"Silence." Leo commanded the clan. Orion stood to his right, and then Skylar next to him. Orion glanced down at Skylar and saw her unable to look at the clan. She was staring down at where her fingers twisted together nervously. He couldn't blame her... the reception of the clan hadn't been as positive as he'd been hoping or expecting. Leo's order only quieted the crowd for a moment before they erupted into protests again.

"She a nomad! She's dangerous!" one man shouted. Leo remained quiet, as did Orion, although he wanted to shout "Look at her! She's terrified! Does she look dangerous to you?" But he didn't, following his father's example. They stood in the amphitheater, one of the few places in the village large enough to accommodate the entire clan at once. All one hundred members were gathered, staring at Leo and Orion from the rows of benches lining the circular walls of the amphitheater. Zachariah, Leo's Beta, stood in the front row of people with Percy, Olly, and Victoria. Leo and Orion had told the four of them everything the night before, which included Skylar's bad relationship with her dragon, and that she'd grown up among humans. Percy seemed relieved to understand some of the things Skylar had said when they'd found her, Zachariah had listened quietly and then promised to not tell anyone and to follow Leo's lead on this one, which was why the Beta wasn't on the stage with them. Olly had been quiet and then found the whole thing fascinating. He'd never been among humans, he hadn't been allowed to go on their trading routes before, and he had so many questions for Skylar. All of which he'd been forbidden to ask.

When Orion had told Leo about the lack of progress with Skylar's dragon, he hadn't seemed as worried as Orion thought he would be. He apparently hadn't been as optimistic as Orion, who wasn't known for his optimism. They'd had a long discussion about what path to take while Skylar had been out with Nana, learning about herbs and hopefully staying out of trouble. One never knew what Nana would get up to, and what she'd drag Skylar into.

Leo seemed to think that the pressure point trick would work, and that no matter what path they took, breaking down the cage would be painful for Skylar. Orion was still looking for a better way because the last thing he wanted to do was cause Skylar any pain. Orion had been impressed with her resilience that morning; she'd lasted longer than he thought she would, which made him think she was really dedicated to freeing her dragon. For that, he thought she deserved a break.

"Nomads are not exclusively dangerous," Leo answered the man calmly, but his voice was laced with Alpha power. "You're confusing them with Wildlings."

"You said someone was after her!" a woman shouted from the middle of the crowd. "What if they track her here?"

Orion hadn't wanted to tell the clan that there was someone looking for Skylar, but Leo wanted to be as honest with their people as they could. They should know what to expect, he said. Just in case, he said. Orion could not have agreed less with that. He wanted Skylar as far below the clan's radar as possible, and labeling her as someone's target was not the way to do that.

"Humans can't survive in our territory. We have it enchanted. No human is getting to us alive."

"But what about-"

"Enough!" Leo roared. It wasn't often that the stoic Alpha raised his voice. Even when Orion was a child, his father had fixed him with a cold stare when he'd done something wrong, but he didn't yell often. "The girl stays. I am your Alpha, I decide the future of the clan, and you all know I would do nothing to endanger you. Skylar is under our protection, and Orion has taken responsibility for her. She steps out of line, she answers to him."

The way Leo said that made Orion sound like some sort of hard ass. He didn't think he was that bad, but the nods and murmurs of the crowd said otherwise. In his defense, his father was Leo Nogard. Leo wasn't exactly known for his gentle approach to clan members. Orion looked over at Skylar to find her already looking up at him, an amused smile on her face. He just knew it was because of how Leo had phrased that Orion was in charge of her. The corner of his mouth twitched at her, but he didn't smile; he couldn't let the clan members think he'd gone soft towards the new female in the clan.

