Page 24

TWENTY

NEREUS

N ereus's Ducati roared beneath him as he pushed the motorcycle to its limits down the coastal road.

The rushing wind whirred in his ears, but it couldn't drown out the thundering of his heart.

Fifteen minutes since hanging up with Xavier felt like fifteen hours.

Each second that ticked by with Isolde missing ratcheted his anxiety higher.

The mate bond pulsed weakly inside him, a distant lighthouse in an emotional storm. She was alive. That knowledge alone kept him from losing control completely.

He swerved the motorcycle into the marina parking lot, barely taking time to kill the engine before vaulting off. His boots hit the wooden dock with a heavy thud as he sprinted toward Isolde's houseboat. The setting sun sparkled off the water, mocking the darkness spreading through his chest.

"Isolde!" His voice rang out over the lapping of waves against the dock.

The door to her houseboat swung open at his touch—unlocked.

His instincts screamed danger as he entered.

Everything appeared normal. The small kitchen with its quirky mermaid magnets on the refrigerator, the living area with marine life books stacked on end tables, and the faint scent of citrus and saltwater that was uniquely hers.

But no Isolde.

"Fuck." The word escaped through his gritted teeth as he moved through the quaint space, his nostrils flaring to catch any trace of an intruder.

A buzzing sound caught his attention. Her phone—sitting abandoned on the coffee table beside a half-empty mug of tea. He picked it up, swiping to see dozens of missed calls. His own name dominated the screen.

He stalked back outside, his eyes scanning the marina. His Aston Martin sat parked where she must have left it, and beside it, her silver Lexus. She hadn't driven anywhere.

He closed his eyes, centering himself. The mate bond flickered like a distant flame—too weak and too far. But present. He focused on her essence, letting his senses expand.

The scent hit him suddenly—faint traces of Isolde carried on the breeze. He followed it down the dock, passing several boats until he reached a sleek, modern two-story houseboat two docks over. The structure gleamed white against the blue water, its windows tinted nearly black.

Isolde's scent intensified here, mingled with something else—fear. His wolf stirred within him, hackles rising at the primal call to protect what was his.

But beneath that, another scent lingered. Female, but nothing human. Ancient. Powerful. Wrong.

Without hesitation, Nereus stripped off his jacket and boots, letting his transformation take him. His bones cracked and reformed, his muscles stretched and shifted, and within seconds, the white and gray wolf with brilliant turquoise eyes stood where the man had been.

In this form, the scents bombarded him with clarity. The foreign female scent carried notes of brine and thunderstorms, of depths beyond human reckoning.

Siren. Witch. The knowledge clicked into place like a key turning in a lock.

Centuries of instinctual hatred flooded his veins. Sirens—the ancient enemies of the Seafang pack, beings who corrupted the waters his kind had sworn to protect. The historical wars between them had nearly wiped out both species before an uneasy truce had been established.

A truce now clearly broken.

The faint pulse of the mate bond confirmed his fears. The fear he sensed from Isolde wasn't panic—it was too subdued, almost dreamlike. Drugged. The realization sent rage coursing through him.

The pieces assembled themselves with brutal clarity.

The attack in the secluded cave hadn't been random.

His initial suspicions were now confirmed, the attack was part of a bigger plan.

This siren had sent those wolves to capture Isolde, and now somehow, the ancient witch had taken his Luna. But where?

Nereus transformed back to his human form, pulling on his clothes with quick, efficient movements. His jaw clenched tightly enough to crack his teeth as he rushed away from the siren’s sleek houseboat.

The mate bond flickered again. Time was running out.

"Hold on, Isolde," he whispered to the wind. "I'm coming."

His mind raced through the tactical possibilities as he walked toward his motorcycle with purposeful strides. The mate bond kept flickering inside him, weakening with each passing minute. A primal growl escaped his throat as he pulled out his phone and dialed Xavier.

"She's been taken," Nereus said the moment Xavier answered, his voice deeper than usual, the wolf in him pushing to the surface again. "Siren witch. I can smell her all over that fancy houseboat two docks from Isolde's."

