A/N: All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes 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.

P.S. For those of you who may like Samuel with Ariana, while I think its a decent pairing, I also think he needs someone who can embrace both parts of him, not just the human side, and so I am giving him a mate he can truly be himself with. Also, since this story got it's start in chapter four of Embracing the Future, I will be copying a small part of it, the initial meeting between Chloe and the Columbia Basin Pack, from there and pasting it here. As you will see, I tend to intertwine all of the stories I have going from the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega series, so there will be some crossing over of characters from my others as well.

********************MT/A&O********************

The day started out like any other. She went to work, had dinner with some of the pack, then headed home. Her favorite nightly past time, when she wasn't out running on four legs, was listening to music. She'd just started listening to this new Indy band a co-worker told her about when she was hit with a pain so intense it dropped her to her knees and tore a howl from her throat. Things happened too fast after that for her to even hope to react. There was the sound of glass shattering, she had sliding glass doors that led out to her fenced backyard, and she heard a series of soft 'pfts' before she felt the sting of needles. Fire burned through her veins, her vision got spotty, and just before darkness sucked her under she looked into a slightly familiar face. She tried to stay awake but whatever they'd shot her with, it was too potent to fight. "Got her," she heard someone say as darkness swallowed her.

********************MT/A&O********************

Chloe bolted awake and instantly regretted it. She hated that fucking dream. Too bad it wasn't just a dream. She felt the silver in her system, it wasn't as potent as it had been over the last, how many days now? She couldn't remember. She felt nauseous and groaned. She wasn't the only one who was groaning though. They'd lost several pack members right away, they'd been too weak to survive the amount of silver nitrate that coursed through their veins when they were first taken. In the days since their capture they'd lost even more. The few remaining felt the loss intensely but they weren't given any time to grieve. Chloe knew if they didn't figure out a way to get out of there they were all going to die.

"You're awake. Good. You have been very promising. You seem to have quite the different reaction from the others, but I'm sure that's because you're also fae. While the human part of the others doesn't stay subdued long, yours does. But then, you're even less human than the others are, aren't you?"

Chloe ignored the taunts. She'd figured out very quickly that at least some of their captors were former CNTRP and BFA agents who'd gone rogue. "You can't kidnap and murder people and get away with it," she hissed.

"You aren't people. You're abominations. Once we succeed the rest of humanity will agree and we will wipe your kind from this earth."

"The only abomination I see is standing in front of me," she retorted.

"You bitch," the man snarled at her.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "As if I haven't been called that before." She was egging him on and she knew it.

"Enough," a second voice said. "Even with the silver weakening them to a degree, they're still dangerous."

Chloe turned to the new speaker and when she heard a series of 'pfts' she growled. Several remaining pack members were taken from their cells and she knew only one would come back. Her growls were ignored and silence enveloped them until they were sure they were alone.

"Chloe." Andrew was the pack's second but with their Alpha gone those who were left looked to him for leadership. "If you get an opening, I want you to go. I want you to run."

"I can't do that, Andrew," she replied.

"You can and you will. That's an order."

She whined and it was the wolf, not the human. The human understood why he wanted her to flee, the wolf didn't like the idea of being ordered to abandon them. "You want me to abandon the rest of the pack?"

"Someone needs to get away. Someone needs to take this to the Marrok. I know you've been holding back, girl. Waiting for the right time."

She had some fae magic. She could create the illusion that she disappeared, but it didn't last long. "Andy, I don't think I can hold it long enough to get clear of this place."

Andrew gave her a dark smile. "I'll make sure their attention is all on me." The sounds of fighting filtered to them and they felt the deaths of each pack member. "You'll get away and you'll find help," Andrew growled and the few remaining pack members howled over the loss of the others.

********************MT/A&O********************

Two days later her chance came. The humans who had them had found a drug mixture that, in the right amount, suppressed the human part of a werewolf and forced them to shift. It didn't last long enough for their goal, they were trying to perfect it so it did last longer, and they used the aggression, the berserker, that it brought out to force the wolves to fight each other. With the right dosage they could send a werewolf, or several, on a killing spree and gain the support of the rest of humanity. They didn't care about the lives that would be lost, it was 'worth it' if it meant getting rid of werewolves entirely, and if they could get rid of the fae as well, then humans would be safe.

