Disclaimer: All cannon characters and settings from the Alpha and Omega/Mercy Thompson series belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. All cannon characters and settings from the Power Rangers and the Charmed series belong to their creators as well. The rest come from my imagination with a few 'borrowed' characters from the fanfic of Imaginationqueen87, since Kara's story is tied to her stories for both of her OC's, SeoHyun and Charlotte. No copyright infringement is intended. This is written purely for the enjoyment of myself and others.

A/N: I apologize for the lapse in updating any of my stories. I have extremely limited access to the internet right now, due to being homeless, and the stress of that has stunted my creative side a bit. I am trying to get back in the flow of things though and as such I am doing a double post here, as well as posting two chapters for Witchborn, and hope to have the others all updated by the middle of next week before I hop on a bus and travel 2800 miles to Washington state.

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The pack was gathered for a 4th of July cookout. There was music, tons of food, and everyone mingled and chatted about whatever was going on in their lives. Kara sat under a tree with a sketchbook; she was trying her hand at drawing but her concentration was shot. She found herself watching one particular pack member every chance she could. Discretely, of course. The problem was, he seemed intent on SeoHyun. He tended to hover near her and Kara could only assume it was because he was interested in her friend. He was a good guy, and her friend deserved a good guy, so she kept her attraction to herself.

"You look a little troubled," Hayley said as she approached the younger woman. Her daughter was propped on her hip.

"Am I that transparent?" Kara asked worriedly. Oh god, did Robert know? She would be completely mortified.

"No, I'm just very observant," Hayley replied. She sat and put her daughter in her lap. "Talk to me, Kara, what's bothering you?"

Kara sighed softly. "it's nothing, really. Or rather, not anything anyone can do something about," she replied and at the continued look she got from her Alpha's mate she bit her lip. "It's... attraction that isn't mutual, that's all," she finally admitted.

"Ah. I know that feeling," Hayley said, studying her. "For a long time I thought my attraction to Tommy was one-sided. It can make things rough. Are you sure it's not mutual?"

"Yeah. He's interested in SeoHyun. She deserves to be happy though, so I'm okay with stepping aside." It wasn't a complete lie.

Hayley watched her. "While I think what you're doing is commendable, Kara, you deserve to be happy too. Don't deny yourself just to protect SeoHyun. That's not fair to you." She got up and left Kara to think about what she said.

Kara tried to take Hayley's advice to heart but she spent so much time worrying about SeoHyun that it wasn't easy. As the sun began to set she joined the others to watch the fireworks. She put her troubled thoughts aside and focused on enjoying herself, for now.

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Classes started and Kara found herself with too little time on her hands to worry about her love life, or the lack thereof. She enjoyed the intensity though because it helped her to maintain focus. Every day she and SeoHyun had lunch together, since they were attending different schools and thus didn't get to see each other throughout the day. One afternoon they were joined by this guy, Jacob. He seemed like a good guy but there was something about him that bugged Kara. Trouble was, she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Maybe she was just being overprotective. When SeoHyun started canceling their daily lunch meet up to spend more time with Jacob, Kara tried to not let it bother her. Her best friend had a boyfriend, she should be happy for her. So why did she have a bad feeling about it?

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One afternoon Kara was curled up reading on the sofa when she saw Jacob following Tommy into his office. He and SeoHyun must have a date an Tommy wanted to meet him to make sure he was safe for her to be with. Kara figured if there was a problem with the guy Tommy would sense it so she went back to her book. It was just getting good when she saw Jacob dragging SeoHyun out the door. She frowned and went to the front door in time to see him tear out of the driveway. Fear gripped her and she ran to her Alpha. "I think SeoHyun's in trouble. Jacob dragged her out the door ad he was driving really fast when they left."

Tommy growled and took out after them with several other pack members following.

Kara hugged herself and waited for news. She hoped nothing happened. 'Please don't let her get hurt,' she silently prayed.

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It felt like hours passed before Tommy and the others returned. She saw SeoHyun being carried in, in wolf form, and knew her best friend was hurt. She started pacing and muttering to herself, unaware she wasn't alone. "It's my fault, all my fault, just like before."

"Kara? What's your fault?" Hayley asked.

Kara jumped at the voice. She turned and looked at the floor. "SeoHyun's hurt and it's all my fault. Just like before, when some wolves from her old pack kidnapped her. It's all my fault."

"The only one at fault here is Jacob," Tommy said. He and Robert had just left her in Jason's care and overheard her.

"And mine, for hitting her," Robert put in.

"That was an accident and you know it, Robert," Tommy reminded him.

"No, you don't understand," Kara almost shouted. "It's my fault. The first time he had lunch with us something seemed off about him but I thought I was just being overprotective. It's just like before. I failed to keep her safe."

Tommy put an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward his office. "Talk to me, Kara. What do you mean just like before?"

She wouldn't look at her Alpha as she told him about SeoHyun's kidnapping a few years ago. "If I hadn't told her to go ahead without me she wouldn't have been kidnapped. She wouldn't have been starved for the better part of a week.. wouldn't have suffered at their hands. The wolf who grabbed her was only able to because she was alone. I failed her and now I've failed her again. If I'd told you about my concerns she wouldn't be hurting right now."

