Samantha walked on shaky legs into Fate Valley Diner with Benjamin’s hand in hers. She passed Debbie and waved, before looking through the diner for the old man she had come to meet. She finally spotted him, and a spark of recognition showed in his eyes when he saw her.

They had never met before, and had only spoken on the phone for a few moments, but she was sure it was him. She walked down the aisle with Benjamin beside her and stopped at the table.

“Valentine?” she asked.

“Hello, Samantha,” he said.

She slid into the booth and Debbie poured her and Ben a cup of coffee to match the one Valentine was holding between his dark wrinkled hands.

“I’m so glad that you were able to meet me on such short notice,” she said.

“Well, you certainly piqued my interest,” he said, taking a sip of coffee. “Now, why don’t you explain what this is all about?”

“As you know, I work for the Historic Times. I came here to research Ambrose Morgan, and that led to me interviewing Cynthia Morgan-Whitmore, the great-granddaughter of Ambrose Morgan himself.”

“Yes, I know the Morgans,” he said, with a slight growl in his voice.

“Well, I should explain the real reason I wanted to write this article about Ambrose Morgan and the flooding of Fate Valley.” She cleared her throat, feeling nervous. Ben held her hand, giving her strength. “I took a DNA test recently that told me I was related Ambrose Morgan. Unfortunately, this DNA test wasn’t able to tell me how I was related to him, so I came to Fate Valley to find out. I discovered while interviewing Cynthia that Ambrose and your mother, Eugenia, were having an affair.”

“That’s been the rumor for nigh on seventy-five years,” he said.

“Yes. I found it very distressing.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that you and I are related?” Valentine said.

“Well, not only related,” she said, her voice shaking. “I believe that you’re my grandfather.”

“I see.” A spark of hope showed in his eyes as he thought it over. “That makes sense.”

“I have to admit, I was angry when I found out that Ambrose and Eugenia were having an affair. I wrongly assumed he was using her. But I visited Alexander Elwood at Fate Valley Antiques, and he showed me something very special.”

She pulled out the letter, now carefully wrapped in archival plastic, and handed it across the table to Valentine. “Alexander recently acquired a trunk with a secret bottom from an estate auction.”

“Mother always told me that my father loved her and wanted us to be a family,” he said. A tear formed in his eye. “She died young, you know. Got sick at one of the houses she worked for. She passed away when I was only seven. Left me with my auntie.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Valentine.

“Hey, no matter. The past is the past.”

“These letters prove that Ambrose and Eugenia loved each other very deeply. He wanted to marry her, no matter what kind of scandal it would have caused.”

Ambrose clutched his chest, the tear sliding down his cheek.

“I knew my mother wouldn’t lie to me. Morgan’s always insisted that it was just an affair, saying my mother was trash.”

“Well, now Eugenia will be vindicated. It’s so sad that he died before they were able to marry. I think he wanted to leave his estate to her but never got a chance.”

“My life would’ve been so different if I’d had a dad. But we can’t go on thinking about these things. It doesn’t help anybody with anything.”

“I know what you mean,” Samantha said, biting her lip. “Speaking of dad…” She looked at Benjamin, not sure what to say.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Valentine said.

“Did you have a son?” she asked.

“I did have a son. He died in the Great War. That would’ve been just about twenty-seven years ago.”

“That’s how old I am.”

“He never knew about you,” Valentine said. “He would’ve been so proud.”

“My mother died in childbirth,” Samantha explained.

“They had a terrible fight right before he went off. She didn’t want him to join up. I don’t think that she knew she was with child at the time. She certainly didn’t tell my son. He went off to war and died without ever knowing he had a child.”

“It’s a sad tale,” Samantha said, reaching out to take his hand.

“Our lives have been full of loss.”

“But now we have each other,” Samantha said.

Benjamin put his arm around her shoulder for support, and the tears began to flow down her eyes. The tears that had been gathering in Valentine’s eyes also slid down his cheeks and the two of them were crying like little kids.

“I sure am glad to know I have a granddaughter. You turned out to be a fine lady.”

“I’ve been alone, all of my life. I grew up in foster homes because no one could adopt me. I never imagined I had a grandfather, here in Fate Valley, all along.”

They slipped out of the booth and embraced. Valentine smelled of mint and spices from his cologne. Samantha knew that she was home.

When they pulled back, Benjamin motioned to them to look out the window. The people of Fate Valley were gathering in the town square.

“Should we join them?” she asked.

“We sure should,” he said.

The family walked out of the Fate Valley Diner. Samantha had her reporting gear slung over her shoulder in her backpack. She pulled out her camera and started taking pictures of the crowd as they drew closer to the podium. The mayor was on the podium, speaking to the people.

“We are here today to re-install the statue of Ambrose Morgan. The old grudges of the past have been put to rest. The possibility that dragon shifters live among us has rocked us all to the core. But we stand here together to honor the man who created our town and brought new life and possibilities to our world.”

A crane pulled the statue off the flatbed and gently set it on the platform once again.

“The old rivalries between shifters and humans are over. We now stand united with love and commitment to our town. The Fate Valley Museum will now mention the identity of the Big River Wolfpack in the future.”

“There something else you’ve missed,” Benjamin said. Samantha looked at him with wide eyes as he approached the podium.

“What is it, Candy Bear?” Mayor Bear asked.

Benjamin climbed up to the podium and stood in front of the microphone.

“Ambrose Morgan was an intelligent and dedicated man,” Benjamin started. “He was an engineer and a salesman. He was a family man who cared for his dying wife. He was a good father to his children. But something the residents of Fate Valley don’t know is that Ambrose Morgan had a third child. Eugenia Bowman, the love of his life, served as a loyal servant for the family for many years. After Mary Morgan died, Eugenia fell pregnant. Ambrose, who loved her deeply, wanted to marry her, despite the scandal that would have ensued.”

There was a gasp in the crowd. Samantha’s heart slammed in her chest, and she gripped her grandfather’s hand.

“What is he doing?” Valentine whispered.

“I think he’s trying to set history straight,” she said.

“Is this true?” Mayor Bear asked.

“We have the letter to prove it, written in Ambrose’s own hand.”

Ben motioned for Samantha to bring the letter up to the podium. She and her grandfather moved across the square and handed the letter to Ben. He showed the letter to Mayor Bear and there was silence for a moment as he read them over.

“Well, this is a very interesting development,” said Mayor Bear. We will be including these in the Fate Valley Museum. I am glad that Candy Bear brought this to our attention. From now on, history will be set straight, and we will all recognize Valentine Bowman as the son of our founder, Ambrose Morgan.”

There was a cheer in the crowd and Samantha’s heart swelled. She took pictures of Benjamin, the mayor, and her grandfather, standing in front of the statue of Marvin. Cynthia Morgan-Whitmore walked over and embraced her great uncle Valentine. Samantha took pictures of them standing together in front of statue. There really was a family resemblance between them.

It did her heart good to know that she had so many new family members in her life. Now that she had found Benjamin and Valentine and even Cynthia, she knew she wouldn’t be alone ever again. She felt she would finally be able to forgive her aunt for never taking her in as a child.

Now she had her mate, her grandfather, cousins and a whole town of shifters. She finally belonged somewhere.