Page 10 of Whispering Waves

“Um, sure. The guys make coffee like my grandma does, which means it was probably Drake.”

“Any luck on your search for your grandparents?”

“I did something stupid and now have to wait until I get to one of the towns for a new SIM card.”

He tutted. “That was definitely an oversight. Well, you are welcome to use my Wi-Fi. It’s the only one listed, and the password is Pearlseeker#11. For now.”

She nodded. She took out her phone and entered the password with a blush on her cheeks. It was probably an innocent reference to how he acquired his fortune. Probably.

“Thank you.” She started typing frantically with her thumbs, and he grinned as he slid the cup to the counter next to her.

“You look like a cream and sugar kind of lady.”

She sipped at the coffee and said, “Thank you.” She paused. “Seriously? It’s been that easy?”

He smirked. “Found out that there are only two families with your last name, and only one of them has elders in the right age range?”

“Uh, yeah. You looked them up?”

“Of course. They are on the third island of the Wonder chain. They are astonished that they have grandchildren and are eager to meet you... and Drake.”

She blinked. “Really?”

“Yes. Noa and Halia are eager to make amends for rejecting your mother when she and your father were courting.”

She winced. “Oh, you got the full story.”

“Yes. I told them what little I know about you and a lot about Drake. I thought they should be prepared that an alpha made it into the bloodline.”

“Oh, good thinking. That isn’t the kind of surprise you want to spring on elderly folks.”

He nodded. “Noa is very spry for his eighties. He runs one of the largest construction businesses on the islands. With his son-in-law.”

“Wait, so I have an aunt?”

“Apparently. She’s also been notified.”

She typed frantically and paused. Wow. “Iolana. Oh, I guess an alpha in the family won’t be too much of a surprise.”

Her aunt was a striking female alpha who looked a lot like her father. Not hearing about her father’s sister now made a certain amount of sense, along with his sneering at alphas. He simply wasn’t enough in his own mind. It was why she was the family favourite.

“Aw, hell. This makes so much sense.”

“Hey, don’t get wrapped up in family matters. Today is about you learning to suck... air through a regulator.” He smirked.

She exhaled and put her phone down. “Right. Focus on today’s task.”

“I like your suit. How long before you let me see the mark on your back?”

“No clue.” She chuckled. “Maybe I have to overheat.”

He grinned. “Challenge accepted. Finish your coffee, drink some water, and let’s go through the equipment.”

She followed orders and washed out her coffee cup. At that point, she only saw one, and it struck her that she had been drinking out of his mug. She licked her lips and caught a hint of something that wasn’t coffee.

He walked with her to a distant part of his house where equipment had been laid out. She had to identify every part of the equipment, what it did, and how long it was in operation under ideal circumstances.

He ran through how to clear her ears, clear her mask, and hold her mask to her face as she entered the water.

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