"Kara, no. SeoHyun being hurt right now is no more your fault that her kidnapping had been, which is not at all. I talked to him, remember? I didn't know he would do something that would make her jump out of a moving cat at 80 miles per hour." He watched her. "You've been carrying around that guilt for quite a while now. Does SeoHyun know you still blame yourself for that?" he asked gently.

"No. She'd be really upset about it. I don't know how to stop blaming myself," she admitted.

"By forgiving yourself. You were a teenage girl and you had no reason to believe she was in danger. Forgive yourself and let the guilt go."

"I'll try," Kara agreed. "Thanks, Tommy. Wait, Robert said he hit her? As in, with his car?" she asked.

"Yes. He feels horrible about it. He's also worried her father might attack him for it. I assured him he wouldn't but maybe you could help put his mind at ease since you know her father," Tommy suggested.

"I can do that," Kara replied and finally looked at her Alpha. "Will you let me know when she shifts back?"

"Of course," Tommy said and watched her go.

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Kara watched Robert a moment before she approached him. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," he said. "You know it's not your fault, don't you?" he asked.

"I still feel a bit responsible because I ignored my gut when I felt something was off about him but yeah, I guess so," she replied. "Tommy said you were worried about how her dad might react when he finds out you hit her with your car."

"Yeah, that's putting it lightly. I'm scared shitless he's going to blame me. He's the Marrok's enforcer and she's his pup."

"It was an accident, right? And Tommy already told them what happened? Her dad's not going to blame you. He's going to be more concerned with why she jumped out of the car at 80 miles per hour."

"You two have known each other quite a while, haven't you?" Robert asked.

"We have. Four years, since we both moved to Aspen Creek. We clicked immediately. My guardian, Sage, explained to me once the reason why was because SeoHyun is so submissive it made my wolf want to protect her from the very start."

"She does have that affect on most of us, doesn't she?" Robert replied.

"Yeah. I just, um, wanted you to know you don't have to worry about her dad. He'd probably be glad someone who is both dominant and a good person was interested in SeoHyun."

Robert blinked at her. He cared about SeoHyun and wanted to protect her but it was more like a friend. "She's a sweet girl who maybe trusts too easily. She needs people like us to keep her safe," he replied. "Although, with this Jacob character, I think her trust of him was partly due to him being part fae. I could be wrong but maybe he influenced her some and I think that is what you picked up on when you met him. Maybe he was trying to influence you too, but you were too dominant for it to work."

"He's part fae?" She frowned a little. "Do you think SeoHyun knew?"

"I don't think so. I don't think she would have been so worried about Tommy meeting him otherwise. You should get some rest. It's getting late."

Kara sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. Goodnight, Robert."

"Goodnight, Kara." He thought about her comment on him being interested in SeoHyun. Had he really given that impression? And why did he get the feeling there was more to her comment than what she said?

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It was late morning when Kara found out that SeoHyun was back to human form and had explained why she'd jumped out of Jacob's car. Finding out that Jacob had tried to force himself on her made Kara want to rip the asshole to shreds. "Please tell me that asshole is going to be punished?" she asked Robert, who'd been the one to fill her in.

"I haven't been filled in on that but I'm sure he will be," Robert replied.

"He better," Kara said and headed for the kitchen and something to eat. She spotted Jacob with an unfamiliar man and growled at him, which prompted the man with Jacob to say something to her. (try to find this in SeoHyun's latest story arc) Before she could respond her Alpha stepped in and smoothed things over.

Kara gave Jacob a dark look and then continued on to the kitchen. If he wasn't punished for what he tried to do she would find a way to do it herself. After what she'd done back in high school to the asshole who'd assaulted SeoHyun, she could do it, too.

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"Penny for your thoughts," Hayley said as she entered the kitchen. Kara was at the table with a plate of sandwiches in front of her but she wasn't touching her food. Since she was a werewolf that was odd, to say the least.

"Oh, hi," Kara said sheepishly. "I was just thinking about ways to get back at Jacob if he's not punished for what he did... or if his punishment is a light one."

Hayley arched a brow at her. "You sound like you have experience with that."

"I do," Kara replied. While Hayley fixed herself a cup of coffee Kara told her about Andrew and his assault of SeoHyun. "The school played it off as bullying and handled it... which meant they didn't do a damn thing because he was the star quarterback. I decided he needed to pay for it. See, our school's colors were red and black but our biggest rival's were orange and blue, and we were playing them that weekend. I put dye in his shampoo and body wash, he had blue hair and orange skin streaked blue in places, and tiger balm in his jock strap, just before practice they had for the game that night. He tried to grab me and I told him I wasn't like SeoHyun, I'd break his hand. He left her alone after that."

Hayley laughed at the tale. "I should say so."

"Remind me to never piss you off," Robert said from the doorway. "Sounds like it can be dangerous," he added with a laugh.

"I've always had a mischievous streak, I just took that and turned it into an act of revenge." She gave him a slight smile. "I doubt you'd ever do anything to make me want to retaliate like that."