Chloe had already had her share of fights and she'd survived thus far, but she felt sick over the ones she'd had no control to keep from killing to save herself. It was similar to a dominance fight in that there was only one victor, but in those fights the victor could accept a yield. Not so here.

She was still reeling from the last fight, her woulds still seeping blood, when they came for Andrew and the last two male pack members. They'd gone from twenty werewolves down to four in just a few days. Andrew gave her a slight nod and when they removed him and the other two from their cells Chloe concentrated and she was suddenly 'gone'.

"What the hell?" One of their captors was looking at her cell from an angle when it happened. "Where the hell did she go? She was just here. Goddamn it, they said the iron in the cell bars would be enough to hold her."

'Open the door' Chloe thought at him and it worked like a charm. Not her thought, but the disappearing act. She watched as he opened her cell door and stepped in to make sure it wasn't a trick. She'd already moved to the side of the door so when he entered she slipped past him.

Andrew felt an invisible touch on his hand and he knew she was out. He went berserk then, attacked one of the humans, and the other two followed his lead.

Chloe bolted. While the humans shot at her pack members to stop them she fled. Before she was completely safe the illusion started to shimmer, giving glimpses of her to her captors, and she heard someone yell "Stop!". She ignored them and kept running. She heard the sounds of dart guns firing, hissed as one hit home, and jerked it out of her shoulder. 'Get away, get away, get away'. It was her silent mantra as she ran out into the night. Just enough of the drug mixture had gotten into her system before she'd pulled the dart out that she was forced into shifting. A snarl was ripped from her throat and still she ran. She ran until the pain of her injuries, and the silver nitrate in her body, became too intense, and then she collapsed in the middle of the woods. She managed to shift back to human moments before she passed out.

********************MT/A&O********************

Chloe hurt all over. There were holes in her memory and for the life of her she couldn't figure out how she ended up in the woods. She also had no clue where she was or why it hurt so much to move. A howl erupted near her and her own wolf fought for control. It's urge was to run because it was already hurt but running would require moving and it hurt too damn much to move, so she kept hold of her tenuous control by sheer will power. Chloe was... unique among her kind. She wasn't just wolf, she was also fae. Not fae enough to stop the magic that made her a wolf when she'd been attacked several years ago but she still had some fae magic in her. Ah yes, that was why she hurt so much. Silver and iron, in the right combination, could be very dangerous for her. Deadly even.

….

Too much happened, too fast. She'd panicked when she realized she was surrounded by unfamiliar werewolves and if she'd been able to run away she would have. Lucky for her, she was too hurt to do that. She'd been heading in the direction of Finley because she knew that was where the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack lived and they found her instead. "I'm Mercy Hauptman. That's my husband, and mate, Adam. He's also the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack," she added.

Chloe stared at her. She was trying to remember where she'd heard those names before but she finally gave up. It would come back to her. "Chloe. Chloe Bishop," she said through gritted teeth.

"Okay, Chloe, try not to move too much," Mercy said before she turned to Adam. "Adam, we're going to need a stretcher. She's not healing right and I smell silver nitrate," she told him. When he growled her coyote echoed him.

Adam looked to his second and third and Darryl stepped back, letting Warren take this one. Between the two of them Warren was less likely to cause the injured wolf any further stress.

It seemed to take forever for them to get back but a little over half an hour later Adam and Warren returned, both dressed in sweats, and carrying a stretcher. Injuries that should have already healed were still oozing blood and Warren did a quick patch work on them so they could get her to safety. "Don't worry darlin', you're safe now," he cooed at her. "We'll get you patched up right once we're back to pack central," he added.

Chloe bit back whimpers of pain as she was moved to the stretcher. She finally remembered why Adam's and Mercy's names were familiar to her. Andrew, her former pack's second, mentioned them. He'd said they weren't that far away, few miles as the crow flies, if only they could get to them they'd be safe. It always happened this way when she was forced to shift. When she returned to human form she had blanks in her memory that slowly filled in. She'd been forced to shift a lot lately.

….

"Chloe, this is Dr. Samuel Cornick. He's going to look at your injuries to make sure there isn't something we've missed," Adam said.

Chloe's eyes snapped open at the name. She knew that name because of her great-great grandfather. Violet colored eyes locked with blue-gray ones before Chloe blinked and her eyes became a more human color somewhere between brown and blue.

