The talk

Shioban wasted no time before shifting. Felix called her, and Luna could still hear the worry in his voice. She knew him well enough to understand that the situation had to be serious.

~ I am on my way. I will be there shortly. ~ Shioban briefly mind-linked her husband, speeding through a forest.

- Good, but hurry up. Katlyn's beast is awakened. ~ Felix replied with tension in his voice.

Luna almost tripped hearing this. She was correct; the situation was severe.

Shioban's heart ached. Her daughter was going through such a hard time, and she was all alone, without her family. Luna increased her speed, pushed by fear.

Soon, she noticed the old building, which could be nothing else than a barn, as described by her husband. His faint scent was already lingering in the air. Shioban was in the right place.

~ Almost there. ~ She told Felix.

Shioban shifted back, putting her clothes on in a rush.

Soon, Luna was ready to enter the barn and face whatever awaited her.

The woman came in, walking as quietly as possible, looking around, and searching for her husband.

- I am here. - Felix whispered. Clearly, she was not quiet enough. Soon, she noticed her mate standing in the shadows.

The man waved at her with his eyes fixed on something above. Shioban raised her head slowly, knowing the sudden moves would do no good.

Her poor girl!

- Kaitlyn, honey, are you OK? - Luna almost yelled. She had no idea how the girl could get so high, so she assumed her beast was responsible for that.

~ She is not here. ~ The voice from her lips did not belong to their daughter.

-Apologies. -Shioban mumbled. She read enough about dragons to know they were short-tempered. It was better to do not to offend them. - We are her parents.

~ No, you are not. You raised her, that is all.~ The Dragon replied, smirking.

- You are right, but we love her as our child. - Luna said carefully.

~ Do you? ~ The smirk turned into an ugly grimace. ~ This girl suffered a lot in your house from one of your blood. How can you call it love?

Felix glanced at his wife, but Luna was not taking her eyes off her child.

- You are right, again. Our son did an unforgivable thing, rejecting Kaitlyn.

Dragon chuckled.

~ Rejection? That is the best thing this weakling could do for her.

Felix snorted, hearing the insult, but Shioban quickly touched his arm, calming him down.

~ Smart move. ~ Dragon chuckled. ~ We do not want this little wolf to get hurt, do we?

- No, we don't. - Luna replied quickly. If they were going to leave this place alive, she would have to take matters into her own hands.

- Felix, I need you to leave. - She looked at her mate.

- Have you lost your mind? I am not going to leave you alone here.- Her mate objected, eying her in disbelief.

- Yes, you are, as you clearly cannot control your emotions. - Shioban said calmly.- Besides, I am not in danger here, right? - She turned her attention to the beast.

~You have my word. ~ Dragon replied in a severe tone.

- I do not believe in one word she says. - Alpha glanced at the beast in his daughter's body.

~ Do not disrespect me, wolf. ~ Dragon hissed, and his eyes shone brighter. ~ We always keep our word.

Shioban felt her mate crossed the line, she badly tried to keep it intact.

- Leave now. - She looked at her mate coldly.

Alpha let out a deep breath.

- Call me whenever you need me. - Felix glanced at the beast for the last time before leaving.

Luna stayed silent until her mate's steps could not be heard anymore.

- Can we talk now? - She looked straight into the Dragon's eyes.

~ Isn't it why you came here in the first place?

- Can you come down? It stresses me out to see my child up there. - Shioban pointed to the spot next to her.

~ Will you give me your word you will not try anything stupid? You seem to be a reasonable person; I do not want to kill you. ~ The beast smirked again. Luna could not find it funny in any way. 

- I give you my word: we have something in common; Kaitlyn means a lot to both of us. - She said with honesty. 

~ I have your word. That is all I need. ~ The beast replied, standing up. Shioban watched in horror how her daughter's body jumped down in one swift move. She closed her eyes not to see a fall, but instead, she heard a soft landing. 

~ Do not worry, little wolf. Kaitlyn and I are one. I would never hurt her or expose her body to danger when she is not in control. This is called trust. ~ The beast giggled, and Luna could only think about how dark its humor was. 

