A/N Thanks for your reviews and support. Happy Holidays and Christmas everyone. I hope everyone had a good day.

bjq: thanks for your review, my friend. Sorry, it took so long. I have a lot of crossover ideas for this series but I like this idea. Updates might not be often but it won't be abandoned.

Ruby's POV

Three hours before the first full moon since her return was to rise she felt nervous. A sigh escaped her. She might call it the first full since her return but that wasnt true.

The moon was always full around the lake. It was what made it special to the skinwalkers. Out of all the places in the world this was where the veil between the human world and the world of wolves was at its weakest.

Skinwalkers made their homes at places such as this. Though others weren't nearly as strong as Wolf Lake they did allow the change. Change to become human and beast. The further one got from the lake the harder it was to change. That was why she had not made

The bond with the pack had grown stronger than any of them had expected. It was only a few weeks and she could hear those close to her clearly.

Out of the bonds she held the one with Tyler was the strongest. According to Sherman, it was definitely a mate bond. Tyler had known it since they were children. It was Ruby who had refused to accept the bond for what it was.

Ruby was slowly coming to accept that she was wrong. The bond wasnt just something she could continue to ignore or deny. No matter how long she ran a part of her would always belong to the pack.

The longer she spent with the pack the more she felt her own wolf side. It was just beneath the surface now and part of her was scared. This would be the first time she would flip since she left.

Warm arms wrapped around her waist. Only the fire scent kept her from attacking the person. Tyler... he must have sensed her thoughts.

"Are you ready?" He inquired, "Its almost time."

Tyler laid his head down on her shoulder. Gently he rubbed his cheek against her neck. Once more he was scenting her trying to make their scents mingle.

Ruby took a step back and Tyler released her with a sigh. His blond hair fell into his ice-blue eyes.

Ruby said, "I am as prepared as I can be. The flip is going to be difficult as it was the first time."

Tyler replied honestly, "It is going to be difficult for you. But I will be here with you. Together we can get you through this."

Her green eyes searched the honest blue ones in front of her. Tyler fully believed his words. If he could believe in her she would do the same.

Their attention was drawn to the treeline. The silvery-white moon rose above the trees. It was time for them to change.

A bright light flashed next to her as Tyler flipped. His clothes dropped to the ground. A light grey wolf with blue eyes stood before her.

She turned her attention inward. In her time away she had built a cage around her other side. To be able to flip she would have to tear down the cage. Ruby would have to face her past.

As she began to tear down the cage around her white wolf. Pain coursed through her heart. She remembered being unable to save Amanda.

How Tyler had tried to help her through it. Instead of helping it had only made the pain worse. Then a year after Amanda's death Tyler proposed.

That was what made her run. It was too much too soon for her. She wasn't able to talk to Tyler about how she felt. She had completely shut herself off from everyone; not just Tyler.

Her heart ached with the thought now. She accepted the pain. That was the first step to it.

The next part was entering her mind with the wolf. The forest in her mindscape was exactly like the one outside. A dense fog filled the air around her.

The snap of a twig made her head snap up. Her white wolf stood above a ledge staring down at her. Its green eyes were filled with pain and anger.

Images flashed across her eyes as she stared into them. She saw John Kanin first. Her wolf did not approve of the man. Despite being caged she tried to tell Ruby how she felt. That John wasn't her mate.

There was a longing in her wolf to return to the pack. That she wanted to return to Wolf Lake.

The longing to run as the wolf that she was. All of this she accepted that it was her mistake. That if she had been better her wolf wouldn't have such anger directed at her.

She said sorrowfully, "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you rather than caging you. Will you ever forgive me?"

The white wolf turned her head to the side. Then she jumped down from the ledge. Fur brushed up against Ruby's arm as their bodies melded into one. And she flipped.

Tyler's POV

Waiting to see if Ruby would be able to flip. She had been in her mindscape for a long time. It only made sense that she would take longer to flip than most.

She had to find acceptance in both wolf and human. The pack would accept her back when she found herself again.

His attention was drawn to Ruby as a bright light surrounded her. His sensitive ears heard her bones cracking and shifting. White fur sprouted from her body.

Green eyes met his blue eyes. There was a wild look in her eyes. It seemed that she had lost herself in her wolf half. Tyler pressed his mind against hers.

Both human and wolf pressed back. They were mixed as one rather than separate. It was dangerous to do this but it showed that she was serious about reclaiming her place in the pack. The true test would be if she kept her mind in the run and when she flipped back.