"Sirens? Here?" Xavier's disbelief crackled through the line. "Impossible. The truce?—"

"Is broken." Nereus cut him off as he approached his motorcycle. "Sound the pack alarm. All core pack members, now. We meet at Blackwater Cove in twenty minutes."

He didn't wait for a response before ending the call. The ancient cove lay hidden between two rocky cliffs, accessible only to those who knew of its existence—a sacred gathering place for the Seafang pack for generations.

Nereus arrived first, pacing the shoreline like the predator he was. The setting sun painted the water crimson, a visual echo of the rage burning through him. The weakening mate bond was like a physical wound in his chest—a constant reminder of his failure to protect what was his.

Within minutes, the soft padding of paws and the crunch of footsteps on sand announced the arrival of his pack. Some came in wolf form, others in human form, but all wore expressions of concern and determination. Xavier approached first, flanked by the patrol captains.

"Everyone's here," Xavier confirmed, his eyes scanning the assembled wolves. "What's the plan?"

Nereus looked out at his closest pack members—his core family—nearly sixty strong. The Seafang pack members that had followed him for centuries, through wars and peace, through triumph and hardship. His gaze landed on faces that had only days ago looked at Isolde with skepticism and distrust.

The injustice of it burned like fire within him.

"Before we discuss strategy," Nereus began, his voice soaring across the beach without effort, "I have something to say."

He ascended a large, flat rock that jutted from the sand—the Stone of Assembly where Seafang alphas had addressed their pack since before written history.

"For centuries, I have led you. I have protected you. I have guided our territory through times that should have ended us." His eyes glowed turquoise in the dimming light. "And in all that time, I have asked little in return."

The waves crashed behind him, responding to his emotions, rising higher with each powerful word.

"When my Luna arrived—when the Moon Goddess herself blessed our pack with her return—how did we respond?" His voice dropped dangerously low. "With suspicion. With rejection. With whispers in hallways and cold shoulders."

Several pack members lowered their gazes, shame evident in their postures.

"Isolde Morgan may be human by birth, but her heart—" Nereus thumped his chest, "—her heart is pure Seafang. She carries the ocean in her veins just as we do. Her connection to water rivals any born wolf among us."

The tide pulled further out as his anger built, the ocean itself listening to its prince.

"You saw her as weak because she didn't grow up with our traditions.

You saw her as unworthy because she doesn't wear fur when necessary.

" Nereus's fist clenched at his side. "But where were you when she faced down attackers with fierce courage in the cave?

Where were your judgments when she mastered in days what takes our born wolves years to control? "

He leaped down from the stone, landing with predatory grace, and strode through the ranks of his pack. They parted before him, no one daring to meet his eyes.

"Now my true mate—your Luna—is in the hands of our ancient enemy.

A siren witch who would drain her power and use it against everything we've sworn to protect.

" His voice cracked slightly, the emotion breaking through his usually controlled facade.

"And I ask myself, would things be different if we had embraced her from the start?

If she had felt the full strength of the pack behind her? "

Xavier stepped forward. "You and I will find her, Nereus."

"No." Nereus shook his head, his eyes blazing. " We will find her. All of us. Together. Because despite our failings as a pack, she is one of us. Human or not, she is Seafang. And Seafangs protect their own."

He returned to the Stone of Assembly, drawing himself to his full height. The muscles in his arms flexed as he gestured toward the horizon.

"Out there, a creature thinks she can steal what belongs to us. She believes we are divided, weakened by our prejudices." His voice lowered to a dangerous rumble. "Let's show her how wrong she is."

The silence that followed felt electric. The entire group stood motionless, the only sound the rhythmic crashing of waves.

"Who stands with me?" Nereus challenged. "Who will bring our Luna home?"

The response came not as individual voices but as a unified roar. Every member of his core pack—from the youngest to the eldest, from the most skeptical to his most loyal—stepped forward as one.

"For the Luna!" Xavier bellowed, and the cry was taken up by every throat.

