Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.

-Rabindranath Tagore

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"Madelyn... Madelyn..." said a voice. My eyes snapped open to see that it was Tyler. I got into a sitting position.

"Lemme guess, it's my shift?" He nodded. I got up, stretching "Alright, I'm getting up. I'll wake you when the hour's up."

He nodded again, laying down and it seemed that he had fallen asleep almost instantly.

I looked at my dad. I wanted to trust him, but I didn't know if I could. I mean, he's my dad, but it's hard to know what to do. He had betrayed me. And that hurts, for those of you who haven't felt like they've been slapped in the face with a wet fish. My gut and my heart told me to trust him, and I wanted to follow them, but my mind was telling me all the ways he could turn on me and stab me in the back. It was hard to know which decision to make.

I sighed, glancing at my dad.

"Madelyn, it'll be alright. I mean; he took a bullet to the leg for you! If that's not caring, then I don't know what is. Do you want to be forced to work for the hunters and kill innocents? He wanted to protect you, and that was the cost of that. He's on your side now."

"But how can I be entirely sure that he won't turn on me when my mind keeps giving me ways he could?"

"You're being paranoid, Madelyn," replied Ashlea "That's what happens when you feel someone has betrayed you; I'd know. But your father was doing it to protect you! And he's on your side now; you can trust him. Believe me."

"And I do. But I'll still be watching just in case he turns his back on us. Just for a week or two. Then we'll know if he's truly on our side."

I waited, yawns escaping my lips every few minutes, showing my sleep deprivation. But I had to watch my father, to ensure my safety and Tyler's.

"You really care about Tyler, don't you?"

I could feel heat rising to my cheeks. "No, I don't."

"Denial."

"It's not denial if I don't have feelings for him."

"Oh, but you do."

"I don't. Now be quiet so I can focus."

"Fine, fine."

It was around the end of my shift when something started to happen. As the sun rose, a change started to overtake my father. I watched in horror as his ears changed from human to wolf and creeped up his head. I leapt back in surprise, then nudged Tyler.

"What is it Madelyn?" he asked groggily.

"Look." I replied.

He rose his head, and then I saw an alarmed expression cross his face.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know. But it's best if we wake him."

"I don't know; is your dad a calm sort of guy?"

"Normally. There was the time when he and my mom shot at me, but that was an act. Other than the times when he was acting, he's been calm."

"Is he the really protective kind of dad who doesn't like you to date?"

"He's been bit by a little bug..."

"Called insanity,"

"Called love."

"Quiet,"

"Okay."

I kept taking glances at my waking father.

"Is it morning already?" he asked sleepily.

"It's seven in the morning, so yes."

I glanced at Tyler and mouthed the words 'Should we tell him?'

"He's going to find out anyway."

"Find out what?" I heard my dad ask.

"Why don't you see for yourself? There's a puddle right over there."

Seconds later, a scream ran through the forest. He had seen.

"Quiet; anyone could hear us!"

"The hunters don't give up easy," he muttered "I should've seen this coming."

"Seen what coming?"

"This. And I shouldn't have underestimated the new ally."

"Who's the new ally?"

"That WellBorne Science Institute."

"Wait... the hunters allied with the scientists?"

He nodded. "That's most likely how they were able to do this. I should've made more precautions when escaping. I made plenty and yet they saw me escaping and did this."

"So you were expecting this?"

"I was expecting something like it. I remember that needle nicking the side of my arm."

"And why didn't you tell me?"

"Madelyn, it's not your place to worry about these sort of things. It's my job."

"These past few weeks, I've been having to worry about all sorts of things. You should've told me; Tyler and I could've helped."

"You and him, you're just friends right?"

"Yeah," I replied "He's helping me free Trinity."

"Okay."

"So, did they just do that or are you a shifter too?"

My father was silent for a moment or two. "They probably turned me into a shifter; so they'd have more reason to either enslave or kill me."

"So that means..."

"Your mother will be looking to destroy us."

But she's my mom! And Dad's her husband!

"I refuse to believe it."

"You can ignore it, but it's true. I've seen your mother plotting your demise. I wanted to speak out about it, but I couldn't, for fear of being killed."

My heart raced. It wasn't true. I hadn't even seen my mother when I had been captured. He could've just been tricked.

"Madelyn," said Tyler, snapping me out of my thoughts "It's no lie. I saw; the memory is as vivid and clear as if he had just seen it. Your mother is on the hunter's side."

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, giving me a warm embrace. It was Tyler. I smiled, my heart filling with some emotion that wasn't quite happiness, but similar.

"Break it up," I heard my dad say, and I turned around. "I thought you said you were just friends."

"And we are." I replied.

"Sure you are, Madelyn."

"We are!"

"You have feelings for him; I can tell. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

I ignored Ashlea, and looked at my dad.

"I'm going for a little flight; I'll be back soon."

Before he could protest, I took off, going higher into the air. It was beautiful.

And the perfect place to think.

So I was thinking as I flew. There was no more doubt on my mind that my dad was on my side. And even if he hadn't in the first place, he would have to be, now that he was a shifter himself.

"But wouldn't you need to teach him how to shift first?"

And so I landed, then said to dad "It's time you learned how to shift."

A/N- And there's the shocker.

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