Her stomach churned, like it had been for the past few hours.
Her parents.
The words kept appearing in her head, and she had no idea how she felt about it. Her first instinct was anger. How dare they just show up and throw that on her? Of course she knew that Hal and Violet weren't her birth parents, she felt that she had come to accept that. But it was one thing to know that the people who had raised her hadn't given birth to her and another thing to have the people who had just show up and try to claim her.
They were already talking about bringing her back to the Eastern Clan. It now made complete and total sense why Leo had requested their presence to help decide her fate. He thought she belonged to them, and he was solving his problem by making her their problem. Kellan and Penelope were happy enough to take her on. The problem was that no one had asked Skylar how she felt about all this.
She didn't like it.
She stared at the plate of food she hadn't touched. She knew that whatever she put into her stomach wouldn't sit well and would likely make a second appearance. The chatter around her was welcome, as it kept her from having to participate in the conversation. Kellan and Penelope sat on either side of her, effectively boxing her in. Jed, her new brother, sat on the other side of the table and a seat down, next to Olly who sat across from Skylar. Her new nemesis, Cassie, sat next to Jed with Orion on her other side. Skylar knew they were holding hands underneath the table, and Orion had his head bent toward Cassie to listen to whatever she was saying. A smile pulled at his mouth and he looked down at her with a playful gleam in his eye. It made Skylar want to vomit, and it enraged her dragon. The beast had a steady growl going on in her head, causing a headache to form.
To sum it up, Skylar was utterly miserable.
A heavy foot landed on top of hers, pulling her attention away from Orion and Cassie, reminding her that she'd been staring. She looked up and saw Olly giving her a sympathetic look. His burnt orange eyes were filled emotion and encouragement. She tried to draw strength from them, but all she really wanted to do was cry. His foot applied a little more pressure to the top of her own, and she nodded slightly. She had to be strong, she knew that. She should be happy; Kellan and Penelope weren't going to send her to her doom. They were going to accept her into their clan and protect her.
But how could she be happy when Orion, the one who had promised to keep her safe from Draco, hadn't spared her any attention since her dragon had nearly escaped and attacked Cassie? As long as her-- Skylar nearly choked-- sister was around, Orion wouldn't be paying her any mind.
"Kia-- Skylar, how did you survive so long in the human world?" Kellan asked, drawing her into whatever conversation they were having. She didn't missed how he almost called her "Kiara" once again. It was driving her insane and she was close to snapping at him about it. She looked up at the man who should have raised her, and longed only for Hal. She missed her dad.
"My parents helped keep me a secret," she told him, daring him to challenge to word parents. Dragons or not, Hal and Violet were good people and they loved her. She refused to deny that, and she would not forsake them for people she had just met.
If the word "parents" affected him, Kellan didn't show it. "Did they now? They knew what you are?"
They hadn't yet discussed who her parents were, only that Draco was after her. Kellan had taken that in stride, but what would he think if he found out that her father was the king? One could only hope...
"They do, and they don't hold it against me." Okay, that was sort of a lie, but she wasn't above embellishing to get under his skin. "They'll be looking for me."
"It's alright, we won't let them get to you, darling," he placed a strong hand on her shoulder, misinterpreting her words. She bristled at the assumption, that she would turn to him for safety. Her dragon snarled at the assuming man.
From the head of the table, Leo heaved out a sigh. Skylar could sense that he was about to steal her thunder, so she dove in before he could. "I don't know about that. They're the king and queen of Trael."
Whatever Kellan had been expecting, it obviously hadn't been that. Finally getting a reaction from him, Skylar sat up straighter in her chair. "Princess Skylar at your service."
His disconcerting red eyes narrowed at her. He glanced behind Skylar at Penelope and then over at Leo. "Indeed?"
Skylar smirked, but kept her face even otherwise. "Indeed. And I intend on going home."
