DF: Just finished writing this chapter. I've started chapter 6, but it might be some time before I finish it. Enjoy this chapter while I get the next one ready!

Chapter 5

Bran sat on the sofa with his legs stretched out languidly. He had been waiting in the empty house for the last few hours. The rogue had still not made an appearance, but Bran chose to be patient. When a werewolf has lived as long as he did, they tended to get very good at being patient.

He resisted the urge to rest his feet up on the coffee table. The table was sturdy, but Bran didn't want to risk smudging the surface. He had already spent too much time cleaning up the inside of the house before arriving for the meeting. He had left a few pieces of furniture in the living room. A sofa and a small loveseat sat in the corner facing the wall. Across from the seats, on the other side of the coffee table, sat a small television that was still working last time Bran checked. There was a small landscape painting resting on the wall behind the television. The colorfulness of the painting somewhat clashed with the plainness of the room. As for the rest of the house, the furnishings were simple and lacked any personal touches.

The choice of location for the meeting had not been random, nor was it a matter of convenience. This house had been vacant ever since the Patterson's had moved out last year. There had been a few offers made on the house, but so far no one had been interested in taking it. The house was too large for a single person but too quaint for the average-sized American family. It was better suited for a smaller, budding family. The house was right on the edge of town and no longer smelled like the previous residents. Bran hoped that the rogue female had found the place appealing.

Bran smiled to himself, thinking about how the rogue had snuck into Aspen Creek not knowing she had been watched the entire time. He could only assume that she had been scouting out the meeting spot and thought no one would notice her. Even if she hadn't stopped at the gas station to buy food, Bran would have known that she was in his town. He had told his wolves to watch the empty house and the cabin in intervals so that he could track the rogue's movements. It seemed that she had not noticed the number of watchful eyes quite yet.

Despite the initial setbacks, the free food had worked according to plan. The rogue was slowly becoming less wary of the werewolves' presence and more willing to venture out of her hiding spot even when she knew they were around. Being holed up in the mountains, she was bound to get hungry eventually. Although, Bran had to admit that he hadn't expected her to be brave, or perhaps desperate, enough to walk into a convenience store and buy snacks from a werewolf. He would have to remember to include a bag of chips in her lunch pack the next time he sent Ashlyn to visit the cabin. That is, if the rogue didn't decide to move into the new house immediately.

Unfortunately, Bran hadn't been waiting in the house when the rogue had first arrived. Had he been there, he could have talked to her then. Instead, he had been at home answering a phone call when Larry, one of his werewolves, had called him from the gas station.

"The rogue female was spotted in Aspen Creek pretending to be a tourist. Her acting wasn't very convincing."

The description had gotten a chuckle out of Bran. This mystery woman was smart for her age but not smart enough to outwit centuries-old werewolves. Larry had described her as being fairly young and most likely Asian American. She'd acted nervous when she had spoken to Larry but also vaguely threatening. Bran had taken notes on her appearance and behavior and stored the information away in a file he kept in his office. So far, Charles had not managed to discover any missing person reports matching the mystery woman's description, but Bran was sure they would uncover her identity in due time. It was hard to hide one's identity from a man like Charles for too long.

His cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Bran pulled out the phone. One of the wolves assigned to be the lookout had sent him a text. The rogue female had just entered Aspen Creek and was headed this way. Bran put his phone away and stretched.

Excellent. He would be ready when she arrived. He brushed off his clothes. Today, he had gone for casual wear. He'd purchased his clothes from one of the new American stores that appealed to the younger generation. He hoped that a stylish top and ripped jeans would make his guest more comfortable. At the minimum, he would look like someone who belonged in this century.

It was only a few minutes later when he heard the door quietly open. Bran cleared his throat loudly and shifted on the sofa to make sure that the guest would hear him before she entered. No point spooking her before she even saw his face. There was a brief pause by the door before the door shut slowly.

Cautiously, a small figure entered the living room. Her clothes were ratty, and her dark hair was cut unevenly. Her prominent cheekbones showed how underfed she was, and she moved as if her joints ached. Her shoulders were tense, and her dark eyes held a guarded look as she took in the living room. She froze like a statue when her eyes landed on Bran.

Bran leaned back into the sofa, keeping his body language relaxed and his eyes soft. "Come in," he said pleasantly. "Take a seat." He gestured towards the loveseat across from his.

Instead of taking the seat, the rogue moved carefully until she stood behind the piece of furniture, keeping it between her and him.

Cautious, but ready to defend herself, Bran thought. He ignored the indignant growl that sounded inside his mind at the rogue's disregard for Bran's authority and instead gave a subtle smile as if she had done something clever.

"Let's start with introductions. I am Bran Cornick. What should I call you?"

"Renae," she responded without blinking.

