Quick Author's Note:

I have been waiting for the events of this chapter to take place for the longest time. Thank you for your patience over the years while I figured out how to bridge the beginning of this fic with the catalyst event, which will take place in a couple chapters. Thank you for those who are still following along. Hopefully, things will flow a little smoother now.

Echo

The weather was magnificent and Lani soaked it all in from the back patio. The sun warmed her through one of Ven's shirts that she was drowning in, the slightly cooler air kept her from sweating. If only the weather could be like this all the time.

Ven had taken a call earlier that morning and from the way his voice fluctuated, she could tell he was excited about something. She was curious, had been born curious according to her mom, and wondered who he'd spoken to. She didn't have to wait long to find out.

"It is my friend, Jaded. He is one of New Species' most popular ambassadors and does a lot of volunteer work with animal shelters. He received a call that there was a dog fighting ring bust and they needed to rehab some of the more vicious dogs they'd rescued."

"Oh no! Those poor babies. I hope their abusers got what they deserved."

"They were charged with animal cruelty and illegal gambling. There were other things that took place that they will likely be charged for but the leaders of the ring were captured."

Her heart hurt for those dogs. Lani never understood how people could set animals against each other in such cruel ways. Even in Hawai'i, there were underground cock fights where people often added blades to their rooster's legs to cause more damage to the other birds. She hated it and warned her friends and family growing up that if she ever caught them watching or participating in such things, she'd report them to the police and take them in herself.

"And what will he do now?"

"Who? Jaded?"

Lani nodded. "Now that the dogs have been rescued, what do they do with them? Are there people that undergo special training to rehab these dogs?"

She didn't miss the slow smile that spread across his face. "I happen to those dogs," Ven said as he moved toward Lani, sliding his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"Jaded transports the animals here and I am in charge of rehabbing them. It was a task I took upon myself once I moved to the Wild Zone." Ven seemed so far away when he added, "the dogs weren't the only one recovering and they have helped me regain myself and my honor."

Lani knew what he referred to, she knew he saw himself as a broken Species and could see those dogs in him. She wasn't going to dwell on it though because that's not who he was anymore. Her mate was a beautiful, kind soul with so much love to give that he took in canine refugees and helped give them a new life.

"I love you so much, Vengeance. You don't even realize what a beautiful person you are and I am so lucky you found me."

Ven lightly scoffed. "I am the lucky one," he insisted and pressed a kiss to her hair. "And I will make sure you know my love for you every day."

He was so different than any other man she dated before. He was so sincere and kind and she knew her family would approve of him and accept him. She really wanted to talk to her family now so they could know each other.

They often spoke of their interests and theorized about different things. Lani told him about the places she'd been, about Hawai'i and how much he would love it there. Today, Ven told her about the different batches of dogs and the Wilds that helped them recover.

Their rehab place was located outside of the Wild Zone because although Vengeance loathed that any animal should be kept caged up, it really was in the best interest for everyone's safety, including the dogs. The rest of the Wilds abhorred the thought of the rescues being in cages so they never visited them there.

"I conduct a general assessment of each animal and Jaded works with veterinarians who get them as healthy as possible before handing them over. It sometimes takes a month or two for us to get all rescued animals because some of them are so badly injured.

"The dogs that are low-risk for violence and look like they can be rehabilitated will be assigned to a Wild Zone resident on the rehab team. They will take them home and care for them there. There are some that require a lot of attention and are high-risk dangers and they stay at the rehab center. I work with those and sometimes will bring one or two home if I think they can benefit from the closeness. These dogs will require a lot of my time and I am sorry that I forgot to take you into account as well. I will be gone during the day-"

"Well, why don't I just come with you?"

"Come with me?"

She nodded, rubbing her face into his chest. "Yeah. I can come with you and help. I love animals, especially dogs, and usually they love me too. I can spend time with them outside of their cages and help get them used to peaceful humans. I can mix their food if you show me. I probably won't be able to leash train them or anything until I'm stronger but I'm pretty sure I can do that much."

