A/N: All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be.

P.S.: The idea for this story came to being during Chapter 3 of my Ben/ Luna (an OC) fic Embracing the Future. As a result, a portion of this first chapter is a direct copy of the events that transpired there. Also, this means that I now have four fics going at once, (Ties That Bind, Taming the Beast Within, Healing the Wounds of Time, all of which are in the Alpha and Omega verse, and Embracing the Future, over in Mercy Thompson verse) and a few more others planned, but this story kept plaguing my mind to be started so here it is. One last thing, this story starts prior to Taming the Beast Within, so in the beginning Leah is still alive.

********************A&O********************

Juliana Lawson was a very unhappy, lonely little girl. Well, she was almost a teenager, in ten months anyway, but she was small for her age. And alone. And unwanted. And unloved. She was a mulatto, that's what her foster parents called her, 'Mulatto, go put a different shirt on to cover up that hideous thing'. The 'hideous thing' was the physical reminder of why she was in foster care and not home with her mama and papa; a scar across her chest and collar bone left from the accident that took her parents from her. The Reddings didn't call her by her name. She was just a paycheck from the state to them. If she dared to speak up she was usually backhanded for it. Not hard enough to leave a lingering mark, oh no, Theo and Ally had perfected the art of abusing a child without leaving lingering marks that would indicate a problem in the home.

Juliana missed her mama and papa. They'd loved her so much, and they'd never once hit her, but they were gone. Ally said it was punishment for 'mixing their races'. See, mama was creole, black, and her papa was Choctaw and white, leaving her with a mixed heritage she knew nothing about but seemed to warrant mistreatment from her foster parents. She didn't understand why God would punish her for something she didn't do, but Ally said the bible was filled with tales of God punishing the child for the sins of the parents. She wasn't allowed to question it so even at church, which they made her go to because 'her heathen father damned her soul and it needed saving', when other kids asked questions, she'd stayed silent.

The sky was full of heavy, dark clouds that threatened to open up and drench New Orleans at any moment and she searched furtively for a place she could hide before it started. It would probably feel good on her skin and wash the dirt and grime off but she didn't want to have to sleep in wet clothes that night if she could avoid it. Wet clothes meant more bugs biting at her exposed skin than she would already have to deal with in the muggy night air. She sniffled and wiped her nose. Again she wondered why God had taken her mama and papa but left here there, alone.

Her stomach growled and she swallowed. She'd not eaten anything in two days, not since she'd run away from her foster home. Maybe she could find something that wasn't too spoiled in one of the garbage cans behind the many restaurants that filled up the French Quarter. She slipped through alley-ways and managed to find part of a sandwich that didn't smell bad. She just hoped it didn't make her too sick as she devoured it and again tried to figure out where to go while it rained. She ended up settling for a dark stoop that had a decent overhang that might keep her relatively dry.

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Unbeknownst to Juliana, her presence hadn't gone as unnoticed as she'd hoped while she'd wandered the streets. A man watched her as she dug into the garbage can for something to eat. He'd seen her earlier in the day, at one of the parks, watching the other kids play with such longing he wondered why she didn't join them. She'd lifted her thick, dark hair off her neck and he got a glimpse of a scar marring her warm caramel skin. When a boy of about six got hurt and his mother rushed to him to soothe his boo-boo, the man saw tears on the elfin girl's cheeks. Ah. That was why she was out there by herself. He'd followed her when she left and he kept following. When he saw her heading for the garbage cans he stepped into a nearby deli, got a thick sub to go, and then waited until she slipped further away from the tourists to approach her where she'd found a spot that would most likely protect her from the rain unless the wind picked up as well. "Hey now, are you lost?" he asked, putting on a warm, friendly mask to win her over.

Juliana jumped at the voice. "I'm sorry, don't hit me. I didn't know this stoop was taken," she said and shook with fear.

The man squatted down to be closer to eye level with her. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "You look lost honey. Why are you out here, alone, when its getting ready to storm?"

"I... don't have any where to be," she hedged and had no idea that he could smell the lie.