"FOR THE LUNA!"

The unexpected unanimity struck Nereus like a tidal wave, and he was almost brought to his knees with overwhelming emotion.

As he looked out at his pack standing united and strong for the sake of Isolde, a flicker of hope sparked in his chest. The mate bond suddenly pulsed stronger as if Isolde somehow sensed their determination and support.

"Prepare the boats," Nereus commanded, a fierce smile breaking across his face. "We hunt at sea tonight."

Nereus soon cut through the dense foliage that separated Blackwater Cove from the private marina where he kept his prized vessel.

Xavier followed close behind, matching his alpha's relentless pace.

The scent of brine and wet earth filled Nereus's nostrils as he moved with predatory purpose, his footsteps barely making a sound despite his size.

"I still can't believe it," Nereus said, his voice a low rumble that matched the distant thunder. "Sixty of them. Every last one."

The image of his pack standing united, roaring their support for a human Luna most had barely acknowledged days before, ignited something primal in his chest. Pride, yes—but something more profound. Hope for his pack's future.

"Did you really think they wouldn't follow you?" Xavier's question pulled Nereus from his thoughts. "Prince or not, you're their alpha first."

They emerged onto the polished wooden dock where Nereus's primary watercraft—a sleek, thirty-six-foot offshore vessel—waited like a crouching raider. Its midnight blue hull absorbed the moonlight rather than reflecting it—perfect for tonight's mission.

"It wasn't me I was concerned about." Nereus ran his hand along the boat's hull, feeling its smooth surface like the flank of a trusted companion. "It was her."

Xavier stepped aboard first, beginning immediate preparations while Nereus untied the moorings.

"So they were hesitant at first. Big deal." Xavier shrugged, throwing open compartments and checking the weapons systems Nereus had long ago installed for pack emergencies. "A human Luna isn't exactly what any of us expected after three centuries."

Nereus vaulted onto the deck, landing with silent grace before taking his position at the helm. The familiar vibration of the engines spreading through his body centered him somewhat, though nothing could truly calm the storm raging inside him while Isolde remained in danger.

"She's more than just a human." Nereus's fingers tightened around the wheel, his knuckles whitening. "She's everything that's been missing. Not just from me—from all of us."

Xavier paused his preparations, studying his alpha's face. "They would have come around eventually, you know. Even the most stubborn among us."

"None of that matters now," Nereus growled. "The only thing that matters is bringing Isolde back where she belongs—with me and the Seafang. And tearing apart that witch who dared to take her."

The thought of the siren witch having her hands on Isolde made Nereus's blood boil hot with primal rage. The mate bond within him pulsed weakly again, each flutter a painful reminder of Isolde's vulnerability.

"We'll get her back." Xavier's certainty was unwavering.

"I'm going to destroy that siren." Nereus's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

The deep thrumming of the engines matched the beating of his heart, both ready for battle. In three centuries of ruling the Seafang, Nereus had never felt such consuming wrath, such utter focus on a single objective. The wolf within him paced restlessly, demanding retribution.

"She'll regret the day she ever crossed into our waters." He turned to Xavier, his expression carved from stone. "Isolde is my everything. My mate, my future, and my heart. I'll tear this ocean apart piece by piece if that's what it takes."

Xavier nodded, understanding the depth of his alpha's devotion. "The fleet will be ready in ten minutes. Damien is coordinating the loading now."

Nereus looked back toward Blackwater Cove where his pack scrambled to prepare the dozen watercraft they maintained for pack use. He could see them moving with military precision—loading weapons, communications equipment, and medical supplies. The sight filled him with fierce satisfaction.

"For centuries, I thought power was about control," Nereus said quietly, almost to himself. "But this—the way I feel about her—it's not about controlling her. It's about protecting what makes me whole."

He breathed deeply, his senses extending outward, seeking the faint pulse of the mate bond. It flickered like a distant star, but it was there. She was alive. And while she lived, nothing would stop him from finding her.

"Let's bring our Luna home."