Samuel stared for a moment. Violet colored eyes was neither human nor wolf, but he'd known a fae, years ago, with violet eyes. He'd been the best man at the fae's wedding as a matter of fact. Oh, he knew other fae must have that color too, but he also knew, from what he'd been told, that it wasn't an extremely common eye color among the fae. That a werewolf had violet eyes, suggesting fae blood as well, was interesting indeed. He pushed his thoughts away and focused on tending to the patient.

She'd been startled when Samuel Cornick arrived to tend to her injuries but she kept quiet about it. What could she say, 'I know who you are'? She wasn't ready to admit that she wasn't just a werewolf. She heard him hiss as the silver in her system touched his skin where he'd had to reopen some closed wounds to clean them out. "The rest is up to her. If she had a pack her Alpha could help her."

"No pack," Chloe growled. Her voice was thick with pain. "Not anymore. Alpha was killed, we were easy to capture then."

"Son of a..." Warren bit the swear word off before he uttered it. "Why don't we know about an entire pack disappearing?"

"We can worry about that later," Adam said. "You rest Chloe. We'll keep someone with you in case you need anything," he added and Luna offered to sit with her.

********************MT/A&O********************

She was safe, for now at least. She was in the company of the third and fourth most dominant werewolves in all of North America. She knew they wouldn't be so easily taken by surprise. She also knew they'd be looking for answers soon. They were letting her rest but the questions would come.

Chloe heard the door open, heard footsteps on the thick carpet that were little more than a soft shushing sound, and her stomach growled at the smell of food. She also smelled coyote just like she had in the woods. "The rumors are true," she said and opened her eyes.

Mercy set the tray of food down. "What rumors?"

"That the Columbia Basin Pack's Alpha's mate was neither human nor wolf. Not everyone believes it possible for a wolf to mate with a coyote." She moved to sit up and realized she was still naked. "Got something I can put on?" she asked.

"We have sweats of varying sizes. It's the clothing of choice in emergencies," Mercy said. "That's us, the odd pairing," she added while Luna went to the dresser to get Chloe something to wear. "Bran will be here soon. You should eat and rest up until then," Mercy told her and she and Luna left to give her some privacy to get dressed.

"Bran's on his way?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, when Samuel called and told him about her he said he'd be here in a few hours."

"No time for grieving," Luna said softly.

Mercy shook her head. "Not that he'd really grieve over Leah but you're right. That's the downside, or one of them, to being the Alpha of all Alphas. When the shit hits the fan and it requires his attention, he has to put his own life on hold to take care of it."

"You're welcome to come back in now," Chloe called out. She still ached but she knew that wouldn't stop until the silver nitrate was gone. She would have to burn it out but she needed energy for that. It was a good thing she had a plate of food waiting to be devoured.

"I'm going to go back downstairs, do you need anything, Luna?" Mercy asked.

"No, I'm okay," Luna replied and went back into the room.

*******************MT/A&O********************

Downstairs Samuel kept thinking about the werewolf with the violet eyes. He couldn't shake the feeling she was related to his old friend. He wondered if she knew about her fae blood. Some did, some didn't.

He was a doctor, he'd seen many naked bodies over his many centuries on earth, and yet he'd had a difficult time not staring at her while he was treating her injuries. Samuel shook his head. One problem at a time. He could deal with that troubling issue later.

"She's awake, dressed, and eating," Mercy said when she came back downstairs.

"That's good. It means she's strong. Once she's eaten she'll have an easier time getting the silver nitrate out of her system, especially now that Da is almost here. He can assist her with it," Samuel replied.

Adam had left to meet Bran at the airstrip while Mercy was taking the food up.

"I'd ask why you haven't gotten Ari to come help her with it but I saw how she was in Aspen Creek," Mercy said.

"I was wondering about that myself," Warren said. "Why you don't just call her to come help Chloe out."

"Ariana had a... setback when we were in Aspen Creek," Samuel said and left it at that.

Warren had a feeling there was a story there but he didn't pry.

"They're here," Mercy said. She'd been keeping an eye out for Adam's return.

"Looks like we'll get some answers now," Warren said. Having an entire pack killed off was bad, very bad.

*******************MT/A&O********************

Chloe had never met Bran Cornick. She had no idea what to expect when he walked into that bedroom. So she was a little puzzled when the door opened and a man who seemed human, and could have passed for such if not for the musk and mint smell of werewolf, stepped inside. Luna's reaction to him was equally puzzling. The slight tilt of her head, bearing her throat in submission. Why? He didn't feel dominant at all.

