Chapter 64: The Search

Two days passed. Andres worked nonstop trying to find my biological father.

I tried to focus on other things. Pack business. Training. Normal stuff.

But my mind kept going back. Who was he? Did he know about me? Did he care?

David took the recordings to Detective Collins. The case against me was dropped within hours. Brian killed James. The evidence was clear. I was officially in the clear.

Victoria stopped calling. Stopped showing up. Got her money and disappeared.

Everything should have felt better. But it didn't.

Because I still didn't know who I was.

On the third day, Andres knocked on my door.

"Found something," he said. "You're going to want to see this."

I followed him to his computer room. Cole came too.

"Your mother," Andres started. "Before she married Richard, she lived in Seattle for two years. Worked as a secretary at a law firm."

"Okay."

"I found old photos. Social media from that time. She was dating someone. Serious relationship. Lasted about a year."

He pulled up a photo. My mother. Young. Maybe twenty three. Smiling. Actually smiling. With a man.

Tall. Dark hair. Strong features. Handsome.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"His name was Thomas Crane. Lawyer at the firm. Came from old money. Good family." Andres clicked to another photo. "They broke up suddenly. She moved back to California a month later. Married Richard six months after that."

I stared at the man in the photo. Looking for any resemblance. Any sign.

"Do I look like him?"

"Your eyes. The shape. And your nose. His exactly." Andres zoomed in. "It's possible. Timeline fits. She leaves Seattle. Comes home. Already pregnant maybe. Marries Richard fast."

"Where is Thomas now?"

Andres hesitated. "He died. Ten years ago. Car accident."

My heart sank. "So I can't meet him. Can't ask him anything."

"No. But he has family. A brother. Lives in Seattle still. Runs the family law firm now."

"Does he know about me?"

"I don't know. But there's something else." Andres pulled up another photo. "Thomas had a daughter. From a previous marriage. Her name is Sarah Crane. She's twenty four now. Lives in Portland. Works as a nurse."

I looked at the photo. A woman. Dark hair. Green eyes like mine. Same nose. Same face shape.

My sister. Maybe.

"She looks like me," I whispered.

"Yeah. A lot like you." Andres sat back. "I can reach out. Set up a meeting. DNA test. Know for sure."

"What if she doesn't want to meet me? What if she thinks I'm lying? Trying to get money or something?"

"Then we deal with that. But you deserve to know the truth." Cole touched my shoulder. "Your choice though. No pressure."

I stared at Sarah's photo. My possible sister. Someone who might have answers. Who might share my blood.

"Set it up," I said. "Contact her. Explain the situation. If she wants to meet, I'll go to Portland."

"What if she says no?"

"Then at least I tried." I looked at Andres. "Thank you. For finding this. For giving me a chance."

"You're family. We take care of family."

An hour later, Andres called me back.

"She answered. We talked for twenty minutes." He looked excited. "She wants to meet you. Today if possible."

"Today? That fast?"

"She said she always knew something was off about her dad's past. He never talked about Seattle. Never mentioned your mother. It bothered her." Andres showed me his phone. Text messages. "She's driving down here right now. Should arrive in four hours."

"Four hours." My stomach twisted. "Okay. Where do we meet?"

"Here. At the gym. Neutral ground. Safe." Andres smiled. "She seems nice. Excited even. Said she always wanted a sister."

"What if the DNA test says we're not related?"

"Then at least you know. And you made a friend maybe." Cole pulled me close. "Stop worrying. This is good news."

He was right. But I couldn't help worrying.

What if she hated me? What if I reminded her of bad things? What if the test came back negative and I was back to square one?

"Breathe," Cole said. "You're spiraling."

"I know. I can't help it."

"Then let me help." He kissed me. Soft. Gentle. "You're Luna Alpha. You've faced demons and prophecies and police investigations. You can handle meeting your possible sister."

"You're right. I can do this."

"That's my girl."

Four hours later, a car pulled up. Blue sedan. Rental plates.

A woman got out. Dark hair. Green eyes. Nervous smile.

Sarah Crane.

She looked even more like me in person. Same height. Same build. Like looking in a mirror.

I walked out to meet her. Hands shaking.

"Lita?" she asked.

"Yeah. Sarah?"

"Yeah." She laughed. Nervous. "This is so weird."

"Tell me about it."

We stood there. Just looking at each other.

Then she smiled. Real and warm. "You look like him. Our dad. Like exactly like him."

"I saw photos. I thought the same thing."

"Can we talk? Somewhere private?" She looked at the gym. At the pack watching through windows. "This is a lot of people."

"Yeah. Come inside. We have a room we can use."

We walked in. The pack stared. Whispered. Saw the resemblance immediately.

I led Sarah to a small office. Closed the door. Just us.

"So," she said. "You think Thomas Crane was your biological father."

"I think so. The timeline fits. My mother dated him. Got pregnant. Left suddenly. Married someone else."

"And your mother never told you?"

"Never. I just found out three days ago that Richard isn't my father. Everything before that is mystery."

Sarah nodded slowly. "Dad died when I was fourteen. But before he died, he told me something. Said if anyone ever came looking for him. Asking about Seattle. About a woman named Margaret. I should listen."

My heart raced. "He knew about me?"

"He knew about something. Didn't give details. Just said he made mistakes. Hurt people. And if anyone came asking, they probably deserved answers."

"So he knew my mother was pregnant?"

"Maybe. I don't know for sure. But he knew something." Sarah pulled out a small bag. DNA test kit. "I bought this on the way here. We can do it now. Know for sure."

"You want to know too."

"Yeah. I always wanted a sister. But also I want to know if my dad had secrets. If there's more to his story."

We did the test. Swabbed our cheeks. Sealed the samples. Andres would rush it to a lab. Results in two days.

Two days to know if Sarah was my sister.

Two days to know who my father really was.

Two days felt like forever.