Disclaimer: Don't own Alpha and Omega Series

Family Forming

Bran sat back at his desk. It had been six months since Charles and Anna had returned from Boston. He had been slowly giving the finances back to Charles and was unsurprised when his son started ranting about how long it would take him to get things sorted out.

His relationship with Anna also took time to mend. It seemed Charles felt he had to atone for the emotional trauma he'd inflicted on her and Bran gave his son time to do just that. He knew Charles would move heaven and Earth to keep his mate happy.

Bran had heard rumor of issues in San Diego, it was only when the third's human mate, Julia Murray called him that he realized this was a mission for Charles and Anna.

Everett and Mitchell, the alpha and second respectively, had sequestered a young submissive female from the rest of the pack and was systematically torturing her for reasons he couldn't begin to fathom.

He didn't know by what definition of the word 'young' Julia used to describe the isolated wolf so he feared he wasn't able to fully prepare Charles and Anna for what they would find upon arriving in San Diego. He prayed he was wrong and she merely meant newly changed, but a part of him feared the situation much more dire.

Charles called him around five thirty to confirm his worst fear. When Julia had said 'young' she had, in fact, meant 'child'. The girl Charles and Anna were bringing back to Aspen Creek, Lee SeoHyun, was barely 14 years old. She had been locked up for her full two months that she had been changed. What made it worse was the girl was an orphan, her parents having lost their lives either in the initial attack or to the change itself. Bran's heart broke at the thought of the pain this girl had endured. He thought of Kara Beckworth but at least Kara still had her parents, this girl didn't even have that. She'd had no one to advocate for her until Charles and Anna arrived.

Bran was leaning on his Humvee just off the runway when Charles brought the Leer Jet in for a landing. He feared what he would see when they disembarked from the plane. What state was the child, SeoHyun, in? What effect did her plight have on Charles and Anna? He didn't say it aloud, but when Charles told him SeoHyun had been nude when they found her, Bran feared more had been done to her than the obvious physical abuse and neglect. Had one of those sorry excuses for werewolves raped her? It was a question Bran almost didn't want to know the answer to because he feared what he and Charles would do if the answer was 'yes'.

He watched as Charles and Anna disembarked with bated breath, then he noticed at his son's side a small, emaciated werewolf. His heart shattered at the sight, she was the size of a half-grown Irish Wolfhound and marked like a border Collie, but she was so painfully thin. She'd been starved, that was the only explanation for her condition. He could tell once they got her back to health her wolf would be beautiful. Her frame was graceful and once they got her back to fighting weight and her rich black and white coat came back in she'd have a deadly grace that would make one not see a monster she'd be like Honey of the Colombia Basin Pack or Sage in his own, too stunning for that.

He opened the hatch at the back of the Humvee and the appetizing smell of newly thawed elk meat hit his nose, but this was for their new arrival. He figured she was underfed, figured she would be hungry when she arrived since Charles told him she had been injured. He had also told him she was in wolf form when they left and Bran was certain Charles wouldn't force her to resume human form on the jet. Thus the raw meat, otherwise he'd have some sandwiches or something he could have made quickly waiting for her and made her a real meal once they got to Charles' house she was too fragile to risk around Leah.

Charles looked at Bran as his nose caught the smell of the raw meat.

"For her…" he said looking at SeoHyun.

Bran watched as Charles lifted the young wolf and placed her in the back of the Humvee. She allowed herself to ne lifted by Charles without an ounce of resistance. This showed that, if anything, she trusted Charles more than he'd expect an abused child to trust anyone. Then again she was a submissive werewolf and his son was the first dominant werewolf she'd ever met that treated her the way dominant wolves typically treated their submissive kin.

He bit back a string of impressive Welsh profanity when he went to touch her and she flinched and drew away from his touch in terror. This solidified the notion that the bone deep trust she gave Charles was reserved for Charles alone. She trusted Anna but in a pinch she'd run to Charles over even the omega that was Anna and Bran found that intriguing. What he found more intriguing was his son's reaction to that trust. He stepped forward into the role she'd subconsciously assigned to him and the only way Bran could describe his son's behavior was a father caring for his wounded daughter. That thought drew Bran up short, which happened so rarely that it stunned him for several seconds. He wondered if Charles and Anna would end up fostering SeoHyun, it was clear they'd bonded with her, but only time would tell if they took her or not.

"SeoHyun, this is Bran, he's my da… he's not going to hurt you." Charles said.

The next time Bran tried to touch her she stood stiffly as if still terrified but forcing herself to stand still and allow him to touch her. Bran pulled his hand back not wanting to stress the child out any further than he already had and clearly this had her stressed. He wished he could get his hands on her and feel how emaciated she really was.

He put the meat in front of her and she hesitated. Had she been teased with food before? Had it placed in front of her then taken from her as she went to eat? The thought of someone doing that to a child made Bran sick.

"Eat…" Charles crooned softly, it wasn't an order not fully there was no authority behind it, but SeoHyun reacted anyway, eating like she hadn't seen food in days and Bran feared she likely hadn't.

To Be Continued…