Anton refused to talk to any of the three men in front of him for the next three days. He stayed in the corner of the pit staring through the bones at the sky. Oana hadn't been to visit him again since that first day. Although they had been able to communicate through their bond. For that he was grateful. 

Flaviu had tried to get him to talk about everything that had happened to him since they got here, but he didn't acknowledge him. He didn't want to talk to him. 

You need to be patient with them, Anton, Oana's voice suddenly came into his head. 

He closed his eyes and relaxed. They're the reason I'm here. I can't be next to you.

He heard Oana sigh and smirked at knowing she was rolling her eyes. Yes, they are. But Uncle will be by soon to get you and bring you back. You are not the one that is on trial. There was a slight pause. I was able to convince them that you did not know that you were being tracked. They believed me.

Anton opened his eyes and looked over at the three men huddled on the other side of the pit. That still doesn't change what they did, Oana. 

I know, Anton. He could feel a calming caress come over him. You still need to talk to them. The one you called Flaviu did this out of love; out of care. Two of them are different, they aren't fully utoshie.

He smirked as he caught Artur's eyes looking back at him. Do you want me to figure out what they are before I come back to you?

Uncle would like that. 

Now he understood exactly why he was kept here. Alright. I'll let you know what I find out. 

Be careful, please. Oana pleaded with him. I do not understand what they are, but they could be dangerous. 

I'll be alright, Oana.

I will see you soon.

When her presence left, he felt empty again. Lonely. But he needed to focus now. He sat up and walked over to where Artur, Flaviu, and Robert sat and sat down in front of them. Artur's eyebrows furrowed. 

"You're wanting to talk to us now?" Artur asked him roughly. "You finally understand that you're not better than us?"

"Artur that's enough," Flaviu snapped at him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before looking up at Anton. "I'm very glad we found you, Anton." He smiled at him. 

Anton nodded. "Why did you put a tracker on me?"

Artur crossed his arms over his chest. "He put a tracker on all of us. I think it's an invasion of privacy but what the hell do I know?"

"I agree," Anton nodded in Artur's direction, surprising himself. "I understand that you did it for protection, but I didn't need it."

Flaviu sighed. "I can see that, but I didn't know if you were safe. Those trackers are there in case one of us disappeared. That way we can find you and bring you back with us."

Anton rapped his knuckles on his knees. "I don't think I want to go back, Flaviu."

Flaviu nodded as if he understand what Anton was talking about. "You want to stay with that girl?"

Anton's eyes snapped over to Flaviu. "Oana."

"Excuse me," Flaviu dipped his head in apology. "You want to stay with Oana?"

"I do."

Robert leaned forward and whispered in Flaviu's ear. Anton strained to hear what he was saying, but couldn't hear anything. Eventually, he leaned back away from Flaviu. "She's claimed you?" he asked him. 

"We claimed each other," Anton corrected him. 

Robert nodded. "I think I understand now." He looked over at Flaviu and gave him a quick nod. 

"What are you two talking about?" Artur asked, annoyed. "What the hell is going on?"

Anton waited patiently for Flaviu to explain. They were keeping something from them, he knew it. Oana helped add to his suspicion. "Please," he added. "Tell us what's going on." He pointed to Artur and then himself. "We deserve to know."

Flaviu took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right."

"They won't accept it," Robert piped up. 

Flaviu shrugged. "At least they would know."

"Oh my gosh," Artur sighed dramatically. "Know what?"

Flaviu gave Artur and pointed look. "People out there are half Morpher and half human."

Artur snorted. "You're kidding me?" 

Flaviu shook his head. "I'm not. Anton being able to mate with a Morpher should prove that there are people out there that are half. They may not know it." He looked at Anton then. "One of their parents may be a Morpher and they would never know."

Anton's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you saying that one of my parents is a Morpher?" His head started to reel and he shook his head. Calm down, Anton. Oana's soothing voice calmed him. I can feel your anxiousness. He took a deep breath and listened to his mate. "I've never seen them Morpher, Flaviu."

Flaviu leaned forward. "How do you explain being able to feel the pull towards your woman who is a Morpher? One of your parents is one, Anton. There's no denying that right now." He took a deep breath. "There are more of us out there than you think."

"Us?" Anton asked. He looked over at Artur and saw the realization spreading over his face. 

Flaviu turned to look at Artur. "I know you saw me the other night, Artur."

Artur shook his head. He started to massage his temples. "I convinced myself that was a dream."

Flaviu placed a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't a dream, Artur. Both me and Robert are half."

Artur opened his eyes and looked between them. "You both can Morph?" Flaviu nodded. 

Anton leaned back and looked up through the bones. "If one of my parents is a Morpher, does that mean that I could morph into something?"

Robert took the chance to answer for Flaviu. "Not necessarily. If you haven't felt another being inside of you wanting to claw out, you don't have the ability." He took a look at Anton before he continued. "That doesn't mean that you won't ever be able to shift. Sometimes, something has to click inside of you before your animal is ready to come out." A small smile ghosted across his lips. "For me, my animal didn't come out until I met my wife. Or mate as some people would call them."

"How old were you?" Anton leaned forward. If he could morph, he would be able to protect Oana better than he could right now. 

"I was twenty-four," Robert answered.

Anton sighed. He thought that maybe there was an animal deep down inside of himself that was wanting to come out but hadn't had the chance to yet. There was a bigger chance that there wasn't an animal inside of him and wouldn't ever be able to morph. He didn't think he'd be the right mate for Oana if he couldn't morph into anything. 

"Anton," Flaviu spoke up, grabbing his attention. "Do not think that you would be less in Oana's eyes if you cannot morph."

Anton shrugged. "How can I protect her as I should?" He looked down at his hands. "If I can't morph-"

"A mating bond is stronger than any other relationship out there, Anton," Robert interrupted him. "Mates are bonded together by fate. The fates had put you two together for a reason. Both you and Oana have felt the pull correct?" He pointed to his lower stomach. Exactly where Anton had felt his pull to Oana.

"Yes," he answered. "Both of us have felt the pull."

Flaviu smiled at him. "And we can see by the bite on your neck that you both have already claimed each other forging that bond."

Anton nodded. His hand came up and rubbed the spot where Oana had bitten him. 

Uncle is on his way, Oana's voice brushed against his consciousness. Do you have information about the two men?

I do.

Thank you, Anton. A small pause happened and at first, he thought she was gone before she continued. We will have time to ourselves tonight.

A smirk played on his lips as he felt her presence leave his consciousness. He heard someone clear their throat. His head snapped to the right to see Manuel standing there glaring down at the four men. "Anton. Come with us."

Anton stood up quickly and practically ran to the opened door of the pit. He stood beside Manuel as he continued to glare at the three men still in the pit. Artur glared at him back. Manuel looked over at Anton and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let us go. Your mate awaits your return, Anton." He turned them both and started toward the village. "We will talk about what you have found out about the three men later."

"I only have information that you would want on two of them," Anton added. 

Manuel nodded. "Oana had mentioned the different scents of two of the men. I did notice it as well." He stopped Anton in front of his tent. "We will talk about this tomorrow." He patted his shoulder before he turned around and walked away.