"I'm going to go check on my angel, see if she's finished her nap yet. See you two later," Hayley said and left them alone.

Kara fiddled with her plate before she picked up one of the sandwiches and offered it to him. "I think I made more than I'm really hungry enough to eat, want one?"

Robert sat across from her. "Sure," he said and took it. They ate in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "Kara? Can I ask you something? What did you mean when you said SeoHyun's father would probably be glad someone who was a good person would be interested in her?"

Kara wouldn't look at him a moment then she lifted her gaze to his and met his eyes briefly. He was dominant to her and her wolf acknowledged that. "You're a good person, Robert. You'd take care of her the way she deserves to be taken care of."

"Kara, look at me," he said gently. "You think I'm romantically interested in SeoHyun?" he asked when she met his eyes again.

Kara nodded because she was afraid her voice would betray her.

"I care about her, it's true, but it's not in the way you think. I care about her as a pack member, as a submissive who needs to be protected... as a friend. I'm not romantically interested in her."

Kara blinked at him. "You're not? You sure seemed like it. I mean, you're always hovering around her, always so intent on making her feel safe. I thought..."

"She's not the one I'm interested in. Not that way, at least."

Kara gave him a puzzled look. The way he said it, it was almost as if he was trying to tell her something. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean there is someone else I'm interested in, romantically. She's smart, compassionate, she has a wicked sense of humor, loyal to the people who matter to her, protective of those who are weaker than her, and she has the most soulful eyes I have ever seen."

When Kara realized he was talking about her she blushed. "Oh." A smile lit up her face. "You like my sense of humor?"

"Yes, I do," he replied. "The thing is, you're young and I don't want to limit your choices, Kara. I don't want you to feel pressured just because of an attraction. I've been around a while, I can wait for you to experience life some." His wolf didn't agree with him on that one. His wolf wanted her now. But he had experience at keeping his wolf under control.

Kara was listening to what he was saying and heard what he didn't say as well. "You can wait but it's not what you really want, is it?" she asked. "Okay, I know I'm young and I have no real life experiences worth noting, but that doesn't mean I can't know what I want. I've been attracted to you since I joined the pack. You can ask Hayley about it if you don't believe me. I told her about it back in July, during the 4th of July cookout we had. She'd noticed I looked bothered by something and asked me what was wrong."

"I don't need to ask Hayley. Even if I couldn't smell a lie I'd know you were telling the truth," he replied. He reached across the table and took her hand. "I'm not just worried about you being a young werewolf, Kara. I know you graduated early which means you're what, going on seventeen? I don't want you to settle and then get restless."

"Just turned seventeen before we came here, actually," she said. "It's not settling," she countered. She pulled her hand from his. "I get it, you think I'm still just a kid. I'm not going to get angry or throw a tantrum, but it hurts," she said and got up to leave.

Robert was on his feet and standing in front of her before she could reach the doorway leading out of the kitchen. "I do not think you're a child," he growled. "You have no idea just how attracted to you I am, Kara. I want to wrap myself in your scent. And if my wolf had his way we'd take you here and now and damn the consequences." He lifted a hand to caress her cheek. "Never doubt how I feel about you."

Kara was startled by the intensity of his reaction. When he touched her cheek she leaned into his hand. "I think Hayley would have an issue over you taking me in the kitchen," she said cheekily.

Robert laughed. "You think? She'd want to ring my neck," he said and leaned in to press his forehead against hers. "I'm not going anywhere, Kara. We can take our time."

She sighed softly. "Okay." As long as he didn't see her as just a child she was okay with taking things slow. It made sense, really. She didn't have much life experience and he had quite a bit. That didn't mean she'd be going out with random guys though. The only guy she wanted to go out with was standing in front of her.

"What are you doing tonight?" Robert asked suddenly.

"Um, besides studying? Nothing, why?" Kara replied.

"Good. Be ready at six. I'm taking you to dinner. And a movie. And whatever else we decide to do after that."

"Just like that, huh? Already taking control," Kara teased. She hesitated a moment then leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "Guess I'll see you at six then." she added. While he was still processing the fact she'd kissed him she slipped past him and headed up to the room she and SeoHyun shared.

Robert watched her go with a faint smirk.

"I see you finally woke up."

Robert shifted his attention to his Alpha's mate. "Pardon?"

"That girl has been crazy about you for a while now. I'm glad you've come to your senses and let her know the interest was mutual," Hayley told him. "Just be careful with her. She's young still, she doesn't fully understand how intense things can get between wolves and their mates."

"You don't need to warn me about that. That's my biggest concern in pursuing her right now. I'm worried she's not really ready for how intense it can get, but I wasn't going to let her keep thinking I wasn't interested in her."

"That's because you're a good man, Robert. I'll butt out now," Hayley told him before she got a drink from the fridge and left him alone.

Robert watched his Alpha's mate go then left the house. He had a date to plan. He wanted this night to be perfect, for both of them. Was it weird he was nervous as hell about it? After being alive for as long as he had, it probably was, but she was special to him, he wanted to make sure she knew it.