Page 54 of Ocean's Whisper

As they closed the final distance, Nereus felt the mate bond singing in his blood. His Luna was waiting for him, and no force on earth or sea would keep them apart any longer.

TWENTY-TWO

ISOLDE

Isolde 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 hadoffered 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 returningto 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.

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