He looked back at the clan to see they'd all relaxed slightly, trusting that their Alpha wouldn't lead them astray. Leo looked over the sea of people, his friends and family, and nodded once. His black eyes dared anyone to challenge him again, dared to question his authority. Orion had been on the receiving end of that look more than once, and the scrutiny was enough to make anyone squirm. "Alright, if there anymore concerns or questions, I'll be in the Big House, in my office." He moved to walk off the stage when one of the men in the front row stepped forward.

"Will she be there as well? For us to speak with her?" the man asked, his green gaze flicking to Skylar and back to Leo. Orion recognized him as one of the members who tended the flocks of sheep, back after a shift change. Of course the clan members out in the pastures and fields were unable to make it to the meeting, but it wouldn't take long for word to spread, and Leo was always ready to receive comments from the clan members. Although he didn't always show it, the feelings of the clan meant a lot to him, and if many felt strongly about something, he took it into consideration to change.

"She will not. She is working with Orion to work on learning the ways of the clan," Leo stated, since they had not told everyone that Skylar had never shifted on her own. "They should not be disturbed. But she will be at the full moon ceremony tomorrow, and will likely be willing to speak with you then."

The man nodded and stepped back into the crowd. Orion could see Skylar wringing her hands together again as there was a small silence and everyone's eyes were on her. He hoped Leo wasn't expecting her to say something; she was nervous enough as it was, it seemed. So it surprised him all the more when she took a step forward and lifted her chin, her hands falling to her sides as she raised her voice to be heard by the whole clan.

"I just wish to thank you for welcoming me to your home. I know I'm disrupting your lives, and you don't know anything about me, but I'm grateful nonetheless. I was in need of somewhere to go, and you all allowed me to be here. So, thank you." The way she addressed them, as equals but also as if she ranked higher than them, had an almost regal air about it. He hadn't expected the confidence in her voice at addressing the large group. She knew what she wanted to say, and she'd said it. Even Leo appeared slightly taken aback at her courage, and a little impressed. When she ended her speech with a perfect curtsy, he downright chuckled.

"I believe our guest has stated it rather well. Thank you for being accommodating. Now we all have work to do before trading season, so let's get to work," he stated and walked off the stage of the amphitheater toward the Big House to open up his office. Orion put a hand on Skylar's shoulder to steer her after Leo, before anyone got it in their head to approach her while they still had so much work to do. He was still debating on if he should just use the pressure points and be done. If it didn't work, it didn't work. And maybe her dragon would be able to get rid of the cage while she was in charge. She was likely more motivated than Skylar to see it gone.

Orion glanced over his shoulder to see Percy and Zachariah doing a great job of holding people back by distracting them with conversation while Orion and Skylar departed. Victoria still sat, speaking with Laura and a couple other females. His stepmother looked completely exhausted, but she wasn't one to shy away from conversation if the opportunity arose.

"Was I too forward, speaking out like that?" Skylar asked him as they ascended the steps out of the amphitheater and walked toward the Square.

Orion shook his head. "No. I think it actually helped your cause. Dragons respond to strength. You addressed them, even though they weren't happy you're here, and you were brave enough to thank them. That'll leave an impression."

"Hopefully it's a good one. They seemed to feel strongly about my presence."

"They just don't like change. Plus, knowing that there's a human after you would set any dragon on edge. It's nothing personal."

Skylar scoffed. "It had better not be. They don't know me."

Orion chuckled. "Lucky them," he teased.

"Hey!" she protested and gently elbowed him in the ribs as they walked. "Did you and your father figure out what to do about the cage, while Nana taught me all about her favorite herbs?"

"Yeah," he said slowly. "He thinks it's best to use the pressure point option. His reasoning is that there's no telling if it'll hurt no matter what we do."

"Okay," she replied, although there was a slight hesitation in her voice. "He knows more about this than I do."

"Dad likes to think he knows everything."

"I see he passed that on to his son."

"Yeah, Olly's a know-it-all too."

Skylar laughed at his retort, making his chest swell with pride for amusing her. It was so insignificant, but he couldn't help but feel something for making her laugh like that. It was a beautiful sound, very carefree. He wondered if he could get her to do it more often.