Again, another partial lie. She intended on going home eventually, once she was safe from Draco, but she'd rather be there before taken away from her new friends and Orion. She felt safe here, finally comfortable. Her dragon was too unstable to go to yet another new clan where they would have to go through the acceptance of the clan all over again. The Western Clan members were finally comfortable with her presence; they no longer stared or gave her suspicious looks when she walked by. Daughter of the Alphas or not, she would go through that again in the Eastern Clan and she would rather not.
She also wanted to spite Kellan. Petty as it was, she had to remind him that she wasn't his property. He was a stranger to her; he could claim whatever he wanted about her blood, she couldn't dispute him. Of course there was the evidence in her hair, the color she matched with Penelope and Cassie, and the curls she got from him. And there was whatever magic he performed on her when they met. She'd felt the retracting of something but that he could have done anything; Skylar didn't know any magic. But Leo had also known who she was, or suspected.
It bothered her that Leo hadn't warned her beforehand. He let her stew and worry about what was going to happen to her when he obviously knew that Kellan would want to take her away. Leaving her afraid and alone was simply cruel. She glanced at Orion and wondered if he knew. But he wasn't looking at her. He was looking down at Cassie, who was still talking to him. She was making a spectacle of herself, and her new sister couldn't even spare her a look. Her little sister, actually.
"That doesn't seem wise," Jed spoke up. She spun to look at him. His emerald green eyes stared into her, judging and learning. It was obvious he was trying to match her up to the image he'd had in his head of her. She wondered how well she was doing, then realized that she didn't particularly care.
"Doesn't it? Is there a place that's safer than a fortified castle?" she asked him, focusing all of her attention onto him. He met her silent challenge easily, ready to battle. It reminded her of Orion when she first met him. She wondered if all future Alphas were like this.
"Likely not. If you're not a dragon," he stated. "Everyone there will be trying to kill you."
"I've done just fine so far. No one's tried to kill me yet."
"Before you let someone discover what you are," he snarled softly. "Which was incredibly irresponsible, by the way."
Penelope spoke up, trying to keep the peace. "I'm sure we can discuss it in more detail later. Let's just enjoy our first meal as a family, shall we?"
That bothered Skylar more than anything else. These strangers were not her family. Her family was back in Trael, probably searching the entire kingdom for her. Her mother, father, Greta, Jonathan, they were her family, the people who had taken care of her and protected her for twenty-one years. They loved her. The people around her now didn't love her, they didn't know her.
"We're not a family," she growled softly. She watched the hurt flash through Penelope's eyes as the Alpha female gave her a tight lipped nod, looking down at her plate. Guilt flashed through Skylar. She didn't usually set out to hurt people, and Penelope had been nothing but kind to her since they'd met, but this was all too much at once. Her temper was short at the moment, and her dragon's mood didn't help.
"Don't talk to her like that."
Skylar turned to look for the sing-song voice. It was much higher in pitch than her own voice, and it was the first time it had addressed her directly.
Cassie had turned her attention away from Orion for the first time since their arrival, and was now glaring daggers at Skylar. Obvious dislike shone there, and Skylar was sure that similar look was mirrored in her own eyes. A defensive growl rumbled in Skylar's throat. All guilt washed away as anger took its place.
"Don't talk to me like that," she warned. Cassie's eyes narrowed as she turned her whole body toward Skylar. It was the stance of someone who was used to having one of the highest ranking positions in the room. She seemed to not have been paying attention when Skylar stated that she was the crown princess of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the area. Skylar was also used to being one of the most powerful people in the room, and if she was in fact the daughter of Kellan and Penelope, she was the eldest daughter. Which meant she outranked Cassie in all aspects of life.
She didn't dare lose eye-contact with Cassie, but she could see Orion in her peripheral vision. He was watching Cassie carefully, still not looking at Skylar. What was his problem? Had she ceased to exist now that this female showed up? Was Orion that wishy-washy? Here she'd thought they'd bonded over the last week a half, that they were friends. That maybe there was, or at least could be, something more, but maybe that had just been because she was the female in closest proximity.
