Sean was completely dumbfounded when the challenge was issued, he had believed Tommy would leave things alone but after listening to him he understood why Tommy had issued the challenge now. Things were bad in the pack and Tommy was looking out for the pack's best interests as a good second or alpha should, but he also cited something Sean didn't recall. He said that Sean had put his hands on his mate who was fourteen weeks pregnant with their first child.

It took a few seconds for Sean to put the pieces together and his face paled considerably.

"Tell me I didn't harm your mate the baby." Sean begged.

"Hayley and our unborn child are both fine." Tommy revealed which set Sean at ease as he couldn't have lived with himself if he had caused Hayley to miscarry when it was already hard enough for women to have babies by werewolves.

"Tommy, get the Marrok on the phone, I yield without a fight." Sean replied "I will leave the pack and join the Marrok for whatever good that will do." He paused "I can remember Charles was a suckling babe when I met Bran, maybe the old bard can help me now."

Tommy called Bran and Bran explained that the challenge had to be shown before the pack before Sean's yield would count to make Tommy the new pack alpha.

Bran arrived the next day with Charles; Tommy noticed that SeoHyun and Anna hadn't come with him. They knew that they didn't need to expect a fight and Charles excused the issue with the simple fact that SeoHyun had school the next day and he didn't want her to not have enough rest and Tommy couldn't find reason to argue with Charles' logic, he was being a father first and foremost where SeoHyun was concerned. It was also rumored that Charles had worried that Sean would lose control and frighten SeoHyun and after what she went through at the hands of the San Diego alpha, Tommy couldn't fault him for not wanting to traumatize the poor girl any more than she already had been.

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The pack gathered in the basement of the pack den, Tommy voiced his challenge and they took to the mat as if the fight would begin.

Hayley and Kira sat nearby with baited breath and soon realized Sean wasn't fully in control of his faculties as he attacked Tommy as soon as the rules of the fight were laid out.

Tommy side stepped the lunge as he had done so many times before in wolf fights, Sean had Tommy beat on size but Tommy was fast, agile and tough. He was used to not being the biggest guy on the battlefield and it showed in his fighting style.

Sean punched at Tommy but Tommy redirected his force harmlessly away from himself while driving his right fist hard into Sean's diaphragm with the aid of the older wolf's own momentum doubling the him over, he then turned hitting Sean in the ribs with another punch that shattered bone and Sean was able to take control through the pain.

"I yield!" he announced weakly.

"He yields" Kai echoed loud enough for everyone to hear.

Tommy backed off.

"Thomas do you accept the yield?" Bran asked. He was the only person Tommy could think of that regularly called him Thomas despite being asked several times to call him "Tommy". By this point Tommy had given up, Bran was going to call him by his full name whether he liked it or not.

"I do." Tommy replied simply while gulping lungs full of air to settle himself down and get his wolf back under control.

"That settles it then." Bran stated standing from his position on the floor and stepping forward to Tommy as the pack tended to Sean's injuries then gathered around Tommy as Bran performed the ceremony to make Tommy officially their new alpha and subject to the laws that specifically apply to alphas.

Charles could feel the energy in the room change the moment all alpha responsibilities passed from Sean to Tommy. The pack had been sick because of Sean; Tommy had been the medicine the pack needed to become well again. He was young, stable and in full control of his wolf. It didn't hurt that he ranked in the top ten most dominant wolves in North America.

Once Sean had healed he announced that he wanted to leave San Francisco for Aspen Creek there was some relief in the upper level pack members as there was a fear that if he remained he might make life more difficult for Tommy.

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Trent had been unsure about going to Aspen Creek, but the longer he spent there the more the little town felt like home. He went from feeling insecure to starting back to drawing, a sign that Charles interpreted as him settling into the town and getting control over his wolf. An out of control wolf would have never been able to create the detailed masterpieces that Trent created every time he picked up a sketch book and pencil. One of the older wolves had talked him into learning to use some other mediums such as charcoal pencils and the young man excelled in their use. He also created an online portfolio on an international art web site where his works garnered praise from fellow artist and art lovers alike.

He had been stunned to learn that Tommy was becoming a father and even more so when he learned Tommy was the new alpha of the Golden Gate Pack.