Ven was quiet for a few moments. "Let me think about it."

"Just think about how much I'd miss you if I was here by myself and how irritated I'd be if someone else came to try to rescue me."

The only image Vengeance could put to Lani being irritated was a fluffy little kitten trying to pat a puddle of water. He laughed and the scent coming from his cute little mate distracted him quite thoroughly from how dangerous he thought the rehab center might be for her.

The first batch of rescues would come at the end of the week so Lani, Vengeance and another Wild Zone resident named Dusk spent time cleaning and preparing the pup-artments as Dusk had named them.

Lani was still pretty weak-limbed. Her legs had always been strong but being stretched out in Joseph's basement for as long as she had been made it nearly impossible for her to carry anything heavier than a bowl of food.

The exercises and stretches Ven worked her through were helping. The atrophy was still present but lifting her arm to scratch her neck or rub her nose was getting easier. Wrapping her arms around Ven was one of her favorite exercises. At first when she wanted hugs, she had to ask for them and Vengeance carefully slipped her arms under his and trapped them against his body. It was funny and sad but she loved the closeness and never complained. Now, she could instigate all the hugs she wanted with no assistance.

During the prep week, she kept herself busy with folding towels and taking inventory of medical and general supplies. They'd been shipped in and stored in an empty room and made lists of things she thought they'd need.

At the end of every day, the three ordered food from the resort's cafeteria and Dusk would go to pick it up for them. On Thursday, the simple routine was broken when a female Species knocked on the door.

"We're back here," Dusk called out and the footsteps of the new person drew near. Lani wasn't nervous. She knew that humans weren't allowed past a certain point within Reservation's walls without guard. If Dusk was calling out to the newcomer, it was most likely someone he knew.

"Hey, Dusk let me know that you guys were here cleaning this place out," the new voice called, "and I thought I could come help and keep you company."

The woman rounded the corner and Lani's eyes went large when she saw the new person. The Hawaiian woman got to her feet and slowly lumbered her way over to this woman who looked like a mirror image of herself.

"Who-" the woman started to ask but stopped because Lani was standing right in front of her. The box in her arms was carefully placed on the chair next to the doorway.

"Hey, Creek-" Dusk and Vengeance walked around the corner and saw the two females staring at each other in shock. Both had their arms extended, hands feeling the other's hair while their other hands felt their opposite's face.

"You're-"

"-me." The room was silent as they explored each other, one turning the other around to get a better look, one sliding their hands down the other's arms and back to check the musculature.

"Are we-"

"-twins?"

The taller one grinned. "We are now."

The two main differences were that Creek was one inch taller than Lani but that was hidden by Lani's wild and thick hair. The other was their noses. Creek's nose was just a little wider than Lani's but barely noticeable.

"I'm Lani," the shorter woman greeted. "I'm your new sister."

"And I'm Creek," the Species female responded, "but we'll tell people you're three seconds older than me because you're shorter and it would be funny."

For the next two hours, they hadn't stopped talking. Vengeance pouted when Lani seemed to ignore him. Dusk had laughed and gone to get dinner for four tonight, knowing that Lani and Creek would continue having their fun.

"Oh my goodness! So, you are Vengeance's mate?" Creek was so excited. She'd overheard a conversation about Ven finding love but when she'd brought it up to Slade, he asked her to keep it quiet for now because of the investigation.

It was late by the time they left the rehab building. Dinner was delicious and Vengeance was happy that his mate had made a new friend. Creek was an amazing female who played a large role in the integration and training of newly discovered female Species. This was an excellent person for his mate to know.

"We'll be here tomorrow to finish up our prep," Lani said to her new friend. "If you're not doing anything, we'd love to have you come again."

Creek grinned and jumped a few times in excitement. "I'm coming back, I don't care what my boss says." Creek and Dusk double checked the rooms to make sure everything was locked up and lights were out while Ven helped Lani to the jeep.

