A door down the hall creaked open and the silence fell away. My stomach stirred, knowing that our uncertain futures would be taking a new direction. Aunt Leah came in hand in hand with Uncle Axel. She had a smile that warmed the room from being reunited with her mate. I wonder if that's how all mates are…

"Yum, yachi bread!" Aunt Leah squeaked as she ran toward the little table in the living room. She had a slight bounce in her step spreading berry jam over her yachi bread. The joy in her face captivated the entire when she took her first bite. "Mmmm… perfect."

"Leah's sweet tooth strikes again." Elias chuckled. He continued his slice of yachi bread with a happier expression than had sat there before.

"I am glad you like it, amica." Uncle Axel said, placing a kiss on Aunt Leah’s forehead.

"What does amica mean?" Emalynn asked from her spot on the couch next to Elias.

Uncle Axel turned around and greeted Emalynn and began to explain. "Amica means sweetheart in the old tongue of our people."

"It sounds so sweet. I have never seen Leah be so girly and childish, so you must be her mate." Emalynn giggled.

Their dialog faded into the background as I studied my make-shift family. Aunt Leah had washed away all the dirt and blood revealing her thick brunette hair woven into two braids to let the bottom of her hair cascade down her back. Her bright emerald eyes looked relaxed for the first time in days. Uncle Axel had not changed much since the last time I saw him. He sported his usual somber expression, but he had a gentle hand resting on Leah’s back. Elias’s complexion was a golden, caramel color. His green eyes were beginning to show his age, but he still looked handsome in a distinguished kind of way. Emalynn still looked chipper but a little bit older since our journey started. Her tail twitched playfully as she savored every bite of the sweet yachi bread. It dawned on me as I watched Emalynn that she was now seeing all of our base forms for the first time. She didn't seem bothered by our different appearances one bit. I had expected a bigger reaction than this.

"Emalynn," I whispered, sitting next to her on the now crowded couch. She turned face while munching on her third or fourth slice of yachi bread. "I wanted to ask. Is it weird seeing our base forms?"

"Yep. You guys are fuzzy like me." She gave a smile. "Except, you are not really fuzzy aside from your tail and ears. You are quite adorable though."

My cheeks burned at her compliment. I regretted asking my question. I have never been comfortable with compliments or intimate conversations. My once strong confidence about those things faded once I realized why I always had to hide my hybrid status. My family has always accepted me, but this world will never accept me. So, I will just live for my family.

"I am glad you have adjusted so quickly, Emalynn." Aunt Leah complimented.

"Leah told me what happened. I am thankful you all returned in one piece. I am aware most of your identities are known although Elias’s may be salvaged since his face was not seen by the dark elf." Uncle Axel said.

His face wasn't seen? I thought back to the battle. Elias had been in his wolf form the entire time. This made me feel a little better about the whole thing. Uncle Axel turned to me with a concerned gaze. I know he wants to speak to me about the whole event, but my stomach started churning at the thought of that conversation. He waved for me to follow as he walked back down the small hallway. Begrudgingly, I followed. I learned early on to never piss off the Alpha Hunter.

Entering my room, I found Uncle Axel lighting a lantern to illuminate the room. I had left only one burning when we went to see Elias. Plopping down on my bed, I tried to sit properly while attempting to be comfortable. Uncle Axel had always been professional unless no one else was around. On the day I met him, he was very patient and soft with me like he always is with Aunt Leah. Only in small moments since that day, have I seen Uncle Axel be warm. He sat across from me on the other twin bed, letting me stew in the suffocating stillness of the room.

"There's no reason to torture me with silence, Uncle Axel. I am an adult. I can take your lecture." I stated. The truth is I am an adult now. A young adult, yes, but still an adult. My uncle watched me squirm, waiting for him to speak.

"Yes, you are an adult. You have been for three years, yet you still seem to have childish tendencies. A little bit of still silence never hurt anyone, Rory." He said with a slight smile.

"My uncle, the secret jokester." I said sarcastically.

"In all seriousness, you have grown up so much. It’s thanks to you that the dark elf didn't have his way with you all. From what Leah told me, you took down a potion powered saber grizzly bear, a crew of bandits and a dark elf clone. In addition to your battles, you discovered a new shift form."

