Chapter 84

Rachel POV

Moonglow Pack Alpha House

"Alpha Campbell will receive you now. He has requested you leave your documentation with me. I am to deliver it to the head of our legal team and our own lead investigator."

Beta Carson looked at me expectantly before turning a questioning glance to first Nathan then Art before returning to me. Blood was rushing to my face faster and faster the more we kept him waiting---I'd left the folder Jack had prepared for me in the car! I was going to make a really good first impression after having to explain I wasn't even organized enough to present my evidence on arrival.

Touching Nathan on the arm, I leaned over to say softly, "I left the evidence folder Jack prepared in the car. I put it in the pocket on the back of the driver's seat so I wouldn't damage it during the drive."

"I'll go get it. You stay here with Art. Go meet Alpha Campbell while I do the running. We won't keep the Alpha waiting that way."

Nathan placed his hand over mine to give it a quick squeeze before flashing his best boy-next-door smile at Beta Carson, "Would you mind if I skipped the first meeting with the Alpha to get her paperwork? If you want to make the walk with me, we can go over the layout of the property?"

Beta Carson nodded, "That's fine with me."

He gestured to a young man waiting at the foot of the stairs. I could tell he was an Alpha as soon as he got close enough, but he wasn't very powerful. His scent barely registered the Alpha gene. I hoped, for his sake, his weakness was due to his immaturity rather than low birthranking.

"I'm Todd, Alpha in Training. I'll take you to Alpha Campbell. Wow! I can't believe how much you look like Luna Elena!"

I was startled by his exclamation and asked, "Did you know my mother? You seem---young."

Too young to have met my mother and remembered her well enough to remark on my resemblance to her.

He blushed darker than I had, mumbling, "Oh, I didn't meet her. Alpha Campbell has a picture of her in his office. It's hard to miss."

Some part of me softened toward Alpha Campbell at the knowledge he still had a photo of my mother on display. Patrick had put away all reminders of my mother as soon as he could. I know now it was so he could bring women to our home and avoid questions about another woman; when I had been young, I had thought he was angry at my mother for dying and leaving us.

We went up a grand staircase one floor before turning to the left to face a set of double doors. I wasn't sure what kind of man to expect to meet now I knew he potentially still had lingering feelings for my mother.

Todd opened the doors together and Art held my arm to keep me even with him as we stepped into the office. My attention was on the Alpha waiting to greet us for only a moment -tall, older, distinguished looking with grey in his hair and beard- before being captured by a huge portrait of my mother above a marble fireplace.

"She's beautiful, isn't she? You can understand why I keep her in here with me?"

His voice was a confident rumble which made me feel as if he already knew what I would say before I opened my mouth to say it.

No matter what I thought I knew about Alpha Richard Campbell, I knew, in that moment, I had underestimated him.

This was not a man who lived in the past or was trapped in an archaic world he was too afraid to leave behind.

If Alpha Campbell lived in the past? It was by choice and choice alone.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I've just not seen a photo of my mother in so long."

"You don't have a photo of your own mother?"

Shaking my head, I tore my eyes away from the portrait to fix them on Alpha Campbell as I explained, "I was raised by her husband. Patrick Flores. Patrick doesn't keep reminders of the past around. He's not the sentimental type. I do have a few photos of her. Snapshots. They're just every day pictures though. She looks like a queen there."

She looked like a luna in his portrait.

I turned my attention back to my mother's reserved smile, erect posture, and dazzling jewelry which only highlighted her beauty rather than eclipsed it. Her wild hair was tamed into a sleek updo; her makeup was tasteful and almost bland.

I remembered my mother with waves of dark hair which flew around her face as she danced through her day and bold lipstick I'd been desperate to borrow before I was even five-years-old.

She'd never seemed so sophisticated to me; I wondered if I had ever known her at all.

"I do hope you've brought your 'snapshots' for our team to examine?"

"Her connection to Elena Campbell is established as far as the Alpha Council is concerned." Art interjected, "She doesn't need to prove to you who her mother was when she's already proven it to our satisfaction. We confirmed Elena Flores was Elena Campbell with DNA after blood-typing analysis came back positive. I need to collect your DNA for crossmatching with her."

"Of course."

Alpha Campbell shrugged off his suit jacket before unfastening his cufflinks and rolling up his sleeves. He perched on the edge of his desk with his bare forearm extended while Art released my arm to reach into his jacket's inner pocket to produce a sterile medical pouch.

"I need a buccal swab. You just need to say 'Ahh' for me. No bleeding necessary."

I watched Alpha Campbell draw his lips back from his teeth in a silent show of aggression before his features smoothed out into acceptance again.

"Naturally. You could have saved me the trouble of dealing with my cufflinks."

Art opened the package and held the swab out with a quirk of his brow, "I thought you might want to be a little more comfortable. Considering you are meeting your daughter for the first time."

Alpha Campbell did not protest the swabbing of his inner cheek. He watched Art label and seal away the sample with the focus of a hunting hawk. Nothing much would escape the notice of this man. I had no doubt my mother would have had to result to desperate measures to get away from him.

"Alleged daughter," Alpha Campbell murmured, "My actual daughter is here already. Lindy dear, come meet Rachel Flores and Alpha Inspector Windsor."

I turned my head fast enough to give myself whiplash as I noticed a dark-haired girl seated by the fireplace for the first time. She'd been in a high-backed chair which concealed her from view from the door, but I don't think I would have noticed her anyway. Her face was bare of any makeup, her hair loose around her shoulders to hang down her back, and her simple dress did nothing for her figure.

"It's nice to meet you, Lindy," I mumbled, trying not to stare at this girl who looked so much younger than me and resembled my mother just as much as I did myself.

"May I call you 'Rachel' or would you prefer Luna Flores?"

I shook my head, "I'm not a luna. I was raised in an omega house. I'm not married either. Flores was the name of my mother's husband, not mine."

Everyone seemed to be holding their breath until I realized I hadn't answered her.

"Rachel is fine. I'm sorry for assuming. Do you prefer something other than 'Lindy' or is it okay to call you by your given name?"

"Linda is my given name, but everyone calls me Lindy. Everyone."

She gave a twitch of her shoulders which could have been a shrug or a nervous tick she couldn't control. I had the feeling she rarely got the opportunity to be introduced to people outside her pack. Something about her made me think of those fragile porcelain dolls who were usually kept high on shelves to be looked at and admired without being in danger of being broken.

"Thank you, Lindy. I'm sorry for all this fuss. I'm not trying to replace you or anything. I just want to be able to give my daughter a name, a pack, a place to belong when she's born."

My hand moved to my abdomen to hold the hard bump of my baby; I felt as if I needed to protect her even though she was still safe inside my belly.

"We will certainly welcome you to Moonglow Pack if you are proven to be a relation," Alpha Campbell offered, drawing my attention back to him, "Now you've taken your sample, I understand you'll need to meet a courier at the gates to have it sent for testing. How long will it take?"

"Why do I need to go to the gate? We can summon a messenger here."

"No. No, you can't," Alpha Campbell chuckled, amused at himself it seemed, "We've protected our territory with a border of iron. A second iron border surrounds the Alpha House itself as well as the Pack House. No one will be summoning into our territory."

Art looked at the Alpha in consternation before giving him a stiff nod of his head to acknowledge he understood.

"Do you want to show Rachel around your house or should I take her to the gate with me?"

"You should take her with you until she's proven to belong here. I'll thank you to inform me of your results as soon as you receive them, Inspector."

Art glared at Alpha Campbell before taking my elbow again.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

He practically spit the words at Alpha Campbell before steering me out of the room again and I realized this was our first battle---and we had lost.