"Hello Chloe," Bran said and just like that he let his power flow through the room.

She'd been staring at him and her reaction was instantaneous as well as pure instinct. She lowered her eyes and bared her throat as well. "Hello," she said. Now she knew why her Alpha spoke of Bran Cornick with such awe. Old Alpha. He was gone now. Tears threatened and Chloe had to blink them back. There would be time later to grieve, once the bastards who'd attacked the pack were dead.

"I'm sure this has been very difficult for you, and I regret having to question you before you're healed, but I can help the healing along," Bran told her.

Chloe felt his power seep into her, felt her body respond. What silver that was left in her system was burned out, which meant a quick change of clothes to keep it from burning her skin, and in moments she felt better. Not whole, there was too much sorrow in her heart for that, but physically she was better. "Thank you," she said once she'd changed clothes. One thing you get over quickly when you're a werewolf is the idea of being naked in front of others. She'd had to sit on the edge of the bed while she dressed because she was still weak but she'd managed. "Before we start the question and answer session can I please get a little help going downstairs? I've had all I can stand of lying in a bed."

Samuel and Adam had followed Bran in and it was Samuel who went to her. "You're wounds are healing faster now so yes, you can get out of bed," he said and scooped her up to carry her downstairs.

Everyone headed downstairs and they waited for Chloe to get settled in a chair. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened, as far as you know," Bran said.

Chloe nodded. "The pack gets together often, I mean, we did get together often, to have dinner, and we'd all just gone home really. I mean, I live... lived the closest to our Alpha but everyone said the same thing, they'd only just gotten home when it happened. Suddenly Connor, our Alpha, was just... gone. I remember falling to my knees in pain from his death and I howled. Things got crazy from there. Glass shattered and I heard several pft sounds, I didn't realize what it was at first, and I was hit several times with darts. They knocked me out and when I came to I was in a cell. Most of the pack was there too. It wasn't until the drugs wore off that I realized the reason some were missing was because they were dead. They were the weaker and newest members of our pack, the silver nitrate was too strong and it killed them." She had to stop for a minute to get her emotions under control.

"Do you have any idea who they were?" Bran asked.

"I know at least one of them used to be a Cantrip agent, I'd seen him in uniform before." She didn't mention that he was also from the Bureau of Fae Affairs, or BFA. "I'm sure he's not the only one who is though. They're zealots who want to wipe anything that isn't human off the face of the planet."

"I know it is unlikely but did they mention how they came across the silver nitrate mixture?" Bran asked.

Chloe laughed bitterly. "Yeah, they did. One of the men said he'd helped someone named Gerry with it before he was killed. He said he had the only copy of the mixture they'd perfected, but if all went as planned he'd sell it to other anti-werewolf groups. They weren't expecting any of us to get away and I was pretending to still be unconscious at the time. He'd been bragging about it when someone asked him what they'd used on us."

"We need to find them and shut them down," Darryl said. The others agreed.

Chloe wasn't listening. She was too busy fighting off a panic that wasn't her own. A howl was ripped from her and for a moment she felt lost. It took several minutes for her to find her inner balance. She was completely alone. The last pack bond was gone and tears slipped down her cheeks. "I can help you draw them out," she said and there was a hardness in her voice. She would make them pay for every single death.

"You mean use you as bait?" Samuel asked. "Not happening."

"I'm the one they want. It's why they killed Andy. They're hoping it'll make me come to them."

It was Mercy who spoke first. "Why you?"

Chloe shrugged slightly. "Do you know any other werewolf that's also fae?"

"Come again?" Warren, who'd been silent up to then, said. "Someone want to explain that because, uh, that's not possible. Only humans can become werewolves. Witches are still human, they just have magic," he added.

All eyes turned to Chloe and she sighed. "It depends on the fae as well as how far back the line goes to the origin."

"Liam. You're related to Liam McGregor, aren't you?" Samuel asked.

"I am. He's my great-great grandfather, on my mom's side. I just call him granddad or grandpa Liam, its less confusing."

"Samuel, is this the Liam McGregor you were good friends with some time ago?" Bran asked and already knew the answer.

"I'm confused," Mercy said before Samuel could answer. "And frankly, I think everyone else is too. What difference does it make if it's a few generations back?"