"Oh, you poor thing. You must be so hungry and so tired. I was just getting ready to go home, it's not much, just a shack in the bayou, but it's warm and dry. But where are your parents?" If he kept her unbalanced and pushed the 'I'm just so concerned for you' vibe, he knew he'd be able to lull her into going with him.

"They.. died.. and now it's just me."

"Oh, I am so sorry sweetie. What about other family?" he asked and she just shook her head. He felt rain drops and wrinkled his nose. "Well, that just won't do. You can't stay out here all alone, there are some bad people in this world that would try to hurt a sweet little thing like you." He could tell from her reaction that she'd already had some trouble. "It's okay, I won't let them hurt you. You're safe with me, I won't let them touch you. Why don't you come with me? I've got a warm bed you can sleep in and you can have half of the sub I got for my dinner," he said and enticed the child to go with him.

It took a little time, once at his shack, to get her to tell him everything, and he crooned at her, told her she wasn't ugly, she was beautiful and her foster mother was just jealous of her. When she finally fell asleep, he knew he'd chosen well this time. No one would miss her and once she survived the change, he would finally have his own sweet little girl and he wouldn't feel that particular need to hunt again.

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...

Juliana felt herself slowly waking up. Memories rushed in, pain so intense it had made her pass out several times and she'd thought for sure she was going to die. A beast, a monster, looming over her as teeth and claws ripped into her body causing her to scream until she was hoarse from it. Her eyes snapped open to find a strange man watching her and she tried to scramble off the cot she lay on but her body wasn't cooperating. And she was naked, which she only vaguely paid attention to because there was not one but two strange men in the room and she hurt too much to really move. She started to panic and her breathing became erratic.

"Easy, it's alright, you're safe now. No one is going to hurt you," Charles said as gently as he could. Now he was wishing he'd agreed to let Anna come along after all.

"That's what he said too, and then he... he changed into that thing..." Her voice trailed off as she started to hyperventilate.

"I know. But he's dead, he can't hurt you anymore." Charles moved slowly and knelt down so he was lower than the girl. He was the second most dominant werewolf in all of North America and he was taking a submissive position to make a child feel safer. The girl wouldn't understand it but her wolf would. Her wolf wouldn't feel so threatened. He could feel her submissiveness and he immediately wanted to wrap her in a cocoon to keep her safe.

Juliana stared at this large man who was being... gentle. He was clearly Native American, he reminded her a little of her papa before he'd died. "He... he said he'd take care of me, he said I'd never have to go back to them... why did he hurt me?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks and Charles couldn't stop himself. He gathered the child into his arms and rocked her gently while she cried. "He was a bad man but you're safe now. I won't let any harm come to you little one," he murmured. "Didn't have to go back to who?" he asked gently.

"My... foster parents," she replied after a moment. "They're... not very nice, not to me, and he said he could take me away from them so they couldn't hurt me ever again."

"Where are your parents little one?" Again he kept his voice gentle.

"They died...three years ago, when I was nine. I don't have anyone," she whispered brokenly.

Brother Wolf growled in his head. That put the girl at twelve years old. She was just a baby and that bastard hurt her. "Yes, you do. You have me. You aren't alone now little one and you don't have to go back to those people."

...

Juliana was trying to keep up with everything he said, everything that happened. He'd held her, rocked her as she'd cried, and then talked to someone he called 'Da' about taking her home, wherever that was. She tried to understand it all, but her mind was still fuzzy and before she knew it darkness ate up her vision and dragged her back into unconsciousness.

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When she awoke again, she was in a warm bed but she was still naked and that made her uncomfortable. The man who'd saved her, Charles he said his name was, left so she could get dressed and then, when she let him back in the room, he told her she was getting a new family. He and his wife were taking her in. They wouldn't let anyone hurt her, not ever again. Even though he made her feel safe, she didn't know if she could trust him. The other man had said that too, that she was safe, and he'd hurt her more than anyone else ever had. She was quiet in the backseat of Rene's truck as they headed for the small airport and the plane that would take her away from New Orleans. She'd never been anywhere else, never been in a plane, and she started to panic. Was she really safe? It was while in the middle of the panic that her first change came upon her.

