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.

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At five thirty Kara stood staring at her side of the closet. She was going on a date and she realized she had nothing 'date-worthy' to wear. "Crap, crap, crap," she growled in frustration.

"What's wrong?" SeoHyun asked from her bed where she was stretched out reading.

"Robert's going to be here in half an hour and I really don't have anything to wear and it's too late to go shopping," Kara replied glumly.

SeoHyun put her book aside and got up to join her friend. "Maybe Charlie or Hayley will have something you can borrow. Come on, we'll find you something," she said and looped arms with her.

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"We have a wardrobe crisis," SeoHyun said, walking into the den where Hayley was quietly playing her guitar. "Kara doesn't have any 'date-worthy' clothes for her date with Robert tonight."

"Oh, we can't have that," Hayley replied. "Come on, between my closet and Charlie's, we'll find you something that will knock his socks off," she added. "Trust me, when we're done that wolf won't know what hit him," she said with a grin that made even Kara laugh.

In the end Kara wore an ankle length skirt from Charlie, in dark purple, and a pale silver silk camisole top from Hayley. She paired the top with a lavender dress shirt and added silver sandals. Then Hayley did her makeup. Black eye liner accentuated Kara's brown eyes and smoky purple and gray eye shadow gave her a bit of a sultry look. By the time Robert arrived she was ready to go.

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When Kara came down the stairs all Robert could do was stare at her. She was absolutely beautiful. He had to remind himself she'd only just recently turned seventeen because his wolf wanted to claim her right then and there. He was an older wolf, he'd grown up in a time when it was customary for a girl of seventeen to already be married and having babies but times were different and he wouldn't dream of pressuring her. She was too precious to him for that.

"You're going to catch flies if you keep that up," Hayley teased him.

Robert didn't even realize his mouth was open and closed it quickly. "You're absolutely breath-taking, Kara," he said when she reached him. Her dark hair was held back from her face by hair clips that had purple and silver gems on them and Charlie had curled her hair a bit so it hung in waves down her back.

Kara blushed at the compliment. "Thank you," she murmured. She still couldn't believe he wanted her.

Robert offered her his arm and escorted her out to his car. "The only thing I have fully planned is dinner. I know I said dinner and a movie, but I decided to just see where the night takes us after dinner, instead."

"A bit of spontaneity, huh? I like that. Micromanaging everything can be so boring." She studied him a minute. "So, you know, I do have some experience with the dating thing. I had a boyfriend, back in Aspen Creek, briefly. We realized our feelings were that of friends, not potential lovers, and yes I still talk to Riley. He might even come for a visit some time and I didn't want you getting all jealous and territorial with him over nothing."

Robert laughed at that. "Already have me figured out, do you?" he teased. "I promise to not get territorial with him as long as he doesn't overstep the boundaries of friendship."

"Yeah, I have. Well, I mean, you're a werewolf, it's in your nature to get like that if another male is around your girl," she replied.

"True, it is," he admitted. He glanced over at her. "And you are my girl," he said with a bit of a growl.

Kara slipped her hand in his. "Yeah, I am." She felt giddy at the thought and his statement made her wolf preen in her head.

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They had dinner at a quiet little Thai restaurant where they talked about whatever came to mind. It let them get to know each other on a deeper level because they shared things like their likes and dislikes, favorite colors and foods, and then Robert asked Kara about her change.

Once upon a time it was hard for her to talk about it, but it was easier now. "I was ten years old," she said quietly. "I lived in this tiny little town in Virginia; Goshen, population three hundred and sixty. I loved it there. Until I moved to Aspen Creek I thought it was paradise on earth. I could wander the nearby woods all summer long, and after school during the school year, and I never got lost. Daddy always called me his little wood sprite because of it. I was on my way home after wandering through the woods, it was close to dinner time and I knew mom and daddy would start worrying if I didn't get back soon, when I was attacked. I remember the pain. God, it hurt so much, and the last thing I thought before I blacked out was how sad mommy and daddy were going to be. A lone wolf came upon us as I was being ravaged, he killed the rogue and took me home to my parents, told daddy what to do to keep him and mom safe, then left."

Robert was shocked to realize she'd been attacked at such a young age. "Jesus, Kara, that you survived when you were so young..."

"Yeah. The Marrok said it was a testament to how strong I was. The first time I shifted was with the full moon. I remember it like it was just yesterday. It was late evening and daddy just picked me up and carried me down to the basement. I kept asking him what was wrong, because I could feel he was really tense, but he wouldn't answer me. Then... he put me into this cage, locked me in, and left. I screamed for him to not leave me and kept screaming until the pain started. After the first few changes he had to bolt an heavy chain to the bottom of the cage, near the back corner of it, and put a collar on me as soon as I was shifted, because I kept growling at him when he brought me food and he was afraid I was going to attack him." Silent tears slid down her cheeks. "A few months before wolves were exposed to the world I tried to kill myself. I kept cutting my wrist but it kept closing before it did any good. I just wanted to die. I was so afraid I was going to hurt one of my parents and I only saw the monster I'd become. When the Marrok brought the wolves out into the open, daddy actually went all the way to Washington state, to the Columbia Basin Pack, to get help for me, because he'd read about their Alpha and his mate in a news article. The Alpha's mate is the one who put daddy in touch with Bran. When I got to Aspen Creek, and was brought into the pack, I didn't realize at first how much it helped me to feel whole. Not until I shifted on the full moon. I'd always had this feeling of 'other' before, you know? But for the first time since my attack I didn't feel like there was a stranger inside me. I asked the Marrok, once, why it was that up until then I'd never shifted except for on the full moon and he said he believed it was a combination of my age and my disconnect with my wolf. He said it happened that way, sometimes, when the human half wouldn't or couldn't accept their wolf. Usually that meant the wolf had to be killed because they would never learn control and always be a danger to others, but I was a special case because my disconnect wasn't from a lack of acceptance, it was because I didn't know any other way to be."

