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EIGHTEEN

NEREUS

N ereus slammed the solid oak door to his royal study hard enough to rattle the ancient brass hinges.

The sound echoed through the stone corridors, a physical manifestation of the rage boiling inside him.

He had maintained perfect composure in front of Isolde, not wanting her to see how deeply the attack had shaken him.

But now, alone in his sanctum, he let the fury loose.

With a savage growl, he swept his arm across the nearest shelf, sending centuries-old nautical charts and bound journals crashing to the floor.

"Fucking cowards," he snarled, pacing the length of the room like the predator he was. His muscles coiled with tension under his skin, the wolf inside him demanding blood.

Never in his three centuries of rule had anyone dared strike him directly within his own territory. The audacity of it—attacking his Luna during what should have been a private, intimate moment—burned like acid in his veins.

His study door opened, interrupting his violent thoughts.

Damien stepped in first, his weathered face grave. Xavier followed, the beta's powerful frame filling the doorway before he closed the door firmly behind them.

"Those weren't Seafang wolves," Nereus stated, not bothering with pleasantries. "I'd know the scent of my own, and these had a different mark on them. Foreign."

Xavier's eyebrows shot up. "Foreign shifters breaching our borders? That's an act of war."

"It's worse than that," Nereus growled. "They weren't just here for territory. They targeted Isolde specifically. Waited until we were vulnerable."

Damien moved to straighten the fallen charts. "Your human Luna has awakened extraordinary powers. Word travels fast in our world."

"She's not just 'my human Luna,'" Nereus snapped, his wolf's hackles rising. "She's the Seafang Luna. My true mate."

Xavier and Damien exchanged a quick glance that Nereus caught immediately.

"If either of you has something to say, say it now." The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees with his words.

Damien sighed. "Your Highness, we must consider the implications. A human Luna with magical water powers this strong—there are those who would see her as a weapon to be controlled or eliminated."

"You think I don't know that?" Nereus slammed his fists on the massive oak desk, the wood groaning under the impact. "I've spent centuries protecting this coast and these waters. And now the greatest threat we've ever faced comes the moment my Luna arrives."

Xavier approached cautiously. "We need to secure the perimeter, double the guards. No one enters or leaves without thorough checking."

Nereus's jaw clenched tightly. "That's not enough. I want every shifter we have patrolling the borders. The ocean sensors need to be recalibrated for magical signatures."

Damien stepped forward, his ancient eyes holding a warning. "Your Highness, there's more at stake than just territorial security. The legends speak of human Lunas possessing powers that could reshape the world. If someone were to capture her and control her..."

"No one is taking her." Nereus's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "No one is even going to get close enough to try."

"With respect," Xavier interjected, "she doesn't fully understand our world yet. If she were to leave the protection of the castle?—"

"She won't," Nereus cut him off, though doubt flickered in his mind. Isolde was independent and stubborn. Qualities he admired but that now threatened her safety.

"I need names," Nereus demanded. "Who would dare breach Seafang territory for this? Which pack would risk open war?"

Damien's face grew more troubled. "There is an unfounded claim of a national alliance forming among those who fear what a human Luna might mean for our shifter kind. They believe the old ways must be preserved."

Nereus felt his canines lengthen involuntarily. "Then they'll learn why the Seafang Alpha has ruled unchallenged for centuries."

"And if these rogues come for her again?" Xavier asked quietly.

Nereus turned to the window overlooking the churning sea, his voice as cold and merciless as the depths. "Then they'll die. Simple as that."

Nereus soon stalked down the corridor toward Isolde's suite, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor with purpose.

The attack had left him seething with protective rage, but he'd forced himself to handle the security briefing with Damien and Xavier before seeking her out.

Now all he wanted was to hold her, to breathe in her ocean scent, and feel her warm curves against him.

He knocked on her door. No answer. He knocked again, harder this time.

"Isolde?"

When silence greeted him a third time, he pushed the door open. The room was empty. Her scent lingered, but it wasn't fresh. The bed was made, though he could see impressions where she had lain on it earlier.

A cold weight settled in his gut. After three centuries as alpha, Nereus had learned to trust his instincts, and right now they were screaming that something was terribly wrong.

He stormed through the castle, checking the library, the gardens, the training rooms—anywhere she might have gone to clear her head after the attack. With each empty room, his wolf grew more agitated.

"Where is she?" he demanded, cornering one of the housekeepers in the main hall.

The woman flinched at his tone. "The human lady? She left about twenty minutes ago, Your Highness."

"Left?" Nereus's voice dropped dangerously low. "What do you mean left ?"

"In the Aston Martin, Your Highness." The housekeeper backed away slightly. "She didn't say where she was going. Just had the keys in her hand and walked out."

Nereus closed his eyes, fighting for control. The wolf inside him wanted to roar, to tear through the castle and hunt her down immediately. "And no one thought to inform me of this?"

"She's not a prisoner, is she, Your Highness?" the housekeeper ventured, then immediately regretted her words when Nereus's eyes flashed turquoise.

"No. She's my Luna," he growled. "And we were just attacked."

He stormed off before he could terrify the poor woman further, making his way to the massive windows overlooking the ocean. The waves mirrored his agitation, white-capped and restless against the shore.

