Skylar stared up in horror at her parents, both sets of them. Her lips still tingled from Orion's kisses, the ones her whole family witnessed, and she was currently prone on the floor. She'd never been so embarrassed in her entire life.

"Father," she gasped up at Hal, and her eyes slid over to Violet. "Mother."

Hal appeared immensely displeased, his gaze moving up to glare at Orion. The man in question knelt down to help her to her feet, his big calloused hand was gentle on her arm as he pulled her up.

"Skylar," Hal answered.

"We-- I-- um," she wiped her hands on her pants. Her palms were suddenly slick with nervous sweat, and she found it difficult to meet her parents' eyes, "I didn't realize you had arrived."

"Clearly," Olly chuckled from his spot on the couch to Skylar's left.

Orion growled sharply at his brother, but Olly just smirked with twinkling eyes.

Skylar looked between the brothers before facing her parents again. "Mother, I didn't realize you were coming as well."

"Well, I wanted to see you, to make sure you returned safely," Violet smiled at her with a glance at Orion. "Besides, I wanted to meet the people who kept you safe these last few weeks."

Skylar looked over at the Alpha family, who were all watching her with her parents with curious eyes. She loved them all so much, even the ornery Leo. As she swept over them, she met the eye of Jonathan. Disappointment resided there, and she wondered where he got the nerve to look at her in such a way. He was her friend, he was supposed to support her.

He wants to be more than friends, a little voice in her head whispered. Skylar shoved that thought down. Besides, it was unimportant. Orion was her future, and if Jonathan wanted to be a part of it as well, he needed to accept that fact. She knew her behavior was considered vulgar and inappropriate in the royal court, but she was among the dragons. They didn't shy away from physical affection, and she had found she liked the freedom. She liked that she could touch Orion when she wanted, could kiss him and know that none of the dragons would think anything of it. Romance was more exciting here than back in Trael, where a woman could be labeled something unsavory because she looked at her suitor a certain way. She remembered standing on the balcony with Jonathan, mortified that someone might find her kissing him. That was no way to live.

"How long have you been here?" she asked, swinging her eyes away from Jonathan, back to her parents.

"We just arrived. The second in command--both of them-- are settling our army as we speak. I'm surprised you didn't see them on the way in." Skylar realized he was referring to Zachariah and Percy, both of whom were missing from the meeting.

"I think they were a little distracted," Kellan said sharply. Skylar glanced up at him. She wondered where Cassie was. She hadn't seen the girl since her arrival back, and no one had talked about her. Perhaps they'd all gotten lucky and she'd disappeared from their lives.

"Mother, Father, you've met Kellan and Penelope?" she asked, gesturing to her birth parents. Penelope looked incredibly sad, staring at the king and queen. The monarchs looked incredibly out of place in the Big House. The decorations were rustic and old, very woodsy and natural. Not like the bright colors and expensive materials and decorations in the castle. Even their attire was out of place, even if it was their travel dress.

"We have," Hal stated, but from his lack of reaction, she guessed no one had told them who the other Alpha pair was to Skylar.

When she looked over at Leo, he met her eye and shook his head ever so slightly. But, she could tell he wanted to do it soon. It wouldn't take her parents, two intelligent people, very long to figure out that she resembled Penelope and Kellan. She wasn't sure what the reactions would be, on either side. She guessed that the Alpha pair didn't care much for her parents, and a large part of that would be because she called them "Mother" and "Father" when she refused to address them as such.

"We were so worried about you," Violet suddenly said, her voice soft. She rose from the couch, focused completely on Skylar. "When Orion returned in such a state and said you were gone..."

Skylar walked over to her and hugged her tightly. Violet responded in kind, burying her face in Skylar's shoulder in a display of emotion a queen should never exhibit, but that a mother could. Hal's blue eyes stared up at his daughter from over his wife's shoulder. Skylar smiled at him and held out a hand to him, which he took and squeezed tightly.

"I'm okay, Mama," she assured her mother, addressing her like she hadn't since she was a little girl. "I'm safe."