Trent was sitting outside of the training ring where Charles was working with one of his young horses, a sketchbook in his lap, pencil going quickly as he drew what he saw.

Anna walked over to the young man and handed him a drink, sure it wasn't that hot in Aspen Creek but she figured Trent would like the beverage anyway.

"You have some talent" she commented as she looked at the picture over his shoulder. It was shaping up to be a picture of Charles working with the young stallion to get him ready to be ridden. This particular horse he was training for SeoHyun. She was often out there helping Charles train the youngster but she had somehow persuaded her uncle to teach her to play the violin so she had a violin lesson that day.

Anna had laughed at just how easily she had persuaded Samuel to teach her to play. She had given him one pouty look and that was it, he was gone. It was funny in that she had just used the same look she used to get what she wanted out of Bran; it seemed Samuel had inherited his father's weakness to SeoHyun's puppy dog eyes. Charles had some resistance to SeoHyun's powers of persuasion, granted that didn't mean she didn't get her way from time to time with him. It just meant she had to work harder at it.

"Thanks, I… I was just finishing up an exhibition when…" Trent trailed off looking away from Anna.

"You were attacked… that happened to me too, well… not exactly… I was on a date when my date turned out to be a werewolf and attacked me." Anna sighed as she sat on the ground beside Trent. "SeoHyun was walking with her family when she was attacked."

"What about Charles?" Trent asked honestly curious about the older werewolf's story.

"His story is kind of different." Anna sighed.

"I was born a werewolf," Charles said walking up to them.

"I thought that wasn't possible." Trent said.

Trent listened curiously as Charles told the story of his birth. In a way Trent felt bad for Charles, he never got to know the woman that gave him life. Sure he was sure the family had told him stories of his mother but that couldn't have been anywhere near enough to satisfy the curiosity of who she was and answer any of the questions Charles must have had about her growing up.

SeoHyun joined them and they could tell something was wrong.

"What happened, sweetie?" Anna asked

"Nothing mom," SeoHyun replied.

Charles knew she was lying the moment the first syllable of her reply left her lips.

"SeoHyun, what happened?" Charles asked "Why do you feel the need to lie to us?"

"Da... Is it true?" She asked.

"Is what true?" Charles asked trying to understand what was going on.

"That you only took me in because you felt sorry for me?" Her demanding tone took Charles and Anna both off guard.

"Absolutely not we took you in because we love you, who told you that?" Charles asked as he embraced SeoHyun tightly, praying she would smell his sincerity. He had his suspicions as to who told HIS daughter these lies but he needed her to confirm it.

"Leah..." She replied

Charles bit back a snarl, he was furious with Leah, how could she do this to a child. He looked up as his da came into view looking as furious as Charles had ever seen him and he figured Bran knew what his mate had done to his granddaughter and was there to set the record straight.

Trent gathered his things and excused himself from the scene as quickly as he could, citing that this was an issue best dealt with by family and without an audience.

SeoHyun looked over her shoulder to see Bran approaching and clung to Charles tighter in an irrational fear he would take her away from her family.

"SeoHyun, what Leah said is absolutely not true, your mom and Da loved you from the moment they met you." Bran said.

"Then why couldn't I tell she was lying, grandda?" She demanded.

"Leah is good at lying and you're just learning how to tell when someone is lying." Bran clarified placing a hand on her back lovingly.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I did feel bad for you when we first met but that wasn't the only reason that I wanted to take you in, I cared about you then and I love you now." Charles explained gently.

"Really…?" SeoHyun asked

"Really," Charles confirmed pushing her away a little bit so he could look her in the face even though he knew she would never make eye contact with him. His level of dominance meant that she couldn't make eye contact with him.

"You are my daughter and that's all that matters." He continued.

SeoHyun hugged him again.

"I love you, too, Da." She said.

Bran watched his son's reaction to Leah's harsh words and couldn't help feeling extremely proud of Charles' reaction to what had happened.

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Trent sighed as he arrived at the house he was staying in with Sage he had been there for quite a while and as unsure as he was that Kira would ever take him back he decided it was time to reunite with Tommy and Kira. He missed Kira and some instinct screamed out for her presence.

To Be Continued…