Page 45 of Dark Rover's Luck

She turned the tablet so they could all see the screen. "There are several ways we can analyze genetic relationships. Autosomal DNA tests can trace relationships back five to six generations on both sides of a family, but they have limitations. The random nature of DNA inheritance means that after about ten generations, only a small fraction of ancestors contribute directly to one's DNA, making precise relationship determinations difficult for distant relatives."

"But you sound quite certain about our connection," Kyra said.

"That's because I didn't just run autosomal tests," Bridget explained. "I also analyzed your mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA. This is a special type of DNA that's passed only from mother to child, and only daughters can pass it on to their own children. It creates an unbroken matrilineal chain—from mother to daughter to granddaughter, and so on."

Fenella frowned. "I don't understand. My mother was Scottish. Kyra's family is Iranian. How could we possibly share matrilineal DNA?"

"That's the fascinating part," Bridget said, her eyes bright with excitement. "Mitochondrial DNA is remarkably stable over time. A person's mtDNA is likely to be identical to that of their direct maternal ancestor from many generations ago. Mutations are very rare, which is why mtDNA testing can trace matrilineal ancestry back thousands of years."

"So, you're saying we share a common female ancestor who could have lived hundreds of years ago?" Jasmine said.

Bridget nodded. "Based on the specific markers and haplogroup designation in your mtDNA, your shared maternal ancestor likely lived in what is now northern Iran or the Caucasus region, possibly around 700 to 800 years ago."

Kyra felt a strange tingling sensation, starting at the base of her neck and spreading through her body. Her family was growing, and the thought was overwhelming.

From a lone wolf, so to speak, to a clan of her own.

That was a fortune beyond measure.

"But how did my ancestor end up in Scotland?" Fenella asked, her voice uncharacteristically small.

"Human migration patterns are complex," Bridget said. "Trade routes, invasions, slavery, displacements—people have been moving across continents for millennia. The Mongol conquests, the Silk Road, later migrations to Europe—there are countless ways your maternal ancestor could have traveled from the Caucasus to Scotland."

Kyra was struggling to process the information. "So, Fenella is what—my distant cousin?"

"You are very distant cousins through your maternal lines," Bridget confirmed. "The exact degree of cousinship is difficult to determine without more genealogical information, but based on the mtDNA patterns, I'd estimate your common ancestor lived approximately twenty-five to thirty generations ago."

"That's incredible," Jasmine breathed. She turned to Fenella with a look of wonder. "No wonder we felt such a strong sense of connection when we met. Family recognizing family on some instinctual level."

Fenella seemed frozen in place, her expression a mix of disbelief, hope, and vulnerability that Kyra had never seen on her face before. "That's unbelievable," she finally said. "How reliable are the results of those tests?"

"The mtDNA match is definitive," Bridget said. "You three share a direct maternal ancestor."

Kyra watched as Fenella's carefully maintained composure began to crumble. Her lower lip trembled, and her eyes grew bright with unshed tears.

"That's incredible. After I turned immortal and was forced to leave my parents' home, I thought that I would never have a family I could actually interact with." Fenella wiped her eyes. "I couldn't let them see that I wasn't aging."

Kyra knew how it felt to discover that you were not alone in the world, and the emotion in Fenella's voice struck a chord. She reached over Jasmine's lap to take Fenella's hand. "You're part of our family now, and you are welcomed with love."

"Our family just keeps growing." Jasmine placed her hand over theirs. "First, I found Mom, then she found her sisters and nieces and nephews, and now we've found you."

A tear slipped down Fenella's cheek, followed by another. She made no move to wipe them away, staring at their joined hands as if they were something precious and fragile.

"I thought I would ask my sisters if anyone in our family history came from Scotland," Kyra said. "But given that our shared ancestress lived twenty-five generations ago, that's irrelevant."

"Your common ancestor was almost certainly from the Caucasus region," Bridget said. "Her descendants might have moved slowly westward over the generations."

"Still, it's quite amazing to think about," Jasmine said. "This woman who lived centuries ago, who probably never traveled more than a few miles from her home in her lifetime, has descendants scattered across the globe who've somehow found each other."

Fenella snorted. "The bloody universe does have a sense of humor after all. I've been running from place to place, never putting down roots anywhere, and it turns out I had family halfway across the globe."

"No wonder I was obsessed with freeing you," Kyra said. "My rebel friends thought that I was crazy for risking my life that way for a stranger."

Jasmine frowned. "Based on that logic, you should have felt something about the girls who were imprisoned in the same facility."

"They must have been brought in after I was captured." Kyra closed her hand over her pendant. "I was constantly drugged, and he took my pendant. I had no conduit for my intuition."

"Blood calls to blood," Bridget said. "I know this sounds very unscientific, but there's more to familial connections than we can explain with science alone."

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