Ah, Bran thought. She hadn't reacted when he had told her his name. That meant she didn't recognize him despite his reputation. That meant that she knew little about the town she was currently in and who kept the settlement up and running. Furthermore, Bran noted, the name she had just given him was fake. There was only one good way to deal with such lies.

"Renae?" he repeated, as if to check his pronunciation. "I heard that you were found quite close to Aspen Creek. Why are you here?"

'Renae' blinked in surprise and stumbled over her words. "I-I was just passing through. I didn't intend to stay long."

Another lie but this one was less well-thought-out. Upfront, direct questions would leave her less time to think. It would make the lies more obvious, and the truths more inclined to slip out.

"If you wanted to stay in Aspen Creek, you could have just asked. Why didn't you?"

Renae opened and closed her mouth before clenching her jaw. "I had other plans."

"That's unfortunate. I was hoping that you would be willing to take this house. It's been empty for so long that we could really use someone willing to move in for free. I guess I will have to ask someone else."

A look flashed across her face and disappeared in an instant. Desperation. It told Bran all he needed to know without having to ask directly. This woman was either running from someone or looking for a safe haven. Someone, Bran didn't know who, had directed her to Aspen Creek but hadn't bothered to tell her what she was walking into. Bran also wasn't sure if the decision to exclude that valuable bit of information had been intentional or not, though he probably would have gone about things differently had he been in the informant's place.

Renae shifted nervously, her eyes flashing towards the door.

Before she could flee, Bran pulled out a keychain and a card and placed them on the coffee table. "I won't ask you who or what you are running from or why you chose to come here seeking help. All you need to know is that if you need a place to stay, there is room for you and your family right here. If you ever change your mind about staying in Aspen Creek, you will be free to leave as you please. No harm will come to you or yours as long as you are in this town. Please consider the offer."

Bran stood up and made his way towards the door. He did not look back as he walked down the sidewalk away from the house. He made sure that he was in full view of the window until he reached the end of the road and was forced to turn out of view.

This rogue, 'Renae' as she had claimed, would see that he had left and feel safe to linger in the house a bit longer. Hopefully, she would take the keys and his business card and accept his offer. Maybe she would notice the cans of food in the pantry or pause to take note of how soft the king-sized bed in the master bedroom felt. Perhaps she would even find the spare crib stored away in the closet and think about how it was just the right size for her child. All of them things that Bran had 'accidentally' left in the house the last time he was there. Compared to the rotting cabin, the tiny house would feel like a luxury inn.

Even with the lure of a free house, Bran would have to approach this situation carefully. Even though he had done his best to keep the rogue feeling safe and comfortable, she had still considered running away just at the sight of him. Her flightiness was unusual and reminded him of some of the werewolves he had taken in. Her scars were even more interesting. He suspected that whatever had caused those scars had also caused the fearful, nervous look in her eyes too. All the more reason to ensure that Ashlyn was the primary werewolf Renae had direct contact with. Once the rogue felt more comfortable around the submissive wolf and eventually the rest of the pack, Bran could set about digging up more information on her to figure out who she was and where she came from. For now, he would have to focus on getting her and her child someplace safe and away from danger. No better place for that than Aspen Creek.

Bran reached the doorstep to his house. Faintly, he could hear someone humming inside. He rolled his eyes. Looks like he had an unexpected visitor today. He took his time and tapped his shoes on the edge of the concrete porch. Leah always hated it when he tracked mud into the house. Then he took a deep breath and pushed his way through the door, steeling himself so that he could deal with his favorite trespasser.

"How did it go?" Anna asked as soon as Bran stepped into the house.

Bran rolled his eyes as he took off his shoes and set them beside the door. "Hello to you, too."

Anna ignored his dry tone and handed him a cookie as he entered the kitchen. Bran took a bite out of the cookie and made a small sound of delight.

"Orange oil? I see that you are enjoying Mercy's new recipe."

Anna hummed affirmatively. "Yep. Who would have guessed that fruit extracts would go so well with cookies? Maybe I should make some for our new neighbor."

Bran shot her a foul look. "She hasn't decided whether to move in yet, but you're already planning a gift basket for her?"

Anna shrugged sheepishly. "What can I say? I love making gift baskets. Besides, someone should make sure she feels welcome. Moving to a town like this is always a weird experience. Everyone here is so strange and nosy."

"Nosy? You don't say?" Bran deadpanned.

"Yes," she said blandly. "Exactly. I heard that you've been sending a wolf out to give her food. Poor Ashlyn. To be stuck in the middle of an old wolf's mind games." She sighed dramatically.

Bran simply grunted at her teasing and took another cookie. Anna pursed her lips as she watched Bran eat.

"Why did you go with food?"

