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TWENTY-ONE

NEREUS

N ereus's hand closed over the throttle, and the powerful engines roared beneath him.

The vibration traveled up through his bones, centering him as he guided his vessel out of the cove.

Behind him, twelve other boats formed a coordinated armada, the moonlight absorbing into rather than gleaming off their hulls.

"All vessels report ready, Alpha," Xavier confirmed, tapping the communications headset. "Everyone's armed and tracking your lead."

Nereus nodded, his muscles coiled tightly, ready for action. The mate bond pulsed like a distant heartbeat, growing stronger as he adjusted their course. Every fiber of his being aligned with that singular connection—the invisible tether binding him to Isolde.

"She's due east, about thirty nautical miles offshore." His voice cut through the night air with absolute certainty. The wolf within him prowled restlessly, driven by primal instinct to reclaim what was his.

The midnight-blue craft sliced through the waves, spray flying up around them as Nereus pushed the engines harder. No normal boat could maintain such speed without risking structural damage, but this vessel—like its owner—was far from ordinary.

"The siren will have protection," Xavier said, checking the weapons locker. "Probably water wraiths, maybe bound selkies."

"Let her have an army." Nereus's eyes flashed turquoise in the darkness. "I'll tear through every last one to get to Isolde."

The Atlantic stretched before them, vast and ancient.

Nereus breathed in the salt air, drawing strength from the very element that had nurtured his kind for millennia.

The ocean responded to his presence, the waves parting slightly before his vessel, sensing the authority of the water prince commanding them.

"How did you feel when you met her?" Xavier asked suddenly. "Was it like everything before was just emptiness?"

Nereus's gaze remained fixed on the horizon. "I felt like I'd been drowning for three centuries without knowing it. And suddenly, there was air."

A faint smile crossed Xavier's face. "I see it now. The way you look at her, the way you would do anything for her... She changed you."

"She terrifies me, X," Nereus admitted, the raw confession startling even himself. "Not her powers. The thought of losing her."

The radio crackled. "Alpha, six o'clock. Something strange in the water."

Nereus spun to look behind them. The ocean's surface rippled unnaturally, a phosphorescent blue glow spreading beneath the waves.

"The witch is aware we're coming," he growled. "Good. I want her to feel the fear build."

The mate bond fluttered sharply, sending a jolt of pain through his chest. Isolde was afraid. The knowledge made his vision turn red with rage.

"She's trying to use Isolde's powers," Nereus snarled, his knuckles white on the wheel. "Trying to harness something she can't begin to understand."

"Alpha, visual confirmation," came a voice over the radio. "Large yacht, three miles ahead."

Nereus spotted it—a gleaming white vessel, ostentatiously large, illuminated against the night sky. His enhanced vision picked out movement on the deck, figures scurrying like ants. The siren was preparing for their arrival.

"Maintain speed and formation," he commanded into the radio. "No engagement until my signal."

The mate bond pulsed more strongly like a beacon calling him home. His chest ached with a mixture of longing and fury.

"I'm going to rip that witch apart with my bare hands," Nereus growled, the sound more wolf than man.

"Save some for the rest of us," Xavier replied, loading a weapon beside him. "The pack wants to prove themselves now to their Luna."

Nereus felt a surge of pride at those words. His pack—his family—united in purpose to rescue the woman who had, in just a week, become the heart of their existence. His existence.

"That siren doesn't know what's coming for her," Nereus said, a dangerous smile spreading across his face as they closed in on the yacht. "No one takes what's mine and gets away with it."

As Nereus steered the boat closer to the yacht, the water began to churn unnaturally beneath them. The ocean's surface bubbled and frothed as if boiling from below. The mate bond throbbed painfully in his chest—Isolde was very close, but something was interfering with their connection.

"Something's wrong," Nereus growled. "The siren witch is managing to use Isolde's powers."

Xavier tensed beside him. "How bad?"

"Bad enough that I'm going to enjoy tearing her limb from limb." The thought of anyone forcing his Luna to use her powers against her will made his blood run hotter than the disturbed waters around them.

Without warning, a massive tentacle erupted from the waves, slamming down on the boat to their left. The vessel lurched but held firm—Seafang boats were built to withstand supernatural assault.

"Water wraiths!" Nereus barked into the radio. "Defensive formation, now!"

His pack responded immediately, their boats shifting into a protective circle. More tentacles rose from the depths—translucent, glowing with an eerie blue light, and powerful enough to crush steel. These weren't ordinary sea creatures, but malevolent spirits bound to the siren's will.

"All units, silver-tipped harpoons," Nereus commanded. "Fire at will!"