He led her over to the landing pad, intending on taking her over to the cliffs to force the shift. He couldn't let her participate in the full moon ceremony if she couldn't fly, and that was where all the hatchlings learned. It was a sink or swim technique, and it worked most of the time.

"Did you and Nana have a good time?" Orion asked her as they passed through the Square.

Skylar grinned. "We really did. She is such a wonderful woman. Very funny, too. She talked about the most interesting things."

"I wouldn't take most of what she has to say to heart. Nana is full of stories, most of them crazy."

"I don't know, she seemed very confident about them."

"She always does," Orion chuckled. "What did she talk to you about? Other than her plants, of course."

"Oh, about the first dragons, a little more about Wildlings, True Mates-"

Orion didn't let her continue. "She told you about True Mates?"

"Well, yes. But I asked her, she didn't bring it up. I heard Laura and Fiona talking about it, and I was curious. It didn't seem like a bad thing."

"It's not, except that it's nothing more than a tale to help children sleep at night."

"You don't believe in True Mates?" she seemed truly bewildered by this. "You don't believe there's one person out there who was meant for you, who was made for you?"

"I believe that those stories cause us to miss out because we're waiting for something that just isn't possible. We aren't made for one another. We find someone we're compatible with, and simply mate with that person. It isn't about destiny or fate or anything of the sort."

"Huh," Skylar eyed him carefully as they came to a stop at the landing pad and he prepared to shift. "So you believe in compatibility, not love?"

"Precisely."

"Nana seems to think that her mate, your grandfather, was her True Mate."

"Nana has been off her rocker for years. She cared very much for my grandfather, that's all."

"I would love to see you try to tell her that the man she devoted her entire life to wasn't her True Mate. I have a feeling you wouldn't come out of that in one piece," she told him. "What about Leo and Victoria, or even Percy and Laura? It's quite obvious they love one another. You don't think they were meant to be?"

"I think my father was lonely after losing my mother and Victoria helped fill that void in his life, and he cares for her very much. Percy and Laura simply complement each other well, are attracted to one another, and are best friends."

"I feel quite sorry for whomever you end up marrying, Orion." Skylar shook her head slowly at him, in obvious disbelief at his stance on love. What he couldn't tell her was that he couldn't afford to think of True Mates and love in his mating. He didn't love Cassie, couldn't bring himself to love her. If he believed that there was someone out there, someone just for him, he couldn't marry Cassie. It was safer for his piece of mind if he thought True Mates and love were something people made up to feel better about their mating. He would do his duty to his clan by mating with the other Alpha's daughter, but that didn't mean he couldn't make it easier for himself.

"Yes, well, she'll get all this, the lucky girl," he jokingly gestured to himself and Skylar gave him a shocked looked, as though amazed that he would be so blatant about his appearance. Her eyes traveled down his body, and then her face turned pink as they snapped back up to his face upon realizing what she was doing. He chuckled to himself; he wouldn't embarrass her by laughing out loud.

He got ready to shift, but figured he should warn her first. "We're going to the far cliffs, and it's faster if we fly. Climb on my back and I'll take us there for our next try at breaking down that cage." His dragon growled in anticipation of being around the female he was growing increasingly fond of, and the anticipation led to a fast, lithe shift. He felt the magic flow through his limbs and his body begin to take on another form, his other form. He was pushed away from the controls while his dragon side took charge and greeted Skylar with a gentle nudge of his nose on her cheek. Well, it was meant to be gentle but Skylar still stumbled.

"Watch out," she giggled, gently pushing him away. "Hey there, handsome." He closed his eyes as she ran her hand from his nose to his forehead with her soft hands. The golden dragon hummed in pleasure at her touch, pleased with how comfortable she was with him. Orion, who didn't mind the feel of her hand either, wondered if she realized he was very much conscious while in his dragon form. Her calling him handsome made his male ego inflate to dangerous levels, even though he knew she was referring to his dragon. Of course, the dragon was pleased with her praise as well and nuzzled her once more.

