Page 7 of Siren’s Kiss & Feral Beasts
KAI
“ S he was here,” I say, staring out at the crashing tide. It’s bright out, the sun high overhead, and I watch the wolfen pack ships become smaller with each passing minute. The island’s empty now; all attending leaders and their vessels are gone, including my pack members and new prisoners.
I couldn’t leave, though. Not when there’s a small possibility that she could return.
My wolf is restless. A little angry.
He’s fighting against my tight hold—wants to tear free and find the owner of that decadent scent:
Orange blossoms and coconut, edged with sweet vanilla.
Unique. Enticing. Mouth-watering.
We’ll find her, I console him, but the rumble that builds inside my chest and slips through my lips is not one of appeasement.
It’s a demand, and I nod, promising to hunt her down.
That scent is woven into my genetic makeup, impossible to forget, and there’s nowhere in this world she can hide from me. Could she be…?
A warm breeze drifts across my bare chest, and I smell the traces of blood and salt dried on my skin. It disrupts my thoughts, but this time, the scent is different. Familiar, but not the one I want.
“I thought you might want some company, Son,” my father says from behind me as we overlook the ocean from a small cliff.
It’s close to where I’d seen her silhouette pass, one I need to appear again.
He takes a seat beside me on a weather-worn stone overlooking the beach and passes a black-labeled bottle of rum, which I take. “What’s bothering you?”
“I scented her.”
He doesn’t ask me who she is, just nods. “Are you sure, Kai?”
“Orange blossoms, coconut, and vanilla.” Holding the rum out to him, I wait for my father to tap his half-empty bottle with mine before taking a deep pull. The spirit is spiced yet smooth, warming my chest before settling into a nice tingling buzz that spreads through my limbs.
“Ahhh.” His smile and the glassy look in his eyes are ones I ignore, especially knowing it’s my mother he’s thinking of.
Julius Daire, our past alpha, is known for his temper and bloodthirst—he ruled with an iron fist, yet for his mate, he’s a docile pup.
Never understood it, but I never questioned it either.
“You’ll never forget the moment you scented your mate. ”
“It happened during my challenge.”
At that, he snorts and takes another sip. Then two more swallows of the amber rum. “Poor girl. Where are you hiding her?”
“She disappeared.”
His brows furrow, and all earlier amusement is now gone. “What do you mean, she’s gone?
I don’t answer him right away. Instead, I exhale roughly and scratch my short beard. It’s been a few days since I trimmed it, and it’s now the perfect length to tug. And I do, the small bite of pain clearing my head while a few more sips of rum feel appropriate.
Celebratory.
For a few minutes, we sit like this. Above us, birds fly while small waves crash on the shore, the horizon vast and never-ending. But more than that, his silence is like a mirror?—
Steady. Measured. Understanding.
Mates are sacred. There’s nothing a wolf won’t do to find and claim their goddess-given gift, and for an alpha, the compulsion is near overwhelming. A dominant force that drives until the need is met.
For companionship. For a family.
“Did it…?” Dad says, breaking the silence. His eyes are on the stone around my neck, so much knowledge in his dark eyes, their color the same shade as mine.
“For a moment.” Lifting my unoccupied hand to my chain, I enclose the black gem in my palm. It’s cold. Its weight is a constant reminder of what she could be. “When her scent hit me, I felt it grow warm, but then?—”
“Then?”
“Nothing.” Craning my neck from side to side, I stretch the tight, sore muscles there. Feel the pop of a few places that had been pinched tight; the relief is instantaneous. “It grew cold, and I blinked. Somehow, between the two actions, she disappeared.”
He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. What’s left of his liquor is dangling from his fingertips. “And your wolf? His reaction?”
“He’s unsettled. Wants to hunt.”
“Not surprising.” Dad grins at me, his expression more than amusement. He’s enjoying this. “So what are you going to do now?”
“What do you think?” The look I shoot him is incredulous, while a warning growl slips through clenched teeth. “I’m not letting this go.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Lifting the bottle to his lips, he tips it back and empties what’s left. The glass falls with a dull thud on the ground, rolling right over the edge and onto the rocks below. It shatters upon impact, which he shrugs at.
“I’m not taking you home.”
“Welcome to hell,” we say in unison, but his words are a little slurred now. His slap on my back lands just as hard. Not that it’ll last long. Our metabolism will burn through the alcohol fast. Still amusing, though. “The real alpha’s challenge just started.”
“I know.” Taking a page out of his book, I knock back what’s left of my bottle in one continuous pull. I don’t stop until it’s empty, and my chest rumbles with my wolf’s agreement. The way her scent calls to me can’t be a one-off . “I’ll chase her to the end of the fucking world if I have to.”