The air caressed their exposed skin, cool and crisp - an invigorating contrast to the warmth of the sunshine high above them. The only sound, the rustle of the ancient leaves. A percussion for the morning songbirds that flitted through the branches, regaling them with their songs of autumn.

To the wild animals going about their daily business, the two humans walking hand-in-hand into the forest looked like a young couple. In love and wandering casually in the morning sunshine. The squirrel, high in the sturdy branches gathering acorns for his winter stash, paid no attention to the girls tense, unhappy face. Hannah's inner turmoil could not be penetrated by the wild and beautiful surroundings and she held herself together with little more than her astonishing willpower. He chittered at them as they passed, warning them off his treasured stash of nuts.

The rabbit, hidden amongst the tangled foliage froze as the wolfs strong scent passed her by. Her soft fur camouflaged her well against the predators of the forest and her tiny body released barely a tremor as she buried herself deep within the fallen leaves. Dark brown eyes watched Blake carefully as he guided the girl down the familiar, narrow trail. The most dangerous predator in the forest unaware of her presence right under his nose.

She didn't notice the way he kept glancing back at his companion, a troubled, haunted look in his eyes. Her focus was on the deep burrow, just a few feet away. Once they passed her hiding spot, she bolted for the safety of the warm, dark tunnels.

The pine trees on either side of the trail leaned over the two unhappy visitors, keen to weave their magic around them. Life in the forest was peaceful and uncomplicated and the branches beckoned them to join in.

The trail they walked along was used only by those with special permission from the Alpha family. The path began in the grounds of Blake's house, which disappeared from sight as the pine trees criss-crossed together behind them and the trail weaved erratically amongst the trees. Gradually, the pine gave way to huge, ancient oaks. They could be found all over the Blackridge territory, but here in this one special corner, they had taken over completely, claiming the forest for their own.

They walked together hand in hand, shafts of soft autumn sunlight breaking through the trees creating pools of sunshine on the forest floor. Hannah paid little attention to where they were going - her thoughts entirely with her mother - so it was a surprise when the trees ended abruptly at the edge of a small lake, the perfectly still waters reflecting the light off the surface in a dazzling display of diamond sparkle.

"It's beautiful," she exhaled, taking in the perfect ring of oak trees planted at the waters edge. Stretching their branches out in a luxurious halo, sheltering and hiding the small lake until the moment you stumbled upon its sparkling waters.

"The trees closest to the water were planted here two hundred and thirty years ago when the pack first settled on this land," Blake told her softly, his breath tickling her ear as he hovered close behind her. "One for each of the original pack members, so the records say."

She followed the ring of trees, and gazed back along the trail lined with magnificent oaks, some far, far older than any wolf living today, others still in their adolescence. "That's a lot of trees," she observed.

Blake chuckled, his eyes watching her fiery hair wafting in the light breeze. "The lake is sacred to our pack. All the Alpha family trees are planted here, around the lake." He turned her shoulders slightly to the east. "Mine is that way, past the honey suckle and on the edge of a small clearing. My mother knew I would be Alpha of this pack one day so she chose a spot where my children's trees could be planted nearby."

"Your mother planted the tree?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes." He smiled softly. "It's a tradition of the pack. Whenever a pup of an Alpha is born, one of the Rangers gives the mother a seedling, grown from one of the original oak trees. She plants it somewhere in the forest around the lake and it grows alongside her child. It will thrive long after they die, linking them forever to this pack. My sibling's trees are somewhere around this lake too. Even Tristan has a tree of his own, at my mother's insistence."

Lost in her wonder at the place, she hadn't notice that his hand still held hers captive and he drew her to the shade of one of the magnificent oaks nearby. The ancient roots curved up out of the ground creating a natural, comfortable hollow into which he settled himself, pulling her down to the floor with him.

"So, everyone has their own tree?" She curled up by his side and he could feel her questioning eyes on him as he breathed in the crisp autumn air. The sunlight still held enough warmth to make being outside a pleasant experience and the rays danced across the water in a joyous celebration. He shook his head.

"Only the Alpha family can claim individual trees. The other pack families have a family tree, one that encompasses all of their bloodline." She looked confused.

"How does that work?"

"A tree is planted as part of the mating ceremony of a new family line. Their ashes will be placed under the tree and the ashes of their children and their children's, children's, children. When the eldest son in the family mates, it starts a new family line. All the trees are cared for by the descendants of the Rangers that planted this first circle all those years ago."

"You're literally changing the forest around you," she said in wonder. "Do all the packs do this?"

"No. Just ours, as far as I'm aware. Other packs have their own traditions and ceremonies. When I die, my ashes will be scattered under my tree, helping to enrich the soil around her. She'll be my headstone, a reminder that I existed. That I was a part of the pack's survival." He cleared his throat, brushing the morbid thoughts away. "I wanted to bring you here yesterday before things got... complicated. I thought it would do you some good, being around a lake that isn't tangled up in your nightmares." He offered her a small smile, his wolf beaming inside when she returned it.