Skylar grinned and moved around his massive body to clamber onto his back. He laid flat on his belly, but she still struggled a little to climb up. When she was finally settled into place, the dragon launched into the air with a great sweep of his wings. Skylar's gasp of surprise as she clung onto his back caused a rumble of laughter to escape the dragon as he soared higher. He surveyed his clan's valley, instinctively searching for danger or anything out of the ordinary. He looked over the mountain range that served as a barrier to the east. He flew until they were out of sight of the village, and far enough away that it was unlikely that someone would chance upon them. He banked west, towards the cliffs that gave way to the ocean. It was similar to the cliffs that the children used for their first flying lessons, except these cliffs were higher and had sharp rocks protruding from the water. He would've had Skylar practice at the safer cliffs, but he didn't want the clan sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

The rocky surface of the cliffs, where the grass gave away to the stone, approached them slowly as the dragon slowly descended. He landed gently and Skylar let out an "oomph" when he dropped onto his front legs and she was jostled forward. He tucked his wings in and ruffled them as they settled into place. He swung his head around to look at her and she started to climb down. Suddenly in a playful mood, the golden dragon shrugged his shoulders and Skylar slid ungracefully to the ground, landing on her backside with a loud thud.

"Hey!" she snarled, but the dragon simply threw his head back and roared in laughter. Her glare didn't intimidate the beast at all. If anything, it amused him even further. She rose to her feet and brushed her pants off while the dragon continued laughing. Even Orion couldn't help but be entertained by his dragon's antics, even though he didn't think the beast had ever acted so childish in his life. Even when they were young, the dragon hadn't taken much time to play. This female brought out a different side to the animal, and Orion wasn't sure what to make of the fact.

Skylar crossed her arms and looked up at him, her face twisted in annoyance. The dragon sobered up and lowered to her level, laying his head on the ground like he had two nights before and stared up at her. Orion realized that his dragon was asking for her forgiveness, even though he was still incredibly amused by his joke. His dragon had never apologized for anything in his life, not once, and here was not only apologizing, but submitting to her. He was lucky that Skylar didn't realize what was going on, or Orion would have been incredibly embarrassed for his dragon. Such a proud animal should never lay on the ground in a display such as this one, yet here he was, doing it for a female he'd known for two days.

"Oh alright," Skylar laughed and put both of her hands on his snout. "But that was rude. You shouldn't treat a lady like that." She warned him, but her blue eyes were glittering. The dragon huffed his agreement before rising up once more and allow Orion to step forward.

Once his body was in charge again, Orion flexed his fingers and eyed up the female before him. "I don't know why he did that. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she waved a hand. "It was more surprising than anything. Wait... you knew he did that?"

"I did. I'm aware when he's in control," he told her nonchalantly. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but he loved it when she blushed, and he couldn't help saying, "So, you think I'm handsome?"

He was rewarded by watching her fair cheeks take on a rosy tone and she swallowed nervously. "I, um," she began her eyes flicking down her intertwined fingers and then back up to him. "I was referring to your dragon."

He chuckled at her reaction. "Don't worry, you're handsome too."

She squared up to face him. "I am not handsome. Ladies are not handsome."

"Whatever you say, Skylar," he teased.

"You're insufferable." Her blue eyes rolled skywards and she crossed her arms again.

Orion stepped towards her. "I've been told otherwise."

She held her ground like the proud female she was. "Well, they've all been lying to you, Sir," she replied, lifting her chin and narrowing her brilliant eyes at him.

He took another step, so he was nearly looming over her. "And you'd never lie to me?"

"I like to think myself an honest lady."

He didn't reply, knowing that she was likely very honest. She was innocent, and innocents didn't lie.