The night air filled with the mechanical whirr of harpoon launchers. Silver projectiles arced through the darkness, finding their marks in the ghostly flesh of the water wraiths. Unearthly shrieks pierced the night as the creatures thrashed in pain.

"Keep moving forward!" Nereus shouted, pushing his boat's engines to their limit. "Don't let them isolate any vessels!"

A wraith rose directly in their path, its gaping maw large enough to swallow their boat whole.

Nereus didn't flinch. He reached for the controls of the mounted harpoon gun and fired three rounds in rapid succession, striking the creature's core.

It dissolved into luminescent foam with an otherworldly wail.

"Behind you!" Xavier warned.

Nereus spun the wheel hard, narrowly avoiding another tentacle. "These are just her foot soldiers," he snarled. "She's trying to wear us down before we reach her."

The mate bond pulsed again, stronger this time. Isolde was fighting back in her own way. Pride swelled within him. His Luna was no helpless damsel, even drugged and captive.

"Alpha, port side!" came a shout over the radio.

A dozen sleek forms cut through the water alongside their boats—humanoid but with seal-like features and razor-sharp claws. Bound selkies, forced into service by the siren's magic.

"Don't kill them if you can avoid it," Nereus ordered. "They're slaves to her will."

One of the selkies launched itself onto their deck, water streaming from its glistening skin.

Nereus met it head-on, catching its wrists before its claws could find purchase.

The creature was strong, but no match for an alpha waterwolf.

He threw it back into the ocean with enough force to stun but not kill.

"Xavier, take the wheel!" Nereus stripped off his jacket, his muscles rippling beneath his tight black T-shirt. "I need to clear a path."

Without waiting for a response, he vaulted over the side of the boat, hitting the water with barely a splash.

The ocean welcomed him like an old friend, its currents adjusting to his presence.

He let his wolf partially emerge—not a full shift, but enough to enhance his strength and speed in the water.

Swimming beneath the surface, Nereus tore through the selkie ranks with brutal efficiency. His clawed hands disabled rather than killed, breaking the siren's hold on the creatures one by one. They retreated in confusion once freed from her control.

A massive wraith descended toward him, its body rippling with malevolent energy.

Nereus bared his fangs in a feral grin. He had been fighting creatures like this for centuries.

The wraith was powerful but predictable, lunging forward with its tentacles extended.

Nereus twisted between them, diving straight for its pulsing core.

His claws ripped through the ethereal flesh, and the creature dissolved around him.

Breaking the surface, Nereus saw that his pack was holding their own. Half the wraiths had been dispatched, and the selkies were scattering, many freed from the witch's control. His boats had advanced significantly, now less than half a mile from the yacht.

He pulled himself back onto his vessel with inhuman grace, water sluicing off his body. "Status report," he demanded, shaking his wet hair from his eyes.

Xavier handed him back the wheel. "Three boats with minor damage. No serious injuries. We're making progress."

"Good." Nereus fixed his gaze on the yacht. "Signal the flanking teams. It's time for the next phase."

Two boats peeled away from their formation, circling wide to approach the yacht from different angles. Nereus kept his vessel on a direct course, drawing the main force of the siren's defenses.

A new wave of wraiths rose to meet them, larger than before. Nereus felt the ocean respond to his will, his ancestral connection to the water pushing back against the siren's corruption.

"She's desperate," he noted with savage satisfaction. "She feels us coming for her."

The mate bond flared with renewed strength, almost like Isolde was reaching for him. The sensation was so powerful, it momentarily took his breath away.

"Hold on, sweetheart," he whispered. "I'm coming to get you."

The final line of defense erupted from the depths—a massive kraken-like entity composed of multiple wraiths fused together by the siren's magic. Its tentacles whipped through the air, smashing one boat's railing and nearly capsizing another.

"All units, concentrated fire!" Nereus roared.

A volley of silver harpoons struck the creature from all directions. It writhed in agony but held together.

Nereus felt a cold fury settle over him. No more games. He reached deep inside himself, drawing on the power that had been passed down through his bloodline for millennia. The ocean responded, currents swirling around their boats, forming a protective barrier.

"Everyone hold position," he commanded. Then, focusing all his energy, he thrust his hands forward.

A massive wave rose at his command, lifting their boats safely while slamming into the kraken entity with devastating force.

The creature's unnatural bonds couldn't withstand the pure elemental power of a water prince.

It shattered into dozens of smaller wraiths, which quickly dissipated into the night.

The path to the yacht lay open.

"Prepare to board," Nereus ordered, his voice deadly calm. "The witch is mine. And if you find Isolde before I do, get her to safety."

As they closed the final distance, Nereus felt the mate bond singing in his blood. His Luna was waiting for him, and no force on earth or sea would keep them apart any longer.