Once Forgotten Twice Loved (2 page)

They worked odd jobs to stay alive and lived in rundown shacks where people didn’t ask any questions about their age. Ash was street smart, and she knew how to hustle to get them whatever they needed. She would always come home with a new shirt for Nash or new shoes, always taking care of Nash’s needs before her own.

When their eighteenth birthdays came around, they both decided to use their real identities. They also had someone check to see if the orphanage ever reported them missing, they never did. They didn’t care about them. They knew they were different and wanted them gone, but they continued to collect a check in their name. Apparently, nobody from the state checked either. This was why Ash wanted to be a police officer. She wanted to help kids like her and Nash. Give them some hope and a friend to listen to them. She would be an advocate for the young runaways and the older generation who just needed a friend.

When Nash turned nineteen years old, he started to apply to the states in alphabetical order to inquire about living family members and after applying to the state of Colorado, he received a hit. He knew it was a slim chance to find anyone, but he was always optimistic. He found out he had family who was looking for him. He learned he had a cousin who was an Alpha of the local werewolf pack in Freedom, Colorado, and owned the Meadowland Lodge. Larken Wilder was his name. He wanted Nash to come live with him and his family. Ash knew that Nash wanted to belong to a family. He asked her to come with him to Colorado, but Ash wanted to become a detective. She wanted to make something of herself. She wanted to belong to something that helped people out. Ash needed to help people and kids like her and Nash. She had a soft spot for runaways and wanted to make a difference. Ash didn’t feel right leaving with Nash when he was going to meet his biological family. Ash wasn’t a blood relative, and she didn’t want to interfere with Nash finding the happiness he deserved.

Nash said he understood, but Ash knew he wanted to go and meet his family. They had been looking for him since his parents were killed. Ash wanted Nash to have the family they both craved to have.

Nash had learned that his father had gotten into an argument with his brother, the Alpha of the Meadowland Pack. Nash’s father decided to leave the pack and find a place where he could raise his family the way he saw fit. When he left with his wife and Nash, they never contacted Larken’s dad to tell them where they had ended up. They traveled around the country for about three months, always stopping at rundown hotels. A fire had broken out at the motel they were staying at and his father and mother both ran back into the hotel to save the others, but the roof caved in on them before they made it out. Since there was no paperwork to show that Nash had family, he was sent to an orphanage in Atlanta. Nash was six years old when this occurred. Ash remembered how little he was when he arrived at the orphanage. She immediately took his hand and dragged him around where ever she went.

Nash didn’t talk to anyone the first year, but when she met Nash, she felt that they were family in some way. She felt like he was her brother. Ash had a way so Nash could communicate with her. She taught him sign language. They still communicated like that sometimes. After the first year, Ash brought Nash out of his shell. He started talking to her and then to everybody else. Nash was the cutest kid, with beautiful sandy hair. It was long and touched his shoulders. Ash showed him how to pull it back so he wouldn’t get teased about it. Ash showed him everything. She was a mother hen to Nash, and he loved her for it.

The staff at the orphanage never liked the fact that Ash would always take up for Nash and any other kid they abused. She took the beatings so the smaller kids wouldn’t get hurt. She would also take the beatings meant for Nash. Ash could still remember the belt they used to give out punishments. The belt was made of leather. She could still remember how the belt cut into her skin when they beat her. Her skin would turn dark red then turn into orange and yellow bruises from the beatings. Ash remembered how they hung the belt on the wall outside their rooms. One single nail was inserted into the wall as the belt hung for all to see. This was a reminder so every kid would know what they would get if they didn’t do what they were told. Any infraction got you disciplined. They would make all the kids wear dark-colored uniforms so nobody would see the marks on their body. The lady in charge of the orphanage would call the beatings 'discipline training.' Ash had gotten her records from the state when she turned eighteen, and they actually had in her chart that Ash was given discipline training a few times a week because she was a very defiant child. She hated to remember those times in her life, and she would get sick to her stomach thinking about the orphanage.

