"I know now that what I felt for her was nothing," Riven said roughly. "A young siren's infatuation. What I feel for you—" His voice broke. "You are everything, Lily. My reason for existing. The only thing in this world worth protecting. I want you to wear my first victory and my first love, and know that both of them are nothing compared to what you mean to me."
I was openly crying now, tears streaming down my cheeks as I clutched his treasures to my chest. Thane came last, and his hands were trembling as he reached into his own pouch. What he withdrew was small—so small I had to lean close to see it. A single petal, preserved somehow, still soft and golden despite what must have been centuries of time.
"From my garden," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "The first flower I ever grew. I found the seed on a shipwreck, brought it down to my cave, and spent decades learning how to make it bloom in the darkness." His amber eyes met mine. "Everyone told me it was impossible. That flowers needed sunlight, needed air, needed things the ocean couldn't provide. But I knew—I knew if I was patient enough, gentle enough, I could make something beautiful grow in the dark."
He reached into his pouch again and withdrew a second treasure—tiny golden beads, each one so small they looked almost like droplets of sunlight.
"These were made from the first treasure I ever found," he continued. "A golden coin, from a ship that sank near our territory. I was too young to understand what gold was—I just knew it was beautiful. So I kept it, and over the centuries, I learned to work it, to shape it. These beads are the result of hundreds of years of learning, of patience, of hope." He pressedboth treasures into my hands with such tenderness it made my heart ache.
"You're like that flower," he said softly. "Something beautiful that shouldn't have been able to survive in our world. But you did. You bloomed. And you made all of us bloom with you." For a long moment, I couldn't speak. Could only sit there, clutching the treasures of four ancient beings, feeling the weight of centuries of loneliness and longing and hope.
"I don't know what to say," I finally managed, my voice thick with tears. "I don't have treasures to give you. I don't have centuries of precious things. I came to you with nothing—less than nothing. Just a borrowed dress and a desperate hope that I could escape."
Kaelan's hand cupped my face, his thumb brushing away my tears. "You gave us yourself. That's worth more than any treasure."
"You gave us hope," Vale added, his voice musical even through his own emotion. "After centuries of emptiness, you reminded us what it felt like to want, to need, to love."
"You gave us purpose," Riven rumbled, his scarred face soft. "Something worth protecting. Something worth living for."
"You gave us completion," Thane finished quietly. "The piece we didn't even know we were missing." I pulled them all close—or tried to, my arms barely spanning Kaelan and Riven's massive frames. But they understood, folding themselves around me, surrounding me with warmth and love and the steady pulse of four bonds.
When I finally pulled back, I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath. "So. How does this work? The braiding?"
Kaelan's eyes warmed with something like pride. "First, we undo the old braids. Then each of us takes a section of your hair and braids our treasures into it. When we're finished, you'll carrypieces of all of us woven together—just as our bonds are woven together in your soul."
"We'll start fresh," Vale said, his fingers already reaching for my tangled hair. "The courtship braids served their purpose. Now we create something new. Something permanent."
They arranged themselves around me—Kaelan at my back, Vale and Thane at my sides, Riven facing me. Gentle fingers began working through my tangles, undoing the ruined braids, smoothing out the knots that days of heat had created. It should have been uncomfortable—four sets of hands in my hair, pulling and tugging and working through tangles. But instead it was... soothing. Intimate. The bonds hummed with contentment as they worked, and I could feel each of their emotions bleeding through.
Kaelan's steady focus, his careful attention to each strand. Vale's artistic eye, seeing patterns and possibilities in the fall of my hair. Riven's surprising gentleness, his scarred fingers incredibly delicate as they worked through the worst of the tangles. Thane's reverent touch, treating each strand like something precious.
"In the old days," Kaelan said as he worked, his voice low and rhythmic, "the braiding ceremony would take place before the entire pod. All the sirens would gather to witness the claiming, to see the treasures woven into the omega's hair."
"But we're the last of our pod," Vale added, a note of sadness in his voice. "The only ones left. So we witness for each other."
"That makes it more precious," Thane said firmly. "More intimate. This moment is just for us." When my hair was finally smooth and tangle-free, they began to braid.
"We won't braid all of it," Kaelan explained, his fingers sectioning my hair carefully. "Some will remain free—flowing and wild, like the ocean itself. The braids will frame your faceand mark you as ours, but the rest..." His voice softened. "The rest remains untamed. As you are."
I felt tears prick at my eyes again at the thoughtfulness of it. One by one, they each produced small pouches filled with additional treasures, tiny shells in every color of the sea, pearls that glowed with soft inner light, small jewels that caught and scattered the bioluminescence. These would be woven throughout the braids alongside their personal treasures, creating something that was both meaningful and beautiful.
Kaelan went first, taking a section at the crown of my head. His fingers moved with practiced ease, weaving three strands together with a rhythm that felt almost ritualistic. As he worked, he began to hum—a low, resonant sound that seemed to vibrate through my entire body.
"The mother's blessing," he murmured as he wove his mother's star-stone into the braid, surrounding it with tiny white shells and a scattering of dark pearls that echoed the stone's captured stars. "For protection. For guidance. For the light that leads us home."
The dark stone nestled against my scalp, its scattered stars seeming to glow with inner fire, framed by shells and pearls. Vale took the next section, at my right temple. His fingers moved differently, quicker, more artistic, creating a pattern of small, intricate braids that wove together like music. As he worked, he sang—a melody so beautiful it brought fresh tears to my eyes.
"The singer's gift," he breathed, weaving his tiny chimes and the crystallized song bead into the braids, adding iridescent shells and pale blue jewels that seemed to shimmer with their own light. "For joy. For beauty. For the music that fills our souls." The chimes sang softly as he wove them in, creating a cascade of notes with every movement of his fingers, the shells and jewels glittering like captured seafoam.
Riven took the section at my left temple, his scarred hands surprisingly gentle. His braids were simpler—warrior's braids, functional and strong—but no less meaningful. He didn't sing or hum, just worked in focused silence, his dark eyes intent on his task.
"The warrior's vow," he growled as he wove the bone shard and fire-stone into the braid, adding small black pearls and deep red shells that gleamed like embers. "For strength. For protection. For the promise that no harm will ever touch you while I live."
The bone shard gleamed darkly, and the fire-stone pulsed with inner warmth, surrounded by pearls and shells that made it look like a burning ember nestled in shadow.
Thane took the final section, at the nape of my neck. His fingers trembled slightly as he worked, but his braids were beautiful—intricate patterns that spoke of patience and care. As he wove, he whispered—words too soft for me to hear, but the emotion behind them came through the bond clearly.
"The keeper's promise," he breathed, weaving his preserved petal and golden beads into the braid, adding tiny amber shells and warm golden pearls that caught the light like drops of honey. "For growth. For hope. For the love that blooms even in darkness."