"It's so peaceful here. Almost... spiritual." A living graveyard with a lake of diamonds right at its heart.

"I used to come here all the time when I needed time alone, to think," Blake confided, stroking her arm. His fingers grazed her skin so lightly, she trembled at his touch.

"I lost my mother," he said quietly, his eyes swirling with hidden memories. "I know how the grief can hit you like a tidal wave when you're least expecting it." The grief. And the guilt. He looked out across the waters remembering the day he had returned home to the devastation left behind by the rogue wars. "I came here a lot, for a time. It always seemed to help." He shrugged. "Maybe it will help you too."

Hannah nodded, overwhelmed by his understanding. Her tears finally fell freely and she leaned into him, crying out her grief in the comfort of his arms. He ran his fingers through her hair murmuring soft platitudes, allowing her grief to run its course.

Once over, she sighed and closed her eyes. Blake knew the calm serenity surrounding the clearing was working its magic; washing over her, soothing her emotional turmoil. The sun meandered it's way across the sky as they sat there in companionable silence, for once unheeding of the time, his responsibilities, or their complicated relationship.

"Blake?" she asked softly.

"Hmm?" he murmured, still stroking her hair gently, his eyes closed and tilted up towards the sunlight.

"Why did your mother have to insist that Tristan had his own tree? He's your brother, isn't he?"

"Yes, my youngest brother." He gazed down at her thoughtfully. "Tristan was no more than a baby when his birth parents were killed. My father brought him home from one of his missions; the pack he belonged to had rejected him... they thought he was bad luck."

A flush of indignation rose to her cheeks. "They did what? How could anyone -" She cut herself off, the disgust too much to talk about. "How old were you?" she asked instead.

"Five. Young enough to accept we had a new baby brother without question." He smiled again. "I think father's original intention was to find him adoptive parents in one of our packs, but when he placed Tristan in my mother's arms, she took one look and claimed him for herself. They performed a blood ceremony, right here by the lake."

"What's a blood ceremony?"

"Not as gruesome as it sounds, I promise. Only a needle, not a bite. My parents allowed their blood to mingle with his, forming a physical bond. He has Hunter blood now."

At the sound of the word 'needle', Hannah shuddered.

Blake grinned. Status starts with the family bloodline, and their father had wanted Tristan to share the same Alpha status as the rest of his children, so he took steps to ensure he would.

Hannah fell silent once again, apparently content with his explanation. After a while, she turned to him again, another question on her lips. "Yesterday, when your brother was teasing you, he said that you needed to: 'Save your energy for the dance with the devil's daughter.' I was wondering... What did he mean?"

Blake opened his eyes and looked down at her with a smile.

"When the moon is round and the music plays,

May all men take their chances.

For no man's soul is ever safe,

When the devil's daughter dances."

he recited.

"It's a poem," he explained, "from long ago. Taken from a tale about the origin of the gift of true-mates. Or curse, depending on how you read it."

Hannah frowned. "And your brother sees it as a curse?"

"He sees it as a debt to be paid." He grimaced. "Ethan is the one who views it as a curse. I couldn't even begin to guess how Tristan sees it."

For a brief moment his eyes were far away as he contemplated the differences between the siblings. Then his gaze strayed back to her, and his head tilted to one side. "Our mother had a big book of old tales and poems. Stories of origins mainly; The Moon Goddess, the Blood Moon Rising, the first werewolves, witches and vampires. All the ancient tales of our way of life. She read them to us every night." He smiled at the memory. "The Devil's Daughter was my favourite."

"Tell me about it," she said softly, her eyes watching the light dappling through the leaves above.

He shifted into a slightly more comfortable position.

"It's the story of a proud and selfish man, from long ago. An Alpha -- it's almost always an Alpha -- who believed that mates made a man weak."

"He didn't like women?"

Blake laughed and shook his head. "He liked them very much. Too much, in fact. He wanted to sleep with as many women as he could, and commit to none."

"Sounds charming," she muttered and he smiled again.

"He was very charming." Blake corrected gently. "They said he could have any woman he wanted and he did. But he never stayed with them for more than one night. Unfortunately, as an Alpha, he was very influential and persuaded the other men of his pack to follow his lead."

She rolled her eyes and muttered something about 'men and their superiority complexes' under her breath.

Blake's smile widened. "He claimed that no woman could ever make him submit to her. He was so confident that he boasted, if one ever did - he would grant her control of half of his pack. The years passed, and the women remained mateless and barren. In their despair, they pleaded with the Moon Goddess to intervene."

Hannah snorted indelicately. "She made him suffer, I bet."

"She did," he agreed, "But perhaps not in the way you think." She raised her eyebrows at him and he stroked her cheek gently, inciting a rosy blush. "She came down to earth one evening, wrapped in a spell of concealment and arrived at his pack house as an ordinary wolf just passing through the territory."

He could see the hint of longing in her eyes, and had no trouble discerning her thoughts. An ordinary wolf was a goal she could only wish for.

"She boasted that she was the best dancer the world had ever seen," Blake continued, his voice warm and soothing. "So good that when she danced with them, men fell to their knees before her and worshipped the ground she walked on."

