Skylar blinked her eyes opened, extremely disoriented. They'd returned to the clan at dawn, although she didn't remember the night after she'd shifted. When she shifted back into a human, she'd been unconscious and had woken up in Orion's arms as he carried her back to the Big House.

"Hey," he had grinned down at her. "Are you feeling okay?"

She rubbed her temples and rocked back in forth in his arms. "I'll be alright. It's getting easier."

"Good. You did a great job. Your dragon was happy enough to meet everyone, and she kept up easy enough on the flight."

"She did?"

"Yes. She enjoyed being a part of a clan, around other dragons," he told her. "She and my dragon get along rather well."

"Of course they do," she had smiled up at him. "I can walk, I think."

"Are you sure?" his arms tightened slightly.

"Yes, I'm sure," she patted his rock solid chest, her fingers lingering slightly on the fabric and the muscle beneath. "I'm feeling okay."

He nodded, his dark hair flopping onto his forehead and slowly lowered her too her feet. She swayed slightly and he steadied her with a hand on each shoulder. "Mmmhmm, you can stand on your own."

"I can! I'm just tired, I've been up all night you know," she teased. She looked around to see the other dragons walking back toward the Village, the newly shifted dragons were curled up asleep in their parents' arms. Everyone else was chatting excitedly, or staring at her and Orion with narrowed eyes. He held out his elbow to her gallantly and she hooked her hand through it, reminded of court, entering the throne room with her father or strolling through the garden with Jonathan. It was an odd reminder, seeing as how they were so far from a throne room or a royal of any kind. Except... Orion was a crown prince in his own right.

They'd walked back to the Big House in a companionable silence, watching the sun rise over the mountains. He'd walked her back to her room, past the living room where the children who weren't old enough to shift were curled up on the couches and floor. She smiled at them, all cuddled together, waiting for their parents to come retrieve them. Orion led her upstairs, standing outside of her door.

"Get some rest," he told her. "You've earned it."

"What, you're not going to make me stay up?" she teased. "It is dawn after all."

"Not today," he grinned. "Sleep well."

She began to open the door and watched as he walked down the hall to his room, turning back to look at her. Their eyes met and she gave him a small smile before dashing into her room.

And now she was sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes with no idea what time it was. She hoped she hadn't slept too long. She was sure Orion was still up; he likely hadn't even gone to bed, knowing him. He of all people had reason enough to be exhausted; he'd had the busiest night of anyone. And he'd done wonderfully at it.

She'd watched him address his people, and then treat those children with the utmost respect. He'd been a true leader, and it reminded her of when his father was knighting one of his soldiers. And he'd done it after learning Draco was after her. She didn't think anything could fluster Orion, or even unsettle him. Until she'd seen his face at the sound of the king's name. He'd been afraid, and that had scared her more than anything she'd experienced in the last few days. She didn't judge him Orion for his fear; Draco was someone worth being afraid of.

When he'd promised not to send her away, the relief Skylar had felt had made her knees weak. If Orion's hands hadn't been on her, she probably would have collapsed. She hadn't really cared when she didn't realize what a threat Draco was, but after Orion's reaction, she didn't want to be alone against him. She needed Orion, more than she cared to admit.

She climbed out of bed, cringing as her feet touched the cold floorboards. She dressed quickly and scampered downstairs, unsure of what to expect. She hadn't been awake to see the rest of the Alpha family since she'd arrived; Orion had woken her up before dawn and had her out of the house before anyone else got up.

The aromas of breakfast reached her nose and her mouth began to water in anticipation of a breakfast that wasn't cold bread, cheese, and an apple. She entered the kitchen to find Victoria sitting at the table with a cup of tea. Nana stood at the stove frying bacon and eggs. She was also making griddle cakes in another pan.

Victoria looked up as she entered the room and grinned. "Good morning, darling."

Skylar smiled and finished braiding her hair. She tossed it over her shoulder. "Good morning. It is still morning?"

"Yes, love," Nana chuckled from her place at the stove. "Late morning, but still morning. But the whole clan sleeps late today. Everyone was up all night."

"You're both awake," Skylar pointed out, grinning as Nana put a heaping plate of food in front of her.

