It had been a long journey, traveling from my home village in Belize to this small town nestled in the Pacific Northwestern mountains of the United States. My father believed that I was chasing down my promised mate, but I was here for another reason. I had been having dreams for several months that compelled me to find Diego.

I don't know that my supposed mate was the reason I was here. In fact, my gut said no. But he was indirectly involved, if for no other reason than to get me here. Who knows what the gods have in mind for us when they put their plans in place? All I knew was that my first order of business, logically, was to find Diego.

The Mills Creek B&B looked like a nice enough place. The travel forum on Shifter-Net said that this was the only shifter friendly lodging within a hundred miles, which meant that this was my only option. I looked up at the building—its Victorian style architecture was well kept up. I wouldn't be surprised to find it was an historical building.

The multi-storied, asymmetrical building with its yellow paint and crisp white trim contrasted nicely with the grey dry stone wall that was built around the perimeters of the property. I couldn't see it as clearly tonight as I would in the daylight, but my cat vision and the exterior lights gave me a fair idea of its charm. An interesting turret poked out from the corner of the building on the east side, spanning all three floors.

I carried my bag up the stairs to the cheerful, welcoming entrance. Smiling inwardly at the inset stained glass panel featuring a bear that greeted me when I reached the door, I already liked the place.

Opening the door, I entered into a small reception area. A large bear alpha sat at the wooden counter, eyeing me with a mix of friendly caution. His omega mate, a nerdy looking wolf shifter, sat off to the side.

I avoided scrutinizing the nerdy one, but my cat was curious about him. I could feel a wave of raw power within him. Without even asking, I knew that he was from an original family.

I went to the counter and set my bag down at my feet. I sent a small fission of calming psychic energy to put their minds at ease. Curiously, the omega wasn't affected, yet I could tell by his narrowed gaze that he felt something in the air from my energy flow. Interesting.

"Hey, there." The bear shifter greeted me with a welcoming smile. "Welcome to the Mills Creek B&B. Can I help you?"

"Yes, thank you," I said politely. "I have traveled thousands of miles in search of a missing man from my village. Do you have a room available? I was told that you are the only shifter friendly lodging in the area."

The man nodded and picked up a pen to fill out a guest card that he pulled out of a drawer. He looked up and smiled again. "I can offer you a suite on the second floor. I believe it will be adequate for your needs, and acceptable to your tastes. Your name?"

"My name is Hector," I said with a broad smile. "Please consider my stay open ended, if you have the room available. I don't know how long I will require it. I feel as though I have much business in this area."

The wolf stood and stepped closer. He held out his hand and said: "My name is Frankie. This is my mate, Liam. Welcome to our home, Hector."

I shook his hand, only to drop it with a surprised hiss as a jolt of familiarity flashed between us.

He leaned in and said quietly: "My mate knows of our families and their true legacies. Be at ease. I will not betray your secret, and neither will my mate."

My jaw dropped and I turned to hurriedly sign the guest card that Liam had set in front of me with an intrigued expression. I pulled out my wallet and passed him my credit card, without ever taking my attention from Frankie.

"Excuse me," I said finally. "I have never met another descendant. You are from the omega line. My ancestry is of the alpha line." This was a silly statement of obvious fact, I was just at a loss for words at the moment. My extreme exhaustion from travel wasn't helping matters. That, and the intriguing scent of coconut infused plumeria that was wafting down the stairs.

My cat wanted to follow that intriguing scent trail, but instead, I accepted the heavy brass key from Liam. It was a large key, obviously from another era. I palmed its weight, pleased by its antiquity. Frankie turned to his alpha mate. "Can we lock up and show Hector to his room?"

"That would nice," I concurred. "I feel like a few words in private would be a good idea."

Liam gave a grunt of acceptance, and led his mate out from behind the desk. He locked the front door and dimmed the lights. "It's about the time that I close up the reception area anyway. The guests can call the on duty valet if they need anything. Let's go, I'll show you to your room."

I followed the two men up the lovely wooden staircase, appreciating the polished sheen on the time-worn rail. Making conversation, I spoke honestly. "Your home is lovely, is this building original to its time period or a well done reproduction?"

