Page 44 of Ocean's Whisper

"You think I don't know that?" Nereus slammed his fists on the massive oak desk, the wood groaning under the impact. "I've spent centuries protecting this coast and these waters. And now the greatest threat we've ever faced comes the moment my Luna arrives."

Xavier approached cautiously. "We need to secure the perimeter, double the guards. No one enters or leaves without thorough checking."

Nereus's jaw clenched tightly. "That's not enough. I want every shifter we have patrolling the borders. The ocean sensors need to be recalibrated for magical signatures."

Damien stepped forward, his ancient eyes holding a warning. "Your Highness, there's more at stake than just territorial security. The legends speak of human Lunas possessing powers that could reshape the world. If someone were to capture her and control her..."

"No one is taking her." Nereus's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "No one is even going to get close enough to try."

"With respect," Xavier interjected, "she doesn't fully understand our world yet. If she were to leave the protection of the castle?—"

"She won't," Nereus cut him off, though doubt flickered in his mind. Isolde was independent and stubborn. Qualities he admired but that now threatened her safety.

"I need names," Nereus demanded. "Who would dare breach Seafang territory for this? Which pack would risk open war?"

Damien's face grew more troubled. "There is an unfounded claim of a national alliance forming among those who fear what a human Luna might mean for our shifter kind. They believe the old ways must be preserved."

Nereus felt his canines lengthen involuntarily. "Then they'll learn why the Seafang Alpha has ruled unchallenged for centuries."

"And if these rogues come for her again?" Xavier asked quietly.

Nereus turned to the window overlooking the churning sea, his voice as cold and merciless as the depths. "Then they'll die. Simple as that."

Nereus soon stalked down the corridor toward Isolde's suite, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor with purpose. The attack had left him seething with protective rage, but he'd forced himself to handle the security briefing with Damien and Xavier before seeking her out. Now all he wanted was to hold her, tobreathe in her ocean scent, and feel her warm curves against him.

He knocked on her door. No answer. He knocked again, harder this time.

"Isolde?"

When silence greeted him a third time, he pushed the door open. The room was empty. Her scent lingered, but it wasn't fresh. The bed was made, though he could see impressions where she had lain on it earlier.

A cold weight settled in his gut. After three centuries as alpha, Nereus had learned to trust his instincts, and right now they were screaming that something was terribly wrong.

He stormed through the castle, checking the library, the gardens, the training rooms—anywhere she might have gone to clear her head after the attack. With each empty room, his wolf grew more agitated.

"Where is she?" he demanded, cornering one of the housekeepers in the main hall.

The woman flinched at his tone. "The human lady? She left about twenty minutes ago, Your Highness."

"Left?" Nereus's voice dropped dangerously low. "What do you meanleft?"

"In the Aston Martin, Your Highness." The housekeeper backed away slightly. "She didn't say where she was going. Just had the keys in her hand and walked out."

Nereus closed his eyes, fighting for control. The wolf inside him wanted to roar, to tear through the castle and hunt her down immediately. "And no one thought to inform me of this?"

"She's not a prisoner, is she, Your Highness?" the housekeeper ventured, then immediately regretted her words when Nereus's eyes flashed turquoise.

"No. She's my Luna," he growled. "And we were just attacked."

He stormed off before he could terrify the poor woman further, making his way to the massive windows overlooking the ocean. The waves mirrored his agitation, white-capped and restless against the shore.

Then it hit him—a strange clarity washing over him like the tide. It wasn't just the mate bond tying him to Isolde. It was more, something deeper and more profound than he had experienced in his centuries of existence.

He loved her. Not just as his Luna, not just as his destined mate, but as Isolde—the stubborn, compassionate woman who challenged him and stood up to him and made him feel alive after all these centuries.

The realization staggered him. His ancestors would laugh at the mighty Seafang Alpha, brought to his knees by a human woman he'd known for barely a week. But there it was—the raw, undeniable truth. He couldn't imagine his world without her in it.

"Fuck," he muttered. If those attackers knew she was out there alone—if they were tracking her...

---