When she talked about being put in a cage Robert had to force himself to not growl in anger over it. She'd been a scared little girl and he could only imagine how much that had terrified her. But it was her admission that she'd tried to kill herself, combined with the tears on her cheeks, that had him out of his seat and pulling her into his arms. "God, Kara, you deserved so much better than that," he murmured.

Kara was startled when he pulled her into his arms right there in the restaurant. True they were at the back, secluded a bit from others, but it was still surprising. She pressed her face into the hollow between his neck and shoulder and breathed him in. He smelled so good and his arms around her made her feel safe.

Robert felt her relax slowly, felt tension leave her, and smiled. He tipped her face up to him, wiped the drying tears away, and kissed her gently. "What do you say we get out of here? Maybe drive down to the beach and walk barefoot in the sand?"

"I'd like that. I haven't been to the beach since before my attack," she replied.

"Then it's well past time you went," he said, kissed her again, and then reluctantly let go so he could pay for their food.

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Kara was quiet as he drove. She wondered about his own change, and wondered just how old he was, but she decided to wait until they stopped. When they reached their destination she took off her sandals and then also removed the lavender dress shirt before she joined him. That first step on the sand made her sigh. She dug her toes into it a bit and smiled. "Still warm," she said then turned to him. "What was your change like?" she asked.

Robert held his hand out for hers and waited until they were walking along the shoreline before he answered her. "A bit like yours. I was attacked by a rogue too, but it was from a pack. They were hunting it when it attacked me and the Alpha killed it before it did too much damage for me to survive. Hard to believe that was almost a century ago," he said and smirked at the look she gave him. "You were wondering how old I was, I can tell. My father was American but he was living in China when he met my mother. They moved here when my mother was pregnant with me. I was almost born at sea," he told her. "They'd decided to move here because they believed their unborn child would have a better life here than in China. It was hard having to let them believe I was dead. Back then it was too risky to let even your family know what you were. The only exception was if you were married. The Marrok changed some of the rules, over time, in order to accommodate all the changes taking place in the world, especially when technology started advancing. By the time werewolves were allowed to tell their families what they were my parents were already gone. But I had a younger brother and sister and I eventually revealed the truth to them. They're gone now, too, but I keep in touch with my nieces and nephews."

"My guardian, back in Aspen Creek, told me I was lucky because my parents could be part of my life. They didn't know how to handle what I am, or really, my mom didn't and daddy was conflicted for quite a while so I lived with a pack member. She's like the big sister I always wanted."

"Are things better with your parents now?" he asked.

"With daddy, yeah, but mom... I haven't seen or spoken to her in months. It hurt, a lot, at first, but I can't make her accept me. I was always closer to daddy anyway." Her phone rang and she frowned at the unfamiliar Missoula number. "Hello?" she said when she answered it.

"Hello. Is this Kara Beckworth?" a female voice on the other end asked.

"Yes. Can I help you?" A frown creased her brow. Who was this woman and why was she calling her?

"Miss Beckworth, you were listed as an emergency contact for a John Beckworth."

Kara froze at those words. "What's happened to my daddy?" she asked, fear tinging her voice.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Beckworth. Your father was in a car accident. He's in critical condition here at Missoula General."

If Robert hadn't grabbed her Kara would have collapsed. "Oh god, oh god, oh god."

Robert took the phone from her and spoke into it. "We'll be there as soon as possible," he told the nurse then hung up and helped Kara back to the car. As soon as he was behind the wheel he was on his phone calling Tommy.

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When Robert's number showed up on his phone Tommy frowned. He knew Robert had taken Kara out to dinner. "Robert? Is everything okay?"

"No, Tommy, it's not. Kara's father has been in a bad car accident. We need to get to Missoula ASAP."

"Go to the airstrip, I'll make the arrangements." As soon as he was off the phone with Robert he called Aspen Creek.

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Bran saw the number for the Golden Gate Alpha and answered immediately. "What's happened? Is my granddaughter alright?"

"Yes, Marrok, SeoHyun is fine. It's about Kara. Her father was in a bad car accident and she needs to get to Missoula quickly. I know Missoula is on the edge of your territory and I wanted to inform you of what happened."

"Tell Kara I will meet her at the hospital," Bran replied before he hung up and called to get the plane ready. Then he contacted both his son and Sage. Charles would fly them to Missoula and both Sage and Anna would be there for Kara should the worst happen.