There were several small things that I noticed at first; the sound of a steady beep, soft spoken voices, and my wolf stirring in my mind. She felt eager for me to get up for some reason. Then, everything rushed back to me and I jerked up in the bed, gasping.

My eyes landed on the beta, who I knew now was my half brother, and a man standing beside him. He was the alpha. Quickly, I bow my head in respect as I try to steady my frantic heart. "I'm told that your name is Kathy." The alpha spoke and I slowly lifted my head. "Yes, Alpha, that is my name." I say softly as my eyes make their way to my brother.

It felt so strange to call him that. All of my life I only had my sisters and now, the moon had given me more family. The resemblance to our father was strong, now that I knew. "I'm Alpha Rhett Bane and this is my beta, James Carter." I smile at them a little.

"You were making me worried, Kathy." James said as he took a step towards the bed. "How long have I been out?" I ask softly, looking from Alpha Bane to my brother. "Five days," the alpha replied and I felt my eye brows jump up. "Our doctor said that your body was very weak."

I shrug as I look down at my hands. I could hear the unasked question in the statement. "It was a hard winter, Alpha Bane. As a lone wolf, I have to survive on my own."

"Well," he spoke as he looked quickly to James. "You're welcomed to stay with us for as long as you like. Our pack is small but what we have we will gladly share with you." Silence fell again before Alpha Bane moved closer to my left side. "Why did you leave your pack?"

As the alpha, I knew that he had all the rights in the world to ask that question of me. It was his duty to make sure that no harm befell his pack in any way. Squaring my shoulders, I met his gaze. "I found my mate... He had already picked another and started a family. I couldn't stay..." I let my voice fade as I drop my eyes again.

A soft growl came from James, startling both his alpha and his-self. James' body was shaking with anger as his golden eyes met mine. The look in them softly faded as did the shaking. Confusion clouded his face and I knew that I had to tell him now.

"How long has your father been the king's head warrior?" I couldn't bring myself to say his name, knowing the pain that would come with it. "It'll soon be thirty-two years. Why?" Nibbling my lip, I sigh deeply.

"During her first appearance, my mother met her mate. They were marked instantly and life went along peacefully. Then everything changed. My mother met a man one day and fell for him, though she loved her mate greatly. The two started seeing each other regularly, the feelings between them growing stronger.

"Finally, almost three years after being meeting the man, my mother made a mistake. She slept with the man and that night resulted in a pup. Of course her mate knew what she had done, but he chose to stay with her. When she gave birth to a girl, her mate thought that things would change. And in a way they did.

"Although she stopped sleeping with him, my mother refused to stop spending time with the man she had grown to love. She never told him about the girl pup that was his. She kept her hidden away until she gave birth to several more children, which belonged to her mate. That little girl was me," I say as I once again meet James' gaze. "And the man that my mother fell in love with, the man that is my father is yours as well."

James shook his head and I knew that while his wolf could sense the family bond between us, the human side would fight it. After all, who would want to hear that their father had cheated on his mate, and that union resulted in a child that no one knew about? If I was in his shoes, I wouldn't be so calm either. But then again, I was never normal.

The soft click of the door told me that Alpha Bane had slipped from the room. The familiar dazed look that graced James' face told me that he was talking with his wolf. Sighing softly, I just settle back on the bed and waited. I seem to find myself doing a lot of that lately in the past six years, waiting. But I didn't mind it; only when thoughts of my mate came to haunt me.

"Does he know?" James spoke suddenly and startled me a bit. Shaking my head no, I feel guilt hit me. "I never told him because of how my mother acted around me. I was a reminder that she cheated on her mate, that she loved another. How could I be sure that the man that fathered me wouldn't feel the same?"

My question stunned my brother but he shook it off. "Father wouldn't... He would have accepted you with open arms.... Send you back here." I could tell that he believed that, but I didn't.

"So you're my sister?" He asked as he started to smile. "I've always wanted a sister."

"And I always wanted a brother." We started laughing and James took a seat on the foot of the bed. In the back of my mind, everything that I had to face swirled around. I knew that the thoughts were waiting for me to be alone before they swarmed me, bring up painful memories.

"How long are you staying with us?"

"I'm not sure James. I usually stay around a month or two. But you're the only family I have on this side of the ocean... the only tie that will keep me coming back if I were to leave." He frowned at that and shook his head. "I'll ask Rhett if you can join. We could use your ability to heal, as well as another pack member. Plus," he added giving me a full smile, "it would be great to be able to get to know my sister."

Tilting my head a bit, I thought it over. I was growing weary of traveling, never having a set place to call home. And I knew that my wolf would only benefit from being in a pack again. Then there was the fact that James had just stated: the chance to get to know my brother. Who could pass that up? Returning his smile, I speak. "If your alpha says its okay for me to join, then I will gladly accept."

We talked for a bitmore with me fighting to keep my eyes open. Living as I had, I had grownaccustomed to little sleep and food, but it had finally caught up with me. Mybody needed to rest. James was telling me about a prank he had pulled on Rhettwhen they were younger, and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. As theyslowly closed, I could hear James' voice growing softer until silence filledthe room. A faint kiss on my forehead and the click of the door shutting werethe last things I heard,{T=qO32