Bran sat down and leaned back in a chair until it was nearly balanced on its hind legs. "Hunger is a powerful motivator. Especially when you're stuck up in the Cabinets for weeks on end with very few things to eat. I'd be more than happy to wander into town for a bag of chips and talk to total strangers if I were in that position." Bran suddenly eyed his cookie with an awed grin. "Ah, I see what you did there."

Anna couldn't help but smirk proudly. One thing that she had learned about the Cornick family is that they liked to have scientific debates. Even Charles had turned out to be a closet nerd too. One common subject that came up was psychology.

Samuel was quite fond of Freud's work and would occasionally use the man's writings to poke fun at his father. But Bran equated the former psychologist's work to random psychobabble and hooha. He much preferred the works of Skinner and Pavlov. Their work, according to Bran, was much more sensible having not been fueled by cocaine use.

Anna had suspected since the beginning that Bran had been testing out psychology tricks on the rogue wolf when he had decided to send wolves out to deliver food to the once abandoned cabin. She thought the strategy had been strange if not a little manipulative, so she decided to give the Marrok a taste of his own medicine.

"The cookies are very delicious," Anna said mischievously.

Bran held up his hands and sighed in exaggerated defeat. "Very well, I will give you a little gossip to chew on. The rumors you have undoubtedly heard are at least partially true. The rogue in the mountains does have a werewolf child. And she is the mother of said child."

Anna nodded her head having already heard this information from her husband Charles.

"But what you don't know," Bran continued, "is that the rogue isn't a werewolf herself. She is something else entirely."

Anna's eyes widened. "I thought a woman had to be a werewolf to give birth to werewolves. If she is not a werewolf, what is she?"

Bran gave a vague yet knowing smile and said nothing.

Anna scowled at him. "If you weren't going to tell me, you could have just said so. Anything else you can tell me."

"Hm. I suspect that 'Renae' is going to be moving herself and her son into the new house within the next few days. I will need someone to show her around Aspen Creek once she is moved in. Don't give me those puppy-dog eyes! Did you think there was anyone else I could send besides you?"

Anna opened then closed her mouth. Can't send a human because the rogue might kill them. Can't send any male werewolves because the rogue might treat them as a threat like she did Charles. There were female werewolves, but very few of them would make a useful guide. "Leah?"

Bran turned slowly and stared at her.

She shrugged. "What? You asked me who else could handle that job."

Bran rolled his eyes. "Leah will be busy this week. The only people available is you and Ashlyn. And I can't guarantee that Ashlyn won't get scared and run for the hills if I send her." the corner of his mouth raised in a half smile. "But if you don't feel that you are capable…"

"I'll do it!" Anna said with a little too much enthusiasm. She pulled out her cell phone and started typing a list. "I will make a gift basket for her. Then I will take her out to buy groceries. Then we can drive out to Missoula and-"

Bran backed away slightly. "Okay. Okay. I see that you already have this under control. I'll leave you to your planning and contact you when it's time. Now, I have an online meeting to attend to. See you tomorrow."

Bran grabbed the rest of the cookies and disappeared into his office. Anna watched him leave before grabbing her coat and heading for the front door. Since she had parked her car along the road outside Bran's house, the walk back to her car was a short one. Even so, Anna was careful not to slip as she walked down the driveway. It was getting much colder in Aspen Creek, and even without any recent rainfall, there was still a risk of ice.

Anna didn't say anything as she climbed into her car. She started the car and leaned back into the driver's seat. She stared out the window as the car heated up. Slowly, Anna's hand rose to cover her mouth.

A creature that could give birth to children. And not just any children. Werewolf children.

Anna had wanted children for some time. Before she had been Changed, she had thought little of having children. She had been young - well, younger - carefree, and pursuing a music degree in college. While she had never been opposed to the idea of having children, she had treated it as an afterthought in those days, something that she would worry about after she graduated.

But that time never came. In a stroke of terrible luck, she had been transformed into a werewolf. And with that, she had lost her ability to ever have children of her own.

Anna had mourned the loss when she had first found out. Even though she hadn't been planning to have kids, she hated that the decision had essentially been made for her.

But this girl - no, woman - gave Anna a glimmer of hope. They had discussed adoption which Charles had been shown some openness to. But if the woman was able to carry her own children to term, could that mean that she would be a viable surrogate?

Anna felt her wolf shiver at the question. If she had thought of that possibility, then the other wolves who knew of the woman would have thought the same. This mystery woman was about to get a lot of attention.

Bran settled into his chair and turned on his computer.

"One meeting after another," he sighed as he tried to get comfortable.

He checked his clock and saw that he still had two minutes left until the meeting was supposed to start. Looks like he made it back just in time. He leaned back in his seat with his arms folded behind his head as he waited.

Finally, a notification appeared on his computer screen. He clicked on the notification and smiled as a face lit up his screen.

"Finally! Let's get down to business. I've heard much about you."