I nodded. There was no anger in his voice, which surprised me. I had exposed myself unknowingly and put a target on my family's backs. He just sat there waiting for me to speak. Ugh. I love him, but his very presence is intimidating. He's the tallest male that I have seen, and his shoulders are wide and strong like the stone walls of this room. He's dark like thick caramel and his eyes are green in color. If I had stood before that dark elf, the elf would have shit his pants. Another reason I don't need a mate…

"Rory," Uncle Axel commanded in his Alpha Hunter tone. "Tell me everything."

His tone compelled me to speak. Although I could have objected, I allowed myself to comply. My patient uncle was beginning to become impatient with toes tapping on the floor. "Okay, okay. Aunt Leah surprised me with a visit and decided we would all complete a job for the guild. Elias and Leah picked a job and brought Emalynn and I along. I remember Elias and Myrra, the guild master, having a private conversation before we left. Everything had been normal past that point until we came across the bear."

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"That was the first abnormal thing to you? Why did you start acting strange once you neared the woods? Leah told me how you became hyper aware of everything." He urged me to explain.

I sighed at his questioning. Aunt Leah had noticed everything I did during the cart ride and the hike into bandit territory. The feelings of anxiety and loss flooded back to me as memories of Jerico filled my mind. He didn't need to die. My body shook from intense emotions. I could see Jerico in my arms slowly bleeding out on the woodland floor.

"Rory!" Uncle Axel called, pulling me out of my memory. I felt a cold wave recede from my body.

Looking up, I saw Uncle Axel panicked, standing over me and tightly restraining my arms. What was his problem? "Let me go, please." I murmured.

"What were you thinking about!" He demanded to know. What the heck?

"I was thinking about the woods." I said quietly. "Why?"

"What about the woods, Rory?" His voice was urgent as he relaxed his grip. "Be specific."

"Jerico," I answered. "I was thinking of when I lost Jerico."

"It happened in the same woods?" He asked.

"Yes. Why?" I stared at him, letting him see my confusion.

"Look at your hands and feel your teeth." He responded.

My claws were in place of my hands, and I felt my fangs erupting from my mouth. I had started to shift… but what form was I becoming? I am losing control over myself. Shit. Tears slowly fell from my eyes. I knew the new shifting form was dangerous, but not this bad… What will I do? My breathing became shallow. What if I involuntarily shift and hurt someone…

"Rory, breathe." Uncle Axel soothed. "You will get through this. The thing is, Rory, we don't know enough about you or the ring to predict what may happen to you. I think the next step is for you to learn more about yourself and your ring."

"How do I do that? I thought you knew everything about the ring." I stammered. Were these rings not made by the clan?

"Well, I can't help with learning more about the past, but I can teach you more about the ring. Our clan didn't create the rings. A powerful wizard crafted them for us." He had a small smile. Uncle Axel had always loved teaching. He spent a lot of time sharpening my skills with weapons the year I stayed with them. Training was the only time I saw my uncle relax and laugh unless he thought he was alone with Aunt Leah.

"For generations, we have passed down the rings through each family line. Each ring is to be bonded to a certain family, so only descendants of those families can use the ring. Your grandparents were from two different families that could use the rings, which is why both you and your aunt have a ring." He paused for a moment in deep thought while I stared at my ring, processing what he was telling me.

"The rings came as a set crafted by a powerful wizard that was infatuated with beast folk. He was said to be an odd human that fell in love with a she-wolf as she was running through the Evergreen Forest one bright morning. The wizard had never seen any beast folk before and chased the she-wolf until he could run no more. For months, the wizard tried to get close to her, but she was too fast for him. Time passed and the she-wolf became a huntress, trying to catch food for her declining clan. The wizard returned to seek the huntress once more. This time the wizard said a spell transforming him into a hawk to track the huntress. The two played the game of chase for quite some time until the wizard found the huntress asleep on a riverside."

Goosebumps raised on my arms at his words. A vulnerable woman asleep in broad daylight even I know how stupid that is. Men see that as an invitation to mess around with the woman. What kind of huntress was this girl? Wasn't she taught to always be alert?

