Morgana Roswell Evetts had a lot things to despise in this world, but her step-father was certainly making his way to the very top of the list.

The Alpha of the New Orleans pack, a mere hour away from her home, he claimed her mother was his mate, and she would soon be Changed. When her two youngest were old enough to be sent away to safety, without misunderstanding, it would be the end. He had no qualms taking away a mother from a girl who'd known no one else, and from two young children who'd made their lives around her entire existence.

Actually, he had managed to convince Morgan's mother to send her to his sister to 'learn more about werewolves so she would survive in this world', to quote. His sister, Jodie, lived in Aspen Creek, a middle-of-nowhere town in the middle-of-nowhere state of Montana. Apparently, some big-shot in the werewolf world lived there, another Alpha who seemed to outrank her step-father. Permission for Morgan to stay in Aspen Creek for six months was granted, and Morgan was shoved onto the first plane available.

(Oddly it coincided with her youngest brother's birthday, something she assumed meant that was the deadline.)

Morgan was concerned that her step-father would take the opportunity to convince her mother to take the Change while she was away; her dear mother Diane was a love-sick puppy at the moment, and would listen to anything her beloved Derek said. And while Morgan still managed to be an adequate voice of reason, being halfway across the country left the situation hanging dangerously by a thread.

She leaned on the armrest of her seat, gazing out the window of the plane as it began to land. Jodie would be greeting her at the airport, then they would make the remaining few hour drive to the little town. Morgan was loathing every second of this. Four months; four whole months in a town filled with werewolves in the middle of nowhere, where only her family knew where she was. It might as well have been a death sentence.

The thought of death made her seek comfort in the sight of the rapidly approaching tarmac. It reminded her that she was alive, that she was a living, breathing person, and that she would have a long life ahead of her before the day death came knocking at her door. Unless the werewolves decide to eat her, that is.

When the plane landed and Morgan gathered her carry-on bags, she ventured into the airport (unsurprisingly, it was far less busy than the international airport she traveled from) and began her search for Jodie. She tried to memorize the picture Derek had shown her, but she still feared she wouldn't be able to find the were-woman. 'Maybe I should just call-'

"Morgan." A hand clamped on her shoulder. She spun around, meeting the hard, ageless face of the woman from the photograph. It seemed that Jodie found her.

"Is this all your luggage?" She asked. Morgan shook her head. "I've got a suitcase in checkout." She said, adjusting her duffel bag on her shoulder. Jodie nodded, taking the other bag from her hand. "Come on. We've got a long drive ahead of us." She stated, before starting ahead at a firm and rapid pace. Morgan had to hurry to keep up.

They fetched her bag from check out, went out to Jodie's car, and not ten minutes later they were on the road. The silence in the car was heavy and thick, but Morgan would not bring herself to break it. She wasn't sure what Jodie thought of her (although she was quite certain Derek had Jodie wrapped enough around her finger that the woman was going to make her life hell) and she wasn't about to start an awkward conversation with her least favorite person's sister. So she took to watching the passing forest.

"Morgan."

Jodie, it seemed, had other things in mind. Morgan glanced at her. The woman was focused on the road, but she was leaning back, casually propped against the door. "There are a few rules that must be established for the duration of your stay in town."

"Such as?"

"First and foremost, the Marrok is the Alpha here. It is somewhat different from how things worked in my brother's pack." Jodie began. "He is the absolute authority here in North America. For all packs. You are going to respect whatever he says, whenever he says, and keep your tongue curbed. No swearing, no lying, and no leaving things out when giving information. He hates lies; even lies of omission."

"Oddly specific but OK."

"Secondly, sometimes things get a little...rough, in town. If you are not with me, or with anyone approved, you are going to stay inside. We can't have you getting into pack business, seeing as you are just a guest, and not pack." Jodie said firmly. Morgan nodded, sinking into the seat. "Wouldn't want to get involved anyways."

"And finally," Jodie looked over at her with a look of annoyance, "Derek has told me about your little tendency to wander."

"I wander?" Morgan couldn't help but snort. "It's hardly wandering. I sleep walk. And I can't control when it happens or what I do."

"He mentioned you have something with you to reassure you'll be contained at night."

"You mean the chain I lock on my door? Yeah. Seeing I don't jump when I sleep - yet - I've figured out a way to deadlock my bedroom door and hold it with a padlock. I keep the at the top of the door frame." Morgan popped an uncomfortable kink in her neck. "But, in case you do find me wandering, the best thing to do is wake me up."

"I thought you weren't supposed to wake sleepwalkers."

"I'm not like other sleepwalkers." Morgan said plainly. "Just splash me with some cold water. Mom and I have found that ice water does the trick."

Jodie looked suspicious, but nodded. "But you won't let it come to that, will you?"