As that thought ran across her mind, it lodged itself in the front. Could that be true? Had Orion acted the way he had just because there was no one else to give his attention to? Had he promised all of those things because he knew he wouldn't have to follow through? The anger that had bubbled up out of nowhere deflated and was replaced by hurt and loneliness. Without Orion, she was truly alone in this. He was the only one who could have kept her from leaving with Kellan and Penelope. Leo was basically tying her up in a nice bow, Victoria would stand by Leo's side no matter what, Olly had no power, Nana liked to think she did but she could do nothing against Leo's word, and Percy would do what Leo said as well. Orion was the only one with the power to challenge Leo, and he seemed just fine with her leaving. He had Cassie now. What did Skylar matter?
She realized she had no power here. She could talk and act as tough as she wanted, but what good would it do in the long run? Make her relationship with her birth family miserable? There was nothing she could do to stop them from taking her, other than running away which seemed stupid. It would basically be asking for Draco to find her.
But, Skylar was still a princess with a lot of pride, and, from the looks of it, an Alpha as well. She wasn't the one to back down from a challenge, which was exactly what Cassie was offering her. She didn't want to talk though, talking would get them nowhere. Cassie had to be put in her place, at least for the moment. Skylar took all of the anger, confusion, and hurt and funneled them into the Alpha power she was slowly discovering as she connected with her dragon. The beast hummed in approval and helped in aiming the power at their little sister.
Just as Cassie opened her mouth to retort, Skylar released the pent up power inside of her, letting it rush out toward her enemy. She saw the moment Cassie sensed it because the girl tensed up and her mouth snapped closed. She knew the rest of the table sensed it as well and thought that maybe she was supposed to be embarrassed or ashamed to use her power so blatantly, but at the moment she didn't care. She was completely focused on disarming Cassie.
Cassie began to shake slightly as she fought to urge to submit to Skylar, but she didn't last long. All at once, Cassie looked away and Skylar pulled her power back, satisfied with her small victory. She was sure it wouldn't last long, but it felt good for the moment.
Skylar could feel everyone at the table turn to look at her, but she ignored them, her appetite suddenly returning. She stabbed a piece of pork and brought it to her mouth. She chewed quietly, completely blocking out the looks she was getting.
Two chairs suddenly scraped back. Cassie stood up and marched from the room. Skylar didn't need to look up to know that Orion had followed her. It hurt, more than she cared to admit, but she would have to get over it. He wasn't going to be there for her, so she couldn't need him, or even want him. Even though every fiber of her being begged her to go after him and just do something to get him to pay attention to her. But she'd never begged for anything in her life, and she wasn't about to start now.
"Skylar," Kellan finally snapped. She finished chewing and swallowing before she looked up at him, meeting his gaze steadily. She would not be intimidated by him, she told her self.
"Kellan," she responded flatly.
"I don't know what the problem is here, but I suggest you get over it. You are a member of the Eastern Clan, so that means you will be returning with us. I am your Alpha and it is my right to drag you back kicking and screaming if I so choose. If you want me to do that, I certainly will, but I would rather not. You are safer with us, Skylar. You don't understand the danger Draco represents, and if you're with us, we can protect you."
"I'm safe here."
Leo decided this was a good spot to insert his opinion. "You're not welcome here, Skylar. Whatever my son has told you, he has higher priorities than you."
Skylar spun around to stare at the dark Alpha. His black eyes were ice cold, showing no feeling, but Skylar could see Victoria staring at him in unabashed shock. Olly looked at him with similar feelings. Skylar simply forced herself to feel nothing.
The day just kept getting better and better.
"Well," she cleared her throat, turning to face Kellan again. "I suppose that forces my hand." She shouldn't have been surprised, not in the slightest, but Leo's blatant announcement still came as a shock. She'd been hoping that a week away from her would maybe soften him. But no, it had apparently only made him dislike her more.
Kellan wasn't looking at her, but at Leo. Even he seemed surprised by Leo's harsh words. Interesting. Maybe Leo hadn't always been such of ass. Maybe she just brought out the worst in him.
