Page 168 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

“You’re our cousin.” Aenon brushes over my hair. “When Uncle stayed with the woman he fell in love with and had you, we were so happy. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see you as a baby, aside from the one time Uncle brought you to the ocean for us to catch a glimpse of you. But then he and Esme died, and we had to wait for you to come of age. It was strictly forbidden for us to intervene with the pack.”

“I swear, if you hadn't have appeared, though, we would have found a way into your pack,” Nen states.

“You found me now, and that’s all that matters,” I say, smiling at them through tears. I still can’t believe that this is my life now. I’ve found my mate, I’m not a slave anymore, I helped free my old pack, and I found a family I never knew existed.

Freya,Sereia suddenly chimes into my mind, an expression of dread on her face.This means we are going underwater more often, doesn’t it?

I’m sorry, but yes.

She groans.And we can’t even take Max and Finn with us. Why did we have to be half-fish? Couldn’t it have been half eagle?

You would have been less worried about flying?I tease.

At least we would have been out of the water. The ocean is scary,she mutters.

I’m not used to Sereia being so on guard and anxious about something, but I can sympathize. Before I developed my powers, the ocean was a dark and scary place to me, with fish and unknown creatures. Now, however, this fear is almost completely gone and instead replaced with curiosity.

Don’t worry,I reassure her.I’ll make sure nothing happens and we have family with us. I’m sure you can feel the bond to them.

I do,she admits.

You can always retreat to a corner of my mind and—

No!she exclaims.I’ll continue to stay on alert when you discover unknown places. Even if it’s underwater. Who knows, you might need me! Selene and the ocean lady told me I’m supposed to be your guide. I have the feeling there is more to that than they let on. The water might be scary to me, but I will adapt.

I smile, glad my intelligent, composed, and strong wolf spirit will be at my side, even when we are underwater.

“Do you want to do it now?” Aenon asks. “Swim with us for a bit?”

“What… now?” I stutter.

“Yes, just for an hour or two,” Aenon says. “Don’t worry; we won’t show you our home yet. Just help you navigate the ocean and help you find your way and learn to rely on your senses.”

I feel like I should help Finn and the pack and make myself useful. To my surprise, Sereia stops me from refusing their offer.You spent almost eighteen years as this pack’s slave; you fought every day for those you loved, and you helped free this place. I think you are allowed to take two hours off!She points out.Even if it means that I need to go underwater.

I don’t overthink it any further, linking my mate to tell him about my plans.Finn, don’t freak out now… but I would love to take a swim. Just for two hours to learn a bit about my powers.

So soon?I can instantly feel his nervousness through our bond. He hates letting me go to a place he can’t reach… ever. And I can understand because if roles were reversed, I would fret too.

I want to get in touch with my roots,I tell him honestly.We won’t go far, just around the shore. Aenon and Nen want to show me how to navigate through the water. I might need this knowledge, you know?I pause.Finn, I know this isn’t easy. But there is never going to be a good time to begin this. Because no matter what you do and where you are, in my siren form I’ll always be underwater and you on land.

We both know I could get up and jump into the water and not tell him about it, and I don’t need him to allow me to do it. I can decide for myself, but I know how awkward and difficult this is as we are mated.

Finn doesn’t disappoint me, though.Well, better tell me all about it later today.He says with a chuckle.This is all so fascinating. I’m sorry for being so wary. If I am ever too patronizing, please tell me. Just because the ocean is scary to me and fellow wolves, it doesn’t need to be scary for you.

It isn’t,I reassure him.I will be careful. And Finn?

Yes?

I love you more than words could ever explain.

I can feel his joy through our bond.I love you too, more than anything or anyone else.

I shift my attention back to my cousins and smile at them. “Let’s go.”

I contemplate changing my clothes before approaching the lake that leads us to the ocean, but Aenon shakes his head. “We’ll show you how to shift in time before your clothes get wet.”

We spend the first ten minutes in front of the lake, with Aenon explaining how to shift and wrap my mind around it while I’m still on land. It’s trickier because the instincts haven’t kicked in yet. “It’s just in your mind,” Aenon explains. “Because you are on land, your instincts tell you not to shift.”

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