Page 6 of Forever My Siren Luna (The Hidden Cove #2)

“I’m serious, Cedric. It’s time for you to stop blaming yourself. No one else does. My alpha blames your king and the whore, and your king blames himself. No one is blaming you. She wouldn't want you to suffer like this.”

I scoffed, doubting that. “I didn’t have to be the one to try and reveal everything to her. I should have….I should have trusted your alpha more. He should have been there with me. Everything would have been fine then.”

“I doubt it would have been fine,” Meldec muttered.

“Not fine, but she would have blamed me or her father more than him. He wouldn’t have been in his office either for that awful woman to try to ensnare him. Ela would be here with us now, not out there somewhere, heaven knows where, defenseless and all alone.”

Meldec makes a face, furrowing his brows. “You know, I don’t think Luna is as defenseless as you all assumed she was.”

“What do you mean?” Of course she is. She is so small and kind. She had to have multiple guards with her at all times because even her mate knew how weak and defenseless she was.

“She was young, and grew up in grave circumstances, but I really never sensed a weak presence about her. She was an Alpha Lycan and a royal siren. She had strong blood, and she was the only one I had ever seen face off against our alpha willingly. His aura is too strong to stand up against, but she could.”

I scoffed. “You didn’t see her the day before she left. She was a wreck. She was the definition of weak, Meldec.”

“I did see her, “ he muttered, “ I was right there with you. You were just so focused on her.”

I could feel his irritation with me. I know he would get annoyed when I chose my princess and her needs over giving him a chance. I wasn’t here for love, though. I was here to protect Elelira at all costs.

And I failed.

Meldec sighed then continued on. “It was her trauma and the demons in her mind she cowered to, not Lachlan. Not even those men. She was weak to her trauma, not to any man. You would all try to shelter her, but I could sense a warrior hidden inside her. Maybe it's because I’m the gamma and it’s my job to decide who will make the strongest warriors, but I always thought it was ridiculous how you all treated her like porcelain. She was made of steel.”

“Steel doesn’t break the way she did,” I narrowed my eyes on him.

“No, but I don’t think she was broken. I think she was in the fires of her life's circumstances, being forged into something even stronger. Quenching and tempering steel is a long process, but the results are something unbreakable, even under dire circumstances.”

I stared at him, marveling at his beautiful words.

But that’s all they are. Just words. She is still gone. She could be dead. Or on the verge of death, for all we know. Meldec is just trying to ease my guilt; trying to make me feel better. I want to believe his words, but I just can’t. Not until I see her again.

My weak, broken princess. Where could you be?

“You say pretty things, painting a beautiful picture, but it doesn’t change reality. She is still gone.”

Meldec sighed, rubbing my shoulder, looking out into the vast sea, knowing nothing else he says will help.

Looking out towards the ocean, the sun setting lighting up the water like jewels, he squinted, a confused expression crossing his face.

“What? What is it?”

I looked in the direction he was staring at, and then I saw it. A fleet of ships is coming this way. That normally wouldn’t be anything to be concerned over, but they are all sporting the same flag; a flag that is recognized to all to mean one thing.

Pirates.

“Did you alert the others?” I asked, standing with him to prepare for an attack.

“Yes,” he says, eyes still glowing as he continues to mind-link. “Nilo is on his way to town to secure the civilians. Cherum and his guard are heading here now.”

“The alpha?” I asked. Meldec grew silent for a minute.

“He’s helping the maids and women get into the bunkers, then he will be down. Niomi can’t travel on the ladder safely so he is carrying her. You should go inside and take refuge too.”

I snorted. I focus my magic in my hands until 2 blades materialize with my powers.

“You may take refuge if you wish. I’ll be staying here.”

He growled, but didn't push me.

Why are the pirates invading here? I thought they were plaguing the seas around Alpha Wayne’s lands. Not here in the south. Should I call for King Brennus? This pack isn’t truly his concern, but he will make it his concern for the sake of his daughter. He won’t let her return to a pack in ruins.

I was still debating whether to call him or not, focused on the ships as they approached the land, avoiding the town's docks and heading for the ones around the castle. That’s good. If they are going to attack, at least it will be the castle which is prepared and not the people who are not.