Morgan forced herself not to roll her eyes. "No, ma'am."

The town was nice and small, and rather homely. She watched a motel pass by, a gas station, and caught a glimpse of a church nested in the trees. There were houses everywhere and everybody seemed to have nice cars, to her surprise. She saw more than a few people, strolling through the town. They all watched as Jodie's little green truck passed by. Morgan felt shivers run up her spine.

When they made it to the house, Morgan was more than a little terrified to see there was a small cluster of women that watched like hawks from the yard across the street as she pulled her luggage from the truck. Jodie ignored them, opening the door (it wasn't locked) and gesturing for Morgan to follow her in. Morgan lugged in her bags through the door and into the foyer. Jodie took the larger of the suitcases, gesturing to the stairs. "Come on. Third room on the left."

Jodie guided her to the mentioned bedroom, a plain, white walled room with a bed drapes in blue sheets and a single desk against the wall by the window. Jodie placed the bag on the bed and sweeping an arm in a wide gesture. "This will be your room while you're here. Feel free to use the kitchen when you need to. Bathroom is down the hall, the first door to the right, directly by the stairs."

"Thanks."

"I've got to go talk with the pack Second. It shouldn't take more than an hour or so, but just in case," Jodie gestured to the cell phone sticking out of her jeans, "you already have my number, right?"

"Yeah." Morgan unzipped her suitcase. "I'll get settled. Uh, thanks."

Jodie nodded, and left. Morgan moved to the window, peering out over the driveway. She didn't miss Jodie's hard glare as the woman got back in her truck and drove off. The cluster of women remained, staring up at the house, chatting feverishly amongst themselves. Morgan sighed heavily. 'This is going to be hell.'

Although it wasn't quite hell, she wasn't that far off. Almost the entire first week had passed and she had yet to be allowed outside. Morgan knew it was for her own safety, as well as the pack's, but she was getting restless. Jodie's little lessons on what Morgan affectionately called "How Not To Die When Living With Werewolves 101" were getting boring and dull. She needed to meet someone new. She needed to be let outside.

"It's Sunday." Jodie announced at breakfast. "We're going to church."

Morgan almost got up and hugged Jodie; finally, they were going somewhere! And it was to the church!

Wait, church?

"Uh, like for mass?" She asked, prodding her eggs. "The whole Sunday morning prayer thing?"

"Yes. Everyone in this town goes to church. Every Sunday." The way Jodie said it gave Morgan the impression she didn't have much of a choice. "Ah, that's right. You're Pagan."

"That's not going to be an issue, is it?" Morgan pushed away her plate with a frown. "I mean, I'm not a witch or anything. I just follow the religion."

"Bran has already said you are welcome here as long as you don't cause any trouble. You come, you're respectful, and there shouldn't be any problems. Alright? Now, go shower and get dressed. Wear something nice." Jodie took her plate and dumped the remaining (she'd barely nibbled on the toast) food on her own. "Yeah, alright." Morgan retreated quickly to her room, taking a fast shower and rummaging through her clothes.

'What the heck am I supposed to wear to a church?'

By the time Jodie came upstairs to retrieve her, she'd settled on a nice, casual navy dress and braided her dark brown hair over her shoulder. Jodie gave her a moderate nod of approval, Morgan grabbed a pair of flats, and they loaded into the truck. "Remember, don't challenge anyone. Don't tuck your chin in, either. It will-"

"-set off someone because they'll think I'm challenging them." Morgan watched the house shrink in the rear view mirror. "I remember."

"Good." And Jodie said nothing more, leaving Morgan to sit and simmer under the heat of her own nerves. The first time she comes into the pack's full presence, and it's in a church of all places. As if she wasn't freaked out enough, now she has to deal with the droning voice of a pastor in the house of God, rasping on about righteousness and all that. It's bad enough how edge she gets in church alone...

'Something's probably going to happen that'll make me look like a total fucking idiot...' She leaned her head on the glass, closing her eyes. 'And in front of the werewolf pack of all werewolf packs. Fucking luck...'

"Morgan?"

Jodie was standing outside the truck now; they were already there? Behind her, through the open door, people were passing by and glancing in, peering at her with curious glances. "Are you going to get out of the truck?" Jodie asked.

Morgan's cheeks were hot. "Right." She stumbled out of the truck and hurried to follow Jodie's long strides. She could feel the eyes following her all the way through the doors of the homely looking church. When they were inside, Morgan let her eyes sweep once over the crowd that was already seated.

In the very front, there were only a few people. Jodie had mentioned in passing that the Marrok and his family always took to the front. As she slid into a rear seat beside Jodie, Morgan found herself wondering which one on that first pew was Bran Cornick. There were only four men up there, and even as a human in the very back, Morgan could feel a presence around all of them. Perhaps it was the tallest one, a smiling man with brown hair.