Then it hit him—a strange clarity washing over him like the tide. It wasn't just the mate bond tying him to Isolde. It was more, something deeper and more profound than he had experienced in his centuries of existence.

He loved her. Not just as his Luna, not just as his destined mate, but as Isolde—the stubborn, compassionate woman who challenged him and stood up to him and made him feel alive after all these centuries.

The realization staggered him. His ancestors would laugh at the mighty Seafang Alpha, brought to his knees by a human woman he'd known for barely a week. But there it was—the raw, undeniable truth. He couldn't imagine his world without her in it.

"Fuck," he muttered. If those attackers knew she was out there alone—if they were tracking her...

He slammed his large fist against the window frame, cracking the ancient wood. What was she thinking, leaving without telling him? Did she not understand the danger?

No, of course, she didn’t know. He hadn’t told her how serious the situation was. What was he thinking not telling her how she would be hunted by their enemies? But if he’d done that, she would certainly have run as far from him as she could.

His love for her had just taken root, and already she was slipping through his fingers. He would not lose her, not now, not ever.

He tore through the castle corridors, his heavy footfalls echoing against the stone walls. The wolf inside him clawed at his skin, demanding release, demanding to hunt for his mate. He found Xavier in the security room, preparing their new security measures.

"She's gone," Nereus growled, his voice a thunder rolling across the room.

Xavier spun around. "Who's gone?"

"Isolde. She took the Aston Martin without telling a damn soul where she was headed," Nereus fumed.

Xavier shot to his feet. "I'll assemble the guard. We'll?—"

"No time." Nereus cut him off with a sharp gesture. "I need you to coordinate from here. Have the coastal patrols double their rounds."

"She probably just needed some space, Nereus. It's a lot to take in?—"

"Space?" Nereus's laugh held no humor. "She doesn't understand what’s going on or how much danger she’s in. Those shifters that attacked us weren't random rogues. They knew exactly who she was, and what she is."

Xavier's expression darkened. "How could they possibly know though?"

"Someone's been watching. Someone knows she's manifested her powers." Nereus tugged at his short black hair, his turquoise eyes flickering with wolf energy. "She needs to master those powers quickly, not just for her safety, but for all of us."

"What do you mean?"

Nereus paced the room, his massive frame coiled tight like a spring. "A Luna with control of water magic could turn the tide in any conflict. She could protect the pack in ways I never could alone. That's part of the reason they're after her."

"But you can't force her to be what you need," Xavier cautioned.

Nereus whirled on him. "This isn't about what I need! This is about her survival, and ultimately ours. She needs to prove herself, and fast, so I can formally announce her as Luna and complete the mating ritual."

He pulled out his phone, hitting redial for what felt like the hundredth time. Straight to voicemail again. "Fuck! Isolde." His voice softened despite his rage when he left another message. "Call me back. Now. You have no idea what you're walking into out there. It's not safe for you to be alone."

He hung up, shoving the phone back in his pocket with excessive force.

"I gave her that phone as a birthday gift after the tidal wave. She's had it less than a week, and suddenly can't be bothered to answer when her life might depend on it?"

Xavier watched his alpha with wary eyes. "The mate bond—can you feel where she is?"

Nereus closed his eyes, reaching through the invisible tether that bound him to Isolde. It pulsed faintly, tugging him eastward. "Toward the ocean. Probably her houseboat."

"I'll send men?—"

"No." Nereus's eyes snapped open. "I go alone. She's my responsibility."

He stalked out of the room, leaving Xavier staring after him. In the garage, Nereus bypassed the luxury vehicles in favor of his custom Ducati motorcycle—sleek, black, and faster than anything else in his collection.

The engine roared to life between his legs, vibrating with raw power. Just like the beast inside him, ready to be unleashed. He peeled out of the garage, the front wheel lifting off the ground as he accelerated down the private coastal road.

Wind whipped past him as he pushed the motorcycle to its limits, weaving through the territory’s traffic with supernatural precision. All the while, he focused on the pull, that invisible line drawing him toward Isolde.

"Stubborn, infuriating woman," he muttered. The mate bond hummed stronger as he drew closer to her location, confirming his suspicion that she had headed back to her houseboat.

Did she not understand what it meant to be his? To belong to him as he belonged to her? The thought of her alone out there, vulnerable to attack, made his blood run cold despite the early autumn heat.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled over long enough to check it, hoping it was Isolde, but found Xavier's name instead.

"What?" he barked into the receiver.

"Our patrols picked up foreign scents near the border. Ten miles from her houseboat."

Nereus felt his canines start to lengthen, the partial shift triggered by rage. "How many?"

"At least four. Maybe more."

Four against one human woman who barely understood her powers. The math made his chest tighten with primal fear.

"I'm not too far, maybe twenty minutes tops. Keep the patrols back unless I call for them. If they spook these bastards, Isolde could get caught in the crossfire."

He ended the call and gunned the engine, the speedometer climbing past numbers that would make most humans squirm. The coastal road curved ahead, revealing the stretch of ocean where Isolde's houseboat was anchored.

Nereus had waited lifetimes for his Luna. He had stood alone, led alone, and fought alone. The thought of losing her now, after just finding her, was completely unacceptable.

"Hold on," he growled as the ocean came into view under the setting sun. "Your alpha is coming."