#4 Moonlight on the Water

Knox

I was sitting in my office at the packhouse when I heard it. A deep lullaby echoing inside my head. Alistair started purring uncontrollably. I jumped from the chair and searched the room, trying to find the source of the song. I left my office and started wandering the hall, feeling lured by the sweet melody.

“Clay, do you hear that?” I asked my Beta as I neared the front door of the packhouse.

“Hear what?” Clay asked, looking at me like I was crazy. I ignored him and kept walking. I exited the packhouse and felt compelled to get into my car. The song led me back to the beach. I left my shoes in the car and walked barefoot through the sand.

Eventually, I found myself back in the woods, following the melody to the secret cove where I had tracked my mate’s scent the first day I saw her. Suddenly, the music stopped and I was left standing in the cove, looking at the back of my precious mate.

“What was that?” I cleared my throat, barely about to speak. My mate pats the empty spot next to her on a fallen log and I eagerly joined her.

“That was my song.” She told me, but I was still confused.

“I don’t understand. No one else heard it.” She looked up at me through her dark eyelashes and a small smile played on her lips.

“That’s because you’re my mate, it’s made just for you.” I studied my mate closer, noticing her wet hair and damp skin. Why did she always look like she just stepped out of the ocean?

“Who are you?” I asked again as the thoughts began to come together in my head.

“I’m a siren.” She finally answered. I blinked at her in shock. I knew I was a man who changed into a giant dog, and I knew my neighbors were blood sucking vampires and magic wielding witches, but sirens? Those were the bedtime stories that us fairytale characters told our children.

“A siren?” I had to admit, it made sense. She was always wet, she disappeared by the water, and she could sing a magic song.

“I know you must be confused. My people have been hidden for more than a century. It’s been so long that you must believe we are myths.” My siren mate said.

“I thought sirens were just legends.” I couldn’t think straight as I stared into her alluring eyes.

“The humans say the same thing about you.” She smirked, her eyes coming to life under her dimpled smile. I couldn’t help but smile back,

“What’s more is, I’m the daughter of the Siren King.” As if things couldn’t get any crazier.

“Of course you are.” I sighed.

“Now you know why I wanted you to reject me.” She pulled her knees close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, making herself seem even smaller.

“How long can you stay here?” I asked, motioning towards the beach. She giggled at my ignorance,

“Forever. I can have legs or a tail whenever, for however long I want.”

“Are you to be queen?”

“No, my eldest brother will become king when my father is ready to step down.” She explained.

“Then, I don’t see why we cannot be together?” I inched closer to my mate.

“My entire family is down there, my home, my entire life.” She said, nodding towards the ocean.

“And you just said that you can go back and visit them whenever you want.”

“Making the decision to visit my family and my home instead of visiting the surface is not as easy as it sounds.” She snapped at me,

“Besides, you’re not my only mate.” I nearly fell off the log at that.

“Excuse me?” Alistair growled loudly in my head.

“I understand that werewolves are very possessive and sure about their mate bond, that having two mates is rare for your species?” She paused, her eyebrow cocked in question.

“Yes.” I responded through a clenched jaw, waiting to hear what else she had to say,

“Well, that’s not the case for sirens. We are a little more, uhm…flexible with the mate bond. It’s not uncommon for us to have more than one, even more than two, mates at a time. We aren’t jealous creatures by nature.” She said. Her voice was sweet and light, but her words were stirring rage inside me.

“Are you telling me that you have a siren mate?” I was struggling to keep my composure.

“Yes. I’ve known him since I was a child.” Her words were killing me slowly, but she didn’t even seem phased. I stood from the log and paced the beach.

“Are you mad?” She asked.

“If I’m being honest, yes.” I replied. My mate stood up and watched me with her arms crossed.

“If it makes you feel any better, I only found out Cameron was my mate three days before I saw you on the beach.” She shrugged. I paused in my pacing and looked her up and down. Was my mate only 18?

“When do sirens find their mates?” I asked.

“When we turn 18. Isn’t it the same for you?” She asked me.

“We can start to find them at 18, but I’ve been looking for twelve years.” Her eyes widened as she did the math in her head.

“Oh.” She mumbled. I stepped up to her and touched her elbows, grazing her skin with my fingertips.

“Can I know your name?” I whispered, enjoying our closeness.

“It’s Navy.” I sighed in relief at finally getting to hear my little mate’s name. And what a beautifully unique name it was.

“It’s nice to meet you Navy, I’m Knox.” She smiled a tiny smirk at the sound of my name.

“Hi.” She mumbled with a cute little bounce.

“Are you happy under the ocean with your siren mate?” I asked her, my eyes staring deeply into hers as I clutched her arms in my hands.

“I could be.” She mumbled with a tiny shrug.

“You deserve so much more than to settle for future happiness, Navy. You deserve to be worshiped and loved.” I knew that I may only have one chance to convince my mate that she wants me as much as I want her, so I had to make sure I didn’t screw it up.