Liam answered proudly. "This building was originally built in 1879. It is one of the oldest buildings in the area. It was in the same family for a century, and they took excellent care of the property over the years. My uncle purchased it from the family in the early '80s. When he passed, it was left to me and my cousin. Now my cousin has sold his share to us, so this is ours now. It's a little bit of pain when things need to be repaired. We have to use contractors familiar with these old ladies."

I smiled at the affectionate pride in his voice. "Well, I must tell you. When I drove up, I found it quite welcoming. I look forward to seeing more of its exterior in the daylight."

We reached a landing at that point with the choice of climbing another flight of stairs or turning down a long hallway. The red carpet runner that was laid out over the wooden floor was either an antique itself, or a damned fine reproduction.

My eyes flitted over the lovely sconce style lights that were spaced along the wall between the rooms. The walls were painted eggshell blue, with white wainscoting. The doors weren't painted. Instead the original wood was varnished in a light chestnut glaze and featured old fashioned brass doorknobs.

My hosts led me to the end of the hallway, to the last room on the right hand side. Liam opened the door, and the two men stepped inside. I followed them in, noticing again that enticing scent that was wafting through the building. It was as though it were coming through the vents.

I looked around the lovely room, pleased to note that my room contained the rounded turret area bulging out in a broken circle in the far corner of the room. There was a large, comfy looking chair in the turret, with a table beside it and a blanket over its back. It was a perfect place to curl up and look out at the surrounding mountain view. Or read a book. Maybe both. The only thing that would make it more appealing would be a mate to curl up in there with me.

Biting back a sigh, I laid my bag on the floor beside the dove gray settee sofa that sat to the right of the door. There was a straight backed matching chair that sat catty-corner from it. I took the chair, and indicated the settee with an outstretched hand.

"I believe that we should probably talk about the ancestral elephant in the room?"

Frankie grinned and sat down at the end closest to me, his mate sitting next to him. "I don't know how much we can share in a quick conversation when we've first met. I can tell by looking at you that you are exhausted."

I tilted my head and looked at him curiously. "Are you certain you are seeing this, or are you perhaps feeling it? Look within, I believe you may be surprised by the answer."

Liam shook his head and commented. "I don't think you look that tired at all. But I gotta say that I find this whole thing about first families to be amazing. I always thought that it was an urban legend, you know? And how does it even work?"

Looking at the omega, I asked: "How much have you told him? Or, perhaps I should ask, how much does your family know?"

Frankie looked at me curiously, and went back to my original question. "You're right. I'm getting the impression that you're exhausted, yet you look fine. Why is that?"

''I'm assuming that as an omega, you have a protective gift such as healing? This gift often gives you empathy for others needs once it's fully blossomed. Has your gift recently matured to a new level?"

"Yes! I saved my cub’s life at birth, he wasn't breathing. It was instinctive, actually. I'd been told it was possible, but I'd never done it before." He spoke in an excited yet wary tone. As if he were unsure of the repercussions of his gift.

"That's what did it then. Your family line must be nearly at its end, for the magic to be so low."

He nodded. "My twins are omegas though. So, we know what that means."

"Wow! The gift will be strong in them! Especially the one that you saved. Did he show any after effects?"

Liam answered immediately. "He seems more alert than his brother, and Clark has gold flecks in his eyes that match the golden glow of Frankie's when he shifts."

I nodded. "Your son will be a strong psychic. You must protect his identity. There are those that would love to find one of us. The reason we originally spread out was to protect our secrets."

Frankie asked: "Is that why every family only has a piece of the history?"

"Yes, in part. But much was lost over time by parents dying before they could share the knowledge or just not bothering to properly train their heirs." I turned my attention back to Liam. "As to your other questions? Let me see if I can explain a bit better. My family has kept a strong history in place, well guarded by our position and locale."

Liam nodded. "You mentioned coming from a village thousands of miles away?"

"Yes. My family lives in Belize. We have been in the Central American jungles for as long as I know. My father is the chieftain in our village, and his before him, and so on."

"Wow," Frankie commented. "Does that mean that's in your future?"

Shaking my head, I replied: "Thankfully, no. I am the youngest son in a brood of alphas. My only job is to mate and continue our family legacy."

"So you are the one to carry the trait in your family? Shouldn't that make you the next chieftain, if you carry the legacy?" Frankie asked with genuine interest.

