The room was full of dragon shifters and humans, mingling uncomfortably. My parents had done exactly as I’d asked, thank goodness. The decorations weren’t over the top, and they’d even hired a DJ. My best friend’s voice cut through my introspection. “Give it up!” I looked around, searching for Skye. I’d been looking for her for half the party. I hadn’t seen her since it started, but I’d been pulled aside several times by members of my clan, congratulating me on my sixteenth birthday. Normally these parties were clan only, but I’d insisted my human friends be invited as well. We lived as humans, in a human town, working jobs with them and going to school with them. It wasn’t fair that I couldn’t have all my friends at my party. When I’d put my foot down, my parents had caved. That gave me hope for the future of my parents’ acceptance of humans. I needed them to be open-minded. Moving around the large rec room, I smiled and talked to clan members. Several wished me luck on my upcoming first shift, though they did it quietly, so they didn’t freak out the human guests. I hoped this party would help with all the humans in Bluewater Coast thinking our clan was some sort of religious cult. Our clan knew about the rumors. That’s what made them stick so close together, ironically. They should’ve mingled more with the townsfolk instead of avoiding them. They’d made their own beds. I was going to be alpha someday, and Dad was always telling me to start thinking like one. So, I’d put my foot down about the party. If I hadn’t been able to invite my best friend, Skye, I would’ve been pretty upset. I lost track of her voice as I moved around the room, so I opened my senses to seek her out. She was always easy for me to find, filtering out everyone else until her annoyed voice reached my ears. “Will you find someone else to bug?”