"I know you are," Violet leaned away with a sniffle. She lifted her chin and smiled at Skylar. "Jonathan told us what happened when we arrived. He's a little worse for wear himself, but we owe him everything for getting you out of there alive." The Queen smiled gratefully at the knight, who sent her a dashing smile and turned exactly the right shade of red to look bashful.

"He did, but I don't really remember that part," Skylar admitted, but when she saw the sadness fill her mother's eyes, she quickly changed the subject. "Did Greta make the journey with you?" She sincerely hoped her nurse had come along. She wanted her to meet Nana; she had a feeling they would get along well, possibly too well.

"Do you think we could stop her?" Hal raised an eyebrow. "She with the men, assisting the second in command's wife in settling our men. She would've stayed, but we were told you were out, so she decided to be of help until you returned. The men were anxious to get camp set up."

"The tensions were already high, unfortunately,when we arrived. They're all waiting for something bad to happen," Olly sighed. "They became comfortable enough with me on the journey here, but I'm only one dragon. Now they're surrounded by them. Not outnumbered, but surrounded nonetheless."

Skylar gave Olly a grin. She owed him a lot. He saved Orion by bringing him home, and he left himself vulnerable to a well-trained group of humans so he could show them the way here.

"But will they be ready to begin training tomorrow?" she wondered. "We have a few ideas that could tip the scale against Draco."

Jonathan let out a quiet snort, and she shot him a glare. He didn't like the saddle idea, didn't trust dragons to keep them safe in the air. She hoped he wouldn't influence the opinions of the other men. She thought it was a wonderful idea, and it would be a lot of help. Fire was hard to control without hurting their men as well, but with well trained archers they could cause a lot of damage.

Hal nodded. "They'll be ready after a good night's rest and some food in their bellies, same as the rest of us. If you don't mind, Violet and I would like to take a moment to rest. It was a long, tiring journey here."

Victoria nodded and rose, cradling the quiet Benny to her chest. "Oh, of course, but I insist you stay here at the Big House with us."

"We have a tent, it's really not necessary," Violet declined, graceful as ever.

The blonde Alpha female stood her ground, a determined look on her face. "I mean no disrespect, Your Grace, but not only are you the king and queen, you are my guests and you're Skylar's family. It won't sit well with me to have you out in a tent when I have empty rooms in my home. You will be right near Skylar's room."

"Skylar stays in this house?" Hal asked.

"She does," Victoria's eyebrow raised every so slightly. "The room was once a guest room, but I now consider it hers."

Skylar met Victoria's loving gaze and her heart swelled. For the lady of the house to give her a room... she was touched. She smiled at the Alpha female, who smiled softly back.

"Where does he sleep?" Hal asked, gesturing to Orion, who bristled slightly. Skylar gaze him a severe look. Yes, they were in his territory now, not back at the castle, but these were still her parents. She didn't need them to dislike her future husband anymore than they already did.

"In his room of course," Leo answered, his voice rumbling in a questioning matter, as if confused as to why this would matter.

"Where is that?"

Skylar vividly remembered that her father had placed Orion in a completely different wing than she upon their arrival to the castle. Learning that he slept right next door would not sit well with the king.

"Father, does it matter? It's a place to sleep, nothing more. We hardly spend time there anyway," she cut in, diffusing the situation before the spark could ignite. They would find out eventually that she slept next door to Orion, but the knowledge could wait and would cause them no turmoil.

"I suppose it doesn't," he sighed. "I wouldn't mind sleeping in a room with solid walls. Would you mind showing us the way?"

"Of course not," Victoria answered gracefully. "If you'll follow me?"

"Thank you," Hal bowed his head at her and she smiled at him. "Skylar, we'll speak later."

She curtsied, an awkward gesture in her trousers, and Hal leaned in to kiss her cheek. Violet did the same and let a gloved hand graze her cheek tenderly before following Hal and Victoria out, Penelope on their tail, striking up a conversation with Violet about their journey. Skylar watched after them with a sigh. She wanted more than anything for the two parts of her life to come together, but she should have known it would be more complicated than simply putting them all in the same room.

She turned to look at Orion, who appeared increasingly irritated. She put a gentle hand on his arm, drawing his attention to her. "It'll all be okay," she assured him. Perhaps if she could convince him that she believed it, he would too.