"I went to bed right after you all flew away," Victoria explained. "After putting all of the little ones to sleep of course."

"Are they all gone?"

"Yes, their parents came to get them already. They're all so excited for the day that they all shift."

Skylar nodded, shoveling the food into her mouth. She was starving. She'd noticed that she'd been hungrier since she had started shifting. She'd always been a healthy eater, but the last day and a half had been ridiculous with the amount of food she'd been able to pack away.

"That's very kind of you to take care of them," Skylar told Victoria, who waved a hand modestly.

"It's the expecting mothers' jobs to take care of the little ones while the clan goes out flying."

Skylar pulled her eyebrows together. "But that means the men never have to stay behind and watch them?"

Nana returned to put more food on Skylar's plate, cocking a white eyebrow. "Who do you think came up with the tradition?"

Skylar laughed at the old woman's face, biting into a piece of toast and taking a huge gulp of her tea almost simultaneously. Victoria chuckled at her. "Yes, I'd say you're definitely a dragon, with an appetite like that. My goodness child."

"I don't know why I'm so hungry," Skylar admitted, her cheeks flushing as she realized what a pig she was being. Greta and her mother would be appalled at her manners. She wiped her face and forced herself to slow her eating.

"Shifting, especially for the first few times, takes a lot of energy. Don't worry, Orion eats twice that much and he has no intention of slowing down," Victoria assured her, biting into a piece of toast herself. "Thanks for making breakfast, Mother. I usually do it," she added to Skylar.

"That baby is due in less than a month, and I won't have you on your feet all the time. Besides, it's been a long time since I've cooked this much for anyone. I've missed it," Nana said as she stirred more eggs. "Olly will be up soon, and I want to make sure I have enough food for him."

"Is Orion awake?" Skylar asked, trying not to sound too eager.

"Of course. I doubt he ever went to bed," Victoria rolled her eyes affectionately. "He's talking with Leo in his office. He seemed really worried to talk to him."

Which meant he was telling him about Draco.

As if the thought had coincided perfectly with the conversation going on in the study, an enraged growl echoed down the hall, though it was slightly muffled by the door. The sound of the office door flying open and banging against the wall reached the kitchen, and Skylar's fork froze halfway to her mouth. Her blood ran cold as heavy footsteps got louder and louder. She knew Leo was coming for her.

"Dad!" Orion's voice pleaded. "Dad, just listen for a minute."

Leo didn't stop, and suddenly he appeared in the doorway. His cold, black eyes zeroed in on Skylar. She hadn't spoken to Leo since that first day, and she didn't want to now. She was sure he was a good man, but his demeanor every time she'd seen him had said otherwise.

"Leo, love," Victoria fought to her feet, sensing her mate's mood. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Skylar," Leo barked. "Have you finished eating?"

Skylar looked down at her mostly full plate, seeing as how Nana had just given her another helping, but her appetite was completely gone. She nodded slowly, averting her eyes.

"Yes, I'm finished." Even her dragon was anxious.

"Good, come along. We're going to have a chat," he summoned, backing out of the kitchen and out the front door. Skylar looked at Nana and Victoria with wide eyes, but apparently even Nana was wise enough not to challenge Leo in his current mood. She turned back to the doorway to see Orion standing there. His eyes were trained on her.

"I had to tell him, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't-- I can't-- You have to go with him."

"I know," Skylar nodded, rising from her seat at the table. "I'll be okay. I'm a princess, remember? Angry leaders is something I deal with all the time." He turned sideways to let her by, his hand brushing hers as she passed his large form.

"Princess?" Nana's voice questioned as soon as Skylar was out of sight. She wondered what Orion would tell them about her, if he would say anything until Leo had had his "chat" with her.

Leo stood on the porch, his arms crossed, staring out into the village. From behind, he was nearly identical to Orion. Other than the fact that his dark hair was shorter and had streaks of gray running through it, he was as large and broad as his oldest son. But when he turned around, the scar on his face was the first thing she saw. And his black eyes held none of the warmth toward her that Orion's gold ones did.

She swallowed nervously, but knew that he was the Alpha and would not be denied. She walked up to him to stand at his side. She would wait until he spoke first.