"The wizard then did the impossible. He became a wolf using his strange magic. The huntress could not ignore the wizard anymore. She arose from her slumber at the scent of magic to find a wolf staring at her. She knew that he was not a beast folk or a natural wolf of the forest from the stench of magic around them. The huntress attacked the wizard because she believed he could be a threat to her clan. To her surprise the wizard instantly submitted to her, transforming back into his base form. The huntress questioned the wizard of his intent, and he claimed to love her. This was the start of their problems. The clan and the wizard’s people learned of the interaction between the wizard and huntress. Instantly the two groups felt threatened by each other and readied for war. The clan was low in numbers at the time, so the clan captured the wizard and his people to force a surrender. The wizard and huntress came to a deal to save their people. The wizard would provide the wolf beasts with a means to disappear, and the wolf beasts would release their captives. Both sides made good on their deal. The wizard made the rings, developed the legend about this valley, and let our existence fade from history."

My mouth hung open processing the origin of my ring. This wizard had a crush on a huntress, which almost caused a war. "It's twisted that people were ready for war over a crush." I said all flabbergasted. "How could the clan and the wizard’s people do something so foolish!" My hands began to animate my words. "The huntress didn't even indulge his crush, right? She just wanted to assess the situation. Besides, I don't buy that our small clan could have captured the wizard’s people without a fight. That makes no sense. Are you sure that's the whole story?"

"Rory, breathe. Your fangs are showing." He commanded. I nodded waiting for more answers. "Yes, that's the whole story as I know it. How things were done though is very vague. I like to think we were more cunning than the wizard, and that's how we won, but I have no clear answers. Nor do I know why both groups were willing to wage war over a little crush. My only guess is years of war and mistrust filled their hearts and clouded their minds."

I sat quietly, trying to understand their reasons for considering each other an enemy, but no valid conclusion came to mind. Even I try to analyze a situation before striking. "You wouldn't go to war over an interracial romance, would you?" I asked hoping he could help me understand the reasons these people had to feel threatened.

His eyes dropped to the floor and my heart fell along with them. He would go to war over it. He would have to because interracial marriage is against the law all over this land. Even with my family I am still considered an illegal hybrid. I want to cry, but I can't. I know Uncle Axel loves me, hybrid or not. This stupid law is literally ruining my life.

I just need to move on with my life. I decided to live for my parents and Jerico, and I am not going back on that. The past is the past anyway. Focus on the here and now, Rory. I need to control my new form and my ring. "Is there anything else you know about the ring?"

Uncle Axel looked up with empathetic eyes. "No, but I know where the wizard made them. Maybe you can learn more there."

"Okay. I guess I have a new direction." I said softly. Although I do want to learn more about the ring, I couldn’t help feeling anxiety over the coming danger. Or was it anticipation?

A sudden knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. Uncle Axel hurries from the bedside to the door to see Emalynn poking her head in the room. “I think you girls have some things to talk about. I will see you later.” He walked out of the room.

Emalynn bounced on to the bed, knocking me onto the floor. “Whoops. Give me your hand.” She extended her hand out to me, and I gladly took it. Once I sit on the bed, Emalynn is quick to ask what happened.

“In short, my emotions trigger my new shifting form, and unless I learn to control the new amount of magic flowing through me and the ring, I won’t control my transformations anymore.” I will explain. Emalynn’s eyes are wide as she processes my new problem. Her tail twitches as she thinks.

“So what are we going to do about it?” She asks.

I feel surprised by her response and guilty for pulling her into this. “I need to visit where the ring was created. Uncle Axel believes I may find some answers there.” I wonder where this ring was made. I don’t want to put Emalynn in danger. “You don’t have to come with me, you know. I can take care of myself.”

Emalynn shook her head at me. “No, you can’t. You could shift at random. Besides, I want to come with you. We are in this together.” I wanted to argue with her, but I decided against it. Instead, I went to hug her. She warmly accepted me. I know there is no way to get rid of her, and it makes me feel at ease to have her as a friend.

“When do we leave Rory?” She asks, pulling away.

“Tomorrow. The sooner I can control this the safer we will be.”