"Mmmm," he rumbled, looking over at Leo, who was looking after the the king and queen. She wondered what he thought of them, realizing, with shock, that she truly cared about his opinion.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to greet them," she told him. "If I had known they were arriving today, I would have stayed."

Leo shrugged a shoulder. "He's a king, he knows how to talk to people. Besides, he was mostly worried about you, wanting to know if you'd returned, what your state was, all of that. He didn't like that you were 'out' with Orion. Your entrance didn't help, by the way."

She blushed deeply, looking away from his intense black gaze.

Orion responded, saving her from having to answer. "We didn't realize you were all going to be here."

"Perhaps if you'd been paying more attention to your people instead of your beastly urges, you'd have noticed the extra five-hundred men in the field," Jonathan snapped. Orion's gaze slid over to him, fury building in it. Skylar moved to step between them, but Olly grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Don't get in the way of an angry Alpha," he whispered. She knew it was a bad idea, but the way Orion was looking at Jonathan worried her. It was the first time since he'd apparently punched him that they were speaking directly.

"You don't speak to me like that," Orion snarled softly.

"I'll speak to you however I want," the knight responded. "You're not in charge of me. You're not my king."

"No, but I'm an Alpha, and you're in my territory."

"At the request of Skylar."

Orion's eyes narrowed. Jonathan had to realize that bringing her up in any context would lead to trouble, especially with Orion's current possessive streak.

"Jonathan-" she began, but Orion eye's flashed when she spoke the other man's name. His dragon was angry, and Orion wasn't doing a whole lot to hold him back.

The knight's eyes widened at the warning, but instead of backing down, he made things worse by speaking directly to her. "Skylar, look at him. Why can't you see he's an animal?"

Not only did he address Skylar, but he insulted Orion to her. He tried to undermine him in front of his mate. Before anyone realized what was happening, Orion's hands clenched the front of Jonathan's shirt, slamming him back against the wall and snarling in his face.

"Alright, that's enough," Leo growled, placing a hand on Orion's chest. "Orion, this is beneath you, back down."

Orion complied, albeit reluctantly. "She's mine, and you don't speak to her like that," he snapped, backing up when Leo gave him another growl. His eyes never left Jonathan though, not even when Olly walked over and put a hand on the knight's shoulder.

"C'mon, Jonathan," he said, watching Orion carefully. "I'm sure your men will be happy to see you. They were all worried on the way here."

Jonathan allowed Olly to guide him out of the house and the tension in the room dropped immensely, although Orion still stood there. She could sense him trying to reign in his dragon, and she was on the fence about whether or not it would be helpful if she went up to him. She decided touching him would set him off, so she waited as his fists clenched and relaxed a few times and he took four deep breaths through his nose. Leo glanced between him and Skylar and sighed.

Kellan was also looking between them, but he had a much more irritated look on his face. He stepped up to Orion and put a finger in his face.

"You need to get a handle on your dragon, boy," Kellan snapped at him.

Orion's angry gaze slid from the floor up to meet Kellan's. "What I need is for that human to stay out of my way."

Kellan frowned. "Your temper is going to cause even more problems with the humans."

"It's not my fault he's trying to take Skylar away from me. You think my dragon is okay with that?"

Kellan narrowed his eyes. "Do you think Cassie was okay with you leaving her for Skylar?"

Leo stepped forward then, just as Skylar was about to cut in to remind them all that she was still standing there.

"Kellan, we talked about this," Leo said to the other Alpha.

"I haven't talked about it with him though," Kellan growled. "He's been avoiding me."

"Because you won't like what I have to say," Orion stated, holding his ground. "Skylar is the future Alpha female of this clan."

"Which you decided without discussing with her father or the woman you were betrothed to."

Skylar frowned. "Kellan, I mean no offense, but the only person who has any say in my future at this point is me." Not long ago it had been Hal who would have dictated her future, but ever since she arrived at the Western Clan, she had felt the control being shifted over to her, no matter what anyone thought. She was a dragon, she was an Alpha, and she'd be damned if she let anyone make her choices for her.

Kellan growled at her this time. "I am your father."

She snarled in return, straightening her shoulders. "I just met you."