I looked at him in surprise. "Every alpha in my family carries the trait. As should the omegas in yours. Please explain what you mean."

"Huh. I never considered that. My family has had small broods, and usually only one omega. Maybe that's why. I was an only child myself. Until my twins, I was literally the last of my line, lineage gifts aside."

"Ah. Okay. Well, you should know that both of your sons should carry the gifts. It will be stronger in the one that you gave part of yourself to, that cannot be helped."

Liam looked concerned. "Did Frankie take from his own lifespan to heal our son?"

"No, it doesn't work that way." I was quick to reassure him. "I meant that he imbued your son with a piece of his lifeforce, gifting the child with a piece of his father's gift in addition to what the child would have already been given by birthright. Frankie's gift doesn't take from him, it actually works the opposite. He will heal faster and be rather invigorated after using his gift. A gift that involves sacrifice comes back five-fold in blessings on the giver."

Frankie grinned. "That must be why I recovered from the birth almost instantly, and have had more energy than normal ever since."

Liam spoke up then, his face filled with interest. "I have so many questions! I mean, wouldn't the first omega-alpha pair have had multiple children then? Why would the gift only pass to either omegas or alphas of certain lines? And wouldn't they have all passed the possibility for the gift that you guys have to all of shifter-kind? It makes no sense that only certain families were blessed."

I smiled softly. "It isn't quite like that. When the gods gifted a group of early human shamans with the power of skin-walking, each shaman had a different spirit animal, and when they received their gift of the gods, their spirit animal became the animal they shifted into. That is how we have wolves, coyotes, different varieties of cats, bears, and so on. I have even heard of dragons, but if they existed then I believe they have been lost to us. Either that or they hide themselves well. Who is to say? But I digress."

I took a breath and continued. "Each of the shamans were alphas. These alphas had a deep well of magic within them. There were six female pairings, and seven male pairings, each preferring to consort with their own. They gave their male mates the ability to carry their young and continue the family line. This is how the first omegas came to be. It all goes back to the genesis of our kind. They made other alpha-omega pairs within their tribes, but only the direct descendants of the shamans carry the lineage. There is more history there that I do not know, this is just a brief glossing over, if you will."

Frankie looked excited, his eyes focused just past my shoulder as he processed all that I had just told them. He looked at me then and asked: "Why did the gods gift them this power? Do we know this?"

"Honestly? All I know is that there was a war between the gods and the fae. The alpha shamans performed some sort of magicks that enabled the gods to bring an end to the war before humanity was wiped out. The boon of becoming shapeshifters was their way of saying thank you. This was given to the entire tribe of each shaman, thus creating the different shifter species."

With a look of comprehension, Liam said: "And that's why there are multiple founding families. Each one traces its lineage from one of those original shamans. Do we know how many there were? Forgive me if this a question that I shouldn't ask."

I shook my head. "Not at all. I know there were thirteen founding families, which tracks with a coven of thirteen. That number would have given their circle a special power all on its own. We have no way of knowing if any of the families have died out completely, although we know it is possible, as Frankie's history demonstrates."

Liam spoke up again. "Can I ask another question? Why does each family only pass their gifts to an omega or alpha offspring?"

"That's a little trickier, as we really don't know for sure. My family's historical records indicate that the female alphas gave themselves the ability to impregnate their mate. We hypothesize that the gift does not pass along the path of those who received the gods’ original gift, but from the gift of the shaman’s creation. As such, I am from a female omega line. Frankie is from a male omega line. The omega lines of female origin, such as mine, only pass the gift through alpha heirs. Our omega offspring do not get a gift, unfortunately. Frankie’s line works the same way, but in reverse, due to its origin from a male omega."

Frankie shook his head in awe. "That's amazing. I find it fascinating that there isn't a single first omega, but several. It makes me wonder though, why would the gods have needed the help of human shamans? You would think that the gods could handle it on their on own, right?"

"The gods aren't supposed to set foot on the mortal coil, this is why they would have used the shamans. Or at least, this is what our records indicate."

Frankie looked at me then, his eyes lit up with excitement. "Could I see your records, do you think? Or would your family not allow that? I would love to scan them and create a digital copy for future generations."

I chuckled. "Certainly, I could find a way to open them to you. If you can speak or read ancient Proto-Mayan and have a working knowledge of Latin."

