Page 26

TWENTY-TWO

ISOLDE

I solde woke with a pounding head and severe cotton mouth.

Her vision blurred as she tried to focus on her surroundings.

The constant rocking beneath her told her she was on water—a yacht possibly, judging by the luxurious cabin's polished wood paneling.

Her wrists and ankles burned from the rough ropes binding her to what felt like a bed bolted to the floor.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered, testing the bonds. They held tight against her skin, biting deeper with each attempt to free herself.

The memories flooded back in nauseating waves.

Marina's welcoming smile. The hot tub's soothing warmth.

The margarita that had tasted just a touch too sour.

Then darkness, punctuated by glimpses of consciousness—being hauled into a black SUV, surrounded by men with predatory eyes that gleamed amber in the darkness.

Wolf shifters. And Marina's voice, silky and venomous: "With your powers under my control, every drop of water on this planet will bend to my will. "

Isolde squeezed her eyes shut, shame burning through her. How could she have been so easily fooled? Because Marina had offered exactly what she had craved—understanding, validation, and the promise that putting herself first wasn't selfish.

"You ran straight from one trap into another," she chided herself. "Professional marine biologist can't even recognize a predator when she's sitting in one's houseboat."

The yacht suddenly lurched sideways, sending a decorative shell collection crashing to the floor. Distant shouts and the unmistakable sound of splintering wood filtered through the cabin walls. The battle cries grew louder—fierce, primal howls that could only come from one source.

"Nereus," she whispered, her heart leaping.

As if responding to his name, the mate bond flared to life in her chest, a warm, steady pulse that confirmed his presence. Not just him—dozens of others. The core pack must've come too.

Suddenly, a strange pulling sensation started deep in her core as if someone had hooked invisible fishing line around her insides and was steadily reeling it in.

The ocean outside the porthole window churned violently, waves cresting unnaturally high before crashing down on what sounded like multiple vessels.

"Stop it," Isolde hissed, realizing what was happening. Marina was siphoning her power, using it as a weapon against Nereus and his pack.

The pull intensified, her energy draining like water through a broken dam. Outside, something massive breached the water's surface with a thunderous splash. A sea monster, summoned by her stolen power.

"They really came for me," Isolde whispered, disbelief coloring her voice. "The Seafang core pack."

The realization struck her like lightning. The pack that had rejected her and sneered at her humanity, had rallied behind their alpha to rescue her. They might not fully accept her yet, but they were fighting for her.

The mate bond pulsed stronger, and through it, she felt Nereus's determination, his fear for her safety, and something deeper—a fierce, possessive devotion that left her breathless. He loved her. Not just as his destined Luna or the key to his power, but as simply her.

Marina's psychic grip tightened, twisting Isolde's power into something dark and violent. The yacht rocked harder as the ocean responded, whirlpools forming where there should be none.

"No," Isolde growled, channeling her anger and her resolve. "These are my powers."

She closed her eyes, focusing not on breaking her physical bonds yet but on reclaiming what was hers. She imagined her power as a tide—pulling away from shore when Marina siphoned it, but destined always to return to its source.

"You think because I'm human, I'm weak," she said to the empty cabin, her voice strengthening with each word. "But the ocean chose me. Not you."

The invisible hooks in her core began to slip as she fought back, mentally yanking her power from Marina's grasp. Outside, the unnatural waves faltered, the whirlpools losing momentum.

A tremendous crash rocked the yacht, followed by the splintering of wood and furious snarls. Through the mate bond, she felt Nereus drawing closer, fighting through whatever stood between them.

"I'm here," she called out, pouring her strength into the bond, letting him feel her determination. "I'm fighting back."

The pulling sensation weakened further as she reclaimed her power inch by inch. The sea outside seemed to pause, caught between two wills—holding its breath to see which woman would command it.

Isolde smiled, newfound confidence surging through her. She might still be physically bound, but her power was returning to where it belonged. Marina had made a critical mistake thinking a human Luna would be easy prey.

"When will they learn?" she whispered, feeling the ocean respond to her call, separate from Marina's control. "The ocean isn't meant to be controlled. It's meant to be respected."

Isolde soon felt the ropes around her wrists loosening as her power surged through her body.

With her newfound connection to the ocean, she directed her energy into the traces of water soaked into the rope fibers from her transfer onto the yacht.

The rope weakened, stretched, and finally snapped as the water molecules expanded at her command.

"That's more like it," she whispered, freeing her ankles next.

The yacht pitched violently as something massive slammed against its hull. Through the porthole, she glimpsed scales—iridescent and dark as the deepest ocean trench—followed by the flash of Nereus's white-gray fur as he leaped between vessels.