He picked up a fallen leaf and twirled it between his fingers, making it dance in the sunlight.

She watched it twirl intently.

"Of course, he had his eye on her immediately and tried to woo her with his charms and extravagant parties, but... she resisted him." He threw the leaf into the air and it floated through the air towards the water, the wind catching it and guiding it through an acrobatic dance.

"Every night, just before midnight, she danced for him while he watched on the side-lines. Every night she went to bed alone. Eventually, on the night of the full moon he could bear her teasing no longer and begged her to tell him what it would take to win her in his bed. To his delight, she relented, making him a deal."

His eyes watched her intently, Rothan on high-alert in his mind, curious to see her reaction to their favourite tale.

"She wanted one dance with him. If, by the end of their dance, he was still on his feet, he would win her for the night. But, if she could make him fall to his knees before the final note was played, she would take half of his pack, just as he promised after every conquest."

The leaf finally settled gracefully on the sparkling waters of the lake, its dance at an end.

Hannah sat up and looked at him quizzically. "This is a good story Blake, but what does this have to do with the Devil's Daughter?"

"The Moon Goddess is the devil's daughter, Hannah, or so the histories would have you believe. One of them anyway. Sent to Earth to rule over all the supernatural creatures left behind without guidance and belief... A tale for another time perhaps."

"Oh." She thought it through. "So I take it the Moon Goddess had a plan then?"

"She did. As the music began to play and they moved together around the dancefloor, she began to reveal her true self ever so slowly... so slowly in fact that he didn't realise what he was holding in his arms. As they spun and twirled around the dancefloor, the pull of his wolf to their Goddess grew stronger and stronger until it became an unbearable pain, as surely it must to be so close to a deity. Finally, right at the end and just before the last notes fell, there she stood in all her glory shining as bright as the moon in the sky.

All the men in the pack fell to their knees before her, including the arrogant Alpha, his eyes wide as he gazed upon starlight and euphoria itself. With tears in his eyes, he pleaded for her forgiveness and her love, of course. Thus the deal was done."

Hannah looked into Blake's shining eyes as he gazed down at her, her forehead wrinkling as she thought about his punishment. "So, in the end she did take half his pack away?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. She mated him and became the Luna of his pack, the first of her kind and equal to him in every way."

"That must have stung a bit!" Hannah remarked and he laughed, a soft carefree sound he didn't think he'd heard from himself in a long time.

"From that day forth she granted her children a gift, the mating bond. A tie as strong as the one she used to win the Alpha's heart, a gift to ensure that the packs were never threatened again by such folly."

"So, it's a double origin story then; the mating bond and the first Luna?"

"If you like. Why do you think the mate of the Alpha is called Luna? Because she's the living reminder of our connection to the Goddess. Although, the poem concentrates on the dance and the folly of men's desires."

"I can see why some men would see it as a curse," Hannah mused, "She humiliated him, took his pride and his pack. Forcing him to accept her against his will."

"Perhaps at first, yes. But do you really believe he was unhappy being the beloved of a Goddess?" Blake asked seriously, his eyes burning into hers. "Besides, you forget the most important part... she didn't raise herself to the equal of an Alpha. She raised him to be her equal, the equal of a Goddess. Proving that the bond is stronger than status, riches and past mistakes, no matter what the impossible odds."

He watched the flashes of emotion run through her eyes, sure that his own reflected his confused feelings back to her.

"The gift of love, unconditional," he murmured with a sudden clarity and his wolf purred. His eyes darkened with unspoken desire and Hannah flushed a beautiful crimson as she stared back at him, her own emerald eyes shining with attraction.

With great difficulty, she tore her eyes away from his and they sat looking out over the still waters of the lake glittering in the soft afternoon sunlight.

"It's a beautiful story, Blake," she said eventually.

"Yes. Well, it can be told in many ways." He shrugged. "My brothers, would each tell different tales entirely. Every man reads it differently, a reflection of their own views on the world."

Hannah sighed and sank further into his embrace. The effects of the tea were wearing off and her eyes struggled to remain open.

"It must be a wonderful thing to know you're loved by someone unconditionally. No judgement, no demands, no expectations. Just love." She yawned. "To belong to someone and have someone belong to you. No one should be without love."

She stopped talking and stared up at him again, her eyes swirling with a maelstrom of emotions.

He held her close, keeping her body warm with his own and letting the serene surroundings work their magic on her as they had countless times for him. After a few minutes, her heavy eyes closed and her breathing levelled out, growing deep and even.

Blake remained, looking down on her with an unreadable expression on his face. His fingers trembled slightly as he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face and he drew in a deep breath as the faint scent of apples drifted up from her hair, drawing him in.

She's not mine, he thought to himself. But... could she be?

He mulled it over.

If he could find her family and confirm that she had no mate of her own. If he could guarantee she wasn't a danger to his pack. If he could persuade her to stay with him...

She could be.

I like her, his wolf announced firmly. We should keep her. Let's keep her.