"Hmm." He looked thoughtful. "If I can't find a translation program, I could likely build one. That is, if you're sure that your family would allow it."

With a smile, I asked: "So, patterns are another gift in your line, huh? It makes sense that you would do programming."

Frankie shrugged. "Yeah. I've made most of my income from hacking. Writing code is just as natural to me as breathing."

I fought a yawn as I said: "Well, my family has an extensive library devoted to our history. If you ever have time to come to Belize for an extended trip, we would welcome you. Our policy has been that we would always share with another member of the original lineage. We share the magical blood of the ancient shamans, you know? It's our responsibility to work together."

Frankie nodded. "I will see what I can do about getting down there then. It's important that we pass this on to the next generations before your original documents crumble. Now, I really want to ask more about your missing countryman that you are searching for, but I don't want to overstep."

I shrugged. "Diego was an arranged mating for me. I don't intend to force the contract on him that our fathers signed. I just want to know that he's okay."

Frankie looked at me through narrowed eyes. "You're withholding something, I can feel it somehow."

I closed my eyes and spoke, allowing my cat to come slightly forward. "Yeah, I forgot about that. We descendants of the shaman can feel each other's power, that's how you knew me for what I was when we met. We can also see, read, or sense our auras. And what I'm withholding has nothing to with Diego, and everything to do with my own power."

I opened my eyes, showing the violet glow to my new friends. "My gift is a gift of empathy and intuition. Sometimes, I have dreams that guide me. I have been led here. I am hoping that you can tell me more tomorrow about why I might be needed here. Diego has featured in my dreams, but I feel that he was just catalyst to get me here. I honestly have no hold on him or a desire to place one. I know he is nearby because of my dreams. Well, that and a private detective that tracked him for me. But I hesitated to mention that part, it makes me sound like a creepy stalker."

Frankie laughed. "Well, you're right about that part." He sobered. "And you absolutely promise that you aren't here to hurt Diego in any way? Or his mate?"

I perked up with interest. "Diego has taken a mate? That is good news. I was afraid that our father's stupidity had put him into danger. Although I heard from a friend that his cousin lives in the area, so I had hoped that he'd landed on his feet."

Liam grinned. "Is it tacky to make a joke about that, considering that he's a cat shifter?"

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "I left you wide open on that one, so I can't blame you for going there, now can I? Diego is happy though?"

Liam nodded. "Frankie and I are good friends with his cousin, Jules, and his mates. Diego met his fated-mate the day that he arrived here. He is now happily settled with his mate and their cub. I will be warning them that you are here, just to let you know."

"That is fine." I waved a dismissive hand. "I wish to speak with Diego, to apologize and to wish him well. The fact that he has a fated-mate? That is a gift from the gods. No idiot would interfere with that relationship, it would be impossible even it were my wish. No, I just need to gain closure to that debacle and find out why I was compelled to come to this place."

Frankie tilted his head at me, considering my words. After a moment, he nodded. "I see that you speak the truth. I will let everyone know that you mean no harm."

He stood and turned to leave, with Liam rising to follow. Frankie turned back before he opened the door and looked at me as if weighing his thoughts.

"You know, Hector. It is entirely possible that you were brought here to meet me, and my cubs. But you should know that there is a rogue war going on in our territory. Our bear Alpha is being challenged by his sister, an evil person who he shunned from the den. She has been attacking him with mercenaries and rogue wolf packs. We had her a few months ago, but she slipped away. Perhaps you will be able to assist in this somehow. At any rate, you will want to be aware of the danger in the area. We will also be letting the Alpha know of your presence. Any new shifters in the area are suspicious right now, you understand."

I shrugged. "I'm from Central America. I cut my milk teeth on rogues and mercenaries, I will not be afraid of them. But yes, if I can offer any service, I will be happy to assist while I am in the area."

With one last smile, the two men left me alone in my room. I quickly went into the en suite and stripped down before I washed up. After I took care of my nightly bathroom needs, I headed back into the pleasant room. I made sure the door was locked before I turned off the lights and all but dove into to the large bed. My brain swirled with all the new information that I'd received this evening. My last thought before drifting into the welcoming void of sleep was that I really need to find the source of that intoxicating scent that was still hovering under my nose.