The Jeep belonged to Dusk and he had picked them up that morning. Creek's SUV was parked next to it and they sat there and waited until Creek drove away with instructions to not tell anyone but Slade about Lani.

"I am glad you have made a new friend. Creek is the best of all the females on Reservation. She takes in the new females and trains them up," Dusk informed her. She is kind and loyal and makes delicious blueberry muffins that Jessie taught her how to make."

"Who is Jessie?"

Ven wrapped his arms around Lani tighter so she wouldn't bounce around too much on the dirt road. He hadn't ever taught Lani about who was who outside of the Wild Zone.

"You know how Trisha and Slade are mated? Slade is the Director of New Species Reservation and takes care of us all."

"Yeah?"

"Jessie is the mate of Justice North, the Director of the NSO and the daughter of the former head of the New Species Task Force. Before they were mated, Jessie helped with the reintegration of Species females and Gift Species. In the beginning, our people did not know how to fend for ourselves in this modern world and Jessie taught us a lot of life skills and was Creek's mentor. Creek has since taken over and is kind of a mother and older sister figurehead for the Species here at Reservation."

"It's like fate meant for us to meet, then." Lani snuggled up against her mate's warmth. "I didn't know that I could feel at home somewhere my family wasn't."

"If only you knew how much pleasure I feel hearing you say that."

Lani had never felt so safe in her life as whenever she was in Ven's arms.

For the first two days, Vengeance was adamant that Lani would not be able to join him at the rehab center. There would be too many Residents coming in and out bringing supplies and she might get lost in the crowds. Because they were relatively new mates, his instincts would be set off and that wasn't a good idea to have her close.

She understood. As much as she wished to be a part of every step, she knew that Vengeance would also be under a lot of stress trying to get the new dogs calm and acclimated to their new homes.

Since Vengeance's home was on the outskirts of the Wild Zone, it would be safe for Creek to stay with Lani. It was adorable the way Vengeance mother-henned her before leaving specific instructions with Creek on her care. Creek's eyes crinkled with amusement but she kept silent, finding much enjoyment at seeing her friend so riled up and nervous.

"She is not a newborn, Vengeance. I understand and Lani is a smart woman. She will let me know when there are things she needs and does not need." Creek's ability to not laugh at Vengeance's fluttering about was amazing. Lani laughed for her.

"C'mere big guy." Lani wrapped her arms around her mate and kissed the underside of his chin. "Valiant said he'd check on me a couple times and bring his family by. I have his number memorized and he knows that I will be here with Creek. We will be just fine. Ares is here too."

Vengeance took a deep pull of her scent in, memorizing it again as though he hadn't seen her for ages. "Please be careful," he whispered against her ear. "Please be here when I return."

"I would have to be armless and legless for someone to take me away from you. And even then, they better watch themselves because I would roll behind them and knock them onto their asses."

The growl surprised Creek but not his little mate.

"Are you trying to keep me home?"

Lani pulled back enough to see his face and smirked. "No, lover boy. If I were trying to do that, I'd drop my clothes to the floor."

The growl he let loose was sinful. "I will call Dusk and tell him-"

"-that you're on your way."

"Lani-"

She cut him off with a love-filled kiss. "Be careful with those dogs, my love. When you come home, I'll make sure to show you how much I missed you."

Vengeance was the one to lay a kiss on her this time before he pulled himself away and walked to the front door. Growls rolled out of him with every step and before he shut the door behind him, he turned around and growled out an 'I love you' before closing the door and eventually driving away.

Lani's eyes were on the door. This was the first time in a long time she'd been without Vengeance at her side and it was a little scary. The low whistle behind her reminded her that she wasn't alone.

"He loves you a lot," Creek said, sounding surprised.

Lani's smile was soft, whimsical. "It's only fair because I love him a lot too. He's the most wonderful person I've ever met."