She sensed Marina's power pulling at the ocean, creating unnatural currents designed to drown the wolves swimming toward the yacht. Isolde pushed back, reaching for control of the waters surrounding them.

"They're fighting for me. For their Luna," she whispered. "Nereus and his pack."

A fierce determination flooded her veins. She wouldn't be a victim anymore, waiting for rescue or apologizing for taking up space. This wasn't just about her anymore. It was about protecting the mate bond that sang in her blood and the pack that had finally rallied for her.

Isolde crept through the yacht's narrow hallway. Shouts echoed from above deck, punctuated by the guttural snarls of wolves and the eerie wailing of Marina's summoned creatures. She followed the sound, climbing the polished steps to the upper back deck.

There stood Marina, her black hair whipping in the violent winds she had conjured. Her hands moved in elegant, practiced motions, commanding the ocean to do her bidding. She hadn't noticed Isolde yet, too focused on maintaining her spells against the approaching wolves.

"You made a very critical error," Isolde called out, stepping fully onto the back deck. "You thought that stealing my power would be enough. That I wouldn't fight back."

Marina whirled around, her perfect features contorting with fury. "You're nothing but a vessel," she spat. "A human accident of nature. This power was never meant for you!"

"But it chose me anyway," Isolde countered, standing taller. "I may be human, but I've respected the ocean my entire life. You only want to control it for your own selfish purposes."

Marina's fingers twisted in the air, sending a spray of saltwater slicing toward Isolde like liquid daggers. Isolde raised her hand instinctively, and the water stopped midair, hovering between them in crystalline beads.

"Impossible," Marina hissed.

Isolde shot Marina with a dangerous smile, feeling the ocean responding to her call more fully now. "You're not listening to it. The water doesn't want to hurt—it wants to nurture. It doesn't want to destroy—it wants to create."

With a flick of her wrist, Isolde sent the suspended water droplets cascading harmlessly to the deck. She could feel Marina's control slipping as the siren witch poured more power into her spells, frantically trying to maintain dominance.

"You'll never master it," Marina snarled, desperation edging her voice. She gestured wildly toward the ocean where one of her summoned monsters—a serpentine creature with multiple heads—rose from the depths. "Kill her!" she commanded.

The creature hesitated, caught between two mistresses. Isolde reached for it with her consciousness, feeling its ancient mind. Not evil—merely enslaved.

"It's okay," Isolde whispered to it. "You're free now."

A tremendous splash erupted from the port side as Nereus leaped onto the yacht's deck. His massive wolf form landed with predatory grace, his muscles rippling beneath his fur and his turquoise eyes blazing with protective fury.

"Perfect timing," Isolde called to him, feeling their bond thrum with shared power.

Nereus padded to her side, his large body pressing protectively against her leg. Marina backed away, her eyes darting between them and her wavering sea monster.

"Two against one?" Marina laughed, though fear tinged her voice. "I've lived centuries longer than both of you combined. I've harvested power from a hundred mermaids and drowned a thousand sailors."

"And yet you never learned to respect what you take," Isolde replied. She extended her hand toward Nereus, who shifted instantly into his human form. Naked and magnificent, he took her hand without hesitation.

The moment their fingers interlocked, their combined power exploded outward. The mate bond completed its circuit, and Isolde gasped as Nereus's strength flowed into her and hers into him, amplifying each other beyond what either could achieve alone.

Marina's sea monster turned its massive heads toward her, intelligent eyes regarding its former master with newfound clarity.

"No!" Marina screamed. "I command you! I am your mistress!"

The creature looked to Isolde instead, waiting.

Isolde felt a moment of doubt. Could she order this creature to kill? Should she?

Nereus squeezed her hand. "It's not murder to end a predator," he rumbled, his deep voice vibrating through her. "She'll never stop hunting you—hunting us and killing others to get what she wants."

The monster lunged forward, jaws opening impossibly wide as it crashed down upon Marina. Her screams cut off abruptly as the creature swallowed her whole, returning to the depths from which it came with its final meal.

"That was..." Isolde breathed, her hand still clasped in Nereus's hand.

"Poetic justice," he finished, pulling her against his naked body. "And you were simply magnificent, Isolde."

"We were," she corrected, looking up into his fierce blue eyes. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"That's what true mates do, Luna." His mouth claimed hers in a scorching kiss that left her breathless. "We balance each other. Your compassion with my strength. Your heart with my tooth and claw."

Around them, the ocean calmed to gentle waves, celebrating rather than mourning Marina's demise. The Seafang pack's boats approached, wolves howling their victory.

"They really came for me?" Isolde murmured against Nereus's lips, still stunned by their support.

"For us," he corrected. "You're their Luna now. Fierce and powerful. No one will ever doubt that again."