Staring at the men on the different ships, I saw a bulking man on the one at the front who had to be the captain. He has an aura about him like Lachlan’s, making me think he has alpha blood.

He is who we need to kill to stop this attack. I’m watching him, looking for points of weakness about his cool demeanor, when a beauty I would recognize anywhere comes up from behind him, resting her delicate hand on his shoulder.

Elelira. My princess.

“Is that?....” Meldec started to ask, just as stunned as me.

“Yes,” I whisper. It has to be. But….

She looks….different. It is definitely her, but her body looks less frail.

She has muscles showing beneath her corseted, sleeveless tunic.

Her bust is on display, something that is very much unlike her.

The tight-fitted pants are also something my conservative princess wouldn’t never choose to wear.

She preferred loose dresses that covered her body completely.

Her hair is loose, blowing wildly in the wind.

Her skin is radiant with a healthy glow and her nose and cheeks are red from the wind.

She is smiling at the man, pointing towards the dock, directing him where to go.

He whistles, and all the other ships slow to a halt, casting their anchors, but his ship still heads straight for the harbor.

Elelira looked out towards us, and when her eyes met mine, the smile left them, making my heart hurt. This isn’t the same broken princess from that dreadful day. The fire in her green eyes almost scared me, making me take a step back.

“No way,” I whispered. Is she coming back to attack her mate’s pack? Why is she with these pirates, treating them like friends and looking at me like I’m a pest?

“Mel!” Cherum comes running down the dock, a look of confusion on his face, Percy and Maurice on his heels with the rest of Luna's guard not far behind. “You….you said it was her?! It can’t be her! My Luna is not a friend of villainous pirates!”

“Look!” Meldec pointed towards the headship. “It’s her!”

Cherum squinted, trying to adjust his eyesight to focus on her, then a broad smile slowly stretched on his face.

“It’s her! By golly, the lass is finally home!” He cheered, not at all caring that she is standing at the head of a pirate’s ship. The man would leave the pack and join the pirate fleet himself if it were for her. If she is here for revenge or to attack the pack, he might just help her.

“Ela!” he yells, waving his hands around like a fool while the rest of us are too stunned to move. We just watched as the ships slowed, finally approaching the longest docks.

Cherum is the first to race down the docks to the ship where she stands.

Seeing him running breaks me from my delirium and I chase after him, not wanting to miss the opportunity to help her down if she needs it.

The ship is tall, and there is not a ladder or gangway for her to descend to the dock below.

He is looking over the ship, trying to figure out the best way to help her descend, as am I, when she surprises all of us by swinging down by a rope, landing gracefully on her feet. High-heeled boots came up to her knees, making her landing all the more impressive.

The look on her face is fierce, stoic even.

Close up, I can see just how much she has changed, even more.

Her hands are rough and callused. Her body doesn’t look as soft as it did before.

The lean cords of muscles along her arms and shoulders are new, as is the menacing aura about her.

She once looked weak and broken. Now, she looks as if she could easily break even me if she wanted.

It's like her beast is buzzing on the surface of her body, ready to take over and attack if need be.

Cherum is the first one to dare walk close to her. Her eyes soften slightly upon seeing him. “Ela,” he whispers, but before he can get too close, the bulking man lands behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder, letting the rope swing freely behind him.

“You had quite a welcome party waiting for you,” he drawled in a slight accent. I can almost place it, but not quite.

“It seems so,” she mused, staring up at him with an easy smile.

Even her voice sounded different. More mature and less hesitant than before.

“Is one of these men your Alpha mate ,” he asked, saying the word ‘mate’ like it was a joke. He is looking around at everyone, his eyes landing on me, making a shiver travel down my spine.

He is powerful. He is definitely an alpha. What relationship does he have with Ela to be referring to Lachlan with such sarcasm?

“No,” she whispered, her eyes scanning everyone. I could be mistaken, but it almost seems like she is disappointed. “The Gamma and Delta are here, though.”

“That’s too bad,” the man smirks, tightening his grip on Elelira’s shoulder, pulling her closer to him, an action not missed by anyone. “I was so looking forward to meeting him.”