- It is just that the wolves do not like heights. - Luna replied absent-mindedly. 

~ But Kaitlyn is not a wolf. Heights are her world. Being tied up to the ground is the worst punishment for us. 

- Could you tell me your name? I do not feel good referring to you as a dragon. - Luna said with embarrassment.  She should start with that. - I am Shioban, but I guess you know that already. 

~ My name is Elena. I am surprised you know what I am, but I suspect you and your mate knew the truth from the beginning. Only this poor girl was left in the dark. ~ The dragon said with disappointment. 

- We were supposed to tell her the truth today. - Shioban replied, defending herself. Maybe, after all, they were wrong for keeping this knowledge from Kaitlyn. - We did it to protect her. 

~ From me?~ Elena asked with anger twitching in her voice. ~ Is it why she keeps this necklace?

-Of course not. Why would we want to keep her away from you? Like all shifters, no matter what kind, she needs her inner beast. It defines us all. - For the first time, Luna looked coldly at the creature before her. Separating the shifter from its beast was a crime beyond any. 

~ So, what is the meaning of this whole piece of jewelry? She can't even shift. ~ Elena gave her a questioning look. 

~ That is something Kaitlyn needs to hear herself. It is a part of her story. She needs to understand all of it. - Shioban shook her head. 

~ I will let you talk to her. But remember about your word. ~ Elena repeated her warning.  She closed her eyes, and when they opened again, one remained gold, but the other was in a well-known grey color. 

- Mother?- Kaitlyn asked in a weak voice. - What are you doing here?

- We came for you, to take you back home. - Luna replied with a soft smile. - We were so worried. 

Kaitlyn's heart melted at those words. After all, Felix and Shioban were the only parents she knew. But then she remembered Kylan's words. 

- I can't go back home. - The girl shook her head. 

Shioban came closer, pulling her hands to embrace her daughter, but she stopped when the golden eye shone again. 

- I have heard what Kylan did to you. I am ashamed of my son. He should be grateful to be mated to you., but what was done cannot be undone. But it changes nothing, Kaitlyn. You are our daughter. - Luna felt a tear rolling down her cheek. 

- It is not what he did; it is what he said. I cannot come back, or he will kill me. - Kaitlyn looked at her mother. Shioban felt her blood boil with rage.  She could not find the words. 

- But he was right. I do not belong here. I am not one of you, not by blood or kind. I need to find my kind. 

-No!- Shioban yelled. 

Kaitlyn looked at her with a perplexed expression. 

- Why?

- It is not the right place to talk about that, but I guess I have no choice. - Her mother lowered her head, defeated. - We were going to tell you this on your birthday. 

- Tell me what?- The girl asked, annoyed. She had enough surprises for the time being. 

- Let's sit. It will take a while. - Shioban sat on the ground, waiting for her daughter to join her. - Eighteen years ago, we found you on our porch. I do not know what lies Kylan fed you with, but the truth is that your mother left you. She did not abandon you. She did it to protect you. We knew you were a dragon from the beginning. Your mother gave you this necklace as protection. She explained it in the letter. - Luna reached into her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper. 

Kaitlyn studied it for a few minutes without the word, but Shioban could read all the emotions on her face. After finishing, she folded the letter and placed it on her knees. 

- My mother was a witch? - She mumbled to herself. 

- Apparently. She wished for you to have an everyday life. I do not know why it is so essential to keep you away from your father, but as a mother, I could not fail someone who did so much to protect her child. - Luna moved closer and put her arm around the girl, who rested her head on her shoulder. - I am going to keep my promise. Come back home with us. 

- What about Kylan?- The girl asked with hesitation. 

Shioban remained quiet for a while. That was a hard question. Her son showed the side she did not expect he had. 

- We will sort this out. - Luna made a promise, hoping she would be able to keep. She looked at the girl, who fell asleep, exhausted. 

~ I have hope, you know what you are doing. ~ Shioban heard Elena's voice. 

- I will not fail. - Luna replied.