Meadow’s p.o.v. I am holding the journal in my hand, and I am a bit unsure whether or not to start reading it. I'm afraid of what I might read; it will make everything so much more real. Afraid that the information I will find will paint a gruesome picture of the lives my ancestors lived. My eyes are strained on the journal’s cover, while I listen to my Squad members talk about whatever their assignment is. It gives me a sense of calm, of peace as I try to make up my mind. Uncle Major wanted to have this journal before telling me about the rest of our bloodline, so there has to be something in here that predicts no good. I slowly let the cover come into focus, finally able to concentrate on the drawing on the front. It takes me a second to realize that it isn’t one symbol, but two. Both symbols are placed so close together that they look like one, but I can see them more clearly as I stare at them a little longer. Both are Celtic symbols and I trace both of them with my finger. The serch bychol symbol is at the bottom, the symbol of everlasting love. The Motherhood knot is placed above it, symbolizing the love between a parent and their child or, as some say, between the Goddess and her children. At least that is how we interpret it nowadays.I slowly open the journal to find a small notation on the first page: For every female in our bloodline, I hope my story will help you. Leave your story behind for the next generation so that they can learn from our stories. A notepad and pen are placed on the small table beside me. I know I will need them because I doubt I will be able to remember everything I read. My story begins with my Mother, a Gamma’s Daughter, living in a small but strong Pack. She could keep her gift hidden from everyone; she didn’t even trust my Father with it. Her gift was enhanced hearing, which my Mother appreciated more than she could ever describe. My Grandfather wanted to force her to mate with a man of his choosing, even to allow forceful marking if my Mother objected. She found her connection, her true Mate-bond, before her Father could finalize his plans, which made her distrust men to the point of not even trusting my Father. I was told about our bloodline by my Mother on her deathbed. It was also the first time that my Father heard of it and he swore to protect me with his life. My Mate was also a Gamma and Father threatened him before we told my Mate about my bloodline. He never asked about my gifts; he felt it wasn’t his place to know what they were. I have the gift of sense, I can tell how many Shifters are near me, where they are and how far away they are. This gift has proven helpful to our Pack over the years, but even our Alpha never questioned me. He would take my word for whatever it was I told him. He trusted his Gamma and therefore he trusted me. I have lived a good and happy life, but my time here is almost up. My Sons know about our bloodline and about my suspicion that it only applies to the females born into our bloodline. My oldest Son will keep the journal until the next female is born or he feels his end is nearing. An entry in a different handwriting states that no females were born in the following generation. Between the first female to write in this journal and the next, there were three generations without females born into the bloodline. I read every new entry and not once after that first entry did I find another entry in which a generation hadn’t had a female born to it. I find many different gifts in the journal, but I am unsure which gift I would prefer to get. My eighteenth birthday was a few weeks ago, but I didn’t wake up with a new gift—at least not that I am aware of. Rebel thinks it will show itself when we need it and reading this journal has confirmed her suspicion. I have found at least five entries confirming it; in each case, their gift showed up when they needed it. My gift will remain a mystery until then, but I know I can’t just rely on my gift. It might be of help to me or others during an attack or it might only be beneficial to me. I am halfway through the journal when Captain Miles calls it a day and orders us to prepare for dinner. “Did you find anything interesting in the journal?” Uncle Major asks when I walk into the dining room on the Alpha floor. “I actually did. My gift will show up when I need it, as I didn’t get it when I turned eighteen.” I respond and he gives me a funny look. “I turned eighteen three weeks ago. Or does my file state another date of birth?” I ask. The silence is deafening and I wonder who is wrong about my date of birth. Myka growls as he walks out of the dining room, “I’ll get her file. If that Asshole did something to it, he is mine during the next training.” I smile to myself, it is so nice to have others care enough to get angry for me. Dinner is placed on the table by the time Myka returns with my file, I don’t recognize it because this one was found in the archive. The file I have was taken from the infirmary before it got locked down in the archive. “Someone altered her date of birth. At first glance, you don’t see it, unless you are looking for alterations like I was.” Myka says as he hands the file to Alpha Lincoln. “Damn, I missed your birthday.” River whines. “I thought I still had a few weeks to get you a present.” I don’t tell him that I don’t care about any presents, I have my Brother and that is all I ever wanted. “Who says it was Rhys that altered her file? What if Meilani changed it to keep her Daughter safe?” Alpha Lincoln asks. Damn, I hadn’t thought of that. If Mom expected me to get my gift at eighteen, it would explain the change, because Rhys had nothing to gain by changing my date of birth. Mom also knew I could get my gift after I turned eighteen and she might have been buying me some time by altering my birthday. It does make sense, especially if she suspected something was off with Winston. I need to read the rest of that journal sooner rather than later.