Hurt flashed through his eyes, but then the unnerving red irises hardened again. "Orion was betrothed to Cassie, he had no right to leave her for you."

"He's my True Mate," Skylar stepped up to him, glaring up at him. She knew what she was doing could be interpreted as challenging the Alpha, but she wasn't at all afraid. She would stand up for her mate, for herself, no matter what. "She's the one with no right. He's mine."

"They've been betrothed since they were children."

She frowned up at him, incredibly unimpressed with his argument. "Would I not have been betrothed to Orion, had I not been kidnapped as a child? As your oldest daughter, would you not have promised me to him?"

As she watched the realization cross him face, she knew she had him. He stepped back slightly, relaxing his stance. She looked up at him triumphantly, but not smugly.

"I love him, Kellan," she said in a softer tone. "And he loves me, which is more than Cassie can say. I'll be a good Alpha female for this clan, and I will keep the bond with the Eastern Clan, like you intended."

"Skylar, you don't know the Eastern Clan, you've never been there, and you haven't even met the members yet. Right now, a mating between you and Orion would benefit the kingdom of Trael more than the Eastern Clan."

"I never said I wasn't willing to strengthen my bond with the Eastern Clan. You forget that I am a princess, a crown princess who was one day supposed to rule as queen. I've been thoroughly trained in diplomacy. I understand the benefits of strong alliances better than most young women you've probably spoken with, especially ones created through marriage. Hal was, in fact, searching for a husband for me on the night I met Orion. He wanted a strong alliance, and marrying me to a prince or a lord was the best way to do that." She ignored Orion's low growl at the mention of her narrowly avoided arranged marriage. She was on a roll.

She continued confidently, never looking away from him. "I understand why you wanted Cassie and Orion to marry, to solidify the bond that could be broken if the next Alphas, Jed and Orion, didn't get along as well as you and Leo do. I understand that marrying Cassie into this clan would have created a lasting alliance that would benefit both parties greatly. But, I also understand that True Mates are not something to be ignored in dragon culture. They don't come around often, or so I've been told, and I will not lose my chance because you and Leo decided to force your children to get married before they were old enough to have any say in the matter.

"Orion is mine, just as I am his. I will do anything I have to to keep him, and if all that takes is bonding with the Eastern Clan, to get to know them all, then fine. I will. After all of this Draco business is over, I'll go back with you, to the Eastern Clan."

Kellan raised an eyebrow, but she knew he sensed the sincerity behind her words. She glanced at Orion, who didn't seem to like the suggestion all that much, but he didn't really have a say either. The red-eyed Alpha stared at her for a moment, his posture stiff as he considered.

She needed to convince him somehow. Orion wouldn't mate with Cassie, Skylar would kill the other female before she ever let that happen. She wanted a good relationship with Kellan. Despite everything, he was her father, the reason she was alive. She wanted a bond with him, but if he couldn't accept that Orion would marry her over Cassie, then that was going to be a problem.

Kellan looked up at Leo, searching for support. "You agreed to the mating as well, all of those years ago."

"I did," Leo nodded, looking at Orion. "My own mating was arranged, my first mating with Valerie. My father arranged my mating to his Beta's daughter before she was even born. I grew up knowing who would be my Alpha female, the same as my son. We were the best of friends as we grew up. Never once did I think that I couldn't love her, that I would have to forsake any chance at happiness because I was being forced to be her mate. I had hoped the same for you, Orion, when I promised you to Kellan's daughter. Unfortunately," Leo's gaze shifted over to Skylar, softening as it landed on her, "I promised you to the wrong daughter."

Skylar felt a lump form her in throat as she realized what Leo was saying. He was accepting her, admitting that she was right for his son, that she belonged with him. That she would make him happy.

The corner of Leo's mouth lifted for a moment before he turned back to Kellan. "I've watched Orion grow up with the knowledge that he would mate with Cassie, and I watched as he stopped believing that there was someone out there for him that would make him as happy as Valerie and Victoria made me. He accepted his responsibility because my son is an Alpha who loves his clan, but, after seeing him with Skylar, I will not enforce our agreement. In fact, my friend, I will fight you on it if you push it any further."