Rene swore under his breath but managed to get them to the airport without anyone seeming to notice they had a young girl slowly, painfully shifting from human to werewolf in the backseat. "Before the Marrok brought our kind out to the world, what just happened could have gone very badly for us," he said mildly. They'd reached the airport and he got out to open the back door so she could get out when she was done.

Charles ignored him because his focus was on the tiny werewolf pup that lifted blue-gray eyes to his before she whined and lowered them. Her fur was a dark brown with hints of black on her ears, tip of her tail, and her feet. "It's alright little one, if you feel safer like that, you can stay that way for now. There's food on the plane, I know you'll be hungry soon because of the change." He waited until he was sure touching her wouldn't hurt her and then he scooped her up, grabbed her bag, and headed for his plane.

Sure enough, no sooner did he get them airborne and she was whining for something to eat. Charles put the plane on auto-pilot and fixed her a plate of raw meat, that would be best for her in this form, and got himself something to eat as well.

Juliana took one sniff at the plate he set before her and then proceeded to devour every bit of raw meat on it. She felt half starved, and in a sense she was because she'd been so hungry before her attack. When she'd eaten her fill and drank what seemed like a gallon of water, she hopped up into the co-pilot's seat and curled up there. She watched Charles until her eyes slid closed and she was once again asleep. This time it was just sleep, not a state of intense unconsciousness like before.

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Halfway to Montana Juliana started whining in her sleep and Charles smelled her fear. He figured she was dreaming about her attack and he scooped her up to put her in his lap. His fingers slid through her fur and he crooned softly at her. Brother Wolf helped him to soothe her fears so she drifted back to peaceful sleep. He knew if his Da could see him in that moment, he'd be shocked at the tenderness Charles was showing the pup. He was his father's enforcer and yet he was cooing to a sleeping pup so that her sleep was undisturbed. The two images really didn't line up well.

Half an hour before the plane landed Juliana awoke. "I need you to go into the other part of the plane and change back, little one. It will be a lot easier for you to adjust to things if you can ask questions and you can't do that in wolf form," Charles told her. He cracked a hint of a smile at the way the pup huffed as if it was such a chore then left to do as he asked. Charles knew both Bran and Anna would be waiting for them and he wanted to introduce her to them while she was human. He knew Anna was going to adore her the instant she saw Juliana. His Da, well he could be unpredictable sometimes. There was no telling how he was going to take it. Leah, well, he could care less about her opinion. He wasn't letting that bitch any where near his child. She'd already been hurt enough by those who knew nothing about kindness, he wasn't letting Leah add to it.

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Anna stood next to her father-in-law and tried to be still. She was too nervous for that though and she started to bounce a little in place. "Why does it always seem like it takes forever for him to actually land after he says he's coming in for a landing?" she asked but didn't expect an answer.

"Because you are anxious to see him," Bran replied. "What? You didn't expect an answer? Don't ask such silly questions then," he added.

Anna rolled her eyes at him. "You know it was rhetorical." The anxiety she'd been feeling faded once the plane came to a stop. She waited for the door to open and headed toward it only to be stopped by Bran. "Wait. If the girl is as timid as Charles says, we don't want to scare her. I know, you're an Omega, you can make it all better, but I would like to see how my son deals with this if she doesn't want to get off the plane."

Anna looked at Bran and grinned. "Oh, that is so dirty, I like it," she said and laughed a little. She had to admit, she was curious how her mate would handle it too.

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Juliana finished her change with enough time to adjust to being back on two legs and get dressed before the plane finally landed. She sat there almost frozen with fear until Charles exited the cockpit. She felt safer in his presence, until he opened the door and she saw that there were two people waiting for them.

"It's alright little one, that's Da and Anna. I know, you're asking yourself how is he my Da when he doesn't look old enough to be anyone's Da, much less mine. Once a werewolf reaches a certain stage, he or she stops aging, and if they were older when they were changed, the magic that makes them a werewolf gives them a more youthful appearance. I don't know how it does it, I just know it does," he said to her as he moved to exit the plane.

Juliana watched him and swallowed before she followed him. She stayed behind him as they approached the two people waiting for them and peeked around him at them once he stopped.

Anna got quick glances of chocolate brown eyes, hair as dark as her mate's, and lovely caramel skin as the girl peeked around him at them. "Hello there. I'm Anna," she said and pushed soothing vibes her way.