After Nash left to go stay with his family in Colorado, Ash applied to the police academy and they accepted her. She became a cop and then worked her way up the force. She quickly received a name for herself in the community for helping runaways and abused children find stable homes. She also made a name for herself for getting the job done in the law enforcement community. As her career grew, Ash became more and more involved in her work. One of the things Ash was most proud of was when she was part of the team that closed the orphanage where Nash and she lived. She continued to help find homes for all the kids who lived there.

Nash and Ash’s friendship continued to grow. Nash had been coming back to New York to visit Ash every year since she joined the police academy. He would come for a week, and they would explore different parts of the city they never knew about. It was an adventure every time Nash came to New York. People always thought they were a couple instead of friends, but they never explored any type of sexual relationship. They were family, and they liked it that way.

Now Ash was traveling to the Meadowland Lodge to attend a law enforcement seminar and to see Nash. He was head of security at the lodge. This would be the first time Ash traveled to see him at the lodge. They had been talking non-stop about her coming to visit him. Nash told her the weather report said it was going to snow, so they could go skiing. Ash loved the outdoors and always wanted to live in Colorado with Nash but just didn’t have the nerve to make the move. He told her that she would always have a job, and since he was related to the Sheriff, she could get a job as a Deputy if she wanted to stay in law enforcement. Ash didn’t feel right taking a hand out, even from Nash.

Pulled from her thoughts, she heard the flight attendant tell the passengers to put their seatbelts on. They would be arriving at the airport in five minutes. Ash buckled her seatbelt and watched as the plane turned and headed toward the landing strip. She hated flying in planes, feeling like she never had control. Ash held on so tight to the armrest she heard a cracking noise. The plane landed on the runway without any incident in Colorado. She could see the runways had snow on them, but nothing happened when they landed. She wanted to get on her hands and knees and kiss the ground. Ash laughed at herself,
now wouldn’t that be a funny sight to see,
and exited the plane excited to see Nash.

Grabbing her luggage off the luggage rack, Ash went in search of the van that would take her to the lodge. Nash had given her exact instructions on what to do when she got off the plane and where to look for her ride. Following the instructions, she walked outside the airport and observed an eighteen-passenger van sitting at the curb just like Nash said would be there. On the side of the van had a picture of the Rocky Mountains and had the name Meadowland Lodge in Freedom, Colorado, in big bold letters. A good-looking young man was checking people in and putting their luggage into the van. Nash advised her that Jessie would be the one checking people in. She gave the young man her name, and as he took her luggage, he smiled at her and then winked. Ash blushed and said, “Thank you, Jessie.” He looked up shocked that she knew his name. She looked away blushing and followed an older man and a small child onto the van. When she got on the van, it was almost full, so she made her way to the back and sat next to the child. While she was walking toward the back, she observed two men sniff the air as she walked by them. She immediately knew they were shifters. She was used to it with Nash and some of the other shifters on the force. She had a cat shifter on her squad, and another cat shifter was in the SWAT division. They continued to stare at her until she passed them by. She tried to ignore the way they would turn around and look at her during the drive to the lodge, and she couldn’t help wondering what they were thinking about her.
Could they tell she was different, too
? Ash got caught up talking to the little boy sitting next to her and fifteen minutes later, the van pulled up at the Meadowland Lodge.

As she exited the van, Ash gasped as she looked up and observed the beauty of the lodge. The lodge was nestled in the middle of the mountain. Twinkling lights draped around the trees. The views of the mountains were the most beautiful views Ash had ever seen. The pictures Nash sent her didn’t do the place justice. This place looked like it was made for the rich and famous instead of a bunch of cops for a conference. She couldn’t believe she was actually going to stay there. She had been in beautiful hotels in New York that catered to the rich and famous but this place was beautiful and rustic. Ash couldn’t understand the feeling of home she felt when she looked up at the lodge.