He nodded once. "Fair enough. Are you ready to try this?"

"Are we going to try plan B?" she wondered.

"I think it seems most efficient at this point. Just know that I really don't want to hurt you, and I also have no idea how much this is going to hurt."

"It is what it is," she shrugged, although he could sense the fear emanating from her.

"It will hurt less if you don't fight it," he promised, even though he had no idea. He'd only had to use the pressure point trick once, and that person had been unconscious at the time.

She nodded. "I figured as much. I'll try not to fight it as much as I can. But can we just do it? I don't want to wait anymore. I'll just get more nervous."

"Yes, of course. If your dragon is listening, can you tell her not to attack me when she's out?"

Skylar snarled in response, likely her dragon responding to his comment. Good, it'd be easier if the beast was closer to the surface. He reached up slowly to place his fingers in the juncture of her neck. She inhaled a shaky breath and closed her eyes. Orion's own heartbeat sped up when his fingers met her porcelain skin, but that was likely only because he was nervous too, right? He pressed down quick and hard on the point. Skylar let out a gasp of pain and her knees buckled slightly. Her neat, oval fingernails grew out into claws, her fingers clenching against the sensation.

Orion steadied himself and slid his hand down her slender arm to the inside of her elbow, where he gave another sharp press. She cried out this time, her head falling back to reveal her eyes glowing bright blue and her teeth sharpening to points. One more, and her dragon would be released. One more and she would be free. He ground his teeth and moved his hand to caress the back of her neck, where the last pressure point was. "It'll be okay," he whispered, but he knew she was beyond hearing him at that point. He pressed down hair and she let out a guttural roar as her body began to convulse. He stepped back and let her collapse to the ground as the shift came over her. Watching an adult dragon go through the painful process of shifting without practice was difficult, especially when he heard an audible snap as her bones reshaped themselves. It was a slow motion version of what he himself could do, or any other dragon who'd been shifting every day for their whole lives. Poor Skylar only shifted when she had to, so the first few times would be agonizing for her.

A roar escaped her throat and he wanted to close his eyes or look away or something, but he didn't dare leave her alone in this, whether she was aware of him or not. After a few minutes of her body growing, popping, and accommodating the new form, finally, finally, a large sky blue dragon curled into a ball on the ground. The beast heaved great breaths as she recovered from the experience and Orion stepped into her line of sight, so he didn't surprise her. He was amazed at how simply beautiful she was. The most gorgeous dragon he'd ever seen. She opened her eyes too look at him, and he was relieved to see recognition in their depths.

"Hello," he whispered, keeping his distance. This dragon was nearly the equivalent to a Wildling in forms of human contact. She lifted her huge head to look down her nose at him, like Skylar liked to do. Yes, this was definitely Skylar's dragon. He wanted to laugh, but was worried that would startle. She was slimmer than he was expecting, but that was likely due to lack of muscle mass. They would work on that. Though she was thin, his experience with dragons told him that she was streamlined perfectly for flight, with a lean build. Unlike himself, who was on the bulkier side, so he wasn't the fastest or the most agile flyer, this female was built for it.

Her gentler, but no less menacing features, didn't change as she studied him approaching. She simply watched. The fact she hadn't attacked yet was quite encouraging; he wasn't likely to be killed today. She didn't take her eyes off of him as she rose to her feet slowly. She shook herself out, and he was forgotten as she discovered her wings. They very slowly extended out to their full span, which was extremely wide for a dragon of her size. Yes, this dragon was built for flight.

She maneuvered them slowly, up, down, and tilting back and forth, and he realized this was the first time she was likely seeing them extended, and indeed they were an impressive sight. The sun was to her back, and the rays illuminated all the intricate veins running through the translucent blue webbing that stretched between the long fingers of her wings. And then, without warning, she bounded the short distance to the edge of the cliff and jumped off, immediately plummeting toward the water and deadly, protruding rocks below.