Juliana relaxed a little and slowly stepped out from behind Charles. "Hi," she said shyly and then her eyes went to the blonde man at Anna's side. She tipped her head as if she was trying to figure him out.

"Hello Juliana. It is very nice to meet the little girl who wrapped my very independent son around her pinky finger the moment he set eyes on her," Bran said and was amused by the grunt Charles made.

Juliana giggled at the comment. "You're the one he talked to on the phone, the one he calls 'Da'? You don't look like his papa," she said.

"Charles takes after his mother, who died a long time ago. My older son, Samuel, he looks more like me," Bran told her. "I see why you like the little imp, she's got spunk," he said to his son.

Anna laughed and knelt down so she was closer to Juliana's height. "Ignore them, they can be silly sometimes. Once you get settled and feel comfortable in our home, in your new home, you and I are going to do some online shopping so you can get whatever you want for your bedroom, okay?" she said.

Juliana's eyes teared up and she nodded. These people didn't even know her and they were treating her like she was special. They were treating her the way her mama and papa used to, with... love.

When the tears spilled over Anna pulled the girl into her arms and held her. "Shh, it's okay now Juliana. You're not ever going to be alone again. Promise. This is your home and we're your family now," she added. When Juliana's arms wrapped around her so the girl was clinging to her it made Anna's heart hurt for the pain she could feel pouring from such a tiny frame. She lifted her eyes to her mate and she hoped he'd made the wolf who'd attacked the girl suffer for the pain he'd caused her.

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Juliana was nervous as they approached the ranch-style house. It wasn't large but it was bigger than even the house her foster parents had back in New Orleans. Her old foster parents. She had to think of them that way. These were her new foster parents. She didn't know that it would be more than fostering, that a more permanent situation was in store for her, so for now she looked to them as 'foster parents'. The inside of the house was beautiful with its hardwood floors, granite fireplace, and thick rugs. She was afraid to get on the rugs, afraid she'd ruin them and get in trouble.

Anna and Charles both felt her fear and Anna moved to her. "It's okay. I felt a lot like that when I first saw the house too. Charles saved me from a bad man too. I wasn't a little girl, I was all grown up, but he still saved me. He does that sometimes," she said and was rewarded with a shy smile. "Why don't you take your shoes off and go feel how soft the rug is? It'll feel so good against your toes."

Juliana bit her lip and looked up to Charles for confirmation that it was okay. She would come to trust and love them equally but for now, he was the one she looked to if she was unsure. When he nodded at her she toed them off, she wasn't wearing socks because the few pairs she'd owned were dirty, and then went to the rug. It was thick, soft, and she groaned a little. "It's so soft," she said and then gave them a rare grin. "I like how soft it is." She stood there sliding her feet over it a moment before she went back to them and bent down to put her shoes back on.

"You can leave them off if you want. Why don't I show you your room? I didn't know if you had any clothes with you, but I'd asked Charles to give me an idea of what your size was and got some stuff for you so you can change. The bathroom is right here," Anna said and opened the door to the bathroom that was across the hall from Juliana's room.

Juliana was expecting her room to be little more than a closet, even with as nice as they were being to her. So when Anna opened the door to her room she stood there and stared. "This... this is mine?" she asked. The room was easily four times the size of the one she'd slept in at her old foster home. There was a simple twin bed with a patchwork quilt spread out on top of it, a chest of drawers that was taller than she was, and another dresser along the opposite wall. What really drew her attention was the wide windowsill that someone, most likely Anna, had filled with pillows to turn it into a window seat.

"It's all yours, sweetie," Anna replied. Her heart hurt for the look on the child's face. She'd been so hurt by the people who should have taken care of her. But no more. Mama wolf wasn't going to let anyone hurt her baby. She stood next to her mate and felt his silent anger as well. They had a lot of repairing to do with Juliana, but he'd helped her heal, they could both help their daughter.

"I am going to go fix dinner," Anna said after a moment. "Is there anything you can't eat or don't like Juliana?" she asked.

Juliana turned to her and hunched her shoulders. "No, I'll eat what you give me," she mumbled.