Ash stood outside of the van, looking up at the lodge and the mountains. She didn’t have the words to express how beautiful the lodge was.

The two gentlemen who were staring at her in the van came up and stood beside her. One of the men asked, “Have you ever been to the Meadows?”

Ash shook her head out of the trance to answer the man. “No, sir, this is my first trip, and it is exquisite.” Ash couldn’t look at the men long without blushing so she turned her head back to look at the lodge.

“Yes, she is.”

Ash didn’t think he was talking about the lodge. She looked down and then up at the man. He winked at her then both men started walking toward the front door of the lodge. Ash turned around and walked to Jessie, who was unloading the luggage. She pointed at her two pieces of luggage and told him those were hers. “Yes, ma’am, I know. We will bring it in for you. It’s too cold for you out here. You can go inside, and I will bring your luggage in for you.”

Ash smiled at Jessie. “Thank you.”

“Yes, ma’am, your welcome. And, ma’am, welcome to the Meadows.”

Ash turned around and walked up the stairs to the lodge. She loved it. The large wraparound porch with all the rocking chairs placed where anybody who sat in them could see the mountains. Ash could see herself sitting outside early in the morning, watching the sun come up while she drank a cup of coffee. She could see the snow laying on the ground and breathing in the crisp air as she rocked in the rocking chair. Ash noticed the baskets lying beside the chairs that had blankets in them that could be used to cover your legs with as you sat on the porch. She couldn’t wait to experience as much as she could before she went back to New York.

As Ash approached the front door, a young woman opened the door and welcomed Ash into the lodge, directing her toward the front of the large room where the reception desk was located. Ash walked into the breathtaking room and was welcomed with the smell of wood burning in the largest fireplace she had ever seen. The fireplace was made of stone and stretched halfway across the wall. The scent of cinnamon tickled her nose as she closed her eyes, smelling the stimulating scents. She was next in line as the receptionist greeted her and welcomed her to the Meadowland Lodge. She informed Ash that she could sign in for the law enforcement convention in the next room. It didn’t take Ash long because she had already preregistered and faxed all the information prior to her arrival. She gave Ash the key to her room and informed her that her luggage would be waiting for her when she arrived to her room. After thanking her, Ash turned around, and walked toward the area designated for the convention.

Chapter Two

Larken sat looking off into space as he drummed his fingers on the desk that he didn’t see his baby sister walk in and sit down in a chair. He was leaning back in his chair thinking about the weird dreams he had been having for a week now. He couldn’t remember or describe the dreams, but he felt anxious, thinking something important was going to happen. As he drifted back from the trance of daydreaming, the hair on the back of his neck came alive. He looked over and saw his baby sister, Lilly Wilder, sitting in the chair. The expression on his face had to be priceless for her. Larken was shocked that he had left himself wide open. He never even heard her come in. She just sat there staring at him.

These dreams were playing havoc on his wolfie senses. He needed to get it under control before he left himself open for anyone to challenge him. “What do I owe to this visit, baby sister?” Larken asked as he turned his chair toward Lilly.

“I’ve never seen that look on your face before, brother,” Lilly murmured very quietly as she continued to stare at her brother, the Alpha.

“What look, Lilly?”

“The look of bewilderment. You need a mate, brother. Maybe that will help you find the contentment you are looking for.”

“Mate? You know we are fated our mate, Lilly. I can’t just take up with any women as my mate,” Larken said as he chastised Lilly for that remark.

Lilly looked down toward the floor. She knew that some wolves chose random women to be their mates, but Larken was an Alpha, and he was special. The fates surely would choose a special mate for him.

“Sorry, Larken. I know this. I just don’t want to see you alone anymore. You deserve to be happy and have a mate who makes you happy, too.”

Larken sighed and got up from his desk, and walked around to where Lilly was sitting. He grabbed her hand, pulled her up, and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her. “Always the sweet one. The one who looks after all of us. Lilly, Lilly…what will I do with you?”