to flee. She left in the middle of the night and didn't stop until she reached Aspen Creek, Montana, home of the Marrok, the Alpha of all Alphas in North America. She went there seeking refuge and she was welcomed with open arms. Aspen Creek was the one place that any wolf could feel safe and it was a haven for those who needed help in dealing with the world.

In the beginning she just wanted to hide from the world and Aspen Creek was a good place to do that. It was a small town in a more remote area of Montana, which was a fairly remote state to begin with, given all the wide open spaces, and it allowed those who couldn't cope with lots of people the chance to run free without fear. She was given a place to stay, until something more permanent was arranged for her, and allowed time to lick her wounds. When she told the Marrok of all that transpired he'd sent his enforcer, his son Charles, to take care of the wolves who'd abused her. That helped her to put that part of her life behind her. She became fast friends with Sage, another female wolf who'd gone there years ago for similar reasons. When Anna joined the pack as Charles's mate, both Sage and Luna took the other woman in and the trio quickly became nicknamed 'The Three Musketeers'. They were always together, always up to mischief.

When Luna finally felt ready to venture back out into the world, she'd gone to Bran to discuss it with him. She asked for his permission to checkout some of the packs within a day's drive from Aspen Creek. She wanted his opinion on the best options, given her history, because she didn't want to make a mistake and regret her decision. The Marrok gave her a short list of packs he was sure she'd feel comfortable joining. They were the Columbia Basin Pack and the Emerald City Pack, both in Washington state, the Eugene Pack in Oregon, and the Rock Springs Pack in Wyoming. Over the course of several weeks she visited each pack for a few days, to talk with the alphas and some of their members, to try to get a feel for them. After her weekend trip to Kennewick, and the Columbia Basin Pack, which was the last one she visited, she knew that was where she wanted to be. She loved the calmness and serenity of Aspen Creek, but she needed more. She was getting restless, and this change, this return to life, was what she needed to get rid of that restlessness.

Luna made her way to the Marrok's home to speak with him. The only dark blot on her time there was the Marrok's mate, Leah. She was selfish, shallow, and arrogant and she loved making others feel like they were less simply because she took her position in the pack from her mate. Leah answered the door and she quietly requested to speak with Bran. She was led to his study where she sat in the chair he indicated and she told him of her decision. "I'd like to petition the alpha of the Columbia Basin pack, Adam Hauptman, for acceptance into their pack."

"You're sure this is what you want Luna?" Bran asked, watching her.

Luna nodded. "It is. Aspen Creek will always hold a special place in my heart, it was my haven when I needed refuge, but... I'm restless. I've always been more of a city girl, despite the fact I enjoy camping, and I think its time I get back out in the world."

Bran watched her. He'd seen the restlessness in her, he'd known when she asked for his opinion of nearby packs that she was ready to leave, so he'd not been surprised by her request. "Go with my blessing Luna. Adam is a good Alpha. I believe you will learn a lot from him and his pack."