He inhaled deeply, standing in silence next to her. She couldn't tell if he was waiting for her or if he was trying to calm down. She hoped he was trying to calm down, because she had no idea how to start a conversation with him. She'd never been alone with him, and really didn't want to be.

He finally stepped off the porch, striding purposefully away from the Big House, but angling so that they walked around the Square rather than through it. She trotted along next to him, taking three steps for his one, realizing they were headed toward some of the cabins that housed the clan members.

"How did the Full Moon go for you?" he asked finally. It had been the last thing she'd expected him to say.

"Uh... well. It went well, I think. I don't really remember it," she admitted. "But Orion tells me my dragon behaved. He did a good job getting me ready; I owe him everything."

Leo nodded, seeming satisfied with her answer. "I doubt my son sees it that way."

She opened her mouth to answer before realizing she didn't know what he meant. Orion didn't see it what way? That she did a good job, or that she owed him?

"He tells me that you revealed you are the crown princess of Trael."

"At your service, Alpha," she told him.

"I'll suppose I can understand why the king and queen protected you, but what I don't understand is how. You're in the public eye, child. The strength it must have taken to keep your dragon at bay," he shook his head in disbelief. "Not many would be able to do what you did."

He almost sounded as though he were admiring her. Then he continued speaking.

"Except you were only able to do it for so long, and you were discovered."

She nodded once, stopping as he did. He turned to face her, staring down at her. She met his eyes now, her pride getting the better of her.

"Yes, I was discovered. Draco came to my party already suspecting what I was, through no fault of my own, I assure you," she said steadily.

He cocked his head to the side, contemplating her words. "He what? How did he already suspect."

"He said he had a book," she explained. "That's all he mentioned before threatening me and my family."

"I'm surprised he didn't slaughter you where you stood, Skylar. Draco the Dragon Killer is the one true threat to our kind. The fact that he found you... that he's hunting you," Leo closed his eyes and shook his head. "You have to understand the position that puts me in."

She remained quiet.

"Skylar, I can't let you stay here."

His words caused her blood to turn ice cold and rush down to her toes. He was going to send her away? Send her to Draco?

"But Orion said-"

He cut her off with a snarl. "Orion is not the Alpha, not yet. I have to put the safety of my clan first, and having you here makes them all a target. Orion's judgement is clouded. He isn't thinking straight when it comes to you."

She shook her head in denial, ignoring the second half of his statement for the moment. She couldn't afford to think about what he meant by that, not while she had this problem staring her right in the face.

"Draco doesn't know I'm here, Alpha," she insisted. "He doesn't know where I am. He can't find me here."

"I won't take that chance," he snapped. "I just won't. That man is the most tenacious hunter I've ever met, and he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. Harboring you is the worst thing I can do for my clan, and, unfortunately, you are not a part of the clan."

"So you're going to send me straight to him? Because that's what you'll be doing if you send me away," she whispered, fighting back the tears threatening to spill. If Draco caught her again... she didn't want to think about what would happen to her.

He shook his head, resuming his march toward the cabins. "I have a plan. I only hope it works."

"But it obviously involves me being far away from here."

"Yes," he said shortly. "Whether it works or not, you'll be gone."

Skylar stared down at her boots as they walked, knowing that every word Leo spoke was the truth. She was a danger to everyone around her. This clan that had taken her in, whether she wanted to be there at first or not, her parents if she didn't bend to Draco's will, and even herself. She couldn't control her dragon, not really. At this point, if her dragon decided she wanted to be in charge, Skylar was powerless to stop her without the cage. She had no practice holding her dragon back, keeping her at bay until it was appropriate for her to be released.

The beast in question whined and began pacing, balking at the sharp shift in Skylar's emotions. She wasn't safe anywhere, and wherever she went she'd be putting people she cared about in danger. She didn't belong anywhere now, and she was no one. She couldn't stay here, and she couldn't go home. She wouldn't go home.

"What if he catches me. I know where the clan is," she whispered at him in a half-hearted attempt to change his mind. She wished Orion could do something to protect her, to keep her safe with him. She never felt safer than when she was with Orion, and she wholeheartedly believed that he would protect her, and she trusted him completely. She trusted him like she had never trusted anyone else, not even Jonathan or Greta. She could be herself with him, and now she was going to lose him.