Orion and Skylar both stared at Leo in shock. In less than two minutes, Leo had accepted Skylar into the clan, as the future Alpha female, and told another Alpha to back off or else. It was entirely unexpected, but extremely welcome. Skylar knew how much Leo's opinion meant to Orion, and for him to give them his support, any doubts Orion had, not that she thought there were any, would have been erased by such a proclamation.

Kellan's face was carefully blank as he looked at Leo, although it was easy to see that he felt entirely and complete betrayed by his friend. He then looked at Orion. "Before I agree to anything, you owe Cassie an explanation."

The expression Orion, a man who had perfected hiding his feelings, made showed that he would rather have done anything else, but he nodded. "I'll speak with her."

"Today," Kellan snapped before storming out of the Big House. All three of them stared after the angry Alpha, but no one except Skylar seemed all that worried about him.

Orion looked over at Leo. "Did you really mean that?"

His father nodded. "I did. Orion, I've never seen you like this. Even when you walked into this room, no matter how undignified it was, I don't think I've ever seen you smiling like that, and if I have, it's surely never been with Cassie. Anyone that can make you smile like you haven't got a care in the world is someone you should have with you always."

Skylar felt the lump in her throat grow, but luckily everyone was distracted when Victoria popped back into the room, baby Benny cradled against her chest. Her mouth was open to say something, but then she looked between the three of them.

"Did I miss something?" she wondered.

Leo chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"C'mon, love, I'll tell you about it." He steered her from the room, grinning down at his mate and his new son as they walked down the hallway to his office, leaving Skylar and Orion alone once more.

They turned to one another at the same time, both unsure what to do, but entirely glad that all of the tension had left the room. They stared for a moment before Skylar felt like she needed to break the silence.

"Are we sure that was your father?" she asked, gesturing through the doorway Leo had just walked through.

Orion smirked and played along. "I'm sure it was. Smelled like him at least."

Skylar laughed and stepped toward him, but he was the one to close the distance, engulfing her in his solid arms. The joy and relief radiated off him in wave and she couldn't help but grin into his chest. Leo, the man who had been so against Orion having anything to do with her, had just given them his blessing. She doubted that even the man himself knew what that meant to the two of them, especially Skylar. From the start she hadn't wanted to cause tension between Orion and his father, but she'd been unable to stop herself. Now she didn't have to.

"I think having a baby softened my father up," Orion finally chuckled into her hair.

Skylar shook her head. "I think it was remembering his feelings at your age, his feelings for you mother."

Orion smiled down at her, cupping her face with his hands. "No matter what it was, you've got Dad's approval."

"I do, don't I?" she grinned and gripped his shirt, staring up at his handsome, masculine features. She reached up with one hand to trace his mouth, unable to stop herself from touching him.

He stared down at her as well, as if she were the most precious thing in the world. She wanted to blush and look away, but his gaze held her in place.

"Orion," she whispered up at him, and he cocked an eyebrow in response.

"Yeah?"

"Kellan is right," she said softly, even though she hated the idea of Orion anywhere near her little sister. "You should go talk to Cassie."

His dark brows pulled together in displeasure. "You want me to go talk to her?"

"Of course not, but I think she deserves an explanation at least. Despite everything, I think she really did have feelings for you."

Skylar hated that her gut was telling her she was right. The last thing she wanted was Orion anywhere near Cassie when he was still unclaimed by her. How was the female supposed to know he was taken if her mark wasn't on him? This must be exactly how Orion felt whenever she was around Jonathan.

"Can I at least wait a little while? I'd like to spend my free time with you," he teased, leaning down to kiss her nose.

She smiled and nodded. "I like that idea. But I think we should go greet my father's men. They're here for us, after all."

"Yeah, you're right. I can't keep you to myself all the time, no matter how appealing an idea it is," he tucked a curl behind her ear. "After Cassie, there's no one else we need to talk to about us, not that I need anyone's permission, mind you, but we have my father's approval and Kellan's begrudging agreement."

She let out a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, you're wrong."

He cocked his head to the side and Skylar looked up at the ceiling, where her parents would be resting.

"We still need to talk to the king."