One turned his head, meeting her eyes with a curious glance. He couldn't be much older than her, with sandy blond hair and pale skin. But when his hazel eyes met hers, and a flash of gold flickered across them, Morgan not only felt fire in her bones, but was suddenly very aware of how short in stature she was. He smiled; her eyes went to the floor and stayed there, face feeling hot. Her body burned, much to her embarrassment.

'Holy shit.'

She tried to ignore the sudden looks everyone was giving her. Something in her tingled and something else in her burned like a furnace. Her stomach churned restlessly.

'I should have eaten more at breakfast.'

In the front of the church, Bran found himself momentarily frozen in shock. The whole pack felt it, just as he had. All eyes were on Jodie's niece and she seemed terrified by it. No one moved, no one spoke; the only sounds were heartbeats and breathing.

Mercy, sitting between her Adam and Bran, looked back at the girl who captured everyone else's gaze. The coyote had not felt the magic that had just slivered its way into the being of the Marrok and his wolves; Adam, silent and staring, had felt it. "That's the New Orleans Alpha's step-daughter, right?" She inquired casually. "She's older than I thought she would be."

"Da?" Charles's voice was light, but enough to draw Bran to his senses. Bran turned his head forward; following their Marrok, the rest of the pack averted the eyes, instead settling on their Alpha with shocked or curious expressions. He didn't say anything; no one did.

When the Reverend began, it was a tad awkward. Not that he was to fault; Bran sat still as a statue, eyes blazing a powerful gold. The pack was jittery all through service. When it was finally - finally - ended, no one moved. Bran stood and made his way to Jodie and the guest - his new mate - and smiled. "Jodie," he didn't miss the way the girl's hands clenched at his approach, "I need a word."

Jodie handed her car keys to the girl. "Wait in the truck." She said, before standing and following Bran out.

The rest of the townsfolk took their cue, filing out. Morgan made a beeline for the truck, clutching the keys so tight her knuckles were white. She didn't run, but heavens did she want to. She walked at a leisurely agonizing pace and got into the truck as calmly as she could, ignoring the way the stares burned holes in her back or how there were people whispering her name across the lot.

The glass windows provided a comforting barrier. She leaned back into the seat, dragging in a deep breath.

Jodie appeared several moments later. Not a word is said until they reach Jodie's house, in which her only words frightened Morgan. "The Marrok has invited you to the pack's barbecue later today."

"Invited me to what now?" Morgan spun on her heel, eyes wide. "He wants me to come to a werewolf cook-out?"

"He does." Jodie didn't look pleased with the notion. "I know you've been a little stir-crazy, since you've been kept in the house since your arrival. This should be a good way to ease you into the pack."

"Yeah, let's just dive headfirst into the meat grinder." Morgan threw her hands up. "I could barely keep it together in a church. How am I supposed to keep my cool at...at a party?!"

Jodie said nothing.

"I've never even been to a big barbecue." Morgan continued, grabbing her hair and whisking herself inside. "Oh my god, if there's hotdogs there I'll puke my guts out and that'll be just so attractive. At least I might look less appetizing then."

"The Marrok has has invited you into his town." Jodie said abruptly. "He has invited to into his home. You are a stranger in the midst of his pack, his family. You are in no danger here, nor will you ever be." She spoke firmly, but there was something bitter in her tone.

Morgan dropped her hands. "I…"

"You can't refuse an invitation from Bran." Jodie continued. "But he understands that you are afraid, and doesn't want you walking into a luncheon full of werewolves stinking of fear like you do now."

"You can smell fear?" Morgan's nose wrinkled.

"Get a grip." Jodie said at last. "You won't be walking into an oven to be roasted. He wouldn't do that to you."

Something washed through Morgan; she didn't miss the strange implication there, and it set a cold but jittery calm in her. "I'm sorry." She said, brushing the skirt of her dress. "I panicked."

"I know. You're human, it's understandable." Jodie gestured to the stairs. "It doesn't start for another hour. Go get dressed in something casual and comfortable and call your mother."

"Call momma?"

"She can calm you down better. Give you a confidence boost." Jodie shooed her. "Go on."

Morgan clamored up the stairs and found her cellphone on the nightstand. As she called up her mother and felt a wave of relief at the sound of her voice, she wondered if her first impression of Jodie being Derek's puppet was true at all.

_^\\0/^_

I promise I'm not dead, and I have chapter two already completed and in editing.

It took a lot to get myself out of my Mercy rut, but I did, and it only took two months to get myself back in the jam. Completely revised the story, to go along with the later plots I wrote ahead of time. I'm so so so sorry I've been gone, but unfortunately college and work took a REALLY heavy toll on me. But I'll have two up in the next few days and three is already underway!

New and improved,

~Witchy