"Allow me to explain," Samuel said and Chloe nodded. "Yes, Da, it's the same Liam," he said first. "Liam McGregor is the last of his kind who is full blooded fae. He has two forms, one looks mostly human except for violet eyes and pointed ears. His other form is that of a great dire wolf. Dire wolves, though long extinct, are distant cousins of werewolves. Liam once speculated, after he'd fallen in love and married a human woman, that one of his lesser fae descendants might be able to become a werewolf as a result."

"Please tell me he didn't test that theory out with you." Mercy said what she was sure they were all thinking.

"No, he would never have risked one of his own blood that way. My brother disagrees but that's irrelevant," Chloe replied.

Bran was watching her closely. "Why do they want you? If you were one of the more powerful mixed blood fae you would be on one of the reservations with the rest, per the orders of the Gray Lords."

"Because they think I have power that I don't. No matter how much I denied it, they ignored me. They think I'm lying. See, their plan isn't to use me just to turn humans against werewolves, but against the fae as well. They think if they can find a way to force me to use magic that harms humans, then they'll be able to turn the tide."

"How did you get away?" Bran knew if she didn't have any fae magic she wouldn't be there right now.

"I have some magic but its not harmful. I can create the illusion of disappearing into thin air, I can even use it to make at least one other person disappear with me, but it doesn't last very long. They were taking Andy and two other wolves to make them fight and Andy gave me the chance to get out. I just disappeared from my cell and when one of the humans opened the door I slipped out. Look, I know it's not customary for females to fight, or to put themselves in harm's way, but I owe this to my pack. They died because of me."

"How do they force pack members to fight one another?" It was the first question Adam had asked.

"They've added something to the silver/DMSO/ketamine compound. It suppresses the human and turns the wolf into a berserker. The more dominant you are, the stronger the combination, and the harder it is to resist the urge to fight."

Luna was quiet up until then. "That's how you were injured? They made you fight?"

"Yeah. They don't give a damn about our rules. We're all abominations to them so they don't care that female werewolves don't normally fight, unless it's to protect themselves or their fellow pack members."

"It's late. Everyone go home. We will continue this discussion in the morning," Bran said. It was the middle of the night. There wasn't anything they could do about the threat right now.

"Do you think that's safe?" Mercy asked. "If they're in the area what's to stop them from attacking our pack to get her back?"

"I don't think they knew I knew we were so close to the Tri-Cities. It will take them a day or two to figure out where I went," Chloe said softly. She felt the loss of her pack keenly. It was almost overwhelming, the intensity of the emptiness she felt. Part of her wanted to curl up and cry but not in front of strangers.

"Just in case, Ben get the word out to everyone, make them aware of the possible threat," Adam said.

"You got it," Ben replied and went to use the computer in Adam's office to send an email out to everyone. When he was done he and Luna left and they were closely followed by Warren, Darryl, and Aurielle. Bran was offered the guest suite that was on the ground floor of the house for him to rest in.

"I want to check your injuries, one last time to make sure they're healing properly, before I leave," Samuel said.

Chloe let him escort her upstairs. She would remain at Adam's until this was over. Where Samuel's fingers curled around her arm her skin tingled but she ignored it. Or tried to. He wasn't what one might call conventionally handsome but he did have a beauty all his own. She pushed her thoughts aside. There was too much going on, she really didn't need to let herself get distracted.

Chloe was quiet as Samuel checked her wounds. She closed her eyes and despite her best efforts she couldn't stop herself from enjoying the brush of his fingers on her skin. At least it didn't cause her scent to change because how embarrassing would that be?

"They're healing like they should be. Even the worst of them will be gone in a few hours at most," Samuel said. He'd taken his time and he tried to convince himself he was just being thorough.

"Thank you." Chloe settled back on the bed as he headed for the door. The room suddenly smelled like fear and she knew it was from her.

"What's wrong?" Samuel asked.

"Will you stay? I... really don't want to be alone any more than I already am," she replied.

He hesitated for just a moment. "Sure, I need to make a call first," he said and was quick about it. He left the room, called Ari, explained he needed to stay with the patient, then returned to her bedside. He turned the light next to the bed down so it was just a soft glow and settled into a chair. "Get some sleep," he said gently. He watched her drift off and sighed. He needed to get himself under control. He'd enjoyed touching her skin too damn much for a man who was already taken.