"I doubt you could get back here, and we have measures that can be taken to make sure you're unconscious while we take you away," Leo answered emotionlessly. She couldn't tell if it was because he didn't care or if he just didn't want to face what he was doing to her. From what she knew of Leo, it was likely the former.

"Why not just kill me?" she asked. She had no idea why she had said it, it had just gone straight out of her mouth without a second thought.

Leo glanced down at her, and thought she saw a flash of something other than chill in his obsidian eyes.

"I won't break my son's heart like that," he said earnestly. That meant two things. One, he'd already contemplated it and decided he wouldn't do that. Two, he thought Orion had feelings for her. She knew he had feelings of friendship towards her, and perhaps a feeling of obligation, but she doubted she had a place in his heart. Not like he'd managed to find a place in hers.

A single tear slipped down her cheek as she realized that once she left, she'd never see Orion again. She didn't want that, not at all. Somehow he'd managed to become the most wonderful person in her life in just a few days' time. And now she'd have to leave him. But if it meant keeping him safe... well she would do it.

They approached a cabin and Leo knocked on the door with three crisp raps. Five seconds passed until it was pulled open by a sleepy looking young man. Sleepy and irritated. He glanced at her first before seeing his Alpha standing before him. He woke right up at the sight of Leo.

"Alpha!" he lowered his eyes in submission. "What brings you here today?"

Leo pulled a sealed letter out of his pocket. When had he had time to write that? What was it for? It must be his plan, she decided. His dreadful plan that would end with her leaving either way.

"I need you to bring this to Alpha Kellan of the Eastern Clan. Directly to him. It had better pass from your hand to his with no one in between. Am I understood?" Leo barked, his gaze stern as he stared down at the young man. The man glanced at Skylar again before nodded quickly.

"Of course, Alpha. Directly to Alpha Kellan."

"It is of the utmost urgency. Get there as fast as you can, no stops longer than a quick rest. I expect you to return within two weeks, preferably one."

"Of course, Alpha. I'm the messenger for a reason," the man bowed his head. "I'll just get my boots and I'll straight away, Alpha."

Leo nodded at him in acknowledgement. "Good. See you soon."

And with that Leo stepped off the porch. That exchange had been even more abrupt than when her father addressed his messengers. She stared at him, hoping he would offer the information up on his own, but it appeared that she would have to ask.

"What is in the letter?"

"My plan," he stated.

"What is it, if I might ask?" When he didn't answer she added, "I believe I have a right to know."

He looked down at her out of the corner of his eye. "Skylar, you know this is nothing personal against you. I have to put my clan first, before what I think."

"You're the Alpha," the retorted, feeling as though he couldn't do anything worse to her at this point, "you don't have to do anything."

He snorted. "Yes, you're a dragon and a princess. I like you very much Skylar, you're good for my son, but you're also a danger to him. He doesn't think straight when it comes to you, and he's been neglecting his other responsibilities because of it. It's only been four days since he found you, but I can tell that you're changing him. He isn't focused on what he should be, which is the clan."

"I don't mean to be a distraction to him, just like I don't mean to put anyone in danger."

"I know that, child. I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen and very little of it is your fault it all. But these are the cards we've been dealt, so we must deal with it."

She steered him back to their original topic. "Your plan for me?"

He sighed. "I've summed my fellow Alpha and his family to come sooner than previously planned. With luck, they'll be here by next week. He'll help me figure out what to do with you, I think."

"And why should he have any say in what happens to me?" Skylar snarled, not liking the thought of yet another stranger deciding her fate for her.

"He's a dragon, so this affects him as well," Leo explained. "There's also another reason, but that one is best saved until he gets here. Then you'll understand."

Now why did he have to go and say that? She would have been satisfied with the first reason, and then he went and decided to add the cryptic second part. What other reason could there possibly be that this other Alpha had any decree in her future? Her dragon agreed, ready to let this new Alpha have a piece of her mind when she got to meet him. She wanted to let Leo know as well, but knew that that wouldn't go over well for her. They needed to stay on his good side for as long as they could. Or at least as good as they could get now that he saw them as a threat to his clan.

"And until he gets here? What will I be doing?"

"Hopefully staying away from my son."