The red-eyed Alpha looked back down at Skylar, his eyes holding an emotion he couldn't identify. "I suppose it does."
<><><><><><><><>
The rest of the day she spent with Kellan and Penelope. Jed was with Leo, and Cassie was off with Orion somewhere, but Skylar refused to think about that. She didn't want to be around the Alpha pair, but they forced themselves on her. They wouldn't leave her alone, when that was all she wanted. Just two minutes to herself. That didn't seem like a lot to ask, but apparently it was. She had a feeling they were worried she would run away, which was fair.
They talked to her. They wouldn't stop talking. They asked all sorts of questions, and oddly enough, Skylar found herself opening up to them. She told them about Greta, about growing up in the castle. She had expected them to be bitter towards Hal and Violet, but they seemed... grateful.
"We spent so long thinking you were dead, or maybe worse," Penelope said quietly, pushing a piece of red hair out of her face. "I suppose it's just a relief knowing that you grew up happy and safe, with people who loved you."
Skylar had to admit that maybe they weren't quite as bad as she wanted to believe.
They talked some more, just walking around the territory. Being in motion helped ease all of their dragons' high tension. It gave them something to focus on other than forced conversation.
"What happened?" Skylar finally asked. They stood on the edge of a cliff, staring out over the ocean. "The night I was taken. What happened?"
Kellan let out a huge sigh, running a hand over his face. "They attacked in the middle of the night, sneaking up on us like the cowards they were..."
And she listened as he retold it, every detail. His fine-boned face took on a haunted look, and she wondered if there had ever been a day that went by that he didn't think of it.
"Chloe," she asked when he was done. "Did she-- did she die?"
Kellan glanced up at her and nodded stiffly. "They tried to save her, but it wasn't enough. I didn't wake up until the next day, and even then I didn't believe it for a week. I had failed her, and you. I had failed my clan that night. It will always be my greatest failure."
"I'm sorry about your sister," Skylar whispered.
"Thank you, love," he answered just as softly, staring at her for a moment. He cleared his throat and shook his head, as if clearing it. "Shall we head back then? It's getting late, I don't want anyone waiting up for us."
"That's a good idea, darling," Penelope agreed. "Skylar, you'll stay in the Big House with us? I know you've been staying with your friend for the past few days."
She knew it was because they could keep an eye on her if she was under the same roof, but she tried not to be so cynical. This was a hard situation for all of them, and as much as the anger had settled into her being, she had to try. The thought of leaving though... she couldn't bear it. And it wasn't simply because of a certain golden-eyed Alpha she refused to acknowledge at the moment.
They walked back in a comfortable silence, until Kellan decided to break it. "I noticed you and Orion seem rather close."
Her stomach did a flip at the mention of his name, but she refused to think about what it meant. Her sanity couldn't afford to think about what it meant. "He's the one who found me, after Draco threatened me. He saved my life. He's been responsible for me ever since, helping me connect with my dragon and learning to fly and fight."
Right, she was a responsibility. She was simply an object of his attention because of proximity, only there to entertain him until Cassie, his real object of affection, arrived. She had to remember that. It would make it easier to leave.
She continued, swallowing the lump in her throat. "And now that you're here, he doesn't need to be responsible for me anymore. He can give Cassie the attention she is due, as his bride-to-be. He seems rather... smitten with her."
Kellan hesitated for a moment, staring at her oddly, before agreeing. "Yes, he is quite doting upon her as of late."
Skylar wondered for a moment what that meant, but then Olly appeared, walking toward them with Jed. They were in deep discussion about something with Olly gesturing broadly. Jed laughed at whatever Olly was saying, and it changed his whole aura. His smile lit up his face, making him look brighter and more approachable. It was the same thing that happened to Orion when he smiled.
Penelope sighed happily at the sight of her son. She hooked her arm through Skylar's and smiled at her. "He is so happy we found you, Skylar."
"He didn't really seem like it earlier," she pointed out, watching him warily. Olly turned and saw them. He lifted a hand and waved it wildly in greeting.
