Page 16 of Siren's Kiss & Feral Beasts
He doesn’t ask me whosheis, 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 smallbite 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 whatshecould 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.”
6
NERISSA
“Come in, Love.” Grandmother Lucienne’s whisper reaches me seconds before I enter the room. Her voice is soft, yet the exhaustion is clear. Heavy. It’s only because of our keen sense of hearing that I’m able to discern what she says, just as she’s aware of my presence because of the same.
We sense movement and noise, sensitive to the most minute change.
“You called for me, Gran?” I stop next to her chair and place my forehead against hers. For a moment, we exchange warmth—the tethers of our auras embracing as they recognize each other for what we are. Family: we’re tied together by love and blood. And while I do the same with other members of my family or close friends, with her, it’s different. More. The matching birthmarks on our tails, the dual moons, have intertwined our fates since before my birth.