Charles moved to her and knelt down. "No, we will never give you something that could make you sick or that you don't like. You will never have to eat something just because it was made. My mate loves brussel sprouts but I cannot stand them. She makes some for herself and always makes something different for me. So if there is something you don't like, little one, you just tell us, okay?"

Juliana nodded then looked to Anna again. "Um...I can't have nuts, they make me really sick."

Anna could tell, with the way she said that, there was an ugly story behind it. Anna wanted to just hug the hurt away but she knew she couldn't. "Is there anything you really, really like that you haven't had in a while?" she asked.

"Pizza." She didn't even think about it, it just came out. "With lots of cheese and pepperoni," she added then blushed.

Anna flashed a grin. "Perfect," she said and went off to throw a few pizzas together. She had some pre-made crusts, she could make her own but this was faster, and soon enough the house filled with the smell of them cooking.

By that time Charles was in his office going over the paperwork that transferred guardianship of Juliana to him and Anna. There were adoption forms as well, those he and Anna would have to file themselves. He could hear the water in the bathroom and he knew Juliana was taking a shower. He figured once she felt safe with them she'd more than likely start taking baths. Girls did that, right? He knew his Anna loved to soak in the tub so he figured Juliana would too.

Anna got the pizzas out of the oven, cut them, and went to let Charles know it was ready since Juliana was in the bathroom still. As she passed the bathroom door she heard soft weeping and stopped. A gentle knock was the only warning she gave Juliana before she slipped in, went to her, and pulled her into her arms. The water was still running, but she'd gotten out and was dressed in a pair of warm pajamas that had penguins on them. "It's okay Jules, you just let it all out," Anna said softly. She hummed to soothe her and they stood like that for several minutes.

"My mama used to call me that," Juliana said after her cries subsided.

"Do you want me to stop? I don't want to upset you sweetie," Anna replied.

"No!" She was even startled by how firm that came out. "No... I like it," she added and returned the hug Anna gave her. "I miss them, I miss my mama and papa," she said and sniffled.

"I know sweetie, and you will for a long time, but I bet you they're watching over you and they know you're finally safe." She heard Juliana's stomach growl and smiled. "Come on, dinner is ready, and you look like you're ready to fall asleep where you stand," she added and gently guided her out of the bathroom after she turned the water off. "Charles, dinner is ready," she called out instead of going to the study since Juliana was clinging to her hand.

Juliana's mouth was watering by the time they got to the dining room, and it wasn't that far of a walk. She was so hungry and the food smelled so good, but even after the plate was in front of her, she hesitated.

It was Anna who understood why she didn't touch the plate. "It's okay Jules, you can eat. When you're hungry, you eat. You don't have to wait for everyone else to eat, or to finish eating." She smiled at the startled look she got. "I've known people like your old foster parents. People who wouldn't let their children start eating until after they did. I had a friend when I was a kid who's parents were like that. I always thought it was mean."

"Thank you," Juliana said and dug into her food. She ate with a ferocity that told Anna and Charles both that she'd been neglected in a lot of ways before fate brought her into their lives.

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Later that evening, after they'd gotten Juliana settled in bed, Anna and Charles sat on the sofa talking quietly. "So, I asked Bran to look into those foster parents she had, after he got everything else taken care of, and do you know they have had four foster children die from 'accidents' but for some reason no one has considered that maybe the foster parents were behind the deaths?" Anna told her mate.

Charles looked at her. "You think someone knows but isn't talking? Do you think they might not be what they seem and that's how they keep avoiding suspicion?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I'd like the New Orleans pack to keep an eye on those people, just in case. I mean, there is no way Juliana is this fragile, this timid, just because of her attack. Something else had to have caused it and I'd bet that something was her foster parents," she said with an angry growl.

Charles dipped his head and kissed his mate. "You are adorable in mama wolf mode," he teased before he became serious. "You're right, and I already asked Rene and his pack to keep a watch on the Reddings. If they're hurting children, it is going to stop, we'll see to that," he told her. He stood and took her with him. "Let's go to bed, it's late and I have had a very long day," he said and after looking in on their daughter he took his mate to bed. One thing was certain, their lives were definitely going to be different now.