"I think all tensions were high at lunch. Perhaps we need to restart, hmm? We've had a nice time since then, haven't we?"
Skylar nodded, admitting the truth. She really had had a nice time with Kellan and Penelope. Being on her own with them, with no chance of escape and no audience, had proven to be the right thing to do. But just because she was begrudgingly beginning to like them didn't mean she was ready to leave with them. They hadn't yet told her when they were going to be leaving, but she was sure it was going to be soon. Leo wasn't going to let her stay much longer than that.
"He was only five when we lost you," Kellan told her. "He loved you very much. You were his baby sister."
"Now he has Cassie," Skylar said.
Kellan shook her head. "Now he has two little sisters. Cassie didn't replace you, Skylar. You have to know that."
"That's what my parents always said," Skylar told him. "They lost a lot of babies before me. They always said I never replaced any of them, that I was just another of their children. That I was their miracle."
"Even after you shifted for the first time?" Kellan asked in surprise.
She nodded. "Even after I shifted. They loved me and took care of me, and all I did was put them in danger." She pressed her lips together to hold back the lump in her throat.
"Oh, honey," Penelope wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. "I'm sure they don't see it that way. But you're with us now. Everything will be okay."
Skylar wasn't so sure, and once again thought about having to leave the Western Clan. She'd thought everything was going to be okay here. Why would it be any different with the Eastern Clan?
"I'm putting everyone here in danger, too," she pulled away and looked at the Alpha female. Kellan stood next to her, looking down at her with creased brows. "And I'll be putting everyone in your clan in danger as well. Draco won't stop searching for me. Why would you want anyone to target your clan like that? If he gets wind that I'm there-"
Kellan shook his head. "You're our daughter. You were born into the Eastern Clan, and we would never cast out a clan member. You'll have the protection of your clan. The reason Leo wants you to go with us is because you're not a member of this clan. He has to put his clan's interests above that of a guest."
"Leo promised to protect me until he found out Draco was after me," she argued. An Orion had promised to protect her as well, until Cassie showed up. Now he had somewhere else to divert his attention. He didn't need to act the hero, to find someone to help inflate his ego, or to make him feel good about himself. Cassie could do all three for him, and she was going to be his wife.
Her dragon growled at the thought of Cassie all over Orion. And Orion letting her do such a thing.
"Leo... is a special case," Kellan said slowly. "I'll be having a discussion with him later."
Olly and Jed were finally close enough to join in their conversation.
"To talk about Cassie and Orion's mating ceremony?" Jed asked, only catching the tail end. Skylar's dragon snarled at the mention of such a thing.
Penelope smiled. "I need to talk to Victoria about that too. We have so many plans. The next Alpha pair get married is a big deal, and it's going to be a wonderful ceremony."
"Yes, we have to set a date," Kellan nodded. "I know Leo wants to do it soon."
Olly glanced at Skylar, who was fuming quietly. He was worried about her, that much was obvious. He tried to lighten the mood. "Not too soon though. Orion's not really ready to be somebody's mate," he joked.
Jed looked over his shoulder, back toward the village. "He looks ready enough to me."
Skylar knew she shouldn't, knew it would only hurt her to look, but she couldn't stop herself. Her sharp dragon vision brought them into full view. In perfect clarity she watched as Orion and Cassie strolled hand in hand, smiles plastered on their faces. He said something to her, making her laugh and pull on his hand to make him face her. His smile softened as he looked down at her and she put her arms around his neck. Skylar didn't look away in time and got a full view of Cassie pulling Orion down to kiss her.
She squeezed her eyes closed as jealousy overcame her. She'd never felt anything that strongly before, that negative coursing through her veins. Her chest felt like someone was squeezing her tightly, it was hard to breathe. She took three deep breaths.
Olly reached out to grab her hand and pull her attention away from the view. "Hey," he whispered as Penelope said something to Kellan, distracting him. "Hey, it's okay."
"Olly," she whispered back, shaking her head. "It really isn't."
She loved him, she realized that now, and she couldn't have him. He belonged to someone else.